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!

Planning to buy land or build property in Bali? Don’t start before reviewing our Complete Bali Real Estate Guide.

Click to discover the most complete resource on the internet to the processing of buying land and building on Bali

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

Planning to buy land or build property in Bali? Don’t start before reviewing our Complete Bali Real Estate Guide.

Click to discover the most complete resource on the internet to the processing of buying land and building on Bali

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

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