Chontales

Thursday we went to visit our friends Doug and Samira.

They just moved into their new home in Chontales.

Chontales is the most recent of the Ventana developments.  It is about 13 km south of Ojochal and then inland - over one set of mountain ridge, down the valley - over a second ridge.  Spectacular home with spectacular view of the ocean.

While they are not the first home to be completed - probably 4 others - they are the first full-time occupants - 2 or 3 others are expected by the end of the year as nearby homes are completed.  All of these homes seem to be taking a very long time to complete - Doug and Samira were delayed waiting for the electricity to be connected.

They have had the good fortune of being here through construction (renting in Ojochal), so understand all about life in the jungle - now they are just a bit more remote - a beautiful spot to be alone in!

Another dream begun!

Welcome to the Neighborhood!

So, we bought a nice little piece of land in a remote part of Costa Rica!  Peace and Quiet - Nature and Seclusion.

Well, since then, Ojochal has been booming - written up nationally and internationally as the hot destination within Costa Rica - great for foodies - fabulous beaches - even surfing!!

And our little corner of all this - a bit of the mountainside - a dead end road with 6 small lots will soon have 4 homes - and another 3 within shouting distance - - all out of 104 lots in the area.

The newest ones - the ones who were chainsawing at 6:30 Monday morning - 2 tween daughters - seem like nice folks.

Not complaining but our little slice of paradise is just a little less remote.

The house at the end of the road - will be done in April

The other house will level the site for building at the top of the hill in January and likely be done by next Christmas - the family is already living down here - renting in the village 

Bill and Deb

We spent last Sunday afternoon with Bill and Deb in a pub with beer and burgers.

They live in Barrie (about an hour north of Toronto), and are diving head first into the Costa Rica dream.

They purchased land in Chantales in February and have moved into house design - the plan is to be in paradise in 2014.

Lots of questions, lots of ideas, lots of fun - - too bad they will be so far south!

Take It For Granted

That's what we do for most things in life - especially those of us fortunate enough to live in a major North American city.  This past stay left me with a new appreciation for some of these things and the absurdity of them in rural Costa Rica.

What are those concrete phone booths?
Actually they are holding cells at the local police station - which was built by Gringos some years ago.  Oh and the locals (mostly gringos) help keep the police motorcycle repaired and funded for gas!  It is staffed with 2 officers and only until 5 pm.  I assume they have a phone, but not sure I know where to find the number, and if you could call them it would be at least 20 minutes for them to arrive (no 911, what's your problem, I'll stay on the line til help arrives) - and they only speak Spanish.  So that means you pay attention to strangers, listen to the strange noises, have a panic button and a machete, call your neighbors for help.

When will the road be paved?
Outside of San Jose, except for the major highways, most roads are dirt (dirt, clay, rock) and are like driving on a washboard while avoiding the exposed boulders and giant potholes (especially if it is raining and you don't know if the 'puddle' is 1" or 1' deep).  Road maintenance is a full time job.  The torrential rain changes the road daily - creates new holes, fills others and moves rock and dirt.  It carves out gutters - along the side of the road, down the middle of the road and sometimes right across the road. Attempts to pave these roads disappear in a single season.  You drive slowly and follow the clear track - even if it is on the wrong side or switches back and forth.

Do you have a defibrillator?
Really?  One of our friends was asked this by a potential land buyer!  Maybe not a bad idea, but the concept of emergency medicine needs to be put in context. The Hospital (fully equipped and very modern) is 40 minutes away - 20 minutes of that is on dirt road, across a river and up a mountain - there is an ambulance service, but there is no "address" so they need to be able to find you, and remember no '911 how may I help you".  Even if the neighbor had a defibrillator, unless they are ''right next door' it is likely 5 minutes before they could be there.  So, you pay attention to your health, rely on Dr. Dean, Dr. David and Nurse Barb, and if you are smart, act early.

What are we going to do with that!?
My question over the appearance of fire hydrants throughout the phase.  Do we have a fire department?  There might be one in Uvita (20 minutes) or Dominical (40 minutes), but even if they came, it is unlikely a truck could cross the river and conquer the mountainous roads. Do we have a hose?  No!  Is there a wrench to open the hydrant?  No.  They certainly are bright and shiny and red!  Given that the homes are largely concrete, the most likely thing to burn in the vegetation.

Where is the nearest mall?
Another potential buyer question - and certainly a relevant one for those of us with spouses who require regular courses of retail therapy!  The answer - San Jose - but don't buy stuff you aren't going to use regularly.  Enough clothes for a change or two (you seldom wear anything but shorts and a t-shirt) two sets of sheets (one for the bed and one in the wash).  If you aren't going to use it regularly (read daily) it will be moldy, smelly, or rotten when you next pull it out of the storage space.  My leather sandals (covered in black and green fuzzy stuff) , 3 baseball caps growing mold in a week.  Stories of dress shoes and sports jackets off to the trash.  Simplify - Minimize - Use It!

How long does it take to ...?
Get somewhere or do something - the answer is - it depends!  It took us 4 hours to get home from Uvita - 3 1/2 hours of that spent waiting to be able to cross the river.  There is the slide or washout that blocks the highway, the sloth crossing the road, the farm vehicle or the local festival.  Getting a bank card or dealing with an issue with the electric company is many trips over many days and includes legal documents and lawyers fees.  So you learn to plan ahead and be patient.

I always laugh to myself at the reaction of our friends in Toronto over these things.  We have all grown to expect a great deal of our society and infrastructure - everything organized for our convenience because we are such busy people.  In some ways it is actually nice to be able to say "all I have to do today is go to the bank"!

Critters and Construction

Today seems to be critter day - all sorts of new ones - some interesting others just odd

Meanwhile the outdoor shower is back under construction

The paint was all moldy and puckered - had to be completely stripped - Christian said it needs to dry out for 3 days (like that will be likely before December - hence the plastic covering)

Punch It Up

So, clearing the punch list is underway - in case you don't know - the punch list is construction speak for the list of deficiencies.

Sheila's guys have addressed the kitchen fan, and Robert has 'an army' working on the various building issues.

Meanwhile Christian has started on the next phase of landscaping.

Photos to follow.

So Now What?

So, we have been and lived in our new home - all the excitement!

Now for the reality of it.

Before we left we signed the property management agreement - this offers some degree of security in that the house will be 'occupied' 3 times a week to check everything, air it out, run the water, etc.  Also arrange for regular cleaning and pool maintenance.  We have already had communication - you really need a deadbolt on the garage bodega - but all is good.

Then the insurance - seems all is good with that as well - full coverage excluding theft (there are special requirements for that - they are sending those!).

Note to Robert about the fan in the tower - he is reversing it to have it venting rather than bringing air in.

Deficiencies are being worked on - Sheila had the exhaust fan fixed.

Haven't heard from Ventana requesting completion payments, transfer of ICE etc - all the mundane business stuff.

We have started the planning for July - flights, shopping etc - Lisle is in his glory!!

Post Mortem

So it all happened so quickly - Down - In - Out - Back !!

Perhaps some more sober reflection -

I can truly say everything exceeded our expectations!

The House
It was exactly the space I had in my mind.  Robert achieved what I (and I think Lisle) had lived and breathed for months.  The staircase that had been so problematic was a perfect sculpture set in the tower.  The spaces that seemed so small in January when they were shells of concrete were suddenly immense with the finished tile floors and painted walls and furniture.  The whole house is filled with air and light.

Sure there are deficiencies - a list of 82 of them.  Some sloppy work on the windows and screens, 3 missing electrical outlets and drop in bathroom sinks on the granite counters (were supposed to be undermount) are the most significant issues.  They'll have time to work on these before we are down again.

The Furniture Etc.
While we had talked to Sheila about look and feel, given her photos, and looked at fabrics, we really had no idea what we were walking into.  And so what did we walk into?  Absolute perfection!

Sheila had listened to every word we had said.  The colours were tropical and bright but not gaudy or jarring.  The wood was dark but not heavy or overpowering.  The styles were eclectic but complementary.  The Master Bedroom was masculine, unique but still tropical and fitting with the house.  She managed to capture us completely.

And everything worked. All the appliances, the home theatre (it was programmed and ready to go with indoor and outdoor speaker zones).  There were step ladders and cleaning products, BBQ utensils and laundry soap.

Perhaps the most remarkable thing was the living room tables.  We found a photo of Indonesian Drum Tables, and knew they would be perfect.  In case you don't know them, they are stamped metal ceremonial drums that have taken on new life as objets d'arte and unique furniture pieces.After much work, Sheila broke the news - yes she could get them - but $2,000 each imported - so much for an interesting statement in the living room - we settled for small square wood tables more suited to the budget.  Surprise - we arrived to the most spectacular drum tables.  Sheila had them custom-made by the wood craftsman - - Unbelievable!!

The Landscaping
Christian has not been the easiest part of the project for us to manage.  He is exceptionally talented in design, but struggled to make his vision meet our reality of functional, beautiful, open outdoor space.  The final plan is wonderful, and the first phase suits the house to a 'T'.  He has taken what was a rudimentary concrete pool deck and expanded it into outdoor rooms that perfectly complement the other living spaces.

There is still 2 months of work on the landscaping, including all the planting - but I can say I am wow'd!

Conclusion
This group of talented and committed professionals has delivered on everything they said they would and more importantly they worked with us to create a unique place we now call home.

One more thing - more than anything I wanted to create a space for 'barefoot living' - a comfortable but simple life - signified by the fact that you can move freely through the house and around the property without ever having to put your shoes on.  The fact that we had achieved this struck me on Wednesday when I was looking for my shoes so we could go out for dinner!

One Week In and Time to Go

My God - where did the week go!

Breakfast is finished (dinner last night really felt like the last supper - apropos for Good Friday) and the packing is about to commence - laundry is underway and we are about to dismantle the place.  Very sad.

Food needs to go out or go with us - or go in containers in the fridge.  Small applicances cleaned and way.  Plants outside - Furniture inside.  Beds stripped.  Quite the production.

Clothes in the suitcase - the house seems similarly packed.

The Unveiling

The drive in is exactly as we remember – rocky and dusty – the river little more than a creek at this time of year.  Up the hill – Bruce and Barbara wave hello and shout congratulations as we pass.  Up the hill and around the corner – there it is – the ground still raw as the landscaping is yet to come, but cleared of construction debris – it looks livable.  Up the drive and into the carport.

Sheila is out the front door with hugs and kisses – she is probably more excited than we are – it is her work of art, shown for the first time.

And what a work of art!

It is very hard to put in words that feeling when everything you have had in your mind for 3 years becomes reality before your eyes.

Beginning, Middle and End – or Just the Beginning Again!

It started with a dream and an idea

A piece of land that turned into a place to build

And has become a house

 
Exquisite! And even better inside.

Tomorrow

So we drove to Ojochal – stopped at Tarcoles to see the Crocodiles

a pleasant lunch on the way in Manuel Antonio (Steve and Claudio vacationed there in 1996 and were shocked by the difference – hardly recognized anything).

And then to The Lookout at Playa Tortuga – not a bad place, was closed for 18 months and has been reborn as a reasonable tourist hotel – not boutique like, but very Costa Rican – clean basic accommodations with air conditioning, nice pool and an amazing breakfast.  Dinner, drinks and bed by 9:30 - - Steve said, “I can’t believe you are this close and did drive by the house!”  I replied, “We promised Sheila we wouldn’t peek!”

Step by Step

Sitting here in San Jose, ready to go for dinner - an uneventful flight - easy car rental (but no automatic so I guess Lisle is driving - and OMG it is enormous - a Toyota Prado!)  No rain so far - sat by the pool at the hotel and had a beer - so far so good - plus!!!  Christian sent photos of the patio - FANTASTIC

Fly Away

So here we are - all set to go!

I am excited, nervous, tense - full of anticipation.

What happens now is pretty straight forward

• Thursday fly to Costa Rica - spend the night in Santa Ana (just outside San Jose) - a great dinner at Bacchus is planned
• Friday drive to Ojochal with a stop in Manuel Antonio for lunch - staying at The Lookout at Playa Tortuga - beer at Bocas and dinner at Stephan''s
• Saturday - 10 am - go to the house for the 'unveiling'

What happens next?  Who knows?!

What are Friends For?!

5 days and counting, and our friends continue to keep us up to date on the progress being made - like this note received today!

"Hi

Just came back from your house where Sheila and crew are setting up.

Love the purple crushed velvet sofa!  And who would have thought lava lamps would come back in style.  And you just never get tired of the dogs playing poker painting that will hang in your entryway.  Looks great!

Cheers

Karen"

HA HA - - Lisle is already plotting the payback!

Packing

The 3 traditional brown soft-sided luggage set is packed - large, medium and weekender - each weighs 50 lb!  No it's not clothes!  Or shoes!

The food processor, hand mixer, sundry gadgets, some plates (nicely packaged), the wine opener, a first aid kit, computer gadgetry, DVDs ...

Still need to do our toiletries and sandals, and the 4th case is nearing full without that!  Hopefully Steve and Claudio have some spare capacity to accommodate bits and pieces.


BTW - the pool is full and warming up for our arrival!  Six days and counting.

Don't Forget the Bikini!

No Board Shorts or One-Pieces Allowed!  Speedos and Bikinis only!!

Looks like it will soon be pool time!!  Cummon - take the plunge!