Recently, I had a one of my clients who had purchased a home via my services a few years ago contact me as he wanted to add a wooden deck to his home. Josh, the homeowner wanted to know if I knew any good contractors in Costa Rica that could do the job for him without ripping him off.
I had met Josh during the real estate boom in Costa Rica and is one of my first client. Originally from Atlanta, GA, Josh has owned several homes in Atlanta and is a veteran when it comes to hiring Atlanta deck contractors as he has added several wooden decks to his homes in Georgia.
He already had the location and the blueprints for the deck ready to go and just needed to find a contractor that could do the job.
I actually had a deck made for my home a few years ago and since it’s good information to share, I figured I would blog about it to help them out in case they ever decide to add an addition to their home.
So this is what I told him:
1. Hire a “contratista” or contractor in Costa Rica. They are usually more expensive but in most cases are trustworthy as far as contractors go. Just like any other places, they will quote you for example to do a job for $$45 a square foot and end up charging you $65 a square foot(do keep in mind that the quoted prices are not real I just made them up to use as an example).
2. Place an Ad - You can also place an add in several forums or Costa Rica classified ads websites and take bids. Doing it this way, will usually attract foreign contractors living in Costa Rica that will understand what your needs are.
3. Find a Talented Handyman in Costa Rica – Handyman in Costa Rica are a dime a dozen and in my experience, a recommended handyman can pretty much do anything from fixing a door to building a deck or adding an extension to a home. All you have to do is give them the proper tools and materials and they will take care of the rest.
The only drawback to it is that it may not always be done in a timely manner nor to the exact specifications but it will be cheap and it will do the job. When I say cheap I mean it as it terms of labor you will ended up paying about a month’s worth of salary costiung you about $500-$600 for the labor and a few more hundred dollars for the deck.
In this next post about home improvement in Costa Rica, I will be answering a question about homes with vinyl sidings in Costa Rica. The question asked from a potential home buyer was whether it was possible to find a home in the area with vinyl sidings and the maintenance of it.
