Would San Jose be the central location for one to begin looking for an Architect, Structural Engineer and Landscape Architect to begin designs on a new home. We are looking for associations with regards to the above referenced consultants. Further to this, is seismic activity a concern when building in Costa Rica?
Thank you,

Yes, or more likely Escaszu.

I guess you missed the earthquake
"usual" building materials are concrete block filled w/ rebar and concrete, specifically because of the earthquakes.

And the building codes for earthquake resistance in CR are pretty stringent but are not always applied either due to paying someone off to not have to, or since sometimes that attitude is that it's 'too much trouble to do things to spec' because "we've always done it the old way", can be the mindset of certain construction workers in Ticolandia.

JM2¢

Paul M.
==

Julie H,
I did miss the earthquake. Stuck up here on our frozen part of this world (-18 metric). I think my wife and I might prefer a little ground shuffle. Thank you for your answer to my somewhat inane question.
Apparently I need to hire a consultant ...one of the structural variety.
Cheers,

I am an 'old way' kind of guy. I've seen concrete work in St. Martin in the Caribbean (add salt watre to the mix)...come back the following year and it looks like sponge toffee. I am corresponding with you from Toronto, Canada. We put foundations 1200mm below grade for starters, lots of rebar, all epoxy coated. Concrete is good. The reason I asked the question is because our building code has recently changed to include a sizeable amount of consultancy focused on seismic activity. Not really needed, but hey, good tax grab. I have only worked on projects near to Costa Rica with less than stringent code applications. "We've always done it he old way"...do I have to be there? Sponge toffee sucks, especially with a stucco finish.
Thanks,

You can do it the old way but you can also take the chance of it falling down in a rumbler, and after the contractor signs it off to you you will be stuck with what you got if you weren't there to oversee it along the way. Or you had a diligent contractor who assiduously looked after your interests, but how do you really know he will?

Best to be there and make sure yourself if you have the capability to be able to look at how stuff is being done and know that it is being done right and to specs.

¡Pura Inspección!

HTH

Paul M.
==

I fully agree with Paul. You should be there. Ticos are just like Miami contractors. They will let lots of little things that are not being noticed slide so they can save/shave a few colones here and there.

Also, you might want to strongly consider being intimately involved with buying, inspecting and constantly inventorying all of your materials. I have a buddy who bought buckets of special nails for a project. When it was almost finished he found all those buckets full stashed in an out of the way corner. As pissed as he was there was nothing he could do about it. He could not afford to tear it down and start over.

Like the man say..."keep you eye on da ball!"

Buena Suerte!

Well, we lived here and we missed the earthquake, too! Didn't feel a thing! We experienced many others, when we lived in Turrialba, but here in Guanacaste, we haven't felt any in the three years we have been here.
Most builders, I think are honest and realize the building for seismic activity is very important, but you should make sure you are always on site, just in case!
I have heard the story of the builder who left out a kitchen sink because they were having a built in dishwasher...

hammersmith, I would pick your 'professionals' near to where you are going to build, as they will have to visit once a week to check up on the progress, and guess who pays for that?


And another thought, was, if you haven't already purchased land, I would suggest look for a home that will suit, as the prices for materials are going up everyday, while deals are there to be made.