AmbergrisCaye.com Home Forums The Cayes Ambergris Caye Cost to build a Custom Home?

Hi -What is the cost per sq ft US$ , to build a good quality 4000sq ft custom home ? Granite counters , some wood ceilings ect... cost for a custom pool? Thanks

It really depends where your located, the prices Change because of transportation. For an example: if you are building on the North end of the island your materials need to be barged which can be expensive . In town and down South your materials could be delivered easier and cheaper by truck.
There are many other factors,it's best to keep it simple and use local materials.
You need to come for a visit !

Long version of check it out here first as Tim advised
The pool across the street cost about US$20K and is hard to maintain and keep clean
Labor is about US$40/day.
Granite counters are crazy expensive like in the US thirty years ago for the same reasons. You must ship them in from Miami precut and they break on the way.
Your house would be the largest on the Caye.
Building a US style home in Belize costs about twice as much as a properly designed hardwood island style home.
There are several US suburban homes on the Caye which mostly sit empty.
They are worth a lot less than it cost to build them.
Imagine building a home like that in the Sahara or the North Pole.
It would be quite possible, a black hole for money,and an even bigger mistake than doing so on Caye Caulker.

I was told years ago between US$100 and US$150 a sq ft.

Just to clarify the granite comes from mexico and there are people in both Belize City and Ambergris Caye who cut and fit and it is nolonger as expensive as it used to be. Construction on Ambergris Caye will cost between $100 and $150 USD per square foot but for top quality construction with high end finishes you will be looking at closer to $200 per square foot.

YOu should be very cautious about over building so look at what else is in the area and ask a qualified realtor how they expect the area to grow. You should also remember that in most cases you need about 1/2 the square footage you are used to having.

There are many practical elements (security, storms, sun, breese, etc.)which you should consider incorparating into a home on the Cayes so make sure you do some home work.

Anyone can hire a contractor and get pretty much what they want but in order to build a home that fits into the neighborhood, is cost effective and will allow you to make a profit on resale you need to get some advise from people in the business.

Swimming pools can ve very expensive by the time you add the deck and finishes so again be very carefull about size and location.

Good luck.

A few clarifications .....

Granite counters - Jerry Wilken of Architectural Accents in Ladyville does an excellent job of granite installation. Check with him for selection and cost.

A custom-built 20' X 40' pool with substantial deck space will cost from $40-50,000 US depending on materials and systems chosen.

Construction costs per sq. foot are calculated differently from builder to builder here. Some take an overall footprint (including covered decks) and give you an all inclusive estimate for a home with fixtures and cabinets. Others have one price for interior, one for decks, one for cistern and a la carte for cabinets, toilets etc.
A home with a stand-alone water system will run more than one without.

For a first-world quality home, the all-inclusive style cost (decks, cistern, toilets etc) built to deal with tropical weather (including hurricane) the ballpark construction cost is $125 - 160 US a square foot. Properly planned, with carefully selected materials you can build for less, but as Josh notes you can easily spend a lot more if you want to.

The cost to insure a wood structure is about 3 times that of a concrete one, and insurance on wood homes in the cayes is not so easy to get these days.

Tim mentions "north side" costs being higher than "south" due to transportation. This is advice about Ambergris Caye. I'd like to elaborate on that a bit because there are a host of variables. The island is 26 miles long. San Pedro sits about 5 miles north of the southern tip. Ergo - the "north side is more than 20 miles of island. Conditions on those 20 miles vary greatly. Firstly - pretty much all building materials come to the island by barge. If you are getting sufficient materials, you may find that the barge from the mainland can call directly at your building site and deliver. No need for the extra cost to offload on island and truck to site. This assumes that you are building in an area close to the water and have an offload berm somewhat nearby.
On the other hand, if for example, if you are building 20 miles north, you will find that the reef meets the land, that no barge can get up that way, and that your materials will have to come in smaller loads via the back or outside the reef.
As you can see, the info on transportation is VERY location-specific. Tim's advice is about Ambergris Caye, Danes knows Caye Caulker well - and the information on this would be quite different for a mainland location.

I notice a blog in progress by an new resident building a home about a mile north of the bridge. You may wish to follow this story .....

Thank you for your replies , I have built a few custom homes in Costa rica so I do understand the process and the idea of outdoor living space ect.... Costs are similar here for a concrete and rebar home with good quality finishes runs in the $100- 150 a sq ft.
I figured it would cost a little more to have the materials shipped from the mainland. I planned on doing a concrete home with as many local woods for floors and ceilings evt...has anyone used the synthetic palm leave roof product ?? Palmex ?

Thanks again , I'm thinking about making a move ....

Yes, I bet that John would be happy to answer some questions -- here's his very thorough blog on his building progress in Ambergris Caye:

http://abelizehomeforus.wordpress.com/

A hotel on CC used it when some dick began torching real palm roofs.
It stood up to the we�ther but not as well against wind.
It costs a lot more to build on Ambergris.
My wood house cost $50 ft on CC.
the high school is concrete frame and roof with wood walls and cost $44 sq ft.
Labor is cheaper and profit less also on CC.
Hardwood costs about $$1.50 at the yard and 25% less direct from the Mennonites delivered to the Caye.
I have built about ten houses on the Caye and saved a lot by asking for labor and profit only in the bid, while paying for materials direct from the invoices.

Quote: You should also remember that in most cases you need about 1/2 the square footage you are used to having.

[/quote]

Travelinman, what do you mean by this?