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I know this has come up before, just wondering if anyone has any actual experience with building one. I have seen one already built in Play Hermosa/Jaco that looked good, no seams in the walls. I have looked at all the websites listed here on WLCR and if you search “prefabricado casa” you get quite a number of builders as well. In my case its about cost saving even if that comes at the expense of some aesthetic quality. I am basically looking for a simple 800F2 guest house for starters and will buy and install all the fixtures myself.
The owners of the one I saw also added some nice teak trim on their own as well as a nice covered patio with wood pillars and some nice wood trim there as well. I figure if I can have a nice basic cement “box” built I can dress it up a bit….
We are also exploring the possibility of building a prefabricated home on the land we bought in Uvita. We are looking for a company that does more of a modern design. If anyone knows of a place they can recommend (I have reviewed the ones identified on this website)or has any comments regarding the pros and cons of doing a pre-fab would love to hear from you.
We looked into this a few months ago for some friends, and was told as long as you have your plan drawn up in the ‘widths of panels’ offered you can have a lot of choices. There was also a choice of 8′,10′ and 12′ wall heights. This was in Upala, Guanacaste. Of course, then you must have your plan approved, etc. which will increase the cost, but what they offer on their architect approved ‘plan’ is included.
If there was a choice between these and the ‘tin-can container homes’, it is a ‘no brainer’ as by the time you add AC, deck, a roof …which if you don’t have you will have sun & rain coming in every window… and supports to cover the container these are a lot better deal.Thanks for the information. Would you have a link to the manufacturer you looked at? I think I have seen the type of system you are talking about. Another type of pre-fab we are considering is one that offers several home designs that you can choose from and often customize. Have you or anyone else on this post seen something along those lines?
Here are a few, you can use Google to translate the page for you.
http://www.infocr.com/index.php?cat=1516Thank you Lotus these websites are helpful and thank you costaricafinca for the information on the slide together systems.
I don’t have recommendations for pre-fab fabricators or contractors, but Facoli, http://www.facoli.com is one of the oldest pre-fab companies in Costa Rica and I’ve never heard a negative comment about this company. You can take a look at photos from several of the other pre-fab companies in Costa Rica at, http://www.escosacr.com/galeria-vivienda-e.htm and http://www.inprefa.com.
Over the years I have been hired by several foreigners to inspect the construction of pre-fab home systems because the purchasers were not satisfied. The initial cost and time to assemble the packages is attractive. However, unless you’ve worked with a lot of concrete finish construction you could not anticipate the challenges to finish the plastering of the interior and exterior walls. Unfortunately, for the owners, the costs to finish these thin wall panel, pre-fab designs usually is more costly and time consuming than anticipated. Don’t forget the pre-cast wall panels are only 4″ thick versus block wall of at least 8″ thickness. Remember, just like with anything else, anywhere in the world, you get what you pay for.
If you have a home design with a lot of decorative interior columns and have been able to incorporate the pre-fab system into the supporting columns which will support your ceiling and roof structures, then the pre-fab system could work for you.
Thanks Tom! I know you’re not a big fan, but it seems like a cost effective solution for our initial “guest” house.
[quote=”jdocop”]We have some friends nearby who wanted a pre-fab, and they could not be sorrier for having gone that route. I know that they paid way more than we did, and have way less. Plus, they have serious problems – their walls are not straight, the walls leak, and since the winds hit very hard where their home is located, the rains that come with those winds go right through the walls. They ran out of money (mostly because the contractor really didn’t know what he was doing) with an unfinished house, and are having to do what they can, when they can, to complete it. They have been in the house since late 2008, and have no idea when it will be complete. Our home, of cement block, went up in 10 weeks, and we have now been in it for nearly five months, with only minor adjustments to make. I’d say forget pre-fab, especially if you’re thinking of building at a distance from major population centers, since one of the biggest costs will be the transport and operation of a large crane, which doesn’t come cheap![/quote]
I think like anything else in CR you have to make sure you are using qualified people who have an understanding of what they are doing. I could also site many examples of those that went the “conventional” building route and it ended in a disaster! Many examples exist on this site. You must research the builder and make sure you have an experienced team to construct it. Prefab can be a cost effective way to build your house, but educate yourself first to avoid problems later.
When we spoke with builder than have used this system, the comments were always the same, that if you are in a windy area, problems will arise.
And most [i]’qualified builders'[/i] are not in favor of these buildings.[quote=”costaricafinca”]When we spoke with builder than have used this system, the comments were always the same, that if you are in a windy area, problems will arise.
And most [i]’qualified builders'[/i] are not in favor of these buildings.[/quote]I agree. If you can afford to build from the ground up it’s best. But of course most builders are not in favor of prefabricated homes…:wink:
Some of the systems are certainly better than others, do your research, make sure the crew assembling it knows what they are doing. A friends brother in Hermosa/Jaco built one for his family. I have not been inside, but did drive by. Looks good and I am told he is happy with the results. He actually put it together with his own crew. He is a Tico and a carpenter in the area, his brother is in RE Development and a good friend/surf buddy of mine.
I also took a look at one built in Punta Leona, again looked solid and nice from the outside. I cant remember the builder, but it was listed on their website, so I drove over and had a look.
I don’t know if I would build a large house this way, but for my 800F2 starter I’m comfortable with the system. I will be there during construction. One thing I found while there in December, lots of “qualified” builders looking for work…pretty quiet on the construction front.
I am a builder too and, personally, I would never build prefab. Maybe a bodega or laundry shack.
I am under the impression that the Tico-Type Prefab was ment to be used on those “Bono-Houses” that the government donates to poor people.
It is just too far from my European sense of building, I would not feel that I am IN a house knowing that the walls are maybe 2 inches thick, would be more like camping in a tent 😕
I have also friends who have built prefab, and after “completion” they had to invest a lot of money in order to convert it into a (sort of) finished home.
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