Dennis M. Rivera Pichardo for The New York Times  Vervain Mill, built on the Caribbean island of Nevis in the 1700s for processing sugar cane, was converted into a three-bedroom home. Itâs listed for $1.95 million. More Photos »  A THREE-BEDROOM HOME IN A CONVERTED SUGAR MILL ON NEVIS  Like inverted Dixie cups, obsolete sugar mills poke up through the lush foliage of many Caribbean islands, but rarely have they been converted into homes. This one, called Vervain Mill and dating to the 18th century, was converted in 1980 by the Canadian family who owned it at the time. The current owners, who bought the 1.75-acre property in 1995, completed a full renovation. They are selling the house furnished.  Built of thick volcanic stone, the mill fell into disrepair likely around the time that sugar production came to an end on the island in the 1930s; the property also has the ruins of a boiling house and cisterns. Stone steps lead to the main entrance on the second floor. An oversized glass-paned door opens to a round room with dining and living areas furnished in white wicker, and an open kitchen running along the far wall. Its cabinets, custom-designed to conform to the curve of the stone, are in painted wood and have concrete counters. Although outfitted with a pantry and standard appliances, the kitchen doesn’t have a dishwasher and will probably need updating, said Wendy Taylor, the owner.  The four-story mill structure is ringed by a wide circular apronlike stone base, atop two-thirds of which is an expansive terrace. With wooden outdoor furniture shaded by three large custom-designed canopies, the terrace looks out to Mount Nevis and the Atlantic. It can easily seat 10 for dinner, Ms. Taylor said.  Two of the three bedrooms are on the ground level, reached by a staircase from the kitchen. Both have en-suite baths, ceiling fans and French doors opening to a swimming pool. The windows are louvered, the beds custom-made. A decorative metal grille closes off one bedroom from the main staircase; there are four more of these ornamental grilles covering windows throughout the home, for security.  Also originating in the kitchen, a flight of cantilevered concrete stairs leads up to the third bedroom, which has two large arched windows and a queen-size bed made from a pair of doors imported from France. Above that is a sitting room with two daybeds, a writing desk and casement windows offering a 360-degree view. There is also a small terrace overlooking grounds landscaped with flame trees, plumbago, palms, ficus and ixora, among other plants. The top floors of Vervain Mill have floor fans, though the stiff trade winds and thick stone walls keep the home cool year-round. The mill also has a solar panel for hot water.  A few steps from the mill is the small swimming pool, built into a stone platform that was once a cistern. Atop a smaller cistern nearby sits a gazebo with ornate West Indian lathework. The ruin of the boiling house is adjacent.  The mill is off the main highway in Saint George Gingerland, one of the island’s five parishes, with a population of 2,500. A grocery store and a produce stand are nearby. There are no swimming beaches within walking distance, but White’s Beach is 10 minutes’ drive, Ms. Taylor said. Around Vervain Mill, the remains of estates and sugar mills make popular hiking destinations. Nevis’s international airport is about 15 minutes’ drive, as are the terminals for ferries from St. Kitts, the larger island in the Federation of St. Kitts and Nevis.  Home values rose by 5 to 10 percent a year before the global real estate crisis, which didn’t hit the island, with its 12,000 residents, until early 2010, said Wayne Tyson, the broker and owner of Nevis Style Realty, which has the listing for this home.  “Since then,” Mr. Tyson said, “the price of homes listed between $600,000 and $1.2 million have dropped by an average of 20 percent.”  A Citizenship-by-Investment Program, a government initiative enabling citizenship for foreigners who spend at least $400,000 on a home in certain areas, has helped to keep the St. Kitts and Nevis market buoyant, Mr. Tyson said.  “I would estimate that at least 60 percent of real estate sales are linked to the Citizenship-by-Investment Program,” he said.
On this Caribbean island, a government program enabling foreigners to obtain citizenship has been a boon for real estate sales.