"La experiencia construyendo mi casa en el Rancho Playa Negra en Guanacaste con Carlos Velarde ha sido extraordinaria. Desde la planificación, ejecución y, especialmente, el apego milimétrico al presupuesto acordado, no tengo sino palabras de agradecimiento sincero.Su involucramiento directo y continuo en las diferentes etapas de la construcción son la garantía y llave del éxito. Siendo un extranjero que llega a Costa Rica con su familia y se lanza a la aventura de la construcción, contar con una persona seria y honesta, es la condición esencial para pasar un buen rato durante el proceso de construcción de una casa, que nunca es cosa sencilla. Carlos pasó de ser mi amigo y constructor a ser un gran amigo como resultado de este proceso y la interacción con él y su familia. No conozco muchos otros constructores de su calidad profesional y personal. Recomiendo 110% y a ojos cerrados que lo busquen y trabajen con él." Manolo Ruiz
English Translation: "The experience building my house in the Rancho Playa Negra in Guanacaste with Carlos Velarde has been extraordinary. From the planning, execution and, especially, the millimetric adherence to the agreed budget, I have nothing but words of sincere gratitude. His direct and continuous involvement in the different stages of construction are the guarantee and key to success Being a foreigner who arrives in Costa Rica with his family and embarks on the adventure of construction, having a serious and honest person is the essential condition to spend a I had a good time during the process of building a house, which is never an easy thing. Carlos went from being my friend and builder to being a great friend as a result of this process and the interaction with him and his family. I don't know many other builders of his professional and personal quality. I recommend 110% and with closed eyes that you look for him and work with him." Manolo Ruiz
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‘Fully vet your builder – Don’t go with the first construction company or contractor who says they can have you in a new home in four months. Take a breath and take your time carefully vetting companies before entrusting them with your home. Read online reviews and ask builders for references.’ I saw the above admonition posted on a Costa Rica realty page. It took me back to when I had my house built some 12 years ago. I had purchased a 2-acre lot in Los Pargos near Playa Negra a few years previous and was ready to have a house built. I had no idea what to look for in a builder so I asked a friend, a Southern California custom home-builder, for help with the selection process. Fortunately, he said yes and we headed to CR. We met with a builder who had built more homes in the area than any other and toured homes he chose to show us. Shockingly, my friend who said nothing during the tours, told me in no uncertain terms not to use this builder. He told me of shortcuts the builder had used that would have negatively impacted the living conditions. I dodged a huge bullet as I would have chosen him had my friend not been there. We also met with a local architect who wanted to design/build. We liked the architect but not the d/b concept. We then met with Carlos Velarde whom I had come to know by virtue of eating at his Café during previous CR visits. Carlos didn’t have any custom homes to show us as he hadn’t built any yet. However, he built his Café which he rather apologetically said was built on a very tight budget. Though a simple structure, my friend was impressed with the quality of construction. My friend was also impressed with the quality of the man. The next day, we met with the local architect and Carlos at the property. It was clear by listening to the conversation that Carlos had a great understanding of the construction process. As a result of this due diligence, I took a chance and asked Carlos Velarde, who had yet to build a large custom home, to build a large custom home. It has proven to have been a great decision. Don’t believe me? Just ask the guy who has installed A/C in all of the homes in the area. He says that Casa Tranquilo, my house that Carlos built, is his favorite house of all. It’s mine too." Chris Byrne
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We decided to move to Costa Rica and got to see most of the places in the Pacific which we love. We contacted Carlos to help us find a lot to buy and he turned out to be really helpful and to know the places and pros and cons very well. He was very straight forward which we loved in our decision-making process. Finally we bought a lot that he showed to us and he guided us throughout the whole process, lawyers, due diligence, paperwork, all of it. It went smooth and fast, it was a pleasure to have done it with him. Now we are designing and going to build our house with him, and he is very quick in understanding our taste and our needs. He has very good and practical ideas, and we trust him above all, he has gained that! Highly recommendable. Isabel Aguirre Arriz
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Carlos does a great job of managing our property in Costa Rica. He understands the level of service expected by the homeowner and delivers it. His knowledge of the culture and how things work in Costa Rica is invaluable in solving any problems that may arise. I would not hesitate to recommend him as a property manager. Chuck LaHaye
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Carlos Velarde ist eine Person der mann Vertrauen kann. Wir haben unser Projekt 1.5 millionen $ ohne unsere Anwesenheit gebaut wir lebten in der Schweiz und haben alles via Skype gemanagt. 95 % war alles zu unserer Zufriedenheit, mit den kleinen Details mussten noch ein paar Anpassungen gemacht werden. Wir sind halt Schweizer. Ich habe Carlos an 3 Schweizer Kunden weiter empfohlen und die sind auch alle zufrieden. Carlos verwaltet auch unsere 4 Bungalows via AirBnb und wir sind sehr zufrieden. Wir arbeiten schon 10 Jahre mit Carlos ohne Vertrag auch in der Bauphase und das funktionierte, weil Carlos ein Ehrenmann ist. Ein Handschlag ist mehr Wert als ein stueck Papier. Ich kann diesen Mann nur empfehlen. Geht auf meine Webseite www.paraisosuizocr.com und da sieht man was alles gebaut wurde. Dario - Owner of Paraiso Suizo
English Translation: Carlos Velarde is a person you can trust. We built our $1.5 million project without our presence, we lived in Switzerland and managed everything via Skype. 95% everything was to our satisfaction, with the small details a few adjustments still needed to be made. We're Swiss. I have recommended Carlos to 3 Swiss customers and they are all satisfied. Carlos also manages our 4 bungalows via AirBnb and we are very satisfied. We've been working with Carlos for 10 years without a contract, even in the construction phase, and that worked because Carlos is a man of honor. A handshake is worth more than a piece of paper. I can only recommend this man. Go to my website www.paraisosuizocr.com and you can see what was built there. Dario - Owner of Paraiso Suizo
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My wife and I fell in love with the Guanacaste/Playa Negra area years ago. We were fortunate to be able to find and purchase an amazing lot just a few minutes walk to the ocean. Our problem now was how to find an honest solid contractor to help us build our dream home. We stayed at an amazing little oasis called Paraíso Suizo which had some beautifully built cabinas and homes. After a few inquiries we found that all the construction was performed by Carlos Valarde. I knew of Carlos through the surfing community and vetted him through some local friends that knew Carlos for 10+years. He had a reputation of integrity and being straight up so my wife and I decided to see if he could help us make our dream a reality.When I first began my contact/relationship with Carlos I noticed right away how great he was with communication and clarifying issues. This was a blessing because we had to put a lot of trust in him and this whole process. Carlos's professionalism and communication helped us through this experience with confidence. All I can say is I really appreciate what Carlos did for me and my family. He continues to help and advise us years after he completed the work. Mike Weaver
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Working with Carlos as always been easy, he is a very professional, smart and honest, not to mention extremely organized and detail oriented, qualities hard to find especially in a place like this. I always recommend him, he is a great guy to work with. Ricki Moggi, Developer of Finca Los Pargos
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I can’t think of many things that are more stressful that buying land and building in a foreign country. We did so much research and talked to several lawyers before jumping into our dreams… time and time again there has been nothing but consistancy, professionalism, fantastic communication and a feeling that we are doing business with someone that truly cares about our happiness and dreams. We recommend Carlos to EVERYONE! Lindsey Meehleis
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Carlos did an incredible job building our home in Costa Rica. His insistence on quality work and attention to detail made sure that we were satisfied with every aspect of the project. What really sets Carlos apart from other builders is a common sense practicality of what works and what doesn't in the environment of Costa Rica. I highly recommend him for any construction project. Chuck LaHaye
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