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Hubby and I have no desire to live near a beach….mountains and cooler air draw us in. One place we’re considering is Orosi Valley. We love the beauty of the area as well as like it being close to the airport/hospitals/Walmart…lol.
Other areas we plan on checking out this summer are Los Santos, San Isidro del General and Santiago de Puriscal.
I would love to hear from those of you who know these areas. Pros? Cons?
Once we get it “narrowed” down to where we think we’ll live, we plan on renting a house for the summer in 2013 to get a better “feel” of living in the area.
I hope we’re not “researching” too much and taking all the fun out of moving….
Dori
BTW, in our dream world, we’ll be moving in 4 years at the age of 62. We want a few acres to garden, have chickens for eggs, maybe a couple of milk goats. This is our current lifestyle and plan to continue being somewhat self sufficient.
My top (must have) criteria is a (1) gorgeous view, (2) good wifi, (3) temps cool enough not to need A/C, and (4) close to somewhat decent medical facilities.
We want privacy without being remote.
I know…..TMI. lol
Dori
I bought property in Polomo about two miles outside of Orosi in 2008. It is the most beautiful place in the world I have ever been! I overlook Orosi and if I squint, I can see new/upgraded the WiFi tower in downtown Orosi. Also I can walk down my mountain, ride my bike to the blue footbridge, cross the river and I am in downtown Orosi immediately. I have property among the nicest Costa Rican neighbors. The lady next door is famous on the mountain for her mango ice cream.
I am on a very limited budge compared to the assets many fellow Americans. I have struck friendship with my gardener who has been so much help with my property. The most important thing I think, it is very important to live among your neighbors and get to know them.
I am a hero in my area because when I was putting in new culverts along my property stop the run off during my first clean off, I became a great friends because I agreed to spent just $50 or $60 for extra concrete to help repair my neighbors run off also. I couldn’t believe the handshakes all the way around when I returned after agreeing to do that. And here is a buster that may sit off probably some interesting comments on this website.
Since I am a single person and have no interesting heirs, I plan to return the property to someone local when I am gone. But my point is that I am setting in place the ability for me to have a very nicely built house for $30 per square foot. Now having said that, I am trying to learn to practice the patience of Job.
I am willing to have outside contact with you if you want to discuss Orosi. As to shopping and everything, Orosi has the basic needs which are prettying good. But if you need Walmart from time to time or any other mega stores, Cartago is only about 5 miles away. Of course you have to climb up the side of a huge mountain to reach it, but then when you come home you have this splendid view when come home on your return trip.
Tom
Portland, OregonPS: The most important thing I did before I traveled to Costa Rica in 2008 was simply read Scott Oliver’s books. You need to due your studying and plan to be proactive on your move to Costa Rica. You can do it the usual Americans do by hiring service which I have and still plan to do when I move. But working on my own through the Internet research, I have developed my own expertise of what I need to do. A good example was the day I went to a lawyer after I agreed to buy my property, I pulled out my notes from Scott’s book and asked the lawyer to walk me through my notes and many questions I had concocted in my mind over night.
My sister visited the Orosi valley 10 years ago and she loved it. Myself I never made it that way. I love the Lake Arenal area, the views, the climate. Nevertheless, if it is possible to build a decent US-Quality home in Orisi for 30 $ per sq.ft. I should probably move there.
[quote=”elindermuller”]. . . if it is possible to build a decent US-Quality home in Orisi for 30 $ per sq.ft. I should probably move there.[/quote]
I’ll believe that when I see the figures. We were quoted $25 per square foot seven years ago when we built our U.S.-style guest house. The finished price was $51 s/f. Our main house ran significantly more.
when you are i started building the costs were $25 a sq ft, but then because of the war there was no rebar, cement costs doubled, and all the finishes started going up too. my house cost $38 a sq foot by the time i add all the stuff i really wanted. we were finished with construction by oct of 06 and right after that there was another huge jump in construction costs, and now everyone i know is quoting $75 – 80 a sq foot for basic construction, nothing fancy. glad it did it when i did otherwise i would’n’t be able to do it at all.
I built my own house in 1998 and it has cost me back then $ 37,5 per sq.ft. good US-quality but no “curls”. I did the design and construction management so no extra costs there. Today it would be around $ 85 per sq.ft (incl. design and management).
Elisabeth, I think your figure of $85 per square foot is much, much more realistic.
Given that you did your own design and project management, and given the increase in costs that we see frequently, were it mine to do, I’d use $110 per square foot as a planning tool — a feasibility test. You may be able to built a decent house for less, but budgeting at $110 per square foot will tell you if there’s any hope of building what you have in mind with the available resources.
Bear in mind, too, that unforeseeable expenses are bound to arise and also that unexpected opportunities will present themselves.
and one must always factor in a 20% cost overrun. i do not know one single person who built a house here who didn’t have that happen. there are incremental price increases on everything during the construction process, and if all the materials are not paid for up front in advance, you will see these increases during the construction process. it’s the finishes that will push you over budget — oh, you don’t want ceramic tile on your countertops? granite prices have shot way up. you want solid wood and not hollow core doors? expect to pay about $300 a door now, whereas i paid $150 a door for solid cedar. they used to have a poor selection of doorknobs here and the cheap ones break within 6 months. if you do want good hardware it is expensive here. i bought all my knobs for cupboards and doors on ebay — my doorknobs retailed for $175 each — i got them for $10 on ebay — the same price for the cheap ones here in CR. knowing what i know about construction here, i am glad i did it, but i sure wouldn’t want to do it again.
Prices for a custom made wood door including the frame go up to $ 800. Imported (Made in Germany) doors (Entrance door, metal, high security features) are available for around $ 1000.
Depending on architecture and details you can off course spend $ 110 or more per sq.ft. on a house.Yes, you can build for $85/sf, or $110/sf – it is up to you. And guess what – you could end up with exactly the same result – size, quality, finishes, etc. – all because of the way it is measured!
It just baffles me how you guys can continue to discuss and compare “price per square foot” or “price per square meter” without any agreement on the defined scope of work that is expected to be received by the purchaser and what the builder is anticipating that he must deliver.
It just makes no sense to me at all.
First of all, are both the buyer and builder on the same page when it comes to the method of measurement?
What if the buyer is expecting the costs per square foot to be determined on the North American “standard” of measurement (i.e., the enclosed living area within the exterior walls).
Versus
The builder using the Costa Rican “typical” method of measurement which includes everything under the roof line (exterior areas under the eaves, the garage and/or carport, the covered patios and covered porches, etc.) – basically the “shadow line” at high noon…..The difference in the denominator (hence the resulting price per square foot) could be 20% or more!
The builder knows what he can deliver for $110/sf based on his expected scope of work and his method of measurement – but what if the buyer thinks only the inside living area is used as the denominator in the formula to arrive at “cost/sf”.
And, what if (in the buyer’s mind only) he expects that the scope of work includes the water well, and the ICE connection, plus the extra structural work because the lot is on a 40% slope, and he is expecting cana brava ceilings and teak beams at 18’ high in the main living area (where the teak floors are part of the deal) with coffered ceilings and concealed cove lighting in all of the bedrooms with Hunter ceiling fans throughout, high-end Moen plumbing fixtures in the kitchen and baths, air throughout the house, a jacuzzi in the master bath, etc., etc.
Sure, most of these things should be considered extreme, but to some buyers they may be expected, and unless they are all discussed and agreed upon as “included” or “not included” then neither the buyer or the builder will know what the finished product and price will be.
I am not saying that either the buyer or the builder is right – all I am saying is that both the buyer and builder must be on the same page when it comes to the scope of work and quantity/quality of electrical, plumbing fixtures, etc., whether or not allowances are included for things like appliances (kitchen, air conditioning (and/or heating), hot water heater(s), lighting, electrical fixtures, plumbing fixtures, floors, doors, windows, built-in furniture, etc., etc.
Without an understanding and an agreement on these and dozens of other items, you have a recipe for a perfect misunderstanding!
I have had clients start with an expectation of $150/sf end up spending well over $200/sf based solely on the location and their expectations – at no fault of the builder. We spent well over that, but I got what I wanted and expected, including 15kw diesel generator, teak ceilings throughout, infinity pool, bamboo and imported stone floors, central A/C units, top of the line security system, extensive landscaping and irrigation systems, fabulous kitchen (my wife of 42 years deserved it), infra-red sound and entertainment system in every room, etc. But there was never a surprise because we defined the scope of work and knew what to expect.
I’ve managed the work for clients that have spent $90/sf and those that have spent over $300/sf – but each and everyone knew what they were going to get for their money – and what the method of measurement was – BEFORE the work started! We spent hours and hours discussing the scope in advance, before meeting with the builder. Then we sat with the builder to make sure he understood what we expected the scope, and the price, to include.
My only contention is that if you randomly throw out “$110/sf seems high” or “$110/sf is about what I expected” without any agreement on the measurement or scope – then there are a lot of arguments (and possible attorney fees) on the horizon.
Let me offer just a few of the dozens and dozens of questions that can impact the costs and must be answered before you can say “Oh, $110 per square foot is about right!”:
• What is the builder’s fee and what are the requirements for the builder’s general conditions – is local labor available or does he have to import the labor and have additional costs for bodegas, housing, meals, etc.
• Is the lot finish graded and ready to build on?
• What are the characteristics of the property to be built on (terrain and subsurface conditions)?
• Will either the terrain or the structural design dictate the need for retention walls or beefed up structural columns?
• What are the structural components? Is it designed to withstand seismic activity? To what degree?
• What is the height of the interior walls? Are they block, metal stud, wood framed?
• What is the ceiling material? Are there special ceiling design or treatments?
• Is there a pool? What type, size, finish???
• Are their terraces, patios, decks? How many, what size, how finished???
• Is there a fence? How many meters are included, what is the design and material?
• What are the on-site and off-site electrical requirements (how far are you from the closest transformer or power supply)?
• Is municipal water available or do you have to drill a well?
• Do you need onsite domestic water storage and pressurized water system?
• What are the septic requirements?
• Storm water requirements – how do you protect your property from surrounding runoff and get the water off of your property without impacting downstream properties?The answers to each of those questions (and over 100 more on my preliminary list) generate more and more questions – all related to the scope of work ……. AND THE PRICE!
Bill, you have hit the nail squarely on the head on each and every point. I totally agree with your comments.
The only price figure for [u]any[/u] structure built anywhere on earth is the price for the specific house [b]you[/b] want to have built on the property [b]you[/b] have selected and in the timeframe [b]you[/b] have settled on and with the amenities and features [b]you[/b] specify. No other cost figure is relevant to [b]your[/b] project.
Bill, you live someplace near the coast, right? Conditions there are very different from where we are on a mountainside in the Central Valley. What’s more, you have included amenities that we neither need nor want nor, due to our location, could have even if we did want them. Did those factors affect the price per area (however calculated)? Heavens yes!
To construct a home virtually identical to ours (or yours, Bill) a kilometer away in any direction would introduce numerous potential cost variations. No theoretical “cost per square (whatever)” has anything to do with the reality of the situation.
The only way to get a meaningful cost for the home one wishes to build is to select the site, have the house designed, specify the details and amenities in excruciating detail, put it out for bids, and see what comes back.
And if you can’t afford it, start over with lower expectations.
[b]Costaricabill[/b] has done a great job detailing how to find out the possible costs involved.
My suggestion is that if you are on a strict and limited budget, is to purchase an existing house.
Then you can make changes you want… or not.[quote=”costaricafinca”]
My suggestion is that if you are on a strict and limited budget, is to purchase an existing house.
[/quote]And I would take the exact opposite approach. If you buy an existing house, you do get a known, fixed price, but it is very difficult to know what the house itself is. Construction techniques vary and it is easy to cover up inadequacies with paint and skim coat concrete. Visual inspection tells you little about what you’re getting. You’re buying a pig in a poke.
What’s more, buying an existing house means buying someone else’s notion of what they wanted rather than designing from blank paper to create the house [u]you[/u] want and need. And remodeling any home involves double work and almost double expense. Everything you do to an existing house you must undo first . . . and dispose of the debris.
If you cannot afford all the house you need, design a house with expansion preplanned. Then, when resources are available, you can finish building the house you want.
But that’s just me . . .
The example I have given was based on MY OWN HOUSE I built in 1998. Off course is 1 sq.ft. of porch much cheaper than 1 sq.ft. of bathroom. And a modern square house is cheaper than an Italian Style Villa with tons of “curls” and angles. Those numbers do not have anything to do with a quote to be presented to a potential client. An official offer is presented for the whole project, turnkey or however the client wants, not by the square foot. It is very different if a 2000 sq.ft. home is 2/2 or 4/3 …. the more walls, number of rooms and bathrooms, the more expensive is the house. Big kitchen = higher price. Granite counter tops, high tech appliances, wood ceilings and trims, high ceilings or cathedral ceilings, vinyl window/door frames, imported security doors………..and many more details make a big difference in price. When clients ask for building cost by square foot, they want some kind of reference or idea, not a commitment, and they understand very well that they have to provide a floor plan with details and measurements in order to give them a quote for their project.
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