Building Your Own Home in Costa Rica. A look back at 2010

2010 was a great year to invest in small construction projects.

Material prices were reasonable, given the end of the “real estate and construction boom” that affected not only Costa Rica, but markets worldwide: materials otherwise overpriced for the last 5 years, were widely discounted and good bargains were found everywhere.

In 2010, I had the opportunity to lead a very interesting project that was completed successfully with the mail goal reached: to stay within budget while building a typical, Costa Rican middle-class home.

This project was particularly enjoyable for me because I had the chance to inspire my client with architecture never seen by him before. My client had grown up in a rural area of the Central Valley, where structures have remained the same for so long, limiting his exposure to modern day advances in design.

Some of the ideas given were to have less walls than previously requested, to have a natural overhead light to reduce energy cost, and to include a compact house design on two stories rather than a single one to make the overall project more sustainable.

The approved design included wide eaves to help lower maintenance costs, and whole house elevation to avoid any future moisture problems.

With a little creativity and what nature offers, this house is an example of a quality project that involves a tight budget, but a safe and healthy built environment. Not to mention, aesthetically speaking, elegant, neutral and minimalist with a touch of vernacular architecture.

The house orientation fits my client’s needs: nice views and open space for social areas, diffused natural Light for the bedrooms over looking to the west, wheel chair accessible entrance, lots of natural Light and ventilation and stunning nature that seems to get into the house by the windows.

The process was fun and hassle free due to many factors: metal construction system, continuous monitoring by me as technical director, good prices available in the market, very little slope at the site, and a flawless tracking of the construction documents.

No major changes were submitted and all of these factors led to us finishing this architectural project on time: 20 weeks.

1. We spent the first month working on earth movement, footings and columns lifting.
2. Our second month was more about metal structure construction, pouring the 2 concrete slabs and covering our roof.
3. On the third month we were already working on detailed electrical and mechanical tasks. We also installed exterior walls and started working on ceilings structure.
4. On the fourth month we worked on interior walls. Their structure was built and all the panels were installed. Our electrical and mechanical tasks continued.
5. Finally on the fifth month we detailed the whole house: wooden stairs, wooden walls, final electrical and mechanical settings, paint and metal details like the ramp and metal frames for the windows.

I could say the only problems we encountered were at an early construction stage because we had to make some changes to our footings with the advice of our structural engineer.

Other than that, this construction process was hassle free and now my client has a tropical modern house of 2 bedrooms (with a 3rd bedroom expand possibility), 2 bathrooms, one social area that includes kitchen, dining and living room, staircase and a laundry room.

Overall area is 126 square meters, or 1,356 square feet with a $587 per square meter cost for construction materials.

If you want more detailed information please visit my website at WhatAGreatYear.com

Written by Costa Rica Architect Gloriana Mejia who focuses tropical modern architecture and believes in following very basic principles: simplicity as a guide for good design, compact areas as a solution for space, passive solutions for sustainable architecture and context as a main character of the frozen music that architecture is….




If you want more information about hiring an architect to help build your home in Costa Rica, please contact Gloriana Mejia using the simple form below:

Andrew Makarik

to@welovecostarica.com

Andrew Makarik is the main editor of WeLoveCostaRica, a fan of this sunny country. He is also a loving husband and a has a lovely daughter. By being a devoted family man and the biggest Costa Rica fan, he wants to make more people feel at home there. WeLoveCostaRica unites people and helps them find new home or a new travel destination. This website is a friendly community where everyone can find not only information, but also new friends and travel pals. Andrew is also passionate about IT and programming, so he himself maintains a friendly atmosphere in this cozy environment of WeLoveCostaRica.com.