The Two Halves of a Sett Budget
A sett surface costs what it costs for two separate reasons. There is the stone, which is a material with a quantity and a delivered price, and there is the laying, which is skilled hand work measured in days. On this island the second half usually outweighs the first, and any budget built only around a square-foot rate for stone will be wrong before the first crate opens. Understanding the split is what makes the number defensible when a client or a quantity surveyor starts asking where the money actually goes.
What Lands in the Delivered Cost
The figure that matters is the one at the site gate, not the one at the quarry. Several lines sit between the two, and none of them are unusual once you have imported anything into Anguilla before.
- Ocean freight from the US mainland, commonly with a hub port call before the last leg
- The short feeder crossing into Road Bay at Sandy Ground, where cargo is handled a second time
- Customs duty assessed on the CIF value under Anguilla’s own tariff
- The nine percent Import Goods Tax on CIF, in force at the port since the first of August 2025
- Broker fees for the declaration on the ASYCUDA World system, plus local haulage
Duty percentages vary by classification, so confirm the current rate for your consignment with your broker rather than working from anything you read online.
Why Labor Is the Larger Half
Setts are placed one at a time. A skilled layer working a straightforward bond covers a predictable area a day; the same layer on a radial court covers considerably less, because setting out, checking arcs and cutting closers all consume time that a straight run does not. Add jointing, compaction and the inevitable making good around drains and thresholds, and the labor line becomes the schedule as well as the cost. It is also the line that suffers most when a consignment arrives late and a crew has to be stood down, which on an island of roughly sixteen thousand people is not a matter of finding another gang next week. Skilled setwork is usually booked in advance, and a slipped delivery can cost more in lost days than the freight saved by ordering late.
How Format Choice Moves the Labor Line
Choices made at the ordering stage decide how many days the laying takes, which is why the two halves of the budget should be priced together rather than in sequence.
- Smaller faces mean more units per square yard and therefore more placing time
- Consistent depth within a lot removes the shimming that quietly eats hours
- Simple bonds lay faster than radial layouts, so mix them by area rather than everywhere
- A bound bed with full jointing costs more in labor but far less in year-five repairs
Phasing a Villa Build
Very little paving on this island is laid in one visit. Villa projects run in stages, resorts open in sections, and landscape work usually follows the building trades by months. Phasing protects both the budget and the finished appearance, provided the stone is ordered with the phases in mind. A supplier who understands ordering setts in phased lots against a written schedule will keep later areas matching earlier ones instead of hoping the market has the same material next year.
Ordering Lots That Match the Phases
Matching across phases is a supply problem more than a stone problem, and it is solved with paperwork and reservations rather than optimism.
- Reserve the full project quantity even where deliveries are staggered
- Record the lot reference so a later call-off draws from the same material
- Take samples from the reserved lot, not from a general display, before approval
- Agree storage on site, since crated stone waiting for phase two needs a dry, level stand
Wastage, Cuts and Spare Stock
Curved and irregular areas generate more cutting than rectangular ones, so the allowance should follow the geometry rather than a single rule of thumb. Beyond that working allowance, keep a genuine reserve on site.
- Raise the cutting allowance where courts, arcs and planted islands dominate the plan
- Keep the reserve in the same lot as the laid field, not from a later batch
- Store spare crates dry and level, off the ground and clear of the works
- Log the format and lot on the crate so the next contractor knows what is there
A crate of spare setts costs very little against the price of a villa, and it answers the problem that arrives with a trenched service run, a settled panel or a vehicle that clipped an edge. On an island served by a feeder leg, spare stock sitting on site is worth considerably more than spare stock available somewhere else.
Checking Ranges Before You Budget
Early-stage numbers should be honest ranges, not invented precision. Looking at how we publish our ranges gives a starting frame for feasibility work, then a real quotation replaces it once the format, quantity and phasing are known. Construction here is generally priced in US dollars even though the Eastern Caribbean dollar is the official currency, so agree the quoting currency at the outset and keep it consistent across the phases. Price the stone, the laying and the phasing as one number and the project will hold its budget.