Help!

JANET/NJ

New member
Jun 21, 2004
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:nervous: Hi everyone,

I need a bit of help, my mom is making a "sisterna" i guess here we would call it a well.
Being that she has lived here (NJ) most of the time she has lost that hustling tactic you need whenever you want something done in the DR without being taken advantage of. They see you are from here and automatically they figured you have a lot of dollars to spend.
Ok! long story short, the guy is charging my mom 35000.00 pesos to make the well but she is incharge of buying the pump and the thing that goes inside to hold the water; and she also has to buy the door.

Is he charging to much?....this is in santo domingo.
Also do you need a permission to build something like this in your own property?
 

Snuffy

Bronze
May 3, 2002
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There are others here who are more qualified to answer this...but my immediate thoughts are...

You have to be Dominican street smart to have a project like that done here...or you may end up with something that will collapse in a few years. If you pay a flat fee and you don't know what good quality is in this type of project...then you are at the mercy of the builder. You should know something about this type of project...and you should set detailed stadards with the builder. You should be able to look at the work as it is being performed and be able to tell if it is being done according to agreed standards. Since the quality of your sistern is important for the quality of your water...I would Micromanage this project.
 

JANET/NJ

New member
Jun 21, 2004
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JDJones said:
A well is a deep hole that is dug down to the point it hits a water vein. It can be done by a drilling truck, or you can find guys that actually dig the well then build the walls from the bottom up. In either case, the water that feeds it comes from an underground vein. Water is pumped by a submersible pump that is controlled by a pressure switch connected to a pressurized tank.
A cistern is usually a hole that is dug to a depth of about 6 to eight feet, is normally square or rectangular shaped, has a poured cement floor, then has cement walls made of blocks which are then plastered with cement to make a big cement hole. They are usually (but not always), located in the carport of the house.
Water comes from the city water source, has a valve that shuts it off once the tank is full. Water is pumped out by an independent pump into a pressurized storage tank that provides pressure to the house, which is also controlled by a pressure switch.
I assume you're doing a cistern.
Now that I've said all of that, it is tough to say if this your quote is expensive or not. Does the guy have to break through rock to make the hole, or is it just dirt? Is he going to use 4", 6" or 8" blocks? Does the price include sealing the cistern once it's built? Need to know more specifics.
It is usual for them to quote the cost of the labor and cement materials, with the cistern trap door, pump, pressure switch and pressure tank to be bought separately by the home owner, due to the vast array of options available.

Thanks...you've actually cleared things out for me.
She is building a cistern. they are making a hole onto dirt because it will be in front of my house.As for what i've been told my mom is supposed to buy the pump and the tank, i dont think she knows about the pressure switch.she also did not know she was supposed to buy the trap door until monday when the guy told her.
I will try to get in contact with her and find out more about the specifics that you've mentioned.

Again thank you.