Construction and Renovations

There is so much to learn! Dave (Rocky) and I had both built homes and we went through an extensive remodel together in the US, but building with concrete was completely foreign to us!

Good idea....

We have a car concierge...... now a construction one !!!

Yes DR is mainly block and concrete frame construction.

Rarely does one see timber framed roofing as one sees on other Cariibean islands.

And so the main skill set of workers is masonry based, and they often do the tiling, with cabinet makers doing finish carpentry, electricians, plumbers of a sort and metal workers. This make up of workers is common in other islands but with roofing carpenters and drywall workers too.

And many of the masonry workers are Haitian.

Finish details are not well understood and with no direction you get crazy solutions. Architects are often lacking at presenting the details( that costs) and leave it to the maestro. And CAD drawing has resulted in architects often abandoning providing fine details which can be so important to the Client.

scary

lennoxnev wrote:

Yes DR is mainly block and concrete frame construction.

Rarely does one see timber framed roofing as one sees on other Cariibean islands.

And so the main skill set of workers is masonry based, and they often do the tiling, with cabinet makers doing finish carpentry, electricians, plumbers of a sort and metal workers. This make up of workers is common in other islands but with roofing carpenters and drywall workers too.

And many of the masonry workers are Haitian.

Finish details are not well understood and with no direction you get crazy solutions. Architects are often lacking at presenting the details( that costs) and leave it to the maestro. And CAD drawing has resulted in architects often abandoning providing fine details which can be so important to the Client.

You get some good concrete work here, and drywall work. I was surprised at the extensive use of drywall though; I guess thinking high humidity and lack of climate control would take its toll. And they use standard drywall, no "green board" or anything like that.

Watching the construction of our house requires a gut check. I keep telling myself "there's got to be a better way to do that", as they tear into a finished concrete wall to install electrical wiring or piping, or leave exposed PVC plumbing on the floor to get tread over by wheel barrows a hundred times.  I get the impression they don't search for better ways to do things, rather just complete tasks however they were taught, so processes and techniques never change over time (my N. Americanism is showing).

Yes as far as detailing goes we tend to tell ourselves we're lucky we got what we did and leave it at that. Admittedly it is often just language and communication issues on our part though.

I will say we are overall quite happy with our builder. They do listen to us (most of the time) and appear to be striving for a quality product.

Any earthquake recently?
https://www.google.com/search?q=Dominic … AB6BAgDEAg

freeperson wrote:

Any earthquake recently?
https://www.google.com/search?q=Dominic … AB6BAgDEAg

Yes, these happen constantly.

Also, do your due diligences when hiring a contractor to remodel and make sure someone is on site to supervise. I fail at these two and got taking for a ride. Hired a ‘contractor’ referred by real estate agent and he took me for a ride.. Live and learn, can’t trust anyone if to remodel here. If I couldn’t trust my superintendent in USA, what made me think I could trust a contractor that can’t even email me a quote here.. Like I said, live and learn!

Hello, Everyone,

I am totally new to this site.  I bought a lot in Punta Cana and about to start the construction (all plans are ready and approved).  However, on top of the construction costs they want to charge me separately the workers Pension fund 1.75 % (I did read that the DR government does require 1% to be paid to the social services by employer but it is only one 1% and why I am being charged for it?  Transportation at 4% rate of the whole budget?

Also, can someone give recommendations on a relatively good general contractor in Punta Cana area? 

And I am being told it is highly recommended to have so called all risks insurance during construction of the house.  Any suggestions or thoughts about it?

Thank you very much in advance

Hope all are safe and healthy

Best wishes,
Anna

Hi Anna, welcome to the forums. I am not much help on this subject but others will help you!

I am assuming you have had a quotation from a contractor and you are questioning some items in their proposal?

A general contractor will probably present the price for the works as:

- a schedule of values which breaks down the work costs stage element by element

- general conditions which would include his specific project related management
  costs, temporary works, plant and equipment not in rates, his employes welfare &
  temporary offices, non productive labour such as security, tidy up gang, waste
  disposal and his insurances, etc etc. - as a rule of thumb this should normally be
  about ​10/12% of the total of the schedule of  ​values.

- Overheads and profit which will cover his office costs and senior management
  ​contributions plus his intended profit - this can be anywhere from 10% upwards.

One would expect the items you mention to be included in his overheads. But the transports costs should be broken down imo rather than a flat percentage addition.

As for the owner having their own insurance for all risks, that is normal for larger and formal construction contracts and depends much on the risks associated with your project. DR is in an earthquake and tropical storm zone so such and other hazards which would fall under the owners (and not contractors) liability should be considered.

You may want to consider approaching Arena Gorda if your investment is moderately sized. This is a company that has been building in Casa de Campo and Punta Cana:
https://www.arenagorda.com/