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In the many, many hours I spend looking at listings for homes in various areas of Costa Rica, I occasionally see a description boasting that a particular property is “contamination free.” Just what contamination are these properties free of? Is this contamination such a big problem that properties should be considered suspect if they don’t claim to be free of it? I’ve not seen any discussions about having buildings inspected for contamination.
Actually I don’t recall any discussions about having a building inspected for problems with structure, infestation, or contamination. In the States, you can’t get a loan without a thorough inspection by a qualified assessor. I’m not concerned about qualifying for a loan. I just want to make sure there aren’t any hidden problems in property I am interested in. Am I being paranoid?
editer
No, it doesn’t seem to be in any specific area. If it were near the coasts, I could understand the condition, but I’ve seen it on descriptions for homes in the Central Valley (where I’m most interested in settling, as well as near the water.
I’ve only seen this in the context of beaches… “Bandera Azul” or Blue Flag beaches are designated ratings (A, AA, AAA, etc…).
This link explains the program and lists the “Blue Flag” awarded beaches
Yeah, I can see where beaches would be rated according to the purity of the sand and water, but I’m seeing the description applied to structures. That’s what I’m wondering about.
That’s what I was thinking. Then the question would be: “How common are termites if only a handful of homes claim to be free of them?” And this leads back to the second issue that I brought up in my initial posting: “Are there services that inspect buildings to make sure there are no problems with infestations, substandard wiring or plumbing, etc.).” I wouldn’t mind spending a little extra money to know that l won’t have any major hidden expenses down the road.
Recently remodeled our home near the UCR, it was infested with termites. Instead of trying to treat the problem, we basically removed all the wood in the roof and ceilings and walls , used Gypsum and metal throughout, also had the electrician update all the wiring , outlets , etc. We still used some wood trim , but the trick is to remove all traces of termites, otherwise any new wood will eventually be plagued. Our contractor we hired inspected the house and showed us all the flaws. They do sell Cedar here, which can be used , naturally pest resistant, or you can have treatment done to lesser wood for protection . I don´t know of an actual inspection sefvie , we just hired a local electrician to take a look and the contractor did the rest.
Hi, I don’t know about there but in Texas where termites are big deal you have to treat the foundation plus all the inside water places….ie draines etc where it will possibly be damp and thats what draws the termites. I would request a Licensed termite/pest control person do the job. If you are building from scratch it is a simple and cheap fix to treat the entire ground before stating construction. Also when into construction treat the slab behind the walls with bug “stuff” and then you should never have a problem with all the rest of those guys.
Terry From TexasI saw a Costa Rican man putting sugar on termit trails. He claimed sugar is what they use in Costa Rica to keep the termits down when they infest a house. Does anyone know if this works?
i am a licensed wood destroying organism inspector in calif. the single best relatively non-toxic termiticide is tim-bor (brand name for tetrahydrate octoborate). it can be leached out by water, but pre-treated or impregnated (available in the u.s.) materials are toxic to termites and all other wood destroying organisms (i.e. fungus). a deadly dose to a human is measured in ounces, depending on your body weight. it is a form of borax, is necessary to growth and life in modest amounts. i strongly support the use of this substance as a pre-treatment (i.e. spray all above ground wood framing, trim and or access paths) to prevent infestation. no adaptation is possible for the organisms since the action is physical. termites will not tube over treated wood. the primary mode of action is dessication, not poisoning. LD 50 is 2.2 grams. also cheap.
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