Planning a home in San Carlos, from the ground up.

Understand the site before drawing the house

Ask a qualified professional to assess slope, drainage, access, soil conditions, vegetation, and the proposed construction area. Check how materials and machinery could reach the site and how earthworks would affect the budget.

Use the tour to understand the wider setting, then verify conditions on the ground. A parcel’s total area should never be confused with the area available for construction. Confirm constraints, including those related to waterways and easements, using current official documents.

Design for the climate and daily life

Bring your habits into the design brief: where you drink coffee, work, cook, host family, dry clothes, and keep tools. Covered outdoor spaces, shade, ventilation, roof details, and maintenance access deserve attention from the beginning.

The Casa Cielo material provides a visual reference for a covered terrace, generous ceilings, and timber details. It is an archive of a particular project, not a ready-to-order specification, a price promise, or evidence that the same solution suits every parcel. Ask the design team to assess materials, durability, ventilation, and performance for your site.

Map the approvals and dependencies

The design and permitting path depends on your site and project. Ask the responsible professional to identify the documents, authorities, studies, and approvals needed, and to explain what must happen before each later step.

CFIA’s APC Requisitos platform includes prerequisites such as water availability and several forms of alignment. The municipality is an important source for local procedures. Confirm current requirements with your professional team rather than relying on a generic approval timeline.

• Current land-use and cadastral information
• Water supply documentation and service arrangements
• Wastewater and stormwater approach
• Applicable setbacks, easements, and environmental conditions
• Design responsibility and municipal approval path

Give every responsibility a name

Arbor Eden’s intended role is coordination and guidance with independent professionals. Before commissioning work, agree in writing who is your architect or engineer, who files applications, who builds, who supervises, and who authorizes changes.

Clarify which service is included in the land purchase, which is separately quoted, and which contract is directly between you and a professional or builder. Ask who reports progress if you are abroad, how often updates are provided, and how issues are escalated.

Budget for the whole process

Request a scope-based estimate. Include professional fees, permitting, surveys or studies, site works, water and electrical connections, the home, finishes, landscaping, contingency, and maintenance. Document what is excluded and when estimates expire.

For construction, agree payment milestones, change-order approval, inspection responsibilities, completion criteria, warranties, and handover documents. A timeline should identify dependencies and weather allowances. Begin with a feasibility conversation; commit to construction only when the relevant professional and commercial questions are answered.