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🎨 Design & 🛠 Build
🎨🛠 Conecta with partner architect José
Lot: Nancy #46
Stage: Living
How long: 16 months (as of May 2025)
Designer: Jose at Conecta
Designer Positives: 1 Hevreally listen DV to the type of house I wanted 2 I lik d that he is from San Mateo so really knows what works best here 3 He was very efficient
Designer Improvements: Nothing
Would Recommend Designer: Yes and I have
Builder
Builder Positives: They gave me a weekly sch dula for the whole build and were always ah ad of the time line Patricio sent me videos almost daily on the progress. And since I mov d in if there were small issues they were always taken care of promptly
Builder Improvements: Nothing
Would Recommend Builder: Yes always recomend you pick a reliable contractor and don’t make lot of changes
Lessons Learned: I was totally happy with the entire process. The hard part was getting my money out of the US so that I could build
🎨🛠 Habitat Humano
Lot: 19
🪜Stage: Building (as of May 2025)
🌗 How long: -
Designer Positives: they really listen what you want, think outside of the box and investigate in solutions
Designer Improvements: communication, but they are working on it and it improved
Would Recommend Designer: definitly
Builder Positives: We are in the beginning of building, but as far I can say they are awesome. The construction site is very clean as we asked them. They give us reguarly updates. And the workers are doing an amazing job during this heat with the hard work.
Builder Improvements: Ask me later :D
Would Recommend Builder: for now yes
Lessons Learned: Living here befor designing the house helps to understand the lifestyle, climate and creatuers better.
Lot: 72
Stage: Living
How long: 1 year (as of May 2025)
Design
Would Recommend Designer: Yes
Designer Positives: Unique design that didn’t feel generic or copy/paste Took our personal desires strongly into consideration (felt collaborative between us) Worked with our land. Entirely designed the house based on the type of land we have (jungle lot with lots of moisture)
Designer Improvements: We have one roof that was a learning curve for them (they hadn’t done it before) so we have had some leaks in that area. I think now they know how to do it better. I wish we would’ve talked about more storage but that neither of us really thought about it.
Build
Would Recommend Builder: Yes
Builder Positives: Professional and respectful team. We lived in our house while construction was being finished and I felt safe and comfortable around them. Took regenerative practices into account while also being practical about what we could do.
Builder Improvements: The roof I mentioned earlier.
Lessons Learned: Live in Costa Rica for some time before you build if you are able to. Perhaps in more than one type of house. You can see what your needs/wants are by experiencing different homes. Interview many architects and builders! We interviewed 8 or 9 before we landed on the ones we chose. Trust your intuition. If you see a red flag when interviewing, trust it. Ask for recommendations too. Ask neighbors what their experiences were. Do not expect perfection. Have standards and be clear about what you want, but also realize that things are done differently than they are back in your home country. The process can be slower, communication is not as frequent as you’d like, and the execution may not be the standards you are used to. Also, realize that there are culture differences so try to be mindful of how you approach dynamics between you and your architects/builders.
Lot: Anonymous
Stage: Building (as of May 2025)
How long: -
Designer: Habitat Humano
Designer Positives: - very easy to connect with and to understand our idea of the build - building a good structural build - Professional and value
Designer Improvements: - communication - but they are improving - finishing in some areas
Would Recommend Designer: yes for sure
Builder Positives: - very easy to connect with and to understand our idea of the build - building a good structural build - Professional and value
Builder Improvements: same as above
Would Recommend Builder: yes for sure
Lessons Learned: - Be very specific and detail of what you want. However do not assume its done the way you said. Check and verify!!! - Communicate communicate communicate - Shipped in some items for quality and price
🎨🛠 HOP Arquitectos
Lot: 13
Stage: Living
How long: 2 months (as of May 2025)
Designer: HOP Arquitectos
Designer Positives: Local, young but experienced, very flexible, good communication, and great designs
Designer Improvements: Desigh phase was very smooth
Would Recommend Designer: Yes
Builder Positives: Very organized, very accurate timeline and costs, they have worked with their crew for years now
Builder Improvements: Maintaining the site clean
Would Recommend Builder: Yes
Lessons Learned: The final phase of construction is always the costly part, save ahead to avoid surprises Priotitize the critical aspects of the house to be habitable, avoid spemding on areas that can wait for after moving in
🎨🛠 Vince Studio
Lot: Janee
Stage: Living
How long: 2 years (as of May 2025)
Designer Positives: They have good integrety, they don’t take on more then they can do. And I think that they are pretty good at looking at the land and the owners needs.
Designer Improvements: They could have managed the design a little closer, so they could have made better design decisions. They are pretty good about communication. They came in on time. They really cared. The electrical design could have been better.
Would Recommend Designer: Yes
Builder Positives: They came in on time. Almost all mistakes, they fixed without discussion. They were respectful of my land.
Builder Improvements: They did not clean up well after them selves. With the doors I am struggling because the fittings. They put doorframes into dry wall. Sometimes the used methods to move things, that resulted in some damages (bath tub).
Would Recommend Builder: I would recommend Giovanni who did my build
Lessons Learned: Make sure if you are not here physically you have someone to look after the build and take pictures for you. Make sure that the house has air flow, be sure to set up a smart house, so that you can turn on and off fans to help air flow. Have them wire for solar. I think you are better to have more electrical outlets and circut panels. So if one gets blown out, the other can kick in. Buy your water filters, and fans and stuff like that not in CR. Make sure to put 15 % of the cost of your build asside for the planting and landscaping that you ganna need to do, to protect from erosion. Remember when you get the build price, it doesn’t include furniture and the fixtures.
Lot: 15 - Ágata
Stage: Living
How long: 1 year (as of May 2025)
Designer: Vince Studios
Designer Positives: beautiful design respond fast and problem solving ok take responsability for their mistakes
Designer Improvements: We are happy with the design, maybe the rooms could have been a bit bigger.
Would Recommend Designer: Yes
Builder Positives: Build was on time, beautiful cealings in wood, seams ok
Builder Improvements: welding was a desaster, super ugly. we had leaks. lack of waterproof insulation in the garage which caused floods inside the house. wrong messurements in livingroom and other areas that had to be redone. bad treatment of the wood in the decks.
Would Recommend Builder: NOOOOOOOOO
Lessons Learned: know your builders, use only recommended builders.
🎨 Design
🎨 Marcela Carranza
Lot: 16 La Nativa
Stage: Living
How long: 1.5 years (as of May 2025)
Designer Positives: Time line was great, guided step by step, open to all our wishes and dreams for the perfect house
Designer Improvements: Miscalculated costs. Overlooked some details (entrance and part of the roof)
Would Recommend Designer: Absolutely yes!!!!
Lessons Learned: Being more involved and having shared design and buying process with other expert to know better materials and costs. Making sure to go in full detail room by room during the design. What seems obvious sometimes may be overlooked. Beauty and cosmetics sometimes costs more and not necesarialy a lot better.
(Builder review under Fabián Salas)
Lot 110
Stage: Living
How long: 1.5 years (as of May 2025)
Designer Positives:
She pays attention to detail, easy to work with, good communication, her knowledge of design and architecture are above par, she kept the builders from cutting too many corners and if they did she would make them fix it. I could go on and on but she sent videos and photos which made it possible to know what was going on with our build since we were not in the country for the entire build.
Designer Improvements: I can’t think of anything off hand
Would Recommend Designer: 100% I have and will always recommend her
Lessons Learned: Be patient because the build will not go on schedule. Be open minded because you may have to modify or adjust your plans depending on if things are out of stock, understand it may get too expensive and have to cut back on things so decide what are must haves and would be nice to haves.
^Applies (probably more) to builder experience - see Regenera lot 110
🎨 CJI
Lot 116
Stage: Living
How long: 1 year 3 months (as of May 2025)
Designer Positives: nope
Designer Improvements: so much…. insulated the butterfly roof gutter (actually a different roof would be better than butterfly), no plugs by the sink, proper internet seetup where we asked, a way to get to the roof so we can maintain it, and other things
Would Recommend Designer: no
Lessons Learned: no light switches in the shower LOL no butterfly roof, have a ladder or other way to get to the roof, plugs and outlets should be in proper locations, make sure internet is properly prepared for ICE and in the right location, make sure the windows slide the way you want make sure when you make suggestions that they follow through with them
^Also applies to Builder - see Jorge Montesur review
Lot: 61 Brooke Lehman
Stage: Living
How long: 6 months (as of May 2025)
Designer Positives: We love the air flow. We love the deck and the shape.
Designer Improvements: The design did not match the plans submitted to the engineers. May mistakes. We did not need to build around a tree as it turned out.
Would Recommend Designer: no.
Lessons Learned: Make sure you get multiple of references.
🎨 Regenera
Lot 64
Stage: Living
How long: ______ (as of May 2025)
Designer Positives: no i can not, they were awful and stole money from us and we had to find another build team
Designer Improvements: pricing, honesty, integrity
Would Recommend Designer: hell no
🎨 Vince Studios
Lot 45
Stage: Living
How long: 2 years (as of May 2025)
Designer: Vince
Designer Positives: Great guys, easy to work with, transparent quote, I like their design style
Designer Improvements: Take into consideration the elements (protection from sun and rain)
Would Recommend Designer: Yes, if they design a house that takes into consideration the need for protection from sun and rain
Lot 48
Stage: Living
How long: 1.5 years (as of May 2025)
Respondent 1
Designer: Vince Studio
Designer Positives: - We love their open concept and modern design - They were lovely to deal with, and helpful with digital renders of any changes - A number of houses in our community have used Vince, so it’s great to know we’re in good company.
Designer Improvements: - Being Ticos, they should have known their designs lacked adequate roof overhangs - I would have appreciated their architectural ‘eyes’ in identifying some tricky areas of the design, rather than trying to troubleshoot issues during/after constructions. - They are pretty busy, so getting their responses/solutions sometimes didn’t come in a timely manner.
Would Recommend Designer: Definitely
Lessons Learned: - Remove the sentence: “It should be like this…” from your brain. “It” will be however “it” will be. You will not change when a truck arrives etc. - Take copious notes and photos. You will need them. - Be on site as much as you can. Bring food for the workers and be nice. They are building your house.
Lot 48 Respondent 2
Designer: Vince Studio
Designer Positives: - Beautiful design, works well with our lifestyle - We love the open and expansive feel - The design works well with the location / view
Designer Improvements: - More attention to outdoor covered spaces. We made 2 key alterations to our house to win back some outdoor covered spaces, most notably: we added an awning under our roof to completely cover our deck. Previously, it was unusable due to too much sun or rain.
Would Recommend Designer: Yes.
Lessons Learned: 1) Don’t get upset when unexpected issues arise. Usually a better solution is revealed. 2) Keep detailed notes on everything that was discussed, and follow up with your builder as much as possible. 3) Be on site as often as possible and take many pictures.
🛠 Build
🛠 CETAJOMA (César)
Lot: 45
Stage: Living
How long: 2 years (as of May 2025)
Builder Positives: Good overall quality
Builder Improvements: The guy tried to scam me. He wanted to charge the IVA (VAT) without issuing an electronic invoice. That means I would have paid 13% more for my build if I hadn’t confronted him about this. It took 50% more time to complete my build than promised
Would Recommend Builder: No
Lessons Learned: Discuss VAT with your builder. Include detail of finishes in your contract, what’s included and what’s not. Make payments only based on advance and not on time
🛠 Conecta
Lot: 61 Brooke Lehman
Stage: Living
How long: 6 months (as of May 2025)
Builder Positives
on time. on budget. great communication.
Builder Improvements:
The deck wood I would prefer to be thicker and stronger.
Would Recommend Builder: yes
🛠 Eddie Fernandez
Lot: 48
Stage: Living
How long: 16 months 1.5 years (as of May 2025)
Respondent 1
Would Recommend Builder: Yes
Builder Positives: 1) Eddie was also an architect so he could make changes (move walls etc) without having to consult Vince Studio.
2) Eddie made some great suggestions about how to utilize interior spaces.
3) Eddie was good at figuring out how to troubleshoot problems.
Builder Improvements: Since our contract was signed when the US dollar was stronger, and the fact that construction took 1.5 hrs, he ‘value engineered’ wherever he could, that is to say, he seemed to find the cheapest fixtures and possibly even used materials in order to save money. We are now needing to replace/fix certain aspects of the build.
Would Recommend Builder: Yes, although I would have a long conversation with anyone who would want to use Eddie to make sure they understand what they’re getting into. (my wife wouldn’t recommend him…)
Lot: 48 Respondent 2
Builder Positives: - Eddie offered some creative solutions to alter the designs mid-build, which allowed us to keep moving forward. - Eddie has his architectural license also, so we felt confident in his design alteration opinions. - Eddie and his crew were always helpful in trying to accomodate any changes that arose during construction.
Builder Improvements: - Since the US dollar plumetted after our contract was signed, Eddie was always trying to save money on the build. We are finding that much of the materials used were sub-standard (even though we were assured this was not the case). - Eddie could have been present on site more often. His frequent absence fostered a culture of not really caring about the build. He promised to be on site 5-6 days a week, but it was simply not the case. An 8 month build took 1.5 yrs. - Eddie could have hired a better crew. We felt they were largely unskilled, messy (throwing garbage everywhere), and didn’t really care about the build. At one point we were advised by a civil engineer to fire the entire crew, including Eddie and the Foreman.
Would Recommend Builder: I would recommend them, but only after having a long talk with the prospective home owner. Everyone has horror stories after building, and I do consider myself lucky to have the home we do. But it definitely could have been much better.
🛠 Fabián Salas
Lot: 16 la nativa
Stage: Living
How long: 1.5 years (as of May 2025)
Builder Positives: Followed designed and was open to discussed needed changes with other professionals.Built within the budgeted contract/ worked with us to deal with some surprises unexpected
Builder Improvements: Timing was off by several months. Didn’t take in account subcontract with kitchen makers
Would Recommend Builder: Absolutely yes
🛠 Jorge (Montesur)
Lot: 116
Stage: Living
How long: 1 year 3months (as of May 2025)
Builder Positives: they fixed a few things in the design, the work for the main structure was very good
Builder Improvements: so much…. listened when I made suggestions instead of waiting until there was a problem to fix it been more timely
Would Recommend Builder: not really. they did great work but they were very unorganized and took too many projects at one time
Lessons Learned: no light switches in the shower LOL no butterfly roof, have a ladder or other way to get to the roof, plugs and outlets should be in proper locations, make sure internet is properly prepared for ICE and in the right location, make sure the windows slide the way you want make sure when you make suggestions that they follow through with them
^Also applies to designer (maybe moreso) - see CJI review lot 116
🛠 Regenera
Lot: 110
Stage: Living
How long: 1.5 years (as of May 2025)
Builder Positives: They aren’t in existence so it doesn’t matter
Builder Improvements: Many things. Especially communication
Would Recommend Builder: nan
Lessons Learned: Be patient because the build will not go on schedule. Be open minded because you may have to modify or adjust your plans depending on if things are out of stock, understand it may get too expensive and have to cut back on things so decide what are must haves and would be nice to haves.
^May also apply to designer - see Marcela Caranza lot 110
🛠 Quo
Stage: Living
How long: ______ (as of May 2025)
Lot: 64
Builder Positives: great communication, flexible, attentive
Builder Improvements: finish work, attention to detail, way to transfer money could have been clearer as we were loosing a lot in the conversion
Would Recommend Builder: yes
Lessons Learned: be here whilst you build, make sure you have an accurate timeline and if things change due to permitting (ours was held up for about a year!) get a new timeline of what is expected, get everything in writing!
^Also applies to designer - see designer review Regenera lot 64
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