Casa Carmen is a residence that was completed a year ago in the outskirts of Santa Maria de Dota.

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It is a three bedroom, two bath home with an open plan utilizing a Great Room concept for Living, Dining, Kitchen, and an Artist’s Studio/ 3rd bedroom.

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It contains 1140 square feet (106 sq. mtrs.) of livable floor area, but when the exterior three big Miradors (porches), double Carport w/ laundry and storage, Breezeway between the house and carport, plus covered walkways around the remainder, the total area under roof is 3157 square feet (293 sq. mtrs.)

The Great Room has a 8′ X 8′ (2.4m X 2.4m) Claraboya (cupola) with clerestory windows in the center of the roof to bathe the interior with natural light.

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There is a bonus loft above the Master Bath which is adequate to sleep a few children and has not been included in the total floor area.

The buildings have reinforced concrete block and stucco finished foundation and perimeter walls up to 16″ (40cm) with cypress wood wall and roof framing.

All floors are ceramic tile over poured concrete slabs, except deck areas are framed in cypress with hardwood decking. Interior finished walls and ceilings are of painted drywall with fully cased wood windows, doors, and trim.

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The roof is painted corrugated sheet metal with carbonate plastic skylights. Electrical, plumbing, and septic systems are to Costa Rica and international standards.

There is no air conditioning system required in this perfect climate a mile high above the equator, but Master Bedroom and Kitchen are augmented with ceiling fans.

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The entire construction, including Buildings, Architectural/Engineering fees, Permits, Electrical hookup, Septic System, 680 lineal feet (207m) of barbed wire site perimeter fencing, and an 18′ (5.5m) steel gate with automatic operator cost less than US$100,000 plus the cost of the land.

Construction time was six months plus permitting time of three months.

Larry and Cindy Windes - Retired in Costa Rica
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Written by VIP Member Larry Windes, . Larry is a retired architect who has designed and built projects in dozens of countries around the world and Cindy was a computer teacher and administrator for a semi-conductor design center and they both now live in Costa Rica.

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