To Build in Costa Rica

Had you asked me 8 days ago what a SIP is, I would most likely have given you the stink-eye for reminding me of sipping red wine slowly on a Sunday evening. Stink-eye because I stopped drinking 10 weeks ago and still think of that glass of red.

If it wasn’t for Dengue Fever grabbing ahold of my husband, perhaps I wouldn’t have had all this extra time to browse online for alternative, green, building options. I possibly would have not clicked on the Google Ad titled “We will build your home for $60 psf anywhere in Costa Rica”. I would have thought it was a scam.

Well, we still don’t know if it is a scam or not, and only time will tell, but here is a little window into my last 8 days, and the journey of obtaining knowledge on SIP construction techniques, pitfalls, benefits and more.

That Google Ad led to the website http://casasenescazu.com/ and the first tab to catch my eye was: ebook “How NOT to get ripped off”… Well, I might add that after 10 years of living in Costa Rica, having learned the hard (money) way, getting ripped off can grab you when you least expect it. Who WOULDN’T read that?

An hour or so later, and some interesting highlights of what can and does go wrong in construction, and I am HOOKED on this incredible, endless knowledge being shared so freely. Go on, read for yourself and get educated…  you tell me if it isn’t addictive to read all this good stuff on what you really want to avoid when you build your own home.

Next, I wanted to see how in the world they are going to build a home for $60 psf and is it going to be a darn tree house with fly screen for windows? So I clicked on the tab “Quality Standards at $60 psf” and got my first glimpse of SIPs. Check it out, read for yourself.

SInce discovering this site, I have researched and researched, SIPs, why MgO SIPS, earthquake resistance of SIP construction. At the end of this post, I will share some of the links that I found most helpful. Note that I was wanting to get information that wasn’t connected in any way to the writers of the website, as for me it is very important to get unbiased information.

To summarize what has so far appealed most to me about this SIP construction:

1. – green and clean. Minimal waste, as the pieces are cut to size and no mess job-sites like seen with concrete.
2. – the commonsense approach to insulation as being built into the walls, rather than added as a separate item. Reduction of montly living costs and increase of comfort where AC use is minimized.
3. – no room for BUGs and CRITTERs which we share living space in Costa Rica with
4. – Speed of construction
5. – Earthquake resiliance
6. – Cost
7. – No DRY WALL!!
8. – Fire proof

Well and truly interested now, as to how WE can have this home with all these features, I contacted Trevor with an introductory email. Just this week, I am sure he could have filled a novel with the amount of information contained in his emails back and forth. It is refreshing to be in communication with a builder who has a typing speed far removed from the two pointer-finger polka. His wealth of knowledge has fueled the fire to learn more, research more, poke around a bit, and do what is generally known as your due diligence!

Note- feel free and please do, reach out for references before embarking on a build!

Here are some links to sites that might be of interest to you, if a green home, with low monthly operating costs, bug-resistant, earthquake intelligence and a bunch of common sense, makes sense to you.

Green Energy CR – company who specializes in off-grid solar systems

Building Biologist for a healthy home- Amanda Klecker

Enjoy!!