The Dominican Republic is a coastal corrosion market first
The single most expensive mistake we see on Dominican projects is choosing the metal by price instead of by exposure. Salt air is relentless. On one coastal DR project roofed in inexpensive steel near the water, the roof rusted through in roughly five years. Coastal grade aluminum on the same building would have cost about 25 percent more up front and delivered a roof measured in decades, on the order of 30 years.
That decision has to be made at the design phase, not at procurement. Once a specification is written around a cheaper substrate, the corrosion path is already set. We work with the design team early so the metal matches the site.
Near salt water, choose the metal at design phase. Coastal grade pays for itself many times over.
Systems we specify for DR projects
The DR skews heavily toward hotels, resorts, commercial buildings, and high end residential, and those building types point to two workhorses.
- FiberTite single ply membrane for low slope commercial roofs. This is the system we lead with on hotels, resorts, and larger commercial buildings where the roof is flat or nearly flat.
- Standing seam aluminum for sloped and coastal work. Aluminum is the default answer near salt water because it does not carry the corrosion risk that steel does in that environment.
Around these we supply the full assembly: fasteners, flashing, coatings, and accessories matched to the primary system so the specification holds together as one package rather than a mix of incompatible parts.
Built and tested to a recognized benchmark
The products we distribute have passed Miami Dade product approval testing. Miami Dade is one of the more demanding product approval programs in the region, so it serves as a useful benchmark for how a material behaves under wind and weather. It is a benchmark, not a Dominican Republic requirement. Your project still answers to Dominican provisions and to the local authority having jurisdiction.
Understand DR wind and building provisions
The Dominican Republic has developed its own wind and building provisions over time, shaped in part by the damage past hurricanes caused to local structures. These provisions are not identical to those used on other Caribbean islands, so a specification carried over from another market may not fit.
We keep this general on purpose. Wind zoning, load values, and approval steps are set by Dominican authorities and can change, so the design team should confirm current requirements with the local authority having jurisdiction for the specific site. What we bring is the material side: helping you select systems that are a sensible fit for a high wind, high exposure coastal environment.
Logistics from Florida to your DR jobsite
Getting the right product to the island is its own project, and we handle the hard part. We coordinate the logistics through the Florida port and arrange the sailing. Ocean freight is billed to you, and we set up that side so it runs cleanly. From there the material moves to the DR, clears customs, and lands at your site. You just pay the final bill.
- Plan for transit plus customs. Ocean freight to the DR takes time, and Dominican customs clearance is a separate step on top of transit. Build both into the project timeline rather than the delivery date alone.
- Order to the milestone, not the day. Because there are more moving parts than a domestic delivery, we like to work backward from your dry in or roofing milestone and place orders with margin.
Servicio en espanol disponible
We work with Dominican architects and contractors in Spanish. Specifications, product questions, and coordination can all happen in the language your team works in, which keeps details from getting lost between the design table and the jobsite.
Work with NTC on your DR project
Whether you are specifying a resort roof on the north coast or a commercial building in Santo Domingo, the earlier we are in the conversation, the more value we add, because the metal and membrane decisions that matter most happen at design.