W&R Pro: Buying and Renovating a house in the Dominican Republic

The Pro version of our public YouTube video - same name different content. Please watch the public version first, it sets the content for this version.

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Real Estate  - DR Property Guys  please tell them that you were referred via our channel 

***General contracting services, AC repair, electrical, plumbing and yard/pool weekly cleaning... I wish that we had found Fermin sooner rather than later. He is Dominican and speaks very good English.  Fermin Taller Services 829.686.3521 (English) - he is a superstar!

Monthly Cost for Casa Linda (updated 6/10/22) Subdivision fee : 4 bedroom non rental = $453.20 (includes $39.00 water bill) 

Electric bill : $128.70 

Cable TV w HD channels $39.00 20meg Internet $38.00 with US IP address ( you can and should request the US Ip )  

Non - RCL vendors Yard and Pool : 8,000 peso monthly House keeper : 1,000 peso per cleaning  

Renovation costs  Electrical services including fuse box rewire, new outlets, new light switches, LED pool lights rewired and new wire pulled where needed. Labor = $800.00usd

 I purchased all of the outlets, switches, panels and new wiring in the United States roughly $500.00 usd 

Electricians = Ideomatic Solutions (they also do security camera installs) 829.915.0035 

A/C units $29,000 peso per unit including installation. Beware, there is a surcharge for installation if you are converting over to inverter units from non-inverter units (you should). The coolant hoses are larger on the inverter units thus the installation can be "tricky". Joteca 809-571-2401 - located across the street from Caribe Tours Charamicos.   

Tile installation and construction of the new wall in our kitchen  : Toga is a GC and can handle almost any job, English and speaks fluent Spanish.  TPM services, Toga 829-778-1345 (English)   

Tile supplier: Ceramica's y Johnny  located on rt5 in Sosua between Super Pola and SOV I paid $4,600 for our ceramic flooring tile. - price will obviously vary depending on which tile you select.   

Our carpenter was one of the bright lights of the renovation. He charged us $7500.00 usd for all of the cabinetry work. Each cabinet was hand made out of moisture and insect resistant / treated wood. I purchased all of the hardware in the United States.  Carpenter = Joel 829.315.6885  

Roof inspection and repairs = Steve Carroll (Canadian) 778.678.0145  

Counter tops, sink, faucet sprayer, dishwasher, bedroom furniture = IKEA Santo Domingo  They will deliver here to the North Coast and also arrange setup (for a fee). Just be aware that there can be a delay in shipping...island time. 

Garbage Disposal = Moen via Amazon.com and BMCargo Sosua. You can register for a freight forwarding account via BMCargo website. It is very easy, just remember to stay under $200.00 per shipment.   

Outside fencing = $3500.00 for labor and materials.  

Painting... I have yet to find anyone competent who doesn't make a complete mess. I'll update if we find a good painter in the area. Current cost of paint is 1,400 pesos per gallon. Brand name is Tropical and you can buy it at most hardware stores. There is also a Benjamin Moore located in Santiago - better paint at 1,900 pesos per gallon. Labor was $700.00 usd for the interior.   

Televisions and small appliances = Pricemart Santiago. $35.00 per year for a membership and worth every penny. On par with Sam's Club in the States. At this time they are no longer delivering to the N Coast otherwise I would have purchased our kitchen appliances from them also.

 Appliances - Jumbo Puerto Plata  

 **** We put a huge emphasis on reducing electrical usage in the house. We started by replacing the A/C units, installing and using timer on the pool pump (2.5 hours per day runtime), LED bulbs in all light sockets, new water pump, bigger pressure tank, new energy efficient refrigerator/freezer and replacing faulty wiring/switches.. ALL of these things contribute to our low electric bill. We have neighbors who report electric bills of $400-800.00 per month - ouch.