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One of my neighbors was recently taken to the cleaners on a bad driveway project.
Since I need a new driveway I have been asking for estimates on the work and the prices I have been getting are as high as I paid in the States for the same work.
Can this be legitimate or am I being quoted “pricios Americano”?
If the quotes you are recieving are relative to each other than it is not likely you are being ‘pricio americano’. As a concrete contractor myself for more than 30 years, there are many variables that govern a price. First is the size of the project. Small project will cost more than a project with volumn. A ready mix price is more in Costa Rica than in the states. However, ready mix greatly reduces labor cost. Again, this is a bean counter related to the size of your project.
In addition, the type of finish you are looking for. Just a regular float or broom finish compared to a decorative more skilled finish. There is the slope of the landscape making things more labor intense and so on.
You may wish to have your dimensions and photos and communicate via email to see if you want to have a specific contractor waste your time. You may consider calling a ready mix plant and asking for qualified contractors to your projects size and expertise. You may wish to visit a construction site where you can see a company actually performing concrete work and speak with a meastro de obras.
I recommend you avoid unemployed trades men looking for spare change. Avoid large deposits. Take references, and choose your contractor by reputation and quality of work. NOT by price. Also, supervise the entire project and ask questions and understand exactly whats going on, and what strengths you being delivered. Your the one who will be looking at this for several years, so do it correct the first time. Not like your nieghbor.
Good luck
Mike[quote=”Michlic”]If the quotes you are recieving are relative to each other than it is not likely you are being ‘pricio americano’.
Good luck
Mike[/quote]Thank you for the information. – Les
Mike, I’m confident that any decent contractor would include rebar in his work, but what’s your take on adding or substituting fiberglass or polypropylene fibers to the concrete mix? I think I understand that these fibers greatly add to the strength of the finished product at quite a tolerable additional cost, but I have no inside information.
What’s your take?
I own a Construction company and do general contracting in the Guanacaste area. These are the costs in our area if I was to do the work (including profit for the company) cost would most likely be less in San Jose..
Driveway construction (4″ slab on grade, reinforced with steel grate #2 steel reinforcement and additional rebar if done in seperate pours) over a compacted lastre base. Using structural use cement (red bag) for additional strength/higher PSI. Brush finish and control joints every 2 meters.
Costs approx: Driveway less then 100 square meters: $40.00 per square meter. Driveway 100-300 square meters $38.00/per sq meter. 300 square meters plus: $35.00/square meter.
Driveways are not very time and labor intensive compared to other construction work and the cost of materials can at some times be higher then in the US. So the difference in a driveway cost compaired to US work is less, but not the same cost difference as a house, pool, or more “labor” intensive projects which cost less here because of the cheap labor..
The “assessed value” of a concrete driveway reinforced with steel is just under C10,000 per meter. Good luck finding someone who would do it for that and do it correctly though..
[quote=”DavidCMurray”]Mike, I’m confident that any decent contractor would include rebar in his work, but what’s your take on adding or substituting fiberglass or polypropylene fibers to the concrete mix? I think I understand that these fibers greatly add to the strength of the finished product at quite a tolerable additional cost, but I have no inside information.
What’s your take?[/quote]
All bids did include #2 Malla but only one included the fibramax. I think adding the fibre is a better way to go.Thank you David
[quote=”caliskatari”]I own a Construction company and do general contracting in the Guanacaste area. These are the costs in our area if I was to do the work (including profit for the company) cost would most likely be less in San Jose..
[/quote]
This is exasctly what I was looking for. Just a general idea what I should expect for a price.[quote=”DavidCMurray”]Mike, I’m confident that any decent contractor would include rebar in his work, but what’s your take on adding or substituting fiberglass or polypropylene fibers to the concrete mix? I think I understand that these fibers greatly add to the strength of the finished product at quite a tolerable additional cost, but I have no inside information.
What’s your take?[/quote]
polyfibers have great advantages over rebar. The consistency is from top to bottom where rebar can easily be tramped to the ground doing no good. Polyfibre also holds the hydration of the concrete elliminating shrinkage cracks or spalding and allows the concrete to cure at an even constant for the 28 day curing time. Polyfibre is same price as metal reinforcing and should not alter the price of installation. If your metal reinforcing as began to corrode, it will continue to corrode and emit gas (explain later). Thus loosing reinforcing value.
On the negative of polyfibre, is that it has NO structural value. Meaning, for bearing or any structural requirement (footings, columns, even stairs) this is not a product. But for slabs is perfect and many of my government projects (over engineered) specify polyfibre.
Rusting reinforcing emits a gas. If you have seen a bridge or column with missing concrete and you are looking at rusted rebar it is not failed concrete. It is the gases emited from the rust that have blown out the concrete. Often is why we use epoxy coated rebar (green).
Rebar on slabs should be middle of concrete to hold together control joints, expansion joints, and cracks (works like a hinge). On bearing applications (North America)the rebar is 1/4 depth from bottom, and on uplift (Florida and hurricane country)1/4 from top. Because Costa Rican engineering is for siesmic they require both T&B. Not an issue with slabs though.
Cali Skater I,
Are you saying that 100 square meters of surface of 4 inch slab costa $4000? What are the cost for labor and materials only – if you don’t mind…
[quote=”Michlic”][quote=”DavidCMurray”]Mike, I’m confident that any decent contractor would include rebar in his work, but what’s your take on adding or substituting fiberglass or polypropylene fibers to the concrete mix? I think I understand that these fibers greatly add to the strength of the finished product at quite a tolerable additional cost, but I have no inside information.
What’s your take?[/quote]
polyfibers have great advantages over rebar. The [u]consistency is from top to bottom[/u] where rebar can easily be tramped to the ground doing no good. Polyfibre also [u]holds the hydration of the concrete elliminating shrinkage cracks or spalding and allows the concrete to cure at an even constant for the 28 day curing time[/u]. [u]Polyfibre is same price as metal[/u] reinforcing and should not alter the price of installation. If your metal reinforcing has began to corrode, it will continue to corrode and emit gas but [u]for slabs is perfect[/u] and many of my government projects (over engineered) specify polyfibre.
[u]Rusting reinforcing emits a gas.[/u] [/quote]
It sounds like your recommendation would be to use polyfiber instead of metal reinforcing for this type of work.
Where does that leave us regarding joints? Is the fiber adequate or should metal reinforcing be used as well? When the concrete cracks at the joints, and it will, the metal is then exposed to rusting.[quote=”2BNCR”]Cali Skater I,
Are you saying that 100 square meters of surface of 4 inch slab costa $4000? What are the cost for labor and materials only – if you don’t mind…[/quote]
The breakdown on the bids for my work has been pretty consistent at 60% materials and 40% labor.
That includes fiber and metal reinforcing.Looks like im getting into the concrete bus in CR. Im lucky to get $2.00 per sqft for a simple form and pour.
[quote=”kimball”]Looks like im getting into the concrete bus in CR. Im lucky to get $2.00 per sqft for a simple form and pour.[/quote]
This is an honest price and you would recieve many repeat customers and referals. At a cost of 1.00 to 1.25 ft squ for material and labour which includes paying the caja will still net you a profitable return. This price of 2.00 is from contractors who perform volumn of work and do not ‘bleed’ their customers. The crew is most likely more experienced as they would be working everyday, compared to the higher priced contractors who will only work a few days or when ever they ‘land a fish’.
[quote=”kimball”]What is everyones opinion on pavers vs concrete in CR.[/quote]
The pros and cons for pavers here is the same as Canada and USA. No difference. Pavers are more than double the strength (psi or Mpa) allow irragation, more squ ft production per day than concrete, purchase price equates concrete, stronger base required (lastre), locked with masonry or polymere sand.
Again, if you are a hardscape contractor, you will know your advantagous and disadvantagous that are shared by all, including CR.
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