Civil Plans Mistake

As we prepare to begin our improvements, I’ve learned that I made a mistake while preparing the civil plans, which will likely cost me months.

The engineer that I hired has approved plans before but has never done a higher-end development where the existing trees are saved. 

Maintaining some of the mature trees on our site is very important if we want to sell our homes at a higher price point. The best developments in the country incorporate mature landscaping into their designs.

I created a tree plan that labeled each tree and measured its diameter, but it did not measure its grade. My grading plan also didn’t incorporate the trees that I wanted to keep.

The problem with this is that if the grade around a tree is lowered or raised too much, it will kill the existing tree. There are many solutions to the grading problem, but they have to be addressed before moving the dirt.

This leaves me with a choice:

Do I address the problem and potentially change my civil drawings to the extent that it could delay my project for months?

Or

Do I remove the trees I originally wanted to keep in order to maintain the civil plans that I currently have approved?

Keeping the trees will certainly help set my development apart and, ultimately, create more value in my homes without incurring much additional cost. On the flip side, anyone who has done developments understands that time is money.

If I were focused on certain metrics, this decision might be much more difficult. However, I don’t feel that pressure, as my investor pool is small, consisting only of family and friends.

Instead, I can focus on risk management and creating the best possible product.

It’s an easy decision for us to potentially delay our project but ensure the best possible outcome in terms of quality product. 

These are the kinds of mistakes I am making as someone new to development in Costa Rica, but if I decide to do more, I won’t make them again.

Why I Moved my business from Utah to Costa Rica

Reason #5: The People

The United States of America has been the world’s powerhouse for the last 100 years.

How come?

Michael Girdley made a thread last year arguing that the US would remain the world's top superpower because of its geographic advantages. I think Girley is a smart guy, but I believe this reasoning is deeply flawed.

Prosperity is not a result of geography; it’s a result of people.

This is an image of the ‘breaker boys’ in 1911. 

These boys were mining coal in Pennsylvania and were usually between the ages of 8-12, but were sometimes as young as 5 years old. This same generation of boys lived through WW1, the Great Depression, and WW2. This generation is the reason our country has had the greatest 100-year run in human civilization!

This prosperous run was made possible by previous generations who sacrificed everything in the pursuit of liberty. From those originally sailing in search of religious freedom to those fighting in the American Revolution, Civil War, etc.

Tough Times + Moral People + Liberty = Prosperity

As soon as I started visiting Costa Rica, I immediately felt a difference in how people were conducting themselves.

There was an overall aura of happiness. Many families would be walking together in the evenings, and fathers would be playing soccer with their sons. Commerce was much slower on Sundays. 

Those born from 1950-1965 are unbelievably helpful to younger generations. As I’ve met with multiple companies, I have been astonished to consistently see men in their 60s and 70s taking active roles in their companies as they train the younger generations.

I never see this older generation complain like a ‘Karen’ about minor inconveniences, and there is no evidence they’ve used politics to bolster their living standards at the expense of others. 

The youth are extremely excited about work. They are begging for opportunities to join our workforce. I've seen them bend over backward for job opportunities. 

I love this video of what Nick Huber is doing. 

While his examples are from other countries, I see so many examples of young people like this.

I am in the home-building business, so I don’t have the luxury of offshoring my labor force. However, as a builder in Costa Rica, I can take full advantage of hiring better people.

This labor dynamic creates a much higher standard of living for those who live in these countries. Lower-skilled labor is significantly better at their jobs in Costa Rica. They are much more likely to smile and greet you. They will hold a conversation and often play with my kids when I have my family with me.

On the other hand, it’s no secret that in the US, our workforce is getting more and more expensive while also becoming less competitive.

Employers are not involved at the lowest levels, while employees have contempt for their responsibilities.

In the United States, we have become immoral.

Because of this, we are suffering in many ways. Instead of using specific examples, I’ll try to highlight this through generations.

These are obviously generalities, and there are many exceptions. It would be worth taking a look inside and determining whether some of these problems reflect your own.

I'm skipping the Silent Generation because, frankly, I believe they are the last moral generation in the U.S.

I'll start with the oldest: Baby Boomers.

Baby Boomers

Baby Boomers are generally entitled. They have chosen to protect their wealth to the detriment of the youth. They have done this through political power, as they have had the majority for years now. They have done this through entitlement expansion, protecting bankers, propping up asset prices, and zoning regulations. 

The example of zoning regulations to prevent development perfectly encapsulates this. 

They have intentionally used zoning laws to prevent people with smaller incomes from moving into their neighborhoods, blocking the path for many young families to afford homes. 

Unlike Costa Ricans, I rarely see them actively working in a mentoring position late into their 60s and 70s. They are usually at least one step removed from the younger workforce.

Gen X

While they have a practical nature, many have become unbelievably bitter. Many at mid-age are completely unable to collaborate with others. 

Many in that demographic are unable to even hold a conversation when there is political dialogue. As they are maturing into elderhood, they still use profanity like teenagers. 

While working on my construction sites, they became a hindrance to the job site and would fight like children. I began to simply avoid any contractor in that demographic. I could give dozens of examples of men in their 40s throwing temper tantrums over slight inconveniences.

Millennials

Millennials are very collaborative, unlike Gen X, but are incredibly lazy and entitled. 

We believe that we can have a prosperous life while working from home for 20 hours a week. When I interview millennials, they often show up late, dressed down, and complain when I require a 40-hour work week in the office. 

We arguably had the best childhood in human history and yet believe we need to unwind it all with therapy instead of hard work and service to our community. 

Anything produced in the US has become something reserved for the rich. 

Housing is no exception. 

Unfortunately, I don't have hope that we will change these things until something humbles us.

As Americans, we won't improve our lives until we make significant moral improvements first.