Random imageNew forum topicsSponsorUser loginActive forum topicsRecent blog postsRecent comments
Currency Rate
|
Cost of Building Material |
NavigationWho's onlineThere are currently 3 users and 23 guests online.
Online users
Who's new
PollHow do you/would you educate your children? Public school 24% Private religious school 26% Private non-sectarian school 20% Home school 7% Don't have/want children 24% Total votes: 46 A ThoughtYou can only have power over people so long as you don't take everything away from them. But when you've robbed a man of everything he's no longer in your power-he's free again. |
cemento pura
now 160 cords a bag
www.nicalandsales.com
buy now
My nicaraguan friends buy materials any time they can get 2 cords to rub together and store them in their kitchen. Yes, you need a 19 foot kitchen to store rebar. Prices are going up weekly. Last week a hundred weight of rebar cost C1175, today I got a phone qoute of C1500, which I hope is not true or tomorrow will be a bad day. (I don´t have a 19 foot kitchen).
What this will do to the building boom in Esteli I don´t know, but the energy and transportation costs are not likely to go down. If I were in Madriz, I would seriously look at abobe!
¨pata de perro¨
no way
I'll wait or look somewhere else ! I can buy a house in the states for less than it costs to build the same house in Nica these days. Sitting on my lot in Gigante for the time being.
in gigante
i am located in the gigante zone as well ... imho its the best zone
where is your lot in gigante or what lotifaction did you buy into ...
i start my foundation at the end of next week.
i got pulled from my job to clear a manzana a clients wanting to buy for 28,000 1km to the beach
hh
www.nicalandsales.com
My lot
in Gigante is in Dale's first lotification just south of Robert's Hotel Brio. I'm up at the top of the ridge with a great view. Wanted to get going this year but the prices are just to high. I have one more person to check with on building but will probably wait awhile. Looking forward to your pics on pre fab beachin. Where is your lot ?
Tim
piedras canteras
I still think this is the cheapest way to build. The A-quality block is 12CS plus freight. Each block is 60x40x20 centimeters, very high insulation value. 36 sg.meter house is only 320 blocks, minus doors and windows.
In addition there will be the footer - the concrete post with reebar etc, but again I still think it is the cheapest way. There should be a quarry near you if I am right.
A very good man can put up 120 blocks a day, and he will charge by the block, usually CS5.00
Roger
can you refer me
to this good man.
or is it 20 men with one good forman leading the way
thxs
i am buying black lava canteras that are hand split from the mine.
you can get piedras canteras in many differant colors gray black yellow and white.
they very depending the on the differant mines that are scatered in the country.
www.nicalandsales.com
Roger
thanks for the input. I'll lay some math on your suggestion.
Tim
Piedras Canteras
They may well be the cheapest way to build, but for home construction they are also one of the most dangerous ways to build. Keep in mind that we live in an area that has strong seismic activity. Just imagine a wall of piedras cantera landing on you while you are sleeping. The fact that many people frame them with columnas and wiegas does nothing to increase the structural integrity of this type of construction.
According to the University of Buffalo, where a lot of seismic tests on construction methods are done, concrete blocks interwoven with rebar are still the safest construction method for single family homes. My home withstood a 6.2 shaker without even the slightest damage.
For the not so substantial difference in building costs I chose the block method anytime.
cut stone
we are using it for our house near San Nicolas, Esteli, but only for the foundation. the rest is brick /cement/rebar. I wouldn´t trust piedra cantera for the walls because of the seismic problems. But the locals swear by in for anything with ground contact; it is, afterall, pure rock.
I looked into concrete block but it seems too modern for Esteli area. The locals only sell 6 inch block which is not structurally adequate plus the corners won´t match up. I agree it is the best material for tropical construction and for a future project I may try to get 8 inch block out of Managua.
Also, the local masons don´t have a clue how to use block as a structural component. Not only will >I have to find and transport the 8 inch block, but I will have train the masons.
¿ What part of getting up to an alarm clock, fighting the miserable rush hour traffic in Esteli, and working in the hot sun all day does not jive with my concept of ¨retired¨?
when buying block
make sure its certified block ...lots of differant people making block....
you can find fabricaters can and will cheep out on cement to make more block.
im using the lava cantera for my bodega.
www.nicalandsales.com
Roger and Jon
What does the phrase 'piedras canteras' mean in Nicaragua? Does this refer to some type of manufactured stone, or stone taken from a quarry like limestone?
Roger, you say that '36 sg.meter house is only 320 blocks'. 36 sq mts = 385 sq ft which is pretty small don't you think, even for huldrefolk like you, no? How many blocks would it take to build a house of something along the lines of 2,000 sq ft, that is, about 185 sq mts?
Also, you say that a block costs 12 cordobas and a good guy charges 5 cords per block, so I assume the total works to 17 cords to buy and install one block, can you confirm this?
Now, freight is extra ... but if you are talking about a 60x40x20 block of something like limestone, wouldn't the fuel costs of trucking the block to your homesite be murder unless the quarry is next store? Have you ever worked out how much it costs to ship a set number of blocks to your home site?
Jon, can you refer me to the UBUff study, I'd love to lay my hands on it?
Piedra Cantera Prices
I just purchased a small quantity (15 piedras) in SJDS. Price: 30 cord. each. When I questioned the increase fuel prices were give as the reason.
Piedras canteras are mined in a quarry and are a natural produduct. As for their longevity, I am not so sure. Along Carreterra Sur just south of intersection to San Rafael are several homes built with Piedras Canteras. Some of the homes show signs of extreme erosion and some of the piedras are half worn away by the wind and the constant air pollution form Volcano Massaya. I'll try to take some photos next time I pass by that area and I'll post them.
For the engineers on this board here are some links that may be of interest:
Free structural design related software: http://www.structural-engineering.fsnet.co.uk/free.htm There is some great free software that I am using on a regular basis. There should be specialty software for most design applications.
A link to an article about earthquake testing: http://www.sciencedaily.com/videos/2007/0112-earthquake_test_building_be... Includes a Video.
Contact information for MCEER Information Service ftp://mceer.buffalo.edu/pub/searches/05/12/051205.txt
Earthquake resistant building construction using RHCBM http://www.geocities.com/gurubhag/erbc.htm
This article will explain why it is NOT advisable to use Piedras Canteras for the foundation of homes.
The reinforcing rebar’s MUST be an integral part of the foundation of the structure in order to ensure the integrity of the structure and to avoid flexing of the walls. This type of construction will allow the structure to move as a unit and not become separated from the foundation. Any internal dividing walls should also be constructed with their foundation interconnected to the rest of the structure.
For additional information I suggest that you do a Google search under RHCBM.
I am unable to provide a link to the study I mentioned since it requires a username and password. The links above should provide sufficient explanation.
If anyone has specific questions on the subject feel free to contact me via PM.
canteras
they do wear over time and use.
the side walk by the university has been worn bretty good.
with all the differant mines you get differant materials and strengh.
tolas is putting sidewalks in right now up the main drag, they are use canteras for the side supports and preloading the inside of the walkway with fill . then going with a concrete topping
www.nicalandsales.com
piedra
Going price in Esteli seems to be 32 to 35 cords lately.
our foundation has piedras for fill in between the brick and rebar vigas and pilares, but I´ll keep in mind your comments about stone foundations when we do the 2 story part of the house next year. I really think block is the way to go.
Piedra is used here for other things, like driveways and quickey staircases. I costed it out, without labor, and cement is more than $3 a cubic foot, brick and mortar $2/cf, and piedra less the $2, so for drives, patios, etc, it looks pretty good.
I also used brick as pavers in my shed. I have a very high water table and the brick is wet and soft, not very encouraging but cheap, quick, and a whole lot better than lodo. Next shed or garage will problably have stone on the floor, and possibly plastic sheating underneath.
Thanks Jon
A very useful and informative post and links. Thank you for taking the time to reply so comprehensively. Much obliged.
Sure has
For example, I paid between C$95 and C$100 a bag for cement 3+ years ago. Today, if we buy locally, it is more like C$145. (We aren't as we order by the truckload of 550 bags and pay under C$130.)
Wood and steel prices have also gone up a lot.
I used to pick $100/m2 for building costs. Today, I think more like $150/m2.
building cost
1 simple shack is around $ 100 per sg/meter 2. something better, like hillbilly $ 250 a sg/meter 3. US style with granite counter tops etc, 500/600$ sq/meter
You can still build cheap here in Nicaragua, be very aware of the fact, that you have to KNOW who you are dealing with, money don't grow on trees here in Nicaragua, but crooks is, and it doesn't have to be a Nicaraguan, or in my case a Norwegian, crooks are everywhere, use your head and not the excitement of the moment to make a bad decision.
This is my best advice, and I came here 1991, and they still cheat me???? so be careful. Roger.
keeping your eyes open
you have to be on site 24 /7 , while construction is under way, or your building materials grow legs.
another suprise you can get , is your contractor or workers desides a change of plans are in order with out consulting the owners.
it is good to have a independent contractor keep a eye on things if you are not in country.
this keeps your suprises to a minium.
www.nicalandsales.com
Your Right
Cement, steel, wire, drywall, PVC and copper tubing have all experienced at least 30% increases since November. Even items like furniture and reupholstery work for have gone up since the upholstery foam prices have increased. Custom, US standard construction costs have shot up even more as luxury details like granite and marble for counter tops are out of sight due to transport costs and the weak dollar.
High end PVC windows are another product that have shot up since they are petroleum based.
Cost of Building
Thanks fyl , any reason to beleive prices will reverse any time soon or continue to rise.I'm thinking of delaying building my house in Gigante for awhile because of the $$.
Timcat
Keep going up
While the housing slump in the U.S. should help a bit with wood in the U.S., it won't here as Canadian trees aren't what you find. With other materials, steel, cement and even brick in particular, there is a lot of energy used to make them and I don't see energy prices dropping.
My theory is that it is a lot better to have cement, steel and trees than US dollars.
Prices
Yeah, I was thinking along the same lines. I know a few other Gringos who are also being deterred from building now. Oh well , only time will tell.
rainy season
i will still try to move forward and get my bodega up durning the rainy season .
might be a month before the rain settes back abit.
cement in rivas 155 cords a bag last i checked
and its raining
www.nicalandsales.com
Cement
What is the weight of a bag that you quote price on?
Is this Portland or a premix?
Thanks.ATZ
94 lbs.
94 lbs. bag of portland cement. We have been paying a bit less (around 135) but we are buying 550 bags at a time and the price is still going up.