Nicole
Junior Nomad
Posts: 34
Registered: 1-22-2006
Location: Kitimat, BC, Canada
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Mood: Dreaming of sun!
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$100/sqft + services???
When people talk about $100 per sq ft to build does that include an allowance to hook up things like sewer/septic, water, and electricity?
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Al G
Ultra Nomad
Posts: 2647
Registered: 12-19-2004
Location: Todos Santos/Full time for now...
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Mood: Wondering what is next???
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If it does not...look for another contractor, but it will all depend on what your are building...just make sure it all is in the bid.
Albert G
Remember, if you haven\'t got a smile on your face and laughter in your heart, then you are just a sour old fart!....
The most precious thing we have is life, yet it has absolutely no trade-in value.
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longlegsinlapaz
Super Nomad
Posts: 1685
Registered: 11-18-2005
Location: La Paz
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Depends on where you're talking about. Typically, you, as the owner, are responsible for the electrical contract. The casa would be plumbed &
wired.....out to the connection point, the owner is typically responsible for signing the individual utilities contracts. But some builders do
include hook-up in their presupuesto (quote/bid). In an established development where the developer is also the builder, that type of scenario would
be more likely to have connection fees included in the full-up price, but you'll be paying an appreciably higher price per sq ft than if you were to
shop around & find your own builder & contract him direct; the more middlemen, the higher the price per sq ft.
If you're sincerely thinking about building, shop around & ask for detailed quotes spelling out what IS and what is
NOT included, so you don't get blindsided downstream & "nickle & dimed" to death!
Edit typo
[Edited on 12-6-2007 by longlegsinlapaz]
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Loretana
Senior Nomad
Posts: 825
Registered: 5-19-2006
Location: Oregon/Loreto
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Mood: alegre
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Nicole,
I handled all the off site connections on my small Loreto property. I am an excavation contractor in the US, so I knew what to expect. Its what we do
for a living.
The water connection was $120.00 dollars, and the municipal agency here in Loreto dug the underground street connection and ran a copper and pvc 1/2
inch pipe onto my property.
The electrical connection including the meter, post, (called a mofa in spanish) and drop from the power pole cost $500.00 dollars. You need to provide
that yourself. My contractor did the work. Last month the CFE (Comision Federal de Electricidad) powered us up and charged us $447 pesos; $24 pesos
was my consumo minimo for the first month, and the rest was their hook up fee. So, it cost $550 dollars to get electrical power to the lot.
The real challenge was the sewer connection. There is no sewer line to access in our little street, and Loreto is having a hard time getting the
existing sewer main lines repaired. (That's an understatement!)
So I knew the City wasn't going to get my connection done in this lifetime. 
I hired an independent backhoe owner/operator and we installed 209 feet of 6 inch PVC sewer main down our little calle to the nearest manhole. It cost
us $600 dollars for the pipe and $500 dollars for the crew. I shot the grade for the pipe, with our laser, and kept the snacks and cervezas flowing.
I like to get dirty with the guys!! 
Longlegs knows her stuff, take her advice and hammer out the prices with your contractor, and get it in writing!
Buena Suerte!!
"If you want to find the secrets of the universe, think in terms of energy, frequency and vibration."
-Nikola Tesla
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bajadock
Super Nomad
Posts: 1219
Registered: 12-20-2006
Location: Punta sur de \'Nada
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Great post/question. Challenge is your inclusions in price v. contractors exclusions and add/ons. Contractor is motivated to have as many "extras"
as possible, especially nearing completion, playing upon your stress level.
If I had not had terrific contractor, Armando Gonzales, he and I could have had lots of fights nearing end. Example is that he added a tile
backsplash on my exterior window wall to waterproof a joint that had slight leak after
weekend rains. NO CHARGE.
Lots of "roostering" about $/sqft occurs. Ensenada sq ft quotes include garage. I've heard lots of $40/sqft boasts. Perhaps, but, this ain't the
jungles of Nicaragua.
How much snow in your nhbhd of BC/Norte+? I get there annually and love it!
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BigWooo
Senior Nomad
Posts: 579
Registered: 1-2-2007
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| Quote: | Originally posted by bajadock
I've heard lots of $40/sqft boasts. Perhaps, but, this ain't the jungles of Nicaragua.
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In the Jungles of Nicaragua it's $150.00 sq foot! 
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bajadock
Super Nomad
Posts: 1219
Registered: 12-20-2006
Location: Punta sur de \'Nada
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BW, could be true. Friend of mine built 1,200 sqft near Volcan, Panama for $35/sqft complete incl land.
Exclusions from contractors and from braggarts on their projects:
1. Land/lot
2. Utility connection
3. Septic, pila/water pump, propane tank
4. Appliances
5. 50" flat panel LCD w/ surround sound 
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BigWooo
Senior Nomad
Posts: 579
Registered: 1-2-2007
Member Is Offline
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| Quote: | Originally posted by bajadock
BW, could be true. Friend of mine built 1,200 sqft near Volcan, Panama for $35/sqft complete incl land.
Exclusions from contractors and from braggarts on their projects:
1. Land/lot
2. Utility connection
3. Septic, pila/water pump, propane tank
4. Appliances
5. 50" flat panel LCD w/ surround sound |
We just got an email from a friend in Nicaragua who told us that the contractors he talked were at $150, but that's for a nice block house (like
yours) using an established contractor. I don't think they have easy access to materials like in Baja. I'm sure there are $35 builders, but it will be
much more rustic. Anyway with Ortega working to become the next Castro, Nicaragua may not be the best place to have a house anyway. (Sorry to hijack
the thread, although it's interesting to compare the cost of other countries to Mexico).
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bajadock
Super Nomad
Posts: 1219
Registered: 12-20-2006
Location: Punta sur de \'Nada
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WoooGrande, construction costs are always an interesting topic. The subjectivity involved makes for great communication challenges, true? Add a
dollop of ego, splash of poor financial acumen and a pinch of selective memory and you have a 25% plus/minus error factor on costs.
Does anyone else notice this part? When constructing, everyone convinces you how much they saved on materials and how shrewd they were about
negotiating custom work/add-ons for no charge.
When selling, the square footage is inflated, the custom woodwork was done by an artisan from Guadalajara, the iron work by a Mazatlan iron sculptor
and all of the wood hand-picked and imported from Brazil.
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vandenberg
Elite Nomad
Posts: 5118
Registered: 6-21-2005
Location: Nopolo
Member Is Offline
Mood: mellow
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I built in the early 90's in Nopolo and the end result was around $ 60.00 a ft, land excluded.
So, taking inflation and other economic factors into consideration, $ 100.00 a ft. seems like a bargain.
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