Ecuador Living

Design homes in Cotacachi are slowly becoming a reality. Walking around Cotacachi you can see a lot of construction activity for such a small city, population less than 10,000.

Read on to learn the details of a new small development of 4 designer homes in Cotacachi that not only are supremely affordable but will also reflect the design sense of a local lady who produces some of the best art in Ecuador. See the exquisite sculpture embossed with gold leaf and semi -precious stones.

Diana Carrasco is a semi-retired lady from Cuenca who with her husband Luis Alberto Granja re-located to Cotacachi ten years ago. At that time she bought several large plots of land on the outskirts of Cotacachi. On one piece of land was a rough and tumble house that needed much improvement.

For an aesthete like Diana this presented a challenge that she could accept with relish. She virtually re-constructed the 5,000 square foot home and then set about landscaping the gardens. See how it turned out below.

Another piece of land just behind her main house and right opposite the San Miguel development, sat empty for a long period of time. Until now.

Diana has decided to produce a mini-replica of the environment she is living in now which will showcase her design abilities. Having spoken to Diana she is tremendously enthusiastic about this project and talks animatedly about the gardens and the interiors of the houses.

New designer home in Cotacachi

As of the date of this article, the latest design home in Cotacachi and the first of the four Diana is building, has the roof on and the floors are about to be tiled. The 1,600 square foot brick home sits on nearly 3/8 of an acre and Diana had it situated to make the most of the sun’s light as it arcs across the Ecuadorian sky.

The house has a living and dining room, a kitchen, a family room, two bedooms with en-suite bathrooms and built-in closets. Outside there is a walk-way all the way round the house leading to an outside partailly covered BBQ area at one side of the house.

Living room

BBQ area

Diana will plant all kinds of trees, ornamental and fruit. In her garden she has a phenomenal variety of fruit trees including avocado, plum, peach, chinese cherry, lemon and mandarin.

Around the perimeter wall of the 4 houses will be vines and other trees too. There will be a caretaker and part-time gardener working. Diana estimates that monthly costs for the four owners wil be between $130 and $160 including property taxes which are incredibly low in Ecuador. The next door neighbor to the new development, another reader and friend of Gary and Merri’s pays $3 PER YEAR!

Meet the neighbors

There will be just three 1,600 foot houses that will cost $79,700 each and a fourth 1,300 sq, foot house that will cost 69,700. This includes the land, the construction and the landscaping but not the appliances although Diana says she can supply those as well at an additional cost.

For further details or if you have more questions send an email to Gary or myself at belowthevolcano@yahoo.com and I will pass on your interest to Diana Carrasco.

To see these properties as they develop and a wide variety of other properties and opportunities in Cotacachi or the nearby countryside come on an Imbabura Real Estate Tour as listed below.

April 10 - 14 Super Thinking + Spanish
www.garyascott.com/catalog/ecuador-spanish-course

April 16-17 Ecuador Imbabura Real Estate Tour
www.garyascott.com/catalog/ecuador-real-estate

May 13-17 Ecuador Import Export tour
www.garyascott.com/catalog/ecuador-import-and-export-tour

June 11-15, Super Thinking + Spanish
www.garyascott.com/catalog/ecuador-spanish-course

June 16-17 Imbabura Real Estate Tour
www.garyascott.com/catalog/ecuador-real-estate

June 19- 21 Ecuador Shaman Tour
www.garyascott.com/catalog/ecuador-shaman-mingo-tour

Nov 12-14 Coastal Real Estate Tour www.garyascott.com/catalog/ecuador-coastal-real-estate-tour