Custom Homes · Dominical → Uvita → Ojochal
The house you came here for.
A design-build contractor on Costa Rica’s southern Pacific coast. Architecture, permits and construction under one fixed-price contract — for people building in a country they don’t live in yet.
How this started
We never set out to be a construction company.
I came to Costa Rica and built a home for myself. Then I built another.
People I crossed paths with here would ask what I did. I’d tell them I build homes — and they’d ask me to build one for them. That’s the whole origin story. No advertising, no sales pitch. Just people who had seen the houses.
It’s also why we build the way we do. We still put up every house the way I put up my own: same standards, same materials, same attention to what this climate actually does to a building over ten years. The only thing that changed was whose name goes on the contract.
— Justin Ledford, founder
Why people choose us
Most people building here have never built anywhere.
You’re buying land in a country you don’t live in yet, in a language you may not speak, on a timeline you can’t stand over. That’s the whole problem we solve.
One team, start to finish
Architect, engineer, permits, crew and finishes run through a single contract. No handoffs, and no gaps where cost hides.
A fixed number before we break ground
A line-item bid you can hold us to, with allowances written down — not an estimate that grows every month you’re out of the country.
Built for this climate, not a catalogue
Salt air, green-season rain and jungle humidity punish the wrong details. We build for what actually happens here.
You see it every week
Photo and video updates from site, on a schedule, whether you’re in Uvita or eight time zones away. You never wonder what’s happening.
Selected work
Homes that hold up to where they’re built.
Every project here was designed, permitted and built by our own crew between Dominical and Ojochal.
What we build
Three things, done properly.
Custom Homes
Ground-up design-build on your lot, from feasibility study to the day you get the keys.
- Architectural design & engineering
- Municipal permits & CFIA filing
- Fixed line-item construction bid
- Weekly photo & video reporting
Patios & Outdoor Living
The part of the house you’ll actually live in. Covered terraces, pools, decks and outdoor kitchens.
- Covered terraces & ranchos
- Pools & water features
- Hardwood decks & pergolas
- Outdoor kitchens & bars
Remodels
Bringing a tired property up to standard — usually for people who have just bought and want it right before they move in.
- Kitchens & bathrooms
- Roof replacement & sealing
- Structural repair & additions
- Full interior renovation
How it works
From first call to front door.
Five stages. You know the cost before stage four, and you see the site every week after it.
Consultation
A free call or site walk. We talk about your lot, what you want, and what it realistically costs here. Most people are still six to eighteen months out when we first speak.
Site & feasibility
Topography, soil, access, water, setbacks and municipal zoning. This is the stage that catches the expensive surprises — before you’ve spent anything on design.
Design & fixed bid
Architecture and engineering drawn to your programme and to this climate. Then a line-item bid you can hold us to, with allowances stated in writing.
Permits & build
We file with the municipality and CFIA and run the site with our own crew. Weekly photo and video updates go out whether you’re here or abroad.
Handover & warranty
Punch list walked together, systems demonstrated, documents handed over — and a builder who is still in town if something needs attention.
Track record
You are not our practice run.
Most builders in the Southern Zone started here. We didn’t. Uvita Custom Homes is run by the same people behind Flagstone Roofing in the United States — a contracting business that completed more than 3,000 exterior projects before we brought the crew, the standards and the paperwork discipline south.
3,000+ exterior projects
Delivered under Flagstone Roofing, at a volume that forces real systems for scheduling, subcontractors and quality control.
24 homes built
Custom homes designed, permitted and completed between Dominical and Ojochal — for owners who were mostly out of the country while we built them.
Twenty-five years in construction
Long enough to have seen what fails in this climate, and to price a job without guessing.
Fixed price, every time
Not an estimate. A number you hold us to, with allowances written down before anyone breaks ground.
Costs & questions
What it actually costs, and how long it actually takes.
Straight answers to what people ask us a year before they hire anyone. These are current regional figures, not a quote — your number depends on your lot and your finishes.
What does it cost to build here?
Around $2,250 per square metre — roughly $209 per square foot — for medium to high-quality finishes. That figure comes down with lower-quality products, and moves with access, slope and how far materials have to travel.
On top of construction, budget another 12–15% for professional fees, permits, mandatory insurance and municipal taxes.
How long does the whole thing take?
Permitting typically runs six to ten months, and construction eight to fourteen months, depending on size and site.
The usual bottleneck is not us. It’s the AyA water availability letter, which is currently taking three to six months and gates everything behind it. We start that early for exactly that reason.
What’s involved in permitting?
Plans are sealed by the CFIA — the national engineers and architects association — which takes about five to eight business days once drawings are complete. There’s also a construction tax of roughly 1% of appraised value.
Then the municipality issues the building permit. We file all of it; you don’t chase any of it.
Can I own property here as a foreigner?
Yes. On titled land, foreigners hold the same ownership rights as Costa Rican citizens — you do not need a local partner or a residency status to own your lot.
The exception is the Maritime Terrestrial Zone, the first 200 metres inland from the high-tide line, which is concession land and works under different rules. Worth knowing before you fall in love with a beachfront lot.
Where do you build?
Dominical, Uvita, Ojochal and the surrounding Costa Ballena communities, in the canton of Osa, Puntarenas.
I’m not in Costa Rica yet. Does that work?
It’s the normal case, not the exception. Most of the homes we’ve built were built for owners who were somewhere else for most of the project.
That’s why the fixed-price contract and the weekly photo and video reporting exist — they’re what makes building from a distance something you can actually live with.
Tell us about your lot.
A free call or site walk — no charge and no pressure. Most people talk to us six to eighteen months before they build, and that’s exactly the right time.