Industry Standard vs Common DR Practice

Industry Standard VS Common DR Practice

Dutch Craft Builders build by industry standards recognized around the world. In the Dominican Republic, there are many subcontractors who do not.

Here are some examples below, as how we build, according to global industry standards like how we build in Netherlands the right way. Versus how many subpar contractors build in the Dominican Republic. Many lack experience or just the know-how and have very little to no official training whatsoever.

Having studied at the Technical University of Delft, I still get amazed on a weekly basis of construction “techniques” I see in the DR.

Those who build below industry standards cost you time and money and can compromise your structure and quality of your build. At the end of the day it will affect your quality of life and your wallet. Below are some direct comparisons between how we do certain aspects of construction versus common practice in the Dominican Republic which you want to avoid at all costs.

By the way, if you don’t know what is going on at your construction, be aware that a lot of contractors will cover bad workmanship up under a ton of plaster that you paid for, paint it and you’ll never know what’s happened.

With each photo collage below the top part of the image is our work which adheres to industry standard professional quality workmanship and the bottom part of the image is common practice in the Dominican Republic. I will explain a little about each photo.

Top Dutch Craft Quality adjustable poles and formwork to create an adjustable mold so as to pour a second level or a roof of a structure nice and level. Below that the Dominican Republic they commonly use sticks which are cheaper and low quality used up for work. Do you think that roof is going to come out straight? I don’t think so because those sticks are not all the same. That means you're paying later for a thick layer of plaster to try to make the ceiling straight.

We prepare our water receptacles, so they are ready to be used to install the fixtures properly with all tubes sealed and pressure tested 100% ready to go as in the top photo. You can’t afford leaks in the wall which are costly and difficult to find. Below you see an example of common practice in the Dominican Republic. I don't even know what you call that but it’s very hard for the people who finish the house to tap into that type of tubing. Also, who knows if they test for leaks and pressure tested likely not.

In the top-picture below you’re looking at a wall that we built to such precision that it doesn’t even require 1/8 of an inch of plaster just to finish it off and make it nice and smooth for painting. If you look at the image below you can see that this particular column was imperfect and so they hide it with what looks like an inch and a half of plaster. That’s your time and your money being wasted to fix mistakes made. Often houses here are patchwork of plaster to correct mistakes and imperfections in their builds.

The top part of the image below is how you should lay a block wall with all of the voids around the blocks filled and compacted with mortar for a strong wall and structure. If you look at the bottom part of the image that’s common practice in the Dominican Republic. Here common practice is that workers who actually lay the block, get paid per block laid, therefore encouraging fast and incorrect construction. At Dutch Craft Builders all blocks are laid by our team, who are on the payroll, and are only interested in laying block good and straight. We are going for results, not for a competition of who can lay down more blocks than another. A typical failure I see when people are put to lay down blocks by the number, is that only horizontal beds of mortar are applied; no vertical beds of mortar whatsoever, just to be able to lay down more block per day. Later on, the plaster crew comes by and they’ll put on a smooth layer of plaster on top of that and paint it and you’ll never know you got holes in your wall. What happens if there’s an earthquake, or just small earth movements (which happen every couple of months)?

In the image below, you could see how we preplanned and run the wires through the walls correctly, so that the electrical outlets will be in the correct location. If you look at the image below that, you will see how common practice is in the Dominican Republic; that there is no planning ahead, and that no wiring is done during construction, rather they’ll build the entire structure and then come back later and cut holes through your wall (more often than not with chisel and hammer) to run the wires and then patch it up with a patchwork of concrete and cover it with a half an inch or more of plaster to hide it. Little did the client know that wall got holes all over compromising the structure with a patchwork to cover the voids.

These are just some examples. I can go on all day long talking of compromising aspects of construction that are common practice in the Dominican Republic.

Our pricing goes right along with the general cost of building here. We do not charge more for our excellent service. That’s right we do not charge more than those doing a bad job. So why would you hire anyone else? We find most of our profit in efficiency. That means we find more effective ways of building better with less waste while being more sustainable at the same time making your structure stronger and better, build the right way the first time.

I think if you’re building a home in the Dominican Republic, you cannot trust your home or your project whatever it is to just anyone. Especially if you don’t know about construction. There is a high degree of probability some of these poor quality practices will be your project. Contact Dutch Craft Builders today to make sure you get the quality you deserve.