Bldg a house in the DR?

Rina2

New member
May 23, 2006
18
0
0
Anyone know approx how much it would cost to build a small, modest one or two story house-not along the coast but in the interior mountain area?

Indicate cost of lot and actual building separate.

Is it the labour or material that cost more?

How much would it cost a Dominican as opposed to a foreigner? I have Dominican friends who could oversee it.

Thanks for your help.
 
Jan 5, 2006
1,582
38
0
This has been discussed here a gazillion times. What is modest to you may be a luxury to other people, so you have to be more specific. Are building a concrete or wood structure? Are you content to have a corrugated metal roof or do you want concrete? Do you want pine doors, woodtrim & cabinets, or do you want other woods? Can you live with concrete floors as opposed to ceramic tile? Do you want hot water? Do you want a bath tub or is a concrete shower stall ok? What about the windows; wood, aluminum or sliding glass?

So you see, there are many variables that you must first decide on to even have a vague idea, because that is all you will ever have, even after you decide to build. The price of materials will always be the major cost of building in DR, and that can vary so much from one day to the next, that you'll never truly know the costs until you are done building. Just go and check what has happened to the cost of steel re-bar in the past few months. ;)
 

Rina2

New member
May 23, 2006
18
0
0
OK I'll be more specific. When i said modest i meant more along the lines of size or square footage.

But OK... it would be concrete including the roof. I would prefer ceramic tile but if the cost is outrageous i would just consider leaving it concrete.(Maybe you could indicate the difference in price between the two).
I don't want a bathtub and i could live w/o hotwater.
It would be a 2-3 bedroom and 1 to 2 bathroom per floor. Cabinets would be wood but could be the cheaper kind. Bathroom fixtures don't need to made of gold either-cheapest kind is fine. Would like a half decent kitchen counter top though.
A terrace would be nice also.
That's all i can think of. Hope that is more specific for you.

I'm sorry i didn't have time to look through ALL the threads to see if this has been addressed before. I am at work.

I just need a rough idea-a ballpark figure.
 

Rina2

New member
May 23, 2006
18
0
0
I forgot to mention that it would be 2 story because they would be separate apartments. Downstairs would be for other family members and i would live upstairs.
 

jackieboo

On Vaction without a return ticket!
Mar 18, 2006
362
0
0
Building costs

The price is variable because of several factors. Mostly it's cheap to build a house in the DR compared to the States because labor costs are so low. Most of the guys building your house make around $10.00USD a day. The average cost for a modest house runs from $65.00 a square foot to $85.00 a square foot (or translated in to meters). That is turn key including garden and a modest pool. The real issue with building is the length of time. It'll take in excess of a year in most cases to get your house done. That's why the resell houses are more than building a new house. These people have already been through the headache of construction and now want compensated. Hope that helps.
 

680680

On Vacation!
Feb 18, 2005
52
0
0
Building

Well you ask a tough question and will not get to manny postive reponses. But i will tell you alittle about my own experence. I am almost finished my 1200 sq foot home. I am less then 5 mins to the ocean and have 3 bedrooms and 2 full bath rooms. I built a flat cement roof ready to add a second floor. With out going into details i have spent about 45,000 US. that includes my land cost and all my furnishing. Now this is a low figure compare to most but i supervised the totaly poject myself from start to finish I used mostly mid range building materails and have had a recent apprasal by local real estate company in the range of 75 to 90 Thousand US. I am not in a gated comunity and do not want to be. The only thing i will tell you is do not let your domincan friends oversea this buliding process i am sure they are nice people but it will cost you more and the workmanship will be very low grade.

I have helped a number of part time resident build here as i live here year round. But that is another story and that cost a little bit for that.
Anyways if you have any other question please pm me anytime.

Thank you
Rick
North Coast Property Management and Consulting
 

Hillbilly

Moderator
Jan 1, 2002
18,948
514
113
According to my civil engineer friend houses are costing around RD$15000+ per sq Meter.

If you want a more accurate project evaluation, send me the plans and we will discuss my fees, since this is professional work that entails a lot of expert knowledge.

Rick was right about one thing: IF you let your Dominican friends do the job you will end up paying double//!!!

HB :D:D
 
Jan 5, 2006
1,582
38
0
Rina2, I would say that based on your general specifications, you can build for around $35 USD per square foot, excluding the cost of land. However, that takes into account that you will be there to supervise every step of the construction and the purchase of all materials. You have to remember that regardless of how close you may think that someone is to you, they will never look out for your interests as much as you will, and when you're building in DR, all prices (labor, materials, permits, etc) have to be negotiated down, sometimes by more than 50%.

If you build non-stop from start to finish, you can probably get it done in 5 to 6 months.
 

billyidol

Banned
Feb 9, 2004
334
10
18
!

i built my house for
$340p/sq mtr. basic quality. tiled floor /shower stall.very pleasant to look at and live in. 2 bed. roof built and preprepared for a 2nd fl , doors -pine.
total for my 125m house was $42k
pump was extra
sanitation tank dug into the ground was extra
land extra
legals extra
architect 4% house value
land extra
hope this helps