OUR CLIENTS ARE OUR BEST REFERRALS!
READ ON TO SEE WHAT THEY SAY !!!
Building a new home in Costa Rica is not difficult. Not knowing what to do or being familiar with the building practices or the language in Costa Rica does not have to cause sleepless nights. There is a solution… Ballena Homes. The key to a successful build is having an experienced team of professionals to manage and coordinate the build. Ballena Homes work in partnership with architects, designers, engineers and home construction specialists to deliver a complete range of professional skills. Our service involves managing every step of the process (including language issues) from concept through to completion and delivery of the finished product.
“We were looking to relocate to Ojochal and needed to find a builder. When we met the team at Ballena Homes we fell instantly comfortable with them, they shared our vision, understood our budget & have been so helpful with this journey we are on. As our house progresses through each phase we are so exited to see our dream come true. We have built several houses before and this build has definitely been stress free & wonderful”
“I was put in contact with the team from Ballena Homes by a friend living in Ojochal. I received an immediate response after inquiring about a construction program, while I was abroad. My request to them was beyond normal requirements. They dealt with all aspects of the planning, site preparation, engineering and application in a most professional and satisfactory manner. Besides that, they are the finest people to work with I have yet encountered”
“The team at Ballena Homes has been a pleasure to work with. I was not able to make many trips to Costa Rica during the building phase. The Ballena Homes team put me at ease by keeping me involved every step of the way by providing timely updates and pictures of the progress. It was clear that the project was being professionally managed. They were available and responsive to all questions and concerns. The finished product is amazing and my family and I are very happy with the result”
“On my second trip to Costa Rica after purchasing my property we wanted to build a ‘cabina’ (a bungalow). Knowing that I wouldn’t be there during the construction I made contact with a representative from Ballena Homes. We discussed choice of style, materials, budget and timing issues. We signed a contract and within 4 months, our entirely wooden “Cabina” based on their architect’s ‘Balinese Style Model’, customized to my specs, was built on our lot. The entire team at Ballena Homes were very friendly and professional. The whole experience was truly a positive one”
We met Bill & his wife Rita through mutual friends of ours several years ago. Although we had been coming to the South Pacific region of Costa Rica for years, one year, we finally decided to try and buy a place of our own. We knew Bill was part of Century 21 in the area and decided to enlist him to find us what we were looking for. We told him exactly what we were wanting to spend and he promptly found a few properties suited to us. After Bill showed us a property that we had not seen in the local listings, we knew this was where we wanted to be & fell in love with the property! He made the owner an offer on our behalf and within minutes, the owner accepted! Bill was a wealth of knowledge on the area and, because of his knowledge of building & construction in the area, was able to answer every question we had. He is very connected to the area and can help you navigate the intricacies of the local rules & regulations. His laid back nature and willingness to answer any question and help in any way possible, makes him your go-to guy for purchasing and/or building your dream home in this beautiful area! I cannot thank him enough!
One of the benefits of working with Bill Campbell and Century 21 is that they are associated with Ballena Homes, which designs and builds houses. Having spent 40 years myself building homes and commercial buildings, I have a good sense of who knows what they are doing, or not. Bill does, and so does Ballena Homes.
During our search for a property, Bill took us to some Ballena Homes projects. One that was under construction was being built with pre-cast concrete walls. I observed the process, looked closely at the materials, asked lots of questions, and was so impressed that we concluded we wanted our house built this way.
We collaborated with Bill on the design elements, who consulted with the architect and engineer as needed, and then the architect drew the plans for us. We tweaked them a few times, working through Bill, who would explain to us why we could couldn’t or should or shouldn’t make certain changes. He was instrumental in helping us understand how things in Costa Rica might be a little different than in the U.S.
The positioning of the house to take advantage of the air flow was incredibly important. Bill educated us on many other small details that in the end meant a lot.
We moved Costa Rica a couple of months before construction began and rented a house near our lot. During the building process, Bill was on site at least once a day (as were we). This helped avoid communication problems with the crew regarding changes or choices that are routinely made during a build, and it helped avoid potential delays in construction. The architect and engineer visited the site at least once a week. We had ZERO problems. The house was completed ahead of schedule, thanks to the diligence of the crew and great cooperation between Bill, the engineer and architect.
We love our new home!
“We highly recommend Ballena Homes and here’s why! From the first day we met Marcel in his office we felt like we were in good hands and we had to be because we were going to be in the United States during the design and initial build phases.
Every step of the way from contracts, to design, to architecture, to build, Marcel efficiently handled and coordinated everything. He even sent pictures each time something new would happen on the land. We were fortunate enough to be in Costa Rica during the entire building process and watch each detail and daily progress change literally before our eyes.
After reviewing the models Ballena Homes offers, we knew we were looking for something a little different, which they were very open to. We used Pinterest to communicate ideas for what we wanted our house to be like, which worked well for the architect and builders. They made it exactly what we wanted and more. They paid so much attention to detail and used quality materials.
Another benefit to working with Marcel was that he speaks so many languages (English, Spanish, French are prominent here) which was helpful because he coordinated our solar package, saltwater pool, air conditioning unit, security metalwork, soil report, and obviously the crew of builders, when we needed to explain what we wanted something to look like. Marcel always had a recommendation if there was a service we were interested in, if he didn’t provide it.
As we were here and needing to choose design elements for the home, It was easy to pick everything locally as we have an abundance of hardware/construction stores in the area. We went to San Isidro once and the drive was harrowing; so we recommend picking from local stores. If we went over budget, we paid a little extra; but if we picked things under budget, we got a credit, which was nice.
Ballena Homes built our small home in only a few months and the only thing that got in the way from them starting earlier was the rainy season — so definitely keep that in mind as you plan your build.
We are so in love with our house! It’s literally perfect, and Ballena Homes made sure of that even after the home was built and we needed little things fixed or adjusted.
Thank you for making our dreams a reality Ballena Homes!
We are so happy!
Pura Vida…
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