The Stuff That Dreams Are Made Of

We're buying a home in Samara, Costa Rica. It is not a new home; but no one has ever lived in it; and in that sense it's new (warranties and all that). Our home has been nearly complete for over two years. We're working with its developer/builder, who didn't exactly build our home on spec; but that has been the effect in that the home was on the market for many months.

Back in October 2014 following more than a week of daily house-hunting over hundreds of kilometers of Costa Rican roadways (some were roadways only in the academic sense), we chose a home that was 99% complete, but whose builder was still putting on finishing touches. And it was those finishing touches that we got to select. Let's take a little tour starting with the exterior, because for me, for now, the photos are the stuff that dreams are made of.
Yes, if you know me, ending even that famous film-noir line in a preposition makes me absolutely C-R-A-Z-Y.  But, grammar-Nazi aside, let's have a little tour and dream:

Here's a view looking due north, having backed-up toward the southern boundary of our 1.65 acres. See our little home? I'm backed-up on the easement road. At the far south end of our property exists an easement to allow the owners of another lot access to their property. I don't know how many square meters we own behind my back, here. Not a great deal, and I don't suspect that we'll do any improvement in this easement area.

Check-out the slope. If the photo fails to show it, believe me, it's a trek up the existing three (3) terrace levels to the home. Now let's walk north up the terraces and turn to look south down the mountain and down toward the easement area and the jungle hill.

We've climbed up to the middle of three terraces and are looking due south. Looks rather narrow from the public roadway to the jungle-covered mountain. We'll it's not quite as narrow as it appears, but no one is going to play flag football on any imagined field perpendicular to that road. One day Russell will built a rancho there and his man-toys will be relegated to that area. The beauty of working with a developer who will be re-grading a portion of the property to prepare for the pool? We've been able to arrange for electricity way out here, many dozen yards from the home. I picture an open, round (or square) palapa structure in which Rusty can play. I'll state the obvious: Rusty and his stuff and a private place to play . . . that is the stuff of which dreams are made.

Now were back up top, where our pool and pool-deck are scheduled for construction (after we sell our home and have some more money). I've failed to sit up and take notice of every nuance involved in the construction of our pool. I leave that to more experienced minds. But I do know this: Presently one can take an easy step off the terrace and stand in the grass. Re-grading will take down the ground level by several feet, and we'll have a lovely set of stairs leading down from the terrace to the pool deck. Then, the pool will be dug, though not deeply. The pool's design calls for a perfect long rectangle whose edge will be above ground level, to allow folks to sit on a finished-concrete seat/edge and dangle their toes in the pool. The pool is to be illuminated, with a bench seat at the far end. Look! There's the ocean right out there, across our jungle gorge. I'm curious: will I be able to sip a drink in the pool and see the ocean? or will I be too low once the ground has been lowered? Oh well. I'll be in Costa Rica living the pura vida . . . the stuff that dreams are made of . . . so lo que hay!

Here we are at the front of the home, which faces due north. Look! Some landscaping is already in place. Yes, we asked the builder to lose that mauve paint and replace it with a very neutral terra cotta. Behind the two windows? Our guest bedroom, which has no ocean view; but please don't let this delay your plans to visit. In my little head, the guest bedroom is completely decorated, though I do intend to replace the draperies. I'm going fully French - yes, French is Costa Rica . . . it's what I do; let it go. Lo que hay!

It takes some imagination to dream of how this corner of our world shall be completed. Somehow through the use of stone retaining walls, at this very corner and in fact all along this west wall from this southern corner to the northern corner, the ground is to be re-graded with a big bunch of earth added to allow for a nicely landscaped path (four feet, more or less) along the west side of the home, to facilitate our irrigation system, to place the outdoor shower (yippee!), and one day to begin the path that will lead way down the mountain to our river. The railing is already removed (I believe), and our new railing/fence will extend around the terrace-end of the home and all the way 'round the pool and pool-deck. In other words, way out on the grassy terrace that you've seen. So will the earth be added to become level with the terrace at this corner? I'm not certain.

Is this indeed the area that will have the fanciest $1000 outdoor shower in Costa Rica? I can't say with certainty; but having a reputable developer whose work is flawless, we can place our faith in his decisions. It's all the stuff that dreams are made of.

I've discovered Pinterest, though I'm not yet a complete junkie. Pinterest provides myriad ideas for rain chains. This is one that actually exists at the home of our neighbor. I first discovered rain chains on a visit to Costa Rica about 15 years ago. The visual effect, the sounds, the unique beauty of some chains -- it was love at first site. Our gutters with down-spouts, on which rain chains will be placed, are probably not installed yet (thus that to-do list prior to closing). But down-spouts will be in place before our move, and in the meantime the rain chain styles for our home remain the stuff that dreams are made of.

Jeepers! Now we need an interior tour . . . so stay tuned. Twenty-four hours from now we may actually own little Lot 6 . . . "Casa Emanon," or House with No Name, as our realtor says. Nevertheless, with or without a name, it is to be our new home in Samara. And if closing is delayed? Hey, it's Costa Rica Time, thus lo que hay!