How I Work
You'll always know exactly where your money is going. That's the promise this page exists to keep.
Building here is a juggling act. Material prices and availability change almost daily, subcontractors keep their own clocks, tools fail, and Mother Nature doesn't check the schedule before she dumps rain on a concrete pour.
Turning a two-dimensional drawing into a three-dimensional home takes expertise, patience, and a system. What follows is my system — guidelines shaped by building in Ecuador since 2009. Their purpose is to make building your home as stress-free as possible.
Cost plus, open books.
Materials, labor, equipment, transportation and tools are billed at cost. To that I add a 25% contractor fee. On the work of building your home, that fee is the only money I make — no hidden markups, and any contractor discounts I receive are passed on to you. Every supplier invoice is yours to see.
What labor costs.
As of 2026, labor is billed at $35 per day for maestros and $25 per day for helpers.
A budget before we begin.
Before work starts, you get an estimate based on current per-square-foot (or per-square-meter) costs. It's a ballpark to plan around, and the weekly reports then show you exactly how we're tracking against it. If you want a detailed, line-item estimate built from your plans, I'm happy to prepare one — for a typical single-family home that takes a week to 10 days, and I'll quote the cost of preparing it up front.
A weekly report.
Every week you receive an invoice with copies of all supplier invoices and the payroll. It details the current week's expenses, the costs to date, and where we stand against the budget. You will never wonder what happened to your money, because you'll be looking at it every week.
The working fund.
I ask for an advance that serves as a petty-cash fund to cover mobilization — the initial materials, equipment and payroll. Every cash expense and the current balance appear in the weekly report, and whatever remains when the project is finished is returned to you.
New construction starts with a plan.
A complete set of plans and specifications before ground breaks — mainly for your benefit: the detailed record of exactly what I'm building on your behalf.
Changes get a Change Order.
If you want to change something mid-build, I write up what changes and what it does to the scope, timeline and cost, and you approve it before it happens. For extensive changes we involve your architect — in Ecuador, architects are legally responsible for the structural integrity and code compliance of the building, so changes to plans require their approval.
Permits.
Not all areas require them, and most small jobs don't, regardless of location — I'll confirm what your project needs. When a permit is required, your architect submits the application; in Ecuador, that filing is legally theirs to make.
Day to day, I'm there.
I'm on site daily to direct the work, and our meetings about your project are included in my fee. You don't get billed for talking to your builder.
Optional extras — only if you ask.
Building your home is covered by the 25% fee above: daily supervision and our project meetings included. A few things fall outside the build, and you can hire me for them if you'd like — attending meetings on your behalf with your architect, engineers, or municipal officials; stepping in to close gaps between the architect's drawings and what the municipality requires on your permit; or coming along in person to source materials. Those are $50/hour, travel included — and most clients never need them.
Sourcing is solved.
My Ecuadorian partner co-owns a building supply store and runs a three-ton truck. His job is to find the specified materials at the best price anywhere in the country and get them to the site when they're needed — not when the store gets around to it.
Shopping for finishes.
For fixtures, tile, and the things you'll want to choose yourself: what works best is to browse, make a list of exactly what you want — ideally with photos — and let my associate hunt down the best price. If you need transportation and someone who knows where to go in Loja, I can provide a bilingual driver: $25 for the round trip from Vilcabamba, plus $10 per hour.
It's already in writing.
Every project starts with a written agreement covering the scope, the fee, the payment terms, and how changes are handled.
Mediation, not court.
Ecuadorian courts are slow and expensive for everyone involved, so if we ever hit a problem we can't resolve between ourselves, the path is mediation — faster and fairer for both sides. The good news: since 2009 I've never been sued and never needed a mediator. The weekly open books are a big part of why.
Questions about any of this?
Ask me directly — it's the fastest way to find out if we're a fit.
Don't take my word for it.
See what past clients say → Testimonials