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There was a small amount of comment about building costs a few weeks ago. Yet only one person actually gave a price and I think it was a consumer, not a builder. I have seen many comments from builders on other subjects but nothing on this. Will a builder please give us a price for building a top quality house including all the recent increases in materials prices?
This might be a foolish suggestion but couldn’t we use Tom Rosenberger’s construction costs data in his one year old article ‘ Costa Rica Homebuilder in the Central Valley – 25 years of experience’ at [ https://www.welovecostarica.com/members/1550.cfm ] and then increase those costs 30% (the percentage increase in the past year as detailed in ‘Raw Materials Costs Force Costa Rica Construction Costs Higher – Plus other costly mistakes’ at [ https://www.welovecostarica.com/members/652.cfm ]?
So you would have:
1. Modest, comfortable American styled home – From US$65 per square foot so a ‘modest’ 1,500 square foot home would cost US$97,500 plus the land …
2. Quality American styled home – From US$88.4 per square foot so a ‘quality’ 1,500 square foot home would cost US$97,500 plus the land …
3. Luxury American styled home – From US$106.6 per square foot so a ‘luxury’ 1,500 square foot home would cost US$159,900 plus the land …Whatever number we come up with will be an approximation and will vary greatly depending on what materials are used.
Scott Oliver – Founder
WeLoveCostaRica.comScott:
I do not think that is at all a foolish suggestion. For all I know it might be quite acurate. However I do wish we could hear from some builders directly and I think many people who are contemplating building in CR would welcome their input. One thing that may not quite add up in your suggestion is that not all materials have gone up as much as steel and concrete and also I don’t think the labor costs have gone up.
Labor costs for experienced, quality manual labor have indeed increased dramatically.
Competition for well trained labor is fierce and with tighter immigration controls, it ain’t so easy hiring.
The CAJA is now far more aggressive trying to ensure that employers are paying the necessary contributions for their employees and that is raising costs too… This is not something new, it’s just that existing laws are being more stringently enforced.
There are construction companies from Spain going to Nicaragua to hire Nicaraguans, they fly them over there to work on their projects in SPAIN so yes! Labor costs are much higher.
Scott Oliver – Founder
WeLoveCostaRica.comAny way I have analyzed it as a US construction company owner and estimating manager with CR experience and CR relevant cost data, the most recent analysis 3 months ago reflected building costs are at least 50% less than US. Equivalent view raw land is 25% of US, so in total, it is still 1/3 … for unsurpassed beauty and tranquility in comparison it’s a bargain. The average cost (no overhead, profit or insurance) of a laborer, with benefits @ nearly $5/hour in CR vs. $44/hour in Seattle is a steal. If you know where to get your materials locally and/or are creative with getting fixtures, hardware and other specialty items in as baggage, you can easily chop away at the material costs. Material costs in CR exceed labor costs, unlke the 50/50 rule in US.
why would we assume that a country with the size a major metrop [4 mill] in US and 46 bill in GDP [0.003 % of US GDP] is worthy of equi. pricing for land and construction cost[excluding building material b/c its relevant to the construction habits of the given geography]? that being said. construction should 50 cents on the dollar to US. everyother part of the world function under these premisses, with the exception of when they want to gauge you for being american.
Im currently looking at constuction cost and Im strongly debating pre-fab vs block constuction just b/c CR is infamous for jacking up rates to foreigners.
just my dos colones…
The bottom line is that building costs are determined by the building contract, construction specifications and working blueprints that have been agreed to between the owner and the builder. If you’re serious about building in Costa Rica, hire a professional with whom you can communicate in your own language to provide an architectural design adapted to your building site and the Costa Rican construction materials and installation methods currently available. Once the working blueprints have been completed and your building site has been inspected by the professional offering to quote a price to construct your housing, then you will have realistic current pricing to complete the dwelling you have envisioned.
There are many variables you must consider when planning a construction project.
Certainly, in a foreign country where you may not fully understand the language and culture, these variables become more challenging. Fortunately, you have the benefit of the most informative site offering advice about everything you need to know before purchasing land and constructing housing in Costa Rica.You can read more about what you need to consider when building in Costa Rica at:
https://www.welovecostarica.com/members/1093.cfmThanks Tom (crhomebuilder) for a most succinct summary… FYI I will be doing an online video interview with Tom about construction in Costa Rica as soon as I can free up a few hours from a time consuming new project I’m working on…
Scott Oliver – Founder
WeLoveCostaRica.comDavid,
The builder that I use in Atenas charges $80/SF for turnkey construction. This price is from permits to paint, and includes a normal sized custom pool. He will not dip below these costs because this builder will not go below a certain grade of quality, ie..He only uses clay tile roofs, granite counters with inlayed sinks, wood cielings, etc..etc..but the cost will go up if the client is adament about having an exotic floor tile or other ultra unique finishing details. This price also includes basic landscaping, finished driveway (depending on the length) and a front gate. However, it does not include appliances. I hope this helps.
David,
We are in the process of building a home in Atenas. It is a turn-key home with granite countertops, custom sinks and cabinets, pool, some landscaping w/lawn, driveway and gated entrance. When we contracted the deal, prices for this ranged from $60-$65/SF. 6 months later, mainly due to material costs, the price for the same home is now $75-$80/SF. I’ve also heard that in a nearby town, the prices are now over $95/SF. As in the US, it appears that cost is going to be determined where you build, and it is going to keep going up. Thank God, we got in under the wire. – Hope this helps
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