The notion of living in a “Tiny” home or basic shelter has been around for centuries. Ascetic monks from the 15th century and earlier have written about the spiritual benefits of casting off the extraneous luxuries of society and getting back to the bare necessities of life. The ascetics felt Read More
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How Much Does It Cost To Build A House in Panama?
Jan 1, 2017 I get asked that question all the time. Or more specifically, “How much does it cost/square foot to build a house in Puerto Armuelles?” I always feel reluctant. I want to give a definitive answer, but it is complicated. "What will it cost to build", is a hard question to answer Read More
Happiness In The Slow Lane – Enjoy Your Hobbies
We have been in Puerto Armuelles for 10 years now. Plenty of time to observe the lifestyle habits that seem to lead to a happy life for our retired expat neighbors. The happiest folks, share a common thread: Keep active Have hobbies Maintain community Passionate about their lives Read More
Check Out A House Remodel in Puerto Armuelles
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
US Taxes & Panama Real Estate
I tend to file my US taxes in October. Many years ago, our accountant told us that people who request a filing extension are much less likely to get audited. Since then I have used that fact to justify requesting a tax extension each year. This means I filed my 2015 taxes only a week ago. 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
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
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