The Sánchez family home was built back in 1916 on a cattle ranch in Cañas, Guanacaste. After several years of abandonment, I was commissioned to restore and expand it. As usual in these cases, there are always doubts concerning the convenience of either restoring or demolishing the building and constructing a new home. Fortunately, and having taken into consideration its cultural value, they chose the first option.

The family’s requirements had grown, as had the number of family members, so it included 7 bedrooms, 8 bathrooms, swimming pool, living room, dining room, kitchen, and informal dining area. Faced with this situation, the internal distribution was entirely modified, keeping the first and second story corridors intact as well as the carport. The original wooden structure was preserved and reinforced. A new volume was built for the covered swimming pool, guest quarters, kitchen, TV room, and master bedroom with its balcony.

Local cedar wood was used for the structure and exterior wood cladding; a floor tile identical to the original one was commissioned. The charm of the ample, shaded corridors was replicated as an essential feature in this expansion. The landscaping and waterfalls surrounding the pool contribute to the creation of a cool microclimate in an area with high temperatures year round.

The environment did not suffer a negative impact and the house seems unchanged, as if it had always been there, conveying a feeling of peace and a sense of belonging to the place. Surrounded by corrals, pasture grounds, and old leafy trees, this house is a portrait of the family it shelters.