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Building a house in Jamaica - What are the costs?
by Shannon
(Bermuda)
Building a House - Contruction Site
QUESTION: Can you tell me the price of a bag of cement in Jamaica and also the price of 6,8,10 and 12 inch block please. I would appreciate it. Thank you
ANSWER: by Wellesley
Hi Shannon,
Thanks for the question. It's very nice to hear that you are considering building in Jamaica.
I made some calls and here are the prices - at today's date, for the main items used in the building construction process.
January, 2020 updates in purple
- 1 Bag of Cement - JMD 760.00 (Now JMD 1170.00)
- 6 inch blocks - JMD 74.00 (Now JMD 112.00)
- 8 inch blocks - JMD 100.00 (Now JMD 153.00)
- 10 inch blocks - not available
- 12 inch blocks - not available
- 1 length of 1/2" steel - $920
- 1 length of 3/8 steel - $650
- 1 yard stone - $3,588.20
- 1 yard sand - $4,357.10
- 1 sheet construction ply - $3,495
- 1 sheet 1x3x16 lumber - $664
- 1 sheet 2x4x16 lumber - $1645
As you probably already know, building a house is, generally speaking, much cheaper than buying one, but it does assume that 'all other things are equal'.
Some important considerations are location, clearing of land, drainage, security of materials, fixtures, transportation, and last and by no means least, demand and the general economic state of the industry and country.
You'll also need to consider having the right professionals Shannon, from the land surveyor to 'finshers' (painter, tilers etc).
Having the right professional could be key to ensure it turns out more economical - quality work and professionalism thus preventing 'overuns'.
By the way, Avia Collinder of the Gleaner posted a very informative article sometime ago that should provide you some useful info. You might want to have a look at it (link below).
It included a breakdown of % cost for a typical 2 storey- house.
Here is an extract:
BUILDING
a. Foundation 11.1%
b. Walls and wall finishes 21.3%
c. Floors and foor finishes 15.2%
d. Roof and roof finishes 7.0%
e. Staircase and balustrading 3.4%
f. Doors and windows 7.6%
g. Joinery fixtures, fittings 2.9%
h. Ceiling finishes 3.4%
j. Sanitary appliances, plumbing 1.4%
k. Electrical Installation 4.8%
Sub-total 78.0%
2. EXTERNAL WORKS
Drainage, water supply, etc 13.2%
GENERAL PRELIMINARIES 7.3%
CONTINGENCIES 1.5%
TOTAL 100%
You can find the article here.
By the way,
Damian Edmond has a great ebook called, 'The Home Builders Guide', created to help persons consider building a home in Jamaica. I recommend that you
check it out on Amazon.
Don't Miss: The Jamaica Travel Guide.
Note: This Q&A will also be posted on our popular facebook fan page so I am inviting you to follow the responses over there as well. Our address is https://facebook.com/myislandjamaica
Regards,
Wellesley
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