Design-build

Kim is available to take your dream of a house in Costa Rica or Nicaragua all the way from design to build to live.  He has now built eleven houses and casitas in the area and has a wealth of knowledge and experience in environmental and passive cooling design, construction in concrete, steel, wood, stone, green building methods, and permaculture integration.  Kim is especially looking for a green building or tiny home project in Costa Rica.

As he puts it- my philosophy is to design functional and aesthetic, value built homes that work well with the land and local climate.  First, I consider the build site’s predominant weather patterns and resources and how a design will fit the climate and use passive cooling principals.  The house must also fit the needs of the client and of the landscape and any natural features, like slopes, trees, and views.  Then I choose the best materials that perform the function, look good and are the best value for the cost and long term maintenance and durability.  Design and materials relates to minimizing the environmental foot print both with the build and the long term operation of the house.

Projects

House, casita and pool at Tierra del Suenos

In June 2018 Kim completed the complex at Steve and Danika’s Suenos lot consisting of a two story 1900 sqft. house, 700 sqft. casita and pool.  Spanish tile roof, stonework and custom woodwork throughout complement this modern take on a hacienda classic.

For rent at https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/27726022

Two story house at Brisas

Two story house with extended outdoor living area downstairs.  With two bedrooms and baths upstairs it featured about 1800 sqft. of low maintenance living.  Built with an engineered concrete and steel structure, it will be finished with plantation teak and salvaged cedar for doors and kitchen cabinets to soften the concrete work.  When building in Nicaragua it is important to source sustainable wood as many local building companies use illegally harvested unsustainable wood.  The galvanized steel beams in the vented roof will be hidden by tongue and groove teak and an outdoor shower is lined by local flagstone laid by our craftsmen.

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Erin’s Casita

When they asked to have this finished at the same time as the two story house we knew it would be a tight schedule.  But adding more local workers and craftsmen got this house done in nearly 7 months and we added a pool.  About 950 square feet with two bedrooms and 2 baths and a hip roof (4 sided).

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The perfect 1 bedroom casita on a budget

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We became friends with Marilyn when she came down for a Surf with Amigas retreat a couple years ago and Kim agreed to design and marylin housebuild a small simple 1 bedroom casita on Marilyn’s sea view lot.  After many iterations  of design and trying to fit it to a tight budget, we settled on this 620 square foot casita with an open floor plan living/dining/kitchen, one bedroom, one bathroom and an 8′ wide front porch with bi-fold doors.  The high ceilings with a triple layer roof and wide front openings and ample openings all around keep the place cool and breezy and its got an amazingly

 

For rent at https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/12311371

Casa Amarilla – 3 Bedroom, 2 bath approx 1900 sq ft.

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This house is nearly the same design as our home (see below). The clients visited our home and decided they wanted the same thing with a few minor tweaks. You’ll see the similarities.  Available for rent at:  https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/13283419

 

 

Lot 22 Brisas Del Alma

When we found out Holly was pregnant with our first baby, we decided that the thatch roof cabana (see below) would no longer be sufficient as our home. We had purchased a 3/4 acre lot in Brisas Del Alma and Kim designed and built our 2200 sq. ft. 2 bedroom, 2 bath house that would become our home. The contractor was given the task of completing the house in less than 9 months, to be ready by the time the baby was born. We broke ground in January and completed the house in August. Mission Accomplished!

Available for rent at:  https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/10511208

Related posts:

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Rancho Supremo – in construction 2016

Open-air blend of traditional Nicaraguan and modern building for a couple of surf buddies and their girlfriends.  The shell is done and we’re working on the finishing little by little…

 

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Najualapa Beach House and Surfboard Storage Shack

The struggles began with just buying a concession (leased) beach front lot – no easy task! After that we designed and built our first two story structure. We originally planned to use the house as a storage unit for the surfboards for Surf With Amigas and also for part time living. The beach environment turned out to lack sufficient privacy for our living tastes, so it is now utilized only as surfboard storage and a daytime escape from the sun during long beach sessions. We may fix it up to turn it into a rental unit in the future.

bodega woodWorkshop and bodega.

We own a gorgeous ocean view lot in the new community Tierra Del Sueno. Before water and power infrastructure were installed we built an 18′ x 40′ workshop/bodega/convertible casita to store wood and other materials for our various construction projects.  In some ways its a perfect utilitarian structure with a lockable room at the back and an open floor in front.  We’re planning to renovate it into a rental casita soon, stay tuned.

Our First Project – An Eco-Friendly Thatch Roof Cabana

This was our very first home in Nicaragua and our first building project. It was built on the property of our friends at El Coco Loco resort and is now one of their rental cabanas. It was a great learning experience for us and we documented the whole process.

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