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So not that I am complaining but how did my thread/questions go from cabinet construction or tile/wood in the shower area to logging and clear cutting????
Building is like anything else you manufacture… the more you build the better deals you get. The more you build the more experienced your people get… The more you build the better your contacts get. So that is how I can build for $110-130 a sq ft. That is without shaving any corners. I am building a house for myself right now… I am doing some of the work but mostly I am calling in favours from trades I know and I am building that for $170 a sq ft. that includes land. Also has many upgrades like in floor heating, hardwood etc.
So when you build 165 houses in a year. Your going to get some smoking deals and just for the record we only manage construction. We sub out all of our work to trades and have very few of our own personel. Mostly backframers and guys to clean up after the other trades.
I didn’t mean odd as in the wood with tile in the bathroom. I mean it more just inside the shower area. We would never put wood in the shower area because it would get wet everysingle time you used the shower… mould would be my biggest concern well and dry rot.
I am in BC, Canada. I build approx. 40 houses a year. a 2300 sq ft house would cost approximately 125 dollars a sq ft not including land. Without going over board on finishes. That same house last year would have been over 200 dollars a sq ft. Our trades prices have come down significantly due to the down turn. the crazy things is we have already sold 28 ubits this year and are on track to beat last years sales. Proof that having the right product at the right price in the right location works.
Do all builders in the area use the same construction technique in making cabinetry? Don’t they use plywood or anything like that to make cabinets?
I have already designed my house for costa rica in 3D. it is 1918 sq ft and I figure it will cost me arount $80,000 to build not including the land. It is a 3 bedroom 2 car garage rancher style home.
So in keeping with the subject of wood… If I want to deal with a hillside lot condition what would be the most common approach there? Do I frame my floor on the second level with I-joists and then toungue and groove plywood like I would here or is it more common to pour a suspended slab out of concrete?
Thanx for the great info! It helps a lot! I already have a design done up. I am still tweeking it a bit but I think it is close to what I want. I design in 3D and do a lot of house design so I would say my house is more of a complicated floorplan than I have seen out there. I could post it on here when I am done the design. I can even render it in 3D so people can see it in picture format.
On another note… has anyone ever seen a house build with structurally insulated panels down there (otherwise known as SIP panels)?
I just wanted to get people reading my post so I could ask my real question… Nothing like a little controversy to get a discussion going. I want to say for the record I have learned a lot from this site and think it is awesome! What I really wanted to ask was this,
1) What is readily available there in terms of building materials, specifically finishing materials like tile? Are there specific tile stores that stock the items or do you typically order them from samples then they are brought into the country? Typically we spend around $3-5 per sq ft here in Canada on our houses for tile, Would it be about the same there?
2) Do they use rug like they do here or shy away from it because of the humidity? If not what kind of product is available there?
3) To keep moisture under control inside the home is it common to use dehumidifiers there. I am talking about the hole house kind hooked up to your furnace not the little portable units.
4) Windows and doors… Do they have companies that make them in CR or are they mostly imported? I would really appreciate any info I could get on locale supply.
5) Stucco, We almost always use acrylic stucco here. Is that the typical product they use there? Because of the amount of sunlight is it typical to stay away from darker colors due to fading?
6) I noticed that it seems like they mix concrete a lot on site for what they need down there. Do they have large batch plants located throughout the country or are they more centrally located?
7) Are rock walls and water features as popular down there as they are here? We do a lot of water features in our homes now up here.
I am hoping to start my 200 sq ft house in January sometime and would really appreciate any info I could get. I want to finalize my design but I need to know some of these things before I do.
The reason I wrote it was because I am wondering is there a shortage of choices because if not why does it seem like everything looks so dated or is it the way people like it there? I am a high volume custom builder. No cookie cutter houses for us each one is a custom. We only build about 180 mid to high end houses a year so we are not that big. I am also starting my house down there in the new year so I need to know this stuff.
Just wanted to stop by and give my opinion on crplans.com, I went to their website and read their information and have to say in my opinion that they are clearly out to lunch! The way they have laid out how the fee structure works is both not a true picture nor do I feel it is even honest. No Tico has or ever will pay the amounts indicated. I mean come on here $83,000 dollars in architect fees to build a 2500 sq ft house… you would have to be drunk to think that is either realistic or even ethical. the even say that they are giving you a deal at that price because it is actually over a $100,000 dollars. The fees are not even close to that much in the USA or Canada. Scott I hope you read this post and go to the site crplans.com and check out how insane this recomendation is… surely that kind of info has no place on a site like this. I am no expert on Costa Rica but I can sure see a con when I see one!!!!!!!!!!
