Skip to Content

Subscribe & get your free guide to going abroad!!

    Bali Villa “Basecamp Balifornia” Construction: Full Costs and Final Notes

    Over the last two years, I’ve been sharing the journey of building a home abroad and a base for my travels. Basecamp Balifornia. Now that the adventure of construction is over, and the world is open for business, I’ll return back to exploring the world – with Bali-fornia as my home between wandering, my place to surf and recover, and the place I’ll continue to build a tribe.

    News! Villa Balifornia is for sale and long term rental! Click here to read all about it, or email [email protected]

    But, no story should be left unfinished, without a clear conclusion, especially one that’s gone on two years. Moreover, most of the travelers, nomads, and aspiring expats I meet hope to build their own “basecamp” abroad, and are wondering, how feasible is it? Though my other article does a better job answering the question of how much does a villa in Bali cost I couldn’t finish this story out without sharing the cost of this adventure in enough detail to help out others reading this with plans to build on Bali.

    So, in this final post on Balifornia, read on to discover the final costs of Basecamp Balifornia, to see a timelapse of the construction process, and to see a video of the (almost) final product.

    If you have any questions about the project, feel free to email me at [email protected] (put “Balifornia” in the subject line). I’ll keep a running FAQ at the end of this article, so if you email me a question, I’ll answer and add it to the answers at the end.

    Thanks for following the journey!

    THE BASECAMP BALIFORNIA CONSTRUCTION ROUND UP

    Total Villa Land and Construction Cost in 2021: 2,127,000,000 IDR | $142,000 USD

    Current Rebuild Cost in 2023: 2.852 Billion IDR | $190,000 USD

    A FINISHED VIEW OF BALIFORNIA

    THE BUILD

    Note: Only the 1 bedroom, 2 bathroom main house is pictured, I will update with the 1 bedroom mezzanine loft guesthouse later.

    THE LAND

    5.3 are of former ricefield land
    Looking out onto ricefield views
    With a dormant volcano looking on from the right
    With extremely nosey neighbors

    Total Villa Land and Construction Cost in 2021: 2,127,000,000 IDR | $142,000 USD

    Current Rebuild Cost in 2023: 2.852 Billion IDR | $190,000 USD

    Full List of Villa Construction Costs

    Research and Due Diligence

    • Land Due Diligence Research: 3jt
    • Soil Test: 4.5jt

    Land Purchase

    • Land Lease (4.5jt/are/yr x 5.3 are): 600jt (~$40,000 USD)
    • Notary fees: 4jt
    • Land use aspect change: 18jt
    • *Note: Current land market price: 1,325jt (~$88,000 USD)

    Build Design and Planning

    • Architectural Drawings (~35k/m2): 6jt
    • Structural Analysis (~15k/m2): 2.6jt
    • Structural Engineering Drawings (~25k/m2): 4.3jt
    • Mechanical Electrical Plumbing Drawings: 6jt

    Permitting

    • IMB (Building Permit, Drawings, and Village Donations): 35jt

    Build Preparation

    • Subak (canal) construction: 20jt
    • Permitter wall construction: 130jt
    • Septic tank and well: 15jt
    • Main house PLN Hookup: 10jt
    • Guest House PLAN Hookup: 10jt

    Main House Construction Costs

    • Main House Build: 767jt (Cost 6.84jt/m2)

    Guest House Build Costs

    • Guest House Build: 492jt (Cost 7.78jt/m2)

    Cost adjustments from 2021 to 2023

    Hefty land price increases in the last 2 years: Land price has appreciated from 4.5jt per are per year, to 9jt per are per year, for green zone (not zoned for legal builds) land. Assumed current price of the land is 10jt per are per year, appreciation of

    Balifornia Construction Payment Plan

    Main House Payment Plan

    • Deposit – 70jt — Paid February 2022
    • Payment 1 (25%) – 175jt — Paid April 2022
    • Payment 2 (50%) – 175jt — Paid May 2022
    • Payment 3 (75%) – 175jt — Paid June 2022
    • Completion (100%) – 70jt — Paid July 2022
    • After 6 months (warranty payment) – 35jt

    Guest House Payment Plan

    • Deposit – 70jt — Paid June 2022
    • Payment 1 (25%) – 175jt — Paid July 2022
    • Payment 2 (50%) – 175jt — Paid August 2022
    • Payment 3 (75%) – 175jt — Paid September 2022
    • Completion (100%) – 70jt — Paid November 2022
    • After 6 months (warranty payment) – 35jt

    Additional Finishing Costs

    • Boundary Wall and Gate – 150jt
    • IMB – 25jt
    • Land use aspect change – 18jt
    • Septic, well – 15
    • Additional Construction | Addl. Bathroom, terrace, – 40 jt
    • Lot Leveling – 27 jt
    • Landscaping – 10jt
    • Paving – 27jt
    • PLN (Electric) Installation for both houses – 20jt

    Appliances

    • 2 x Water Heaters (Ariston, 80L)

    Full House Dimensions

    Indoor Space: 175.6m2 | 1900ft2

    Outdoor Space: 122.8m2 | 1322ft2

    Combined Space: 298m2 | 3,222ft2

    Main House Dimensions

    Full Main House Area: 194m2 | 2,087ft2

    Main House Living Space: (Total: 112m2 | 1209ft2)

    • Living Room 42m2 | 452 ft2
    • Downstairs Bathroom 8.75m2 | 94 ft2
    • Kitchen 9.8m2 | 96.7ft2
    • Bedroom 42m2 | 452ft2
    • Upstairs Bathroom: 9.8m2 | 105ft2

    Main House Outdoor Space: (Total: 81.55m2 | 877ft2)

    • Lower Balcony: 10.5m2 | 113ft2
    • Upper Balcony: 10.5m2 | 113ft2
    • Terrace: 8.75m2 | 94ft2
    • Rooftop: 51.8m2 | 557ft2

    Guest House Space Calculations

    Full Guest House Area: 104.5m2 | 1,124ft2

    Living Space: (Total: 63.25m2 | 1209ft2)

    • Downstairs: 41.25m2 | 444 ft2
    • Upstairs (Loft): 22m2 | 236ft2

    Outdoor Space: (Total: 41.25m2 | 444ft2)

    • Rooftop: 41.25m2 | 444ft2


    NEXT IN THE BUILDING A VILLA IN BALI SERIES

    THE PROCESS OF BUYING LAND IN BALI

    BALI VILLA DESIGN AND PLANNING PROCESS: ARCHITECTURAL, STRUCTURAL, INTERIOR DESIGN, AND MORE

    BUILDING A HOUSE IN BALI

    (Back to Table of Contents)

    Other Great Articles in the Moving to Bali Series

    Other Great Nomad, Travel, and Expat Lifestyle Articles

    Subscribe & get your free guide to going abroad!!

      About A Brother Abroad

      ABOUT THE AUTHOR

      Carlos is a nomad, slow traveler, and writer dedicated to helping others live abroad and travel better by using his 7+ years of experience living abroad and background as a management consultant and financial advisor to help other nomad and expats plot better paths for an international lifestyle. Click here to learn more about Carlos's story.