This blog has been, depending on my mood, about costa rica, architecture, building, or building and architecture in Costa Rica.

Well, this almost does not fit, but it was so intriguing and takes green building ideas to a very immediate level, I thought I would post it.

http://www.simondale.net/house/

Its a how-to on builing a low impact woodlands home. I am purusing the site for tips and interesting insight.

Its not time to reveal it, of course, but Guillermo and his team delivered today a 3-d rendering of the house with imagine to reflect the materials, location, and over all feel of the place. It is, truly, stunning. I will share it one day soon, but for now, I must report, that I am too taken with it to write much more. Its great.

Why is grout white? Whose idea was that? After a weekend cleaning up grout in my bathroom tile, I think I see the utility in polished concrete floors and dark colored grout in tiles. Wow.

Its about time.

I was in Portland Maine the other weekend, and talking to my good friend Ari, when he noted that though he enjoyed my blog, really understanding the project without a visual representation of the house was a little bit of a stretch. He is completely right. For the over thousand people who have been kind enough to check in and read my blog, I think it is time to show you one of the early models that is quickly becoming my home.

Guillermo sent me some jpeg images of those K House for post on this site a few months ago. I picked this one as representative of the organic proposal, now the direction of the home. This is a model that Guillermo created as a proposal for our first meeting this winter. It has progressed greatly since this point. I now have 3 dimensional renderings of the project, with floor plans and details, but for now, I want you to see what was before me at the beginning.

Here it is, K House. (sans tower).

Soil borings,

Guillermo sent me a recommendation for a party who can perform the requisite soil borings for Plan B in Nosara. He told me the costs associated with the operation are consistent amoung the companies that do it, and that he had had a good experience with this one. Those costs are roughly 670 USD, with 30 percent paid now, and 70 at completion. The name of the company who will perform the borings is Carlos Araya S.A. I will let you know if he was good.

I am interested in the results, in finding out that which is under my home. Is it clay? Loam, is there any rock? Since the direction is turning toward piers, I think the soil mix is less important than it was, but I am curious just how the land is laid in Costa Rica.