In the last two years I have been hired to visit and help solve serious structural problems for +10 recent constructions, not from my company, of course. It is very interesting to see that every time we have a peak of demand on construction, people get crazy hiring new professionals and builders without experience working in the area.
One of the main reasons this happens is because there is a big error in the process when you buy the land to build. It is very common that realtors who represent the seller are hiring the soil studies at the beginning of the process as part of the due diligence and that they hire local companies, that unfortunately, are not well guided and end up doing very simple Soil Tests; then architects or engineers without experience take these studies to design the house and this is how everything starts off on the wrong path.
It is very important to understand that the Southern area of Costa Rica is one of the most sensitive areas to build, the type of topography is very steep and the type of soil (clay) results in very unstable conditions. When you see that your land is surrounded of very steep slopes, even if the area to build is flat, it is mandatory to perform a Stability Slope Analysis. The Stability Slope Analysis will consider and study the current condition of the land with and without the construction weight on top. For example, there are many cases where slopes are not stable, even without any construction on top, and the results are not good and solutions, post-construction tend to be very expensive. Stability Slope Analysis are mandatory by law, and we also have the Seismic Code, The Foundation Code and the Slopes Code, where it is very clear that every professional must conduct these types of studies prior to the building design.
The difference between a basic study that only includes bearing tests and the Stability Slope Analysis, is that the basic study just tells you how deep you have to go with the foundations but does not tell you the behavior of the slopes with the construction on top, as a result foundations design can change. The Stability Slope Analysis is going to give you the security factors to consider to be in accordance within the code. The price difference of each study is big, and you have to understand and see this as an investment, not only on the material but for your own safety and your loved ones.
Here are some steps and advices for you when you are going to buy land and want to build:
- Look for a professional with experience on the area during your due diligence process, ideally a civil engineer with experience in construction.
- Compare professional fees. It is very important to know that we are regulated by The Federal College of Engineers and Architects of Costa Rica and that we have minimum rates established by law, whoever charges less than these rates are not complying with the regulations and it is very typical that these are the cases that have serious problems later on with construction and permits.
- Follow the recommendations for the studies
to do. - Hire a good surveyor: contour lines are very important for the Soil Studies.
Do things correctly since the beginning; it is better to pay what is fair, rather than dealing with problems and spending more money unnecessarily in the future.
Written by Adrian Coto
