This post is about a remodel of an existing house in Puerto Armuelles, Panama. It is part of our ongoing series on “What it’s like to build a home in Panama" The Original House The house is nick-named “Casa Sombrero” because of its big sheltering roof. It is on a corner lot in the Corazon de Read More
Puerto Armuelles – A Good Choice For Builders
We first arrived in Panama in the Fall of 2006. I felt a huge sense of relief at having taken a “side exit” out of the fast paced life of being a designer/builder in Seattle. Boy, was it a welcome change to settle into the life of a family of tourists in the tropics. Given that, I was surprised Read More
Volunteer English Program – 1st Month Report & Requests
As you may remember, last month we asked if you were interested in volunteering to teach English here in Puerto Armuelles. Happily, we received several responses. Our First Student In fact, soon after our announcement our very first student began receiving one-on-one English conversation Read More
Build a $5,000 House Using Old Chiquita Buildings
30 years ago, when I was in college, one of my best friends, Paul, had a unique solution to the problem of high housing costs. “When I grow up,” Paul proclaimed, “I am going to build myself a house out of trash”. Of course, none of us took a Paul seriously at the time. (FYI - He never did Read More
President Varela Comes To Puerto To Announce – Hospital, Del Monte, Highway Expansion
Thurs, September 8, 2016 Today, the President of the Republic of Panama, Juan Carlos Varela, came to Puerto Armuelles. He was here to inaugurate a new hospital (Hospital Dionisio Arrocha). He also had other news for Puerto Armuelles: Extension of Puerto's new highway out to Limones. Del Read More
Should You Take On A Remodel In Panama?
This is the first installment of a series of articles on remodeling an existing house in Puerto Armuelles. In a recent article that I wrote on building materials in Panama, I briefly describe the challenges posed by building with wood. Now I will explore the pros and cons of remodeling a wood Read More
Interested in Volunteering To Teach English?
In recent months, several expats have mentioned they would enjoy volunteering in Puerto Armuelles. One idea that I have been contemplating for quite awhile now is setting up a volunteer-to-teach-English network. Or possibly an English-Spanish exchange network. Help Others It would be a way Read More
Shipping Container Construction in Panama
If you look online, there are dozens of articles about shipping container construction. In this post, I explore containers as housing in various locations, including the tropical climate of Panama. I am particularly interested in ways to keep a shipping container's living space cool, Read More
Can You Build A Bamboo House In Panama?
If you research tropical building materials online, you will undoubtedly run into bamboo as an option. Bamboo is a building material that has been on my radar for 30 years. Bamboo has big advantages as a building material Amazingly abundant Grows incredibly fast (It is a type of Read More
Think Carefully Before You Build A Wooden House In Panama
For over 20 years, I was designer and builder in Seattle. So I am very familiar with 2x4 “stick” construction. And the 1st building project I did in Panama was wood construction. I bought and remodeled an old Chiquita Banana house in Puerto Armuelles. It is the house we live in. However, Read More