Four Costa Rica Prefabricated Home Builders

If you are looking for an uncomplicated way to build a new home, with shorter construction times and savings both in time and money, consider the option of a prefabricated house.

The Costa Rican real estate market offers a variety of alternatives in the prefabricated sector, and according to your specific needs, it can save you from buying cement, blocks, sand, and wood, to raise your own four walls.

Ideacasa (506) 220-3902 – Offers four different anti-seismic systems:

With the “Precos” system you can build either as a whole, or in successive steps. This includes columns and tiles, prefabricated windows, doorframes, water and electricity tubing, electrical outlets, and even the roof.

The “Autoprecos” consists of pre-assembled concrete walls, combined with wood, which are already finished and all set for installation.

The “BLT Precos” system offers a wide range of interior finishes, such as natural, baroque, or traditional with its combination of columns and tiles. These elements are also thermo-acoustically insulated.

Finally, the “Vertebrado” is the ideal base for a house with more than one storey. The company offers 11 basic models to choose from, which can be adapted to your individual needs.

Facoli (506) 222-1460 – Claims to have the fastest construction system. According to their specifications, Facoli can install 100 lineal meters (328 ft.) of wall daily, equivalent to 250 square meters (2690 sq. ft.) of wall surface. This means, that the entire walls of an average house can be raised in just one day.

The company offers dozens of different models, developed during their long experience in the field, but here, as well, individual options can be taken care of.

The walls provided permit the construction of more than one storey; they comply with the new Seismic Code, and have been installed in many of the bigger housing projects of the country.

The walls already come with a plain finish, which only has to be refined by covering the joining elements.

The water pipes are installed in the traditional way, but all the sanitary connections are ready made, directly into the floor. The bathroom elements come with both hot and cold water pipes already mounted.

Eurobau 262-3535 has a prefab system that consists of two elements: pre-tensed concrete columns (the anti-seismic component), and horizontal wall elements of prefab concrete (the ‘closing’ element). It complies fully with the Seismic Code of Costa Rica.

The angles of the walls must be 90 degrees. This system provides thus a great flexibility in the architectonic design of a house.

The system is conceived only for one-storey houses, but walls are offered in two heights: 2,50 m (8.20 ft.) and 3 meters (9.84 ft.).

Among its main advantages is the budget-saving system of raising walls quickly, compared to the traditional block/column way. A 100 m² (1076.39 sq. ft.) house is raised within a week. One disadvantage is, that the columns stand out about 4 cm (1.57 in.) from the walls.

Eurobau has a catalogue with 27 different models, and they offer technical assistance with their own engineering department.

Zitro (506) 234-0506 offers more than 50 different models, with options ranging from 40 m² (430.5 sq. ft.) up to 150 m² (1615 sq. ft.).

It is set up in the panel/column system which permits a continuous finish. This finish can be combined with other materials.

The concrete walls, with a thickness of 6 cm (2.36 in.) are acoustically insulated, anti-seismic, and can be raised in one day.

Three different options of surfaces are offered:

1. Grey: includes walls, roof and tubing.
2. Basic: includes windows, doors and kitchen furniture.
3. Complete: includes all of the above, plus tiled floors and ceilings.

What you should know beforehand:

• Check the background of the company.
• Check the technical assistance of the company when detailing design and raising of the walls.
• Check the warranty offered on materials and workmanship.
• Check if the system complies with all the current regulations and the Seismic Code.
• Check if the system allows for an expansion in height in the future, and if it readily adapts to uneven terrain conditions.

Andrew Makarik

to@welovecostarica.com

Andrew Makarik is the main editor of WeLoveCostaRica, a fan of this sunny country. He is also a loving husband and a has a lovely daughter. By being a devoted family man and the biggest Costa Rica fan, he wants to make more people feel at home there. WeLoveCostaRica unites people and helps them find new home or a new travel destination. This website is a friendly community where everyone can find not only information, but also new friends and travel pals. Andrew is also passionate about IT and programming, so he himself maintains a friendly atmosphere in this cozy environment of WeLoveCostaRica.com.