A 22-year-old Briton moved to the Caribbean and built his own house (8 photos + 2 videos)

Ales Cassidy, a 22-year-old musician from the UK, told an amazing story on social networks that one can only envy. He built himself a house on the island of Tobago for £3,000 and now spends six months of the year in the tropics, enjoying life. How did he do it?





A young man from the UK built his home in Tobago, an island in the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, for £3,000. And this is much less than it would cost him to build a house in England! In a conversation with Bored Panda, the musician spoke about his motives for moving to the southernmost island country of the Caribbean.

“The main reason for my departure was seasonal work in the UK. I am a musician and also work as a chef in a cafe, but this is only in the spring-summer season. I don’t have a job in the winter, so every year I earn enough to live in Tobago for six months of the year,” he explains. “I can only stay there for six months (the maximum period for a tourist) because I am not a citizen.”



The opportunity to build a house came about because his stepfather owned a piece of land on the island. After comparing prices between his country and the Caribbean state, Alex came to the conclusion that migrating for six months was just what the doctor ordered.

“I go to Tobago every year and have done so almost all my life, so the idea to build a house came to me last year.”

As Alex explained, his natural affinity for crafts influenced the decision to build the house himself.

“I was always naturally handy and watched a lot of YouTube videos of people building houses, but of course I had no experience,” he said. “I hired a carpenter to help me, and it was just me and one carpenter who built the house, and my neighbor kindly came after work to help me for free.”





In total, it took three months to build the house (from January to March).

So how much does it cost Alex to live in the Caribbean? In a video posted on TikTok, the young man explained that every three months he pays 50 pounds ($62) for electricity, a little more for water and about 30-40 pounds for wi-fi.

“Really, very cheap. I know people in the UK who pay £200 just for electricity,” he says.



In a separate video, Alex said he couldn't afford to turn on the heating in his home in England.

“It was so cold in my house that I could literally see my breath. You have no choice but to put on even more layers of clothing and live in the cold. Now we can't afford to turn on the heating. This is absolute hell.

People think: "Oh, I want to live in England." You don't have to live in England. It's horrible. England is considered to be a first world country. This is not the first world for me. We are completely backwards. We go to work Monday through Friday to pay the mortgage and live in the cold. This is madness".



Now Alex finds himself in the opposite situation: he needs to install air conditioning to cope with the heat. But it’s worth it and he doesn’t regret his decision to make his life in a place he’s visited since childhood.

“I learned how the country works and learned to understand how everything functions here. Investing/developing real estate in an unfamiliar country can be very challenging because there are many differences in culture and work ethic.”

The only downside to living in Tobago is that he doesn't see his loved ones for six months.

“My family live in the UK and that's one of the only downsides to living in the Caribbean for six months because I don't see them for a long time and I really miss them.”



Fortunately, his stepfather's family connections in the village helped Alex feel more comfortable on the island.

“The people of Tobago are very welcoming, friendly and sociable. I constantly make new friends at the bar, on the beach, at some social event; There is never a time when I feel lonely or isolated. You always make new friends in Tobago.”



Alex can play the piano, guitar and steel drum and enjoys playing music in Tobago, whether on the beach or in an open-air bar.



Tour of Alex's house