Seeking Info and Resources for Building a Cheap House in Ecuador

Why not do like I have been planning?  Use a recycled shipping container or two put together?  They are fairly cheap, and given the problem with earth quakes in Ecuador, you wouldn't have to worry about your house crumbling to pieces.

holisticdoc wrote:

Hola a todos
I am looking to relocate to Ecuador.  Housing market there is like housing market in most places.  Nice houses are very expensive and affordable houses are not quite what I'm looking for or they need a lot of work.  Might as well build my own.  Please add your comments if you have experience either building your own or hiring contractor / trabajadores to build for you.  I'm looking to build a basic 1 or 2br 1-1/2 bath cabana, single story.  My plan is to respect the environment by using earth materials, like superadobe and bamboo, plus local woods.  I look forward to your feedback and maybe even meeting new friends from this forum.

Housing market there is like housing market in most places.

Be careful with this line of thinking. It's different here, and some expats get it all wrong, for example building a gorgeous home in a beautiful area that has no market value.

Might as well build my own.

Try it out first. Rent first in the area you're interested in and that experience will definitely result in cheaper building costs.

Lewdog wrote:

Why not do like I have been planning?  Use a recycled shipping container or two put together?  They are fairly cheap, and given the problem with earth quakes in Ecuador, you wouldn't have to worry about your house crumbling to pieces.

This sound very interesting, can you share more info?

vsimple wrote:

Lewdog wrote:

Why not do like I have been planning?  Use a recycled shipping container or two put together?  They are fairly cheap, and given the problem with earth quakes in Ecuador, you wouldn't have to worry about your house crumbling to pieces.

This sound very interesting, can you share more info?

Unfortunately I can't provide links yet, but try doing a Google search for shipping container homes.  There is a beautiful one that I want that you can build for $40,000 that is designed specifically to be for areas that have earthquakes.  Search Containers o Hope Benjamin Garcia Saxe.

Lewdog wrote:

vsimple wrote:

Lewdog wrote:

Why not do like I have been planning?  Use a recycled shipping container or two put together?  They are fairly cheap, and given the problem with earth quakes in Ecuador, you wouldn't have to worry about your house crumbling to pieces.

This sound very interesting, can you share more info?

Unfortunately I can't provide links yet, but try doing a Google search for shipping container homes.  There is a beautiful one that I want that you can build for $40,000 that is designed specifically to be for areas that have earthquakes.  Search Containers o Hope Benjamin Garcia Saxe.

The Benjamin Garcia Saxe containers are excellent, and for people who are thinking storage containers, they need to check them out. There is however one issue, and it's a big one, the import taxes and duties are huge for some imports. So, these $40,000 containers may very well end up being $80,000.

vsimple wrote:

Lewdog wrote:

vsimple wrote:

This sound very interesting, can you share more info?

Unfortunately I can't provide links yet, but try doing a Google search for shipping container homes.  There is a beautiful one that I want that you can build for $40,000 that is designed specifically to be for areas that have earthquakes.  Search Containers o Hope Benjamin Garcia Saxe.

The Benjamin Garcia Saxe containers are excellent, and for people who are thinking storage containers, they need to check them out. There is however one issue, and it's a big one, the import taxes and duties are huge for some imports. So, these $40,000 containers may very well end up being $80,000.

But the only import would be the container, and those might not even count as an import because you might be able to buy them at one of the port cities in Ecuador.  Wood framing, drywall, windows, the normal things needed to build a house aren't imports are they?  Not to mention the roofs can be perfect for putting up solar panels for those that want to live the green lifestyle, and you can also use the roof for growing a garden.

Shipping container homes may make sense in certain areas and for a certain demographic - but apparently not in the areas and the people of Ecuador and Colombia that I'm familiar with.

Otherwise I think you'd be seeing the mostly-poor and even the middle-class population (which is growing) of these countries, taking advantage of the supposed benefits of this type of dwelling.

Yes, I know trends sometimes take a while to catch on.  But consider that metal shipping containers - which already abound in the ports and big cities of both countries, you see them everywhere - in a tropical climate, and even in mountainous areas, can get quite hot and stuffy even if you cut a LOT of holes in them for ventilation.  Most people in these countries, even in the hot areas, do not use and cannot afford air-conditioning.

In fact one of the pleasures of living in the tropics and temperate climate areas of Ecuador and Colombia, is that all you need for a dwelling is a roof over your head to keep the rain out, and usually with a lot of ventilation.  Poor people in Colombia often live in cambuches which can literally be several vertical poles or posts, and maybe a single bamboo or wood roof beam, the whole thing covered by just a plastic tarp.

And then the middle class who can perhaps afford to buy or build a home, opt for traditional structures built by local labor - labor is relatively cheap, and materials are relatively expensive - just the opposite from most developed countries.

Some examples of cambuches:

https://www.google.com/search?q=cambuch … mp;bih=662

Thanks all for replying and responding.  I am more interested in natural materials as I stated, like bamboo, earthbag, adobe, straw bale.  I would think it makes more sense to build with materials that can withstand seismic activity.   I considered shipping container homes, but I don't think they go well with places that have lots of rainy days. Even with a wide roof it could be very risky.  My 3 major concerns are heat, rust and claustrophobic atmosphere.   I used to live in my rv so I have some experience with rv-fever.   So I ask again for insight into local people who have built eco-type homes or structures so that we can connect.   Cuenca, Loja, areas or other areas as well.

Hi everybody,

Just to inform you that some posts (flaming) have been removed.

Thanks,

Priscilla

holisticdoc wrote:

I am more interested in natural materials....

I would think it makes more sense to build with materials that can withstand seismic activity.... My 3 major concerns are heat, rust and claustrophobic atmosphere.

For architectural purposes guadua is the favored form of bamboo in the Americas.  It is widely used in certain areas of Ecuador and Colombia (Wikipedia).

There is a National Bamboo and Guadua Investigation Center here in Departamento Quindío in the Coffee Zone of Colombia.  It's in the town of Córdoba.  A guadua convention is held annually in the month of June. 

This type of bamboo is pronounced GWAH-doo-wah.

The Environmental Bamboo Foundation has reported “stunning” results in the construction of guadua buildings in Colombia.

The use of guadua bamboo in this region of Colombia dates back to at least the 1930's.

In 1999, a powerful earthquake devastated the downtown area of Armenia, Quindío's departmental capital city.  Thousands died in the quake.  The city has since rebuilt.

Many conventionally-constructed homes in the city were destroyed in the earthquake.  However, it was discovered that many homes constructed with guadua back in the 30's .. survived the seismic event.

The website of the Plantation House in the Quindío town of Salento provided some of the information used in this post. 
Google:  theplantationhousesalento.com guadua

Another resource is a Colombia-based guadua company whose website is guaduabamboo.com ...

A simple Google search for guadua will direct you to additional information about the use of this strong natural material in construction.

cccmedia in Quindío, Colombia

What concerns me about a shipping container house is the resale value, security and escalating costs. I don't know how others think but I always view housing in terms of market value and how much I can get for it if I want to sell. I'm not sure a shipping container or other unorthodox type of houses will be a good investment. There's also the issue of security, houses here (Quito other cities) are fortified with high walls and electric fences atop the high walls. And of course looking at some of those very stylish container homes, you would need not only land and walls on the perimeter but someone who can design the homes similar to Benjamin Garcia Faxe. I don't know if that's even possible here, and to give a similar example, you know how people customize their cars? Well clearly some have done it through professional car customization centers and they look amazing. Others through DIY kits or body shops that are not professional and they look horrible. My point here is that the costs might very well escalate especially if such expertise is limited here.

Well even if people don't like the shipping container home idea they do need to take into consideration the destruction that can be caused on your normal stucco or adobe style homes in an earthquake, especially considering how badly places were damaged in the latest earthquake that happened last year.  From what I've read, and people here might be able to confirm this, some of the biggest issues with building your own place is dealing with the government on getting permits which sometimes government officials may want you to grease their palms to get, and then finding reliable contractors that will do good work on schedule without trying to fleece you for extra money.  So it can be very important to find good contacts in Ecuador that will set you up with a good contractor they know.

As far some other ideas you might want to think about, you could used stomped compacted dirt in wood frames with bamboo used as rebar and then covered in stucco.  Another method is you can get forms and have what looks like lego blocks made of hempcrete which is like concrete but made of hemp, and then the blocks get stacked together just like legos.  Here is a link you might look at for other green building ideas.

http://inhabitat.com/11-green-building- … -concrete/

I live near Vilcabamba in southern Ecuador, and am extremely happy with my newly built house, moved in a few months ago.  Of course, the maestro, an Ecuadorian, is a personal friend and I could trust him completely and his team to do an excellent job.  The house is traditional adobe, with also the traditional teja tile roof.  However, the roof has the latest membrane protection possible in between the wooden beam and slat roof and the teja tiles; and the adobe bricks are mortared together with actual cement, so that the house can last until well after my lifetime.  Indeed many contractors will fleece you if you do not know an honest one, and will likely also extend the time of your build and give you headaches.  I was just lucky I guess.  If you are on a slope special attention must be paid to the retaining walls and drainage possibilities.

HelenP

HelenPivoine wrote:

I live near Vilcabamba in southern Ecuador, and am extremely happy with my newly built house, moved in a few months ago.... The house is traditional adobe, with also the traditional teja tile roof..... the roof has the latest membrane protection possible in between the wooden beam and slat roof and the teja tiles; and the adobe bricks are mortared together with actual cement....

Congratulations on your successful new build, Helen.

What is this roof 'membrane' that was installed?  What is it made of?

Did you have previous experience in any country supervising a maestro and his crew?  From your post, it seems that things went smoothly and effectively.

cccmedia

CCC - i'm guessing the roof membrane is some sort of waterproofing sheet to prevent any leaks.

HI cccMedia,

My circumstances may have been unusual, as I am very good friends with the maestro and his family.  There was no supervision involved.  I just took pictures to send back to my family and as a building diary.  Also I was an informal team member, acting as paper project manager, which meant only that I kept track of the receipts using an Excel program especially for contracts. So that we could always see where we were at, at any given time, even had a pie chart.  This was great for planning what extras I could have installed.  Other people likely would not have the same experience.  Or the same level of honesty as I was privileged to enjoy, unless they choose this same contractor.  I will be putting out a construction ad shortly for his team, for people in the Vilcabamba area in case they need a house built.

Re the special roofing membrane, I did not get its name in English, but examined it prior to installation and it sure looked special to me.  I love my roof, it is a work of art when viewed from above with the teja tiles.  Also they installed aluminum channel eavestroughing, essential for the rainy season.
HelenP

CccMedia,

I had no previous experience with a construction team i any country.

However, in Canada, before I left, I spent over 2 years personally taking apart all floors, carpeting etc and bathrooms and installing new materials, by myself, with the exception of the bathtub, too heavy for me to lift.  I just love deconstruction and construction.
HelenP.

Helen wrote:

There was no supervision involved.

--------

Thanks for filling us in, Helen, with the rest of the story.

It seems evident that you are being modest when you imply that you did not do any supervision.

cccmedia

My advice to you?  Be very very careful.  Building here is a huge risk.  I will tell you about the nightmares in construction here.  Send me an email or go to my page:  https://about.me/craig_daley and I will tell you everything you need to know

Good information! Thanks for the link.......Here in Panama there are heaps of container homes, some of which you would never know they were containers to begin with. Ive seen some really impressive quality conversions...Friends of mine in Costa Rica have built homes from bamboo, and there is a bamboo home building material fabrica on the Atlantic side of Costa Rica.......Colombia has really pioneered the bamboo construction and there is a famous architect, I think out of Medellin or the Coffee zone who has put together an incredible illustrated book on bamboo home construction........Lots of options out there.....and it surely makes sense to build ecologically.......

If you are looking on information on container construction in Ecuador feel free to contact me as I have done some research and planning on this already.

Chris

Cdaley wrote:

Building here is a huge risk.  I will tell you about the nightmares in construction here. 

... go to my page:  https://about.me/craig_daley and I will tell you everything you need to know

Consultant Craig Daley is offering a free consultation to our members.

Based on his comments about "risk" in building here, y'all might click on his link above and then click on the link for a free consultation.

You could save yourself a bundle of trouble when you learn more about the realities of building in South America.

cccmedia near the Colombia-Ecuador border

CC, howz life there at the Colombian/Ecuadorian border? You like it there? How far from there to the closest nice beaches Ecuador side? Esmeraldas? I realize I have strayed from the thread..........