What are the construction standards in Cayo, Belize, including San Ignacio and Belmopan?
Jonathan Lohr - Ceiba Realty Ltd.
There are two main types of construction types in the Cayo District and San Ignacio, Belize. There is the hardwood homes or pine timber homes, or you have the cement block homes.In real estate we have a term called “Belizean construction.” When someone says, “That is a Belizean construction home,” that usually means that the finish is not really that great. The government recently enacted building codes, which we didn’t have before. So now...
There are two main types of construction types in the Cayo District and San Ignacio, Belize. There is the hardwood homes or pine timber homes, or you have the cement block homes.In real estate we have a term called “Belizean construction.” When someone says, “That is a Belizean construction home,” that usually means that the finish is not really that great. The government recently enacted building codes, which we didn’t have before. So now you need building permits, and as a result, you will see that the construction standards have improved. That was enacted fairly recently; just in the last couple of years.
For new construction, the homes will be close to North American standards. It also depends on what you are looking at. If you come to Belize and you want your home built to North American standards, it is no problem. You can get that but a lot of the older homes are not.
The building codes tend to me enforced more on foreigners and expats than they do on local Belizeans. If you buy a home from an expat, you can expect to get North American standard construction. The best thing to do is when you buy a home, you inspect it and if you don’t know what you are looking for then have someone who does know what you need to look for and have them take a look at it for you.
In many cases, if someone is buying a home, I take someone who is in construction to come and take a look at it with me. It is very easy to tell if cement block and cement construction is structurally sound because when the house is about a couple years old and you didn’t put some steel in it, you will start seeing large cracks on the walls. When I am selling a home and I see cracks, I immediately know that this home has some structural issues. Depending on how bad the cracks are, you will know how serious your problem is. If the house has been up for years and it does not have cracks, then that is a very good indication that it is well-built.
(Cabin under construction in the Cayo District, Belize, pictured.)
Posted July 23, 2015
Wilana Oldham - Hot Mama's Belize Limited
The construction standards here in the Cayo District all depend on who you hire to build a house for you, but it is getting better.There are some expats here who are doing construction here, so if you have them build your house for you, you could expect them to build it up to the same standard as in the US. You can always hire a local builder, but then you have to do a lot more supervision and overseeing on what is happening because they have a different level of construction...
The construction standards here in the Cayo District all depend on who you hire to build a house for you, but it is getting better.There are some expats here who are doing construction here, so if you have them build your house for you, you could expect them to build it up to the same standard as in the US. You can always hire a local builder, but then you have to do a lot more supervision and overseeing on what is happening because they have a different level of construction than what an expat would tend to do.
You can build out of wood or you could build out of cinder blocks. We live in a wooden house. When we first bought our property, there was a house that had originally been on the property for 25 years. It was a small wooden house that they kept adding on to. We used all the material that was already there and then we added bathrooms and made the kitchen a little bigger because the previous kitchen that was there was so little that you can just sneeze and pass right by it. We took an existing house and made it very nice two-bedroom, two-bathroom home. We have been there for 25 years. We insisted on certain things such as the insulation, air-conditioning, wiring, etc.
Today when you are building, it is necessary to get a permit, especially if what you are going to build is visible on the highway. Getting permits is nothing complicated but you have to remember that you are dealing with the government, so time is not a factor and it could go a bit slower.
When you get a permit, they may come and do some inspection once but it is not always the case because doing inspections is difficult for the government. They have a very small office and there’s only about three or four for the entire country of Belize who are going out to do these inspections so they may not be able to come and be there all the time. You cannot rely on government inspectors to be there and assume that your property is being built properly. You have to check it out and monitor it yourself to make sure that the builders are doing what they are supposed to do.
(The Oldham's bungalow, Cayo District, Belize, pictured.)
Posted October 30, 2015
Franklin Syrowatka - Better Homes Belize
There are two widely spread types of house here in Cayo. First, we have lots of framed wooden buildings. When people want to save money on construction, that’s what they do. They just build a hardwood shell and do not sheetrock it inside, so you will see the hardwood. This is pretty rustic but functional and can even look very nice. This is construction at the low end of the price scale. Above this type of house you find the framed houses that have a refined and mostly...There are two widely spread types of house here in Cayo. First, we have lots of framed wooden buildings. When people want to save money on construction, that’s what they do. They just build a hardwood shell and do not sheetrock it inside, so you will see the hardwood. This is pretty rustic but functional and can even look very nice. This is construction at the low end of the price scale. Above this type of house you find the framed houses that have a refined and mostly sheetrocked interior. The big drawback of these houses is that the tropical insects love the cavity between the inside and the outside wall. The majority of people use concrete blocks covered with a smooth stucco and the reason is very obvious. Concrete houses last much longer in the tropical climate. They are much sturdier, they will survive a hurricane and termites cannot damage them. Whoever can afford to build concrete house will do so. I guess that about 70% of the houses here in Cayo are cinder block houses.
In recent years Belize requires a building permit for every new structure. You have to have proper drawings done by a registered specialist. If a house is larger than 2,000 square feet, you need a second signature from a structural engineer. The plans are submitted to the Central Building 
Authority in Belize City. In general they make sure that what you building is structurally OK but there is no or only little influence on the design. The building permit is a process you have to go through. The same rule applies for the electrical layout which has to be approved by the so called Public Utilities Commission. These rules are not enforced in every case though. If you are a local and and you build a small, 800-square feet house, you usually won’t go through the process and nobody cares if you don’t. If you are an expat and you want to build a 2,500 square foot concrete home, for sure they will find you and you better have that building permit or they will shut down your building site.
Authority in Belize City. In general they make sure that what you building is structurally OK but there is no or only little influence on the design. The building permit is a process you have to go through. The same rule applies for the electrical layout which has to be approved by the so called Public Utilities Commission. These rules are not enforced in every case though. If you are a local and and you build a small, 800-square feet house, you usually won’t go through the process and nobody cares if you don’t. If you are an expat and you want to build a 2,500 square foot concrete home, for sure they will find you and you better have that building permit or they will shut down your building site. (Top picture: in Cayo, Belize, Caribbean style custom made hardwood kitchen, by Franklin Syrowatka. Bottom picture: concrete slab done earlier for the same home.)
Posted January 16, 2016
Virginia Krohn - Villa Cayo Belize
In an effort to stop illegal and dangerous construction practices in Belize they now have their own Central Building Authority. Using building codes, rules and regulations from other parts of the world Belize has developed their own system that requires you to have a set of plans that are drawn by an architect and approved by the authority. From the time you begin working with an architect until the plans are approved can take several months. There are fees involved...In an effort to stop illegal and dangerous construction practices in Belize they now have their own Central Building Authority. Using building codes, rules and regulations from other parts of the world Belize has developed their own system that requires you to have a set of plans that are drawn by an architect and approved by the authority. From the time you begin working with an architect until the plans are approved can take several months. There are fees involved but not anymore than in the states. They are supposed to inspect your property before you start construction, make a couple of inspections during construction and then inspect prior to moving in. Because we did not have a bank loan none of those inspections happened so I would say at this point it is all about the fees. As Belize grows it sets higher standards and creates laws to try to be like the rest of the world but does not have the manpower to enforce them. I guess this is all just part of the process of a developing country. For people wanting to build less than 1,000 square feet there are no building requirements.
(The compound of Villa Cayo, Cayo, Belize, pictured)
Posted May 30, 2016