Here we used 2×6 metal steel beams for the floor joists, teak trees for the vertical posts, Bamboo rafters, and metal roofing.  We are installing one of the most durable hardwoods in Costa Rica for the decking.   We installed the deck first so we had a good level work space to work on for the next stages.

We have started the foundation.  Dug out the four corners and installed  1m X 1m concrete footings with rebar framing.  The containers are designed to carry all of their vertical load at the corners which makes them able to be stacked up to 9 containers high.  We plan to dig out the material under the container just enough to deter bugs and let air pass through to help with temperature and moisture.

It’s on!! After an excruciatingly long lull in our progress we have finally learned what patience is! Nearly two months after purchasing our shipping container it is finally being delivered to our lot. But not without some creative Costa Rican planning. Check out the 20 ft truck with the 40 ft shipping container hanging off it–and a little help from a backhoe.      

I’m in love with the rainy season in Costa Rica. There’s something notably graceful about the transitions here. The cycles are smooth. Nothing seems to grasp or linger excessively.  I wonder if it’s because, being so close to the equator, the day cycles are extremely steady. The sun sets in nearly the same position each day.Perhaps the land and it’s dwellers can keep a steadier rhythm. It’s profoundly comforting. Everything is so alive. The life and death cycles are almost indecipherable. Everything is eating everything else. Prana is taken in for prana. Life force is absorbed and transformed instantly. Everything thrives off of the transition of something that came before it. It’s so simple. It’s mind-blowingly complex. The physical form transitions so quickly. It is instantly needed to feed something else. Maybe this is what balance looks like? I hope my rhythm gets steadier. I’m sure it will. Surrender. That seems to be the key. Fertility. […]

So here’s one of the rough sketches of  our design plans for the house. The main structure begins with a 40ft. high cube steel shipping container. From there, will be a 10ft deck off the long side that stretches the span of the container and reaches out over the hill facing the ocean. Then we build an awning to cover the deck. Shade is essential! Next the plan is to expand with a 10ft wide and 40 foot long additional made from steel framing. The next phase is to build a second story open air “yoga studio” like upper porch. The plan is to have a pyramid shaped roof up here made from steel, bamboo wood and thatch. This picture show the temporary “lean to” roof that we will need to start with.  The view from this top deck is going to be stunning. And here’s an ariel view of […]

Today we broke ground on our property! Since our land is on a steep incline, we need to create a somewhat flattened pad to drop the container on. In order to avoid erosion, we must take care not to carve out too big a space while still working to maximize our view and building platform. It is the rainy season here in Costa Rica so it is certainly not the most ideal time to move earth. We are dancing with mother nature to get these first essential steps completed before the super heavy and longer rains set in. 

Today we went house shopping–at the shipping yard. When we decided to build with recycled shipping containers, the price range we were looking at was between $2,000-$3,000 per container plus about $600 for shipping. With the trend of this building style growing in Costa Rica we soon came to find that containers were more like $4,100-6,000–not including shipping. Needless to say,  a bit of a damper on our plans. But the New Yorker, go-getters that we are, Justin and I decided to take it upon ourselves to scout some more options. Even though we don’t speak Spanish (yet!), the day after we arrived in San Jose, we drove around to different shipping yards and did our best to inquire about containers for sale. At the first yard we went to we were turned away at the office. As we began to walk back to our car, one of the truck […]