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I just read that article and wondered why the “developer” singled out Guanacaste. I’ve seen this problem all over Costa Rica, not just Guanacaste. Is it because this “developer” does’nt have any projects in Guanacaste and is trying to scare people his way. Maybe he should have attended the most recent Pro Mejores meetings in Tamarindo and he would have learned about the new gas station going in the the second access/entry road from Villa Real into Tamarindo. I live in Puerto Viejo (near Playa Conchal) which is about 15-20m from Tamarindo. I do property management so I’ve seen good and bad construction. As far as projects with poor finishes. Yes, they are there, but have you not seen them in the Central Valley, Cental Pacific (Jaco comes to mind) and even the Southern Pacific coast? Maybe not. I guess the only good developments are in Santa Ana, right?
There are excellent developments all over Costa Rica but as we can see every day in the newspaper, ‘negative’ news seems to carry a bit further.
As I’m sure you know, raw materials and labor invariably cost more in Guanacaste and on the Pacific coast than in the Central Valley so when you compare a quality home in both areas, the one in the Central Valley area will nearly always be of superior quality.
I recently visited the 300M2 home of a business acquaintance on the Pacific coast which he is selling for $575K (which was about the norm in his area) and I can assure you that the quality of construction is most definitely inferior to the exact same sized home that we bought a few months ago in Santa Ana for $310K
Scott Oliver – Founder
WeLoveCostaRica.comUnfortunately for the tons of folks who chose to purchase land in GTE it is a fact that it costs more to build out there. Having lived and worked out there full time from 1992 till 1998 I can tell you that it is physically challenging to work in outside all day long 10 degrees from the equator. Materials transport is costly and keeping the construction workers happy is tough because there isn’t much to do except work when you make as little as they do. That’s why when I have a project out there I build a small kitchen and dormitory on-site to feed and house the workers as well as a bodega to store the building materials. We work 10 days straight from 5am till 5pm and then take 3 days off so they can return to their families in San Jose. All of these items add to the cost of labor and there is no way around it except to hire the locals out there who grew up in a very slow paced environment and aren’t accustomed to working very hard. Building in the central valley is a pleasure compared to the work involved out in GTE and no experienced builder is going to build out there without being amply compensated. I know a few builders from the old days who still live and work out there but they are so busy I don’t even think about referring any new business to them.
Tomasino: I agree with you. My cousin is a builder in the Playa Hermosa, (GTE) area and he is so busy with work he can’t see straight. He is a great builder, and in high demand. While some of his workers hail from Liberia, the majority come from San Jose. Because of that, they must build on site shelter for the men and in most cases, provide meals as well, which raises the labor costs and overall building costs for individuals and developers. Materials go up constantly (especially concrete and steel) and my cousin has had to raise worker wages a few times this year to keep his crew and compete with other builders in the area. Living at the beach is great for us, but things do cost more than in the central valley. I guess that is just the way it goes. However, remember that no developer can do just ‘whatever’ they want as the subject article (Guanacaste gone mad) had pointed to. There are codes, and if people are building illegally, they WILL be shut down. I’ve seen it with my own eyes in various parts of the beach where I reside. Also, there are good and bad projects, and you need to align yourself with someone who knows the difference if you can’t figure it out yourself!
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