Frequently Asked Questions

For Teak Bali hardwood home projects, we use 2 types of woods for our Post & Beam Structures, Merbau & Bangkirai. Both these hardwoods are known for their strength and durability. We also use Merbau and Bangkirai for our Hardwood, Doors & Windows and Flooring/Decking/Siding. We can also offer Teak for furniture and flooring. All 3 of these wood types are renowned for their termite and water resistance characteristics. For more detail on our hardwoods, please click here: Teak Bali Hardwoods

Most building departments/code councils around the world follow the UBC (Universal Building Codes) which allows for use of “non-conventional building materials” for construction. Teak Bali hardwoods fall under this category. Teak Bali has been given express permission by the Building Division of Oahu and Hawaii (Big Island) counties in the USA for use of these two hardwoods. Kauai and Maui counties also allow their use. Applications for residential building permits will need to be stamped and signed by a Hawaii licensed architect and structural engineer. Usage of these 2 durable hardwoods as construction materials are allowable by most jurisdictions in the Caribbean as well.

No, termites cannot touch Merbau & Bangkirai hardwoods. Please reference the linked study done by the University of Hawaii which states that “Bangkirai and Merbau proved to be extremely deterrent to termites, with performance comparable to preservative-treated wood”:  Download Study here

All Tropical Hardwoods come from trees in the forest. Indonesia adopted the SVLK (Sistem Verificasi Legalitas Kayu) assurance plan as instituted by various members of the EU. This bilateral agreement is a Timber Legality Assurance System (TLAS) which includes the issuance of a V-Legal Document for any designated wooden export consignment. This plan has been implemented in Indonesia as of Jan 2015. PT Teak Bali is an SVLK licensed company with Sucofindo Indonesia. All our export shipments will include a Sucofindo issued V-Legal certificate as part of the export document set. All Teak Bali Hardwoods are purchased from legally licensed SVLK timber concessions and Teak Bali is audited biannually by Sucofindo. Please reference our Blog discussion for more detail on this subject.

PT Teak Bali has introduced a “2 for 1 Reforestation initiative” where we plant twice the equivalent number of trees used during construction. When you purchase a TEAK BALI Sustainable Prefab Home, we also provide you with Merbau hardwood seedlings so you can witness sustainability right in your own back yard. By offering this to our clients, Teak Bali and all involved parties are participating in the environmental sustainability initiative. This is an intentional way to directly contribute back to the planet. Please reference our Sustainability Page for more detail on this topic

All sensitive elements are kiln dried to 12 Mc to prevent movement after final assembly. This would include Doors & Windows as well as Flooring/Decking/Siding. Hardwood beams are too thick to achieve any benefit from being dried.

All Teak Bali structures are designed to comply with Hawaii County or Miami Dade County building Codes with strict consideration for protection against hurricane force winds. Our Structural engineer understands the wind load requirements for Hawaii and the Caribbean. Teak Bali manufacturing protocols and best practice systems include use of only “A” quality kiln dried Merbau and Bangkirai Hardwoods, oversize double-bearer floor structures, stud wall construction with tight stud placement and tempered and laminated safety glass. Teak Bali utilizes the Post & Beam building method which is also advantageous in protecting against hurricane force winds. Please reference our Teak Bali Hurricane Resistant page for more detail.

If you want to maintain the natural wood color, an oil-based finish should be applied to the exterior every 2 to 3 years depending on the amount of exposure to sun and rain. This is not required if you prefer to let the hardwoods age and gray naturally. The interiors need to be refinished every 10 to 20 years.

Teak Bali warranties its houses for 3 years against defects in raw materials.

Teak Bali utilizes the post and beam building method which offers the following benefits:

• Structural Benefits: When properly engineered, the Post and Beam system lends itself well to enduring seismic activity. The strength and integrity of post and beam structures when combined with modern engineering systems are durable against hurricane force winds, heavy snow accumulations and even earthquakes making Post & Beam one of the most durable building methods available.
• Large open living spaces:The use of large hardwood timbers with the Post and Beam construction means fewer support posts required thus creating dramatically open interior spaces. Homes utilizing the Post and Beam construction method lend themselves to open, spacious floor plans because the timber frames are strong enough to avoid the use of interior load-bearing walls.
• Aesthetics:Post and beam construction is pleasing on the eye because our attractive hardwoods are exposed on both the interior and exterior of the home.
• Energy efficiency:Timber frames with SIPs (structural insulated panels) are energy efficient in all climates. A structural insulated panel enclosure system creates a thermal envelope around the timber frame, keeping your home warm in the dead of winter and cool in the hot summer months.
• Building time: Post and beam structures can be erected rapidly. This building method lends itself to prefabrication, modular construction, and mass production.
• Fire Resistance: Some building codes classify building materials into five different categories based on combustibility or fire resistance capability. Post and beam construction materials are classified as Type IV and the construction method is known for delaying the spread of exterior fires into the interior. Combined with the heavy sap content of our hardwoods, our structures are truly fire resistant.

Please reference our Fabrication Protocols Page to see images of the Post and Beam building method.

Our interior and perimeter walls are comprised of traditional stud framing. This is where local contractors can run the plumbing and electric. Our houses, by default come with double skin Hardwood siding wall finish (Or cladding) on both the inside and the outside of the wall structures.

We normally offer Hardwood siding finish for both the interior and exterior walls of our structures. Some Teak Bali clients prefer to lighten up the interior of the house by using Gypsum or sheetrock instead of a hardwood skin. This can also yield cost savings.

Depending on the size of the structure and the complexity of the design, it normally takes us between 10-16 weeks from the time of initial deposit until the house is packed into a container ready for shipping. This time estimate assumes our production schedule is open and we are not working on other Teak Bali Hardwood projects.

Teak Bali supplies a complete set of assembly documentation and photos to support the re-assembler in finishing our structures to stringent Teak Bali standards. Teak Bali has created an intuitive coding system so each element of the house can easily be identified. Our re-assembly systems and documentation includes:

• Document Legend
• Coding Legend
• Primary Packing list (Sorted by code)
• Secondary Packing list (Sorted by element category such as Posts, Floor Bearers, Wall units etc)
• 2D assembly drawings detailing placement of all coded elements.
• 3D assembly renderings
• A complete set of assembly photos documenting each stage of the pre-assembly process in Indonesia.
• Assembly notes with comprehensive join details.
• Various schedules for Bolts, Ceiling underlay, Sub-ply, Door/Windows etc.

Teak Bali can furnish upon request a lead carpenter and helpers to assist your local builder to re-assemble. We also recommend you send your local re-assembler to Bali during the completion phase of the Pre-assembly process so we can school him in our re-assembly systems and so he can witness the standing skeleton of the Hardwood structure. Either way, Teak Bali is totally committed to taking you through every step of the building process starting with design concept on through to completed final assembly and permitting from your local building department or planning council.

If you are in a remote location with no building materials or a undeveloped building infrastructure, Teak Bali can supply everything you need. In all other cases, it is more cost effective to source certain items locally. Please reference our Inclusions File to see what is included/excluded with our kit sets. We can tailor this itemization according to your explicit project requirements determining what is sourced in the country of destination depending on what is more cost effective.

Yes, depending on your countries import laws Teak Bali can offer either Iron wood (Ulin) shingles or Thatched Grass (Alang Alang). From our experience, we have found it is normally more economical to source the roof finish and plywood underlay in the country of destination. This is because the roof takes up a large amount of space in the containers when shipping.

Building Departments in most countries adhere to typical Universal Building Code (UBC) regulations with the requirement that MEP work needs to be completed by locally licensed sub-contractors. In these situations, the plumbing and electrical requirements must come under the jurisdiction of the Re-Assembly team in the country of destination.

Yes, it is possible to purchase secondary hardwood items from Teak Bali such as:

• Hardwood Flooring/Decking/Siding
• Hardwood Doors & Windows
• Hardwood Gazebos & Pavilions
• Teak Kitchen Cabinetry
• Teak Furniture

Please reference the Hardwood Elements page and sub-pages on the Teak Bali Website.

It is cheaper per ft2/m2 to build on a larger footprint. However, the ft2/m2 prices depend on the actual complexity of the design, number of interior walls and complexity of the foundation elements. Even though ft2/m2 pricings are used to estimate the general costs of most projects, the actual fabrication costs are determined by the amount of raw materials and labor required. For example, a 2,500 ft2/250 m2 structure with no interior walls will price lower per ft2/m2 than the same structure with an extensive interior wall plan. Also, decks are cheaper per ft2/m2 then interior spaces so there are a lot of variables involved that can alter the general ft2/m2 prices of any structure. For more detail on our overall pricing ranges, please reference our Pricing Parameters PDF file.

Our Hawaii pricings are based on Hawaii County (Big Island) building codes which safeguard against wind speeds of 125 -140 mph. Our Caribbean based pricing is based on Miami Dade building codes which safeguard against wind speeds up to 175 mph. These wind speeds refer to the lateral loads the buildings must withstand. Higher wind speeds require larger member sizes and tighter stud placement to accommodate. Most counties in the Caribbean adhere to Miami Dade Code standards while other locations on the planet are more lenient. Our structural engineer can review plans on a case by case basis. For more detail on our overall pricing ranges, please reference our Pricing Parameters PDF file.

Teak Bali does not offer our clients financing options. As the Teak Bali production facility is based in Indonesia, Overseas Banks are unable to offer constructions loans on our pre-assemblies. The US, Australian and European banking systems currently have no facilities to bond overseas production facilities. Therefore, all Teak Bali clients are encouraged to seek private financing options or other income sources to fund their projects. Teak Bali does not engage in Letter of Credit payment arrangements.

You will require a locally licensed architect who is familiar with the building codes, building standards and submittal procedures of your local municipality. Teak Bali’s Indonesian based architectural team can liaise directly with your local architect of record so Teak Bali can design the structure in a way that will fully comply with the building/planning/council codes of your local municipality. It is out of scope for Teak Bali to determine foundation elements and all other civil works in the country of destination. Your local architect will be required to evaluate the ground composition of your building plot etc. Teak Bali will supply detailed CAD files of the structural entity. Your architect of record will then need to overlay the final MEP details regarding foundation, septic, plumbing and electric.

Yes, Teak Bali’s talented design team can work with you to create a custom designed hardwood home that fulfills your specific needs and vision. Although Teak Bali displays a line of models/designs on our website (Which can be customized and adapted to your specific needs), most of our projects are by custom design. Teak Bali has strong online design capabilities and with the use of Zoom, Sketchup, Google Drive and Adobe Acrobat, we can realize the entire design process without ever meeting our clients face to face. We work of off comprehensive client input including verbal descriptions of your ideas and vision, photographs of your land, Topo plans of the terrain and a clear explanation of the geo-physical properties of the environs including sun movement, wind flows etc. Teak Bali will design your Custom Hardwood Home to exist harmoniously within the natural eco-system of your natural environment. Many of our design clients have commented how our tropical home design process is quite enjoyable and engaging.

If you already have an existing design drawn up by your personal designer or architect, Teak Bali can adapt the existing plans to our Hardwood structural protocols. Some clients who have engaged their own design team prefer to go this route.

Our design fees are priced at $100 an hour. A typical medium size single-story structure will take between 40-70 hours to complete depending on how much back and forth our clients require.

Yes, it is possible to purchase one of the existing Teak Bali model designs for a $3,500 fee including CAD files, Sketchup 3D renderings as well as material takeoffs.

Teak Bali handles all the logistics in terms of exporting the containers out of Indonesia. Our cargo agent searches out the most competitive rates from Indonesia to the country of destination. We pack and stuff the containers, obtain the proper licenses and handle moving the shipment from our Surabaya warehouse to the local port in preparation for international departure. You, as the customer are responsible for contracting a local import broker in the country of destination to handle legally importing the shipment into your home country. The customer is responsible for paying any import taxes/duties levied by your local customs agency. Depending on the country of destination, shipping times will range between 3 – 8 weeks from Indonesia to your location. Please reference our Project Life Cycle document to get a clearer picture.

A 20-foot container is the minimum container size we use to ship out from Indonesia. Therefore when ordering single/smaller items that will not fill a whole container (Such as a single Gazebo or items of furniture), the shipping can work out to be expensive sending these items by themselves without filling up a full 20 foot container.

Each countries customs agency has its own rules regarding the importation of various commodities. For Instance, US Customs does not charge an import fee on the Hardwood commodity for Wooden House or Hardwood Flooring/Decking/Siding or Hardwood Doors & Windows. But Costa Rica levies a 30% duty on the import of Wooden Houses. So you will need to consult a Customs Broker in the country of destination to see if there is a duty levied on the Hardwood House Commodity.