Introduction
Richard Bexon: Well, good afternoon. It’s good afternoon anyway, so, yeah, something. Good afternoon, Darren. How you doing?
Darren Enns: Good afternoon. I’m doing very well. How’s yourself? Yeah, good, man.
Richard Bexon: You know, I’m waiting for this rain to stop here. So, you know, it’s causing havoc all over the country, especially on the Pacific side. But hey, we’re in Costa Rica. It could be worse.
Darren Enns: It could be, it could be Seattle.
Richard Bexon: Very true, very true. Or London. So, so, yeah. Well, Darren, appreciate you taking the time to join us on the podcast. My first question that I love to ask everyone is just kind of, you know, with the recent political kind of movements in the US that also are going to probably impact worldwide. I mean, what are you seeing happening here in Costa Rica and in particular, like how has that impacted your workload?
Post-Election Construction Activity
Darren Enns: I have noticed a definite uptick in inquiries both for people I think potentially looking for property, maybe now considering building where they maybe weren’t doing that before. So I’ve noticed just. And I had a couple of clients who were, were kind of on the fence and they were waiting for the election. Now that the election is finished, they have decided to go ahead. So it’s been, it’s been a positive result for me.
Richard Bexon: Yeah, I’m seeing exactly the same thing, to be honest with you. It was kind of people that were on the fence are now, you know, willing to pull the trigger. My question, that’s your question here that just came up there, is when people are looking to buy versus build, I mean, what usually is that decision making process there, Darren? I mean what is your, you know, your preference?
Build vs. Buy Decision Factors
Darren Enns: Well, my experience when I talk to people is a lot of people I think are very afraid to buy something because they’re very concerned about quality. They’ve all heard these epic stories of things that go wrong, things that don’t work properly. And I think a lot of people when they come here, they, they’ve had an opportunity to stay a lot of different rental places before they make the decision to, you know, migrate or, or buy property here in Costa Rica and they, they see all the things that they don’t like.
Richard Bexon: Yep.
Darren Enns: I think is, it’s probably a good way to put it which results in, they, okay, what can we do differently and how can we build something that I’m going to feel more safe and comfortable in? Yeah. So I know for a lot of people, people that I work with and that I talk with, the number one issue that seems to be primary is quality. And I don’t want to get into the what’s, ifs and whys. But one of the, one of the things that I see, definitely because I’ve been in North American construction for my entire career, we have a lot of checks and balances. We have a, probably an incredibly over regulated system in North America and I imagine the same in the uk Whereas here we don’t have any regulation and there is no oversight.
Richard Bexon: Yeah.
Darren Enns: So we’ve gone from one extreme to the other. Whereas when I buy a house in the United States, Canada or the uk, I’m guaranteed to get a certain quality of call.
Richard Bexon: Yep.
Darren Enns: It’s going to meet criteria, it’s going to pass building codes, it’s going to pass legislation. I know that I have a comfortable home that is safe for me and my family. And because of the lack of regulation in Costa Rica, I think a lot of people are concerned about whether or not they’re going to get a quality, safe home for them and their family.
Construction Quality Challenges
Richard Bexon: Yeah, I mean, look, I agree as well. You know, it’s, this country is trust but verify everything. You know, Darren, we do a lot of project management. You know, we’ve got about 30 projects through Costa Rica and all we’re doing is watching, you know, watching architects in the design process making sure they’re not doing crazy stuff to spend clients money, making sure that the construction docs are correct. You know, again, not going, you know, over engineering. I mean we just saved a client $150,000 by redoing his infrastructure engineering, you know, a lot of retaining walls, etc. But we saved him 150 grand because yeah, Anyway, but I think it’s a trust but verify know country for sure because as you said, there is no regulation and it’s buyable where.
Darren Enns: Yeah. And I, and I think that that’s a good motto to live by.
Richard Bexon: Right.
Darren Enns: Trust and verify. I. For my clients, a lot of them I’m familiar with, with the building codes in California and Southern California and also in British Columbia of Canada. So I tend to incorporate that into a lot of the construction that I do. One, I’m familiar with it and B, I know that it meets seismic requirements for the Pacific north west, which we happen to be in a seismic zone here in the, in the, in Costa Rica.
Richard Bexon: Yeah. I mean, what has been your, your experience with building in Costa Rica so far, Darren?
Darren Enns: My experience has been that there are an incredible amount of hardworking people here in this country. Unfortunately, they’re uneducated and unskilled. They’re doing things that, you know, I hate to say this, but, you know, my grandfather showed me how to tie rebar 25, 000 years ago. Okay, maybe, maybe not quite that long ago, but this is the, the degree of education. Okay. You know, when we start talking about double walled mats of rebar that have to be reinforced on an 800 millimeter square grid that need to be tied with, with a loop shoe tie, they look at you and go, I don’t know what you’re talking about.
Richard Bexon: Yep.
Darren Enns: So. And there’s also an element of pride. You know, they’re very proud people, they’re very hard working people, but once you can work through that and make a connection with them. Most of the people that I have working for me are willing to learn and accept the fact that, you know, it’s not really me trying to tell them. I try to offload it and say, look, this is just a standard that’s used in North America. You know, it’s not, it’s not me telling you, it’s. We’re working to this standard. So that’s kind of the approach I take. Cool.
Practical Eco-Building Approaches
Richard Bexon: I mean, you use the word eco builder. I mean, you know, I mean, that’s kind of probably a word that’s thrown around a lot. Eco people would use greenwashing kind of stuff, you know, etc. But I mean, how are your builds different?
Darren Enns: Darren and I, I agree with you. And I think one of the things that I have a real hard time with is the fact that I think there are a lot of people saying, well, we’re building sustainability. We put a solar panel on your roof.
Richard Bexon: Yep.
Darren Enns: Okay. I’m trying to reduce. I mean, let’s be honest, the construction industry as a whole is responsible for probably anywhere between 35 and 40% of the total carbon footprint of the planet. So my goal is to build quality buildings and reduce the amount of carbon footprint or carbon construction.
Richard Bexon: Yep.
Darren Enns: I incorporate a multitude of systems into every home that I build. So I’m putting biospheric concrete into my slabs. And if you or your listeners are not particularly familiar with what that is, it’s basically I’m creating voided concrete. Okay. But I’m using plastic sphere balls. In order to do this, I double the mat of my. My steel. I use these plastic balls to take up a void inside the concrete, which now reduces my concrete by about 30 to 40%. I use a higher strength concrete. So I would go with a 28 MPa or a 32 MPa concrete. I’ve reduced the volume of concrete and I still have a structurally sound floor.
Richard Bexon: Yeah.
Darren Enns: I’m importing hemp block actually out of Canada because I can’t get engineered hemp block here in Costa Rica, which is sad. So I. It’s more than just a solar system. It’s more than doing direct drives. It’s also water recovery systems. I put a. I make sure that I have water recovery systems in every one of the houses that I do. And if you’ve been here for any period of time, people will suffer the effects of the infrastructure, which is not. It’s good, it’s just not reliable.
Richard Bexon: Yep.
Darren Enns: So I. I have usually a 1500 liter potable water tank that I am constantly feeding water through. So in case their water supply system breaks down in their property, they have potable water. Okay. That’s directed mostly to sinks and those facilities. I use rainwater harvesting in almost all of my projects, and I use the rainwater for feeding the toilet or septic system within the house, which in and of itself is giving me a 30% reduction in potable water usage. So I don’t just. I’m not greenwashing or talking the talk. I won’t do a building for a client unless they’re willing to incorporate these systems into their home.
Richard Bexon: Good for you, buddy. I think we need more builders incorporating that stuff into their projects in Costa Rica.
Cost-Effective Sustainability
Darren Enns: Well, you know, the reality is it does not cost us a lot of money to do it.
Richard Bexon: Yep.
Darren Enns: Okay. There are ways. One of the projects that I’m working on right now is the no foundation house. So the house that we’re building was conventionally designed but rather than having a concrete foundation and a concrete slab floor, we decided to elevate the building approximately two feet off the ground. It’s sitting on. Concrete piers are sitting on footings.
Richard Bexon: Yep.
Darren Enns: The entire thing is a steel deck with a solid teak floor. I don’t have to worry about any flooding issues. I don’t have to worry about anything really. And I’ve reduced the concrete in this building by 85%.
Richard Bexon: Well, and again, concrete is not cheap either.
Darren Enns: It’s not cheap. And, you know, you talk about cost savings. Concrete and concrete block, probably excellent building materials. We’ve been using them for what, 75 years? I don’t know, hundred years. They’re excellent products. However, they are extremely expensive, they’re extremely labor intensive, and they are environmentally destructive. So, you know, and hemp creek can provide us with the same strength in the same system. And yet it’s regenerative. Right. I mean, I can. I can grow a hemp block building in four months. You know, in terms of the fiber that I need in order to do it.
Richard Bexon: Yeah.
Darren Enns: We need to be using more of those materials. You know, even. Even in North America. I did a lot of work with bamboo flooring and bamboo cabinets.
Richard Bexon: And it looks beautiful. I mean, it’s beautiful.
Darren Enns: You can stain it light or dark, so you can get these variations of color. It has an extremely nice aesthetic. The thing I like about it is being, you know, from a history of carpentry. I lay a bamboo floor. I can refinish that floor five years from now.
Richard Bexon: Yep.
Darren Enns: Go in. I can sand it, refinish it, and it’s brand new again. I can’t do that with laminate.
Richard Bexon: Yeah.
Richard Bexon: It’s funny that you mentioned bamboo, Darren, because I have a property in Manuel Antonio that has so much bamboo that I’ve got to cut most of it down because it’s kind of getting too close to the electrical wires here. So anyone listening that needs bamboo, let me know because I’ve got a lot of it. And it’s tall. Like, I mean, it must be 30, 40 meters tall, man. I mean, it’s really tall.
Darren Enns: Well, I will be giving you a call because I’m in the process of designing an entire bamboo. We call it the clam shell. It’s a clamshell shaped sort of structure. And we’re doing the entire thing out of bamboo. Wow. It’s going to be a concrete slab floor. It’s got red iron or steel structure because it’s about two and a half stories in height.
Richard Bexon: Yep.
Darren Enns: That are going to come up and then the, the rest of the entire structure is going to be clad in bamboo and bamboo columns. So I’m sure that my client will love to take whatever you have.
Richard Bexon: If you cut it down, it’s yours for free, man. There’s a lot of it, so it’s all yours.
Darren Enns: You know, he’s got a couple of picos that he has working for him.
Richard Bexon: Yeah.
Darren Enns: And they need something to do.
Budget Control Strategies
Richard Bexon: There you go. Well, I think I just solved my bamboo problem. But Darren, I mean, you know, I mean you’d mentioned there, you know when to build and kind of trust but verify. But like, you know, when most people think of building in cost, we’re going to give a nightmare. I mean, how do people make sure that they don’t lose their shirt and you know, how do they keep a build on budget? Because it’s, you know, you hear these nightmare stories constantly.
Darren Enns: I, I mean, I really was quite surprised at how, you know, for lack of expression, I’m going to say loosey goosey. Everything was when I got here.
Richard Bexon: Yep.
Darren Enns: I used to build institutional buildings in North America. These are hundred million dollar projects. They have a multitude of different owners. I have to have a high level of accountability and financial, you know, where’s the money going?
Richard Bexon: Yeah.
Darren Enns: So I don’t know how other guys are doing it. I know for myself. I want to make sure that I have a definitive plan. And once I’ve got that plan in place, I now I’m talking finishes. I want to, I want specifications for fixtures. I do quantity takeoffs. I know exactly how many pieces of tile are going into the swimming pool. I know exactly how much earth is getting moved out of the excavation.
Richard Bexon: Yep.
Darren Enns: Not everybody here probably has the ability to do quantity surveys. I used to be a quantity surveyor. I was an estimator. And because that’s my background, that’s the system I use. And my cost estimates are derived only from the 16 basic divisions of construction. Okay. I’m not using all 50. I think that would just confuse people. Most of those are designed for institutional buildings anyway. But it just the basic 16 divisions of work. I want to have budgets and numbers for every single one of those. I cost track against those budget numbers. We know every day if we’re on track and we’re over budget or under budget. And all I can say to people is work with a contractor, whoever that is. But they need to be able to tell you what things cost.
Richard Bexon: Yep.
Darren Enns: If they can’t tell you what it costs for an extra light fixture in your bedroom, find a different Contractor.
Richard Bexon: Yep.
Richard Bexon: I mean we had one the other day, Darren, where someone contacted us in a development where the architect was going to design, do all the. Everything can build a house. 1.2 million. It was a four bedroom house. That was all he had. It was a four bedroom home, you know, with nice finishes. Was it? And it said $1.2 million. And that was it. And I was like, dude, you can’t, like, I mean, there’s no way you can sign that doc. I mean, in the end he ended up hiring us. And I’m sure that I’m going to drive the architect. Architect, you know, nuts. And then my team will do, you know, we’ll review all construction docs and we will do all of the, you know, bidding and then the analysis after in value engineering and then oversee it because, you know, there’s just too many people, Darren, unfortunately, getting screwed in Costa Rica.
Darren Enns: They are. And it’s one of. I’m going to be honest with you. I didn’t come down here to build.
Richard Bexon: Yep.
Darren Enns: Okay. I had this great idea that I was done with the construction industry. I was going to come down here, I was going to rent out a couple of cabinas.
Richard Bexon: Yep.
Darren Enns: No. And try to learn how to surf. I’ve heard too many stories and I’ve seen too many people have their dreams destroyed by a system where people just don’t know. And if I can do anything or part of what I need to do is I want to help and educate people as to what they need to have the information they need to know. Yeah, right. And I think that’s a hard, it’s a hard concept for, for some people. But I said, look, I’m not going to start building your house until I know the wall paint color.
Richard Bexon: Yeah.
Darren Enns: I know piles. And I also want to see that all your light fixtures have been ordered.
Richard Bexon: Yep.
Richard Bexon: It’s crazy, man. But again, I think, look, it’s getting better little by little. I think it just goes back to trust but verify, as you know, as we continue to say. I mean, Darren, talking about the southern zone, I mean, how does it differ from other parts of the country in your, in your experience and opinion when it comes to building?
Southern Zone Building Considerations
Darren Enns: I think the big thing is, I mean, I, you know, trying to get away from budgets and, and specifications and that sort of thing. My biggest difference, and I, I built up in a Tanis as well is because we have so much humidity down here. We’re, we’re, we’re sitting in the ocean. A lot of people fail to recognize the climate difference that we have throughout the country. You know, I mean, if you’re up in, you know, you’re in a Tanis or you’re in Escazoo, you’re dealing with a completely different climate than you are when you’re down here in the southern zone. Humidity is a huge problem. And because of that, we need to use products that are much more appropriate to that. One of the things that I absolutely refuse to. To build with is any gypsum based product. How it’s even actually allowed in this part of the country is beyond me. I just. It’s. Yeah. So that, I would say is the biggest challenge that I see down here. Yeah.
Richard Bexon: I mean, you guys get a lot of rainfall as well. Right. So, I mean, you know, drainage overhangs, water runoffs. I mean, you know, you really. Yeah. You guys get more water than like most areas of the country.
Darren Enns: Yes. And. And if I had known this when I moved here. Yep. Probably wouldn’t be living in the southern zone. I tried to escape Seattle for a reason. Yeah.
Richard Bexon: Hey, it’s beautiful, man. I mean, you know, in the summertime it’s beautiful. But even, I mean, it’s beautiful mornings. It’s just, you know, there are times of the year where you just kind of want to get out.
Darren Enns: Yeah. October, November, one should be in Arizona.
Richard Bexon: Yeah.
Darren Enns: And I’m not, but. Yes. And another thing, you know, I’m glad that you brought that up because one of the things that I do that maybe be different, I usually have, as a minimum, I have anywhere from five to six feet of an overhang on all of my houses.
Richard Bexon: Yep.
Darren Enns: I also am putting perimeter drainage in, which I haven’t seen in a lot of places. And I know a lot of the guys, when they’re working for me, they’re like, I don’t understand why we’re doing this. Well, I know, but trust me, it’s like, it’s.
Richard Bexon: It’s one of those things that you only really understand why you’ve done it when there’s huge downpours and water is running all over. Yeah.
Darren Enns: Right. And you know, you see people who don’t have it around their house, and all of a sudden it’s like the water is, you know, 8, 8 inches up this back wall of their house. Yeah. You know, I don’t have that problem.
Richard Bexon: Yeah.
Darren Enns: Make sure that my houses don’t have that problem.
How Would You Invest $500,000 Inheritance in Costa Rica?
Richard Bexon: What areas of Costa Rica, Darren, would you be investing in for the next five to ten years?
Darren Enns: Well, I. I can tell you where I am investing most of. Most of the, The Projects that we’re doing. Most of the development that we’re looking at doing is down here in this southern zone. So I mean, we’re kind of like Hako south down to Panama. Yep, that’s. That tends to be our area of focus. And we do have a few projects that we’re building as development that are down here as well. People come here because they want the nature. They want the nature, they want the ocean, they want to. What the southern zone has to offer, I think. And whether you’re coming down here and building a vacation rental or you’re coming down here to live part time throughout the year.
Richard Bexon: Yep.
Richard Bexon: Well, kind of brings me into my next question for you, which is my last one. And I know that a lot of people that listen to this find it as their favorite question, but if you inherited $500,000, so you’ve got $500,000 only, and you had to invest it into a business or real estate in Costa Rica, what would you invest it in and why? Darren.
Darren Enns: What. I would be building my. I would be building myself a vacation rental, particularly down here. And you know, I know a lot of people would say that. Why would you do that? The market is completely saturated with vacation rentals. Yes, they are. And I’m, I am, I’m going to sort of draw from a couple of clients that I have who are here from London, your neck of the woods. Notting Hill, actually, which I have no idea where that is in London. Somewhere in London.
Richard Bexon: Yep.
Darren Enns: And they were amazed at how hard it was for them to find what they considered to be a quality vacation rental. Hundreds and hundreds available. And I, and I asked him, I said, well, Claire, what, what, what do you, what do you mean by that? She goes, it doesn’t have what we need. None of them seem to be set up to a standard or to a way and I guess which people from North America and maybe Europe are wanting. And she said it was very, very hard for them to find what they needed. You know, she would go into the kitchen and there wouldn’t be enough place settings for two people.
Richard Bexon: Yeah.
Darren Enns: Or, or there wasn’t, there wasn’t enough bedding or there wasn’t air conditioning, or there was, there was so many things that were missing. And I, I think that it’s not that there isn’t a huge amount of vacation rentals, but there’s a very small amount of well priced, well equipped and well appointed vacation renters.
Richard Bexon: Yeah, I agree. I mean, look, we look at vacation rental data all the time and when you start looking at it, the best performing ones are the ones that, you know, do have all of that stuff, but the majority of them are, you know, just not that great. So. So, yeah, definitely.
Darren Enns: Yeah. And she was very, very frustrated by that. Yeah. And I. It’s been a few years for me. I don’t remember the last time I stayed in an Airbnb, but I do remember when I came down here on vacation pre Covid. Did a lot of Airbnb. At this point, I tend to stay in places like south beach in Hako.
Richard Bexon: Yeah.
Darren Enns: I need a little more amenities.
Conclusion
Richard Bexon: Yeah, yeah, definitely. Well, Darren, this has been an absolute pleasure here having you on the podcast. So I appreciate you taking the time and kind of sharing your experience and knowledge with us and anyone that wants to get in contact with you. I’ll put all your contact details down in the description, but thanks very much for joining us.
Darren Enns: No, and I appreciate talking to you as well and taking time out of your day, and we’ll be in touch again soon, I’m sure.
Richard Bexon: Sounds good, Darren.
Darren Enns: Take care.
