Construction costs in Costa Rica

[rainbow ridge]

I am sure someone has asked this question before:
What are current average construction costs for a home in the Central Valley and San Ramon area.
Dollars per sq.meter or sq.foot would be helpful.
Thanks.
Horst in Alajuela

[crhomebuilder]

The bottom line is that building costs per m2 are determined by the quantity and quality of the building materials that an owner wants to install in his/her dwelling.

We refer to the document that details building materials selections as “Construction Specifications” and they are like the recipe that you use to prepare a meal.

Without a specific recipe (Construction Specifications) as well as careful planning for the installation of the building materials, by a builder who has years of experience in CR, the costs usually end up increasing as the construction process progresses.

In Costa Rica, the construction problems that can cause delays and end up costing you more money are not predictable problems anyone from another country could have anticipated based on knowledge acquired elsewhere.

Additionally, construction costs vary depending on the location of the building site.

You can begin the process of selecting the construction items that you wish to install in your project by going to the “Documents” page at; http://www.CostaRicaHomeBuilder.com and select “Construction Specifications,” in order to view options that will determine your total costs to build.

[sprite]

Check out “Techos Siglo 21 & Montana Paraiso at
http://casasenescazu.com/

Let me know what you think.

[Andrew]

[quote=”sprite”]Check out “Techos Siglo 21 & Montana Paraiso at
http://casasenescazu.com/

Let me know what you think.[/quote]

EXTREMELY IMPORTANT PS FROM SCOTT

Before you do business with these Canadians I would strongly encourage you to search this forum for the name ‘Trevor Chilton’ and his failed project in Jaco… Scott

[rainbow ridge]

Thanks for the comments, Scott! Very helpful.

[costaricabill]

[quote=”sprite”]Check out “Techos Siglo 21 & Montana Paraiso at
http://casasenescazu.com/

Let me know what you think.[/quote]

Sprite –
after following Scott’s tip I read some of the posts that he pointed to. I was just wondering if you did the same and if so,

“Let me know what you think.”

[bogino]

I recall when I used to ask about price per square foot the first question was: “Built Tico Style or Built to American Standards?”. Answering that question would usually narrow things down a bit.

[sprite]

There are so many variables in a house design that I suspect only an honest professional builder could come up with a ball park estimate only after seeing detailed plans. I have read in various places that even when one has a quote from a builder to always set aside an additional 5 to 20 percent for cost over runs. My sense of it all is that one can build a simple North American style CBS house for between $65 and $85 per square foot. I suppose that figure will only go north as time goes by and the dollar loses more of its value.

[rainbow ridge]

[quote=”sprite”]There are so many variables in a house design that I suspect only an honest professional builder could come up with a ball park estimate only after seeing detailed plans. I have read in various places that even when one has a quote from a builder to always set aside an additional 5 to 20 percent for cost over runs. My sense of it all is that one can build a simple North American style CBS house for between $65 and $85 per square foot. I suppose that figure will only go north as time goes by and the dollar loses more of its value.[/quote]

Based on a number of people who have built already,your comments are right on. We live here and have had various medium sized projects built—and the 20 percent over budget was more or less right on every time! Thank you.

[Author]

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