Plan on taking a trip

@saundersmichael686

hello and welcome on board !

That great ! Are you looking for professional opportunities in Costa Rica ?

Regards

Bhavna

@saundersmichael686......That is very nice to have those skills"for your own home building project"......If you don't have a track record in Costa Rica don't even dare ! Everybody knows a foreigner with a 'tool box" setting up shop, is bad news........

@Bhavna

we’re retired.just looking for a simple and carefree place to spend our golden years in peace,

@saundersmichael686

Hello Saunders/Michael.

Yes, come on down and take a look.  If you decide that you like the place... your skills will-could come in handy.   

When I took the plunge, I bought an old farmhouse here and gutted it, added on, and did a full remodel.  I hired some local 'knuckleheads' to do it... but we had fun and I was on site every day to rein in the nonsense.  Being here saved $$ because I was able to catch mistakes; make last-minute changes, and the 'foreman' put me to work... so he didn't have to pay an extra guy.  Some of the guys had little to no skills and weren't interested in learning... just a pay check.  But we were able to turn around an almost unlivable place in less than 6 months; I'm happy with it and i'm handy as well... so I continue doing both interior and exterior projects.  I think that you, having construction and remodeling skills, will have much better luck than some of those on these forums that have construction and 'builder' horror stories.   Plus...  because I, as a foreigner, didn't come into 'their' community with a strange work crew that I found on an expat forum to work a job in the middle of their village...  I was immediately accepted by my little town.  I know everybody and they know me.   It was a good start and I definately didn't make a bad first impression.  Sorry to say...  'expats' aren't always welcomed and that's due to the bad examples of those that came before us.  Not always.  But happens.

I would think that buying a place that needs work will save you $$ if and when you come down.   It's more than obvious, when I read the real estate 'ads' aimed at expats, and the testimonials of some people... that many foreigners come here and pay a substantial amount of money to have a home comparable to what they had 'up there'.   But it's so different here... and construction and materials are different too.  There is no frost, or below freezing temps.. so insulation; nor insulated windows, deep burying of water lines isn't required, etc,. none of that does exists here.     Even building from scratch can be quite reasonable if you do it the way the locals do it.  But to each his or her own...

If you take the time to find the area that suits your needs/wants best, and buy 'the worst house in the best neighborhood' ... you'll come out on top!!   Note that i put the word 'needs' in front of 'wants'..   don't get lost in dreams of lazy barefoot days in a hammock...  there are just as many realities here as anywhere.  Like... Healthcare access; food; amenities; paved roads; etc.

I think CR is the perfect place for a person that can use his hands and has experience.

Good luck !!

In 1970, I bought a 128 year-old house in a small town in southern Michigan. Long story short, I spent four years (many nights, every weekend, every vacation) gutting and renovating it. I would never, ever take on such a project again. Everything I did to the place I had to undo first. Put up a sheet of drywall? Yes, but first take down thirty-two square feet of horsehair plaster AND thirty-two square feet of wood lath. And get rid of the debris.

One of the many lessons learned is that you cannot tell what you've gotten into until you actually tear into the project. Did the original builder use the right mortar mix? The right rebar? The right electrical wire? The right roof structure? And if you don't have the skills and knowledge to rectify what's wrong, what'll it cost to get someone knowledgeable to make it right?

Too, many builders build what's profitable and not necessarily what you want or need. Does a retired couple really need three bedrooms and two baths? A pool?

My advice is to settle on a location where you'd like to live and build the home that meets your actual needs and (maybe) wants. Start from scratch and you won't have to undo the other guy's mistakes before you even begin.