Bellavista

In general, there seem to be many questions and misconceptions about purchasing property in Costa Rica. In general, citizens and non-citizens of Costa Rica are granted the same ownership rights for property in this country, which is really no different than purchasing property elsewhere in the world.

Click here to learn more about the legal processes involved with purchasing property in Costa Rica.

If you are interested in acquiring your own parcel at Finca Bellavista, please fill out this FORM and we'll get back with you. For those truly interested in purchasing a parcel at Finca Bellavista, we consider a parcel officially under contract when we receive a signed contract/purchase agreement AND after a partially refundable 10% deposit hits our Costa Rican bank account. (We cannot make any exceptions or alterations to this, sorry!) This deposit gives you a 30-day study period for due diligence in determining if Finca Bellavista is the right fit for you and your future home in Costa Rica (and gives you a great excuse to come down for a vacation and explore the rainforest!). At, or prior to, the end of the 30-day study period you would need to notify us of your intent to purchase the parcel, or request a refund of the deposit. Should you choose to purchase the parcel, you would need to pay the balance of the lot purchase price by the end of the 30-day study period, at which time you are free to take title to your parcel here in the world’s coolest neighborhood!

Once an owner closes on his/her property here at the finca, there are several things to consider before moving forward with building a treehouse. As whimsical as treehouses are, there are many practical considerations to make!

Remember, treehouses are like snowflakes, no two are alike. We have found that the most frustrating phase for our owners of creating a living space here at FBV has been the overwhelming amount of possibilities given starting from scratch. Because this isn’t your typical cookie-cutter subdivision, you can’t really waltz into the office, sign a check and point to design A, B or C. Most people want to be involved in the creative stage of building here, but it does involve a fair amount of forethought, planning and patience.

It’s always best to plan ahead, and there are many factors to take into consideration when scheduling any construction project here at the finca. We will forever recommend shooting for a dry season start date, which begins late November-ish most years. Working during the rainy season has many pitfalls and normally equates to time and money lost. However, construction schedules and timeframes are 100% dependent upon the budget and design of a home.

The processes leading up to treehouse construction take time and planning, and we suggest the following:

Step 1:

We recommend that a botanist inventory the trees on your parcel for suitable host candidates. For inventories, we use Gerardo Rivera, one of the top botanists in the country and a shaman of the rainforest of sorts. During the initial survey, he marks the trees he deems to be the best candidate species on a parcel. (All of our remaining Phase 2 parcels have this primary study included in the sales price.)

Step 2:

Visit the parcel and get a feel for the property. Explore and find where each marked tree is on the parcel, and begin the process of deciding where on the parcel your home should be. (Each particular lot seems to drive what sort of dwelling it should or could accommodate. Not to sound hokey, but the trees on each lot built on thus far really have “spoken” to their respective owners and usually drive a lot of the planning and design process.) The size/type/location of the suitable host trees and their surrounding topography, access, drainage, etc. will dictate the tolerances for the building envelope and design. Think of it as a 3-dimensional, 200-foot tall building envelope, which also has exponential possibilities...

Step 3:

Once you hone in on the perfect spot on your lot where you want your home to be, Gerardo (or another botanist) can come back to do a full assessment of your exact chosen site and trees. This second assessment helps determine what those exact tree(s) overall health may be if you plan on building in them. (Things like life expectancy, age, growth pattern, insect damage, drainage/surroundings, limb health and other factors are taken into consideration.)

Step 4:

Once a parcel’s candidate trees are chosen and fully assessed, then it’s time to start designing and really planning a treehouse.

(We suggest that people interested in building here start looking at treehouse books and designs to begin getting an idea of what types and styles of treehouses they like. Other books and literature that are helpful are small house or cottage-style magazines and designs, which are great when brainstorming ideas for the built-ins and space-saving necessities in a treehouse. Also, write lists and be thinking about what your wants versus needs are in a treehome.)

Step 4:

Once you start honing in on what you want and what direction you are heading with construction, you’ll want to start working on a design and selecting who/what company will build your house. We have a preferred list of builders, and Finca Bellavista now has its own construction management company as well. We operate like other construction firms in that the first steps would be working with you to draft a design that works with your selected site, design, wish list, budget, etc. A construction agreement/contract would follow, then there are material and labor draws for various stages of the project through its completion (all of these things must be considered with seasonal weather patterns in mind and creating a feasible construction calendar, among other factors like accommodating other projects).

Step 5:

Once you decide on your home’s location, you will need to plan for and create an access point for your homesite prior to construction. If this entails trailwork or impacting terra firma, a design must be submitted for review to FBV’s Environmental Review Board. (In the short-term and long-run, a solid and well-planned access point to a parcel is far less impactful on the surrounding environment and on a project’s overall budget.)

Step 6:

Regardless of who is chosen as your builder, remember that per the community Guidelines, all plans and locations for structures need to be approved by the FBV Environmental Review Board and receive a Costa Rican (Municipalidad de Osa) building permit prior to construction. For our purposes here at FBV, we are more concerned with the ecological ramifications of what we build here on the property and are very strict about minimum setbacks from adjacent lot lines, drainage, proximity to streams, nearby trees that may be rotten and/or nearing the end of their life span and hazardous to your home site, etc. Review of designs and plans and permitting takes time, and is not an element of the building process that can be omitted.

Step 7:

Once your designs and permits are approved, you can build your treehouse! This process can take varying amounts of time. At the finca, this process has been as short as 2 months and as long as 6 months. Building timeframes are dependent on the size, style and finishes of your treehouse, and depend on variables like weather and materials availability.

Step 8:

Once construction is complete, furnish and turn your treehouse into a treehome! Finding and/or building appropriate furnishings for any home can be a challenge in the Southern Zone. The availability, selection, and quality of many home furnishings that can be found here leave something to be desired in most cases. Simpler seems to work better in this environment, but with a little extra effort and some creativity, a home here can be just as stylish and comfortable as anywhere else in the first world.

Step 9:

Move in to your treehome and begin enjoying the treetop Pura Vida!