Do you have faith in your home builder? I used to, I thought he was good and honest! Many home lot owners in Costa Rica, once they are ready to start building, do all the wrong things. That is mostly for lack of experience. Most of us only build one house in a lifetime, or…
Are Costa Rica homes earthquake-proof? Should you be afraid the house will fall down on you during an earthquake? It was September 5th, 2012 and a 7.6 on Richter hit us. That earthquake was now almost 3 years ago and has been on the news worldwide. A 7.6 on Richter doesn’t happen very often. This…
“What are the Local Construction Standards?” is an often asked question by expats who are considering buying a house in Costa Rica. Are the construction standards for building materials and installation methods that Ticos are accustomed to the same as yours? If you have not spent much time in Costa Rica, you may not initially…
Estimated Reading Time: 4 Minutes The increasing demand for secure and, budget-friendly housing units has led many people to turn towards portable buildings. It is totally a new concept in the construction industry. Manufacturers can build these structures in a closed unit and can deliver them to customers in the form of a modular building.…
Not allowed to flush the paper down the toilet? How is that? Once in a while, people who visit me in my office, ask if they can use the restroom. Some, who have been staying in an older hotel or Bed & Breakfast or live in a rural location, open the door of my restroom,…
Estimated Reading Time: 4 Minutes A water certification is needed for building permits and our building lot is serviced by the local Asada. My wife, Katya, and I speak some Spanish (though probably not enough). Still, we thought we knew the word “asada.” It meant “roasted” and frequently modified “carne” or, in a masculine form,…
Estimated Reading Time: 7 Minutes Why must MacGyvering be used in Costa Rica quite often? In this blog, I’d like to recount an experience I had recently that is indicative of the way you’ll find product availability in this country. Learn more about MacGyver in Costa Rica now. My story is about buying lumber. It…
Estimated Reading Time: 6 Minutes So, we’ve completed 98% of our home improvement project. Friends say that this is the Tico way of finishing things. Honestly, I think it happens everywhere. But allow me to tell you all about it, so you can learn from my mistakes. We have finished the business with my contractor…
Estimated Reading Time: 8 Minutes I’m sure you now want to learn more about the remodeled result of our home. We went through a long and detailed process, but we’re all happy with the remodeled result. We bought our new property in Costa Rica at a price that allowed us to afford all of the…
I told you last week that we had to move into our home under construction in Costa Rica. It didn’t matter that the contractor was still working on the reconstruction job. Unfortunately, less than 48 hours after we moved into our new home, we were on a flight back to the States. It was a…
Our house is under reconstruction and it’s moving day! This is the first time in our lives that we move into a home that’s still under reconstruction. I’m not trying to use my blog as a pulpit. So, I’ll try my best not to get too preachy here. But I’ve been meaning to say this…
After the remodeling contract was signed between us and the contractor and House Hunters International Renovations in the rear-view mirror, it was time to get started. We had many plans and remodeling projects that we were intent that would eventually yield to us our dream home. I made that 30-plus minute commute from our rental…
We have to pick the best contractor estimate. Selecting the contractor with the best quotation is never an easy task. But for us, it was a very simple process of selection by default. I was always dubious regarding Builder #1’s enthusiasm to quote for a second time despite his agreement to do so. So, I…
Before closing, we had invited 3 contractors for the new home renovation. Two things happened at about the same time. Actually, it’s more accurate to say, our escrow closing HAPPENED. But having an acceptable contractor ready for the repairs and home improvements HADN’T HAPPENED…yet Brooke Bishop, one of the GoDutch “Realtors Extraordinaire” had made contact…
It’s time to tell you about the home improvement quote. We passed the point of no return on our purchase of House #3. The decision could be responsibly taken after a favorable home inspection report. We decided to get serious about getting a formal home improvement quote from the architect and contractor who had visited…
Estimated Reading Time: 6 Minutes Are we ready now to make an offer on a home? It was on our first day of searching for a Costa Rican home that we found an interesting one. There were more than a few red flags waving at us if we wanted to make an offer on House…