Where we work(Central Pacific)
Architects in Manuel Antonio
(Studio CAVA)
Houses, villas and boutique hotels in Manuel Antonio, designed for its sun, wind and rain.
An architecture and interior design studio working across Costa Rica: the study of the lot before you buy, the design and the interiors, the permits with the Municipalidad de Quepos and the works, with an early cost range.
Manuel Antonio is in the canton of Quepos, Puntarenas, 155 m above sea level. A year here brings 3,972 mm of rain, 98% of it from April to January. Permits for a lot go through the Municipalidad de Quepos.
As architects in Manuel Antonio, we start every project with a site visit: we walk the lot in the morning and again in the afternoon, note where the sun lands and where the breeze comes from, and only then start drawing.
(Our services in Manuel Antonio)
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.
All services →-
(01)
Lot study
Before you buy in Manuel Antonio: 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
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(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
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(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
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(04)
Permits
We file the project with the CFIA and the Municipalidad de Quepos, and answer every observation until the licence is issued.
About 3 months · Included when we design
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(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
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(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
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(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
(Manuel Antonio at a glance)
- Canton
- Quepos, Puntarenas
- Permits
- Municipalidad de Quepos
- Elevation
- 155 m
- Rain
- 3,972 mm a year
- Dry season
- February to March
- Liberia airport
- 4 h 55 min by road, 265 km
- San José airport
- 3 h 5 min by road, 153 km
- Sunlight
- 1,958 kWh/m² a year
- Solar power
- 1,582 kWh a year per kW of panels
(The year in Manuel Antonio)
The dry season runs from February to March: 2 months under 60 mm of rain. The wettest month is September, with 623 mm.
Afternoons are hottest in March, at 27 °C on average, and coolest in December, at 25 °C. Nights stay between 22 and 23 °C.
Best time to start*
The best time to start building here is from December to March. Those 4 months bring 323 mm of rain in total; the other 8 bring 3,649 mm, 11 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 December meets about 4 such days here; the same phase started in April meets about 29. Starting in December saves about 25 days of stopped work: some 4 weeks of crew and machinery paid to wait, and the pumping and drainage that wet excavations need. So the permit should be ready by November. 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.
(The wind in Manuel Antonio)
Up to 7 km/h7 to 1414 to 2222 to 29Over 29
In the dry season the afternoon wind at Parrita comes from the southwest.
Rooms that open to the wind on one side and away from it on the other cool themselves, and a roof that sheds the rain lets them stay open in the wet months too.
(Wind and sun around Manuel Antonio)
(The sun in Manuel Antonio)
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 80° high in March and September and 57° in December, and from April 15 to August 29 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 5:58 all year, and sunset between 17:12 and 18:01.
The ground here gets 1,958 kWh of sunlight per m² a year, and solar panels make about 1,582 kWh a year for each kW installed.
(Building in Manuel Antonio)
Which permits you need to build in Manuel Antonio, and in what order
The building permit in Manuel Antonio comes from the Municipalidad de Quepos. 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.
- (01)
Land use certificate
The uso de suelo, from the Municipalidad de Quepos: 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 Quepos.
Within 200 m of the ordinary high-tide line the maritime zone law (Ley 6043) applies: the first 50 m are public and cannot be built on, and the next 150 m are held under a concession from the municipality, not owned. Check where a lot sits before you buy.
(Our work in Costa Rica)
(Questions about building in Manuel Antonio)
Where is Studio CAVA based, and how do you work in Manuel Antonio?
We work from San José and Guanacaste. We visit Manuel Antonio 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 Manuel Antonio 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 Manuel Antonio ourselves, and during construction we send a report with photos after each visit.
How much does it cost to build a house in Manuel Antonio?
A 250 m² house with a pool comes to about US$639,000 to US$987,000 in Manuel Antonio, 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 Manuel Antonio?
The land use certificate from the Municipalidad de Quepos, 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; whether the lot is within 200 m of the high-tide line, where the maritime zone law applies; 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 Manuel Antonio?
Ideally from December to March, so that the earthworks, foundations and structure fall in the dry season. A 4-month phase of that work started in December loses about 4 days to heavy rain, against about 29 if it starts in April, about 25 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 then, have the permit ready by November.
Who issues building permits in Manuel Antonio?
The Municipalidad de Quepos. 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.
Can I build near the beach in Manuel Antonio?
Not in the first 50 m from the ordinary high-tide line, which are public. The next 150 m are held under a concession from the municipality rather than owned, with their own rules. Beyond 200 m, a titled lot follows the normal permit process.
How hot does it get in Manuel Antonio?
Afternoons average 27 °C in March, the hottest month, and 25 °C in December. 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 Manuel Antonio from the airports?
By road, without traffic, 4 h 55 min from Daniel Oduber airport in Liberia (265 km) and 3 h 5 min from Juan Santamaría airport in San José (153 km).
Rain: CHIRPS climatology (CHPclim v2, Climate Hazards Center, UC Santa Barbara). Temperature and wind: measured at Parrita, 23 km away, typical year 2011 to 2025 (Climate.OneBuilding.org TMYx, from NOAA observations), temperatures adjusted for elevation. Heavy-rain days: NASA POWER (MERRA-2), 2001 to 2020. Sun: calculated for the town's coordinates. Elevation: SRTM. Roads and places: OpenStreetMap. Gathered October 2026.