Residencial Hispaniola in Sosua

Elgator

New member
Jul 23, 2018
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I am giving some thought to building a small 2 BR villa in Residencial Hispaniola in Sosua. Basically I am looking for a modern, well-constructed house or condo in a gated community, within walking distance of the Supermercado and Playa Sosua. 1000 - 1200 square feet would be ideal. 24 hour security. Would appreciate any input regarding this project. Muchas gracias
 

ctrob

Silver
Nov 9, 2006
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Hisp Res is very well managed and the developer has been around for quite awhile. You'll get what you pay for. They are one of the better builders in town.
 

Cdn_Gringo

Gold
Apr 29, 2014
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Constant supervision by an onsite contractor during all phases of construction is the only way to ensure that work done meets a desired standard of quality and workmanship in this country.

-wiring and piping needs to be run in a chase to be accessible later on
-proper gauge wire and correct circuit breaker for the circuit
-lots of small earthquakes in this area. Proper site preparation is needed before construction starts
-The consistent quality of poured concrete needs to be tested for each truck
etc

The construction industry here bears zero resemblance to the standards and quality foreigners have come to take for granted. There are no electrical, plumbing, structural inspections here so in essence, it is up to you to confirm, that you are getting what you are paying for and that the structure remains sound and serviceable into the future.

It's p.i.a to tear open a wall to fix a leaking plastic pipe or run a new wire. Consider installing the cabling and connections for house wide internet and cable tv during construction rather than needing a hardwired connection in a bedroom or office later on. If you can afford it, minimize the use of rigid plastic plumbing pipes. Ensure the use and accessibility of isolation and shut off valves for everything. Ensure the electrical system is properly grounded. Small things overlooked during construction can be a real problem later on. Insist that the roof is properly strapped to the supporting walls. The list goes on and on, thus the need for a knowledgeable contractor that shares you keenness for the details being onsite while all of this comes together.

A good building starts with the architect and design engineer. The plans need to reflect every aspect and feature of the construction you are hoping to incorporate into the final dwelling and someone to ensure that the plans are followed which is not guaranteed here when workers are left on their own to "get it done".
 

melphis

Living my Dream
Apr 18, 2013
3,489
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I rented a villa there for a week a couple years ago. It was nice, quiet and seemed to be well managed. I would consider buying an existing house as Windguy is right. If you can't babysit these guys it probably won't work out as you had hoped
 

Cdn_Gringo

Gold
Apr 29, 2014
8,671
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...and make sure the house plan calls for an airspace between the exterior roof and the interior ceilings of the living area to help dissipate daytime heating by providing adequate active and passive ventilation.
 

ctrob

Silver
Nov 9, 2006
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781
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...and make sure the house plan calls for an airspace between the exterior roof and the interior ceilings of the living area to help dissipate daytime heating by providing adequate active and passive ventilation.

All of their in-house plans are min slope 4:12 concrete roofs with a tile covering, and most of the interior ceilings are cathedral. The tiles keep the direct sun off the concrete. It'd be easy to add ventilation at the peaks if one wanted it. I've been in a few of their homes and they are pretty comfortable without AC. Being up on the hill and catching a breeze thru open windows helps of course.
 

oriole100

Bronze
Oct 9, 2005
807
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Please have the contractor put pvc pipe in. When run your water, hot and cold thru using flex pipe in the pvc.. If you have a leak, you just pull it out and fix or change it. Same with the elect. Make sure the wiring is diff. color. They buy 1 roll and use it till it's gone. Just a pain. It doesn't cost that much more. You should have someone you trust to watch. It will payoff in the long run. Good luck.
 

Tom0910

Well-known member
Sep 28, 2015
891
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I would never build somewhere that did not give me the option of using my own contractor,Hispaniola and Casa Linda do not allow outside building contractors.
 

RDKNIGHT

Bronze
Mar 13, 2017
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Please have the contractor put pvc pipe in. When run your water, hot and cold thru using flex pipe in the pvc.. If you have a leak, you just pull it out and fix or change it. Same with the elect. Make sure the wiring is diff. color. They buy 1 roll and use it till it's gone. Just a pain. It doesn't cost that much more. You should have someone you trust to watch. It will payoff in the long run. Good luck.
this is great advice ......I have been in the Construction business for 25 plus years
 

JD Jones

Moderator:North Coast,Santo Domingo,SW Coast,Covid
Jan 7, 2016
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Please have the contractor put pvc pipe in. When run your water, hot and cold thru using flex pipe in the pvc.. If you have a leak, you just pull it out and fix or change it. Same with the elect. Make sure the wiring is diff. color. They buy 1 roll and use it till it's gone. Just a pain. It doesn't cost that much more. You should have someone you trust to watch. It will payoff in the long run. Good luck.

How can I do a 'super like' for this post? The flex pipe in PVC tubes should be law here. A thousand times better.
 

RockyM

New member
Jul 16, 2018
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Good advice here. My wife and I are building a house in the North Coast and plan to be on-site when construction begins and consistently thereafter. I think the other key thing is getting as much of this detail into your building contract (written up by an attorney), or it doesn't get done. We would love to have the house built and show up when it is complete, but no bueno.
 

RockyM

New member
Jul 16, 2018
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We have also been told to write a penalty clause into the contract (i.e. each day they are late in delivery results in a financial penalty), but I doubt a contractor here will submit to that.
 

chico bill

Dogs Better than People
May 6, 2016
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If you can do your own soldering and know the fittings use copper pipe (it is easy actually), it is preferable to PVC (although ladrones will steal copper left unattended).

Also go to Santiago or SD to buy better water fixtures, like Kholer, Pfister, Moen or Delta. You can also order them off Amazon - Get brass fittings for shower rough-in valves and anchor them well and they will last.
The locally sold water fixtures are predominantly the typical Chinese junk and last about 6 months on a good run. Yes you'll pay double or triple for name brands but would you rather replace with Chinese 10 times over the life of a quality fixture ? Not me
 

JD Jones

Moderator:North Coast,Santo Domingo,SW Coast,Covid
Jan 7, 2016
11,697
8,127
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If you can do your own soldering and know the fittings use copper pipe (it is easy actually), it is preferable to PVC (although ladrones will steal copper left unattended).

Also go to Santiago or SD to buy better water fixtures, like Kholer, Pfister, Moen or Delta. You can also order them off Amazon - Get brass fittings for shower rough-in valves and anchor them well and they will last.
The locally sold water fixtures are predominantly the typical Chinese junk and last about 6 months on a good run. Yes you'll pay double or triple for name brands but would you rather replace with Chinese 10 times over the life of a quality fixture ? Not me


I've done soldering a few times, and the flex hoses are far superior along with their valve manifolds for distribution and having the ability to turn off just hot or cold for every single faucet won me over.

Prices for the name brand stuff will give you a heart attack. Well worth it though.
 

ctrob

Silver
Nov 9, 2006
5,591
781
113
If you can do your own soldering and know the fittings use copper pipe (it is easy actually), it is preferable to PVC (although ladrones will steal copper left unattended).

PEX is the best thing going now. I love the stuff. I'm not sure if HispRE is using it yet, but it is a 100 times better then pvc or copper. And it's available in the DR.
 

chico bill

Dogs Better than People
May 6, 2016
12,570
6,326
113
I've done soldering a few times, and the flex hoses are far superior along with their valve manifolds for distribution and having the ability to turn off just hot or cold for every single faucet won me over.

Prices for the name brand stuff will give you a heart attack. Well worth it though.

Are you talking Pex piping ? If so where do you find fittings here ?
 

JD Jones

Moderator:North Coast,Santo Domingo,SW Coast,Covid
Jan 7, 2016
11,697
8,127
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Yes. I figured if I said PEX nobody would know what I'm talking about.

I'm going to go out on a limb here and say Ferreteria Americana has it and Ferreterias Unidos.

I would think OCHOA would have it as well. When it's installed right the results are pretty impressive.