Custom home builder in Uvita
Uvita’s hillside lots look down on the whale-tail sandbar of Marino Ballena National Park, with steep ridges directly behind.
Projects start at $350,000 USD
Building a custom home in Uvita today
Uvita sits on a coastal plain and river valleys at Bahía Ballena, with the steep Fila Costeña ridges rising right behind town. Many hill lots have tiered building sites and steep access roads, so slope and drainage engineering lead the design.
Osa has no cantonal plan regulador, and building has grown fast: the canton issued a record 533 construction permits in 2022. In 2025, community groups asked for a permit moratorium and a plan update.
- Municipality
- Municipalidad de Osa (seat in Ciudad Cortés)
- Nearest airport
- Quepos (XQP), about 45 km away
- From San José
- About 175 km, 3.5 to 4 hours via Routes 27 and 34
- Typical lots
- Flat lots near town and terraced hillside ocean-view lots
- Water
- ASADA letters; supply from Fila Costeña springs
- Zoning plan
- No cantonal plan regulador in Osa
Getting to Uvita
About 175 km / 3.5 to 4 hours from SJO via Route 27 and then Route 34 (Costanera Sur), which a regular sedan can handle. From Liberia (LIR) it is about 280 km / 5 to 6 hours.
We build here from our showroom in Altos de Flamingo, with our crews on site for the length of your project. You can visit any time by appointment.
Hillside lots above Bahía Ballena
The land
Flat lots sit near town and the beach, some on rivers, while terraced ocean-view lots climb the Fila Costeña. Heavy rain later in the year on steep slopes is why drainage and slope engineering matter on every hill lot.
Marino Ballena National Park, created in 1989, is described as the first marine protected area in Costa Rica and Central America, and its main entrance is in Uvita’s Bahía neighborhood. You cannot build inside the park, and the coast is maritime zone (ZMT): 50 m public, then 150 m concession.
Titled lots inland and on the hills are buildable with a municipal permit from Osa plus SETENA environmental clearance. The CFIA has reported that 35% of constructions in Osa operate without a municipal license, so we check a lot’s permit history before you buy.
Water in Uvita
Springs in the Fila Costeña supply Uvita and Bahía Ballena, and most lots rely on an ASADA availability letter. Local listings commonly advertise “legal ASADA water,” which is the standard to look for.
Letters are valid for about a year, so we check for a current one before purchase through our land and construction consulting. We also design for storage and rain capture to cover the December to April dry season.
Permit checklist for Uvita
Not sure a lot will get a permit and a water letter? Our land consulting checks it before you buy, and the consulting fee (not surveys or soil studies) is credited to your build if you go ahead with us.
- Building permit from the Municipalidad de Osa
- SETENA environmental clearance
- Current ASADA availability letter, valid for about a year
- ZMT status and park boundary check near Marino Ballena
- Slope, drainage and access-road engineering on hillside lots
- Permit history of the lot and any existing structures
Why build in Uvita
Whales offshore
Humpbacks visit twice a year: the southern population from July to November and the northern population from December to April.
The whale-tail view
Hillside lots look down on Punta Uvita, the whale-tail sandbar you can walk at low tide.
Paved road from San José
Uvita is the best-served town on the Costa Ballena, about 3.5 to 4 hours from SJO on a route a regular sedan can handle.
We built the Uvita jungle house right here, and a rainforest ocean-view villa up the coast in Manuel Antonio. Uvita jungle house Rainforest ocean-view villa
Sources: Walking on the Whale Tail at Marino Ballena National Park - Costa Rica Divers; The Whale Tail at Uvita’s Marino Ballena National Park - Two Weeks in Costa Rica; How to Get to Uvita - Costa Rica Divers; Solicitan a la Contraloría investigar a la Municipalidad de Osa - Delfino (Oct 2025); Legal water availability options - Costa Rica Real Estate Service; Buying property in Costa Rica: what foreign buyers need to know - Tico Times (Sep 2026).
“We have had a great experience with Decentra. Their follow up skills are impeccable and they are a one stop shop for all phases of your build.”
“I engaged with Sean and the owner Sergio to obtain building costs for a residential project in the mountains of the Central Valley. I found them to be very welcoming, informative and accommodating.”
Questions about building in Uvita
Can I build next to Marino Ballena National Park?
Not inside it, and the coastal strip is ZMT: 50 m public, then concession-only. Titled lots inland and on the hills are buildable with a municipal permit from Osa, plus SETENA environmental clearance.
Is water available for new homes in Uvita?
Most lots rely on an ASADA availability letter, and water comes from Fila Costeña springs. Letters are valid for about a year, so we check for a current one before purchase.
Is there a zoning plan in Uvita?
Osa has no cantonal plan regulador. The canton issued a record 533 construction permits in 2022, and in 2025 community groups asked for a permit moratorium and a plan update, so we confirm current rules for each lot.
What does a custom home in Uvita cost?
Hillside lots with terraced sites and steep access roads cost more to build on than flat lots. Our projects start at $350,000, and we price each home once we have seen the site and the design.
Tell us about your project
The fastest way to reach us is WhatsApp. Or send the form and we reply within one business day.
Projects start at $350,000 USD
Message us on WhatsApp- +506 8733-2930
- Phone
- +1 503-994-8017
- Showroom
- Altos de Flamingo, Playa Flamingo, Guanacaste, Costa Rica, by appointment
- Licensing
- CFIA certified under SIM SRL