Last week, in Part 1, you read the first part of Roger and Sandy’s experience, from choosing their location and land to beginning construction.

I ended that article recounting how Brian McLane had to take on the contractor role to get their house built. This week we bring you the rest of their experiences and lessons learnt. These are the answers to the 2nd half of the 16 questions listed in Part 1.

After Brian took on the role of building contractor Roger liked that he didn’t have to do anything and that Brian took care of everything.

They also hired Mariel, Brian’s wife, to help with furnishing the home. She was invaluable in helping them find what they needed, identifying which stores to go to, interpreting for them, and helping to negotiate prices.

Mariel has a day rate and an hourly rate. She also has a questionnaire that helps the owners document their design preferences, and that helps Mariel put together suggestions that deliver the desired result.

The final building costs were higher than anticipated, but that should be expected when building a home. Also, this was Brian’s first attempt to build a house so Roger understood the steep learning curve he was on.

I mentioned last time that the granite countertop had yet to be installed when Roger and Sandy took possession. The reason the granite was late is that their first order was scooped by a hotel which took the vendor’s entire stock.

They returned and chose 2 new slabs. One of those was dropped off the forklift when getting it ready to ship to site and shattered. Mariel picked out a 3rd piece and that one made it to the house and was installed.

One of the difficulties Roger and Sandy had was in finding appropriate materials and fittings for the house. Back then there was not a lot of choice. Now, six years later, there is lots of choice.

Jack, Roger’s brother who participated in the interview, recommended that we ‘North Americanize’ the building process, meaning have a detailed process that is documented. In his words; “Owners need details”.

He used the construction of his house by Homes by Avi, a very successful home-builder in Calgary, as an example. After Jack and Mary had finalized the design of their home in Calgary and had chosen all the fittings, paint, tiles etc., they were given a document to signoff listing their choices. They were made to understand that any change would necessitate a change order and that change would carry a cost.

Owners also need to understand what they are paying for; e.g. all necessary permits. It would be nice if the permits could be translated into English even though they have to be submitted in Spanish.

That way the owner will understand what is happening as it happens. There should be no surprises.
They should know beforehand what permits are required, when they have to be acquired and what the costs will be. This applies to all costs the owners will be covering.

Currently there are two ways of getting houses designed. Brian has several standard plans that can be used. Alternatively, the architect, Gustavo, can customize a design based on the owner’s requirements.

This is what Roger and Sandy did. Gustavo can also create 3D images of the design so you can more easily visualize what your home will look like, inside and out.

There could have been better cost control during the construction process, although this did not become an issue.
Brian now has his own crew, one that he has had trained in various trade skills such as electrical, painting, door construction, welding, etc.

Roger and Sandy liked getting the flash drive with lots of photographs of each step of construction. This helped them see while in Calgary what was happening on their home in Altos de Antigua.

Another owner at Altos de Antigua made this comment: “Brian and his crew have learnt many things over the last few years.

They have a method and build fantastic homes with minimal fuss, less than one would find with builders in North America, and we have personal experience with both!!!!

The North American builders are always trying to cut corners at the owners’ expense. Brian is the opposite; he often takes a hit financially to provide better solutions and materials than specified.”

When the house was finished they realized that the laundry room should be larger and that the bedrooms were too large. This realization of appropriate sizes is not something one can tell from design drawings.

It would help future home owners to visit existing homes to get impressions of room sizes and then decide what sizes their rooms should be.

It helped Brian that Roger and Sandy allowed him to take care of all construction details, without being on site and second guessing him.

Having the owner on site can be problematic as the construction crews then have two bosses, Brian and the owner.
Because his crews have been trained to keep the owner happy, to be very accommodating to owners, they are very willing to do whatever the owner asks.

Unfortunately, there can a loss of cost control if the owner begins asking the crew to make changes without those changes being properly estimated and documented.

If you will be living nearby while your home is being built make sure all your questions and requests are directed to the builder; at Altos de Antigua that would be Brian.

Owners need to know that they will be living in the tropics with the jungle right next door. They should expect to see all kinds of critters; including snakes and spiders.

Snakes are not numerous and typically make their appearance in May when the rainy season starts and they leave the creek beds.

One of the lessons learned was for the grounds maintenance crew to work from the properties towards the creeks rather than the other way around so as not to drive any snakes towards the properties.

Roger studied snakes and learnt how to recognize the poisonous ones. Only 22 of the 160 types are poisonous, but it pays to know which ones they are.

Sandy made the point that we should not simply kill all snakes as they help to keep the rodent population in check.
Roger and Sandy spend time in their home in Altos de Antigua every year, and each time they stay longer than the year before.

They recommend that if you are thinking about living in Costa Rica full time you should first live here for a full year before making that decision.

Most people want to live here for a few months, and for Canadians it’s during their winter. Roger and Sandy found that the 2 ½ months they spent here this year was too short and they will likely extend it to three months next time.

They get more comfortable being here each time they come.
The two couples, Roger and Sandy and his brother Jack and Jack’s wife Mary did not have many prior expectations, choosing to keep an open mind about what to expect and electing to adapt as necessary.

They find the weather to be perfect, and in their words “absolutely love it here”. Food pricing has gone up since they have been coming here; however, this is a worldwide phenomenon.

Mary likes to be connected and so internet access is very important to her. This access started out being slow but has improved, although they have had difficulties connecting with Apple iPads.

This past February your writer was able to watch rugby matches streamed over the internet, and movies via Netflix. Brian is now trialling copper wire for telecommunications which is giving him speeds of 6Mb per second.

They reiterated that prospective owners should fully understand what they want and need. Are they choosing to live here year round, or do they want to come down periodically for a few months at a time?

Know what your expectations are in either case. Before making your move permanent spend a long enough time here to know that you will be happy, and what you will need to be truly satisfied.

Those who come here for a few months at a time are very happy. Perhaps it’s the realization of the privilege of escaping the harshest months of Canadian winters, but still being able to go back home.

The couple also find that it’s great being part of the Altos de Antigua community. It’s pleasant to have English speakers to socialize with, while learning Spanish to communicate outside the community.

Jack said a couple of times: “It’s like living in a park”! They would say to anyone considering doing what they have done: “Got for it! It’s fantastic and you won’t regret it”.

For more information about living in, buying land and having your dream home built in Puriscal, Costa Rica, please contact the developer directly Brian McLane at (506) 2416-4044 or use the simple form below:

Written by John Orian, P. Eng.“If you want something done give it to John!” Having earned this reputation with a billion dollar company and a major Canadian city, John now offers training and coaching in Project Management.

John’s main focus in Costa Rica is helping to create a vibrant international community at Altos de Antigua where he is an owner and investor.

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.