Thread: How much it will cost to build a house?

Hi.

I am thinking of building a 2 bedroom 120-150 Square meters house in Pedasi. Question to you people who have built their houses and NOT bought ready ones. The size of the lot is 800 square meters

I am thinking of hiring a company to built the house, architect to design it etc. I am not intending to build it with my hands. Just do the interior design me and my wife.

I do not want it to be super fancy/lush. I do want to plant some trees and make some nice landscaping in the back yard, plus a deck is a must.

I would really appreciate a ball park figure of how much did it cost you guys to plan/built your house.

I hope I gave all the details...

I don't know but I've been told $500/meter. But it can vary quite a bit.

hi , i live near pedasi and here is some advice , no matter who you hire to build it , be here to watch over the construction , or you will not be happy with the end product

I would listen to Nakedguy as he built his own place in Panama. Very sweet setup with awesome views.

Originally Posted by nakedguydb

be here to watch over the construction , or you will not be happy with the end product

I heard this consistently. The only partial exceptions involved non-Panamanian builders. I'd consider buying all materials yourself and never get ahead on payments (ie, pay for work only as or after it gets done).

We are in the process of designing our house near Pedasi and $500 / sq mt is what we are budgeting for. The plan is to be ready to start building after the rainy season and yes, we will be there to over see the construction. Where is your lot??

The Lot is in Pedasi...

So more or less around $500 a meter, and on average houses in the area are 120-140 square meters? More or less?

marcomac - just curious, will you be using block with no insulation or the stucco/foam/stucco building method? I've been somewhat impressed by the latter.

Originally Posted by jonr

marcomac - just curious, will you be using block with no insulation or the stucco/foam/stucco building method? I've been somewhat impressed by the latter.

on the M2 contruction , foam and wire i have heard , but not seen the video that termites hollow out the foam for there house , they do not eat it they just remove it to live in the space , a friend saw the video after he built with the foam .

My understanding is that termites will only dig through the foam if it is a path to some wood. But there is none in concrete, foam and steel homes. There are termite proof foams, but I don't think they are necessary.

I was told the foam and wire homes are safer during earthquakes as they don't crumble and collapse like common block homes.

jonr - we haven't completely decided but are leaning toward sticking with block. We have heard some of the negatives re: M2 but I do like some of the advantages as well. Ultimately, I think we will go with the type that we feel can be done properly. I don't know of alot of houses built with M2 in the Pedasi area.

Does the lot already have electricity and ample available water?

Originally Posted by zeevik03

The Lot is in Pedasi...

So more or less around $500 a meter, and on average houses in the area are 120-140 square meters? More or less?

Not yet, that is why the land is on the cheap...

It will all be there withing half a year...

Originally Posted by zeevik03

Not yet, that is why the land is on the cheap...

It will all be there withing half a year...

In Panama time that could mean an easy one to two years.

Hahahahhahaha, I know got the idea... The lot is part of a 10 lot area, The israelis will hook it up faster then the regular Panamanian time table... it is only 30-40 meters of road...

30-40 meters is no big deal so your probably good.

So to continue on my original question. What kind of problems you had to face when hired a company to build your house? You all say be there while it is built...

Originally Posted by zeevik03

So to continue on my original question. What kind of problems you had to face when hired a company to build your house? You all say be there while it is built...

first and formost , i am not trying to be nasty , there is a saying in panama , oh that is good enough . and for the most part they dont know the difference between piss and paint . the farther you get out of the city the less skilled the helps becomes , just because they saw a toilet once does not make them a plumber . little and big things like nothing square , level , the drain in the shower being the highest point , leaking plumbing under the cement floor , they try , but it is not what we would accept , they just live with the prolbems and make due . i have also seen , gringo contractors here that would not make the grade . so it is very important to do your homework ,

Originally Posted by zeevik03

Hahahahhahaha, I know got the idea... The lot is part of a 10 lot area, The israelis will hook it up faster then the regular Panamanian time table... it is only 30-40 meters of road...

i live near pedasi and dont know forsure which lots you are talking about but did you look at the lots that the owners of Dalys pastry shop has for sale ? i heard they are bigger and about 1/2 the price of the israelis lots , and that family has lots of pull , being the ex presidents sister , i have not been up there in a while so dont know if power is already in , if you have not bought it might be worth checking out

Very often Panamanian builders don't have all the tools or materials to do things right - so they either skip steps or improvise. Many times they have never worked with the gadgets you are putting in.

Originally Posted by jonr

Very often Panamanian builders don't have all the tools or materials to do things right - so they either skip steps or improvise. Many times they have never worked with the gadgets you are putting in.

Very well said. That has been our experience. My three Panamanian brothers in law are very industrious people and can generally make anything work - eventually. But they have never even seen some of the tools that are commonly in use here in the US.

That is the problem, tools and using them. They will try to "eyeball" measurements instead of using a tape measure & don't use levels so the door frames are not square. One of the best ones was after a friend had explained to his crew about using a chalk line after buying one for them, as he walked away they filled it with water! Yes, unless you have a project manager that really knows what he's doing, you have to be there.

Hello everyone here on this forum and the answer of your question (How much it will cost to build a house?) is, It really all depends on what materials you are willing to use, the size of your house, the stuff you will put in it, and the overall amount of money you are willing to spend.

Lowest cost is a simple rectangular design - single story, concrete (or foam/stucco) walls, tiled concrete floor, metal roof with some foam underneath it. I think that a hip roof with deep overhangs is worth getting. If you are going to use AC, then insulate it some more and pay lots of attention to air sealing.

Thanks for sharing problem.
I work in construction organization and your house cost is 450$ sq/f . If you construct any organization they will discount and your cost will reduced.

I hope you mean $450/sq meter. Does anyone have more input on concrete over foam construction?

Friend,... Its depend on yuor house location and how much big and beautiful and well furnished house you want to make. if you want to make a normal house then there is estimate of 30000$ or more.

I believe $600/m2 + lot is a fairly conservative estimate of price.