How to Buy Real Estate in Chile: Construction Materials

Problem 1: Green Lumber or Wrong Lumber in Chile

In Chile Pine lumber is cheap, common, and green. Green wood was nominated as one of the biggest problems of our construction consultants that we asked. At the construction stores you will see wood marked as "seco" or dry. In Chile wood is legaly "seco" with a 30% moisture content. In the Central region, wood normaly has a 8-10% moisture content. Wood should be considered semi-dry wood, unless proved otherwise. Much of it was originally slated for export. If it had been exported, it would have had another several months or more to dry on its way to markets in North America and Europe. However, when dumped directly on the market in Chile it will still need a good deal of time to fully dry. Anything built immediately with this lumber, will shrink causing gaps and pulling apart of connections. In southern Chile, we see about a 10% shrink in wood construction. There are many other factors to consider when buying wood, just keep an eye on this one.

Another common error in materials will be the use of particle board for exposed exterior walls and roofs that absorb moisture better than your average kitchen sponge. When exposed to moisture, they expand and start to disintegrate almost immediately, pulling nails and walls apart as they grow.

2. New types of Materials: Asphalt Roofing Tiles

Many of the materials being used are often imported and fairly new technologies for workers in Southern Chile. For example, across Chile the old tin roofs are being replaced with asphalt tile roofs on many newer buildings. However, if you look closely under the tile you often find no tar paper or plastic home wrap being used in the place of tar and tar paper as a base. We also have seen a display at a SODIMAC Home Center that advocated this way of using asphalt roofing tiles. Done this way, the nail holes go unsealed and the life of the roof and the structure overall can be cut in half by the moisture.

Some Solutions to Building Material Problems in Chile:

Our recommendation is to buy the wood early in a building project and store it for a few months, while other tasks are being done such as putting in roads, getting permits, installing power lines, and so on. If you have the time and the storage space, it may save you as much as 30-60% on the price of lumber to buy it green and store it until you are ready to build. Machine dried wood is hard to find and far more expensive in Chile. It does exist. Most drying is done by simply stacking and storing lumber once it is cut. Why pay for the storage, if you have the space?

Metal hangers are also prevalent, but rarely used in Chile. Spend a little extra money on galvanized hangers and perhaps screws. This will allow things to shrink a bit and still stay solid. It should also add a bit of earth quake proofing to the structure, allowing things to bend and twist rather than have nails pull out under stress or even the normal settling of a building that comes with age.

One tactic we have seen used with great success are wood interior designs that go for the ruff cut rustic look intentionally. The strategy being, if you can not beat them join them; at least to a small extent. Things like beams, railings, stairs, window frames, etc, are left ruff cut and exposed, thus if they are not quite even it simply adds to the look of the house and ambiance of the building. As long as the house is ultimately structurally sound, this should work and is one of our favorite looks in houses and buildings in Southern Chile. There also might be some cost advantage to using ruff cut lumber, over the dimensioned and sanded lumber. Even the best dimensioned wood will deviate from the standard after being cut and sanded.

A quick word or two about concrete, workers, and Chile. There is a tradition of mixing small batches of concrete on things like sidewalks and floors. Make sure your workers do not do this because the remains will bond with the sidewalk or floor leaving an uneven surface that is nearly impossible to fix. Also make sure that the proper ratios of rock, sand, and Portland cement is being used. While you are at it, make sure they do not skimp on the the metal rebar that gives concrete walls and slabs their strength.

Sometimes the simplest choices can add a lot of strength, and compensate for some of the errors in construction that happen anywhere in the World. In Chile, we would say double your efforts. Some of the errors may not be known for years. Assume they are going to be made, and make choices early that will help mitigate the damage if they occur. At the very least, you should have a better building in the end. Most building materials are very cheap in Chile. So, there is an upside.

Next time we will look at the second complaint of our construction managers: Labor. How do deal with workers and labor management in construction when building a house in Chile?

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