BUILDING IN ROATAN

In Theory your logic makes sense.  Here's the reality.  The maestro de obras bread and butter accounts are worth the construction managers.  They might build a couple of houses a year for the construction manager.  Your a one and done account.  Setting yourself up for lots of headaches especially if your not going to be there for the entire construction project.  In the long run it can cost you more too.  Good luck!

Hello,

I agree. I have been in Honduras for 15 years and done a few construction projects.

Even with my qualification it would be difficult to build an entire house in a reasonable amount of time without issues.

I recommend you find a builder who has built at least several houses and you can talk to the buyers.

Honduras is great but it is not the US. Labor is very reasonable, however materials are made elsewhere and will cost more than in the US.

You may find that the best workers think they are doing you a favor by saving you money. This leads to surprises when you find out this cost savings keeps your electric from working long term.

Best idea may be to sell your lot and get a great deal on an existing home. Prices are down and you can find many homes priced well below the cost of a new one.

If you do not already have enough of a support group in Honduras you may not be qualified to have a house built. Move in to a rental for a season and get to know the lay of the land.

4 months of a rental will MORE than make up for the loss due to surprises.

Best regards,

You are a stranger in a strange land in Roatan. You will need a local contractor to get your building permit and they will save you thousands of dollars buying materials. Having lived there 20 years and having seen hundreds of homes built I can tell you that there are too many "builders" with questionable ethics. Also sit around any bar and mention you are planning on building and you will have 2 or 3 people who are "builders" offer their services, usually for much less than you were quoted. Please don't be fooled. That is a recipe for disaster. There are only a few honest, qualified builders to construct a home to North American standards, or at least very close. The one I have seen the best results from and the happiest owners is Ben Welcome. He has a spotless reputation and is easy to work with. You can reach him at: **.

Best of Life!

Edward du Monceaux

@hugoaldana41

Hello!

I just saw this post recently. My fiance and I are wanting to get down to Roatan and possibly build one or multiple homes and I have many years of experience in Architecture and construction. My fiance also has Honduran citizenship so we are hoping this will help. Currently we are living in Canada and very tired of the long winters.

I am very curious to know how everything went with your home construction?

Thanks in advance.

Justin Lupien - ***

Hi Justin

My husband and I are also from Canada. We have just finished the build on our house, it is half way between west bay and west end, up the hill from Ibigari.

We used Ben Welcome. He would send us photos weekly on the progress and we would make payments after certain stages. We ordered all our appliances , ceiling fans , faucets , kitchen sinks etc from Home Depot in Miami and had it shipped to Ben,.

This however was not really needed, I am just a bit picky about somethings. They do have options on the island.

To get our building permit we had to use a Honduran architect . We used a young grad named Cintia Figueroa. She was wonderful and listened to all our thoughts on what we wanted and any changes wanted to the plans.

All went smooth except certain things were not available so minor changes were made. Example : windows that were needed were not available on the island and we didn't want to buy from the US so were had to have different ways to open them.

Ben is very professional and has experience in the US. Our house is on a very steep hill and the crew dug all the footings by hand . Amazing!

Happy to answer any questions

  Vicki and Chris Inns

@Canadianvicki -I am purchasing a home in Roatan and want to remodel it. Can you share contract information for Ben Welcome and Cintia?

Thanks,

Candi Clark

I have spent over a year on a remodel. The costs of a remodel have doubled and even tripled since we started. Many of the items needed aren’t available there now.  If you do find things there it is ridiculous in pricing.  We got numerous estimates from different contractors and had a design by an architect.  Be sure of your budget. Roofing costs, windows and even doors have all increased.  I would figure about 175 to 200 per square foot.

@Canadianvicki may i please have his phone number?

Does anybody know how to contact Osman who builds pools on the island? Since we cannot post contact info how would I go about getting in touch with him?

@IslandEd1

hello,   i am in the very beginning process of moving to Roatan by myself.      I’m a grandmother and had fun with my children and grandchildren.    I’m in good health and looking to live alone.   saw a 2,800 wood cabin.   Maybe in Coxen Hole area?     Any thoughts or ” helful hints” you could give me?    Thank you

Heidi