Teak is the Way to Go…

Do you want to talk Turkey? Not me! Today I want to talk TEAK.

To us at your wonderful getaway at Case de Cooper in San Juan del Sur, Nicaragua. it is a way of living and surviving the season, the rainy season, the dry season and all the repairs and maintenance to know about teak.

It is a tree that grows in the southern region of Nicaragua. Right here in our backyard. It is a tree that plummets way into the sky with only leaves at the very top seeking the sun. The teak is water resistant, insect repellant and makes for some of the beautiful architecture of your villa. Let me explain a little more.

You might have read our blog about the design of Casa de Cooper and the belief of “NO STRAIGHT LINE’. The teak brings in all the exterior wood used in the enormous amount of wood railings on the exterior of the Villa to complete this design.

We fought the rain, the sun and all the creatures that are here in our warm dry jungle year around. After being here since 2004 and after a study, we looked at how we could improve the replacement of the decorative railings that blessed our Villa’s design and do less harm to nature.

We decided on using the teak wood for replacing the railings then thought about how we could give back to nature. A simple solution was to start growing our own teak trees on land below our villa. Now, wait, yes, it does take years to grow the teak tree. In fact, some 25 years to grow to the size for making planks to build sailing ships. But, guess what, in a period of 2 – 3 years we can grow a teak tree that will make the size of a railing we could use at Casa de Cooper. We were off and growing….2018 was our first year of harvest!

Here is a picture of our early venture into planting and growing our small teak replanted the forest. We made a pledge, for every teak tree cut, we would plant back 2 trees. It works and we are a very proud farmer of our own teak railings. Take a look at the wonder of railings. Some small and some large.

Take a look at some of the small trees we used in this pergola and some of the unique railings our gardeners have formed. You might ask about the rope that surrounds the railings and post. This is the original way from years ago of how the railing and post were connected. We try to maintain that sense of the “old” days and be true to the original design.

The rope is a specially treated rope we purchase in Nicaragua. It is dipped into a special solution, dried for several days giving it the ability to sustain natures elements. We assisted in developing this protective way of preserving the rope with a paint company in Nicaragua. We now coat the rope after wrapping with that coating. We also reduced the amount of rope it takes to secure the railings. All this for providing our guest with the culture of Nicaragua and be a part of the movement that wants to preserve and protect this beautiful country.

This website uses cookies to improve user experience.
By using this site, you agree to all cookies in accordance with ourCookie Policy