Casa Ruth

An abandoned five-bedroom house on a hill over the bay, gutted and rebuilt with a crew of ten: new wiring, polished brick and a straw-insulated roof.

Role: Designer and builder
When: 2017 to now
Where: On a hill in the center of San Juan del Sur
Team: A local crew of 10
Scope: Full gut rehab of an abandoned five-bedroom house

A white and yellow house behind yellow gates, a bicycle on the patio — **The front** of Casa Ruth.

Abandoned to rentalAn empty house turned into a rental for families, groups and single rooms
10People on the crew I managed
14Guests it sleeps today

Casa Ruth sits on a hill in the middle of town, looking straight out over the bay. When we bought it in 2017, it was abandoned.

Down to the brick

We gutted it. With a local crew of ten, working in Spanish, I rewired the whole house so it went past the safety code. Two of the crew dug a new foundation trench along the old brick wall. Upstairs, the big room got new steel trusses and a new roof, insulated with natural straw, which keeps the heat of the day out. We sanded the brick walls back to their natural red and polished them, so the structure became the finish. In the kitchen, raw brick and rendered columns became a counter with recycled glass bottles set into it.

Outside, the facade went white with yellow trim, with a curving stair up the hillside, and a covered terrace with a wavy red-tile ramp now faces the bay. I managed the design, the remodel, the execution and the quality control, start to finish.

A covered terrace with chairs facing the bay — The terrace over the bay.

Two ways to stay

I designed it to work two ways: as a whole house for a family or a group, or room by room as a small boutique hotel. There are five bedrooms and three bathrooms: a king bedroom with its own bath, three double rooms that share, and an upstairs room with five bunk beds, for up to 14 people. It has a full kitchen, a huge patio, secure parking, and the ocean a block away.

It went from abandoned to one of our five houses.

Curved white walls trimmed in yellow, with the bay below — **Casa Ruth** above the bay.

The same kitchen finished: yellow posts, a purple-wood bar and glass-fronted cabinets — **Casa Ruth, the kitchen.** Drag the line, or use the arrow keys.

The Casa Ruth kitchen before: raw brick walls, a tiled backsplash and empty cabinet frames — **Casa Ruth, the kitchen.** Drag the line, or use the arrow keys.

What I did

Took an abandoned five-bedroom house on a hill over the bay down to the brick
Managed a local crew of ten, in Spanish, through the design, the remodel, the execution and the quality control
Rewired the whole house past the safety code
Put new steel trusses and a new roof over the big upstairs room, insulated with natural straw to keep the heat of the day out
Sanded the brick walls back to their natural red and polished them, so the structure became the finish
Turned raw brick and rendered columns into a kitchen counter set with recycled glass bottles
Designed it to rent two ways: as a whole house for up to 14, or room by room as a small boutique hotel

Deliverables

New electrical throughout
Steel trusses and a straw-insulated roof
Exposed, polished brick walls
A kitchen counter set with recycled glass
A white and yellow facade, a curving stair up the hill and a covered terrace facing the bay
A five-bedroom rental with an upstairs bunk room