Friday, March 23, 2007

House Construction and Renovation in San Ramon, Costa Rica

Building or renovating a house in Costa Rica is a wild adventure, a very different process than a non-native might expect. Janet and I are pleased and proud to be nearing the completion of the renovations to our house in El Empalme, just outside San Ramon.


The community of El Empalme, with possibly the best ocean views in the San Ramon area and it’s friendly people, has been a fabulous discovery that has been the source of many joys and an equal amount of lessons.When we found this house, we knew this was a special site. The near total renovation put us through many highs and lows.

After one year and some false starts with more than one contractor, we found our crew: Christopher, Guillermo, Jose Angel, and Victor. From that point on, things rocked on all fronts. Our crew did great work and together we created a fun work environment with trust and respect in all directions.


The house is looking and feeling great. Check out our listings page at www.costaricapm.com for more pics and info.

Getting to this point had many moments of disappointment, frustration and different realities. We started this project with a clear advantage over many people who move to Costa Rica with the dream of building their dream home. I have lived here in San Ramon in the community for over 5 years and Janet has worked as an architect, real estate developer and construction manager for over 25 years. This has been a super-challenging project for both of us.

With bulldozers and hyper development transforming Costa Rica and challenging it’s infrastructure and resources … we feel strongly that preserving existing houses and neighborhoods is where our priorities and energy lies. And, we are very proud of what we and our team have accomplished.