Alex Cassidy, a 23-year-old British musician, has created a remarkable home in the Caribbean for a mere $4,000. Located on the island of Tobago, the house was built on land owned by Cassidy’s family.
Cassidy spends six months of the year enjoying the Caribbean lifestyle and the other six months working in England during the busy summer season. His favorite part of the house is the veranda, which offers a breathtaking view of palm trees, especially during sunset.
“It’s so beautiful, especially during sunset, when you’re hearing the crickets go,” Cassidy told The Epoch Times. “I’ve built a little desk as well, so I can just chill out there on my computer.”
Sharing his adventure on social media, Cassidy stunned and inspired his followers by revealing the incredibly low cost of his house-building project.
According to Cassidy, the main motivation behind his decision to move abroad was the high cost of homeownership in the UK compared to Tobago. Hiring a laborer in Tobago cost him between £50 ($65) and £60 ($75) per day, while in the UK, he would have paid up to four times as much.
“Obviously, building materials are also a lot more expensive, as is land. It’s a big difference,” he explained.
Fortunately, Cassidy’s stepfather, a well-known musician in the UK, had purchased a plot of land on the island around 2009. He also constructed a house himself, gradually, over several years.
Cassidy advises anyone contemplating a move to a country with a lower cost of living to buy land before prices increase.
With the help of skilled laborers and neighbors, Cassidy completed the small house, roughly measuring 12 by 16 square feet, in a little over two months. With the assistance of his stepfather’s connections, they sourced manpower, made runs to the hardware store, and negotiated prices.
“We started in January of this year, worked every day non-stop, and finished in mid-March,” Cassidy noted.
Despite not having any formal training, Cassidy acquired the skills to build by assisting his stepfather with his own house and watching instructional videos on YouTube. Thanks to his natural craftsmanship and resourcefulness, he managed to achieve the open-plan design on a limited budget.
The construction process involved sourcing sturdy posts for the stilt structure, leveling the ground, laying the floor, erecting the walls (made of plywood and hardwood), and constructing a galvanized steel roof. The final result boasts amenities such as electricity, running water, an ensuite bathroom, and Wi-Fi.
The most challenging aspect, according to Cassidy, was transporting heavy materials up the hill to the plot. “Sometimes there’d be four or five people trying to bring things up. After a bit of rain, it would be really slippery, and you’d just be sliding down the hill,” he shared.
Reflecting on the completed project, Cassidy expressed his initial shock as, for a long time, the place looked like a construction site. However, as the interior walls were put in place and he started painting, the house’s transformation into a home became apparent.
“Then I put linoleum on the floor, and that just brightened up the whole place. That was when it started to hit me: ‘Oh, I have a home now,'” Cassidy reminisced.
In addition to escaping the cold British winters and avoiding mortgage debt, Cassidy has cherished the strong sense of community in Tobago.
“Tobagonians are very, very kind, warm, friendly people, and they’re very nice and supportive,” he said. “It’s a really good community, a small village, where everyone knows everyone, and everyone looks out for each other.”
Cassidy will forever remember his experience working with a laborer who showed up at his house one day, offering his services. They formed an incredible bond while working together.
“We had some great times just laughing and making jokes while we were working. I gained a really good friend there, and he’s a really nice person,” Cassidy fondly shared.
According to Cassidy, getting to know the country, people, and customs is paramount for anyone planning a similar endeavor.
“There are different laws, mindsets, and views. Showing up without knowing the country first would be a massive risk,” he advised.
Currently, visa constraints limit Cassidy to staying in the Caribbean for only half of the year. He derives his primary income from working as a seasonal musician in the UK, and he greatly misses his family and friends in his home country. However, he hopes to obtain citizenship or permanent residency to extend his stay.
Living in the Caribbean has brought Cassidy a wealth of personal growth and inspiration.
“It’s made me become friendlier,” he said. “Here, I could be anywhere, and I’ll see someone I’ve never met before, and they’ll have a full-blown conversation with me. It’s made me more sociable.”
Cassidy frequently showcases the natural beauty of his island home and highlights the differences in lifestyle between England and the Caribbean through his videos. Initially inspired by online videos of people building amateur houses, Cassidy decided to document his own journey. The unexpected attention he received from his videos has been both shocking and supportive.
“All the comments I’ve read have been really supportive,” Cassidy said. “Some people have said, ‘Oh, no, you can’t build that for £3,000.’ Some people thought I was lying, but I really genuinely did build it for £3,000, and I could have saved money as well.”
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