About

Half an acre, built by hand

Half an acre above the Mopan, bought in 2023 and built by hand. What follows is how it happened, told by the person it happened to.

From the founder, April 2023

Dear Friends and Future Guests,

My trip to Belize in February 2023 changed me. I came home and bought a piece of land on the banks of the Mopan River in Paslow Falls.

This is more than owning a property. It is about a small community committed to preserving nature and making things well. Imagine waking to the sound of the river, spending your days outdoors, fishing and finding inspiration in what surrounds you.

Join me in creating something at Libélula River Lodge, where conservation, craft and community sit side by side.

Danette

Land bought: 2023Land bought
Weeks of build: 30Weeks of build
First guests: 2025First guests

Why Libélula

Libélula is Spanish for dragonfly. It stands for transformation, resilience and agility, which is a fair description of what it takes to build something on a riverbank two and a half thousand miles from where you live.

The flame tree

A Royal Poinciana stands at the river end of the land. In late spring it covers itself in red and orange and the whole plot changes colour. It is also the subject of a children's story written for this place, in which a dragonfly guards the tree from a riverside developer. The tree is real. So, as it turns out, was the developer.

Run from three and a half thousand miles away

The build was managed remotely from the UK with a local team: Gustavo Guerra as architect, Cayo Steel Works on the frame, Emidio on the plumbing, and neighbours who lent their strength when trees had to come down. Without a team there is no project, just an idea.

Principles

How the place is made

Steel, not timber

Nearly 90% recyclable, resistant to cracking, quicker to raise. It was the sustainable choice as much as the practical one.

Water from the river

A submersible pump draws from the Mopan through a filter into two vat tanks. The lodge supplies its own water.

Cedar cut to the moon

The cedars cleared for the foundations were felled on a super new moon, following Mayan practice for strength and durability.

Built in phases

One building at a time, paid for as it goes. It is slower, and it is honest.

Timeline

How it happened

Read the build See the stay

24 Apr 2023Half an acre bought at Paslow Falls, on the bank of the Mopan read
22 Apr 2024Foundations dug by hand read
14 Jun 2024Reinforced concrete floor slab poured read
20 Jul 2024Steel frame raised in two days by Cayo Steel Works read
26 Oct 2024Interior walls plastered, layout takes shape read
3 Jan 202524-gauge standing seam steel roof completed read
4 Feb 2025Windows ordered, ceiling confirmed, floors locked in read
30 Jun 2025The River House opens to guests

Writing

The thinking, written down as it happened

The lodge was argued out in public while it was being built. Why the cedar was felled to a lunar calendar, how the water comes out of the Mopan, what a half acre in Belize actually costs someone. These are the same arguments as the letter above, at length.

All writing

Connect and collaborate

We are always glad to hear from creatives, partners and the local community. If you are writing about Belize, building something similar, or want to work together, get in touch.