FAQs

Eco Homes are built on two locations. At first our partner HoomStreet is located on Texel, the biggest Waddensea island in the Netherlands. Once an order is received HoomStreet prepares a shipping container by converting it into an eco home kit on Texel. In turn the eco home kit is shipped to it’s final destination where HoomStreet then put the eco home together and delivers it as an Eco Home to it’s new owner.

A Tiny House is a sustainable built house, approximately 15m² – 44m² (161sq.ft – 473 sq.ft) in size. The Tiny Villas are 60 m² – 74 m² ‘(646 ft² – 796 ft²) in size. All homes are creatively and resourceful designed to maximize space and light. Each home is hooked up to the waste-water-management and waste-management systems. Tiny Homes that are furnished with renewable energy sources will be equipped with Smart Home Technology. The premisses will be landscaped with different garden sections and common areas and for relaxation and to execute Community Supported Agriculture. Harvested fresh produce will be sold in the Shop unit located at the entrance of the premises. The focus at this “Green Community” location is on simple, environmentally conscious, and healthy living.

It’s important for us to know your name, current address, number of residents, telephone number and email address and to know your intentions. Interested parties can sign up through this form.

Because of the limited spots we have put a selection procedure in place. Candidates who want to live at the Green Community will undergo this selection procedure. Selection starts with filling out this form. Based on the filled out form you will be contacted either to schedule an appointment to continue your candidacy, or to be declined.

Carib Housing stands for flexibility. We provide options to help make your tiny home experience the best choice ever made to live sustainably and self-sufficiently. The tiny homes at our Green Community sites have the option to be constructed to function on a:

• Grid-tied system: completely dependable on the utility company services.
• Hybrid system: be able to produce own energy but still dependable on the utility company services.
• Off-grid system: be completely dependable on own energy sources.

Tiny homes based on the Hybrid or Off-grid system have the option to be furnished with renewable energy sources which are a wind turbine combined with solar panels with a power wall battery for electricity storage, warm water boiler, biogas system, own waste water management system* and own waste management system* which is connected to the surrounded landscaped food garden.

[* It is a standard procedure for a new tiny home to be hooked up to the generic community waste water management system and waste management system of that Green Community. But we consider the customer’s wish to have an own system installed directly connected to the new tiny home.]

Committed parties are:

Together with Stichting Marlin Yard, Carib Housing promotes the “self-sufficient living” concept by starting a Green Community pilot on properties in Aruba and Sint Maarten of which are managed by Stichting Marlin Yard. Self-sufficient living means generating your own electricity, recycling water and produce your own biogas. All homes are connected to the gardens (permaculture vegetable garden, aquaponic and hydroponic) for residents to cultivate fresh produce on site. Stichting Marlin Yard designed the “Green Communities” concept for Aruba and Sint Maarten with the intention to increase self-reliance, including quality and healthier life while living on a piece of paradise. Stichting Marlin Yard’s mission has only been accomplished by helping to build and teach people to build ecologically responsible homes that are hurricane, earthquake and fire resistant, to set up efficient and effective agricultural activities, to promote sustainable entrepreneurship so that profit-sharing opportunities (crowd profits sharing) are created among communities.

Carib Housing is responsible for the plot allocation, onsite logistics, maintenance, and administrative processing.  Furthermore, Carib Housing is responsible for the supervision and ensures that the Tiny Home project is executed accordingly on location.

Hoom Street is responsible for the designing, construction, shipping, and installation of the Tiny Homes.

No and Yes.

No, it is not allowed to build your own designed Tiny House at this Green Community location. Reason for this is that we already have liaised with the spatial planning department regarding our designed Tiny Houses. Any other designed Tiny House plan must fit within the Green Community plan that Stichting Marlin Yard has envisioned and must be reviewed by the local spatial planning department and must receive consent before it can be built. Not only is this process time consuming but there is a risk that this plan gets denied. So, to make things easier, you can choose one of our plans and we’ll make sure it’s constructed accordingly.

Yes, under consultation with Hoom Street and at additional costs it is possible to adjust certain elements of the Tiny House to your likings. And Yes, it is possible to assist with the installation of the Tiny House at the Green Community site should your agenda allow it.

Meanwhile Carib Housing remains responsible for the supervision and must ensure that the Tiny House project fits in with the environment and with the plan that Stichting Marlin Yard has for a Green Community.

The designed Tiny Houses are for sale, and a few are reserved for rent. Check on the Home Listing page which ones are for rent. Once you’ve purchased a Tiny House, your new home will enter the Carib Housing Maintenance Program and a monthly Stalling fee is applicable to accommodate your home at the Green Community.

Issues regarding roof, foundation, exterior plumbing, exterior electrical works and landscaping regarding your Tiny House will be maintained on an interval until the home is moved from the Green Community location. This service falls under the monthly Service fee.

For new homeowners who purchased a Tiny House from us and want a spot at one of our Green Community locations the Service fee is then applied. This mandatory Service fee is to make use of the properties facilities and includes:

• Spot allocation: Once the Tiny House is allocated to its definite spot a stall fee is calculated based on the size of the Tiny House.
• Subscription to the Carib Housing Service Maintenance Program: This fee is for maintaining all facilities and services such as the waste-management system, waste-water management system, exterior tiny house maintenance, and garden service.

The Service fee is indexed at US$ 18.61 / ANG 33,50 per square meter; US$ 1.73 / ANG 3,11 per square feet of the eco-home of choice. The service fee is payable per month and yearly indexed based on economic developments.

For those who rent an eco-home at one of the Green Community locations, the Service fee is incorporated into the rental price.

The Tiny House location contract is valid for 7 years. Option for renewal is taken into consideration but depends on the waitlist with other potential Green Community inhabitants. Option for renewal also depends on your behavioural history and community track record.

All Tiny Houses are for purchase. For this we have the following payment options:

Phased payment plan

You purchase the Tiny House of your choice which will be constructed by HoomStreet and installed accordingly at the Green Community of choice. A 50% down payment is required, 40% before shipping/relocation, 10% upon delivery of the Tiny House.

Hire purchase

The home is hired with intention to purchase. This option is a form of investment for the hirer who makes relatively more profit with an investment property than would be the case when renting a home. The hire-purchase option enables you to buy a house that you are already renting, so that it really becomes your property. We offer this option so that you can eventually buy your dream home which the bank would not provide full mortgage-financing for. With hire-purchase you become the owner of the house immediately after the last instalment is paid.

This plan has two options and is only applicable to those located in St. Maarten and in Aruba. The hire-purchase options are:

1. Fast Plan – this option includes a stalling fee based on the occupied surface m2/ sq.ft, and a 60% down payment while the rest 40% is paid in instalments. For administration costs a 0.5% is applied until the last instalment is paid in full.  
2. Gradual Plan – this option includes a stalling fee based on the occupied surface m2/ sq.ft, and a 30% down payment while the rest 70% is paid in instalments. For administration costs a 0.5% is applied until the last instalment is paid in full.   

More info can be retrieved at the Terms and Conditions.

Shipping and on location crane use are not included in the sale price. These costs will be quoted upon once a Tiny House is purchased.

Once the Tiny House is paid in full, you are free to sell the home to a 3rd party. It’s yours to sell. However the spot where your Tiny House is on is not for sale(!) If the sale takes place before or after the 7 years contract is finished then you are obligated to move the Tiny House from the Green Community.

It is possible that you find yourself in a situation with a result that you have to sell your Tiny House. After a taxation procedure and based on mutual agreement we are willing to buy back the Tiny House.

The spot to where the Tiny House is allocated to is only for rent. We do not sell spots. In a practical sense, this means that it is very difficult, if not impossible, to arrange a mortgage with one of the banks. If you are interested in renting a spot, you will therefore have to be able to finance the realization of your Tiny House in a way other than via a bank mortgage.

The spots are for rent for a definite period of 7 years with option to renew. The rent is indexed annually.

Eco Homes are built on two locations. At first our partner HoomStreet is located on Texel, the biggest Waddensea island in the Netherlands. Once an order is received HoomStreet prepares a shipping container by converting it into an eco home kit on Texel. In turn the eco home kit is shipped to it’s final destination where HoomStreet then put the eco home together and delivers it as an Eco Home to it’s new owner.

In a residential area in The Keys village, Upper Prince’s Quarter, in Sint Maarten Dutch West Indies, a 6000 m² / 64,500 ft² property called “Merriment Green” is being prepared to accommodate a Tiny House community.

At this location future residents will be living in self-sufficient tiny houses built to withstand the Sint Maarten climate and its nature’s perils for this island lies in the hurricane belt. A selection of special designed tiny houses are sustainable built to be hurricane and earthquake challenged and fire resistant. The tiny homes are approximately 15 m² – 44 m² (161 ft² – 473 ft²) in size. The tiny villas are 60 m² – 74 m² ‘(646 ft² – 796 ft²) in size. All are creatively and resourceful designed to maximize space and light and provides own renewable energy sources (e.g. electricity, biogas) and hooked up to a waste-management and waste-water management system which in turn is connected to surrounding landscaped gardens providing this little community own and home-grown vegetables, herbs, flowers and various fruit. Each tiny house furnished with renewable energy sources will be equipped with Smart Home Technology.

The landscaped premisses with different sections and common areas for relaxation like the community pool, outdoor fitness and kids playground, special built BBQ outdoor kitchens, and The Keys Market which organizes local market events and its Food Court boasting a variety of national and international cuisines. This location will offer other facilities such as a common laundry room, parking lot equipped also for charging electrical vehicles, The Keys Market Garden and a Health & Wellness that functions as a shelter during hurricance season. The Keys Market Garden is set up as a Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) section to provide fresh produce, fish and crustaceans which will be sold at local market events and or be processed by Food Vendors at the Food Court located at the entrance of the premises.

The focus at this “Green Community” location is on simple, environmentally conscious, healthy living with the option to do business at The Keys Market section.

A Tiny House is a sustainable built house, approximately 15m² – 44m² (161sq.ft – 473 sq.ft) in size. The Tiny Villas are 60 m² – 74 m² ‘(646 ft² – 796 ft²) in size. All homes are creatively and resourceful designed to maximize space and light. Each home is hooked up to the waste-water-management and waste-management systems. Tiny Homes that are furnished with renewable energy sources will be equipped with Smart Home Technology. The premisses will be landscaped with different garden sections and common areas and for relaxation and to execute Community Supported Agriculture. Harvested fresh produce will be sold in the Shop unit located at the entrance of the premises. The focus at this “Green Community” location is on simple, environmentally conscious, and healthy living.

It’s important for us to know your name, current address, number of residents, telephone number and email address and to know your intentions. Interested parties can sign up through this form.

Because of the limited spots we have put a selection procedure in place. Candidates who want to live at the Green Community will undergo this selection procedure. Selection starts with filling out this form. Based on the filled out form you will be contacted either to schedule an appointment to continue your candidacy, or to be declined.

Carib Housing stands for flexibility. We provide options to help make your tiny home experience the best choice ever made to live sustainably and self-sufficiently. The tiny homes at our Green Community sites have the option to be constructed to function on a:

• Grid-tied system: completely dependable on the utility company services.
• Hybrid system: be able to produce own energy but still dependable on the utility company services.
• Off-grid system: be completely dependable on own energy sources.

Tiny homes based on the Hybrid or Off-grid system have the option to be furnished with renewable energy sources which are a wind turbine combined with solar panels with a power wall battery for electricity storage, warm water boiler, biogas system, own waste water management system* and own waste management system* which is connected to the surrounded landscaped food garden.

[* It is a standard procedure for a new tiny home to be hooked up to the generic community waste water management system and waste management system of that Green Community. But we consider the customer’s wish to have an own system installed directly connected to the new tiny home.]

Committed parties are:

Together with Stichting Marlin Yard, Carib Housing promotes the “self-sufficient living” concept by starting a Green Community pilot on properties in Aruba and Sint Maarten of which are managed by Stichting Marlin Yard. Self-sufficient living means generating your own electricity, recycling water and produce your own biogas. All homes are connected to the gardens (permaculture vegetable garden, aquaponic and hydroponic) for residents to cultivate fresh produce on site. Stichting Marlin Yard designed the “Green Communities” concept for Aruba and Sint Maarten with the intention to increase self-reliance, including quality and healthier life while living on a piece of paradise. Stichting Marlin Yard’s mission has only been accomplished by helping to build and teach people to build ecologically responsible homes that are hurricane, earthquake and fire resistant, to set up efficient and effective agricultural activities, to promote sustainable entrepreneurship so that profit-sharing opportunities (crowd profits sharing) are created among communities.

Carib Housing is responsible for the plot allocation, onsite logistics, maintenance, and administrative processing.  Furthermore, Carib Housing is responsible for the supervision and ensures that the Tiny Home project is executed accordingly on location.

Hoom Street is responsible for the designing, construction, shipping, and installation of the Tiny Homes.

No and Yes.

No, it is not allowed to build your own designed Tiny House at this Green Community location. Reason for this is that we already have liaised with the spatial planning department regarding our designed Tiny Houses. Any other designed Tiny House plan must fit within the Green Community plan that Stichting Marlin Yard has envisioned and must be reviewed by the local spatial planning department and must receive consent before it can be built. Not only is this process time consuming but there is a risk that this plan gets denied. So, to make things easier, you can choose one of our plans and we’ll make sure it’s constructed accordingly.

Yes, under consultation with Hoom Street and at additional costs it is possible to adjust certain elements of the Tiny House to your likings. And Yes, it is possible to assist with the installation of the Tiny House at the Green Community site should your agenda allow it.

Meanwhile Carib Housing remains responsible for the supervision and must ensure that the Tiny House project fits in with the environment and with the plan that Stichting Marlin Yard has for a Green Community.

Depending on the chosen Tiny House designs there is room for either 18 – 22 Tiny Homes at Merriment Green. View map of Merriment Green

The designed Tiny Houses are for sale, and a few are reserved for rent. Check on the Home Listing page which ones are for rent. Once you’ve purchased a Tiny House, your new home will enter the Carib Housing Maintenance Program and a monthly Stalling fee is applicable to accommodate your home at the Green Community.

Issues regarding roof, foundation, exterior plumbing, exterior electrical works and landscaping regarding your Tiny House will be maintained on an interval until the home is moved from the Green Community location. This service falls under the monthly Service fee.

For new homeowners who purchased a Tiny House from us and want a spot at one of our Green Community locations the Service fee is then applied. This mandatory Service fee is to make use of the properties facilities and includes:

• Spot allocation: Once the Tiny House is allocated to its definite spot a stall fee is calculated based on the size of the Tiny House.
• Subscription to the Carib Housing Service Maintenance Program: This fee is for maintaining all facilities and services such as the waste-management system, waste-water management system, exterior tiny house maintenance, and garden service.

The Service fee is indexed at US$ 18.61 / ANG 33,50 per square meter; US$ 1.73 / ANG 3,11 per square feet of the eco-home of choice. The service fee is payable per month and yearly indexed based on economic developments.

For those who rent an eco-home at one of the Green Community locations, the Service fee is incorporated into the rental price.

The Tiny House location contract is valid for 7 years. Option for renewal is taken into consideration but depends on the waitlist with other potential Green Community inhabitants. Option for renewal also depends on your behavioural history and community track record.

All Tiny Houses are for purchase. For this we have the following payment options:

Phased payment plan

You purchase the Tiny House of your choice which will be constructed by HoomStreet and installed accordingly at the Green Community of choice. A 50% down payment is required, 40% before shipping/relocation, 10% upon delivery of the Tiny House.

Hire purchase

The home is hired with intention to purchase. This option is a form of investment for the hirer who makes relatively more profit with an investment property than would be the case when renting a home. The hire-purchase option enables you to buy a house that you are already renting, so that it really becomes your property. We offer this option so that you can eventually buy your dream home which the bank would not provide full mortgage-financing for. With hire-purchase you become the owner of the house immediately after the last instalment is paid.

This plan has two options and is only applicable to those located in St. Maarten and in Aruba. The hire-purchase options are:

1. Fast Plan – this option includes a stalling fee based on the occupied surface m2/ sq.ft, and a 60% down payment while the rest 40% is paid in instalments. For administration costs a 0.5% is applied until the last instalment is paid in full.  
2. Gradual Plan – this option includes a stalling fee based on the occupied surface m2/ sq.ft, and a 30% down payment while the rest 70% is paid in instalments. For administration costs a 0.5% is applied until the last instalment is paid in full.   

More info can be retrieved at the Terms and Conditions.

Shipping and on location crane use are not included in the sale price. These costs will be quoted upon once a Tiny House is purchased.

Once the Tiny House is paid in full, you are free to sell the home to a 3rd party. It’s yours to sell. However the spot where your Tiny House is on is not for sale(!) If the sale takes place before or after the 7 years contract is finished then you are obligated to move the Tiny House from the Green Community.

It is possible that you find yourself in a situation with a result that you have to sell your Tiny House. After a taxation procedure and based on mutual agreement we are willing to buy back the Tiny House.

The spot to where the Tiny House is allocated to is only for rent. We do not sell spots. In a practical sense, this means that it is very difficult, if not impossible, to arrange a mortgage with one of the banks. If you are interested in renting a spot, you will therefore have to be able to finance the realization of your Tiny House in a way other than via a bank mortgage.

The spots are for rent for a definite period of 7 years with option to renew. The rent is indexed annually.

Eco Homes are built on two locations. At first our partner HoomStreet is located on Texel, the biggest Waddensea island in the Netherlands. Once an order is received HoomStreet prepares a shipping container by converting it into an eco home kit on Texel. In turn the eco home kit is shipped to it’s final destination where HoomStreet then put the eco home together and delivers it as an Eco Home to it’s new owner.