Is Canggu still worth building in, or is it finished?

It is still the highest occupancy area on the island and the easiest place to build. What has changed is that it has become more residential, and that the land price now rules out large plots for most budgets. Neither of those makes it a bad place to build. They make it a specific one.

How much is land in Canggu?

Above 40 million rupiah per are per year on a leasehold basis, which puts it at the top of the range alongside Pererenan. Position moves that a long way. A plot three hundred metres closer to the beach can cost double one three hundred metres further back.

Do you need to be in Bali while the villa is built?

No. Most of our clients are not. You get photographs and video from site every week, and the same people who run the build are the ones who answer the phone, whether you are in Canggu or ten thousand miles away.

Where we build

Building a villa in Canggu.

The area we work in most, and the one where a build has the fewest surprises in it.

Villa construction work in progress in Canggu, Bali.

Canggu is the most straightforward place in Bali to build. Suppliers are close, the trades know the work, access is rarely the problem, and the banjars have been living alongside construction for decades, so nothing about a villa build is new to them. For Fidé it is standard work.

Leasehold land runs above 40 million rupiah per are per year, which makes it among the most expensive on the island. The practical consequence is that Canggu suits a smaller, well finished villa rather than a large plot, and buyers who want space for the same money look to Seseh or Cemagi.

What the build is actually like

There are no hills, mountains or swamps to design around. Ground conditions are ordinary, trucks can generally get where they need to, and the material suppliers are minutes away rather than hours. When something is missing on a Tuesday it arrives on a Tuesday.

The banjar relationship is well established. Canggu has been dealing with tourism and construction for years, so the customary community process around a build is understood on both sides and rarely holds anything up.

The one thing worth checking before you commit is the gang. Access lanes in Canggu can be narrow, and a plot that looks fine on a map can be awkward for a concrete truck. We measure gang width as part of the site survey, before anyone signs anything, because it is cheaper to find out then.

Ground conditions: Ordinary. Nothing to design around
Suppliers: Minutes away
Truck access: Usually fine, gang width worth checking
Banjar: Decades of experience with construction

What land costs in Canggu

Above 40 million per are

Leasehold, quoted per are per year, which is how land is priced in Bali. Treat it as a starting point and nothing more. Three hundred metres closer to the beach can double the price of a plot, so five minutes here moves the number more than ten kilometres would somewhere else.

Who buys in Canggu, and why

Occupancy. Canggu is the most developed part of the island and the place that has absorbed the most demand over the last few years, so a villa here fills more nights than one further out. Buyers who want the numbers to work quickly tend to start here.

It is also the easiest place to own from abroad, because everything a villa needs is already close by, from a plumber at short notice to a guest who can find the front gate.

What has changed recently

Canggu has become slightly quieter and more residential over the last two years, as the newest arrivals have pushed into Pererenan, Seseh and Uluwatu.

That is not a decline. It has made Canggu a more comfortable place to live in rather than only a place to rent out.

Who Canggu is not for

Canggu is the wrong answer for some people, and it is cheaper to hear that now.

If your budget is built around a large plot, Canggu will not give you one. The land price is the constraint, not the build cost.
If you want quiet, this is not the area. It is the busiest part of the island and it is not getting less busy.
If you are buying purely for the Bali of the photographs, the rice fields and the volcano views, you are describing Karangasem or Sidemen, not Canggu.

Questions we get asked about Canggu

Is Canggu still worth building in, or is it finished?: It is still the highest occupancy area on the island and the easiest place to build. What has changed is that it has become more residential, and that the land price now rules out large plots for most budgets. Neither of those makes it a bad place to build. They make it a specific one.
How much is land in Canggu?: Above 40 million rupiah per are per year on a leasehold basis, which puts it at the top of the range alongside Pererenan. Position moves that a long way. A plot three hundred metres closer to the beach can cost double one three hundred metres further back.
Do you need to be in Bali while the villa is built?: No. Most of our clients are not. You get photographs and video from site every week, and the same people who run the build are the ones who answer the phone, whether you are in Canggu or ten thousand miles away.

What we do here

Other areas we build in