My building Project

553POSTS

5 years ago

I am, sadly enough, not in Moca, but back in Alberta, Red Deer area, working to pay for our house in Moca. I have been fortunate to be employed doing Security work with this Red Deer AB security company that had me working on the first day I applied to them. They gave me plenty of hours (low pay) but now have been given a security position on a pipeline being built from Grand Prairie to Calgary and the pay is now $20/hr. Once spring closedown ends (when road bans for heavy equipment cannot get on many secondary roads) I be back to working 4 twelve hour nights a week. Damn lucky in this time of Covid 19 crap.
I tell this because through this employment I have paid our lot off and we have contracted a respected contractor to build our house. Jason Jubal is the owner of Paradise Pools in the DR. His father started the company three decades or so ago, but unfortunately passed away last year.
Paradise Pools has put pools in many regions of the DR and they do great work. Jason has expanded to building houses now as well. He resides in Cabarete, and although a US citizen, has resided almost his entire life in the DR. He has a great team and has great contacts. He has just engaged the services of an architect in Santiago - a lady who is fluent in English. They were at our lot in Moca a couple of days ago and she has now started the plans for site layout of what I want. Jason has also taken on my son-in-law, Orlando Lopez, who is what I refer to as a master electrician and runs his own successful business in Moca, to work with him. We are looking at a 619 sq meter lot with a 3 bdrm house, a "tiny house" for guests, a 15x20 pool, and a workshop. The cost will run around $120K USD and will be built in stages (as I earn the cash)...lol.
I plan to share my experiences here. The first phase is the design and the permits - costed out at approx $8500 USD. (Jasons first quote was just $106K USD but I have added elements - like a pool). While building costs could have been lower by staying strictly local, I elected to engage Jason (after first dealing with his father just prior to his passing) based upon the fact that the company is well established, there is no language barrier, Jason has been excellent to deal with and accepts/encourages input. SO, we'll see how it goes. So far, just great. I'm looking forward to being back for a couple of weeks in Aug and see the progress made to that point in time!

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DRVisitor Serial expat

772POSTS

5 years ago

Good luck and looking forward to seeing the results...

Solar39 Active member

70POSTS

5 years ago

Would love to hear how it goes. Good luck!

DominicanadaMike ViP

1051POSTS

5 years ago

Good luck and I am looking forward to sharing your adventure.

2VPsoldier Serial expat

553POSTS

5 years ago

One thing I will verifying when I get there in Aug is the cost of batteries and the number I need to have to keep lights on, run fans and even a/c, fridge plus likely pool pumps for the typical no electricity periods of an hour to 8 hours or more. I hope to eventually install solar panels to keep batteries charged but that will depend on several factors. IF anyone has first hand info on batteries, I would be helpful - if just for potential budgeting purposes. Thanks

planner Dominican Republic Expert

17767POSTS

5 years ago

air conditioners dont run off battery back up honey. Fans etc yes.

DominicanadaMike ViP

1051POSTS

5 years ago

Solar depends upon a lot of factors. Location, reliability of local electricity company, rules about providing your own electricity in your jurisdiction (may not even allow off-grid solar) you will have to do a bunch of investigating to find the requirements and then you can calculate your ROI to see if it is viable. Batteries are certainly a big expense and a maintenance issue. I have an on-grid system and its pretty much paid for itself after 4 years. But, our electricity is fairly reliable. The occasional outage does not justify the cost for any off-grid or backup plan. As a luxury item it would be best to have a generator for backup in my case. However, No complaints, free electricity for me for a while....

Guest2022 Guest

0POSTS

5 years ago

Trojan are the best inverter batteries you can get here imo.

https://grupocometa.com.do/master-plan/ … ojan-t-105

4 x 6 volt for about 30k.

DominicanadaMike ViP

1051POSTS

5 years ago

lennox: what is the life expectancy for those in the DR? I would also think that the 12v would have a better life expectancy...Have you found that to be true or not?

DominicanadaMike ViP

1051POSTS

5 years ago

#10

I found this site that has some information about battery life expectancy: https://understandsolar.com/solar-batteries-lifespan/

of course they don't actually factor in the outlay on expensive batteries is also an investment loss.

Personally, I can't see any benefit from using batteries and off grid systems unless you have no alternatives. Just too expensive and batteries in this country tend to last 2-3 years instead of 5-7 years.

Interesting to hear actual experience from others as opposed to guessing games though...

Guest2022 Guest

0POSTS

5 years ago

#11

Trojan batteries are the most common here as 6 volt but you csn get the 12 volt. As you can see from the website as link, they offer 24 month guarantee and free exchage after 12 months.

I had Trojans in two past properties with no problems over 5 years in each case with the use on the first property at 8 hours a day.

Sizing inverters and batteries whether in series or parallel is needed depending on your property and what you wish to keep running and for how long. A larger sine wave inverter with adequate batteries probably in parallel will allow you to run ceiling fans for some time without the whine.

I agree solar is a big investment and in my case is on the back burner. None in my village or nearby bateys even richer folk are charged for electricity yet so a generator back up is all I need as back up to inverter.

Guest2022 Guest

0POSTS

5 years ago

#12

Actually a solar pump for the pool might be a good idea as would a solar water heater( chinese made). A cheaper greener option for warm water is to have a dedicated small black tinaco for your shower water which feeds to the hot water shower piping in a spiral of black polythene piping laid over your roof. That way the suns heat convects through the black tinaco and pipe walls and heats all that water.

2VPsoldier Serial expat

553POSTS

5 years ago

#13

Thanks for the info. These are all factors that I want to follow up on and have already started doing so. I am liking the generator idea - a heck of a lot cheaper. I will be certain to post what I learn. Here in Moca there are quite a few palces with solar on the roof.....one place just happens to be a fairly well off relative of my wifes - so I think we'll be visiting again to hear from them as well. Cheers.....

ddmcghee Dominican Republic Expert

1947POSTS

5 years ago

#14

planner wrote:
air conditioners dont run off battery back up honey. Fans etc yes.

They can run off of batteries - it just depends on your setup! My guess is that the standard battery backup system doesn't have the capacity or the wattage/voltage/amperage (I know the words...just not which one applies! ).

We will be off-grid (thanks to a $15k quote to get the electric line about 450 meters to our home site!) and will have an inverter and sufficient battery storage to completely power our house at night - including the ACs.

DominicanadaMike ViP

1051POSTS

5 years ago

#15

Keep in mind, if you are a tax payer in the DR there are some grants available from the government for green energy. If you contract a good company for your solar, they will have all of this information, including what the local utility company requires and allows.

2VP: If the people in the area have solar, that is a good sign that it will be a good option for electricity.

Punta Cana and area has its pros and cons but electricity here is fairly reliable making off grid systems and backup generators out of the question in most cases.

Guest2022 Guest

0POSTS

5 years ago

#16

You can utilize solar to run your air condtioning using a system called solar Thermal HVAC. See attached.

https://www.greenrevolutionltd.com/solar-thermal-hvac/

My friend who is Canadian and a share holder of Green Revolution has been installing this system in the TCI for a couple of years and it is very cost effective there because electricity costs are high.

planner Dominican Republic Expert

17767POSTS

5 years ago

#17

I was responding to the question about inverter and batteries. Not solar .

lmclmf2009 Contributor

160POSTS

4 years ago

#18

I have an inverter and four Trojan batteries which I purchased six and a half years ago and with maintaining them properly with liquid I haven't had to replace them. I get about 10 to 12 hours on my four batteries. I do however highly recommend that you keep an extra bottle of battery fluid at home so you can fill them up when needed and you'll probably have to change the connecting cables a couple of times over those years because they do at times, become corroded. It also depends on where your battery and inverter are located. I purchased my batteries at Ferreteria Ochoa and then came with a warranty as well. I believe I paid about 7,000 pesos each. A generator can be noisy and not always a good solution so you have to weigh out your local area as far as how often electricity goes out Etc. I didn't want to be bothered when having to start a generator and I didn't want to annoy my neighbors with the noise so that's why I elected for the inverter which was wired directly into my house and kicks in immediately when the electricity goes out. It was by far the best solution for my family and what many people here choose to use.

And also when making selections and determining how long things last you have to consider how responsible you are and how will you maintain your things. If you take care of your things and maintain them they last a lot longer than someone who doesn't really look after them or maintain their home. The same goes with the car. If you do regular oil changes and check your tire pressure and such your car will last a lot longer than someone who doesn't bother to check these things.

jhgoodwin Active member

25POSTS

4 years ago

#19

Regarding battery sizing, my understanding is that you basically want to account for a few things:
* Normal loads
* Peak loads

For peak loads, as I understand, most of the time, you size for normal + highest peak load device. Since you have a specific target in mind (8 hours), you can probably work out the math of expected runtime for your appliances and calculate the wattage. This wattage plus a buffer will be very helpful in understanding the sizing. Also, be aware there's something called a "C" rating. It has to do with how fast the batteries are designed to discharge. Most good batteries have published discharge curves so you should be able to verify if you run your loads whether this changes the rating of the battery for what you can expect. For example, a battery may have say 100 watts of power if you discharge at 10 watt/hour, but it might go down to 80 watts if you discharge at 20 watts of power, or 60 watts if you discharge at 40 watts of power. My numbers are for illustration, check the manufacturer's numbers.

For the type of battery, you may want to look at Lithium Iron Phosphate. Abbreviated LiFePo, LFP, or LiFePo4 sometimes. One reason is they cannot catch fire like lithium batteries, and have much longer service life compared to lead acid batteries.

If you have not already seen Will Prowse on youtube, I suggest you binge watch his videos: [link moderated]

From personal experience running experiments on paper for system sizing, the number one thing I figured out is that there are sweet spots as you can figure out to size down your system. For example, using gas hot water versus electric pulls out a high amp device, dramatically simplifying your system for that one appliance. While the capital costs are slightly higher for appliances that are more efficient and have a good reputation for not over-inflating their ratings, overall, the system gets simpler and simpler.

Good fortune to you and please share your experience.

DominicanadaMike ViP

1051POSTS

4 years ago

#20

Great information!

2VPsoldier Serial expat

553POSTS

4 years ago

#21

Yes great info. My son-in-law, a top notch electrical contactor will the go to person to help sort out what is needed. My builder has agreed to take him on for all the electrical. From a post on here I learned of a very good inverter that is actually made here in Moca - the writer stated it was the best he found - with sales office in Santiago....more research upcoming once back there in August!!!

emetz55 Contributor

100POSTS

4 years ago

#22

Just bought land in Los Puentes and it seems like it's going to take 6 months to get a title and I assume I should wait to get the title before I build anything. Does anyone have any idea how long a title usually takes.

Guest2022 Guest

0POSTS

4 years ago

#23

Los Puentes, on the Sanchez - Las Terrenas road?

If so, hopefully ddmcgee and rocky will chip in with their experience of purchasing land adjacent LT.

ddmcghee Dominican Republic Expert

1947POSTS

4 years ago

#24

We've had varying experiences:

- Apartment purchased in December 2017, title received January of 2019 (13 months)
- Land purchased in January 2018, title received in April 2018 (3 months)
- Land purchased in January 2020, title received in August 2020 (7 months)

All were recorded by Guzman Ariza in Las Terrenas, so I don't think there was any difference based on the processing time on our end.

DominicanadaMike ViP

1051POSTS

4 years ago

#25

Like everything in DR, it depends. I have property owners in my development that are waiting for titles for the past 7 years, still don't have them! They are living in their properties (condos). Builders here ...well, you know it depends...

RockyM Serial expat

527POSTS

4 years ago

#26

DominicanadaMike wrote:
Like everything in DR, it depends. I have property owners in my development that are waiting for titles for the past 7 years, still don't have them! They are living in their properties (condos). Builders here ...well, you know it depends...

Why it is so difficult dispensing advice here. It just depends who is standing in front of you providing the service. That and the absence of reliable repeatable (consistent) processes.

2VPsoldier Serial expat

553POSTS

4 years ago

#27

It has been a while but the house plans have now been done, Paradise Pools, my builder, out of Cabarete, is now going to Moca for the building permits. With my pending arrival on 01 Aug, I look forward to meeting Jason and going over things and seeing the building start. With any luck, I'll have a line a credit approved from my bank here in Alberta and will be able to ensure a smooth flow of construction. The cost of building has definitely increased. Hopefully, once the pandemic situation starts to ease as it has here in Alberta Canada, the dramatic rise in cost of materials will start to decrease - as it has here due to increased productivity of various industries. More to come....

planner Dominican Republic Expert

17767POSTS

4 years ago

#28

Keep us posted please! Many of us are following.

2VPsoldier Serial expat

553POSTS

4 years ago

#29

The next step is underway - the paperwork for building permits - ie: all the architectural plans, have been se t the the government offices for approval - a process that apparently takes a couple of weeks. WI;; have more once back as of 1 Aug.....

2VPsoldier Serial expat

553POSTS

4 years ago

#30

It's great to be home again - even for only a month. Starting on the next step which, as many who have gone through, is applying for the title. Got the address for the Impuesto Interno (DGII) where we now take the original and 3 copies of the forms plus the original title from the land company. Here we find out and pay whatever land transfer taxes there are - our lawyer friend (my Godfather at our wedding) said it could be as high as $10,000 pesos or down to around 4 or 5000 pesos. After that we go to the government office - about three blocks from that office and give papers & receipt to get title. It's the typical multi-layered process for here. Builder and architect to meet with us perhaps this Friday afternoon. . Tiny steps but progressing...

Guest2022 Guest

0POSTS

4 years ago

#31

Congratulations and be patient. Everything in the DR is a project to get done.
Where did you buy land if you don’t mind me asking? I am in the market to purchase a solar in la Romana but everything so expensive.

Ruch

2VPsoldier Serial expat

553POSTS

4 years ago

#32

First face to face meeting with Jason, our builder. Super nice person - and very busy with at least two other houses under way and another to be designed. He made some great suggestions and I agreed. We have room to stretch the living room/kitchen out another 10 ft and also the master bdrm. Will change main entrance and change around kitchen/living room; master bath & walk-in closet will be enlarged as well. We got rid to the tree on our lot today - my wife handled that as I sat wondering who she was getting & when they would do it - three hours later & 2500 pesos it is gone....a pretty big tree! Moving along....Jason will back to mark the ground with the general outline next week....

Guest2022 Guest

0POSTS

4 years ago

#33

My advice is that you put in place controls to manage each and every cost change.

You mention above that you agreed to stretch the living area and master bedroom and that to me suggests increased floor area which would indicate an increase too in base cost.

Being from a building background I would estimate the cost of changes before instructing and get the labour only maestros to fix their costs.

For most of us our wallet is only so deep so surprises are unwelcome, and there often comes a time to trim back on costs as well.

2VPsoldier Serial expat

553POSTS

4 years ago

#34

Well, it's been a while. I spent Aug back in Moca and I'm now back in Alberta ready to work my 2nd (groan) winter (brrrr) . Meantime, this is the end of the first week of construction of our house. Footings are being dug and with info I provided on doors and window locations, Jason is ensuring proper location of what I call pilings - stablizing for earthquakes etc. We modified the architechs design to mine needs and wants. Used IKEA design program to design kitchen/dining room & living room layout -which is a ways away but needed to put in door & window locations. Looking like this phase will see the house with everything up to the roof being done. It'll be be a break as I pay down the line of credit during which time we'll decided on types of windows, patio & exterior doors etc.. I'll attempt to add pics later. Also, so far Jason Cruz from Paradise Pools in Cabarete is great to work with. He's now working a 4th house in Sosua in addition to mine and two houses bordering the house he build for his sister in Cabarete.