SARCO System®: Building a resort or home in Costa Rica

“‘Always do your homework before hiring or contracting anyone.’ This is a phrase that most people are very familiar with, but due to our own pride and lack of knowledge, fail to follow. After experiencing the negative fall-outs of not following this advice, I had to retract and conduct the proper research, which ultimately led me to Sarco Architects.”

— Ebinette Nicholson, Sonrow Enterprise S.A., NY

Like any good love story, building a house in Costa Rica often starts with falling in love, no matter the challenges, and leads to a number of significant obstacles – especially if your main residence is in another country. Yes, the views attract, the mountains engage, and all of nature compels you to build a house here so that you can return to Costa Rica for an even more meaningful stay. And what Ebinette says is true; I’ve seen what happens to people who fall into the wrong hands: a project full of errors, unscrupulous contractors who cheat you out of money, high-end light fixtures, etc., that are chosen, paid for, but do not make it into the house and you don’t know until it’s too late. If you are building a home abroad in Costa Rica, how do you find someone qualified, professional, honest, and trustworthy to look after your interests?

Begin with an architect who has those features. We are a company that focuses #1 on the client, not just on the bottom line. We make sure every project is done and done successfully. We develop happy clients. That’s because, with every project, we are building not only a house or resort, but also a long-lasting relationship. 

Gerry and Delada from Canada write: “After working with other architects in Costa Rica, Roderick Anderson at Sarco has been a refreshing change. Roderick and his team of design and construction professionals make the process of building in a foreign country much easier. Sarco’s vast knowledge of not only design, but also construction practices, allowed us to avoid many pitfalls that would have resulted in a less functional design. Roderick knows exactly what materials and construction practices work well in a tropical climate and strives toward continual improvement.”

As a result, we’ve completed many successful high-end luxury home projects at or above the best levels of professional practices as in the U.S. but done locally with local resources, tools, and workers. We are the ONLY firm in all of Latin America (from Mexico to Argentina) that has won six design awards at the International Property Awards in London. The awards were for architectural single residence category and most recently in the resort architecture category. Last year, we won three awards for a resort project in the Dominican Republic (Best Resort Architecture for the Dominican Republic.; nomination and subsequently awarded as Best Resort Architecture for the entire Caribbean Region and then went to World’s Finals.) In addition to Costa Rica, we are available to work in Panama and the Caribbean as a whole. 

One of the many good results of our practices is that our clients become our friends after everything is said and done. Following a project two or three years ago, Rudy, the client, contacted us saying, “We’re in town, come and stay with us at the house.” This is something very satisfactory.

We have been working with international clients exclusively for the last 14 years and in doing so have perfected and honed not only our craft but also our client centric service. We are accustomed to working with clients who have tremendously busy lifestyles. The communication component of our system is key and this happens in many ways — videoconference, direct meetings when possible, use of virtual reality, and constant updates through our customised web-based project portal. Our clients don’t even need to hop on a flight to revise a design.

Michael was in exactly this situation, with a home base in New York. In describing the experience with our firm, he said, “We initially worried about building our dream house in a developing country over 2,000 miles away from NY. But after having worked with Roderick and his team, we can wholeheartedly say that Sarco has certainly turned our dreams into reality. Roderick has mastered every challenge and delivered a first-class home that fulfills and even surpasses our highest expectations.”

Michael is a client who has become a friend. Of course, that does not happen every time, but certain things do happen with every project. Gerry and Delada from Canada again: “Roderick stays involved in the project and makes himself available to answer any questions that arise. Roderick is trustworthy, passionate about design, and holds everyone to a high standard to get things right.” So if you are building a resort or home abroad in Costa Rica and want it done professionally, managed well by a trustworthy team, this I can promise.