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It is now June, and the Costa Rica rainy season, or green season as we call it nowadays for marketing reasons, has started. As usual in Costa Rica, we have had a beautiful summertime.
Because the weather is beautiful most of the time in Costa Rica, many do not realize that when it rains, it pours. But not all the time either. The weather in Costa Rica is changing, like elsewhere in the world.
Most Costa Rica real estate owners don’t realize how much damage the rains can create. Because when it rains, it pours, and unless you are on a hillside, much of the Costa Rican soil doesn’t drain easily. I have seen whole walls wash away in one rainstorm, and Costa Rica has a few flood areas. Rivers fill up with trash, and whole neighborhoods can get flooded during the rainy season.
When is the green season?
The green season, which we not only call the Costa Rica rainy season but also “winter, goes from May to November. This coincides with the Atlantic hurricane season, and we are usually hit with the tail of the hurricanes up north. Our Caribbean coast gets more rain during the whole year. But when the rest of the country is hit by rains in September and October, there is very little rain on the Caribbean side. So if you plan to get away from the rains during those months, you can do so by driving only a few hours. Just send me an email, and I’ll hook you up with our Caribbean affiliate partners for a nice vacation home at great prices!
Many public roads in Costa Rica don’t have ditches. If your property is below street level, you will have to build them
Costa Rica Rainy Season To-Do list
So you won’t forget, since this repeats itself every year, set your Outlook agenda or iPhone with an appointment on the 1st of June. Then set it with a yearly recurrence and you copy/paste the following To-Do list in it:
1. Check if you have the proper tools so your gardener can do a good job. You will need a ladder, gloves, a trowel, buckets, a garden hose with a nozzle, wire hooks.
2. Check if you have replacement tiles if you have a barrel tile roof. If you have a metal roof or other material, make an inventory of the damage and purchase what is necessary. Keep some in reserve if you have good storage.
Check your roof for broken tiles and your property for land slides
3. Check your roof for broken tiles, sun-cracked plastic roof covers, and skylights.
4. See if your roof needs a paint job or can survive another rainy season. Pay special attention to your soffits and fascia. Here is a blog with a few tips about signs of roof damage.
5. Clean all your gutters and downspouts and repair them when necessary. In Costa Rica, we don’t have a Lowe’s but you might be able to purchase most of what is shown in this Lowe’s video at EPA.
Clean the drain boxes and gutter system and cut back your entire garden
6. Clean the drain boxes and gutter system in your gardens to make sure the system isn’t clogged up and water can get away easily. Also, check if the municipal storm ditches outside your property are clean. If there are no ditches or gutters as in photos, complain at your municipality or build them yourself.
7. Cut back your entire garden, plants, trees, and anything that grows close to the house, so it won’t cover your gutters because once the rains start things grow a lot faster than you’d think.
8. A great option to keep your gutters clean during the Costa Rica rainy season is to install gutter screens. I have never seen the gutters screens shown in this Lowe’s video for sale in Costa Rica, but it is pretty easy to do it the MacGyver way as we do things in Costa Rica.
This is what happens if you don’t clean your gutters in time
9. If you are on a hillside and you have a neighbor above you, walk the fence. See if there are any signs the rainwater coming from your neighbor, will either be blocked from there. Also, if the water can damage the hillside behind your house. Also, check at the bottom of your property if the water can flow well to the neighbor below you and the rainwater won’t create any landslides.
10. Check the gate to the entrance of your property, make sure the opening mechanism is well oiled and the roof above your gate not leaking.
11. Check where the rain will hit your windows and window sills and see if it needs any paint or kit so the water will not create any damage.
12. For rainstorm emergencies, make sure you have the proper clothing and boots to attend during a downpour, so you won’t get sick after.
Now you should be ready for the next Costa Rica rainy season. If you’re ready to purchase Costa Rica real estate, contact us now.
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