Building Homes in PR
I just got done reading a lot of great info! Thank you all for asking questions, answering with opinions, recommendations, personal experiences and more. Please continue! I need all the help possible!
I will be returning to PR in June (less than 20 days) for a week and plan to check out a few areas (San Juan, Old San Juan, Isabela (Jobo Beach areas), Aguadilla and Rincon). I am in the very very VERY early stages of buying as in I just want to zone in on 1 or 2 possible towns to buy in.
Also if anyone would like to possibly meet and or recommend any places to check out (both houses built or just land to build on) would be great! It's kind of a go and explore type mission!
Also if anyone has any recommendations on places to eat or sites to check out in the above areas too would be appreciated... gonna post this in another place on this site too!
Homepath and enter in puerto rico as a location
You can also use puerto rico classifies to find property
dmSJBG wrote:Hola!!
I just got done reading a lot of great info! Thank you all for asking questions, answering with opinions, recommendations, personal experiences and more. Please continue! I need all the help possible!
I will be returning to PR in June (less than 20 days) for a week and plan to check out a few areas (San Juan, Old San Juan, Isabela (Jobo Beach areas), Aguadilla and Rincon). I am in the very very VERY early stages of buying as in I just want to zone in on 1 or 2 possible towns to buy in.
Also if anyone would like to possibly meet and or recommend any places to check out (both houses built or just land to build on) would be great! It's kind of a go and explore type mission!
Also if anyone has any recommendations on places to eat or sites to check out in the above areas too would be appreciated... gonna post this in another place on this site too!
Sounds to me like you are in the exploratory stage and not ready to purchase property. Few realtors will give you attention until you are ready to commit to a specific location and time frame.
scoutvt wrote:We finally were lucky enough to buy our dream property in Mayaguez during our last trip to PR and are also looking for a good/reliable builder in the area. We are thinking of a small 2 story concrete/cinder block casita. Does anyone have experiences with any of the contractors listed on the DACO? Any other suggestions and/or leads would also be greatly appreciated. Thanks so much.
Congratulations on your purchase. I can not help you with builders but I must warn you that due to all the reconstruction going on, contractors and workers are busy and building prices have gone up, the same with materials. I am in the same boat, it is going to be probably a year before prices settle down again.
Yoga.Angelic wrote:We are finding a hard time finding a good engineer and contractor, can you provide recommendations. We have land in Guanica, Puerto Rico and any recommendation would be great. Thank you.
Not sure if that was directed at me. But not at this time, we are still fuzzing with a plan for the house and have yet to contact and Eng to oversee it all.
Thecroquis-houseplans.com
We have looked at a lot of homes in PR and study them to see their mistakes and waste, so we are going to try to avoid them. We are also looking at using insulated concrete to keep the heat out and provide nice cool bedrooms that are easy to air condition with efficiency from the insulation. We will also add additional details like wiring to the plan as we go along, solar panels and rain recovery system.
We are not rushing, we rented a place for 1 year and can extend it for an additional year if need be.
A common mistake in PR is to overlook how hot the normal concrete gets from the exposure to the sun and how it dumps that heat into the inside of the home at night when you hope to be cooler.
If you just need some general repairs and getting a fence up or something like that, a lot of times it pays to ask the neighbors, use English, a lot of people in that area know English.
Dorado is a mix of Upscale homes down to humble places, knock on the middle of the income level homes doors and speak to them in English.
However, in the wake of hurricane Maria architects are beginning to experiment with modular systems for homes. Our firm has looked into the possibility, and we think building modular home can be practical in some instances. Much depends on the client's design and budget expectations.
second, we plan to do rentals there with AIRBNB. i haven't been able to find a management company there. online. the land is 5 mins away from a quiet beach and about 10 mins from Marina and the steps beach and the town. there isn't a view.
thanks
my apologies for not responding earlier.
We’ve been very busy relocating a business. Just catching up now.
Not sure if you’re still in need of the builders info.
He’s located in Aguada, so, Mayagüez shouldn’t be an issue.
He is DACO licensed
here’s his name and number.
Adrian Torres.
(787) 424-5890
One caveat, his English is limited.
Here’s a development he is working on in Aguada.
It’ll give you good sense of his vision level of expertise.
Have look at this.
Www.Suenoreal.net
Hope this was helpful.
Felix Burgos
regarding building new homes in PR.I own property in Linda Mar Manati. The community
is mostly custom homes. I was trying to find an Architect in the area in draw up the plans for
a new custom home. I"m looking to build approx 2500 sq ft home. I received and estimate from
an architect in San Juan, but his fees were close to 85,000 which seem very high for a $400,000 new home. Can anyone refer a great Architect or any custom home builders in the area. Much appreciated.
Can anyone help me understand why the cost would be so high?
CoachTrana wrote:I am attempting to build a 2400 sq foot home with a 750 garage on the coastline near Aguada. I have had 3 builders give me quotes with the lowest being $360,000. That is without finishing the inside. The price per sq foot is ridiculous.
Can anyone help me understand why the cost would be so high?
All I can offer is a guess. The answers below could be BULL.
Since Maria, construction prices have gone up a lot. The claim is shortage, they say they are unable to bring in too much material because of taxes and as such they do not warehouse it for long.
Due to the number of repairs going up, there is a need for materials and we are facing a shortage as above.
There is a shortage of labor specially good labor. Government projects state they need around 150,000 more laborers for government construction projects.
The government has decided to pay all workers a minimum of 15 dollars an hour, so a lot of people want to work in the government projects.
Since the government is paying a minimum of 15 an hour, private sector has to compete with that, so they have to offer 15 or more to the workers.
The shortage of materials, the shortage of labor force and the minimum pay of 15 an hour is making new construction cost go thru the roof. At least that is what I believe based on what I have been reading.
Hope this help
Rey.
For example, we are replacing a glass wall on one side of the house. Several doors and windows, when getting quotes from several manufacturers ( air master, weather king, and several smaller shops) the story was the same from all, six to nine months delay for delivery due to material shortages and high demand.
Other materials seem to be readily available like tile flooring, cement, lumber etc.
We have noticed a lot of commercial development in our area along highway #2 like new restaurants, stores and businesses.
All of the reconstruction and new development is good for the local economy and provides employment for many workers.
Some people say that Puerto Rico is the new Hawaii and will see an influx of development that will drive up the value of property on the island. We will see, hope springs eternal.
This is a good time for people in a fix budget to come and buy land and humble places, because they are still very affordable. There are a lot of repo properties and places in bad shape that can be purchased for little and repaired. Good idea to also fix and turn properties and build Real estate wealth over several years.
CoachTrana wrote:Does the $125 per square foot price that you are seeing include the inside finishing work as well?
Yes but only basic doors, windows, basic toilet, shower and cheap tiles.
Must people want upgrades so the price goes up from there, the fancier the more it cost.
Prices are fluctuating all the time so dont get too hung up on 125.
Does anyone have an idea when the prices may come back down? We are considering waiting for another year or changing our plans completley. Possibly building a container home instead of cement.
I would be interested in hearing what price per square foot other people are being quoted!
Thanks
He’s built many of the better looking homes in the area.
And live in Aguada as well.
Adrian Torres. His number and a little background are included.
BTW, we also own property in Aguada.
Best of luck.
Thanks in advance to help. This is my first time using this site
Unless you have money for a mansion there is no reason to build unless you are thinking about a non traditional type of house such as a home made of cargo trailers. I personally strongly suggest against this. Another is an earthship home and there is a phase 4 project happening in aguada right now. Also an sand bag home which this project is almost completely done in utuado
These are sustainable homes, very inexpensive, environmentally friendly and hold up to all weather conditions
They are labor intensive however
If you want information on any of these projects please let me know and I can hook you up on Facebook with these group projects
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