How We Built Our Mountain Retreat: The Story Behind pureSKY Stays

In June 2020, Andrew made the permanent move to Costa Rica. By that point, we had already purchased a half-acre lot nestled on the side of a mountain in the Central Valley. With a dream in mind and a breathtaking view in front of us, we began the process of designing and securing permits for what would become our home.

Construction officially began in December 2020. We hired a local crew led by a father and his two sons—craftsmen who had been building homes in Costa Rica their entire lives. With them, we didn’t just supervise; we joined the team, working every day side-by-side. Andrew often jokes that he was both the boss and the least experienced worker on the crew. Every brick, every piece of steel, every screw, every wire, every brush of paint—we touched it ourselves. There was no part of the building process we weren’t involved in. To give one example: Leidy and Andrew painted the entire house, inside and out, by hand.

After 11 months of sweat, learning, and labor, we moved into our new home in November 2021. While it was finished enough to be comfortable and livable, many finishing touches remained (and still do). We took six months to enjoy the fruits of our hard work—our self-built castle on the mountain—before deciding to take the next step.

In June 2021, we began building our first Airbnb cabin. The site was pure Costa Rican forest. We cleared it by hand and constructed stairs down the hillside to access what would become the cabin area. These stairs were essential—not just for access but for transporting materials.

Next came precision planning. We carefully marked the post locations and dug each hole by hand—2 meters deep—into virgin mountain soil. Each galvanized steel 4x4 post was secured with welded rebar anchors and filled with concrete both around the base and down the hollow core, adding strength and stability. For the floor, we used parallel 4x4 steel beams and perpendicular 3x3 beams, topped with 1" rebar-reinforced 4x8 cement boards.

The walls were built with heavy-gauge metal studs and 1/2" cement boards known locally as Durock, finished with smooth stucco inside and out. Roof trusses were welded on-site by hand. The only insulation we added was in the ceiling—both for soundproofing during Costa Rica’s epic rains and to block the sun’s heat.

Ten months later, we welcomed our first guest in April 2022. Since then, we’ve worked relentlessly to achieve Superhost status and earn the "Guest Favorite" badge. Through constant feedback, experience, and genuine care, we’ve refined our hosting approach.

We’ve hosted travelers from all over the world. Some guests stay with us for their first or last nights in Costa Rica. Others settle in for a month-long stay to escape harsh winters and recharge in our peaceful mountain retreat.

We’ve shared meals with guests—learning how to cook authentic Polish perogies or traditional Mexican dishes. We’ve walked through the surrounding sugar cane and coffee fields with our three dogs, showing off the natural paradise we now call home. With perfect weather year-round, this little mountain has become more than a home—it’s a place of connection, calm, and discovery.

That’s the story behind pureSKY Stays. Built by hand, powered by heart, and inspired by the beauty of Costa Rica.