Ed & Mame
Ed & Mame,
It has been a few years since I have been involved in residencial construction here, so things may have changed. Keeping that in mind, I'll try to highlight a few areas that should warrant some attention. In your selection process of lots, keep in mind that the removal of trees can be a difficult process here. For example, if your lot has several large trees (especially if they are fruit-bearing!!) that must be removed for your house, it may be difficult if not impossible to receive permission to remove them from Forestal. If this is the case, I would recommend either to seek another lot or buy the lot AFTER the current owner aquires the permission AND removes them (be sure to keep the original permission from Forestal, you may need it later). Whichever, you should keep in mind that tree removal is serious here and you should only proceed with this action after permission is received and once again, hang on to the original. Always use a competent attorney for your land purchase who will perform the title check (no liens, etc.) and verify the survey with your own agrimensor (surveyor) as a precaution. Unless there exists some intrinsic dispute as to the location of the lot, a deslinde is not necessary for a residencial project but your attorney can advise you on this. As for permissions needed, dependent on the location of the lot, usually you will need only DEFINPRO and the local ayuntamiento (town hall) to approve your project (and this is rather simple and quick, nothing like a commerical project). Unless you plan to do it yourself, your engineer/architect will handle all of this for you. Unless you affect some type of public area (i.e. entrance on main road, close to public water source, etc.), you will not have any type of inspections after you begin (so you need to have a competent builder/engineer/architect for the job to ensure all is done correctly since there is no building inspector to check the wiring, plumbing, etc.). Probably the most difficult task that you face will be the selection of your builder. Most architects here are engineers and builders and if licensed have a CODIA number which will ensure you that they are licensed. I personally have found that the architects that I have used here to be highly competent and professional and very attentive to the quality of the project and customer satisfaction. I personally (let me emphasize PERSONALLY) would refrain from using foreigners to build your house (even though the temptation is great due to the language, etc.) and would use a local (dominican) builder who knows the area, local labor pool, town hall etc. and will not likely leave the country due to economic or personal vicissitudes. I would highly recommend talking to others such as Mr. Bush who have recently gone through the process in order to aquire indspensible personal advise and reflections on their experiences. Finally, I would visit and talk to owners of past homes your selected builder has completed; if he/she is a professional, they will be happy to do this. As a last note, I would like to add that construction costs here, depending on the house of course, is roughly the same as in the U.S.
