GOVERNOR’S HARBOUR, ELEUTHERA — Bob Colman, an architectural designer who moved to Eleuthera 17 years ago from the United Kingdom, has constructed over 70 homes on the island.
But his company, Colman Designs, has set its sights on an ambitious mission: affordable housing for its just under 50 employees.
“I have a lot of staff who build houses for people but can’t afford to live in their own home,” he told Eyewitness News at his office in the center of Governor’s Harbour.
“They might have the land, but they don’t have the wherewithal, and quite frankly, the banks are not very helpful.
“It’s been a quest for us to be able to design houses which don’t cost a great deal and the guys or families can finish them themselves.”
Higher-end homes could cost as much as $600 per square foot, but Colman aims to offer well-designed, affordable housing at a quarter of the price
He said at $150 per square foot, his staff and residents who wish to take advantage of the offering will be able to own quality homes that offer an aesthetic design and elegance.
“There is no excuse for it not to be well designed and look good and that’s what I try to do — is to make sure the house looks like something you want to live in, and not cheap,” the developer said.
“It has to look elegant and pleasant, and I think we’ve managed to do that so far.”
The company has built properties valued at over $5 million, and even constructed a $9 million estate, as well as apartment complexes, rental units and condominiums.
There is no excuse for it not to be well designed and look good and that’s what I try to do.
– Bob Colman, Colman Design
But Colman said he’s interested in any development, irrespective of size, that brings value to Eleuthera and its communities while offering an interesting project.
While business took a hit during the coronavirus pandemic, the government’s provision for construction to continue and incentivizing businesses to avoid job losses allowed the company to keep up payments to its workforce, according to Colman.
“We worked right through the COVID and that was because The Bahamas government at the time were very quick to offer incentives to keep your employees working and I think they gave us 50 percent of the salaries so we wouldn’t have to let them go and we had access to the money to pay them through our value-added tax account (VAT),” he said.
“The VAT money that we had, we were allowed to draw down some monies to all our guys who worked through the whole of the COVID.”
Poised for opportunity
Colman, a director of the Eleuthera Chamber of Commerce, left the UK at age 60.
In his search for a new home, he and his wife Kathy visited the Mediterranean and Hawaii, but during a visit to Rock Sound, Eleuthera, the couple determined the central island would be their new home.
There has been a gradual migration of Bahamians from other islands and foreigners to Eleuthera as they fall in love with its “charm” and “beautiful expanse”, according to Colman, who is also a member of the Eleuthera Chamber of Commerce.
“Before the pandemic, Eleuthera was absolute poised; you could feel it in the air,” he said.
“But of course, we’re now trying to regenerate all of that and it’s not completely conditional on what we do, but of course what happens in their country.”
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