Question for builders about cement

Submitted by Mike on 2 July, 2008 - 19:32.

Forgive me if this is another of my dumb-arse questions.

I am trying to figure out how many bags of Portland cement are used in building a 'typical' house that is sold to middle-class expats in Nica. Yeah I know no such house exists. I'm looking for a roughly average estimate, perhaps expressed as bags per sq. mt.

It would also be useful to find out likewise for a 'typical' middle-class Nicaraguan home, perhaps one who's finished cost ranges from $150 per sm to $200.

Is there any way I can do a back-of-the-envelope estimate?

The reason I ask ... I'm interested in building a 2000 sq ft house (185 sms) using a type of building material called a compression-engineered block. I know how much it will cost me to import enough blocks for a 2000 sf house, and now I want to compare this to my cost me for concrete/rebar/wood if I built a comparable house using typical Nica construction. The block is not for use in foundations or footings, so in this part of the block house would need to use concrete.

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Construction clues

Submitted by fyl on 3 July, 2008 - 07:53.

Let me offer you some basic data (I don't specifically know the answer to your question) but also a generic suggestion that applies to most anything. That is, don't do anything (buy land, build a house, get married, ...) until you have been here for a while. How long is a while? I would say minimum six months.

You will learn so much and make so many connections in that time that you will save more money than the cost of temporary rent. Probably many times more.

Now, I happen to be "in the North", specifically Estelí. Typical construction here and going north is reinforced concrete columns and vigas with brick infill. Heading south you will see more cement block. You will also see a bit of new adobe construction.

Bricks are not used structurally and are cheap here. Pretty much any deviation from this method will increase your costs.

Also, 2000 sq ft is a big house here. In most of the U.S., you need to be inside because of the weather. Here, and particularly in the northern mountains, you can be outside most of the time so you will find you need a lot less inside space.

You're right Fyl

Submitted by Mike on 3 July, 2008 - 10:24.

Very good advice. I have only visited Nica in short bursts and I have never ventured far from the Pacific Coast. I'm much more familiar with the Dominican Republic and Belize.

I am asking these questions because I may be in Asia before I come to Central America again, and if so I will be visiting companies that produce alternative building materials and machines. If I get there I want to ask them will-informed, specific questions about the transferability of their technology to Central America and the Spanish-speaking Carribean, so I am trying to identify as many issues as I can before I leave.

I would certainly not make any investment in Nicaragua until and unless I've lived in Nica for at least half a year and am comfortable working in Spanish.

The blocks that I have in mind could not compete against Nica bricks but they have specialized architectural applications that might make them competitive against cement block construction. One thing I would need to find out is whether there are enough architects such as Pepe Tercero, and developers like the builders of Pelican Eyes, who are open to considering alternative construction processes.