I recently received a note from one of the CR BBs. It is from a future neighbor of mine in Nosara. I am posting the correspondence here because I cannot tell if it posted correctly on the board, and also because you all might find it interesting.

She wrote:

I read parts of your blog on building in Nosara with interest. I too am located in Boston and just bought a small lot near the beach in Nosara (c-section) for retirement. (Property has gone WAY up since you bought). I have been looking for an architect and am also leaning toward a modern home - want lots of light and open, airy feeling. Found many of the architects that you listed, but not the Datum Zero or Quirpa firms, which look very interesting. I'm working through a property manager recommended by Coldwell Banker real estate agents, which is the agency that handled the sale. The property manager handles every part of the building process for a 10% of the cost of total project fee. This is good for me, because I too will be doing all of this long distance, and I cannot speak Spanish. Constraint is they want everything to go through them, so I've asked them to contact Datum Zero. Anyway, I hope to have the house done by the time I retire, which is two years from now.

Thanks J----,

And I responded:

I am glad that you are getting something out of the blog. It is a bit quiet right now, but it will pick up soon. I am scheduled to meet with the architect, Guillermo Garita, February 3, at his office in New York. I am excited to see the progress and to see this dream take some shape.

It sounds like we are going to be neighbors. C section is the one right near the beach isn't it? Maybe when we are both done, we can visit each other's places and compare results.

Actually, I thank you for the information you shared already. it is good to see someone else's process. Probably a good idea to let the property manger take care of everything. If I had known one I had trusted, then it is likely I might have gone this route also. I would love to hear about your construction company decision making process, because this is making me the most nervous. I have a few names, and I am months off from a decision, but I think the right person will make or break the project.

I fixed the links to Quirpa and Datum Zero, but I will again place them on the blog also, and post them here. www.datumzero.com. www.quirpa.com.

Quripa has several architects, but I spoke at length with Diego. He knows Nosara well, as he has relatives there and visits often. His e-mail address is ldquiros@gmail.com. [update, Luis Diego has launched his own architectural office. He has also launched a new web site at http://www.luisdiegoquiros.com/. He continues to work with Quripa, which is the contruction firm, to finish projects. Check it out to see his newest work].

Guillermo is the principal architect at DatumZero. his email is g.garita@datumzero.com. Please mention my name if you contact either of them.

Congratulations on retirement. Will you retire full time to CR? I would love to hear about this, as I am encouraging my mother to consider the same. How are the services there?