Can you guys give me some info on the Mennonite homes? Are they worth it? I've thought about buying one and finishing the inside with drywall and putting stucco on the outside.

All opinions welcome

Where is your property located?

They are not fancy, they are a pretty basic house, they are very affordable and quick to get built and setup. All in all I think they are a good deal.

If you're on a tight budget, a mennonite house makes sense. They are fine and the mennonites are, as far as I know skilled, honest and quick builders, but you will not get a very nice house without adding a bit to the basics they provide.

If I were to buy a basic mennonite house, I would do the following relatively cheap improvements:
1. a layer of tar paper.
2. a layer of R-11 insulation.
3. 3/4" drywalls.
4. consider "real" windows, at least in bedroom or other rooms where a/c might be installed in the future.

Alternatively, talk to local builder Jim Hanna, who has built many very nice and reasonably priced wooden houses on the island.

Good luck...

I have a mennonite house which was half the price of anyone on the island -I have ac -it does not and has never leaked -it is built sturdier than most-it does not move in high winds-I am very pleased with everything about it-also it took 6 weeks to build-no-one can beat this.

It also has a fine kitchen as I recall !

Anyone know the approximate current price per sq.ft. for a mennonite house in San Pedro?

I cannot remember the exact price, but they are outrageously cheaper then anything else out there.

I think we may be confusing prefabricated house constructed (and erected) by Mennonites with bespoke houses built by them. The former are incredibly cheap and excellent value, and given a modicum of care last a long time. There are quite a few on the island.

My own house was bespoke built by Mennonites about 12 years ago, and while doing some long-overdue maintenance recently I've had a close look at the quality of construction and materials used. Both are superb. I was in the house during Hurricane Dean a year or two ago and I was very impressed at the integrity of the house even under an onslaught of (I was told) 120mph winds.

I don't know whether there's one "Mennonite house" or a range built by different Mennonites, but it seems to me they're very good basic houses.

For San Pedro I suspect they build the pieces (trusses,walls etc.) and assemble them later?

For prefabs I'm sure the answer is yes. No idea for bespoke.

Plett's Homebuilders in Spanish Lookout would be a good place to start investigations.

what do you mean by "bespoke" peter????
we are planning on having a mennonite casita built on our lot south of San Pedro. The prices for the shell look pretty good (that's the Plett's construction), but there web site doesn't give prices for interior wall, toilet, sinks, wiring plumbing.
Anybody know what a completed one would cost (approx 20X24)?
Any info would be appreciated!
shushi

I thought I replied to your PM....? By "bespoke" I meant fully built on-site fro the raw materials, as opposed to "pre-fab"where large sections are manufactured off-site and transported there complete. If you want a house fully to your spec it probably needs to be bespoke, but if you can adapt to one of the pre-fab designs you can save a great deal of money. You can still personalise it a lot.

I have no ideas of the costs of either route, as I bought my house used and have never built a house from scratch in Belize. But there are lots of people who have. I know there's someone with a beach lot somewhere south of the Mosquito Coast who put a Mennonite pre-fab house on it and they're very happy with it. I just can't remember who it is. Why don't you ask Plett's if they can refer you to one of their past customers on the island?

Don't forget that regardless what items are included in the cost of the house you'll need to get services (electricity, water) to the site, and that could be costly.

Thanks for the info Peter!
We already have power (Boca Ciega area), water is still about 100feet away, but we plan on using a cistern. We have a full time neighbor who uses cistern water & has never had a problem.
I've asked our realtor for names of someone who can do the finish work, ie: drywall, cabinets, porch, etc. But if anyone out there knows someone trustworthy & does quality work, I'd love to get names.
Thanks all!
shushi

Your Mennonites can do a great job finishing your house..give 'em a chance.

Hey Jesse, We would love to "give'em a chance"!!!
Have you experienced their work?
What more can you tell me?
And Peter, thank you for the (PM) info about the pipes & concrete base. REALLY appreciate all the info people can give - PRICELESS!!!
Shushi

Hey Sushi .. Is it cheaper to put in a Cistern that putting in water even at a 100 feet away?

Good question! We are having our realtor price out the cistern. We should have him price the city water too. But with the cistern we would be "self-sufficient", and not have a monthly water bill. What is the average monthly water costs?
Are you the owner of the SandBar? When my husband & I were there the 2nd week of December, we visted (and "grilled")the husband & wife owners of the SandBar 3 or 4 times during our stay, while enjoying a Biliken. Is that you???

another option is to use a cistern and house pump, and only use city water to fill it if need be.
rain is free.
i don't know how reliable the water service is there, but with the cistern and house pump your only concern is BEL!

edit: and i removed BEL from the equation by using 12 volt pumps!

Might want to build the cistern and hook up to town water as well.
Never know when you may need more water than you have stored.
It takes practice to live within one's means on a cistern program.
Also note the time it takes to fill a cistern - roof size affects rate of collection and from my observation a lot of folks fail to factor that element in.

Diane is correct, a cistern with town water is a good way to go. We generally do not use the city water as we have learned to conserve, but when we have guests that is a whole different thing. Our grandchildren tend to take "epic" showers and in a week it can deplete the cistern alot. Our system is quite easy, with a flip of a switch we can change over. During the hurricane season we will also try to fill the cistern with city water if it is getting low. Good emergency back up.

We rented a house in PG that had a cistern built on the roof, about 5000 gallons. The only problem is there was only about 30 SQ feet of zinc to fill it. It would never fill it self even if we left it unused for a year. I ran city water to fill it as it gravity fed the whole house when the current was off, which happens alot in PG!

I bought a lot on the west side of Ambergris and was wondering what type of cheap house I could put there. Do you think a yurt could withstand the winds if I put it behind some trees near the back of my lot?

Is a Yurt like a tent... ??

A yurt is kind of like a tent..but stronger. Check out pacificyurt.com

Easy for the thieves to carry off.

Lots of heavy hardwood floors might work. They do look pretty cool.

to succinctly answer the lady about a yurt and wind and a few trees - "no".
trees blow over in a hurricane - they are amongst the more interesting dangers, not protectors.
and then they squish the yurt and dwellers therein.

lol...since I don't want to be squished I guess I'll ditch the yurt idea. I heard they build cabin style homes on the mainland and then ship them to your location....are these a good option?

The "cabin style homes" are the Mennonite homes they have been referring to...

I tried e-mailing the company on the mainland that builds them (to ask if they'll deliver to Ambergris) but they never responded.

They will have the structure delivered to SP and will even assemble it here for you if you choose.

there is a problem Pletts do not come to the islands and mid west lumber only build if the structure comes to more than 75k

my advice is buy the "house" that you want and use Walter to put it together-however it is not going to be cheap -approx 10k usd to put the house in workable fashion -elec plans sep,and hook up from BEL seperate but work included-plumbing in but not out of house-all materials to be onsite at the begining of the job-approx 1500usd for electrician to sign off on the job

also note that the prices listed on the website are VERY out of date - I was curious so I called them about pricing, they faxed me updated prices which are about 65% higher than what's on the site