The team in Costa Rica isn’t letting up on their work! The rehabilitation project of the wood fascias has now continued to Casa Tranquilo.
Casa Tranquilo is our second-oldest house, but you’d never be able to tell by looking at the wood.
Speaking of wood, Javier scoured the local sawmills for the perfect wood to use on the rood trusses and facias for the new house, Casa Bonita.
This locally-felled hardwood requires a long period of baking in the sun to dry out before it is ready to be cut and stained.
The ecology in Costa Rica is so aggressive that if the wood doesn’t properly cure before staining, the bugs will burrow inside the wood and chew it up from within the varnish. This kind of delay can (and has) held up our construction projects in the past, but Javier and Dieter are planning this caper perfectly. This wood will be ready to be built into trusses once we get to that step of the building procedure.
Casa Bianca is growing before our very eyes; one week after finishing the foundation, the crew has stacked and filled several courses of block.
The speed of this progress is astonishing, especially from a crew who are not full time constructions workers. Remember that these guys first professions are boat crew and office staff.
The next milestone is a real challenge: pouring the second story concrete floor, which is essentially a second fully-formed slab just like the initial foundation.
In order to get there, we first have to pour concrete lentils (or window headers). This tricky pour is a good warm-up for the big one to come. Here is a close-up look at the rebar lattice drilled into existing block:
Then we form in the sides and bottom of the lentil.
Also the guys were smart enough to pour these lentils on a Saturday so they can have a full 48 hours to dry and cure.
Exciting progress at the Nature Preserve campus as Casa Bianca is really taking shape!
Construction of Casa Bianca is progressing at a whirlwind pace.
Final checks of the rebar ties, plumbing, and electrical conduit were performed along with a final compaction test of the ground.
The whole crew was on-site at 6am for a long day of pouring concrete.
Once again, all of this concrete is mixed on site using a small tumbler; no big mixing truck or hopper…just shovels and wheelbarrows!
After a long day of humping buckets and barrows of wet concrete, the initial foundation for Casa Biance was completed.
Great work by the Nosara Paradise Rentals and FishingNosara crew!
Meanwhile work continues around the Nature Preserve Campus. The woodwork on Casa Bonita responded so well to sanding that we are replicating the process on Casa Tranquilo.
Also our vast collection of furniture is being sanded and refinished by Antonio.
Nothing helps pass the time like a project, and at Nosara Paradise Rentals our property improvement projects are making the days fly by.
This roof refinishing project is long-overdue. With a lot of gutty trips up the ladder and hours with a sanding disc, these eaves are looking good as new.
We always try to conserve materials, so we applied the excess stain to the house signs.
Of course our new house Casa Bianca is the main project, and all hands are on deck for this build.
Notice that there are no tracks from an excavator? That’s because this foundation was dug the old fashioned way: Shovels and sweat!
We were able to purchase all the materials needed for this job is one fell swoop. There is a lot of lost time waiting on deliveries, and that’s a problem that we won’t have to worry about.
We also don’t have a big cement mixer truck, so the stem walls were poured manually. Many hands make light work.
With the stem wall in place and the dirt tamped down, we are ready to route the plumbing and electrical conduits that will go under the slab.
Javier Hernandez and our long-time master builder Dieter are running this job-site with expertise and determination. That’s a good thing because if we left it up to these guys we’d have a problem:
Past guests of Nosara Paradise Rental should recognize familiar faces: Security guard Eduardo Hernandez, driver “Fast Freddy”, concierges Yoseph and Arturo are all pitching on on this project.
Maria has the kitchen roaring and is supplying breakfast, snacks, ice water, and (most importantly) coffee for the crew.
Vincent Van Gogh: “If one is master of one thing and understands one thing well, he has insight into and understanding of many things.”
It’s really impressive to see how our boat crews are able to completely reorient themselves towards construction work. These guys are masters of a specific craft (sport-fishing) and it’s amazing to see them turn in a strong day’s work while helping the team in the field of construction.
Nosara resident Maria Gómez: “[What a great leap from the sea to land the work on land is hard. Tired and sore. Wow!]”
Hopefully their flexibility is an inspiration to all the people right now who are out-of-work or in an unsure position professionally. A strong work ethic and openness to new challenges will always end in success.
Florida Sportsman Editor Blair Wickstrom: “Great work….I think I found a bunch of guys who want to get back on the boats more than I do. Looks good though….”
Hubble Keller: “I can’t wait to get there, looks good boys.”
Maria Acanfora Lein: “Looking forward to returning with my son, Harris and grandson Noah”
Ray Wimbrow: “Looking guys! Stay safe”
Candice Spivey Trevino: “Looking great! Looking forward to our next visit!”
Ginger Graham Hill: “Great job. We snuck our trip in on Valentine’s day in February. So glad we got to enjoy Nosara before all of this. We will be back . Everything and everyone was amazing!”
Brenda Taylor Russell: “Looks great everyone!!! Stay safe we love you all!”
Mirtha Bustos Carrillo: “[Beautiful that Nosara Paradise Rentals maintains the staff in such difficult times that it is a blessing for their Employees✌]”
Samantha Kenney: “Praying for you all! Can’t wait to come back!”
Mark Cooney: “Incredible! I’ve watched them work many times. They amaze me with their stamina and talent. Kudos to Craig, Matty and the gang for keeping everyone working and making decisions that are of benefit everyone!”
It’s been a tough few weeks for everyone, and our family in Nosara is no different. Though our area has been blessed with zero cases of Covid-19, paradise has not been spared the economic uncertainty that has gripped most of the world.
This is not what Playa Guiones is supposed to look like in the middle of high season in the middle of the day
The decision was made early on to maintain payroll and to keep our staff motivated to deliver great vacations to our guests, who we miss very much.
There are a variety of projects underway, and we think that everyone will be really excited about how we are spending our time:
The biggest project is the construction of our new house: Casa Bianca.
Casa Bianca is a two story quadra-plex in our nature preserve, next to Casa Jardin and Casa Surfeando.
This house is named for the longtime pet, friend, and mascot of Nosara Paradise Rentals. She joined our family the day we first purchased Casa Privada, and for 10 years comforted our guests, protected the houses from pests, and roamed the nature preserve as the Queen of the Jungle.
Casa Bianca is intended to satisfy couples or individuals who need more space than a standard studio and less space than a two bedroom house. It is also intended for students of the adjacent Nosara Spanish Institute and Nosara Yoga Institute.
We were planning to start building in August, but Javier has rallied the troops and began building the foundation in mid-April.
Ideally we will have this house complete before Thanksgiving.
The FishingNosara team has already run over 400 fishing trips since November. The boats are in the garage so that the Captains and crew can maintain the motors, equipment, and tackle.
These guys are ready to roll in May when fishing resumes.
At Nosara Paradise Rentals we have been addressing parts of the operation that are unseen by most.
This last off-season we were focused on renovating the kitchens and bathrooms inside the houses, which meant that other usual maintenance items got pushed back.
We are taking this opportunity to repaint the tin roofs on Casa Tranquilo and Casa Jardin.
The constant equatorial sunshine and heavy seasonal rains really do a number on exposed wood; so we sent our bravest guys up the ladder with sanders to do the difficult work of stripping the old varnish off of the fascias of Casa Bonita and Casa Privada.
We’ve heard of social distancing, but this is a little extreme:
Most of you probably don’t realize it, but each house has a small bodega (accessible from the outside) that we for storage. Between maintaining 14 houses, 40 safari carts, and 5 boats worth of fishing tackle we have enough gear to fill a warehouse.
Obviously in the hustle and bustle of high season things can get disorganized, and this sudden surplus of time has enabled the staff to get thing organized and cleaned.
To summarize, we are psyched up to get back to the business of delivering dream vacations. Our hope is to be reopened for tourism on May 1.
Now is the time to re-book your trip for the coming months. June, July, and August are our best months for fishing, and the town of Playa Guiones will be back to business as usual.
Here are the current details from major airlines:
Alaska Airlines: Open for travel on May 3. American Airlines: Open for travel on May 6. Delta Air Lines: Open for travel on May 2 JetBlue Airways: Open for travel on May 1. Southwest Airlines: Open for travel on June 5. United Airlines: Open for travel on May 3.
If it is not possible for you to travel, then we will continue to honor the deposits you have paid for use on a future visit in 2020.
We are standing by to help with questions. With God’s strength we will make it through this time and be stronger for it.
NEW FOR 2020: Family Style “Heat and Eat” Meals
Prepared fresh daily by Maria and the Nosara Paradise Rentals Culinary Staff. All foods are locally sourced, 100% Organic, Pesticide-free, and Hormone-free. Order in the CR office, and the entire meal will be in your refrigerator at 4pm with heating instructions.
Meal choices:
Chicken (Pollo Tipico): The Tico staple. Free range chicken with classic filling side dishes. Includes Rice and Beans, Salad or Veggies, and Sweet Plantains (Dessert)
Pork (Cerda Dulce): Sweet premium cuts that melt in your mouth. Includes Rice and Beans, Salad or Veggies, and Sweet Plantains (Dessert)
Fish (Pez Tres Veces): Your fresh catch prepared three ways: Blackend, Fried, and Sauteed. Guest-provides filets; must deliver filets no later than Noon on day of meal. Includes Rice and Beans, Salad or Veggies, and Sweet Plantains (Dessert)
