Building a Dream Home in Boquete with The Hartsells

Last Updated on August 16, 2025 by Retire in Panama

By: Megan Thompson
May 5th, 2024

 

This week, Sherry and Troy Hartsell invited me to their newly constructed home in Jaramillo, Boquete, to chat about their experience building in Panama and see how their vision came to life. I climbed a few hundred meters in elevation from my house in downtown Boquete, driving up the windy, quiet mountain road. As I ascended the final peak to their driveway, I saw their modern rustic home. 

Sherry graciously toured me around, and I was surprised by the warmth of the carefully curated space; every detail brought in a sense of the gorgeous surrounding nature. The house was full of windows where you could enjoy expansive views from Volcan Baru down to the Pacific Ocean. The backyard included an observation deck to enjoy the beautiful sunsets and gaze along the coast. 

The deck is shared with the casita, where they lived while their house was being built. Now, their charming casita is listed on Airbnb, so anyone can enjoy the tranquility and comfort they created. In the hour I spent with them, they shared with me how they ended up in Panama, what it was like building in Boquete, and their advice for other expats wanting to build a home.

Sherry and Troy are originally from the U.S. but spent many years living abroad in Japan, Russia, and Spain. They moved back to the U.S. when their sons were ready for college. When their boys finished school and started working on their careers, Troy and Sherry began to get the travel bug again. By the end of 2020, most work had gone remote; Sherry and Troy were ready to leave Charlotte and go international. 

After traveling around Central America and property hunting along the way, they realized it would be difficult to find a home they loved in a community they enjoyed. At this point, they opened to the idea of building their own home. They had the idea of what they wanted. When their eyes landed on the property in Jaramillo, they saw their vision coming to life.

The pair had yet to envision themselves in Boquete, a mountain town. They initially visited Boquete in October 2021; they are scuba divers and love the coast, so Boquete was a quick stop in the mountains between their explorations in Bocas del Toro and Boca Chica. After seeing all the beaches in Panama, Costa Rica, Belize, and Honduras, they recognized that Boquete had all the infrastructure, community, goods, and services to live comfortably and had easy access to diving locations. Feeling well-informed, they made an offer on their property by the end of that trip.

They went home to sell their house in North Carolina and decided they would be very hands-on with the build in Boquete. They asked for recommendations and interviewed various architects and construction companies. After comparing all the options, they hired Victor, with Caldera Construction, and architect Rene Bacil. 

The builder and architect organized remote meetings with Sherry and Troy before they returned to Boquete to clarify their wishes. Once the designs were finalized, they were able to dial in the price per square foot, plan the stage-funded timeline, and provide spec lists with prices for making decisions on the details. They could review the receipts for all purchases and follow along on a shared spreadsheet.

The project’s timeline was about what they expected. The plans were finished and approved in four months. The builders completed the casita in six months and the house in just over eleven months. Each project took about 1-2 months over the expected timeline; however, some minor add-ons resulted in extra work for the crew. 

Given their location in the mountains, some planning was required to get all the build materials and tools up there. One small delivery truck at a time would drop off cinder blocks and bags of cement. Just as important, they were also able to stick to the budget! Sherry was disappointed to state they went $500 over the planned budget, but I was thoroughly impressed. She said they were given choices for materials throughout the build that would keep them on budget.

They were also gracious enough to share the cost of their build, priced out in July 2022. The total estimate, including the house, casita, carport, terrace, and driveway, averaged around $110 per square foot. They considered their quality of finishes to be midrange, with porcelain tile, cedar/oak cabinets and doors, and quartz countertops. If broken down, they averaged their casita cost around $80 per square foot and the house around $120-130 per square foot.  

Their crucial advice was to thoroughly vet the builder and architect, see their work, and talk to their past clients when the builder was not around. Sherry mentioned they had heard many concerning stories about building in Panama, so they did their due diligence. They made their final decision based on great testimonials and the style and quality of the builds rather than the best price. 

They were content paying a little more, knowing their vision was in skillful and reliable hands. They also urged that future home builders consider all the parts that go into the budget, like the land, house, appliances, furniture, landscaping, etc. It is essential to fully understand what is included in the contract with the builder.

Some other recommendations were to discuss warranty on workmanship defects and consider electricity and water on the lot. They had to borrow electricity from a neighbor throughout their build. They could only get a permit from Naturgy, the electricity provider, to turn on the power once they had their occupancy permit, which you can only get once the fire marshal comes to inspect the house when it is finished. 

They were told it would take around three months to get their electricity. They got the permit immediately, but it took seven months to finally get power. They had to install two power poles and a transformer. They also found out later that they could not use water for irrigation in Jaramillo. Moreover, they stressed the importance of spending time wherever you are thinking of building, talking to the neighbors, and getting to know about the different weather seasons, power outages, internet signal, etc.

I asked if they would do it all again, and they answered yes. Living in the casita while the house was being built was difficult. Every morning at 7 am, the construction crew started work. Yet, they were able to address any questions that came up quickly. They could see the exciting progress being made and were able to make minor changes if necessary. Nothing on the market interested them; in the end, they got exactly what they wanted. It took time, patience, and attention to detail, but they are glad they did it. It was a self-gratifying process for them to see their vision come to life.

If you want to check it out for yourself and meet the lovely couple, you can book their casita on Airbnb! Since they lived in it during the construction of their home, it has everything a guest could need: a full kitchen, washer and dryer, living room, bathroom, linens and towels, and a thoughtful welcome basket with goodies for guests to enjoy.

 

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