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Sprite, David and Orosi have offered very logical facts about our building costs here in CR. As in any comparison, you need to be realistic and compare apples with apples. Costa Rica is not as cheap as it once was, however it is still a bargain compared to living in North America or Europe.
As in most re-painting projects, the prep work is the most important aspect. Once your pool has been drained and dried out, I would not hesitate to sand the entire pool. I personally would use a belt sander but if I was working with an inexpensive, semi-experienced caretaker, I would have him hand sand the surface so possible damage to or from the power tool would not be a factor. Without seeing your pools surface I cannot recommend the proper sand paper but if the concrete surface is course, you will need at least a #80 Aluminum Oxide sand paper and if the surface is smooth, #220 could be used. Following the completion of the sanding and cleaning of the surface, I would apply at least two coats of SUR AQUARIUM Epoxy paint. It comes in blue or white in gallons for 37,548 colones or 5 gal buckets at 216,000.00 colones with 150m2 of coverage. Do not cut corners; you get what you pay for. If you complete the painting properly, you should not have to revisit this work for years. On your caretaker’s salary, you will be able to sand the entire pool, clean and repaint within a week at a fraction of what it would cost elsewhere. It is always easier and less expensive in the end to use quality paint materials in order to get the job done properly the first time.
Lotus. In my initial reply were my suggestions about installing subterranean concrete improvements that would not create liability for you versus your possible pre-fab casita construction as the guesthouse for your main residence. We’re jumping around here or as some might say,” throwing ideas around.” Sorry to be the CR dreambreaker, but I quite dreaming a long time ago and my recommendation to all real estate investors has always been be realistic and leave your dreams on your pillow at home. Which is why I will further offer the reality of building costs in CR. You mentioned that your friend could build you a Xandari type “villa” small but unique design and high quality finishes for about $35-$40k, more than twice what you would pay for a small Tico house. If my math is correct that would mean that you believe someone will build you a Tico house for $17.50 to $20.00 per m2. That’s about what it will cost to provide and transport the building materials to Playa Hermosa. Additionally, if you’re expecting to have a builder complete this work for you, he or she will need to be compensated for their work in addition to the above figures.
For quite sometime, I have read your wise and realistic postings concerning finance and political subjects. I hope by sharing these construction costs with you it will help you to understand the realities of your CR building dreams.
Additionally, I’m sorry if I jumped to the business commercialization of your concept for investors to build 10 casitas on your 5200m2 lot in your gated community. I assumed since you were a RE broker in NYC that you would have understood that the concept of exploiting your 5200m2 lot into 10 parcels, that could be re-sold for a profit, would be highly improbable. I guess I’m the one who needs to be seeking your recommendation on this subject. Do you know of a method to legally subdivide your lot so the 10 units could be sold and legally transferred to new owners?
Cabinas in a residential subdivision off the beach would be nice for the owner and friends but knowing how to compete with http://www.xandari.com and many other commercial businesses is a full time job for someone. I can’t speak for Scott but I know I do not have the skills to get involved in the hospitality industry.
Who will be taking care of your new casita while you’re up in NYC making money to keep your new honey happy? Once you construct your new casita, it will become the target of every thief in the area and will be stripped of everything including the walls, if they are truly lightweight design, unless you have it guarded day and night by a reliable person. In the beach communities there are not too many reliable people to select from. In other words, with your new casita you will be creating a liability that will cost you as much to maintain and protect as a big new home.
Invest your money where it will stay put and best increase the value of your lot and won’t cost you two monthly salaries for casita guards. That’s right, two guards, because one can’t work 24 hours per day, 31 days per month.
Invest in your infrastructure that won’t be stolen or need to be guarded.
Take the same $10 to $15K and have a professional who understands site planning advise you as to where the best place will be to construct the future main residence and then invest in concrete installations such as septic and water tanks, retaining and security walls, driveway, etc. Then when you do allocate the necessary funds to construct your dream home, you will save yourself at least the amount of money you invested in the infrastructure installations that improved your lot plus a great deal of time during your new homes construction.
In addition, if you decide to marry that honey in NYC, your plans change and selling the CR lot makes more sense, it will be worth more with solid infrastructure installations versus a pre-fab eyesore that only a person who can’t afford your lot would consider living in.Pricesmart in Escazu has Sealy mattresses made in Mexico. I’ve been sleeping better since I purchased a new one there several weeks ago. And believe it or not, because its got that “pillow top” thick surface, I get up less in the middle of the night to visit el bano.
I have built condos and homes and remodeled existing housing in Costa Rica since 1992. In the course of conducting my construction business I have purchased and installed hundreds of doors. Rarely are the rough openings perfect and the standard solution is to correct the differences by planing down the wood jamb lumber and the sides of the doors if needed. It is important to order and receive properly dried rough lumber and doors in order to complete a presentable installation. Many lumber suppliers and door fabricators here are under the gun and don’t have sufficient properly dried lumber. Therefore after the wood trim has been installed in your project for a couple of months you begin to see movement in the door panels and other finish carpentry installations. Unless my client is looking for expensive custom doors in excess of $200 per unit I can usually satisfy their needs with the selection at El Lagar. They have quality Cedro, 6 panel at $165, Melina at $116, Caobilla at $114 Laurel at $100 and Pine at $60. The doors are available in 5cm (2″) increments from 50cm (20″) to 100cm (40″). The Laurel rough lumber in 1.25″ & 1.50″ or 2″ thickness and 3″ or 4″ widths for the jambs is in inventory at most locations and Cedro can be ordered from their main warehouse in Desemperados. The El Lagar Building Supply Outlets in the last year have offered me the best prices and they have many locations throughout Costa Rica. I recommend this company as they stand behind what they sell and they are happy to take returns and refund the money for unused materials. I have a list of all their locations if needed.
It’s good to hear that you have found an well organized and detail oriented attorney who is working on your behalf. There are many folks who could benefit from the services of an attorney like yours who works from a good offense prior to needing a firm defense. Perhaps you could share this attorney’s name and contact info. Thanks
I have built condos and homes and remodeled existing housing in Costa Rica since 1992. In the course of conducting my construction business I have purchased and installed hundreds of gallons of paint manufactured by SUR, Protecto, Glidden, Lanco and GreColor. When considering the quality and price of paint you also need to calculate the labor to prepare the surfaces and apply the paint. If you use a quality product and have experienced painters you should be able to finish the work and not have to re-paint for a good many years. If you use inferior products and have problems with the paint or the surface was not properly prepared prior to applying the paint the work will need to be re-done. Keep in mind that when working with a improperly prepared surface or poor quality paint you will need to scrape and sand off the first application then re-prep the surface properly before you can expect a good finished product. So if your job needs to be done a second time you are looking at the initial labor, then the labor to remove the initial application and then the labor to re-prep and paint the second time. With painting it is advisable to buy the best quality materials and use experienced labor with references. If I were painting my own house I would purchase the best quality of SUR and have the colors mixed all at the same time by a reputable retailer like El Lagar who will stand behind their products. Always order at least a gallon extra because most jobs run short and you will need extra for touch up after you move in.
COATS OF PAINT = “MANOS DE PINTURA”
I will offer some cultural insights pertaining to Latino construction standards that will be helpful for you to understand.
1. A common Latino standard is that paint is a concentrate and should be diluted to create more paint. Wrong. The dilutants, “diluyentes” including a product known as “agua res”, which consists of nasty chemicals that turn white paint yellow as well as dilute the quality of the paint, should be avoided.
2. Another typical standard is that if you will not see a primer product then why purchase the more expensive, higher quality product. Therefore the primer, “sellador” should be the cheapest product available. Wrong. The cheaper paint is manufactured to lower standards, is not as thick and will not adhere as well or last as long.The paint manufacturers here offer interior and exterior grade paints. The same 2 or 3 coat application process works for both. The primer paint, “sellador” they sell is an inferior quality of paint. I use the same high quality SUR paint for the 1st, prime coat and the 2nd, finish coat and if needed a 3rd coat. On the exterior walls of concrete or exterior siding I apply SUR GOLTEX (100% acrylic with fungus protection) and on the interior drywall on stud walls I apply SUR ACRILATEX (100% acrylic latex with fungus protection). Interior concrete walls I treat the same as exterior walls and apply the SUR GOLTEX. On the wood or masonite type doors and trim I apply SUR ESMALTE (oil base) UNIVERSAL. If I have potential humidity issues then I apply the more expensive waterproofing “Impermeabilizante”, SUR, FASTYL which is designed for metal, clay and fiber roofing as well as concrete roofs and exterior walls. They also sell SUR PEGA PATCH crack filler for use with the SUR products. You apply the elastic crack filler product into the cracks with a putty knife, then wait 24 hours for the curing process and then lightly sand the material prior to painting. LANCO offers a wide range of crack filler “siliconizer” “products that are available in small containers to be applied with a putty knife or in tubes to be applied with a caulk gun. The LANCO paints are acceptable but have not been manufactured here in Costa Rica for as long as SUR. The building supply company, El Lagar stands behind both products equally. Remember the SUR products have been made in Costa Rica for many years and are guaranteed by the largest manufacturer of paint in the country.
That’s great advice Caribbeansoul. Additionally, some folks that are purchasing raw land with the idea of building housing on it need a thorough inspection prior to closing. The scope of my services varies depending on the characteristics of the property and the owner’s vision of their desired housing product. I typically provide analysis of the specific site where they would like to construct housing and then provide architectural design, engineering and construction plans which when once completed determine the costs and time to build their project. When more complex building sites are involved, such as those that need retaining walls for infinity edge swimming pools or to support homes that are to be built on hillsides, I direct the engineering and topographical surveys to establish existing soil content, which determines the type, size and strength of foundations and retention installations. Nowadays, it’s becoming more important to make sure that the construction plans and on-site installations are completed properly within all legal and zoning laws. I am 100% familiar with all laws regarding land development, construction and permitting and will make sure the purchaser does not buy land that is not suitable for their intended purpose. Many properties do not require this level of service if they have been developed properly and legally registered in the Costa Rican National Registry of Property. However, there are many tracts of land sitting vacant throughout Costa Rica that are not buildable, because one of the governing institutions has attached restrictions to them for one reason or another. A purchaser needs to know this type of information before closing on the property.
Currency speculation is a wonderful thing. You can find an equal number of opinions on both sides of every issue — each argued equally cogently.
But the facts are the facts. It is no longer true that the US dollar is the only international curerency for oil purchases. A few years ago, a few countries started to use EUROs as the currency of choice for buying oil. WHile the US dollar was the only currency used for international purchases, its value was propped up by this automatic demand. As this automatic demand declines, other factors will weigh more heavily on the value of the dollar, such as the perrenial US trade deficit. You cannot run a country consistently spending more than you earn without paying the price some time.
But the slumping dollar is curing the problem that contributed to the slump. The trade gap is narrowing as US exports become more attractively priced.
Many speculators have gone broke betting against the US dollar. I can think of at least two recent times: in the early nineties, and back in the eighties when Japan seemed poised to buy all of New York. Remember? The dollar recovered well each time, but it took a few years.
The point is not to worry too much about the eventual value of the dollar, but also to be aware that in the short term, Euros are a good currency to hold as well. Don’t bet on one or the other currency; hold both currencies. Chinese Yuan are too much controlled by the Chinese government, so that way lies trouble for diversifiers.
Now, let’s see …. maybe we should short Colones and go long on Yen? ^_^
posted by Len Crankyjesup. Pertaining to the developer you’ve inquired about, the following thread may be of interest to you;
https://www.welovecostarica.com/members/forum/openthread.cfm?forum=1&ThreadID=1801jesup100. It would be wise for you to read this article before you deal with any developers in Costa Rica.
https://www.welovecostarica.com/public/1287.cfmI have been remodeling and constructing housing in Costa Rica since 1992 and I utilize my construction skills and over 15 years experience in Costa Rica to help my clients “SEE BEYOND THE OBVIOUS” to anticipate and avoid costly problems. This week I had the privilege of completing an inspection in the Cariari subdivision in Belen for a couple from Texas who were here to buy their dream home so that as soon as they retire they’re all set to begin enjoying their new life here in paradise. Last week I helped a young Swiss couple decide what they needed to do before closing on the townhome they were considering in Escazu.
Because I have been constructing quality custom homes for over 25 years, I am very capable of inspecting them and organizing all the details into a professional report that can be used to assist in purchasing housing in Costa Rica. A detailed inspection report can be utilized to complete the sale with the purchaser knowing that the property has been acquired at the accepted price and that there won’t be any surprises after the closing. With my inspection report you’ll have details of any defects with the construction and will be able to escrow sufficient funds in order to make any needed repairs. I’ll look forward to helping you inspect the new home you’re contemplating in Belen. tom@WeLoveCostaRica. com
It’s comforting to know that we have some very astute neighbors keeping up with the political pulse back in the USA.
Jeff writes like a pro and certainly understands economics.
If a fraction of the tax payer paid USA politicians would work on behalf of the American public instead of in the interest of themselves and their chorizero buddies, the majority of us might still feel confident in contrast to mass sentiments of distrust.
