Anyone who lives in Costa Rica knows that we have more rainy months than dry months. Generally speaking winter begins towards the end of April and ends around the beginning of November. Every year the cycle varies slightly. The country’s copious rainfall take as toll on most homes. According to the Costa Rica’s professional school of architects or Colegio de Ingenieros y de Arquitectos (CFIA) around 50 percent of the homes here need some type of repair. I know first hand about house repair. I have to spend a few hundred dollars every dry season to make some minor repairs on my home. Fortunately, the labor rates for home repair are much less than they are in the U.S. or other countries. I have a handyman who has worked for me for over ten years. His rates are very reasonable and his work is excellent. Besides having a good lawyer every baby boomer retirees who owns a home in Costa Rica should have a good handyman. Here is some advice on preventative home maintenance and what to look for.

1. Every six months examine your homes floors and make sure there are no cracks and fissures.
2. Experts also recommend that you inspect the inside and outside walls of your home every six months.
3. You roof should be check at least once a year and before winter starts. Wind and strong winds can really do a number on the sheets of corrugated metal which cover most roofs in Costa Rica. Most leaks can be fixed by using silicon however if the roof is really rusted the metal sheets should replaced. If you can take a screw driver and it will perforate the metal sheets then you should replace them.
4. A lot of roof damage can be avoided by keeping your rain gutters in good condition to keep water from damaging your roof and ceilings.