The Expectations Gap When Building in Costa Rica
Remember that most Costa Ricans live in an idyllic year-round “spring-like” climate called the Central Valley where San Jose is located. There are no extreme temperatures or weather conditions in this part of Costa Rica. In fact, most homes do not even require any type of heating or air conditioning equipment. Most builders, architects, engineers, and other professionals are from the Central Valley and received their training in this area of the country.
Near the beaches the weather and climate are quite different from the Central Valley. There is a lot of sun and minimal cloud cover to block its rays. Many of the native residents living in beach areas are farmers, laborers, or craftspeople who are accustomed to the heat and may live in more open-air conditions. Electricity rates are so high that many locals use almost no air conditioning or climate control. Furthermore they have grown accustomed to the heat.
This leaves a large gap because most new residents building a house near the beach expect their home designer will consider the climate and energy efficiency. They often find that the professionals designing their homes have little experience living in a more extreme climate and the local builder has little experience living in a climate-controlled home.
Months after the new home is completed the new homeowners will only then discover what was not apparent during construction. The home’s energy efficiency, plumbing, and electrical is not up to their expectations.
Their utility bills are astronomical from running their air conditioner. They cannot flush their toilet paper because of an inadequate septic system. They have too few lights and plugs in each room. At this point, the new homeowner discovers there are no energy efficiency codes and no licensed plumbers or electricians in Costa Rica. They find that their supervising architect or engineer’s primary responsibility was ensuring the seismic safety of the structure and some of these other concerns were overlooked.
Our job is to anticipate these issues and discuss and plan for them well before we start the actual build. Since most of the population lives in a “spring-like” year-round climate, it is nearly impossible to retrofit as the insulation products you may find in a place like Canada simply are not available here. That is why it is important to select a construction company that will get things right the first time!
Whether you already have approved building plans that you would like us to update for energy efficiency standards or you are starting from scratch, we can help!
Our "Structure First" Mentality
We take a “structure first” mentality in our building projects as opposed to a “turnkey” type of approach when developing an estimate for your construction project. “Turnkey” (or “llave en mano” in Spanish) sounds very simple and easy, doesn’t it? The contractor will build a house for you and all you have to do is show up with the keys and live in the house when it is finished! What isn’t to love?
What many people find who have built a home in Costa Rica is that the devil is in the details with “turnkey” projects. They have found that their expectations versus the builders’ expectations about what is a “nice” finish or fixture were substantially different. Homeowners often find the quality of the home delivered is below their expectations or they had to pay much more than they expected.
If you review these “turnkey” contracts you will see that they are not very specific on the details of finishes. Often times the builder and the client alike want to get started on the project and do not have the mental bandwidth to deal with the details of finishes at this early stage. Furthermore, these details are not important in order to get the necessary structural plans, permits and permissions.
What the homeowner finds later during the second half of construction, however, is there can be significant disagreements with their builder about the types and qualities of finish materials used. The builder may not have requested sufficient resources up-front, and they now want to quickly finish with inferior materials to preserve their profit on the job. The builder may have to ask for more money than was previously agreed to. The homeowner has to choose between an inferior outcome or spending much more than they anticipated. This leaves the homeowner with a bad experience overall with the whole “turnkey” construction process.
In contrast to “turnkey” construction, Constru Costa Rica embraces a “structure first” methodology. This means that our initial agreement with you would be for us to finish the “heavy construction” phase of your building. This is basically completion of the foundation, walls, and roof structures in the building.
With only working with the main structural components of your home, we can be highly accurate with our cost estimates. When we mostly only need to budget for concrete, steel, and labor, it is much easier for us to present you with an accurate cost estimate. With a “structure first” mentality there is also little difference between your expectations and what we deliver without the complexity of finishes.
The other benefit of completing the structure first is that you can also get the final governmental and college of engineering approvals to move into the structure with only “bare bones” finishes. If you are not living in Costa Rica this is great time to come choose that special tile or fixture for your home.
Once we complete the structure of your home, we would be happy to provide you with an estimate for each of the other smaller finish work projects. Or you can choose to manage that aspect on your own. You will have a fantastic structure ready to accept whatever finishes you choose. With Constru Costa Rica, the choice is yours!
Mission statement
Constru Costa Rica is dedicated to providing exceptional construction and consulting services, guided by professional accountants and engineers committed to safety, budgets, and deadlines. We prioritize prompt and proactive client communication to ensure full project transparency and satisfaction, while also upholding financial accountability and transparency throughout all construction projects.
