For resort developers
A roof that does not close the area it covers.
Lifecycle cost, phasing against your construction programme, insurability and the fire file — for hotels, beach clubs and amenity buildings on the Costa Rican coast.
The framing
A palapa over revenue floor area is not a finish decision.
A beach club, a pool bar and a lobby palapa are revenue-generating space with a roof over them. A covering that has to be replaced every three to five years does not just cost the re-thatching — it costs the closure, and the closure rarely arrives in low season by arrangement.
That is the number worth modelling. Capital cost at tender is the least interesting line in a twenty-year hold.
- No area closures
- Phased delivery
- Class A ASTM E108
- 260 km/h certified
Nothing shuts down for maintenance
No re-thatching cycle means no scaffolding across the pool deck, no fenced-off beach club and no organic waste removal in the middle of high season.
The insurance file writes itself
Class A under ASTM E108, wind certification at 260 km/h and 6,000 hours of UV exposure under ASTM G155 — three third-party results, which is what underwriters and fire review are able to work with.
It phases with the programme
Regional stock, palletised delivery by phase at 370 m² per pallet, and no sub-roof or membrane: the roof stays a single programme activity instead of three trades in sequence.
In the model
Where the twenty-year difference actually shows up.
Operating cost, not capital cost
Four to five re-thatching cycles over a twenty-year hold, each with material, crew, scaffolding and waste removal — against one installation with a documented warranty. That comparison, not the tender price, is what decides the system.
Revenue days lost
Every intervention takes an amenity out of service. Model those days at your own rate and the operating line usually settles the argument before the capital line is even discussed.
At feasibility stage
Four things to ask for before the roof is priced.
All four are issued the same business day and all four change the quality of the decision.
Sloped-area take-off
Material is measured on the true sloped area of each plane, not the plan projection. The difference grows with pitch, and it is the single most common source of two quotes that cannot be compared.
Test documentation with its scope
The fire, wind and UV reports, with what each test actually measures stated plainly. Overstating a test is how a submittal gets returned.
Phasing against the programme
Delivery matched to your block sequence from regional stock, so no phase waits on an import container and no pallet sits in the weather for a year.
The warranty letter
Twenty years, with exactly what is covered and who issues it. It belongs in the tender file, not in a follow-up email after award.
Frequently asked
What development teams ask.
Will our insurer accept it on a coastal property?
The three figures that carry weight in that conversation are the Class A ASTM E108 roof covering classification, the 260 km/h wind certification and the 6,000 hours of UV exposure under ASTM G155. We supply all three with the scope of each test stated, which is what a broker needs to place the risk.
Can it be combined with other roof systems across a masterplan?
Yes, and it usually is: slab or metal on the main volumes, thatch over the social and amenity buildings. Junctions between systems are resolved with metal flashing and an independent starter batten.
What is the delivery lead time for a large phase?
Material is held in regional stock rather than ordered per project, which is why phased delivery works at all. Lead time for a specific volume is confirmed against current stock when the quote is issued.
Do you install, or do we?
Either. Supply with on-site training for your contractor's crew, or full installation by a certified crew with finish supervision and a documented handover. Both are contracted through palm.cr.
Is there a reference project we can visit?
Yes. Completed work across Guanacaste, the Central Pacific and the Central Valley includes resort pool decks, beach club houses and condominium social areas, and site visits are arranged on request.
Modelling a resort roof right now?
Send the schematic roof plan and we return the sloped-area take-off, the test documentation and a phasing plan.
