COVINTEC construction experience

If you wish to see quite a bit of construction using this material, take a small trip to Boquete, Panama, it seems to be the material of choice by many contractors there.

For more info, logon to boquete.org and do a search or inquire about M2 Covintec.

Cheers,
Gene

Too bad you had encountered only negative opinios of the Covintec System
I built my house (500 plus meters) using the covintec panels and I am very happy with it. It is extremely fresh (in managua 35-40 degrees in summer) and definitedly will stand any earthquake better than blocks.

The only "negative"  I can think of is that you should have good supervision so the building crew wet the walls constantly during the aplication of the cement  (a step also required in block walls and often not done right)

Happy Holidays

Hi all,

I've used this in Nicaragua and t is a great system.

It would be nice to know what the problems are with it here.   I really do not like at all when people just bash something and do not explain why it makes you wonder if it is true.

I am thinking of using that product on our next developement site. I need more info before i use it but so far it sounds like a good choice.

We use covintec almost exclusivley in our developments.  We are in an area that is both seismicly active and gets a lot of rain.  Covintec is very stable, super insulated, weather resistant and easy to use.  We use pneumatic cement with a cement sprayer after hand troweling our base coat.  You can see actual photos on our website at [no free ads in your very first message] and navigate to the "pictures of homes" page.

Hi, So can anyone comment on using Covintec over concrete bloc for building their house?  I've read the info on Covintec but I am looking for specific examples.  Thanks

Hi, I am looking into Covintec and Quadlock systems as compared to block. I am just beginning. Did you investigate further? Have you used the product? Tnx!

Like to check out your website

Keep in mind the previous posts are over a year old.  If you were to Google the words "Costa Rica pacific lots" you may find what you are looking for.

TerrynViv wrote:

Keep in mind the previous posts are over a year old.  If you were to Google the words "Costa Rica pacific lots" you may find what you are looking for.

Hi, is your home built with these panels? Are you happy with them?

I am looking into SIP panels which I know there is one company now selling them in Costa Rica (at least one that I know of, that is).

I'm interested in building a hexagonal home with SIP panels, maybe something like this:
http://www.greywater.com.au/yurts/yurtmenu.htm (This is not an ad, I have no connection with this web site. We're talking about building materials here so hopefully some links will be allowed so we can see what we're talking about!)

As for the Covintec materials I would try to talk to people in  Costa Rica who have used them and DID NOT like them and see if the problems were inherent in the system or if the builders did something wrong. I always like to read the negative reviews (like at amazon) to see the reasons why a product might not be good even if most people like it. I think it's good to weigh both the good and bad sides of things before buying them.

After a lot of research and talking with people who have used covintec we decided (in conjunction with our builder) not to use it.  We also toured the facility that uses covintec in most of their houses.

Me too.

What your'e website address?

Not sure who you are asking about the website address.  If it is me, I don't have a website.

Sorry wrong person

TerrynViv wrote:

After a lot of research and talking with people who have used covintec we decided (in conjunction with our builder) not to use it.  We also toured the facility that uses covintec in most of their houses.

Would love to hear your reasons. Myself and a friend are looking at it, so we'd love to get your opinion on it. If you want you could post that here or pm me.

In any case, thanks for the feedback!

jdouey wrote:

Sorry wrong person

If you use the QUOTE button at the bottom of each message then it gives the quote of the message you are replying to, thus everyone knows what or whom you are referring to! ;-D

how are you still liking your covintec?  I am buying land near the beach and looking into the process.  My friend just built his 2 floor casita with it.. not an experienced builder but is getting it done.  I am sure there are mistakes in his process, but I believe it is a good product.  One thing i noticed on one of the houses built from covintec, was cracks a year later.  any thoughts?
thanks

Did you ever decide on using it or not and if so or not, could you give me some feedback? it looks like a terrific option?
thanks
matt

What are peoples objections to this system?  I saw one complaint that rats ate into the foam.  This must have been a failure to properly coat the foam with concrete.  Are there any condensation problems in inside the wall at the foam?
Thank you,
Patrick

As to Covintec, I don't know. But we used Panacor SIP panels and we have not had any issues with them as of yet (now almost 2 years). They have a hard coating on the outside of the "styrofoam" inner cores.
I would build with Panacor again, though I do recommend doing what we did which was to put steel posts at the corners and stress points, which is not part of the Panacor kit or design. This may not be necessary but it made us feel much more confident that the house is strong and less likely to blow away in a hurricane or tornado or fall down in an earthquake.

Last year CR had it's first hurricane touch down in recorded history, and so who knows - what with global climate change - that tornadoes could not also be possible. Earthquakes are a given though we have not felt one since we have been here.

You can see how the Panacor  panels can be reinforced with steel posts here:
http://movingtocostarica.info/video-gal … osta-rica/

mchamorro wrote:

Too bad you had encountered only negative opinios of the Covintec System
I built my house (500 plus meters) using the covintec panels and I am very happy with it. It is extremely fresh (in managua 35-40 degrees in summer) and definitedly will stand any earthquake better than blocks.

The only "negative"  I can think of is that you should have good supervision so the building crew wet the walls constantly during the aplication of the cement  (a step also required in block walls and often not done right)

Happy Holidays

How is your home after 10yrs? I am thinking about using Covintec in San Juan Del Sur.

PacificLots.com wrote:

We use covintec almost exclusivley in our developments.  We are in an area that is both seismicly active and gets a lot of rain.  Covintec is very stable, super insulated, weather resistant and easy to use.  We use pneumatic cement with a cement sprayer after hand troweling our base coat.  You can see actual photos on our website at [no free ads in your very first message] and navigate to the "pictures of homes" page.

How is your home after 7yrs using Covintec?

samramon wrote:

jdouey wrote:

Sorry wrong person

If you use the QUOTE button at the bottom of each message then it gives the quote of the message you are replying to, thus everyone knows what or whom you are referring to! ;-D

Note that those posts re Covintec were from 2007, 2010 and 2012. Don't think those posters post here any more but you may be able to contact them via their Profile page or PM.

samramon wrote:

Note that those posts re Covintec were from 2007, 2010 and 2012. Don't think those posters post here any more but you may be able to contact them via their Profile page or PM.

Thank you. Trying to find people's that have build their home with that material.

***

Built a 2 story 2800 sqft house out of covintec in 2004. We are located in Consjo Village Belize just across the bay from Chetumal Mx.
We bought direct from a factory in Veracruze and had it delivered by the mfg. to the boarder, where we picked it up.
We built the house with a local crew (6 men + myself and a friend)  none of us knew anything about the material. The crew had never seen it before. By 11:00 on the first morning we were putting it together like old pros. The more we used it the more we liked it. Very easy to build arches and other architectural details.
It has an insulation factor of 19 which is a real bonus. Blocks absorb heat all day an radiate that heat, through the block into the house. There is virtually no pass through of heat with covintec. People remark at how cool the house is.
Except for the slab (with a cistern under ) all walls, the 2nd floor and the roof are of coventec.
We are 100% satisfied and highly recommend it as a  great choice for tropical construction.
Happy to answer anybody's questions ;

wri57 wrote:

Built a 2 story 2800 sqft house out of covintec in 2004. We are located in Consjo Village Belize just across the bay from Chetumal Mx.
We bought direct from a factory in Veracruze and had it delivered by the mfg. to the boarder, where we picked it up.
We built the house with a local crew (6 men + myself and a friend)  none of us knew anything about the material. The crew had never seen it before. By 11:00 on the first morning we were putting it together like old pros. The more we used it the more we liked it. Very easy to build arches and other architectural details.
It has an insulation factor of 19 which is a real bonus. Blocks absorb heat all day an radiate that heat, through the block into the house. There is virtually no pass through of heat with covintec. People remark at how cool the house is.
Except for the slab (with a cistern under ) all walls, the 2nd floor and the roof are of coventec.
We are 100% satisfied and highly recommend it as a  great choice for tropical construction.
Happy to answer anybody's questions ;

Hi, i hope great minds think alike. We will be building a two story house on the beach in Nicaragua and are planning on using convintec and also putting a cistern under the main floor slab (i thought this was my own crazy idea). I would appreciate any detials, and lessons learned that you can share on both.

Hi, I heard that you have to treat the cement for plastering to make it strong and prevent cracking. You know what specifically is done? I've heard the use of fiber glass and quarry dust. Is this really the case?

@wri57 Hi just came across your post, how is your roof holding up with covintec? I am going to build on Ambergris Caye and my architect is pushing for a metal roof as he said concrete has leakage issues. I am looking for insulation, noise and hurricane protection. Have you had any issues with your build?

Thank you

@chinito1984  - My roof is metal and is doing fine. Tks for asking.  It is for rent if you know anyone ????