www.CostaRicaTicas.com

I ran across this interesting web site. It describes a company in Costa Rica that builds homes out of used shipping containers and bamboo. This is a very interesting idea. I recently saw a utility building here in my home town that was built in a similar fashion (without the bamboo).

http://www.inhabitat.com/2009/04/24/pre ... ironments/

That is very cool... Just took a look at the photos. I will go back later and check out the costs...

When I was in Tamarindo earlier this month I stopped by an office of the company that is making these very cool eco friendly homes. They are reasonable priced and I saw photos and designs for several different models. Impressive.

Also if this home design stuff interests you, Clayton Homes owned by Warren Buffet is getting ready to completely turn the pre-fab modular homes industry on it's ear. Their web site shows some pretty neat ultra modern modular units that can be mixed and matched. I don't have the link, but a keyword search should produce some neat photos. Modular homes aka trailers will never be the same after these chic units start popping up next year.

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Providing humanitarian assistance to self employed chicas, one cash grant at a time.

looks like it would work in SoFla too

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The difference between a Sea Story and a Fairy Tale is that a Fairy Tale starts out 'Once Upon a Time..' and a Sea Story starts out 'This is no Shit...'

(export version only, some restrictions may apply, some assembly required, not valid where the sun don't shine...

if you live in the states of Poverty, Darkness or anywhere outside of The Blessings of Civilization Trust, Inc...other rules may apply)

The last time I was in Amsterdam I saw an entire apartment complex that was made of stacked-up shipping containers. Not my cuppa tea.

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Women are like beers. I've never had one that I didn't like. Just some that I like more than others! --Western

I ain't lyin' to you Brothers--I could be very happy in Brother Estebanh's ISBU houses--shows you what I'm used to, doesn't it? But seriously there isn't a lot more a body really needs, and they can be modified or out-built (double/triple wide with internal walls, for example). Imagination/innovation and a taste for simplicity.
To put some meat on Brother El Viejo's bones, check this:
www.claytonihouse.com >>neat vid
Even camping cabins for your acreage or to build on way the other side of your lot (for that pesky brother-in-law) ain't what they used to be. Google "camping cabins to build" for exemplars.

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"A man accustomed to hear only the echo of his own sentiments, soon bars all the common avenues of delight, and has no part in the general gratification of mankind"--Dr. Johnson
"Amen, brother"-ED

Jazz, I knew that you could not resist finding that link and posting it.

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Providing humanitarian assistance to self employed chicas, one cash grant at a time.

I doubt it. The hurricanes codes would not allow bamboo. You could probably do it with engineered trusses and hurricane straps. It would be a nightmare with the building inspectors there.

e1027



E-1027
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia


In 1924 Eileen Gray and Jean Badovici began work on their vacation house, E-1027 in Roquebrune-Cap-Martin, Alpes-Maritimes, in southern France (near Monaco). L-shaped and flat-roofed with floor-to-ceiling windows and a spiral stairway to the guest room, E-1027 was both open and compact. This is considered to be Gray's first major work, making indistinct the border between architecture and decoration, and highly personalized to be in accord with the lifestyle of its intended occupants. The name of the house, E-1027, is a code of Eileen Gray and Jean Badovici, 'E' standing for Eileen, '10' Jean, '2' Badovici, '7' Gray. The encoded name was Eileen Gray's way of showing their relationship as lovers at the time when built

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The difference between a Sea Story and a Fairy Tale is that a Fairy Tale starts out 'Once Upon a Time..' and a Sea Story starts out 'This is no Shit...'

(export version only, some restrictions may apply, some assembly required, not valid where the sun don't shine...

if you live in the states of Poverty, Darkness or anywhere outside of The Blessings of Civilization Trust, Inc...other rules may apply)

There are several examples in CR of containers used as homes and offices. There is an officer near the entrance to Immigration, I think it is powder blue in color; there are several offices near the customs houses in Alajuela; and if you are on the highway headed from San José toward Límon the house just past Doña Lela’s (about 4 km from San José) is built around a container. The house is rust color red with a gable roof.

Hurricaine codes suck! I have a beach front property with an old detached garage that contains a cute apartment. I'd like to rip it down and build a three level eco friendly apartment for weekend personal use on the same footprint whenever I choose. but, the municipal a-holes told me that I must use $25K worth of hurricaine proof glass in the windows alone which is otherwise an expendable beach shack.
Guvmint at it's best or worse. Non-political thoughts of course.

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Providing humanitarian assistance to self employed chicas, one cash grant at a time.

Hurracane codes DO suck--until your whole town gets blown away because they were not enforced ("grandfathering" clauses) or because of builders' pressure, nonexistent. See the story on Homestead Florida, for example. No offense Brother El Viejo, but many people are smarter than government; nobody is smarter than Mother Nature.

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"A man accustomed to hear only the echo of his own sentiments, soon bars all the common avenues of delight, and has no part in the general gratification of mankind"--Dr. Johnson
"Amen, brother"-ED

Having been actively engaged for nine years in major litigation between a homeowners association and a major developer in South Florida caused by failure to adhere to building codes I am all for enforcement of building/hurricane codes. They are there to protect the citizens and yes they can be a pain but like many things they are a necessary evil.

If you want something to be a real pain in the ass live under the cloud of having your home condemned and having to evacuate every time a hurricane threatened while the case wound through the judicial system. All of this caused by a developers greed because if he left out certain things required by code to protect against hurricanes he could make a bigger profit.

The only good thing was the developer was a major U.S. corporation with very very very deep pockets. In the end the cost, not including their legal
fees, to them and their insurers was in excess of 100 million dollars.

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Pura Vida
Only Irish coffee provides in a single glass all four
essential food groups:
alcohol, caffeine, sugar and fat.
Alex Levine

As a State Certified Building Contractor in Florida, I can honestly say - with direct, first hand experience - that Hurricane Building codes may suck, but they are absolutely necessary if you live in a hurricane-prone part of the world. Yes, they cost more. And yes, it takes longer to finish the project(s). But ultimately, the customer pays the additional incurred costs anyways. Unfortunately, I have to deal with this crap every day, day in and day out. I am on a 1st name basis with most of the local Code Enforcement Officers & Building Inspectors in my area. I am also on the Board of Directors for the county's home builder's association. So this is not "word on the street" info.

You've also got to remember - there are several different types / sizes of hurricanes, ranging from Tropical Depressions, to Tropical Storms - all the way up to Category 1 - 5 Hurricanes. Granted, nothing a builder does to a home can make it totally "Hurricane Proof". If a Category 5 (catastrophic) comes through your area, all bets are off. And there's not much you can do to a dwelling to keep it from flying off it's slab. But, with more rigid building codes, it will help the home/building to withstand most storms that do not escalate into the "catastrophic" category.

Over the past 20 years, I've been through every different type of storm, from Tropical to Category 5. And I've spent my career re-building areas that were devastated. It may look exciting on television, but they are not fun at all, believe that.

MG

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You ALWAYS have an option ....... "NEXT" !!!

MG is spot on as well is ID
This type of home is for Costa Rica, the main concern there is the quake
so a good foundation is a must!
When was the last time a hurricane hit CR?
It may happen I hope not but the storms have been getting lower
The houses look real nice! If you have been out of the gulch, even there, it does not take to much to build a hovell