Manufactured Homes in Costa Rica

[cm5378]

At what price to these start at for a two bedroom home?

[*Lotus]

I think I will have to capitulate and agree with Tom on this. I really did quite a bit of research on the prefab method (I listed a # of links in a previous old thread). I spoke with many of the companies. One thing that I found out is on many of the prefab builders sites they show you a finished product. However most only supply the slabs for the walls, pour the floor. You then have to hire a local contractor to complete your roof and install your mechanical’s. Others may be different, but those I spoke with confirmed this, something to keep in mind when looking at a manufacturers website. Overall I think you save about 10% over a comparable block built house. I think the biggest advantage is the time savings, once it is delivered the walls will go up in a few days.

I was very excited about prefab options in CR, but like anything the devil is in the details. I remember my wife telling me “there is a reason they build the way they build here, it works”.

maybe a great idea for some small cabinas you want up fast? The steel frame construction I have seem on WLCR looks interesting?

[elindermuller]

The few prefab homes in our area I have seen so far are not comparable with a well built cement block house. There are Tico-Bono-homes (government financed) and there are larger prefab homes built by expats. I know they were cheap, and they look cheap. Not to talk about the problems the had and have. Once finished, one home owner had to renew the electrical and plumbing because the price did not include decent labour. The other one had serious roof leaks, and after 6 months of completion the outside ceilings have mold spots and rotten areas. The walls are thinner than the aluminum door frames ! The woodwork (doors, closets etc.) is also inexpensive material and poor labour. Nevertheless, the prefab-home-owners, once they want to sell, are asking luxury-home prices 😕
In Germany we build exterior walls 15 inches thick and interior walls 10 inches, so I am kind of used to and prefer some substantial shell around a house.

[Cancertomnpdx]

You might want to look at these links for some ideas I have been looking at:

http://travel.webshots.com/album/582113763QPfmia?start=0

http://waydewonderwall.com/

and

http://yurtsdecostarica.com/

I have tried to make contact with the yurt website but no response when I tried three months ago or so.

Thanks,
Tom
Portland, Oregon

[costaricafinca]

I can only image, during these [i]very[/i] strong winds, a yurt flying through the sky…

[DavidCMurray]

[quote=”costaricafinca”]I can only image, during these [i]very[/i] strong winds, a yurt flying through the sky…[/quote]

My understanding is that yurts, by their very nature, are pretty wind resistant. The greater question is how one might hold up in an earthquake.

[*Lotus]

I think a traditional Yurt would actually hold up well in an earthquake. The framework is a wooden lattice that should be pretty flexible. Now the base that it sits on that might be another story:?

[sprite]

how well would a yurt hold up against a mildly determined thief?

[costaricafinca]

Potentially a new twist on cash & carry…

[*Lotus]

I think there was a story here about an expat that left his house for a period of time and thieves dismantled it brick by brick… literally. Unfortunately in CR you most likely could not leave a yurt unattended for more than a few hours.

[VictoriaLST]

We met a gentleman who was building with the 8x8x40 shipping containers, using them as the basis for the home. Would anyone like to comment? Sounded risky to us.

[DavidCMurray]

I’m not sure what the risk you anticipate is, Victoria. Shipping containers are incredibly strong and they’re built to interlock so they can be stacked. As with any construction method, you’d need an adequate foundation but that’s no mystery.

Here are a couple of links to online articles with photos:

http://www.thedailygreen.com/green-homes/latest/shipping-container-homes-460309

http://www.mnn.com/your-home/remodeling-design/photos/8-eye-catching-shipping-container-homes/a-new-kind-of-living

[costaricafinca]

For a short stay, possibly while building a home, they would be OK, but would get [i]very [/i]hot here unless properly designed.

[VictoriaLST]

Thanks for the links. Was just curious.

[DavidCMurray]

[quote=”costaricafinca”]For a short stay, possibly while building a home, they would be OK, but would get [i]very [/i]hot here unless properly designed.
[/quote]

But that could be said about any construction method, crf. If you build it wrong, it’s bound to be unsatisfactory.

The structural integrity if a shipping container would go a very long way toward meeting the earthquake standard and, given how readily they can be altered, there aren’t many design objectives that they couldn’t meet.

[Author]

Posts