½ûÂþÌìÌÃ

sounds high to me, but I guess it includes installing all of the wood posts and plywood that is rented for molds and removal afterwards?

Have you only gotten one quote so far?

My husband asked for one quote and we received this price.  Then he spoke with a second man and told him what we were quoted and that man quoted us the same. 

I am personally trying to work out a 3rd quote.  It's hard because I am physically not there at the moment and so much is word of mouth.  Hardly anything is advertised online. 

The quote the first guy provided us is for the material, the wood, & labor.  Regardless, I'm just having a really hard time excepting it.  It's definitely possible I am incorrect with all of this and that indeed is the fair price...

Probably not a good idea to tell other potential builders and give them a price.  Let each one come up with their own price based on their experience.

I was thinking the same thing.  Okay, well hopefully this 3rd quote will come out differently.

Exactly never tell them the other guys price!

I can confirm an actual cost in the past few months in deep campo in Monte Plata province, for constructing a flat (with slight falls to all sides) reinforced concrete roof slab with spans up to 5 metres hence a design depth of between 165mm and 200mm with top reinforcing mat over walls and wood float finish (to recieve elastomeric silicone roof paint which is not in price) for and area of  just over 200m2 as being 671,350 pesos. We employed the maestro on a labour only basis and the cost includes the cost of the electrical and plumbing maestros for their roughing in work. We bought all the materials ourselves with competative pricing.
I am in construction and the price above is competative for the work involved and your lower price will be due to a thinner and less reinforced suspended slab. The cost equates to equal or less compared to CODIA rates and those found in databases.

Consider the following as being factors in the higher than expected cost:

The support formwork required to the roof deck along with beam edges and edge forms is a significant amount of material for 200m2 and if rented stays in place for upto 4 weeks.

Traditionally in DR, maestros plan on a flat roof slab with a single course of blockwork to the parapet and then layer screed the slab to falls and to inroof drains. I loathe this approach and eliminated these extra costs.

A maestro will likely hire in mixer and hoist for the single concrete pour which will last a whole day with upto 30 workers involved.

Cement and reinforcement costs are very high now and if the detailing is to seismic code the amount of rebar will be high. Also to compensate for lesser quality control more cement is used.

Water may be an issue and the supply may cost.

My costs were lean and with investigation you may discover a flat concrete roof slab is a costly part of your construction. A timber roof using the imported wood syp rafters and joists and just a T1-11 board soffit and tin roof on battens will cost more to Miami Dade codes but less if you choose the very basic local pole and tin roof style. In a sloped roof case having extended walls also need adding.

You still have sand cement wall render costs to come which may also surpise.

Bottom line is that building in DR is still very much cheaper than elsewhere and a total 250-300usd per m2 should see you home to a decent standard masonry flat roof construction with paint, ceramic finishes and aluminium glazed windows, wood doors and architectural security components plus decent plumbing and electrics less a/c overall less furnishings.

Wow Lennox what a great post. I just learned a few things.

Thank you for.taking the time to create this response!

While some of those terms are lost on me, I LOVE it when people who know what they're doing can explain something technical so we can all understand.  Well thought out and well written lennoxnev!

The cost of the cement, aggregates and reinforcing bars will constitute a large percentage of the cost. Cement is creeping up to 7 usd a bag with tax and to achieve strength with poor quality control and lack of concrete vibrators, maestros over cement mixes.

During my roof pour we ran low on cement and I had to collect extra bags to complete. This was because I had failed to insist the non reinforced 8 inch block voids in the walls were blocked off. Every third block void was reinforced and concreted plus those either side of windows and doors. This added to my cost but makes the structure more robust.

My advice would be to seek a labour and material breakdown and check the material costs. Buying the materials yourself as sought by the maestro eliminates his risk for which he will add contingency. It should reduce cost overall.

A great response indeed.

I'd also like to add the ratio of water to cement is critical for structural strength of cement. It's very common to see laborers add water to a cement mix until it they get the consistency they want.  Usually too much and it greatly diminishes the strength.
Another important factor is using a vibrator to settle the cement as it's poured to ensure it fills completely. Supercritical in columns.

Edit:  We were writing the same thing at the same time. Great minds think alike... lol