Its frustrating. In my life, I have generally been in a position to affect outcomes. I feel so emotionally tied into this building project, and now that we have hit a snag, I feel fairly powerless to affect things.

From my end it looks like this...we work as a team to design the building. I see it take form and shape and start to see myself in it. Then there is a large financial barrier, and now its like lobbing suggestions into a black box. Guillermo and his team can alter the plans. The contractor can change his bid. The structural engineer can vary structural systems. But I get to just sit and wait, and see what they all come up with. Until they do...I cannot do anything. Grrrr.

So I wait. At some point, I will get a number. Or maybe a set of options, or a talk with D0 about what I can opt to reduce and that which I need to have: materials, spaces, etc. And then I will get a number. Then its to me. I will then see if that number works, and what financing options are available. But until then...I wait.

Yours,

Frustrated.

With thanks to Luis Diego Quiros, a costa rican archietect who I have written about before in this blog, there was an article published in Nacion that discusses the recent rise in raw material prices for construction in costa rica.

http://www.nacion.com/br/2007/diciembre/01/br1334553.html

This is required reading for anyone building in CR.