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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.

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

FAQs About Balifornia

  • Would I do it again?
  • Am I willing to share the plans?


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