SEED Homes LatAm Complete SEED Reference Guide
You do not need to read this from beginning to end. Go straight to the question you are trying to answer: your land, cost, building method, permits, payments, remote management or what can go wrong.
Your first consultation with SEED is free.
There is no obligation, and finished plans are not required. You can show us your property, plans, sketches, photos and ideas; ask questions; discuss what you want to build, likely budget and building options; and decide whether SEED and the project seem like a sensible fit.
What do you want to know?
1. Property & land
Because your land can change the design, the building method and the real project cost. Understanding it early is one of the best ways to prevent expensive surprises later.
If you already own land, send us the location, photographs, videos, any survey you have and a rough idea of where you think the home should sit. If you are still looking for land, we can also discuss the property before you commit to buying it.
We look at access, slope, drainage, views, sun, wind, utilities, water, septic needs, existing structures and the practical route that trucks, materials or larger structural sections would need to use.
A flat, easy-access property with services close by is a very different project from a steep site with retaining, difficult truck access and long utility runs. The same 100 m² home can therefore have a very different total project cost on two different pieces of land.
Panama receives heavy seasonal rain. We want to understand where water already moves across the site before the house, roof, driveway or retaining walls change those drainage patterns. Finished floor height, roof-water discharge, retaining-wall drainage and safe runoff paths all matter.
Slope can give you excellent views and airflow, but it may also affect excavation, foundations, retaining walls, finished floor heights and access. Sometimes moving the home only a short distance can simplify the work significantly.
If the property already has a slab, foundation, roof structure, retaining wall, driveway, container or utility connection, show it to us. Existing work can sometimes help, but it needs to be checked before the new home is designed around it.
2. Experience behind SEED
The experience behind SEED is broader than one type of house or one construction method.
James Bradley has more than 20 years of construction and related industry experience in Canada, followed by more than 12 years of hands-on work on homes in Panama.
In Panama, James and his team have worked on homes ranging from kitchens and interiors to major renovations involving extensive demolition, substantial rebuilding and complete changes to the way a house works.
That experience includes cabinetry, kitchens, bathrooms, finishes, sourcing, installation, local trades, coordination and the practical issues that appear when different parts of a home have to work together.
Pan Pacific Interiors and SEED Homes LatAm are closely related businesses in the same business family, with shared leadership and complementary experience. For a SEED client, the benefit is practical: kitchens, bathrooms, cabinetry, finishes and construction decisions can be considered together instead of being treated as unrelated jobs at the end.
3. How your home can be built
There is no automatic answer. SEED is not tied to one construction system, so we choose the approach after we understand your home and your property.
Part of the main structure is prepared in a controlled factory environment, transported to Panama and completed locally. This can improve control and reduce some weather exposure when the design and access suit it.
Some parts are factory-prepared and other parts are built locally. This can be useful when only part of the home is well suited to factory preparation or when site conditions favour a mixed approach.
The home is built mainly on site in Panama. This can make more sense on steep land, difficult-access properties, highly customized homes or projects where local construction is simply the better fit.
Factory preparation is not automatically cheaper or faster. Local construction is not automatically better. Access, transport, slope, design complexity, local labour, shipping, crane requirements and the way the home is finished can all change the answer.
The important question is not “Which system do you sell?” It is “Which approach makes the most sense for this property and this home?”
4. Designing your home
No. Your home can start from a SEED concept, your own plan, a sketch, a house plan you found online or a blank page.
Current SEED concepts are starting points that can help you think about size, layout and style. They are not fixed catalogue products and they are not the only homes we can build.
We work with you to think about how the home will actually be used: bedrooms and bathrooms, kitchen size, covered outdoor living, storage, workshop or hobby space, guest use, rental use, views, privacy, airflow, sun, rain and how you expect to move through the home every day.
The best design is not always the largest one. Position, orientation, covered outdoor areas and a layout that uses space well can often make a home feel more comfortable without adding unnecessary square metres.
For most SEED homes, we develop the design with you and then coordinate the licensed professionals needed for permits, plans and technical paperwork. If a particularly complicated project needs specialist architectural work beyond the normal package, we discuss that with you before the extra work begins.
5. What your home may cost
Current early planning allowance
US$1,615 / m²
≈ US$150 / ft²
For an average finished custom home under normal conditions.
A simple 100 m² planning example is approximately US$161,500. That is a useful starting point, not a fixed quotation.
Site conditions, access, slope, retaining, foundations, drainage, utilities, size, complexity, kitchens, bathrooms, finishes, premium upgrades, transport, specialist work, pools and landscaping can all change the total project cost.
For a straightforward project, the normal finished-home allowance can include the main house construction, normal foundations, roofing, windows and doors, plumbing, electrical work, flooring, bathrooms, kitchen cabinetry, finishes, a practical basic local appliance package, normal residential engineering, project management, trade coordination, quality checks and handover.
Driveways, fencing, furniture, window coverings, security systems, internet infrastructure, pools and landscaping are normally separate unless they are specifically included and priced for your project. Unusual site work, specialist engineering or specialist architectural work can also be extra when required.
Do not compare only the final totals. Check whether the floor area is measured the same way, whether patios and terraces are included in the area, whether the specification is comparable, and whether foundations, kitchens, cabinetry, appliances, septic, engineering, permits, project management, site work and logistics are treated the same way.
A lower quotation can be genuinely better value. Or it can simply contain less work. You need to know which one you are looking at.
Shipping, import and customs costs are handled in the quotation where they apply, because they can vary depending on what is being brought into Panama and how it is transported.
The most useful cost question is not only “What is your price per square metre?” Also ask: “What exactly am I getting for that price, what does my property add, what is not included and what could still change?”
6. Project Development & Site Assessment
Current fee
US$1,500 + ITBMS
If you proceed with SEED for construction, the US$1,500 base fee is credited toward your construction price. ITBMS is not credited.
You do not pay US$1,500 simply to speak with us. The free consultation comes first, with no obligation and no requirement for finished plans.
Project Development & Site Assessment only starts when you decide you want SEED to begin detailed work on your actual project. If the project looks suitable and you choose to move forward, the current fee is US$1,500 + ITBMS.
This is where we stop talking in general terms and begin applying the real questions to your project: the property, access, terrain, slope, drainage, utilities, home position, layout, building method, normal engineering needs, interiors and developing cost.
The work can include site review and visits, preliminary home and site planning, kitchen and bathroom planning, cabinetry and built-ins, storage, finish and material discussions, lighting and fixture planning, infrastructure review, normal engineering coordination and preliminary costing. The goal is to develop the project far enough that a proper construction quotation can be prepared around what you are actually intending to build.
This is detailed working development, not merely a rough sketch. Before authority submission, the project should be becoming clear enough to understand the important layout, interior, service, specification and cost relationships that affect the finished home.
Not every property needs the same amount of specialist work. A straightforward site may need only normal residential engineering. A difficult slope, unusual soil condition, major retaining requirement or unusual structure may need geotechnical, geological or other specialist investigation. We identify and discuss that before additional specialist work begins.
The purpose is simple: before you make the much larger construction commitment, you should have a much clearer idea of what you are building, how it will work on your property and what it is likely to cost.
7. Permits & the building process
Send whatever you already have: location, photos, videos, plans, sketches, room requirements, questions and approximate budget.
No obligation. We discuss what you want, likely budget, building options and whether SEED and the project seem like a sensible fit.
Only if you want detailed work on your actual project, Project Development begins at US$1,500 + ITBMS.
The site needs, design, building method, engineering, inclusions and likely cost become much clearer.
Before construction begins, you know what the quotation includes, the main specifications, payment stages and responsibilities.
SEED coordinates the agreed work through construction, finishing, final checks and handover.
SEED normally develops the home design with you and coordinates the licensed professionals needed for plans, permits and technical paperwork. Normal engineering required for a straightforward residential project is part of what we normally include.
Permit and approval timing varies by project, location and authority. A useful current planning estimate is often around two to four months. It is an estimate rather than a fixed promise because the timing is not controlled by SEED alone.
The overall construction time depends on the property, home design, permit process, building method and the amount of site work. We can give you a more useful schedule once those details are known.
8. Construction payments
Payments follow the way the project is actually being built.
For factory-prepared projects, the current normal payment structure is 50% / 20% / 20% / 10%, tied to major project stages and subject to the final construction agreement.
| Stage | Typical payment | What is happening |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 50% | Construction agreement signed and manufacturing begins. |
| 2 | 20% | Factory work is substantially complete and the project is being prepared for shipment. |
| 3 | 20% | The factory-prepared work has reached Panama and installation/local completion is moving forward. |
| 4 | 10% | Substantial completion, final walkthrough and handover stage. |
For a US$150,000 example, that would be US$75,000, US$30,000, US$30,000 and US$15,000.
Mainly local projects do not use one universal percentage schedule. Payments are staged against the construction milestones that make sense for that particular home and building method.
If you are paying from overseas, allow time for transfer limits, bank cut-off times, intermediary banks, currency conversion and any documentation your bank may require.
9. Building while overseas
Yes. Many important decisions can be handled through video meetings, WhatsApp, email, shared plans, photographs and video from the site.
You still make the decisions that matter to you: layout, finishes, important selections, budget changes and approvals. The difference is that you are not personally trying to chase every contractor, supplier, engineer and delivery from another country.
The more important decisions we can settle before construction begins, the smoother remote project management becomes. Late changes are harder to manage from anywhere, and they can affect both time and cost.
During construction, SEED coordinates the work we have agreed to manage and keeps you informed as the project moves through its major stages.
10. Problems to avoid
Many expensive problems begin as small decisions made too early, too late or without understanding what else they affect.
A design can create unnecessary retaining, excavation, drainage or access problems if the site is treated as an afterthought.
A lower number can exclude work that appears later. Compare what is included, finishes, site assumptions, engineering, permits and exclusions.
Panama rain can turn a small design mistake into recurring damp, staining, mold or erosion problems.
Heat, humidity, insects, heavy rain and strong sun can punish materials that perform well in a different environment.
Late layout, finish or service changes can mean rework, new materials, delays and extra cost.
Factory preparation can be useful, but transport, access, shipping, crane needs and local completion still matter.
Kitchens, bathrooms, cabinetry, appliances, lighting and services affect the design long before the finishing stage.
When designers, builders, trades and suppliers are disconnected, important details can fall between them — and the client can become the project manager by accident.
11. Is SEED the right fit?
12. Common questions
No. You can speak with us while you are still looking for land, and a conversation before purchase can sometimes help identify access, slope, utility or building issues early.
No. You can start with plans, a sketch, photographs, a SEED concept or simply a description of the home you want.
No. Depending on the property and project, a home may use a factory-prepared structural core, a hybrid approach or mainly local/on-site construction.
SEED will consider projects anywhere in Panama. Location, access, logistics and whether the project is a sensible fit are reviewed case by case.
For early planning, we currently use approximately US$1,615 per m², or about US$150 per ft², for an average finished custom home under normal conditions.
Your first consultation is free. Project Development & Site Assessment begins only if you choose detailed work on your actual project, and is normally US$1,500 + ITBMS. The US$1,500 base fee is credited toward construction if you proceed with SEED; ITBMS is not credited.
A useful current planning estimate is often around two to four months, although timing varies by project, location and authority.
A practical basic local appliance package is part of the normal finished-home allowance for a straightforward project. Premium or upgraded appliances can be handled separately.
They are normally separate from the standard home allowance, but they can be designed, included and priced if you want them as part of the project.
Yes. We can work through video meetings, WhatsApp, email, plans, photos and video while SEED coordinates the work we have agreed to manage in Panama.
The warranties that apply to your home are set out in your construction documents. Different parts of the home may have different builder, manufacturer or supplier warranties.
Often, yes. The concepts are starting points rather than fixed catalogue products. How much can change depends on the design, structure, building method, engineering, site and cost.
13. What happens next?
Start with the information you already have: the property location, photographs, videos, plans, sketches, room requirements, approximate size, realistic budget range and the questions you already have.
Start with a free consultation. We can then help you identify the next useful question to answer before any paid project-development work begins.