Construction Starter Guide

The shortest possible version of the whole build, using the Kreol and French words you will hear on site. Terms in italics are what the mason will say — look anything up in Glossary.

For what to inspect at each stage before it gets covered up, and why it matters, see The Construction Phases.

1. Planning & Design

• Hire an architect or draughtsman (arzitek / desiner plan) to make the plans — see Architect.
• Submit plans to District Council or Municipal Council (Lotorite lokal) for approval.
• Get your building permit (permis konstriksyon) — see Building and Land Use Permit (BLP).
• Plan your budget (bidze) and timeline (delai travay) — see Financing Your House.
• Finalise your contract (kontra) with the contractor in writing — see Choosing a Contractor.

2. Foundations (fondasion)

• Clear the land (netway teren) and set out the building layout with pegs and string (mark teren).
• Dig trenches (fou trens) for foundations.
• Place steel reinforcement (féraille / fer a beton) in trenches.
• Build lassize (baz beton) to tie walls and keep them above soil level.
• Backfill trenches around walls with plum (gros ros) and crusher run (melanz ros ek pousier), compact well.
• Fill inside the building footprint with rocksand (sable ros) or crusher run, compact well.
• Pour radier (dal beton anba) for the ground floor.

3. Structure (gros travay / struktir)

• Cast columns (kolonn) and beams (poutre).
• Build walls (fer miray) with hollow concrete blocks (blok beton – 150 mm or 200 mm thick).
• Install lintels (linteau) above doors and windows.
• Continue columns up to roof level.

4. Roofing (toit)

• For a concrete roof: Install formwork (coffrage), reinforcement, and pour roof slab (dalle) (dal beton).
• For a metal/tile roof: Build roof frame (charpente) and install roofing sheets (tôle) or tiles (tole kare).
• Apply waterproofing membrane (membran etanche) if using a flat concrete roof.

5. Electrical & Plumbing (lekterik ek plonbri)

• Install electrical conduits (gaine lekterik) and switch/socket boxes (bwaz elektrik) in walls — see CEB — Electricity.
• Install water pipes (tuyau delo), drainage pipes (tuyau egou), and bathroom/kitchen fitting points — see CWA — Water.
• Build septic tank (fos septik) — only if you are not connecting to the sewer, see WMA — Wastewater.
• Build absorption pit (fos absorbsyon) for waste water.
• Test plumbing for leaks before closing walls.

6. Plastering & Screeding (finisyon bazik)

• Cover walls with plaster (enduit / l'enduie) for a smooth finish.
• Level floors with screed (chape).
• Allow proper curing time (les seki sek byen) for plaster and screed.

7. Flooring, Painting & Finishing (finisyon final)

• Install tiles (carrelage) (karelo) or other flooring.
• Apply primer (sous-kouch) and paint (pentir).
• Fit windows (lafnet), doors (laport), kitchen, and bathroom fixtures.
• Do final touch-ups (bricole).

Finishing the build is not the last step: you still need a compliance certificate and then an occupation certificate before you move in. See After Completion.