Are we mad?

It’s been a long time since I last wrote and I am sorry about that. I keep meaning to but there have been so many things on our minds recently. Let me explain.

Our purpose in Costa Rica was to find a plot of land and build a house. At the most basic level that is what we are planning. To do that we had to settle on the area first. When we arrived here in Playa Negra we decided pretty quickly that this was an ideal area to settle. It has a thriving community of locals and expats (mostly American but they can’t help that) and local shops and restaurants galore. After Coyote this feels more vibrant. It was nice being isolated there for a while but that isn’t what we are about. We are social animals after all. This is also an area that is developing very quickly. We believe it will be not only a great investment but a great place to settle. 

We have met so many people and made lots of new friends here. And, more importantly, learnt an awful lot about building here in Costa Rica. We have searched, asked around and visited many plots in the area too. And one has struck us as a perfect spot to build. It is in a large swathe of land bought by an American 30 years ago. He has re planted the forest on what was agricultural land. Thousands of trees have grown over that time and now he has developed protected areas and building plots which he sells to enable more ecological projects. We have got to know a few of the residents at Pura Jungla who have built or are building properties here. And they all agree it is a beautiful place to be. It doesn’t feel too built up and overcrowded.

The only problem is that the price is quite high. Partly this is due to a boom time for Costa Rica, it is the same in most areas, and partly it is because of the proximity to some of the best beaches in the country. It is a plot of one hectare (2.5 acres) with water and electric to the site. It is in an elevated position which would allow for views across the canopy from the first floor. It also has an area of jungle going down to a stream which could be landscaped with paths and fauna to create a bit of a jungle trek area. 

The plot is the best we have seen. It is close to everything here and only an hour from Liberia airport which, if we build a separate airbnb, would be very attractive to tourists to the area. 

However there are some down sides. Apart from the price, which, as I said, is a bit on the high side, there is also a river crossing to deal with. This is only a concern in the wet season, June to November, when the torrential rainfall can cause it to be too high to cross for several hours at a time. There is a concerted effort by the residents to get a bridge financed but that would be a long way off. At least it keeps the masses away? The other downside may be the fact that there is no definitive up to date, via satellite, site plan. The existing plan was apparently done when you just walked the perimeter, beer in hand, and roughly walking (staggering) the perimeter. Being from the UK I need to know where my border is to the inch. Not to set up a visa station at the gate, but just to know what is mine and what isn’t. The law here can be a bit vague regarding property at the best of times as we are learning so we need to be on it if they aren’t.

All that said, it is a wonderful spot. A commanding position on the whole site and a great opportunity to build a beautiful house for everyone to come and enjoy. 

Which brings me to the other important point.

Building in the tropics is not the same as building in Europe. I have spent my working life learning all the skills related to architecture and construction in Britain. Here that is irrelevant. Some skills obviously are similar or even identical but others I will have to learn. Costa Rica is in an earthquake zone which means that you have to build to accomodate for that. Lots of reinforced concrete and a substantial building pad. None of your wattle and daub here. So I have been busy reading about and learning all I can regarding what materials I will have to use and how to go about the actual building. I want to build in as carbon neutral a way as possible. I would like to incorporate such things as rainwater harvesting (in the dry season there is little rain and I want my plants and vegetables to flourish), solar power (there are often power cuts here and I would like to be as independent as possible). I would also like to design the building to be self cooling. AC is not an option for us. It is expensive and wasteful. I have seen many building designs that utilise the natural flow of air and do their own air conditioning. 

So I have been designing the house. I tend to jump the gun and get very excited about a new project. But it all has to start somewhere. I will try and add some screenshots of my ideas so far so you can see what kind of house we are looking to build. 

The first thing we would do though is to build the small airbnb which would serve as our accommodation whilst the main house is being built. It would be a simple affair. Timber framed and easy to build. It would save us money on rent and allow us to live on site during the build. In the high season we can rent it for a lot of money so it would become an income stream pretty quickly. 

Building is my forte. I can pretty much do everything on the house but would need local workers to help. And on that subject we have learned that the hourly wage for a labourer here is about £2.50 per hour! Compare that to the uk and you can see we would save a lot of money. In fact I already have somebody in mind for a long term contract. At the moment Elmer is the groundskeeper at the Airbnb we are staying at. He’s Nicaraguan and a really nice young lad, but I think he hates the owner and would like to work elsewhere. So we will ask him if he wants a job. After the house is finished we would need a helper anyway. 

So we are actually doing it! Well, subject to all the legal stuff, but it has started. The offer has been accepted, everyone likes us and wants us to succeed. It looks positive indeed. And my lifelong dream of building a home is becoming reality. It will be a lot of work and a lot of stress and toil but the end product will be a refuge in a fantastic tropical paradise. 

Obviously I will keep writing about our adventures, the trials and tribulations. 

Wish us luck we will need it!