Modern Construction in Costa Rica: I’m quite surprised by the high quality of new construction here!

After years of having to report on irregular wall finishes, poor quality cabinetry, chipped and hollow sounding floor tiles and the lack of proper plumbing to sinks, showers, water heaters and pump systems, all those details are now quite fine in comparison.

Recent builders are installing roof structures using steel instead of the traditional wood, and applying new kinds of roofing materials.

Drywall is the standard finish on walls and ceilings now, when even 15 years ago it was uncommon. The doors and windows are being manufactured in standard sizes and in a great variety of materials.

Changes from the Past: I used to have to whip out the camera to record endless irregular cabinet details, pencil marks, chips, cracks and poor joinery, but now builders are installing very high quality hardwood doors, kitchen, bath and closet cabinets with elaborate trim and molding, and fine craftsmanship.

I’m finding fewer electrical problems as well. Most new homes have the proper grounded outlets and, to my amazement, I even found a bathroom with ground-fault protected 110 volt outlets! (These are required by law in the U.S. in bathrooms and areas where there are sinks and tubs, as a safety precaution. For instance, if a hair dryer were to fall in a sink full of water it could be fatal to a person.)

Some Problems Remain: Not everything, however, in construction is all rosy here. I still find improperly installed toilets in luxury homes as well and traditional ones.

The most common problem is the lack of the proper floor-mounted flange, wax seal and mounting screws at the base of the toilets. Plumbers seem to take the easy and quick route to such installations and plunk the toilet base down over the drainpipe using pure gray cement as a bond to the floor.

In the photograph below shows a typical error in installing a toilet base to the floor-note the lack of an anchor bolt:

Tips on Toilet Maintenance: Check to see that the water level is good in the toilet bowl and that there is no sign of movement. Either one will indicate that there are problems with the float and flapper mechanisms in the tank.

Another very typical problem I see is with the short plastic hose in the toilet water tank. This hose runs between the fill-valve (float valve) and the overflow pipe. The purpose of it is to maintain the toilet bowl filled to a certain level.

As the tank refills after being flushed, this little tube will continue feeding water into that overflow pipe (and back to the bowl) until the float closes it off. What I find is that this tube is laying loose in the bottom of the tank. People don’t know what it is and fail to connect it to the overflow tube in the middle of the tank.

Tubs and Showers: If there is a tub installed, check to see that there is a good seal between the tub and the wall on the sides and back, and the seal on any sliding doors that might be installed on the front side.

Also, look to see if there has been any provision for access to the tub faucet (or Jacuzzi motor) and plumbing. If there are problems it can be very difficult to get in there for repairs.

The shower drain may have an aluminum insert with holes in it. This is a type of trap for keeping hair and such out of the drain, as well as to maintain a small ring of water underneath it to keep out odors. Often this plug is very difficult to remove for cleaning.

There are stainless steel covers also, but usually these do not have an odor trap (if you are lucky there could be a P-Trap installed on the drain itself, below the level of the floor. If not, you will find out soon enough by the strong drain odor!)

Hot Water Plumbing: I often find, even in expensive homes, that there is no provision at the kitchen sink and some bathrooms for hot water!

Interestingly, there are new instant-heat water heaters the size of a car battery which produce adequate heated water for a modest size house. Sometimes this type of heater will be installed as a supply for only one sink-especially if there is no provision for hot water plumbing there, requiring a good amount of electrical power (220 volts, and usually being controlled by a large breaker/fuse).

Drain Cleanouts (Called “registros” in CR): There should be concrete or metal-covered cleanouts for rain water, gray water and sewage drains at strategic spots around the outside of the house.

These lids can be lifted off to expose the drain pipes and feed pipes for the household plumbing. So check to see that they are clean and operative. A standard cleanout is one for the kitchen sink drain. It should be located just outside the kitchen area.

This is usually built as a trap for grease and solid food which escapes from the sink drain. The cover can be opened periodically to remove the solids and the trapped grease.

Often, upon opening these, one may find a maze of roots growing into the drains. Modern PVC plumbing usually does not leave any entry places for such roots, but they can get in through a cleanout, especially if there is a tree or shrub nearby.

Electrical: Generally, these days, I’m finding some excellent examples of proper electrical installations in new homes and condos. The electrical cables are neatly installed and the breakers are nicely labeled for each area of the house’s protection.

In the past I have seen some pretty scary electrical systems with poorly insulated connections and wires running along the surface of the walls, etc. It used to be rare to find a properly grounded 110 volt outlet. Today, however, on newly constructed buildings, it’s rare NOT to find them.

Concerning this, if you have any doubts about your own home, a properly grounded outlet will be a three-hole outlet which not only has a neutral cable (that should be the wider side of the main parallel slots in the outlet) but another, separate, grounding cable attached to the third, round, hole.

To determine if this is so, you need to take off the outlet cover and peek inside to see that there are actually three cables running to the outlet. (Normally, they would be red or black to the positive side, white to the negative (neutral) side and green to the grounding pole.)

There is a special plug-in tester which has lights on it to indicate if the outlet is properly grounded as well as to tell you if the polarity is reversed (which is, surprisingly, quite often the case). If the neutral and hot leads are reversed you will not have the proper protection to a computer, stereo system or a microwave oven, for instance.

Structural Integrity: Watch for cracks in the household tiles, on the floor and on the walls (such as you will find in a bathroom area). This will indicate you might have serious foundation problems or water seepage under the floors.

I have found floors which are of expensive, high quality, tile yet which have detached from the sub-floor. They looked just fine, with no cracks and tight joints, but were simply not adhering to the concrete beneath. They will actually bounce when you walk on them, yet the grout is so tough that it doesn’t break!

A way to test the integrity of tile floors is to take a broom handle and tap on the tiles. If you can hear parts with a hollow sound, you have a problem.

Another sign of water seepage is a whitish appearance and flakiness around the baseboards and floor areas. (Sometimes the discoloring will be dark and moldy-looking stains.) If there is moisture underneath, it will usually show up through the floors and bases of the walls.

Other wall cracks might be attributed to a poor plastering job and not be structural. The depth and length of the crack will tell which of the two it is, usually. Take a walk around the outside of the house and look for tell-tale cracks in the walls and sidewalks (and see if the same indoor cracks are visible outside).

Check for weathering around doors and windows and the condition of the paint and plaster work. If the house has wood siding, it is usually considered to be a cheap house and less preferable, at least by Costa Ricans. (There are some pretty lovely wood structures that are by no means cheap, however.)

But on any wood structure you need to look very carefully on window sills, and around the perimeter and at the eaves for signs of termite dust. These are like very fine sawdust, but in little balls the color of wood. If the area is quite forested and overgrown, there may be actual termite pathways flowing along the beams. These are like a mud-dauber trail which, when wiped away, will uncover little cream-colored termites scurrying along to keep out of the sunlight. That’s not a good sign, and you will certainly have to make a major investment to fix the damage.

Roofing in Costa Rica: Roofing used to be predominately corrugated tin, but now you can find a multitude of materials-from the coveted clay tiles (watch that there is a tin roof under these), to the heavier, but more durable, cement tiles; to Panalit, a fiber-cement corrugated roof that is very attractive, light and durable.

They now have an imitation tile roof made from tin (formed to look like tiles) and a plastic form of tile as well. (The latter, however, has shown to be problematic in very hot and dry areas like Guanacaste. They tend to crack.) Asphalt shingles are available here now as well. This type of roofing material needs to be applied to a well treated plywood or Fibrolit panels in order to be smooth and protected.

All have their advantages and disadvantages, of course. For the tin roofs watch out that they are not all rusty and that the slope is adequate for a good runoff.

Many of the Costa Rican tin roofs are a very low slope, 15 degrees or less, and this can lead to serious leaking problems with the heavy rains and winds. Watch for signs of leakage in the ceilings as well as the condition of the gutters and downspouts around the house.

These are the most outstanding items to be looking for in your search for the perfect home to start your new life in Costa Rica. Happy hunting!

Written by Jere McKinney, resident in Costa Rica for 32 years, builder, home maintenance specialist and now home inspector.

Although Jere McKinney passed away in his home on the 12th December 2007 we have kept his article to help educate our VIP Members. If you are looking for someone to help you with a home inspection, please see ‘Costa Rica Home Inspection – Helping you to see beyond the obvious.’

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.