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[quote=”johnnyh”]Hi Lillian:
Thanks for pointing out your house. Had to look up Playa Conchal on Google maps, which leads me to ask if the same materials would be used on a future house in the Caribbean side of Costa Rica, say towards the Puerto Viejo Manzanillo area where the humidity is higher?[/quote]Hi Johnny, I think your message was for me (it’s my house in Conchal). Yes, the same materials could be used on the Caribbean side – one of the advantages of this structure is minimizing effects of humidity. Again, insulation & weatherproofing are key.
[quote=”costaricafinca”]sstarky…a beautiful house!
Aren’t you [i]required[/i] to use an accredited CR architect from the College of Architects, and that plans from elsewhere couldn’t/wouldn’t be honored? Or did they just ‘finalize your design’ and translate it into Spanish?
Although I mentioned that it could be easier to enter a steel framed home, I should have said that we loved the one that we built, although not a ‘fancy’ as yours. 8)[/quote]
Sorry – when I said I had my own plans, I meant I had a local architect design the home rather than the builder’s own architect. The 3 of us worked closely together throughout the process to get everything right. In any case, anyone can bring their own plans from anywhere – but the CFIA does have to approve them in order to get a permit.
Glad you liked your steel framed home 🙂 and let’s hope nobody busts through anyone’s walls 😀
[quote=”lillianwickram”]sstarkey, who was your builder?
did you present the builder with plans?
any idea of what your square footage cost was?
[/quote]Hi Lillian. My builder was Frame Projects – http://www.frame.cr My home is shown on their Projects page – Casa Rio. I had my own plans, but they have an in-house architect should you need one.
Feel free to send me a PM with more questions!
In response to CRFinca’s comment about it being easy to break through steel / fiberglass walls:
This depends again, on what layers are used on the walls.
When my Wifi installer had to drill through my wall to run the cable to the Wifi dish on my roof, he told me he had never seen such a well-constructed home, and he HATED having to drill through it, (required quite a huge drill bit BTW), because he didn’t want to breach such a nicely built wall! 🙂
My walls have: Steel studs, 3″ styrofoam insulation, reflective sheeting, (for additional insulating properties), builder paper, wire mesh and concrete stucco. Some sections of the exterior are finished with Plycem and others with hand-cut stone. Nobody’s going to find it easy to cut through these babies. 😆
BTW, I could do it again, I’d trade the reflective paper and styrofoam for PolyIso boards (which is what my builder is now using) which combine elements of both. Faster and easier to install, and same insulating properties.
[quote=”Imxploring”]Can you give us some ideas as to why one is superior other than the speed of construction? I know the cost of block construction is higher but I’d like to hear your input on the pros and cons to both.[/quote]
I built my home using lightweight galvanized steel frame, built by this company: http://www.frame.cr The site’s “Technology” section lays out many of the advantages of this type of construction, particularly in respect to CR’s climate and seismic considerations. Hopefully this is helpful.
Other than that, concrete block is not a terrible option. All of the builders know how to do it, and as long as they don’t cheap out on the Rebar and Cement, the home should, at least, hold up well. I personally never considered using block once I found a reputable steel-frame builder, and having rented 3 different block homes, I found them damp and musty in rainy season, (mold being a big problem), and very hot and expensive to cool b/c the block holds heat. Of course insulation and weatherproofing would have helped but unfortunately, the owners cheaped-out on those elements and now are paying the price.
You will run across builders down here who are invested in the old ways and will toss out all sorts of reasons why galvanized steel is bad. BTW, generally SIPS are made with galvanized steel, so this isn’t just about the steel stud method I used. For instance, one builder told my friends, who just broke ground, that their steel frame home would certainly rust away. (Apparently that builder has never seen what a piece of normal Rebar looks like after a few years exposed to the elements). The key, in either case, is of course properly sealing the home. Another builder claims steel frame homes are “very expensive to finish”. Again, HUH? If by expensive, he means installing insulation, (there are many types, not just fiberglass rolls), builder paper, wire mesh, concrete stucco (exterior) and drywall…well this is pretty much the same finish procedure you would perform on a properly constructed basic block home.
Bottom line, keep doing your homework – you have several good construction method choices down here – the most important thing is finding a reputable builder.
The U.S., and to a lesser extent the U.K. have, in my view, slowly evolved into being what I call “The Lands of No”.
I’d love to publish a nice “coffee table” book with the pics I’ve taken of “If you Do This you will PAY” signage that permeates the landscapes.
Uggghhhh.
It’s a bit like a frog being boiled in a pot of water.
So, yes, I understand Scott’s sentiments about his passport’s polite “FYI, We Own Your Ass” notice. I’m sure there’s some valid reasoning behind it, but, heck, if I were holding a British passport, I’d be feeling a bit “froggish” too. 🙂
I built last year with a lightweight steel-frame structure system. The framing system is manufactured in Canada and your materials are built to spec, then when your container arrives, framing proceeds very quickly. I have various exterior finishes including Plycem, stucco and stone. The house is fully insulated and very cool and comfortable. The results are outstanding. The company who built my house offers flexible options for clients – including constructing the walls at their factory, then delivering them to the job site to be assembled. It’s a fast, clean and green system. While they do build turn-key houses, (down to installing the appliances & building all cabinetry), they can also deliver just a framing package that includes sending a trained team (foreman & laborers) to the job site (anywhere in C.R.) for the framing stage. I am SO glad I went with this system vs. CBS. Feel free to send me a private message if you’d like to know more.
@ SWEIKERT: It gets shipped to the address in CR that you specify, and most people will a service such as Mail Boxes Etc., (that’s who I use), or Aerocasillas, etc.
You have to pay the Customs when you retrieve it unless you ship using something like Amazon Global that collects the estimated Customs fees upon ordering. (Presumably they ‘true up’ the actual Customs fees later – but not sure though – I’ve never tried).
When I’ve shipped stuff here via Mail Boxes Etc., it gets shipped to a special MBE address in Miami, then forwarded here. MBE pays the shipping / customs charges on my behalf, then I reimburse MBE when I pick up.
Not sure every company pre-pays these charges for you. Some people abandon their stuff when they get the sometimes horrendous bill for the shipping/customs fees, so if the company pre-pays on your behalf it’s their risk. I have a good relationship with MBE, and the owner knows I won’t abandon my stuff so she pre-pays on my behalf. I guess if you don’t have the company pre-pay your Customs fees for you you might have to go retrieve your stuff from some Customs holding location. I don’t know.
I bought a GE Range here and had it converted to Propane. A G.E. approved tech came out and did the conversion – he had a whole bucket-full of conversion parts. I have had no problems with either Stove or Oven. I suggest you get in touch with G.E. here and get them to put you in touch with the approved tech for your area.
The Pool Store, located in the Do-It Center, built my pool. It’s run by two Americans and they do good work and have nice finishes to choose from such as Diamond-Brite, Crystal-Crete, etc.
My housekeeper, (normally a pretty healthy gal), just suffered through 2 weeks of Dengue Hell. Said she had NEVER felt that awful in her entire life and was basically bedridden.
I burn Citronella candles on my terrace and am now cooking up my own all-natural repellent using the Citronella plants from my garden. I’m not a DEET fan, so use it sparingly, but there are certainly alternatives.
Electrical Cable is supposedly “Duty Free”, but VAT WILL be added, nonetheless. Then there’s shipping, and electrical cable isn’t exactly lightweight. A reasonable rule of thumb could be around 30% uptick on the US Retail price.
That said, Electrical cable / breakers, etc. are the very LAST thing I’d cheap-out on when building a home down here.
I could tell you stories of places I rented & what builders told me…but I’m sure you’ve heard them all.
BTW – our nickname for the Liberia “Do It Center” is the “Do You Center” due to the ridiculous prices.
I recommend you get a GOOD electrician to spec out your product list, then try to donkey the stuff in through checked baggage. I had a neighbor carry in my LED Eco-Smart lightbulbs from the Home Depot, saving me about 50% vs. local LED Bulb prices, (plus the quality is less ‘suspect’ because I know the Eco-Smart brand uses Cree lighting engines, which are the best). 8 months in, not a single one (of about 25) has blown out.
[quote=”VictoriaLST”]We are having our house rewired as soon as a reliable tech is available. Is Romex cable available here?[/quote]
If so, it’s hard to find. My builder ships it in from NAM.
I agree with Waggoner’s suggestions about mosquito repellent plants. I’m landscaping my new house and am putting Citronella grass all over the place. The great thing about Citronella is that it’s super easy to propagate and it’s hardy in many climates – so it can grow just as easily where I live in dry Guanacaste as in the wetter ‘highlands’. Oh, and it’s nice looking, that is if you like the look of wild grasses.
I started with one Citronella plant a few months back, and have since planted several root cuttings, and now I have about 10 new plants going. They root very easily and live happily in-ground or in pots.
Once rainy season gets going and the new plants explode, I plan to harvest them to make home-made Citronella oil to burn in lanterns on my terraces. Hope my Citronella mosquito-repellent strategy pays off!
Tip for all:
Make sure you’re not wastefully paying Corp Fees, plus filing Tax Returns for an “Active” Corp that should, technically, be “Inactive”.
I got stuck in this trap for a few years due to my naiveté / inaction in my dealings with my attorney.
If you need to change the Corp’s status to Inactive, there is paperwork involved, but well worth the trouble to do it.
