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I can’t tell you where to get them but the newest emergency generators sold in the U.S. are now propane powered. This has a great advantage in that fuel does not go bad setting in the tank AND you may need or have use of the fuel directly for cooking. Propane is readily available in CR. I also don’t know about bulk tank refills however. Probably depends on where you are.
The U.S. Government’s trade policies are the worst in the world. On one hand they have practically forced CAFTA on Central America but on the other have let “free trade” destroy the industries in the U.S. that have made it a great nation.
CAFTA would be a good plan if the U.S. were not part of it. With the U.S. involved it is a disastrous policy for Central America. Those of us doing business in Costa Rica would love for there to be no duties on goods coming or going. However, it is those duties that Costa Rica operates on. Without them there will have to be other taxes. The only source large enough would be higher income taxes. That shifts the burden to the poor who could not buy expensive foreign goods in the first place. . . Yeah, that’s the plan, tax the small farmers and laborers.
Oversized conduits and extra conduits are a good thing.
Where I live now in the states the house was built and then a shop. Conduits were run to the shop for electric and water. However, now we need to add phone and cable lines to an office in the shop. . . But there is now a terraced garden where the conduits were run. The conduits were run by the previous owner and no extras were laid.
EXTRA conduits or conduits for future changes are a cheap and easy thing to do. Digging the ditch is the expensive part and later when there is landscaping and driveways over the runs it is much more of a problem.
In the past I used to run conduits just for future expansion but have found that extras for the things you don’t think of today (like that extra security camera at the end of the drive or power for an electric gate. . .). So take advantage of when that ditch is open.
Costa Rica Construction Methods:
Another difference in Costa Rica plumbing is that since it does not freeze in CR you often see supply pipe that are not buried and are on the outside of buildings. This is culture shock for us from the North but it makes sense when you think about it. However, the pipe need to be protected from mechanical damage. As noted supply pipes CAN be run in overhead spaces for the same reason.
A big difference in Costa Rica construction is the open ventilation of buildings. While many of the small Tico homes do not take advantage of natural ventilation most commercial structures do. My friends in Auguas Zarcas are remodeling an old coffee plantation migrant laborer housing that had six two bedroom units. The layout and construction was very well thought out for the climate.
The roof line has an offset at the peak with an overhang to allow hot air to exit and rain not to get in. All along the front edge of the roof there is an open place to allow fresh air in. This is in addition to copious shuttered windows. So there is good ventilation when the building is closed. Originally there were no screens and the larger spaces had re-bar burglar guards. Now they have screens and the ugly rebar guards will be replaced with nice decorative and functional wrought iron scrolls (my friend is a blacksmith).
You will see ventilation of this kind in all sorts of structures in CR from the local Supermercado to construction suppliers. This is not universal and is dependent on the specific micro climate.
Many Ticos are getting away from this type of construction as they “Westernize” but is IS still good design for the region.
One thing to keep in mind when thinking about a house in ANY region is the local architectural style. Building outlandish modern designs is out of place anywhere just as log cabins in a land of termites is very short sighted (they are popular among Gringos in CR. . .).
The typical local construction is Hispanic style concrete or parged block, tile or tin roofs, large porches. While there is not a lot of style to Tico architecture any Spanish, Mexican puebleo or Spanish Colonial style with lots of ventilation is suitable. Use good quality wrought iron (the jewelery of a home) instead of the typical rebar stuff will add class.
Much of that concrete (floors, counters, showers, edging) is covered with tile and this is an art in itself. I have grown to love the color and patterns of Mexican tile and the Ticos import and use a LOT of Spanish tile. Tile should be carefully planned because it will be with you your entire life. At very little extra cost you can have borders. For a significant cost you can have large mosaics. It is part of the style and can add beauty to an otherwise plain home.
My plans to move and build in Costa Rica have been delayed a few years. But meanwhile I find that it has given me time to study and try to do the right thing when I do build.
Costa Rica Construction methods:
I have been trying to observe and study these in my visits to CR the past few years so that I know what to look for when I build.
The advice to check with the (required) engineer about the footings is correct.
The more important questions should be about the plumbing methods. Many part of Costa Rica are just emerging from the outhouse and gray water era (you still see sewage running down road side ditches in rural Costa Rica) and those places with toilets have the quaint custom of not flushing toilet paper. I also see systems without traps, vents or clean outs. Pipe sizes are also often too small. So the common plumbing methods in (some places of) CR are quite primitive and far below what we would consider proper practice in the U.S. Many of the workers will be used to the quality of construction in THEIR homes and will give you the same.
Pipes hidden under the slab IS common in the US too. But you need to be sure that every drain run has accessible clean outs (an exposed screw in plug at the end OR in a Y on long runs). Often you need to plan for these in the back of a closet or some other out of the way place. Architects rarely understand the mechanics and do not plan for these things. . . The pipes also need to be cushioned in sand to prevent cracking when the house settles OR during earth quakes.
Traps assure that sewer gas smells do not enter your living space and vents assure that suction in the drain line does not empty your traps of water. Traps also prevent cockroaches from invading your home through the drains. . .
The devil is in the details. Even picky things like deburring the inside edges of pipes before assembly greatly reduces the chance of clogging. Yes, I AM a picky plumber.
more. . .
While I agree withs Scott’s statement about stability (too much of the country’s income relies on tourism and instability would kill that), I would not use WalMart or any other large US retailer’s investment as an example.
In the US it is common for WalMart to build a large store and then just a few years later abandon it to build an even larger store a few miles away. Stores are also built by large chains in predatory marketing schemes and then abandoned when the competition is gone. Riteaid is infamous for building three pharmacies in a town to put all the small pharmacies out of business then closing two out of the three. What many people and businesses would think of as long term investment or infrastructure these companies treat as short term expenses.
The thing that Costa Rica has proven over the past three quarters century is regional instabilities do not have effect them.
I read this blog about a year ago and everything was quite upbeat at that time. It sounds like she is becomming a little ?neurotic about living in a strange country where she is not comfortable dealing at their level.
But the other thing that seems to be going on is that SHE is dealing with all the contruction and what not. Where is her husband? Costa Rica is definitely a sexist country and men there do not like to be told by women what to do. I have seen Tica’s that ran their own businesses defer to their husband in public about things they did not really understand since they did not run the business. We in the US are used to some sexism but it is much more the cultural norm in Costa Rica.
The complaints about polution and overuse of chemicals is also legitimate. If you want a less polluted clean life anyone with any sense would look at the central valley and realize that there are far too many people and no place for all the waste to go. It is also a poorly regulated TROPICAL country so pesticides and herbicides get used a lot and often improperly.
Our friends in CR had the wife of one of their workers get a job at a local pinapple plantation. The first day she was given a sprayer backpack and was told to “spray those rows”. She did not know what she was spraying, and was not given any mask or personal protection. The next day she nearly died from pesticide poisioning and spent a week in the local hospital. The hospital treated her symptoms but ran no tests for the poision (they probably knew what it was without the test). She was sent back home and to work without any warnings about pesticides and nothing was said or done about the local (powerful) plantation operation. THIS is the reality of a third world country.
This story does have a semi-happy ending. Our friends gave the husband a raise so the wife could stay home and not work at a place that that had no interest in their employees health. But this is not the case for most Ticos.
There IS a lot that we from the outside do not understand about Costa Rica, but WE have our problems as well.
I used to complain about the roads in Costa Rica. But then I realized that if they had good roads everywhere the country would become just as developed everwhere as it is in the Central Valley and costs would be just a high as in any developed country. So I realized that the bad roads were a GOOD thing. They give me hope for an inexpensive little Fina in the mountains will be mine one day.
If you do not adjust to the differences then you will not be happy in Costa Rica. It is a wonderful country. But it IS different. And as the French say about the sexes, Viva la difference!
Backpacking Mom is not adjusting to the differences.
Solvents such a thinner should not be used on brick, especially indoors. Most thinners contain a mixture of substances which are carcenogins over the long haul and can cause liver and other organ failure in the short run. If the brick is porus then the solvent may be absorbed and gas out over a long period of time. While I am one that has used a lot of and like the slightly sweet smell of lacquer thinner it can be VERY bad for you.
Cleaning with high pressure water, grit mixes and so on are quite benign and do the job. You probably won’t find it in CR but in the US their are contractors that use ground dry ice as grit. It is ground, blasted and then it dissapears in an invisible cloud of CO2. All that is left is the product that was removed.
Scott,
Nicely produced and edited. But I review various video pieces as part of my work so here goes.
The voice over at the beginning is a little muddled with the background sound volume. The friendly slightly exotic voice of a Tica might convey the message better.
It is about 50% longer than it needs to be. OR there needs to be more information about some of the scenes such as where they are. Titles or naration would be nice.
AND, while I like the music this particular piece gets very repeditive and tiresome in a short while. Maybe it is because I have listened to it a lot on the Costa Rica video. . . Maybe a change in music would shorten the apparent length.
It would also be nice to have a choice of a larger view but I know this really hammers a server and often requires a special streaming media server. I too have to stick with the little 240×180 format.
Depending on your target market the “older” generation does not like the trend in frenetic videos where the images change very rapidly. This is not quite that fast but it is close. Fewer longer scenes might convey more and seem less hectic. You ARE trying to convey a beautiful relaxing place.
But these are picky details and some may be a matter of taste.
Your friend and future expat,
Jock D.
Ambulance service in Costa Rica.
One thing you will find different in Costa Rica is that no one pulls over for an ambulance. I have followed one for a hour as it slowly made progress on the road from San Jose to Cuidad Quesada lights flashing away. The only car that pulled over was the one driven by THIS gringo.
I have seen this on a number of occasions in different parts of the country. I suspect one reason is that there is no place to pull off on many of the roads (no shoulders and deep culverts). But I managed to find a place to pull off and there are numerous places at the one lane bridges wide enough for the Ticos to pull off.
SO, do not expect quick service if there is a long winding road or lots of traffic. While the medical system in Costa Rica is fairly good the emergency services are like all their infrastructure.
“expunged” records.
Legally when this is done the records are removed or if in mixed court records the names and crimes are whited out. Expunged is supposed to mean it NEVER HAPPENED and that all traces of a record are gone.
The problem is that in our information society things get put into other records including computer databases and their backups. The rules covering expunged records were written long before computer records and thus the problem. . IF there was a court order expunging the records then that order needs to be forwarded to other record keepers. I do not know what the legalities are but to do it right I suspect that you are going to need a lawyer to pursue it if you want.
Many folks that move to CR do so in stages or visit home quite often. Every trip down they bring something with them. When you live there you don’t need to haul a lot of cloths so you fill your luggage with goods you find easier in the US.
One reason for the high cost of some goods in CR is the import duties. Travelers are allowed a significant exemption so almost anything you bring from home is “duty free”. See the note above about having visiting friends bring things. Each year I have visited friends in CR we have hauled quite a load, books one year, gas forge parts on another and humming bird feeders on another.
The cost of travel is a bit much to make a dedicated shopping trip worthwhile but if mixed with other purposes such as visiting family then you can buy the brands you like and bring them back to CR safely and legally duty free in your luggage.
As noted above I do not think you will have trouble purchasing art supplies in CR. There are many artists in CR and the tourist trade demands paintings to decorate hotel lobbies and rooms as well as many other places. But I do remember back when I was an artist having preferences in brands of paint and brushes.
Although it is a tad invasive I have had nothing but good experiences at the airports and I am one of those folks that might LOOK like a cartoon terrorist, shaggy hair, beard. . .
I always try to be ready (I carry a large lap top PC bag), smile and be polite. Probably the worst reaction from airline security we have had was in COSTA RICA. The security officer found a pack of matches in a pocket in a borrowed nap-sack. . He frowned and said, “This is VERY serious business”.
Now, I am used to a different type of security, working in Nuclear plants. Here you are almost strip searched at the gate, every day. You go through metal detectors, bomb sniffers and are often patted down. And I do mean PATTED down. There is a great deal of difference in how airline security gently and politely pats one down and how they do it in other places. Of course part of the work in a nuclear power plant requires that you strip down to your underwear in a mixed group as you file by the radiation contamination and security personnel. After going through this a few times you find that you can take almost anything anywhere. Now if you screw up and get contaminated you will find yourself at the mercy of strangers inspecting and scrubbing off your top layer of skin in the most personal of places.
I do want to commend the Canadian Mounties. The last time I flew into Canada they were like being welcomed by an old friend. On the other hand the US side of the Calgary airport on leaving was cold and unfriendly. It made me ashamed to be a US citizen.
In the end you must remember we have a president that thinks he can win an un-winnable war that has been going on for thousands of years. He is at the top of the beuarcracy and the poor security guys at the airport are at the bottom. You have to remember that they are poorly paid and are the mushroom class, kept in the dark, fed crap and stepped on. . . But I have found that if you smile at them no matter how bad you think the situation is, they will appreciate it and are often quite nice.
Lotus,
I do not think they are including the mandatory Costa Rican libility insurance. This is not the same thing that is provided by your credit card which is in addition to the local insurance. I recently looked at a bunch of rental cars and some stated it quite clearly while others made it difficult to tell.
I found that on super economy cars the insurance was roughly half the final bill and on one quote the mandatory insurance was more than the car rental. When I added it up I found that I was just as well off to stick with the company I had been doing business with that quoted one price including insurance. The economy SUV (Daihatsu Terios) I rented cost $798 for two weeks. $399/week peak season $299/week off season. They had a non-4WD car for 259/319 week.
Credit card rental car insurance is very tricky. I found that after carefully reading the fine print on mine several times that it was only in force if I had the same collision (not just libility) coverage on my personal car. Since my car is a $1000 clunker I do not. So the credit card coverage is not in force. Smoke and mirrors!
Your quote has a note about an additional $3000 deposit. They MAY be working around the mandatory insurance but you need to ask. And that is the thing to do. ASK.
I have not yet had much success in learning Spanish. I am one of those with very broad English and a brain formatted for it so I know it will be difficult. Even in computer languages I am much more fluent in BASIC which is based on English syntax rather than others which are not.
I purchased the PBS video tape series “Destinos” and although I enjoyed it I did not learn much from it. Each lesson (4 on a tape) is punctuated very loudly by the ENGLISH introductions and credits. I think that without these interuptions that it might be more useful.
In the past year I have picked up some Spanish by going to a local Mexican resturant. They have the Spanish cable TV package and something from the Spanish networks runs constantly on the TV. I try to order in as much Spanish as a can and have “dos aguas” and “pollo (poi’yo)” down pat. . It would help if I expand my diet.
Listening to Spanish helps. We are discussing getting cable with the Spanish package but it appears you cannot get both the standard and Spanish package. . or at least I cannot get an answer. While watching the TV in the resturant I figured out what “flaca” meant from the title of a show called “El Gordo en Flaca”. . “The Fat and the Skinny”. I knew gordo because that is me. . . and flaca is related to and spelled near to flacid.
I listen to Spanish stations on the radio when I can find them. Most of their music sounds like Polkas but the better singers are clear and slow and the announcers speak good clear Spanish. . ocassionaly I get the drift of something. But as important, I get the feel for the flow and sound of the language. It was interesting hearing North Carolina said as carolEE’na del norte (hard Spanish i).
A book that comes highly reccomended is “Madrigals Key to Spanish”. It is available in major book stores. A fellow from Chile that taught a local Spanish/English class used it for his text book and a frined of mine that had been struggling with Spanish said she made great improvements with it.
I think the emmersion method is the most fool proof. . .
Hope this helps.
