But, it was the commanding view rather than the house that won over current owner, Jim Watson. This spectacular property had sat uninhabited, open to the elements and the island’s creepy crawlers, for over two year’s when Watson first visited.

Watson, a preferred developer for Home Depot, was vacationing in the Turks and Caicos and ready to put money down on a vacation house when the home improvement giant called and asked him to buzz over to St. Croix to look for sites for a new store. Not exactly a hop, skip and a jump, the developer chartered a plane and met with local realtor, Chris Hanley, for a tour of the island’s suitable commercial building sites. Hanley, though, couldn’t resist showing Watson the Greathouse.

“One look at the view and I said ‘oh my gosh’,” Watson relates. “I really wasn’t planning on buying a home on St. Croix, but I made an offer. It was like the dog that chases the car and catches it. The previous owner’s estate accepted my offer and we closed in 30 days.” This diamond in the rough of a property couldn’t have been in better hands. Watson’s 20-plus-year real estate development career gave him that special eye to see ‘what could be’ rather than ‘what was’.

“Even though it hadn’t been lived in for two years, the residence had a solid poured concrete structure. What it needed was paint, appliances, furnishings, basically an updating,” Watson says.

He garnered over a hundred local construction workers and renovated soup-to-nuts in a short 120 days. To give the house a personality, one that whispers Caribbean retreat, Watson called in interior designer, Twila Wilson.

“Our challenge was to breathe life into the house by the holidays or about two months time,” says Wilson, who owns Twila Wilson & Associates. “Since we already had a floor plan and knew what we were looking for, we flew to Miami. Miami is the Caribbean’s New York City. All you have to do is say where you’re from when you walk into a designer’s showroom and they know a boat will be needed and just what forms to fill out.”

The result is a breathtakingly beautiful residence that exudes Caribbean charm, offers all the modern day conveniences a 21st century homeowner could want, and a relaxed feel that invites a lazy afternoon sipping Crucian-spiked Cokes by the pool.

“The rooms are proportionally large with high ceilings,” says Wilson. “Therefore, we hung Indian gauze on oversize bamboo poles that served as curtain rods. The gauze billows in the breeze and it’s very cooling.”

The size of the rooms, and their light bright nature, meant that Wilson could use a darker hue of paint on the walls. “We used curry yellow, mango and turquoise which really offsets the dark hardwood furniture.”

Simple touches are sometimes the most stunning.

“The large master bathroom was all done in creamy marble,” says Wilson. “It looked dated and lacked personality. So, we added cane furnishings, a bamboo ladder as a towel rack, and seashell mirrors, for example. We basically stayed in creams, but added simple natural touches.”

The verandahs in this residence are as comfortably live-able as the 7-bedroom suites, 6-1/2 baths, cathedral ceiling living room, library, state-of-the-art gym and outdoor kitchen. Tapestry rugs in hues of brown, green and gold blend in with the native-stone faced planters and over 100 palms Watson planted on the property. Overstuffed pillows are fluffed on couches set before archways that frame both the verandahs and sea beyond. One of the true highlights of the house, and Watson’s favorite feature, is the crow’s nest, more appropriately named the ‘Martini Deck’.

“This wasn’t there when I bought the house,” Watson says, “We added it.”

Wilson added her touches. Cream and turquoise cushions adorn the built-in sofa that rim the deck in 360-degrees.

“It’s the ideal place to watch sunsets,” Watson says.

For more information contact
Chris Hanley, Principal Broker and
Owner of Farchette & Hanley Real Estate
at 800-964-9755 or 340-773-4665,
or email chris@chrishanley.com.