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Here we are discussing our personal tax liability to the current USA political regimes newest scheme to take more of our money, while the thieves that run the regime help themselves to whatever funds they can get their hands on. The USA is a lawless society and if you’re crony of the controlling regime you can take what you want. Look at Jon Corzine; former head of Goldman Sachs and founder of MF Global, (the largest FCM; Futures Commission Merchant in the USA); this man has stolen in excess of a billion dollars. Why did he do it? Well, he’s not stupid. This is a former head of Goldman Sachs. This man doesn’t have a low IQ. Why in the world would a man wake up one day and decide to take all the customer segregated funds in the FCM that he controlled, which was the biggest FCM in the country?
Because he knew upfront that he could get away with it. And the reason he got away with it is because he is in tight with the Obama regime. He’s one of Obama’s highest fundraisers. Earlier this year Jon Corzine had a fundraiser dinner at his NYC apartment for Obama where rich cronies paid $35,000 a plate. Corzine gathered huge funds for Obama in one evening. He’s a crony of the regime. There’s no rule of law for guys like Corzine and his poor clients are helpless to do anything because there’s no law enforcement against a member of the regime. There is no longer justice in the USA and no nation, culture or society can survive if there isn’t a foundation of justice. That’s why the USA is teetering on the precipice of collapse and civil war is inevitable. As is obvious by the new NDAA law allowing for the lifelong imprisonment of American citizens on US soil, by military force, without right to a trial or access to an attorney. The regime is currently funding the FEMA facilities and they are being opened and staffed to function as the concentration camps where the politicians will incarcerate those who defy the laws they’ve created for their own benefit. And we’re worried about paying those thieves what they dictate we owe to them. When is enough, enough?You may want to consider a salt water filtration system for the pool you are planning to build. I built a 6000 sq. ft. custom home with an indoor lap pool in the Cariari Country Club community and installed a salt water filtration system and solar water heating system and they have both worked well since 2002. Living in Jaco, the solar heating system may not be necessary.
The salt is not only less expensive but it doesn’t damage your skin nor smell like an old YMCA. Additionally, when using a solar system to heat the pool, the salt water is much gentler on the solar panels. The initial cost for the salt water system was not that much more than a chlorine system.
Once you swim in a salt water pool you will appreciate how nice the water feels and smells. No green hair or bleached swim suits either. The advantages of salt water chlorine generation include reducing or eliminating the storage and handling of chlorine and other chemicals as well as eliminating the cost of purchasing liquid chlorine.
You can visit this site for more info about chlorine free options. http://www.chlorfreewaterstoreoftheamericas.comDuring the past 27 years, I’ve built many large custom homes and have built pools with my own crew of tradesmen. I can tell you that pool building is a specialty trade and I now utilize the expertise of one of the following companies.
The largest company with design, construction and service is Piscinas Acuarium: http://www.acuarium.com/
Another reliable company is PoolMaxx: http://www.poolmaxx.net
From my experiences during the last 17 years of construction in CR, I recommend hiring one of these companies to build your pool and surrounding deck, water features, etc. As far as the outdoor living areas, perhaps the pool contractors can satisfy your needs to construct the installations you desire. If not, once the pool has been completed, you can contract with another specialty contractor who has experience with the outdoor living areas you have in mind.All good recommendations and thoughts. In conclusion, it’s wise to appropriate as much money as necessary to receive the best floor covering available for your dwelling. Keep in mind that the floor of your choza is very important, as you need to walk upon it and see it everyday. In the long run, you’ll get what you paid for, so unless you’re blind, spend whatever it takes to realize the best quality and most attractive floor available.
I bought a new Nokia E63 on Amazon for $140 in December and ICE changed my old TDMA line to 3G and connected my new phone without a hassle. I subscribed to the 1 month promotion for the internet connection and the overall signal strength varied por hora y dia. After 3 weeks of playing with the cellular internet, I cancelled the service. I tried it on my Nokia as well as an iPhone. Neither worked consistantly enough to conduct business. At times I was able to access my e-mail and other “apps” on the iPhone but I’m staying with my cable modem in my office and tolerating the inconsistant cellular signals. If you have a phone with Bluetooth capability, supposedly a compatible computer can connect to your cellular phones 3G signal. All I want is a consistant cellular signal and most days that’s asking too much. Ahhh, the magic of ICE !!
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.
Most surprises can be avoided by utilizing the services of recommended professionals who have years of experience with the construction process here in Costa Rica. The need for retainage on the building site could have been revealed with a land inspection prior to closing. If the owner knew about the additional cost to build on this lot, he could have selected another property that would have been more compatible with the construction plans that were designed to suit his lifestyle.
Additionally, more compatible construction plans could have been created by an experienced architectural designer to fit the lot and avoid much of the needed retainage. This property purchaser relied on the recommendation of the developer and the recommended architect was not capable of factoring the building site requirements into the design of the construction plans. Most architects do not actually draw their own construction plans. They hire architectural designers who work full time with CAD design software, http://usa.autodesk.com/industries/architecture-engineering-construction/architecture to create the construction plans for their clients.
I suggest to my clients that many times an architect who is educated primarily in design rather than structural studies may not be necessary. Costa Rican engineers are capable and licensed to create plans, obtain construction permits and monitor the construction process with more practical knowledge. I’ve designed most of my construction plans for each individual building site for more than 27 years and I rely on an experienced Costa Rican engineer to assist me and maintain the requirements of the CFIA, http://www.cfia.or.cr, during my construction projects.
I can ad to David’s post about how land inspections; soil testing and site preparation can increase building costs. I’m currently building a 700m2 custom home on a 4000 sq. mt. view lot in an established condominium subdivision in Santa Ana where there are already more than a dozen existing homes dating back 20 years. The area is in the mountains and has varying types of soil and rock. The owner, (a young American) purchased this expensive lot based on the confidence he had in the developers, a husband (60+ year old, construction contractor) and wife (60+ year old, architect). The lot is large, however only one area of the property offers the panoramic views where the owner wanted to position his new home.
In order to obtain the views and build the large home according to the architectural plans that the Costa Rican architect completed, I needed to create a building platform for the large home to sit on. In order to create this large platform, a retaining wall would be built 20 meters inside the ridge where the views are available and then I would fill inside the retaining wall with compacted road grade stones.
When I began excavation of the footings I encountered clay down to 3 meters depth. I then stopped the excavation in order to have the soil tested in the exact areas where the footings needed to be installed. While the 3 weeks soil testing process was taking place, it rained and subterranean water began seeping from the wall of dirt that now existed from my excavation. As the rain increased so did the flow of water from the wall of clay and the soil began to collapse and become heavy, like quick sand. It would be impossible to excavate and construct footings in the excavated trench with this moist clay falling into the excavated area during the evening rains.
When the results of the soil testing were provided, they were given to a civil engineer, who designed extensive footers and retaining wall, 50 mts long and 5 mts. high. When I say extensive, I mean 5 mts wide and 1 mt. deep footers with a .90 mt. wide wall all tied together with thousands of #6 and #8 re-bar installed in a square mesh, 10 cm’s on center.
In order to advance the construction of the retaining wall, I needed to divert the flow of subterranean water and control the collapsing clay. Three trenches were dug with a backhoe and 6” thick walled PVC tubes were installed to provide drainage. Symons metal forms were rented and concrete was poured on the seeping wall of clay in order to control the collapsing soil. 3 months after I excavated the initial trench for the footers. I was able to begin the construction of the retaining walls. 6 months later, I completed the retaining wall and building platform at a cost of $150.000.00.
Most property owners cannot afford these types of surprises. Fortunately, my client can afford the increased costs and he reminds me on a regular basis how expensive his new retaining wall is and how he will never buy another piece of property without having a land inspection prior to closing the purchase.
There is no yellow brick road in Costa Rica. Do your homework just as you would do anywhere else. Before you purchase property, seek recommendations for land inspections at, https://www.welovecostarica.com/members/department62.cfm.
Edited on Oct 24, 2009 11:34
Costa Rica Land Inspections – Many folks who wish to purchase a piece of paradise here in Costa Rica may not know there is an inspection service available to help them anticipate and avoid costly problems with the property they are thinking of buying, before they close the purchase.
Many properties do not require a great deal of time to inspect, 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 government institutions has attached restrictions to them for one reason or another.
Purchasers need to know this type of information before closing on property. Land Inspection Reports, inform purchasers of what will be required in order to construct the structures they have envisioned on a property. The costs of construction for required installations such as, access roads, retention and security walls, potable and irrigation water supplies, grey and black water drainage systems, utility connections and foundations are determined by a properties existing terrain, soil conditions and location. Some properties require environmental, engineering and soil studies as well as topographical surveys to insure that all infrastructure and building construction is completed properly and within the Costa Rican legal and zoning laws.
During a Land Inspection, the existing terrain and type of soil is examined in order to determine the most suitable location to construct the desired structure as well as what type of construction will be required to comply with local building regulations.
Dedicated building lots that are properly registered in the national registry and located in deeded, established projects do not require extensive inspection, however overall construction costs are determined by a building lots soil, size and location.
Land Inspection Reports are commonly utilized to begin the initial architectural design and engineering work that will determine the total cost of construction.
If you’re searching for useful information about purchasing land or building housing in CR, you can click on Inspection/Construction in the Trusted Providers section in the right hand margin on the WLCR home page. Or just click on this link.
https://www.welovecostarica.com/members/department62.cfmThe Caribbean coast is a bountiful region full of unique attractions. I have never been there when it has been as hot and humid as GTE or Florida. I’ve lived in Costa Rica since 1992 and for six years lived on a Pacific Ocean beach in Guanacaste and the only beach I still go to in CR for pleasure is Punta Uva. It is located on the Atlantic Ocean past Puerto Viejo, close to Manzanillo, which is the end of the road in southeast Costa Rica. It has a couple of small hotels and restaurants, and a small residential area. When you’re down there you should treat yourself to a drink or meal at Maxie’s restaurant in Manzanillo. You can’t miss Maxie’s because the road dead ends into the building right on the beach. Punta Uva is most known for its excellent beaches and the Punta Uva butterfly garden, which has an amazing variety of tropical butterflies. The actual point of Punta Uva is a rocky promontory which extends out over the lovely Caribbean Sea. The rock is a great place to explore, covered with lush jungle, and a trail leading to up to a great lookout point at the top. To the north-west of the point there is a sheltered cove with great swimming. One of the most popular beaches in the area, especially among the locals, this beach even offers kayak rental during the tourist season, and is a great spot for water sports and just lying around in the sun. A short access road leads down to this beach right across the main road from the Punta Uva grocery store, and there is parking right next to the beach. To the south-east of the point, the town of Punta Uva comes right down to the beach, with several beach-front houses and a restaurant or two. This region also has excellent beaches, with white sand and no reef. Check out my favorite place to stay in Punta Uva at; http://www.laspalmashotel.com
Don’t worry too much about Tico politics. The Ticos have been sharing their passive and friendly diplomacy for many years with any entity that has the ability to bankroll projects in Costa Rica. It’s all about money and the Tico’s pledge their allegiance to the most capable investors.
Tico politicians helped Robert Vesco make the transition from being a billionaire to a millionaire.
Tico politicians helped the famously corrupt Mexicans invest heavily in the Papagayo project and then sent them home pesoless.
Tico politicians received millions for public projects from Taiwan and without blinking an eye, decided to severe that relationship in order to align themselves with the Chinese.
Pobrecita Costa Rica cannot survive only on coffee, bananas and pineapples!For anyone interested in the assisted living facility described in the article, you can see photos of this excellent facility at;
http://groups.google.co.cr/group/belen-costa-rica/web/affordable-assisted-living-facility?hl=enThose of us who were here in the early ninety’s received permanent residency, “libre condicions” and immigration issued small green books with pages to be stamped every time we renewed the cedula. Since then they have changed the law and they now issue a plastic ID card like what you must have.
Imxploring has provided a logical suggestion and this may work for you, providing you can be on-site during your projects installation. If you are not able to supervise your own project, an experienced construction inspector is recommended, as on We Love Costa Rica at; https://www.welovecostarica.com/members/department62.cfm
