Architects in Monteverde, Costa Rica

(Our services in Monteverde)

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 Monteverde: 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 Monteverde, 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 Monteverde)

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.

The dry season runs from February to March: 2 months under 60 mm of rain. The wettest month is October, with 459 mm.

July rains less than June and August: the short break known as the veranillo de San Juan.

Afternoons are hottest in March, at 22 °C on average, and coolest in October, at 19 °C. Nights stay between 15 and 16 °C.

Best time to start*

The best time to start building here is from November to March. Those 5 months bring 548 mm of rain in total; the other 7 bring 2,171 mm, 4 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 November meets about 4 such days here; the same phase started in April meets about 17. Starting in November saves about 13 days of stopped work: some 2 weeks of crew and machinery paid to wait, and the pumping and drainage that wet excavations need. So the permit should be ready by October. 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 Monteverde)

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 Monteverde)

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 27 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 5:16 and 6:02 all year, and sunset between 17:14 and 18:05.

The ground here gets 1,838 kWh of sunlight per m² a year, and solar panels make about 1,526 kWh a year for each kW installed.

(Building in Monteverde)

Which permits you need to build in Monteverde, and in what order

The building permit in Monteverde comes from the Municipalidad de Monteverde. 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 Monteverde: 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 Monteverde.

(Our work in Costa Rica)

(Questions about building in Monteverde)

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

We work from San José and Guanacaste. We visit Monteverde 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 Monteverde 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 Monteverde ourselves, and during construction we send a report with photos after each visit.

How much does it cost to build a house in Monteverde?

A 250 m² house with a pool comes to about US$639,000 to US$987,000 in Monteverde, 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 Monteverde?

The land use certificate from the Municipalidad de Monteverde, 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 Monteverde?

Ideally from November to March, so that the earthworks, foundations and structure fall in the dry season. A 4-month phase of that work started in November loses about 4 days to heavy rain, against about 17 if it starts in April, about 13 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 October.

Who issues building permits in Monteverde?

The Municipalidad de Monteverde. 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 Monteverde?

Afternoons average 22 °C in March, the hottest month, and 19 °C in October. Nights stay between 15 and 16 °C. Shade on the west side and air moving through the rooms do more for comfort than anything else.

How far is Monteverde from the airports?

By road, without traffic, 2 h 30 min from Daniel Oduber airport in Liberia (119 km) and 2 h 45 min from Juan Santamaría airport in San José (128 km).

Architects in Monteverde

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