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Hi Terry,
I have not been a fan of Golfito because it appears to be pretty rough around the edges, as others have posted. The good news for you is that affordable housing is available *all* over Costa Rica, so you might do well to spend some time touring around to find a place in what many would consider a more desirable neighborhood/community. Doing some Costa Rica internet searches you will find Tico priced houses everywhere. Even better, consider building yourself to save money and get brand new digs. If you speak spanish there are brand new pre fab home companies (search this site) that will put up nice house – relatively quickly – on your land. One could easily have a basic, but nice and new, 2-3 bedroom home on a non-view acre or two for around $75,000 out of pocket. If you choose your community well, your property could instantly double in value upon completion. Good luck!
pweisel
Pweisel
Uvita school information I came across this post online at Uvita.biz. The post is about 1 year old. I don’t know more about it…
Open since March 15th, 2006
There are currently 10 students enrolled, bilingual – Spanish and English
They are using the Calvert Curriculum.
Tuition is: $200.00 registration fee then a $150.00 monthly fee. If more than one child attends from a family, there is a 15% discount.Sponsors are being accepted for local children. The cost is $2,000.00 – $2,500.00 per year. Click here for info.
Donations are being requested so that the school can hire a certified Costa Rican teacher that will teach in the Spanish language.
Subjects being taught: language arts, social studies, arithmetic, history, art, poetry.
Currently there is one teacher and one teacher’s aid, both bilingual.
The school is open 5 days a week, 4 hours a day.
8:30 A.M. to 12:30
Located in the old high school, address:
Traveling south on the costanera (coastal highway) turn right (towards the ocean), which is the first right after the gas station, there is a Coopealianza there. Go past the Coopealianza 300 meters (3 blocks).Volunteer teachers are also being interviewed. Teachers for music, P.E. art, etc…
Hey Bay,
I’d be so interested (and appreciative) in meeting with you and seeing how the Ojochal project finished up, as well as other’s you having been working on or are connected to, the next time I’m “in town.” The pictures on you’re website are inspiring! Beautiful project, family, friends! We may be following suit soon on our uvita plot.I’ve got your email and will try to reach you when I’m there – sometime before next summer. Glad to see some/more NoCal Universe folks doing things right in CR.
Please keep posting so we all can learn from you all…Thanks!
PeteBuenos Tom/Neighbor!
Please cc me in anything you learn. I’ve done some digging in the last few years and like you haven’t come up with much. My wife and I have property in Uvita and have always been interested in alternative enviro-friendly building methods, especially in CR, as labor is around $1.50 per hour.Amoungst other things, I have not located a source of straw bales in CR, and am not informed about their existence there in general. Alternatively, I have been wondering more about Earth Bags, and how they work out in in warm tropical climates. Either can be covered in a more or less Stucco type finish. I’ve sent out a few emails to different companies but haven’t heard anything back. Any info from anyone about alternative building methods in warm humid climates with red clay-like earth would be appreciated.
Thanks,
Pete
Milwaukie, OregonRemember that you really need to be on-site when you build your house. The reasons include managing laborers (even if you have a contractor things will need your attention), to purchase your own materials (a common area to get burned – in the US too!) and to push to keep things moving along. Plan on 9-12 months. Good Luck!
I have a property in Uvita. I bought it while visiting but had to return to the states before everything was finalized. It took about 6-8 weeks for the corporation to be set up, but some of that time was due to mailing paperwork back and forth (both mine and the previous owners, also in the states)to San Isidro de General, where my lawyer is. DHL’s fastest service took 4-5 days and cost about $90. I don’t think any express courier makes it to Dominical or farther south, so plan accordingly if needed.
Ojochal is a beautiful village! Very friendly ex-pat community, as you no doubt have found out. Dining at Exotica is always a highlight (wonderful French owners and cuisine) of my visits, and Franks’ French bakery makes the jungle a pretty civilized place. Enjoy…
PeteGreetings,
You might look at http://www.vrbo.com (Vacation Rentals By Owner). This site has rentals all over the world, including many in Costa Rica. Often people rent out their own homes, which may be more desireable than a hotel room…
Good Luck!
I would talk to other’s who have built in your area and live there. They know who is good at construction, who is honost, etc. Make sure you speak Spanish. Treat the laborors as humans and as the fellow community members that they are. Purchase your own materials and make sure they stay on the site – lots of losses happen in this area.
PeteIt’s ramshackcabins.net I researched Geo’s for a while a few year’s back and came to conclusion that modern ones still have leak issues, and other issues that outweigh energy efficiency, and they depreciate because almost no one else want’s one when it’s your turn to sell. Not a good plan if your house is your biggest investment.
It took me about 6 weeks. Make sure you verify that you are working with very good lawyer (check them out). The minor cost increase is worth it.
National Geographic did a video piece on this island recently, I saw it on pbs. Called it some of the best diving in the world and only for advanced divers, due to currents and sharks. The video was phenomenal. The island was 300 miles south of Golfito and if you do an internet search you’ll find the outfit that will take you down to that island. You can only get there by ship.
There is also an area called Tres Rios, south of Ojochal in the southern pacific zone, close to the ocean. Sometimes towns in Costa Rica share the same name, such as SanIsidro General and SanIsidro. Make sure you get the correct place whether you’re property hunting or trying to catch the right bus!
What’s nice about Southern Pacific Zone of CR is the low human density and the high environmental diversity. Yes, It’s a bit of a hassle to get to this region, though not as hard as you might think as there are small planes that fly from SJ many times daily. As a propterty owner in Uvita, what I see happening is that the tourist masses are headed to the Northern Pacific, which is fine by me. Those in the Southern Zone have the opportunity to develop luxurious, tranquil communities while those to the north pack in the crowds. (kind of like the difference between Big Sur and Montery or Santa Cruz) What type of enviroment do you want to live in? No wrong answers here, but I advise you really sort it out for yourself before you buy.
