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By the Spring 07 we are most likely ready to make our move. Is there a Home Depot or Loews yet in CR or planing to open one? Here in WPB I have both only 2 miles away. Since I like to do everything myself(except brain surgery, still looking for a volunteer) this is important to me. The money I spend with them here they own me a free trip to the french riviera but they would not fork one over.
Neither Home Depot nor Lowe’s does business in Costa Rica. There is a company (based in Nicaragua, I think) called EPA which has a couple of HD/Lowe’s-like stores here, but they’re not as well stocked.
Depending on just what you want, you might think about bringing some things from HD or Lowe’s with you, if you’re sending a container. For my money, you can get perfectly adequate plumbing and electrical fixtures here at very good prices. Tile, too, is particularly inexpensive relative to U.S. prices. But if you are especially picky about just what components you want to have in the home you build, you might want to bring them.
My experience has been that some small everyday items are hard to find here. For instance, try to find something other than cheap half-inch garden hoses; five-eighth inch hoses are rare (although available at PriceSmart). And good quality 5/8″ repair parts are totally unavailable.
There is no Home Depot here but believe it or not Home Depot does export/deliver to Costa Rica
From
For more information and to order a free Exporters Catalogue*, call The Home Depot International Sales Department today at (954) 922-9731 or send an e-mail to THD_Exports@homedepot.com.
Scott Oliver
Keep in mind that construction techniques & materials can be very different in Costa Rica due to the climate and the earthquakes. I rehab buildings in the US, but in Costa Rica I let the locals do it because it’s so different. Example – you can always tell who the plumbers are, they walk around with a hammer & chisel (I don’t do cement).
I don’t know if a Home Depot would do well there. Gringos are very much do-it-yourselfers when it come to home repair. Labor is expensive in the US, and owning a lot of tools is almost a gringo right of passage. In CR tools are expensive, and labor is cheap, so most Ticos (not all) have contractors do it.
There was a “Do It Yourself” (That’s what the sign said – in English) hardware store in San Pedro a few years back, one where you could actually browse the isles and pick out what you want (rather than tell the clerk behind the counter what you want, then he goes and gets it for you). It closed down within months.
Also, plastic and concrete are the only two materials that last down there, especially on the coast and in the more humid environments. I put down “almendro” floors is my house. Drop-dead gorgeous, and very hard wood. Two years later there were mushrooms growing out of it. I had to rip it all out and replace it with ceramic. The environment eats at your tools quickly as well.
The biggest DIY type store we have here was built by a group from Venezuela called EPA.
They have a massive store in Curridabat and a new one just opened in Escazu which I have (unfortunately I HATE DIY – love to cook but hate to fix/repair) visited a few times.
I can NOT find a Costa Rican website for them but their main corporate site is at
Best wishes
Scott Oliver
WeLoveCostaRica.comOur house was basically finished, (more or less) last year 2004-2005. We bought a great deal of material at El Lagar, another place is Constru Plaza. There are also really good specialty stores for electrical and plumbing needs, both in San Jose and in outlying areas. Once you get past the feeling that everything should be done ‘like it is at home’ you will enjoy the adventure of building in CR
To the last 2 messages above:
To linlsd1: My wife and I live in Wellington and planing to sell after a little upgrading and repairs (those 3 hurricanes) Our next visit to CR is Aug. 15 and looking only at San Ramon and Atenas. Where in WPB do you live?
To Scott: Thanks for all the info you and others gave me. My plan is to buy a “Handyman Special” or have a shell build and finish interiors myself even if it means to sleep on a camping cot during that time. I have top of the line tools and it is my hobby to work with them every chance I have. Naturally I intend to ship them down since I can do everything from tile laying to plumbing to cabinet making. But enough of bragging. Scott, I am so glad that “you know who” is quiet for a while.We live in Royal Palm Bch. We are looking at lake arenal, San Ramon, and Grecia. Why did you choose Atenas and San Ramon?
To linlsd1: San Ramon and Atenas are not far from pacific and SJ. Also, San Ramon has a nice view towards the Golfo de Nicoya and since highways are not in a god shape I prefer not to be far from carretera interamericana. Next month will be our second trip to CR this year. Christmas again with a final decision. In March we spent a few days in La Fortuna but that area is a bit to remote for us to live there. By the way we live in the Eastwood section in Wellington.
We are practically neighbors, my husband and I live in Deerfield Beach FL. Just came back from CR. We really liked San Ramon. The weather was fantastic (in the mornings anyway, it is green season after all) views are spectacular and everything is fairly inexpensive there. Stayed there for a few days then took George Lundquist’s tour. Very informative if any of you have a chance to do it. Didn’t make it to Atenas but would love to hear opinions about it.
Angela and Keith
All I know about Atenas is that it’s reputed to have the best climate in the world, according to an article in National Geographic magazine which no one seems to be able to cite. Even the Atenas busses crow about the climate.
As I’ve opined before, it’s odd that all the houses in Atenas that are being marketed to gringos seem to boast central air conditioning. If the climate’s so great, why the A/C? We don’t have or need it outside Grecia.
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