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Marilyn, you’re welcome to use my address. I also have an unused telephone number, too. So you’re welcome to both and I’ll never know the difference.
I’ve had good experiences with Tri-Color, Avis and Payless.
At tip: Don’t rent your car for pick-up at Juan Santamaria International Airport in San Jose. There’s a significant tax for airport pick-up. Instead, when you make your car reservation, arrange for the rental agency to pick you up at the airport and take you to their office. They’re all close to the airport. Or take a cab to the rental agency. Either is a cheap alternative to the airport surcharge.
For legal residents of Costa Rica, ARCR can enroll you in the CAJA national health system. For legal residents and others, ARCR has a visiting agent from INS who can enroll you in INS’ insurance programs including health, auto and homeowner’s.
If you’re spending significant time in Costa Rica, ARCR can offer you other useful services including travel services, a mail forwarding service, etc.
Our 40-foot container was shipped from Southern Shores, NC (about 100 miles south of Norfolk, VA) to San Jose, unloaded, passed through/by Customs, and the contents put into storage. The cost to get it here from Southern Shores in June, 2005 was about $5,800. Customs and the first month of storage was less than $800 (can’t remember exactly (Halfheimers)). The $5,800 includes a “split” delivery with some things delivered last November and the rest coming when the main house is completed (maybe this October).
Your mileage may vary.
A 20-foot container will be less expensive, but not by a factor of half. It still has to be trucked, loaded, handled, unloaded, passed through Customs, and ultimately delivered to you.
We brought a forty-foot container and everything we owned. Neither the shipping nor the storage nor the Customs duties were excessive. We could not have sold what we owned in the U.S. and replaced with like goods for the cost of shipping everything here.
Moving household goods to Costa Rica has been thoroughly massaged elsewhere in this forum. Do a search on “moving” or somesuch and you’ll have an hour of reading.
If you’re going to rent something for a few months, give Immigration that address. Not every aspiring resident has a telephone. If there’s someone else’s telephone number you can use, give them that. Just tell the party who owns the phone that you’re to be notified if you get any calls.
And even if you’re not going to rent a place just yet, find someone whose physical address you can use. Immigration won’t know the difference and won’t be hurt in the least.
There is also La Artistica in Pavas, about half a mile to the “in town” (Sabana Park) side of the American Embassy. Mario Viota speaks pretty good English. La Artistica is also a Maytag appliance dealer.
I looked into geodesic dome homes built in the fashion of R. Buckminster Fuller back in the 1970s. In Michigan, they made a lot of sense but had some drawbacks.
For one, the carpentry has to be exactly perfect in order to cut the compound angles necessary to get the interlocking triangles to fit together. This is fairly tricky carpentry for anyone who has never done it. And you can’t be certain that you have it right until you get the last piece installed at the top.
Another problem with geodesic domes is waterproofing them. All the angles make it almost essential that you use asphalt shingles which will bend across the corners. Even then, leaks abound. It’s a serious consideration in a climate with six months of pretty heavy rain each year.
A third problem lies in finishing the interior walls. Again, it’s a matter of all those angles and getting them to come out right. Same for the exterior.
Some owners in the U.S. have erected the framing, wired, finished the interior, and then foamed the cores and the outer surface with spray-on poly. Then, a protective coating can be sprayed on over the foam. Done right, this creates a waterproof surface (except maybe at openings), it’s airtight, and it’s very strong. I wonder if anyone in Costa Rica can do this?
A final consideration would be liveability. A geodesic dome contains less volume per square foot of floor space than any other structure. So if you’re heating or air conditioning, they’re very efficient. The problem lies in arranging furniture, cabinetry, etc. Because the walls are not vertical, everything must be set out slightly and you lose floor space. If you elect to attach cabinetry to the outer walls, you have a cabinetmaker’s nightmare in store for you.
All that said, there are advantages to geodesic domes. One is that you can buy them as kits from the U.S. and import them here. Then, all you need do is build an appropriate foundation, bolt the sections together, wire and plumb, finish the interior and exterior surfaces, kick back, and relax. Erecting the framing goes quickly and is a non-skill job.
There’s a manufacturer of domes in Davidson, Michigan who builds 26- and 39-foot models. Last time I looked, the basic kits were very reasonably priced, and they’d add on interior and exterior “diamonds” to finish the surfaces, insulation, etc. I think the name of the company is Peace Domes or somesuch. For reasons that I cannot explain, 26- and 39-foot domes are limitations imposed by the geometry. Apparently, you can’t effectively build one that’s (say) 50 feet in diameter.
Scott has it exactly right. Find an attorney who specializes in real estate matters to review and explain the situation to you.
Then find another attorney and have him or her confirm what the first one told you.
This is too important a matter to take lightly.
I’m quite certain that the labor law does specify a minimum wage for a live-in caretaker, whether you’re talking about a housekeeper or a gardener. There are also considerations of Social Security, CAJA, employment security rights, vacations and annual bonuses to take into account. From what I’ve read, hiring anyone is fairly complicated.
Before you proceed, I’d consult a knowledgeable attorney who can guide you through the legal maze.
Denise, a bodega is any utility space in or near your home. Think of it as a utility room, closet, or storage building. You need one for your stuff. We’ve added a bodega to the house we’re building. It will contain the hot water tank, the washer and dryer, maybe the trash can, and whatever else will fit.
Jessica, do a Google search on “new cars + Costa Rica” and you’ll find a site that lists most brands available here. Decide what you’re interested in, then send the importer an e-mail and get the ball rolling. You’ll have to send money via international wire transfer.
I was not able to discern if prices are at all negotiable. I asked the dealer for his lowest “Ticos only” price, but I don’t know if I did any better than list or not. New cars here don’t have window stickers like in the States. Also, there appears to be only one importer of new cars of each brand, so you’re stuck with that source.
Marvella, I “think” Medicare will cover emergencies outside the U.S., but I won’t swear to that. I know my BC/BS policy will, and it becomes a Medicare supplement when I turn 65.
Scott, I looked at the site you cite and also at the site of a guy who advertised in last week’s Tico Times. All the policies are very restrictive with regard to pre-existing conditions. Generally, you can select your annual deductible and the premium varies accordingly.
The man whose site I visisted called this morning. He said that only one of the companies he represents is actually governed by U.S. law and only that company guarantees renewal. So the others may accept you for a year and then drop your coverage.
The policy he recommended for me costs about $3,000 per year with a $2,500 deductible, so to break even, you have to have $5,500 in expenses. And the premium goes up with age.
This just doesn’t seem to make good economic sense. Even with my diabetes (in excellent control), I’ll probably be better off keeping my BC/BS coverage, enrolling in Medicare when I’m eligible, paying cash for what I can afford here in Costa Rica and planning to return to the U.S. for what I have to lay off on Medicare.
The man I talked to did argue that we should have air evacuation insurance to pay for flying us back to the U.S., if needed. Apparently, that’s not too expensive. When I know more, I’ll let you know.
Marcia and I have our pensionado residency, too. That makes us eligible for Costa Rica’s CAJA medical plan and we are enrolled, although we have never used it. So the question becomes whether we should maintain that ($37/month for the two of us) or drop it and just plan to pay cash for everything. I dunno . . .
Actually, Maravilla, I think you’ll find that life expectancy in Costa Rica is marginally longer than in the U.S., and infant mortality is marginally lower.
As to raw milk, it’s your life. Milk is pasteurized because cattle in the pasture are exposed to wildlife (primarily deer) that are carriers of tuberculosis. You want that risk? Have a nice life — but not me!
