Construction Costs in Costa Rica: You ain't in Kansas anymore!
So, you have decided to build a house in Costa Rica. You are doing a lot of research and watching a lot of videos online giving a tip about this or that. While these tips may be a great way to build in Kansas, you need to remember. “Dorothy, you ain’t in Kansas anymore!” These are some of the construction products that are readily available with North America suppliers but are difficult or expensive near the beaches of Costa Rica.
Dimensional Lumber and Lumber Products
Have you ever considered why there are so many “stick built” houses in North America? Think of how many pine trees are growing there! Think of the vast expanses of Canada with no people but huge quantities of trees to sell in USA markets. They take the trees to sawmills and provide you with beautiful straight lumber products to the highest factory specifications!
In Costa Rica hardware stores (“ferreterias”) you will not find this inexpensive, high-quality wood. In comparison to what you find in North America you will find the surface of the lumber is very rough. It is quite shocking to find out how expensive this inferior piece of lumber is as well. This is a major reason why you rarely see houses build from wood in Costa Rica not to mention the humidity and termites!
Houses in Costa Rica are mostly built with concrete and steel products. Most of the usage of wood in construction is to create forms to hold the wet concrete until it can sustain itself. Large wooden boxes are built to hold concrete to form columns, foundations, and beams. Once these are poured and dried, the wood is ripped off and discarded.
Not only is the wood expensive but building these wooden boxes takes a lot of manual carpentry labor. A typical construction project you will see in Costa Rica has a giant pile of wood sitting next to it after the basic structure is completed. A good way to look at this is a big pile of wasted money and labor because of a lack of planning during the design phase. In some respects, you have first built a house of wood, added some steel and cement, and then tore down and discarded the first wooden house you built!
The lesson here is to be very careful with the amount of wood form work your building is required to use by finding other design techniques. Form work with wood is expensive both in terms of labor and materials!
Bathtubs
From the most affordable homes to the most expensive, a bathtub is very close to standard equipment. You can find one in the USA for only a few hundred dollars.
Even at the biggest hardware stores in Costa Rica’s central valley, there is not a great selection of just a simple alcove bathtub. You will mostly be able to find expensive luxury tubs. Without a “standard” tub design to plan around, it becomes difficult to design the physical bathroom space to accommodate the tub.
Furthermore, the plumbing parts to operate the drain to stop the water can also be difficult to find because bathtubs are often installed in Costa Rican homes. You may be left with few good options to get the tub functional without access to right plumbing parts.
Finally, most local water utilities only supply your house with half inch water pipes. This means it would take a very long time to fill up your bathtub. This may require that you set up a water storage tank large enough to fill your bathtub and have a water heater that can accommodate this extra flow. These are potential extra expenses beyond just the tub.
To avoid all this, consider planning a shower for your bathrooms. If you really want to take a dip, then why not consider a pool in the yard that you can use year-round?
Insulation Products
Remember most of the population of Costa Rica lives in the higher altitude Central Valley of Costa Rica in a year-round “Spring Like” climate. They have no use for heating or air conditioning in their homes with the comfortable climate.
Near the beach the climate is much hotter but because most of the population of Costa Rica doesn’t need or use insulation products, they are difficult to find. Whether we are talking about fiberglass insulation (the “pink stuff”), spray foam insulation, or other products, you will almost never see them in hardware stores.
What you can find is considered a specialty product that only North Americans living at the beach seem to request so it will be very expensive, and it will likely need to be shipped from the Central Valley to your beach build. Furthermore, these products are very bulky and large to ship so that adds a lot of expense to ship it from North America.
The good news is that there are ways to design your construction project for energy efficiency that don’t involve using a lot of these expensive products. This includes air sealing near the common leaky areas where the walls meet the roof of the structure. It also includes using building materials with thermal and acoustic insulation properties.
Don’t just build with a bunch of cement blocks and throw a tin roof over the structure and expect a low air conditioning bill. Plan your energy efficiency as a primary goal of your build during the design phase!
Central A/C and Ductwork
In North America we are used to having to heat or cool our homes nearly 24 hours a day 365 days a year.
Accordingly, we have all kinds of air registers and ductwork designed to support our furnace system. Because everyone has a furnace in North America, adding central air conditioning is as easy as connecting the unit to the furnace.
In all parts of Costa Rica, the most heating you will ever need is perhaps a blanket or a long-sleeve shirt. Because there is no need for a furnace, there is no need for all the metallic duct work and air registers. You will not see metallic duct work in the hardware stores because there is almost no need for it.
If there is very little duct work, it is very difficult to install central air conditioning. To create duct work you will likely need a custom metal fabricator to make this for you. Furthermore, since most people who use air conditioning install mini-split high wall units, it will be difficult to find central air conditioner installers and equipment. Even if you manage to get central air conditioning installed, who will service it or maintain it in case you need a repair?
Another issue with central air conditioning is that you must cool the entire structure and the cooling is not targeted to a smaller area, like a bedroom, during the night. Costa Rica has some of the highest electricity rates in the world so cooling the entire house 100% of the time will get very expensive, especially since you are not likely to find a high-efficiency central air conditioning unit in Costa Rica.
Building a house near the beach in Guanacaste and the Pacific parts of Costa Rica will mean you have different climate control equipment than you would need in North America. The conditions and availability of equipment are very different. Make sure you consider these differences as you plan your new construction project in Costa Rica.
Gas Stoves and Appliances
Gas stoves and appliances are popular in North America. The problem with them here in Costa Rica is not necessarily the appliances themselves. The issue is that the gas piping from the utilities simply does not exist.
Never fear, though, if you have gas appliances you can have a gas cylinder delivered relatively easily. In North America, these cylinders are similar to the ones that most people use outside on their decks in
their barbeque grills. For people from the USA or Canada, watching the guy on the small motorcycle weaving in and out of traffic with a few gas cylinders strapped to his motorcycle it is quite the
sight to see!
You must decide if gas appliances are important enough to you to have a gas cylinder near your kitchen. Do you want to have to monitor the gas and get a delivery when you are low?
If using gas appliances does not seem convenient, you should make sure your electrical system is set up to handle all of your appliances during the construction planning process.
Conclusion
Embarking on a construction project in Costa Rica requires a mindful departure from the norms of North American building practices. The availability and cost of construction materials, as well as the unique climatic considerations, necessitate a thoughtful approach tailored to the local context.
From the scarcity and expense of dimensional lumber to the challenges of sourcing and installing bathtubs, insulation products, appliances, and central air conditioning systems, the journey of building in Costa Rica presents distinct hurdles. However, these obstacles can be navigated with careful planning and creative solutions.
Opting for alternatives such as concrete and steel construction methods, designing with energy efficiency in mind, and embracing localized cooling solutions like mini-split units can alleviate some of the challenges posed by the unfamiliar landscape of Costa Rican construction.
Ultimately, by recognizing and adapting to the differences in materials, climate, and infrastructure, one can embark on a successful building venture in Costa Rica, creating a home that not only withstands the elements but also harmonizes with the unique beauty and rhythms of the region. So, while the journey may be different from building in North America, it offers its own set of rewards and opportunities for those willing to embrace the adventure.