Need an architect

[BF1]

Does somebody know a decent architect in the Santo Domingo area? I will build a simple two stories, 200-220 square meters house and I need an architect to design it. Budget for the architect is less than 1.000 US. Thanks

[Hillbilly]

Good luck with that!! Budget 5% of total cost for the architect...

$1000 won't get a piece of paper dirty!!

HB

Oh yeah, total cost = mts of const x 18,000
400 (two floors of 200 mts)x 18,000 = 7,200,000 x .05= 360,000 or closer to $10,000 for the architect

[BF1]

Originally Posted by Hillbilly

Good luck with that!! Budget 5% of total cost for the architect...

$1000 won't get a piece of paper dirty!!

HB

Oh yeah, total cost = mts of const x 18,000
400 (two floors of 200 mts)x 18,000 = 7,200,000 x .05= 360,000 or closer to $10,000 for the architect

Thanks, it is 200 mts total and, I already had an offer from a well known architect for about 2.000 US, I'm just trying to keep the total cost of construction as low as possible.

[Chip]

Originally Posted by BF1

Thanks, it is 200 mts total and, I already had an offer from a well known architect for about 2.000 US, I'm just trying to keep the total cost of construction as low as possible.

Ask them if that includes the fees/taxes that the ayuntamiento charges. I know an engineer/architect that will charge RD70k with everything included(taxes and fees minus the workers comp that the contractor needs to pay).

[BF1]

Thaks Chip, I'm going to confirm that, I'll let you know.

[PICHARDO]

Originally Posted by Hillbilly

Good luck with that!! Budget 5% of total cost for the architect...

$1000 won't get a piece of paper dirty!!

HB

Oh yeah, total cost = mts of const x 18,000
400 (two floors of 200 mts)x 18,000 = 7,200,000 x .05= 360,000 or closer to $10,000 for the architect

HB: He's really in for a big surprise soon after the $1,000.00 architect signs over the blueprints...

Just so you know: Once you get your plans approved by the authorities in the DR you'll need to have a rubber stamp to deal with the construction from start to finish without the work being under the care of an architect.
Or is this house being built with playing cards mostly?

Given the often earth movement (read Tembloritos de tierra) in the DR, trying to save money on the design to finished product by omitting contracting an architect is NOT advisable in building a home you intend to sleep under the roof at.

BTW: I know of one multimillion dollar house in Santiago's best real estate properties, on which the owners won't sleep one single minute under their roof!!!! House is being sold for a good 70+ million pesos... No takers so far...

You get what you pay for!!!

[J D Sauser]

USD 1000.oo will get you a "anteproyecto", at best. That's ALL.
Depending on the city, town or village, this may be enough to start some of the procedures for your building papers. But in the sweetest of cases you would need to oil the local "building department" big time to get away having a house built on the only basis of an ante proyecto.

Percentage based honoraries are common when the architect also works out all the local papers for your (licenses, taxes and such) and overlooks the whole building process, which is usually the case here.
As you seem to want to go down the economy route, I may assume you are intending to build a simple and basic building yourself and have enough experience in the field?

If you want to try find a "cheap" architect, you may want to talk to 3rd and 4th year architecture of civil engineering students at the universities. Some may need some extra money and have someone in the family who is a licensed architect that will revise and sign off the works in order to help a student make it thru.

... J-D.

[Chip]

Originally Posted by J D Sauser

USD 1000.oo will get you a "anteproyecto", at best. That's ALL.
Depending on the city, town or village, this may be enough to start some of the procedures for your building papers. But in the sweetest of cases you would need to oil the local "building department" big time to get away having a house built on the only basis of an ante proyecto.

Percentage based honoraries are common when the architect also works out all the local papers for your (licenses, taxes and such) and overlooks the whole building process, which is usually the case here.
As you seem to want to go down the economy route, I may assume you are intending to build a simple and basic building yourself and have enough experience in the field?

If you want to try find a "cheap" architect, you may want to talk to 3rd and 4th year architecture of civil engineering students at the universities. Some may need some extra money and have someone in the family who is a licensed architect that will revise and sign off the works in order to help a student make it thru.

... J-D.

To JD and the OP. Many if not the majority of the homes being built here are done by people paying a nominal amount for an unsigned plan from an Architect, RD5000, and then having a maestro build it and pull all of the permits. Sure there are supposed to be permits for all this and that and so forth, but the fact is it is very common for the maestro or building contractor to pay off the building inspector and voila, the house is permitted.

I am not saying I recommend this personally, but just want to point it out. I see this as a viable option fro some given the locals penchant for wanting to suck the blood dry out of foreigners through the life of the project.

I also think it would be helpful for others that have gone through the complete legal process to post the charges they incurred. It wouldn't surprise me in the least that it could amount to more than RD200k including construction administration service, given some of the quotes I have heard from people. Is it any doubt the most non rich Domincans would look for other alternatives?

[PICHARDO]

Originally Posted by Chip

To JD and the OP. Many if not the majority of the homes being built here are done by people paying a nominal amount for an unsigned plan from an Architect, RD5000, and then having a maestro build it and pull all of the permits. Sure there are supposed to be permits for all this and that and so forth, but the fact is it is very common for the maestro or building contractor to pay off the building inspector and voila, the house is permitted.

I am not saying I recommend this personally, but just want to point it out. I see this as a viable option fro some given the locals penchant for wanting to suck the blood dry out of foreigners through the life of the project.

I also think it would be helpful for others that have gone through the complete legal process to post the charges they incurred. It wouldn't surprise me in the least that it could amount to more than RD200k including construction administration service, given some of the quotes I have heard from people. Is it any doubt the most non rich Domincans would look for other alternatives?

Yes indeed... But we have seen the results of homes being erected without the full supervisory of an actual architect; mostly flatten during the recent earthquakes. Some just came down like if they were built with playing cards.

Most "Maestros" lack the actual knowledge to understand the impact of the ground composition as the trenches are dug for the "Zapata" of the homes. Also they are known to cut corners where they shouldn't to avoid running over budget as promised to clients.

The latter has been the most common result witnessed after building's support failed miserably due to the use of short columns in multiple floors’ constructions against the original architect’s plans.

I have known of Maestros that have deviated from the original plans to accommodate the wishes of the clients without regards to structural loads or weight balances. In some instances they have made away with central support columns all together because the clients didn't like the view blocked from another room.

The Maestros would use the common practice of placing a load support from one side of the room to the other via an extra layer of steel rods in lieu of the columns, yet for all known to the architect this happens to be a sure bet formula for rigidity and ensuing collapse of the section under moderated seismic waves.

All houses in the DR are constructed under the specific learned lessons of seismic activity and past failures to avoid. A maestro is nothing else than a blue print reader...

I made reference to a multimillion dollar home in Santiago that was built from the design of a bright architect but the "Maestro" hired to do the construction cut corners he shouldn't have. The owner got what he paid for...

Turns out that the architect was called to make some modifications to one of the sections in the house not so long ago and while making some on-site studies, he spotted that some work was not done as designed in the blue prints. As it turned out, the Maestro had opted to use short columns from one floor to the next and thus rendering the two floors as two individual sections. This placed a great deal of worry on the architect who immediately let it know to the home owners that the house was not sound enough to withhold a moderated seismic wave for a long period without potential structural failure and even a catastrophic collapse of one or the two levels in the house atop each other.

The only option available was to either place steel I beams all around and up to the second floor to provide further lateral and horizontal support or, demolish it and reconstructing the house anew.

The house is for sale as is...

[Chip]

While what you said is true, we have at least a couple of cases of building failing here in Santiago becasue the architect decided to cut corners.

A good maestro will overbuild a house, having learned directly from an Architect and an Engineer how big and deep to make the footings etc. This is very similar to how it is done in the US too, many homebuilders don't need plans signed and sealed to build homes.

This is why I have said before and will repeat again, if someone decides to use a maestro they need to have references and reference work that can be personally inspected.