bed and breakfast – Happier Than A Billionaire

A Happier House Update

By Nadine Hays Pisani| 2018-04-15T18:19:15-04:00 April 19th, 2016|Categories: Bed and Breakfast|Tags: bed and breakfast, happier house, mar vista|

Costa Rica Cost of Living Update: Black and Decker Toaster Oven—$65 (normally $30 in the US)

We’ve been busy guys, but it’s a good kind of busy. Our house is almost finished, although one would never know by the amount of workers still around. One morning I’m sure they will all be gone, but for now, there are a dozen men staring through my window in the morning waiting for Rob and I to wake up.

Unfortunately for them, I am not a pretty sleeper. I am what the medical community would call a mouth breather: my jaw so gravely unhinged it looks like I’m trapping Japanese Beetles. This, combined with eight hours of drool, has the capacity to frighten even the most macho of construction men.

I open one eye and scan the crowd: the tile workers are here to finish grouting, the gutter guys are waiting for drool lady to get the ladder she unwisely locked inside the pool house, and there is always some random man to assist any of these crews. It’s an assorted bunch, but one I’ve grown to love. (more…)

Engineering, Building Codes, and Earthquakes in Costa Rica

By Nadine Hays Pisani| 2018-04-15T18:19:16-04:00 August 28th, 2015|Categories: Bed and Breakfast|Tags: alberto solano, bed and breakfast, earthquake, engineer, house, steel frame|

Costa Rica Cost of Living Update: A high-end, thirty-inch stainless steel kitchen sink— $500. Anyone feel like sticking that in their luggage?

The biggest question I’m getting about building our bed and breakfast in Costa Rica concerns earthquakes.

“Are there codes you’re following?” they ask. I don’t blame people for inquiring. If you had the unfortunate experience of being caught in one, it’s something you’ll never forget.

We had a whopper of an earthquake a few years back. A 7.6 blast that was so strong, it felt like a bomb had exploded underneath us: a bomb that lasted close to sixty seconds. I was sure we were going to die while Rob was convinced we would live. What could have destroyed most of Guanacaste did not do as much damage as one might have predicted, and that is due to the strict earthquake engineering codes in Costa Rica.

When I asked my engineer, Alberto Solano, about my concerns over building a tremor-safe house, he reassured me. “Costa Rica safety codes are strict, and they are based on international ones that are also used in California. As you can see, we had a big earthquake and there was minimal damage.”

When we were digging out trenches for our foundation, Alberto walked me through the process. “There are a lot of calculations when building a house. What is the weight? How does it impact the soil below? It’s important you dig down to the hardest part of the soil. We want a strong foundation to avoid settling.”

In Costa Rica there is something called Tico Time: a more laid back way of living. “Manana,” is something you hear often when trying to get anything done. However, Alberto is not on Tico Time, and he makes sure that the plans for our house are safe and in accordance with strict engineering codes. I feel good that he is part of this process. Engineers are interesting people so I asked him why he chose this profession. I’m happy to learn he comes from a long line of Costa Rican engineers. (more…)

Building in Costa Rica

By Nadine Hays Pisani| 2018-04-15T18:19:16-04:00 July 27th, 2015|Categories: Happier Beach House|Tags: bed and breakfast, building, house, mar vista, ocean view|

Costa Rica Cost of Living Update: One huge papaya—$1.20

It’s been seven years, but we never gave up! I’m happy to announce that Rob and I just broke ground on our new home in the Mar Vista Community just outside Flamingo! But it gets even better: we decided to build a bed and breakfast so that others can enjoy Costa Rica as much as we do.

For sure there will be a pool, and Rob is already designing a garden with organic fruit trees. I would love to have an outdoor space for dining and barbecuing, and a patio off the second floor. My head spins with ideas, but I know how easy it is to get carried away with one’s budget. Rob and I have to be practical, but there has been nothing practical about our adventure from the start. Maybe for us, being “unpractical” works out the best. (more…)