"Abby Brown" wrote
I will ask about that. We will be looking in upscale neighborhoods in
Costa Rica, Ecuador, and maybe sourthern Spain; all are earthquake zones.
Construction standards has been a concern. Many of the listings make a
point that the house was built or upgraded to American standards.

It is difficult to insulate? I thought one of the advantages was the
thermal mass helps moderated the temperature. Or that a different thing?
In Costa Rica the humidity is hard on wood.

Gary

If you build it with Insulating Concrete Forms (ICF's) it is very easy to
insulate. They are used on 4% of US housing construction now and are
growing in use in other countries. Check out www.integraspec.com or
www.greenblock.com or others for more information.