- Thread starter SteveK
- Start date
Building a Home usd100k or Less
You definitely missed the pre-inflation building window.
Others with more knowledge of prices can respond.
What square footage are you looking to build, one or two stories. concrete block walls, metal or tile roof are all price factors you might want to add to your question.
Others with more knowledge of prices can respond.
What square footage are you looking to build, one or two stories. concrete block walls, metal or tile roof are all price factors you might want to add to your question.
Possible but only if you know about construction, plumbing and electricity and the prices. If you don't, every contractor will smell your lack of knowledge like a shark smells a piece of bloody meat in the ocean and will ripp you off instantly. And if you get a cheap quote for the construction, don't get exited, please keep in mind that the construction is only around 30% of the total price of a House. Than you have empanete, ceramics, doors, windows, kitchen, bath, electricity etc etc etc etc.
All depends on where you want to build, the size of the construction and what quality you expect. Construction cost went up so much over the last few years and has not come back down. If you are in a tourist zone then you can most likely forget about it unless you source all the materials from places such as Santiago, but if you don't speak the language, then expect to pay gringo prices. No matter what a builder quotes you, expect the final price to be 25% more. Not necessarily because they are trying to rip you off (although that is very often the case), it is because they 'forgot' to add items onto the initial quote. If you use a contractor make sure that you get a notarized construction contract done so you have something to fall back on in case things don't go right. I would even go to the point of adding a penalty for late delivery which means holding back the last 10 or 15% until delivery. Also, make sure that in the contact you have no civil or legal responsibility for anyone who works on the villa. The builder should be the person that assumes responsibility. If you don't, and there is a serious accident, well that could land you in a heap of legal issues. This might be a bit off (and I am sure that people out there would correct me), but for basic quality, expect to pay U$500 to U$600 per m2, for reasonable quality, expect to pay U$800 to U$900 per m2 and for good quality expect to pay U$1100+ per m2.
Those numbers sound right. I know someone who paid 42,000 DOP per m2.
Get an " architect" , it may cost a bit more ----- in appearance only. It will save you on the overall price.
He will manage all the different actors and --- hopefully --- keep them in check.
He will manage all the different actors and --- hopefully --- keep them in check.
Totally agree...most importantly for the structural plans that are done by an engineer. I know many people that have had places built for them without bothering to get the structural plans completed and they have had to deal with major problems down the road. In general, an architect can do the technical plans but an engineer needs to do the structural plans. Some professional companies can do both inhouse other will do the technical plans and then have an external engineer do the structural plans. You can use the same company to supervise the construction but they don't come cheap, but worth paying the extra money.
Then you won't have to deal so much with inflated prices that you can find in tourist areas. Be careful where you buy the materials though. Buy them from a reputed company. It has been known that people will sell people beach sand instead of clean sand and the salt content in beach sand is terrible for construction.
Have you dominican family here in the country? Than the better way for purchasing all the people you need for the construction to let them to do this, so they will get dominican prices. First stay back, when all papers signed you can get into the action.
Another important point: Never pay 25 or 50% of the contract in advance, taking place in the contract that you'll pay for the work that was done, step by step.
They begin with the excavation for the foundation and armed it with rods and filled it with concrete, when it's done pay for it. Than continue with the next step and so on.
They begin with the excavation for the foundation and armed it with rods and filled it with concrete, when it's done pay for it. Than continue with the next step and so on.
With the correct experience, it could work in your favor. Also, try to strike a deal with a Ferreteria for exclusivity of your materials for a discount and credit with weekly/monthly payments.
you need to be on site everydays and be involved in the purchasing. make sure you have a good rebar person for the cement roof.
Sure it will. Every Architect has a deal with his favorit ferreteria where he gets his discounts. A good Architect calculate all needed materials for you so you can go to different ferreterias and negociate prices. The best deals you'll got if you buy the materials in one piece and pay cash. For example you need one thousend bags of cement for your constuction, buy them all at once in cash and normally you become a real better price for the bag. The same you do with blocks and rebar.
Then you go/call the ferreteria every time you need cement (like 100 bags) so you don't have to deal with the storage of the bags. Blocks and rebar are no problem even when it rains.