thanks for your advice, i will def post pictures here as we progress. The house is in Puerto Rico, front of the bioluminescent bay in the southern most area of the island. here are a few pictures of what i have done to restore the fence. I decided not to have it replaced, so I dug it out of the ground and put it on cement blocks and kept the original wooden fence. On the property was an old wagon which i also intend to restore. We designed a gate and added it to the fence. enjoy the pics!

The house is one of 35 houses shipped to Puerto Rico during the early 1900's by Americans from the mainland. They brought their own homes to the island and lived in them while they cultivated the agriculture, in this area they worked in the sugar cane crops. Currently there are only 3 houses left on the island and this is one of them. it has 3 bedrooms with each one having a door leading to the porch. there are no glass in the windows except for the two main entries that have glass windows and two of The bedrooms in the front of the house. The rear of the house has windows that are covered with shutters, that once open allow the air in, but no glass. it has a wrap around porch that two cars can drive thru, side by side easily. the front of the house has enormous steps leading to the porch. As another interesting feature the front of the house has many crab holes and at dusk the crabs can be seen venturing on to the grounds!

some more pics to inspire some great suggestions!

Great property! I always enjoyed not having glass in the windows. In Tobago the sugar wrens flew into sit on your coffee cup and beg for sugar. Nice job on the fence. How's the electrical wiring and plumbing? When was it originally done? These can be major fixes and need professional repair or replacement, so your home is not threatened by dangerous issues hidden out of site. My next priority after those would be refinishing the interior and porch floors. Meanwhile, start shopping locally for typical decor. How long have you lived there and are you there year round or just seasonally? Have any of the other homes been re-done? Can you visit and see how their owners have tackled the job? Do you want typical PR style or something else? Can you sketch out a floor plan or do you have access to the original floorplans?

All great suggestions, wiring and plumbing all have to be redone. This is the oldest house in the area most of the other houses are modern structures. The greatest concern I have is trying to level it. The water table is a concern, they placed the house on footings which must be replaced and reinforced. Once that is done I can work on the interior. I am seasonal so it presents a problem in getting the construction done in a timely fashion.

I was thinking of the 3 surviving homes that include yours. Are the other ones owned and restored? Do you know where they are and could you visit to get some tips from their owners? I watch a TV show on HGTV called "Rehab Addict." This gal buys and restores old homes - often jacking them up to redo the foundations. Wonder if you could tempt her to come and do a show about your place next season. She works in the Detroit area, so might appreciate a tropical getaway! lol

That is a great idea I will look into that. I watch hgtv but I have not watched that show you mentioned, but I will certainly look into it. This house def needs to be hoisted. Unfortunately the other ones that are similar are in worst condition than this one. I think this is the best surviving one. I'll let you know how it goes! Thank you.