Forums > Specific Focus > Home, Garden & Construction in Mexico

Judy in Ags

May 16, 2006, 7:47 AM

Post #1 of 11 (3442 views)

Shortcut

New Construction?

Can't Post | Private Reply

Is no one out there among the posters starting construction on a house? It seems like a long time since I've seen any such posts. I'd be interested to see more photos of your construction.

Judy in Ags

Sep 14, 2006, 8:26 AM

Post #2 of 11 (3328 views)

Shortcut

Re: [Judy in Ags] New Construction?

Can't Post | Private Reply

Well, no takes on my question so I'll post an answer.

We're still not really finished with our house. We're kind of on hold (except the projects John and I are doing ourselves) for a while. My brother-in-law, however, has begun his house across the street from us. His garage (complete with apartment) has been completed for some time. To me, a lesson already learned from his experience, is that it is better to choose a style that the builders here are familiar with. Getting his roof right was a nightmare and the house will be more of the same.

Attachments:

Garage painted_2-1.JPG (58.3 KB)

bfwpdx

Sep 14, 2006, 10:49 AM

Post #3 of 11 (3315 views)

Shortcut

Re: [Judy in Ags] New Construction?

Can't Post | Private Reply

I have been patiently waiting for our current construction to be completed before I post the sequence of events. However, due to the rising (soaring?) costs of materials over the past year, our project has come to a temporary halt. The structure is complete. The outside is pretty much finished (except for painting). The rest (meaning inside plaster and flooring) will have to wait til we can put together the funds for the remaining labour (we have the materials), maybe before Christmas, maybe not. I am certainly becoming more and more relaxed, easy going, fatalistic and "Mexican" in my attitudes as I go along....

Anyway, I am willing to put together a picture show of the construction so far, as soon as I can figure out how to add attachments to this post....I am sort of a high tech drop-out.

Judy in Ags

Sep 14, 2006, 11:43 AM

Post #4 of 11 (3303 views)

Shortcut

Re: [bfwpdx] New Construction?

Can't Post | Private Reply

Your first paragraph sounds pretty much like our position. We've been able to move along buying materials and paying our two builders, but have come to the point where we have some high-cost projects, so we are stopped until we can get some money together for these high-cost projects (double garage door, sheetrocking large cathedral ceiling, iron gates, etc.) I guess we're not alone in this situation.

Regarding your sharing pictures, I'm not sure what your level of expertise in using the computer is, but using Google Pages to create a simple blog of photos is quite easy. There are also several other free options.

(This post was edited by Judy in Ags on Sep 14, 2006, 11:46 AM)

bfwpdx

Sep 14, 2006, 12:16 PM

Post #5 of 11 (3293 views)

Shortcut

Re: [Judy in Ags] New Construction?

Can't Post | Private Reply

Judy, my computer skills are quite sad. Having said that, I do have a couple of resources. One is that I spend some time this afternoon trying to decipher the Google Pages instructions. The other is to wait for my Dear Other Half (the high techie half) to return tonight and let HIM make the photo page.

Actually you might have touched on another significant thread. I know of another person in the Yucatan who also was caught out by the sudden surge in cost of building materials. There seem to be several of us around and how we are coping could be an interesting thread. As for us, we consider ourselves very very lucky as we managed to squeeze the house structure out of the last of the money. And then we paid the finiquito out of the very very last of the money! We discharged the crew at that point and won't need insurance for the jobs that are left.

I think a lot depends on how flexible a person is towards the definition of the word "finished"....it helps a lot to be very flexible in this regard....

Also it depends whether one is a full time or part-time resident. I only intend to spend my winters in this new Mexican house. That means it doesn't matter to me if it takes another 10 years to get it "finished" because the whole process is so much fun. If I had to live permanently in this house I wouldn't be quite so casual about it.

Judy in Ags

Sep 14, 2006, 2:18 PM

Post #6 of 11 (3281 views)

Shortcut

Re: [bfwpdx] New Construction?

Can't Post | Private Reply

Well, this is our only residence, so we're under a little more pressure. However, other than not having the protective/decorative gates and the double garage door, the only room that isn't habitable is the livingroom. It has no doors on the openings to the courtyard. (We have the doors, but John has been making the door frames and he just has too many other things going right now to get that done.) So, part of our problem is time, as well as money. John is now overseeing the building of his brother's large home across the street from us. It's probably more complicated than ours was. Of course John has the advantage of having learned so much in overseeing and participating in the building of ours and we are using the same experienced people to build his that built ours.

We also have gone through the finiquito process and paid our dues, so we're glad that is behind us!

I'm assuming you've seen my blog so you can tell we have the major part of the house finished. There are still quite a few details, though.

I should have learned patience from our previous project. In 1974 we bought a house in Kansas City, Kansas for $2100. We completely gutted it and over the ensuing 8 years made it into a very nice home. We did all the work ourselves and were both working full time. We lived there for more than 25 years. Of course, we were a lot younger when we took on that project.

Best wishes in one day completing your Mexico home!

bfwpdx

Sep 15, 2006, 11:24 AM

Post #7 of 11 (3239 views)

Shortcut

Re: [Judy in Ags] New Construction?

Can't Post | Private Reply

OK, I did a basic photo page and have posted the web address below. Hope it works! I just have a few additional comments to make. The house is about 260 square metres which sounds like a lot for a one bedroom house, but the outside covered areas make up about 100 square metres of that figure. The casita is about 30 square metres. We wanted a house that looked like a Mexican house. My friend and neighbour built it. His crew also came from our pueblo and are neighbours. They are very proud of their workmanship, and so am I. The house will also be painted in yellow ochre with the orange wash, same as the casita. I expect the columns and the iron railings will be painted the rusty brown shade they used on the casita rejas.

The project started in May of 2005 with the aljibe. They progressed to the construction of the casita as well as the foundations for the main house. The casita was finished in August. The first floor of the main house was up by January of 2006, the second floor was up and completed by July of 2006. I can't think of anything else to say but anybody can pm me if they have questions.

http://www.flickr.com/...hemediaevalgardener/

Edited to make the link clickable.

(This post was edited by Rolly on Sep 15, 2006, 11:43 AM)

Judy in Ags

Sep 15, 2006, 12:25 PM

Post #8 of 11 (3228 views)

Shortcut

Re: [bfwpdx] New Construction?

Can't Post | Private Reply

Thanks very much for sharing. I really like your idea for the outside colors. And did you say where this lovely new dwelling is? I missed it if you did.

We all appreciate the good pictures. We'll keep looking forward to the finished product. One day we hope to have ours painted also.

patricio_lintz

Sep 15, 2006, 4:59 PM

Post #9 of 11 (3206 views)

Shortcut

Re: [Judy in Ags] New Construction?

Can't Post | Private Reply

We are 98% finished. Same story, money limited.

Got distracted when our renter's contract was up on our house in Glendale AZ. We are back there,now fixing it up. Looks like we will be commuting back and forth for the rest of the year.

Meanwhile, I wrote a bit on house construction in Mexico.

www.makeyourhomeinmexico.com

www.flickr.com/photos/juan_patricio

Judy in Ags

Sep 15, 2006, 5:53 PM

Post #10 of 11 (3198 views)

Shortcut

Re: [patricio_lintz] New Construction?

Can't Post | Private Reply

Thanks for sharing again. I guess my remark about the cost of living page would be that the price of fresh fruit and vegetables seems to vary greatly with the seasons. Avocados have been very high here lately. I also noticed that your ground sirloin is much higher than here. It's $58 (y pico) a kilo here and once in a while even $54. I wonder why that is. Your electricity is cheaper, but maybe we just run a lot more applicances.

Anyway, it was very interesting. Thanks!

toddmc

Sep 27, 2006, 9:44 AM

Post #11 of 11 (3110 views)

Shortcut

Re: [Judy in Ags] New Construction?

Can't Post | Private Reply

We have just started construction just outside Patzcuaro
Not alot on the blog yet but we plan on trying to update every couple of weeks.

http://lifeinthecorazon.blogspot.com/