Building a house in Trinidad

[GRIM]

10k is a bit much
but as 33 hertz said if you guaranteed gettin approved in a short time it probably worth it.
if no approvals needed 3k to 3.5k for working drawings is arite unless you building in swampy land or something where the foundation is more complicated.
oh and is it 40x45 or 62x33 as more drawing = more money

[nos_specialist]

So if i plan on building a house.. cash (nearly impossible i wud say)...

And i follow general building codes and have a good construction idea...

Do i still need to get drawings done by someone? Or can i do my basic layout myself...


And i fire bunnin town and country aporoval..

[jhonnieblue]

Not going for approvals..doing by cash


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[GRIM]

Not going for approvals..doing by cash

once the land sable and not much foundation detailing then 10k is way too much

[Rory Phoulorie]

Not going for approvals..doing by cash

And paying by cash gives you the reason to not seek the approvals from the statutory authorities why exactly?

[- Rovin's car audio -]

can some1 quickly remind me what was d estimated rough guide for checking construction cost\sq ft for upstairs houses ?

say a 40'x40' or 45'x45' ?


decking cost : price difference in doing traditional boxing\plywood vs steelbeam & metal decking sheets ?

... thanks

Deckpan/horizontal I beams works out almost 50% cheaper these days if you use concrete columns as the supports & a pulley system to hoist the I beams.
Around $100k material and labour vs $150k

BBCSL & IGML merger
Shane 391-4558
Akim 380-3227

thanks for ur response

still need a estimate ratio for what it cost\sqft [with steelbeam & decking pan since u said its cheaper] so i will know if to build meh house a lil 20x20 or if i pick up nuff bottle i cud go 50x50 ....... ............

[akimpaul@igml]

can some1 quickly remind me what was d estimated rough guide for checking construction cost\sq ft for upstairs houses ?

say a 40'x40' or 45'x45' ?


decking cost : price difference in doing traditional boxing\plywood vs steelbeam & metal decking sheets ?

... thanks

Deckpan/horizontal I beams works out almost 50% cheaper these days if you use concrete columns as the supports & a pulley system to hoist the I beams.
Around $100k material and labour vs $150k

BBCSL & IGML merger
Shane 391-4558
Akim 380-3227

thanks for ur response

still need a estimate ratio for what it cost\sqft [with steelbeam & decking pan since u said its cheaper] so i will know if to build meh house a lil 20x20 or if i pick up nuff bottle i cud go 50x50 ....... ............

Need to conduct a site visit first.
Please call 380-3227 for booking. Akim.

[York]

I saw some cracks on one of the corner walls from the flooring to the window frame ,large enough to separate the bricks, what causes this?
What is the best way to rectify it?
Thanks.

Poor foundation job?check to see if building sinking,or if wall not tied together properly,only solution is mash down and start over.

importance of piling and proper foundation with right steel. also the ring beam should be a proper beam with steel to hold in case of any movement.

in this specific case sometimes masons don't cast the lintol over the window long enough extending over the sides. also was 1/4" steel used every third block height and in the vertical of the window sides?

steel is the strength of a structure but unfortunately ppl cut corners to save a few dollars when the reinforcing steel is less than 3% of the building cost.

York the lintols are not long enough, what Problems Could this cause?
How To rectify?
Thanks.

hard to say...that's why construction should be done right the first time.

[York]

I saw some cracks on one of the corner walls from the flooring to the window frame ,large enough to separate the bricks, what causes this?
What is the best way to rectify it?
Thanks.

Poor foundation job?check to see if building sinking,or if wall not tied together properly,only solution is mash down and start over.

importance of piling and proper foundation with right steel. also the ring beam should be a proper beam with steel to hold in case of any movement.

in this specific case sometimes masons don't cast the lintol over the window long enough extending over the sides. also was 1/4" steel used every third block height and in the vertical of the window sides?

steel is the strength of a structure but unfortunately ppl cut corners to save a few dollars when the reinforcing steel is less than 3% of the building cost.

York the lintols are not long enough, what Problems Could this cause?
How To rectify?
Thanks.

hard to say...that's why construction should be done right the first time.

[MD Marketers]

I saw some cracks on one of the corner walls from the flooring to the window frame ,large enough to separate the bricks, what causes this?
What is the best way to rectify it?
Thanks.

Poor foundation job?check to see if building sinking,or if wall not tied together properly,only solution is mash down and start over.

importance of piling and proper foundation with right steel. also the ring beam should be a proper beam with steel to hold in case of any movement.

in this specific case sometimes masons don't cast the lintol over the window long enough extending over the sides. also was 1/4" steel used every third block height and in the vertical of the window sides?

steel is the strength of a structure but unfortunately ppl cut corners to save a few dollars when the reinforcing steel is less than 3% of the building cost.

York the lintols are not long enough, what Problems Could this cause?
How To rectify?
Thanks.

hard to say...that's why construction should be done right the first time.

Ummm.
It's not hard to say. Every experienced builder should be able to trouble shoot the flaws in construction with ease if he has enough experience in the field.
I haven't even seen the house but I can tell you the answer.
The house is built on an incline. You have water affecting your foundation from higher up the hill.
A rubble drain will prevent further cracking of your walls.
Once that is done you can patch the crack and it should never return.

How did these "contractors" ever correlate a bad lintol to be the cause of a crack from the ground to the window?
Lintols do not affect the strength of the wall below the window frame.

Regards,

Shane

[K74T]

[De Dragon]

I eh seeing zr today so ah go post for him......
Next time cast your vote wisely and your house would be in one piece today.

[DiegoDon]

I'm building a flat 30*30 two bedroom. Would need a fence and drain soon too. Please help thanks.

[MD Marketers]

I'm building a flat 30*30 two bedroom. Would need a fence and drain soon too. Please help thanks.

My advice is free on these forums. What do you want to know?

[York]

[quote="MD Marketers"][quote="York"][quote="The Raven"][quote="York"][quote="brams112"][quote="The Raven"]I saw some cracks on one of the corner walls from the flooring to the window frame ,large enough to separate the bricks, what causes this?
What is the best way to rectify it?
Thanks.[/quote]
Poor foundation job?check to see if building sinking,or if wall not tied together properly,only solution is mash down and start over.[/quote]
importance of piling and proper foundation with right steel. also the ring beam should be a proper beam with steel to hold in case of any movement.

in this specific case sometimes masons don't cast the lintol over the window long enough extending over the sides. also was 1/4" steel used every third block height and in the vertical of the window sides?

steel is the strength of a structure but unfortunately ppl cut corners to save a few dollars when the reinforcing steel is less than 3% of the building cost.[/quote]

York the lintols are not long enough, what Problems Could this cause?
How To rectify?
Thanks.[/quote]
hard to say...that's why construction should be done right the first time.[/quote]
Ummm.
It's not hard to say. Every experienced builder should be able to trouble shoot the flaws in construction with ease if he has enough experience in the field.
I haven't even seen the house but I can tell you the answer.
The house is built on an incline. You have water affecting your foundation from higher up the hill.
A rubble drain will prevent further cracking of your walls.
Once that is done you can patch the crack and it should never return.

How did these "contractors" ever correlate a bad lintol to be the cause of a crack from the ground to the window?
Lintols do not affect the strength of the wall below the window frame.

Regards,

Shane[/quote]Let's see what the Raven says. What's your qualification Shane? Are you a Civil Engineer? Would there being a ravine at the back of the structure or the run off from the house (the plumbing water) have the same effect (causing the foundation to sink at one point)?

What you are saying is that there is absolutely no other cause for this crack to occur?

[York]

[quote="MD Marketers"][quote="York"][quote="The Raven"][quote="York"][quote="brams112"][quote="The Raven"]I saw some cracks on one of the corner walls from the flooring to the window frame ,large enough to separate the bricks, what causes this?
What is the best way to rectify it?
Thanks.[/quote]
Poor foundation job?check to see if building sinking,or if wall not tied together properly,only solution is mash down and start over.[/quote]
importance of piling and proper foundation with right steel. also the ring beam should be a proper beam with steel to hold in case of any movement.

in this specific case sometimes masons don't cast the lintol over the window long enough extending over the sides. also was 1/4" steel used every third block height and in the vertical of the window sides?

steel is the strength of a structure but unfortunately ppl cut corners to save a few dollars when the reinforcing steel is less than 3% of the building cost.[/quote]

York the lintols are not long enough, what Problems Could this cause?
How To rectify?
Thanks.[/quote]
hard to say...that's why construction should be done right the first time.[/quote]
Ummm.
It's not hard to say. Every experienced builder should be able to trouble shoot the flaws in construction with ease if he has enough experience in the field.
I haven't even seen the house but I can tell you the answer.
The house is built on an incline. You have water affecting your foundation from higher up the hill.
A rubble drain will prevent further cracking of your walls.
Once that is done you can patch the crack and it should never return.

How did these "contractors" ever correlate a bad lintol to be the cause of a crack from the ground to the window?
Lintols do not affect the strength of the wall below the window frame.

Regards,

Shane[/quote]Let's see what the Raven says. What's your qualification Shane? Are you a Civil Engineer? Would there being a ravine at the back of the structure or the run off from the house (the plumbing water) have the same effect (causing the foundation to sink at one point)?

What you are saying is that there is absolutely no other cause for this crack to occur?

[urbandilema]

Hey jus wondering how much it cost to build a two storey 3 bedroom 2 bath.iy should be around 50 ft by 50ft

[urbandilema]

Hey jus wondering how much it cost to build a two storey 3 bedroom 2 bath.iy should be around 50 ft by 50ft

[urbandilema]

Hey jus wondering how much it cost to build a two storey 3 bedroom 2 bath.iy should be around 50 ft by 50ft

[MD Marketers]

I saw some cracks on one of the corner walls from the flooring to the window frame ,large enough to separate the bricks, what causes this?
What is the best way to rectify it?
Thanks.

Poor foundation job?check to see if building sinking,or if wall not tied together properly,only solution is mash down and start over.

importance of piling and proper foundation with right steel. also the ring beam should be a proper beam with steel to hold in case of any movement.

in this specific case sometimes masons don't cast the lintol over the window long enough extending over the sides. also was 1/4" steel used every third block height and in the vertical of the window sides?

steel is the strength of a structure but unfortunately ppl cut corners to save a few dollars when the reinforcing steel is less than 3% of the building cost.

York the lintols are not long enough, what Problems Could this cause?
How To rectify?
Thanks.

hard to say...that's why construction should be done right the first time.

Ummm.
It's not hard to say. Every experienced builder should be able to trouble shoot the flaws in construction with ease if he has enough experience in the field.
I haven't even seen the house but I can tell you the answer.
The house is built on an incline. You have water affecting your foundation from higher up the hill.
A rubble drain will prevent further cracking of your walls.
Once that is done you can patch the crack and it should never return.

How did these "contractors" ever correlate a bad lintol to be the cause of a crack from the ground to the window?
Lintols do not affect the strength of the wall below the window frame.

Regards,

Shane

Let's see what the Raven says. What's your qualification Shane? Are you a Civil Engineer? Would there being a ravine at the back of the structure or the run off from the house (the plumbing water) have the same effect (causing the foundation to sink at one point)?

What you are saying is that there is absolutely no other cause for this crack to occur?

Troubleshoot is a nice word. I picked it up as an IT Technician for Lennox Petroleum about 20 years ago.
It means to seek out the problem by process of elimination.
You start with the most probable cause and work your way down from there.
To do this normally requires some experience from the field in question.

brams112 & York:
When a possible customer asks your advice on what seems to be a possible construction flaw you don't tell him "it's hard to say, you should have done it right the first time"
Or shotgun a bunch of almost uncorrelated causes down his throat and then suggest that he destroys the house and rebuild it. I mean really?
What kind of contractor does that?
It helps no one and only embarrasses the customer to a certain degree. It's somewhat disrespectful as well.

Why not try to help out in some interactive way? I give advice over these forums based on my experience and it has helped 100's of tuners overcome obstacles with regards to construction over the last 10 years.

Based on my experience, when seeing cracks as he described, the most probable cause is water undermining the foundation.
I gave him clues of what to look for without actually having to do a site visit that would have cost him money.
If the house is not on an incline and there isn't any signs of water affecting the foundation then he can repost here and we can move on to the 2nd best contender for the cause of the problem.

This is how the process of trouble shooting works and it's all free thanks to people like myself that actually care about these things.

P.S. York you asked about credentials.
The company I am co partnered with has a team of civil engineers and draughtsman that form part of the directorship if you are looking for credentials.
Over 10 years in the field of construction and still learning new stuff every year has given me quite a lot of experience in the field. I learned from my own mistakes and others now learn from mines. This is how you gain experience, not qualifications.
Go check the civil engineering text books for possible causes of cracks under the window sill and then get back to us. I'm sure you won't find anything, but if you did, i doubt it will state to demolish and rebuild the house. That's just impractical and a bit hilarious.
I'm very certain by the time you find the answer (most likely by asking someone like myself) the customer would have already found the cause and be well on the way to rectifying it.

[MD Marketers]

Hey jus wondering how much it cost to build a two storey 3 bedroom 2 bath.iy should be around 50 ft by 50ft

Between $500k to $1.2m (material & labour) providing you already have the land.
It's highly dependent on a number of variables. You should do a site visit and consultation as the starting point before attempting such an undertaking.

Factors:
Grade of the land
Soil structure
Excessive water logging
Trees & impediments in the soil
Water access
Electricity access
Electrical pole positioning
Nearest transformers
Road level
Land slippage on neighboring properties
Road access
Type of road access
Shape of the property
Location of boundaries missing
Type of aesthetics on doors, windows, cupboards, counters, plumbing fixtures, electrical fixtures
Roof design
Heat proofing
Perimeter wall aesthetics
Driveways, car parks, aprons, slipper drains
Tank stands
Type of tiles & intricacies of corners
How many steps
Roman columns
Where you buy your materials
Storage sheds
Scaffolding costs
Offloading costs and lack of storage space
Cave ins, natural disasters, excessive rain fall
Automatic gates and garage doors
Toilet and bathroom design
Rubble drains & retaining walls
Overlooked contract details
Experience of your builder

Just to name a few off the top of my head. A site visit would make this a lot easier to give you a better idea of the cost.

Regards,

Shane

[DVSTT]

Hey jus wondering how much it cost to build a two storey 3 bedroom 2 bath.iy should be around 50 ft by 50ft

Between $500k to $1.2m (material & labour) providing you already have the land.
It's highly dependent on a number of variables. You should do a site visit and consultation as the starting point before attempting such an undertaking.

Factors:
Grade of the land
Soil structure
Excessive water logging
Trees & impediments in the soil
Water access
Electricity access
Electrical pole positioning
Nearest transformers
Road level
Land slippage on neighboring properties
Road access
Type of road access
Shape of the property
Location of boundaries missing
Type of aesthetics on doors, windows, cupboards, counters, plumbing fixtures, electrical fixtures
Roof design
Heat proofing
Perimeter wall aesthetics
Driveways, car parks, aprons, slipper drains
Tank stands
Type of tiles & intricacies of corners
How many steps
Roman columns
Where you buy your materials
Storage sheds
Scaffolding costs
Offloading costs and lack of storage space
Cave ins, natural disasters, excessive rain fall
Automatic gates and garage doors
Toilet and bathroom design
Rubble drains & retaining walls
Overlooked contract details
Experience of your builder

Just to name a few off the top of my head. A site visit would make this a lot easier to give you a better idea of the cost.

Regards,

Shane

Do you see building costs dropping I'm the foreseeable future or will it rise?
I'm still in school and I've been looking at property and building costs locally and I can't fathom how I will be able to afford a house before I'm 50.

[MD Marketers]

Hey jus wondering how much it cost to build a two storey 3 bedroom 2 bath.iy should be around 50 ft by 50ft

Between $500k to $1.2m (material & labour) providing you already have the land.
It's highly dependent on a number of variables. You should do a site visit and consultation as the starting point before attempting such an undertaking.

Factors:
Grade of the land
Soil structure
Excessive water logging
Trees & impediments in the soil
Water access
Electricity access
Electrical pole positioning
Nearest transformers
Road level
Land slippage on neighboring properties
Road access
Type of road access
Shape of the property
Location of boundaries missing
Type of aesthetics on doors, windows, cupboards, counters, plumbing fixtures, electrical fixtures
Roof design
Heat proofing
Perimeter wall aesthetics
Driveways, car parks, aprons, slipper drains
Tank stands
Type of tiles & intricacies of corners
How many steps
Roman columns
Where you buy your materials
Storage sheds
Scaffolding costs
Offloading costs and lack of storage space
Cave ins, natural disasters, excessive rain fall
Automatic gates and garage doors
Toilet and bathroom design
Rubble drains & retaining walls
Overlooked contract details
Experience of your builder

Just to name a few off the top of my head. A site visit would make this a lot easier to give you a better idea of the cost.

Regards,

Shane

Do you see building costs dropping I'm the foreseeable future or will it rise?
I'm still in school and I've been looking at property and building costs locally and I can't fathom how I will be able to afford a house before I'm 50.

If you bring in an average income of $8000 monthly, the financial institutions can qualify you for a $600k loan providing that you don't already have any outstanding loans & you have the land. If no land then take the loan to buy the land, pay half then bridge the loan to start the house.
Get a wife to share the bills, that normally helps get you the loan faster, but try not to break up. lol
Youth is your friend.

As for predictions about the future, I am not qualified in that field but I can tell you this:
Don't worry about how hard tomorrow will be for you, worry about how hard you will be for tomorrow.

Best of Luck,

Shane

[urbandilema]

Well tanx for the info..well land I'm trying allocate via a loan.and wife thing is a good idea lol as when u start the construction part u mite need a hand in the other tasks as house expenses..I wanna start to get piece of land but pressure and I'm not too into fixer uppers.blessings fellars an ps is it manly for a man to watch HGTV all d time lol..jus asking

[urbandilema]

Hey jus wondering how much it cost to build a two storey 3 bedroom 2 bath.iy should be around 50 ft by 50ft

Between $500k to $1.2m (material & labour) providing you already have the land.
It's highly dependent on a number of variables. You should do a site visit and consultation as the starting point before attempting such an undertaking.

Factors:
Grade of the land
Soil structure
Excessive water logging
Trees & impediments in the soil
Water access
Electricity access
Electrical pole positioning
Nearest transformers
Road level
Land slippage on neighboring properties
Road access
Type of road access
Shape of the property
Location of boundaries missing
Type of aesthetics on doors, windows, cupboards, counters, plumbing fixtures, electrical fixtures
Roof design
Heat proofing
Perimeter wall aesthetics
Driveways, car parks, aprons, slipper drains
Tank stands
Type of tiles & intricacies of corners
How many steps
Roman columns
Where you buy your materials
Storage sheds
Scaffolding costs
Offloading costs and lack of storage space
Cave ins, natural disasters, excessive rain fall
Automatic gates and garage doors
Toilet and bathroom design
Rubble drains & retaining walls
Overlooked contract details
Experience of your builder

Just to name a few off the top of my head. A site visit would make this a lot easier to give you a better idea of the cost.

Regards,

Shane

Do you see building costs dropping I'm the foreseeable future or will it rise?
I'm still in school and I've been looking at property and building costs locally and I can't fathom how I will be able to afford a house before I'm 50.

If you bring in an average income of $8000 monthly, the financial institutions can qualify you for a $600k loan providing that you don't already have any outstanding loans & you have the land. If no land then take the loan to buy the land, pay half then bridge the loan to start the house.
Get a wife to share the bills, that normally helps get you the loan faster, but try not to break up. lol
Youth is your friend.

As for predictions about the future, I am not qualified in that field but I can tell you this:
Don't worry about how hard tomorrow will be for you, worry about how hard you will be for tomorrow.

Best of Luck,

Shane

Btw I'm kinda new but wat u mean by bridge and can u explain by that
.tanx

[MD Marketers]

Hey jus wondering how much it cost to build a two storey 3 bedroom 2 bath.iy should be around 50 ft by 50ft

Between $500k to $1.2m (material & labour) providing you already have the land.
It's highly dependent on a number of variables. You should do a site visit and consultation as the starting point before attempting such an undertaking.

Factors:
Grade of the land
Soil structure
Excessive water logging
Trees & impediments in the soil
Water access
Electricity access
Electrical pole positioning
Nearest transformers
Road level
Land slippage on neighboring properties
Road access
Type of road access
Shape of the property
Location of boundaries missing
Type of aesthetics on doors, windows, cupboards, counters, plumbing fixtures, electrical fixtures
Roof design
Heat proofing
Perimeter wall aesthetics
Driveways, car parks, aprons, slipper drains
Tank stands
Type of tiles & intricacies of corners
How many steps
Roman columns
Where you buy your materials
Storage sheds
Scaffolding costs
Offloading costs and lack of storage space
Cave ins, natural disasters, excessive rain fall
Automatic gates and garage doors
Toilet and bathroom design
Rubble drains & retaining walls
Overlooked contract details
Experience of your builder

Just to name a few off the top of my head. A site visit would make this a lot easier to give you a better idea of the cost.

Regards,

Shane

Do you see building costs dropping I'm the foreseeable future or will it rise?
I'm still in school and I've been looking at property and building costs locally and I can't fathom how I will be able to afford a house before I'm 50.

If you bring in an average income of $8000 monthly, the financial institutions can qualify you for a $600k loan providing that you don't already have any outstanding loans & you have the land. If no land then take the loan to buy the land, pay half then bridge the loan to start the house.
Get a wife to share the bills, that normally helps get you the loan faster, but try not to break up. lol
Youth is your friend.

As for predictions about the future, I am not qualified in that field but I can tell you this:
Don't worry about how hard tomorrow will be for you, worry about how hard you will be for tomorrow.

Best of Luck,

Shane

Btw I'm kinda new but wat u mean by bridge and can u explain by that
.tanx

http://www.moneysupermarket.com/loans/b ... ans-guide/
In essence what middle income trinis do is this:
Since the financial institutions may not qualify you for enough cash to buy land and build a house at the same time, we take a loan to purchase the land first.
Once we spend a certain amount of installments behind the loan it gives us some additional worth.
Personal worth is one of the factors that determines how much a financial institution might be willing to lend you.
If the same institution that financed the purchase of the land is also going to finance the building of the house they will combine both loans rather than give you a seperate one.
This is what we call bridging the loan.
The benefits of a bridged loan vary amongst all financial institutions & it is almost always better to bridge a loan than to take a new one.
It makes achieving home ownership an achievable reality for middle income classes.

It's better to build from cash rather than take a loan, but most of us do not have that luxury.
A house that should have cost $700k will probably end up costing $2million if you take a loan.
What you could have accomplished with 10 years of your life would now take 30 years to achieve the same objective.
In essence you sold years of freedom to achieve something that would otherwise be unachievable in the short term.
For those that seek to accomplish more than just home ownership during their life span it may be wise to save up and build from cash whenever your savings would allow.

A beggar once asked me for some cash as I was entering the bank to make a loan payment one day.
After giving him the cash I told him in some ways I envy him.
When he begs he never has to pay back, but when I do I can never stop paying back.

[- Rovin's car audio -]

anybody else will admit they had to google d word " lintol " ?

a horizontal architectural member supporting the weight above an opening, as a window or a door.

commonly called " ring beam " not so ? .......

[33 hertz]

Lintols are short pieces above windows/doors that extend just over the edges. The ring beam goes above the lintols and usually spans the entire perimeter of the structure

[fireball]

Hey ppl looking to start building a foundation in Freeport what hardware should I go for material and how to go about getting backfill

[fireball]

Oh and one other question how much bags of cement do I need for a truck load of gravel and what should the mixture be for a foundation example one bag to three wheelbarrows or 1-4 any help will be appreciated