gin said:
Salut Barnab?,
Comme je sais que tu es Fran?ais, je vais poser ma question dans cette langue car l'anglais n'est pas really my cup of tea :disappoin
Quels sont les ?l?ments d'une construction qui posent le plus de probl?mes ou qui c?utent le plus cher en RD ?
Hi Barnabe,
And what are the most problematic or expensive parts of the work in DR ?
Gin's daddy
Hi Gin,
Two issues: cost and problems.
I am not a builder, my comments are based on one 100m2 house and 600m2 commercial building I had built in the DR, with many mistakes, especially for the house.
About cost: the breakdown will depend on how you build your house, what materials you use (what kind of flooring? sanitaryware? cabinetry? windows?) So there is no "ratio" to be used that makes sense. Now, in Dr it's like in most countries, and Escott told you that already: finish work is the most costly part of a home building.
About problems:
- before buying a solar have the ground checked to be sure it is firm enough.
- don't listen to any dominican "maestro", have your house designed, as Hillbilly told you, especially if it has two storeys or more. Proper design of footings, beams and columns is easy. But it must be done, and checked when building. I am sure some posters know of serious Dominican architects.
- I have had problems with roof leaks: flat roof with no pitch. Plumbing: pipes with wrong diameter, and no pitch again. Electricity: bad quality wires, no protection, corroded.
-cabinetry: no quality problems, just had to send my lawyer to get the done work.. Always take you a 50% deposit, and then keep you waiting while they are drinking your money.
I am talking about the most serious problems, because you won't see them right away and when they arrive, it is very costly to solve them. Sometimes (in case of inproper structural design) it cannot be solved.. Other problems (Hillbilly's not squared windows for example) I have had but they could be solved right away.
Pay a good designer and design in details, the final cost will be zero, as you will spare money with that.
About getting a good construction team, that's a serious problem.. If you build around Santiago or in the North Coast, you will most probably find some advice here. In Sd you can find french people, if you feel more comfortable. Just have to pay the price.
I have no idea of how they build thatched tiled roof. with concrete formwork? Can anybody help?
Barnab?
PS Gin, if you really need french translation, PM me, sorry this is an english speaking forum.