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
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
- Step1: Finding Land for Sale in Bali
- Step 2: Conduct a Due Diligence Check
- Step 3: Understanding Buying (Leasing) Land for Builds in Indonesia
- Step 4: “Buying” Land in Bali (Leasing land long term): Signing Contracts and Paying
BALI VILLA DESIGN AND PLANNING PROCESS: ARCHITECTURAL, STRUCTURAL, INTERIOR DESIGN, AND MORE
- Step 5. Planning Your Villa Build and Drawing the Plans
- Understanding the Types of Construction Plans and Tests You’ll Need
- Average planning document costs
- Why are these plans important?
- My Experience Planning my Villa + Some Tips to Avoid My Disaster
- The Professionals You Need to Hire and Consult in the Design Process
- List of Elements to Think through in Your Villa Design
- Step 6: Properly Permitting the Build of Your Villa
Other Great Articles in the Moving to Bali Series
- Moving to Bali: A Complete Guide
- The Bali Digital Nomad Visa: A complete guide
- 73 Awesome Cafes in Canggu
- The Best Bali Coworking Spaces
- Things to do in Canggu
- The Best Sunset Points on Gili Trawangan
- Buying a House in Bali
- Buying Land in Bali
- Building in Bali
- How much does it cost to build a villa in Bali?
- Bali villa design and planning process
Other Great Nomad, Travel, and Expat Lifestyle Articles
- Moving to Malaysia: A Complete Guide
- The Ultimate Malaysia Digital Nomad Visa Guide
- Thailand Visa Exemption Essentials: What to know before your trip to Thailand
- The 51 Best Digital Nomad Jobs among Successful Nomads
- 9 Epic South America Backpacking Routes
- Backpacking the World…2 Weeks at a Time
- Is Geoarbitrage for You? An Ultimate Guide to Living Better for Cheaper as a as a Nomad
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 personal finance educator to help other nomad and expats plot better paths for an international lifestyle. Click here to learn more about Carlos's story.