Whilst dealing with the architects I was introduced to a builder who I will call Builder A. He is the one who introduced me to architect 6 who finally completed the plans. His unit price was substantially lower than the 600$US/m2 that I was told was a guide price.
 
Around the same time, whilst armed with the "Planta Dimensionada" plan from the first architect, I met two other builders who priced for me. One had a unit price of $600US/m2, and the other $749US/m2.
 
This was my first puzzle, to find out what you get for the unit price. Different builders have  different standards of finishing for their unit price, and that is a large part of the price difference. Some just charge more. If you ask they will explain.
 
It seems that the basic structure of most buildings is the same, whatever the unit price may be. The walls of the building are constructed from concrete blocks with steel reinforcement. The foundations are made with poured concrete and steel reinforcements, as is the roof. The windows are generally wooden or aluminum, and the doors generally wooden. They are usually made to measure. The floors are usually tiled. The bathrooms are the same as the UK. The kitchen cabinets are usually made by hand. There are no Formica work tops. You can have granite, or other stone or synthetic materials. After the walls are constructed, they are rendered and then painted. All drainage is PVC piping.
 
The roofs at HEC have to be tiled. Lots of roofs arenīt tiled as the tiling is only decorative. A good precaution for a roof however, is to have a waterproof membrane above the concrete and then put tiles above that. It seems that there is so much rain in the rainy season, that it can saturate the tiles, the concrete roof and leak into the house.

Non of the architects or builders I spoke to seemed keen on solar water heating !! They said it was too expensive to install. Considering the cost of electricity here which is higher than in the UK I think it is worth considering.
The cost of the blocks, steel, sand cement and gravel, is the same for everyone. The labor also has the same cost at that stage of the building process. The main differences come from the kitchen and bathroom fittings and ceramics. These can be very cheap or very expensive. The choice is yours.
 
Builder Aīs unit price allowed the following:-
300-400$RSD/m2 for all floor and wall tiles {July 2006 you get 32.5$RSD to the US$}.
All bathroom fittings had to be "American Standard". "Sadosa" was, as I understood it, the local company which made bathroom fittings that were American Standard. These seemed perfectly good to me.
If, as I did, you wanted aluminum windows, then that fitted in with the unit price also. These windows seem to be the most popular now, as they need little maintenance. Wooden windows which have much more character need re varnishing every two years, or less if you are near the sea.
It allowed for internal wooden mahogany doors and also the main entrance door of mahogany.
It allowed tiles on the roof, and a waterproof membrane before the tiles were put on. It seemed to allow for as many 110v socket outlets as I wanted and also 220v outlets.
 
Builder A's price, because it was an Architect/Builder package also included the cost of the plans and payment of all government fees mentioned in the appendices. This is usual if you get a builder/architect package.
Because of the difficulties I had with the architects, I was determined not to be put in the same position again. I didnīt want to be waiting around for months with nothing happening. I decided I would buy all the materials and employ a builder to do the work. Then, if they slacked up on the work I could get another builder. I would also start by employing the builder for the first third of the work and not the whole job. This would be preparation, foundations, walls and roof and water cistern. This way I wouldn'tīt be tied to a builder for a long time.

In a traditional client/builder relationship it is customary for the builders to ask for 1/3rd of the money up front !! This frightened me !!

I have been using the term builder because it is the term I use in the UK. Over here a builder is called an "ingineer". These "ingineers"  seem to be registered with the authorities and have a registration number. Under them are "maestros" who seem to do all the day to day running of the building site. There are different grades of maestro also. Some only do particular trades. Builder A whom I mentioned earlier is actually a maestro. He introduced me to Architect 6 because Architect 6 is a registered ingineer and he has to work in conjunction with one. I found this out by asking questions. No one actually told me.

Once I had made up my mind to the construction by buying the materials, I started to look for a builder. They all came by recommendation. I found 4 maestros and a builder. I arranged a day for interviewing them. On the day of the interviews I had prepared everything to say and had an interpreter with me. I did 3 in one day. They all had one thing in common, they didnīt want to listen to anything I said. They seemed to want to be in charge and acted as if my desires in the whole process were of minor importance.  Service provision here seems to be like the UK in the 1960īs.