New house construction in Costa Rica can be a real challenge to a person from the United States. The Costa Ricans, by nature, have a very relaxed and laid back attitude. Hence, you cannot expect the kind of efficiency and time keeping abilities that is very common in the United States. This article talks about a few points that will come handy when you plan to construct your dream home on the Costa Rican soil.
Firstly, you need to purchase the right kind of place to build your dream house. If you are a person who would like all commodities of life accessible or if you are a retired person planning to settle in Costa Rica, then, you might want to look at some plots available close to the city. If you are a person who would like privacy, seclusion and tranquility, then, you might want to purchase a plot close to the beach.
You also need to services of a good architect who can guide you through the entire process. The plans that you come up with for constructing your house has to be signed off by a professional architect who has good reputation in Costa Rica. An architect can also help you redesign your plans to suit Costa Rican standards in case you have drawn it up based on American standards. The architect also needs to get all the permits needed for building your house.
The next step is to find a reliable builder who can help you through the process of construction. There are many points to bear in mind while selecting a builder. First of all ensure that the builder is capable of constructing good houses. You can have this verified by having a look at the houses which he/she has helped construct. You can talk to the owners and find out about how easy it was to interact with the builder. Both these are very important in order to ensure a stress-free construction of your house.
The other aspect to be borne in mind while selecting a builder is to ensure that he/she is multilingual. The builder should be very good in English language so that he/she can understand your instructions to the “t”. The builder should also be conversant in Spanish so that he/she can effectively communicate with the laborers to get the job done right.
An American also needs to be knowledgeable about the other aspects in Costa Rica which are different from America. Unlike in the United States of America, the electrical wiring of the houses is not properly grounded in most cases. Hence, utmost care has to be taken during the phase where electrical wiring is being established for the new house.
Another aspect about electricity is that the Costa Rican government supplies only 120v of electricity to each house. This is just not enough for Americans constructing houses in Costa Rica because they are used to consuming more power in a single day. Hence, it becomes necessary to obtain necessary permits to get more electricity supply.
One of the most important facts during the construction of a new house in Costa Rica is to ensure uninterrupted communication between you and the builder. It is a very bad option to stay in the USA when your house is being constructed in Costa Rica. You will be in for a surprise, rather shock, when you come to Costa Rica to see the way your house has turned out to be!
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