Building Checklist for Samana

Solar is the way!!!

Keep in mind the electrical company in Dominican Republic is very expensive. You will find out very soon when you get your bill in the mail!. Either way, there are other ways to get around that problem, specially using solar panels and wind mill combination. If you want too, feel free to check my house solar panel and wind mill design that i have working today in the Samana area. If you want to see the design and how it works, feel free to call my care taker of the house who goes by the name of Nuno at 1809-256-5901. Every time there is a storm or the area dont have electricity, i am always the only one with power and is always free from nature. Either way, I am located in Samana in a town that goes by the name of Punta Gorda. I will be in the house from the week of March 3 to the 6 for anyone who wish to see the system in action.

Nelson

P.S. lets show the Dominican Electric company, that we dont need them!!

You're engineer/architect should handle all the concerns you posted. Expect to pay around RD40k to 90k for the plans and permitting. This will NOT include the construction supervision. If these guys ask for any more they are taking you to the cleaners. If these guys manage the construction and buy the materials on your behalf, expect the prices to marked up considerably - even if they are family.

The alternative method is to do it the "Domincan way" and hire a maestro to do everything for you. Be aware this isn't perfectly legal but the majority of the houses here are built this way - when it is all said and done, the cost savings will probably be on the order of RD40k for the plans and permitting to a few hundred thousand to a million pesos for the actual construction.

Keep in mind one simple fact, you are a foreigner to them if you have lived outside the US and therefore are loaded and will have more than likely no problem charging you tourist prices even though you are family. Don't expect your wife to know the difference either. I would recommend you look at a thread called

http://www.dr1.com/forums/living/63016-homebuilding-dr-inexpensive-dominican-way.html

I highly recommend checking prices for materials yourself. Don?t forget to include any transport/delivery charges.
Speaking of eco-friendly design, Samana gets adequate rainfall for a home to be self sufficent in the water department. While rainfall differs depending on your spot on the penninsula, a large cystern collecting from your roof should provide you with free, clean water at no extra charge. One less thing to hook up. A friend of mine kept his cystern pretty much topped off just from the gutters collecting off of the garage, not to mention the house roof.

cocoleka said:

Thanks for the viewpoint Chip. Yes I've read that link and learned alot.
I heard that the cost architectual plans depend on the square meters of the structure.
True or False?? In the beginning phases, I will need block, steel bar, and cement. Is it possible for me to find out the cost of these materials and then compare that to what my maestro tells me? That might give me some idea of how honestly I'm being treated. Seems a pretty straightforward way of evaluating the situation.
What do you think?

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Tell your maestro to give you the list of the cost of the items that the ferreteria(bldg. supply gave him). If he says it is not available he is lying and if he refuses get another maestro as he is obviosly dishonest. My friend is a maestro and when he does an estimate he calculates the quantities and has the ferreteria give him a list of the prices. He then adds labor and his management cost and then supplies this to the owner for review.

Chip said:

Tell your maestro to give you the list of the cost of the items that the ferreteria(bldg. supply gave him). If he says it is not available he is lying and if he refuses get another maestro as he is obviosly dishonest. My friend is a maestro and when he does an estimate he calculates the quantities and has the ferreteria give him a list of the prices. He then adds labor and his management cost and then supplies this to the owner for review.

Click to expand...

I can personally vouch that this is correct.

Maestro

My sister decided to build a house in Sanchez, she got a Maestro from SD, he basically did everything, from plans, electrical, sanitary, septic and so on. hE talked to the people (paid off) at the ayuntamiento for permits and the house was done without an Ing. He rented a house in town for him and his workers (he brougth them with him) while building the house.

Can't recomend this Maestro for a Big house ( I am looking for one for my own house right now), but he did a great job for a little weekend-campo-rustic house.

Keep in mind this is a small weekend-campo house 3 bedrooms (1 large, 1 just fits 2 twin beds with a night table and small closet and the 3rd jut fits 1 twin bed),,but it has pretty good size living/dinning area and a nice size kitchen. When I come back from the DR at the end of March I will send u some pics, we left the SD card with the pics behind.

In the mean time here is a phone number for a local hardware store,,,I actually met the owner once 809-901-5529, ( ask for Ambioris) so he doesn't really know me as he dealt directly with the Maestro,,,but u can say that the Dominican girl that lives in Canada and built last year on Calle 16 de Agosto gave you the number, maybe.....maybe he will remember us. In any case ask him for prices in order for you to compare.

We also had a guy who builds blocks about 3-4kms from the intersection to Las Terrenas on the road to Samana,,,, he gave great price once all the blocks were contracted to him.... don't have a number or a name, but to find him ask at the intersection for the blind guy that owns the Fabrica de blocks.

Good Luck


CB

House Design

Houses built by 'maestros de construcci?n' look like typical Dominican houses and if that's what you want, some of the 'maestros' are great in organizing everything for you.

An individually designed house will need the work of an architect who knows about the culture and the ideas of his client.

m'frog

You Are 100% Right

However..... a good maestro can follow the plans/designs.

Keep in mind that cocoleka has a family member which I assume would do the plans, then it could be really easy for a good Maestro to follow.

That is what I did for our house in JD,,, we payed the arch RD$ 60,000 for the plans and permits(beautiful plans) he even made the pool and landscape plans,,,, then we had few Ing. which it didn't work for us....so now we are looking for a good Maestro to continue.

I gave the opinion for the house up in Sanchez as it worked for what my sister wanted,,,, a place to sleep, cook some meals and drink at nigth time sitting in the porch watching the moon and the mountains while going to different beaches/attractions in the area during the day, like El Limon, Las Galeras, LT, the whales and so on.

CB