Architects in La Fortuna, Costa Rica

(Our services in La Fortuna)

One studio, from the lot to the keys.

A project usually takes them in this order, and each one can also be hired on its own.

(01) Lot study Before you buy in La Fortuna: what the rules, the water and the slope let you build on a lot, and roughly what it costs. 2 to 4 weeks · Fixed fee
(02) Master planning For land that will hold more than one house: where the road, the lots, the houses and the shared buildings go, decided after reading the land. 6 to 12 weeks · Fixed fee
(03) Architecture Houses, rental villas and small hotels, from the first sketch on the lot to the drawings the permit and the builder need. About 5 months for 250 m² · CFIA: from 6% of the works
(04) Permits We file the project with the CFIA and the Municipalidad de San Carlos, and answer every observation until the licence is issued. About 3 months · Included when we design
(05) Interiors Kitchens, bathrooms, built-in furniture, lighting and finishes, designed with the house or for a remodel. With the architecture, or 2 to 4 months · Agreed fee
(06) Construction supervision Weekly site visits, the site logbook, payments checked against work done, and a report with photos after every visit. The length of the works · CFIA: 3% or 5% of the works
(07) Sustainable design Houses and hotels designed to a sustainability standard, with RESET or LEED® certification if you want the label. Alongside the design and the build · Separate, agreed up front

(The year in La Fortuna)

200 400 600 800

Rain by month, in mm, starting with the rains. Grey: months under 60 mm. Hatched: the best time to start building*. Bottom row: days a month with 10 mm of rain or more, when earthworks usually stop (NASA POWER, 2001 to 2020). *A recommendation, not a rule: building goes on all year, and the start date only decides how much of the earthworks falls in dry weather.

There is no dry season here: every month gets at least 100 mm of rain. The least rainy months are March and April, and the wettest is August, with 489 mm.

Afternoons are hottest in March, at 29 °C on average, and coolest in October, at 26 °C. Nights stay between 22 and 23 °C.

Best time to start*

The best time to start building here is from March to April, the driest stretch of the year. Those 2 months bring 217 mm of rain in total; the other 10 bring 3,679 mm, 17 times as much.

Earthworks, foundations and concrete pours need dry ground, and many roads to the lots only stay passable without rain. On a day with 10 mm of rain or more, that work usually stops.

A 4-month phase of earthworks, foundations and structure that starts in March meets about 14 such days here; the same phase started in May meets about 22. Starting in March saves about 8 days of stopped work: some 1 week of crew and machinery paid to wait, and the pumping and drainage that wet excavations need. So the permit should be ready by February. Still, it is a recommendation, not a rule: building goes on through the rains, more slowly, and no project should sit for months waiting for the dry season.

(Wind and sun around La Fortuna)

The lines drift with the average wind of the season you pick; the faster they move, the stronger the wind. The colour is the sunlight the ground gets in a year. Wind: NASA POWER (MERRA-2), 2001 to 2020. Sunlight: Global Solar Atlas (World Bank Group, Solargis), CC BY 4.0.

(The sun in La Fortuna)

June 21March 20 and September 22December 21

Typical temperature at that hourUnder 22 °C22 to 2525 to 2828 to 3131 °C and up

Each dot is the sun at a whole hour, every three days: each figure-eight is one hour across the year, and the lines are the 21st of each month. Orange and red dots are the hours when the sun should stay off the glass.

The sun here is never far from overhead. At noon it stands 79° high in March and September and 56° in December, and from April 18 to August 26 it passes north of overhead, so walls and glass that face north take sun as well.

What heats a house is the low afternoon sun. It sets at 294°, west-northwest, in June and at 246°, west-southwest, in December. That side needs the deepest roof.

Sunrise falls between 5:15 and 6:02 all year, and sunset between 17:13 and 18:05.

The ground here gets 1,512 kWh of sunlight per m² a year, and solar panels make about 1,214 kWh a year for each kW installed.

(Building in La Fortuna)

Which permits you need to build in La Fortuna, and in what order

The building permit in La Fortuna comes from the Municipalidad de San Carlos. These are the four steps every project takes; for the whole route of yours, with SETENA, Health and the Fire Department, use the permit route tool.

Draw your route in the permit route tool →

(01)
Land use certificate
The uso de suelo, from the Municipalidad de San Carlos: what the zoning allows on the lot.
(02)
Water availability letter
From the local ASADA or from AyA. Without it there is no building permit, so it is worth asking for before buying.
(03)
Drawings at the CFIA
Filed through the CFIA's APC platform and signed by the architect in charge.
(04)
Building permit
Issued by the Municipalidad de San Carlos.

(Our work in Costa Rica)

(Questions about building in La Fortuna)

Where is Studio CAVA based, and how do you work in La Fortuna?

We work from San José and Guanacaste. We visit La Fortuna for the analysis of the lot and, during construction, for the supervision visits; the rest happens by video and email, in English or Spanish.

Can you design my house in La Fortuna if I live abroad?

Yes. The first call is free and by video, and each stage of the design ends with drawings you review and approve at a distance. We walk the lot in La Fortuna ourselves, and during construction we send a report with photos after each visit.

How much does it cost to build a house in La Fortuna?

A 250 m² house with a pool comes to about US$639,000 to US$987,000 in La Fortuna, with a high finish, design, permits and VAT. Our cost estimator gives the range for your own size, finish and lot, with the schedule month by month.

What should I check before buying a lot in La Fortuna?

The land use certificate from the Municipalidad de San Carlos, which sets the use, setbacks, coverage and height; water availability in writing from AyA, the local ASADA or a well; the setbacks from any river or spring; and the slope. Our lot study checks it in 2 to 4 weeks, before you sign.

When is the best time to start building in La Fortuna?

Ideally from March to April, the driest stretch of the year. A 4-month phase of that work started in March loses about 14 days to heavy rain, against about 22 if it starts in May, about 8 days of crew and machinery. It is a recommendation, not a rule: building goes on through the rains, more slowly, and no project should sit for months waiting for the dry season. To start in that stretch, have the permit ready by February.

Who issues building permits in La Fortuna?

The Municipalidad de San Carlos. The drawings are filed first with the CFIA, through its APC platform, and the permit comes after the land use certificate and the water availability letter.

How hot does it get in La Fortuna?

Afternoons average 29 °C in March, the hottest month, and 26 °C in October. Nights stay between 22 and 23 °C. Shade on the west side and air moving through the rooms do more for comfort than anything else.

How far is La Fortuna from the airports?

By road, without traffic, 2 h 50 min from Daniel Oduber airport in Liberia (183 km) and 2 h 20 min from Juan Santamaría airport in San José (124 km).

Architects in La Fortuna

Houses, villas and boutique hotels in La Fortuna, designed for its sun, wind and rain.