Well of course MANY ppl have tried this!!! Just wondering, if anyone can make any suggestinos??? We used an engineer and architect from Mexico City - they were fabulous!! Can anyone recommend contractors??? Advice? We will take ANYTHING!!!This is our first time building here. Have only bought new and used in the past!!! However, we just moved back to Cancun!!!!! Any thing you can offer would be helpful. Even stories of your experiences.... We are looking at the pieces of land this month - Alamos, and Colegios. We've narrowed it down to that area atleast!!!! There is just so much to do. Buy the land (husband is Mexican) so it makes things a bit easier!!! We've just been gone for the past 3 years!!! Thanks again for any help - MAN it feels great to be back!!! Especially with these boards. SOOO much has changed over the last few years!!! Thanks, Lauren
Cunspin is right, architects usually have their own contractors. I also think you made your first mistake in hiring someone who is not from the Cancun area, unless this person's job was solely to design your house on paper, and nothing more. But how is your contractor going to communicate with the architect in order to solve little problems and glitches that will invariably arise? Communication between you and your contractor is paramount, and you both need to know what is expected of each other, in terms of timelines of completion, payments, etc. Finally, if it is your responsibility to choose and buy things like bathroom accessories, doorknobs,...whatever.....START NOW!! Unless you are really not the choosy type, this will be harder than you think, and if you haven't bought something that is needed to be installed, you'll hold up the whole construction process. Other than that, my advice would depend on how eleborate a home you were going to build. Is it a mansion by Mexican standards, and likely to attract only wealthy buyers if you wanted/had to sell it? Or is it a simpler home, that maybe a middle class Mexican could also afford? It makes a difference (IMO) in what you incorporate, as the wealthy will expect more. Below are a few examples. In Mexico, an architect/Ingenario will have a "job forman" and these two people are your most important people to deal with. If you don't speak Spanish, it is imperative that at least your architect speaks English, and better if the forman does as well. But since your husband is Mexican, that shouldn't be a problem. I built a house in Veracruz, and 4 things I noticed about Mexican homes are (1) there aren't nearly enough electrical outlets, and I added over a dozen to my house, and wish I had added more. Not that you're going to use them all at once, but you might want to redecorate some day, and having at least 2 outlets per wall makes that a lot easier when planning lighting. (2) Mexicans don't vent their plumbing....or if they do, they use 1/2 to 5/8 diameter pipe, which is grossly inadequate. You should ask for the 2-3 inch pipe as used in the US, or you run the risk of having your house smell like a sewer as the gasses build up. (3) Mexicans don't ground their electrical systems.This you need to demand from the get-go, and IMO even if it means you have to go out and buy the green ground wire, and stand there to make sure they use it, and properly. In Veracruz, some electrical contractors don't even know HOW to do this, and they use whichever wire they have, and sometimes you'll have wires of all the same color on a circuit. (4) If you want to have potable water in your home, chances are you'll need a pressurized water system, so that it can be filtered. As you know, most water systems in Mexico are gravity-fed from a tinaco on the roof. Keep the tinaco, for times when the electricity goes out. But the point is, that Mexicans don't pressure-test the pipes, and if you put a pressure tank on an un-tested system, you might have leaks within your concrete walls. Don't have to tell you what that will mean. Having said all this, I realize that Cancun has received a lot more American/European influence than other parts of Mexico, and these issues may not be a problem....or as much of one. But these are 4 areas you want to check on, just to be sure. Other tips are to be sure that as soon as your exterior walls go up, (or as soon as is practical) that they are painted. There's a lot of salt in the air surrounding Cancun, and if the salt gets into your raw concrete walls, the future paint won't stick and in a few months it will start to peel. (this also applies to interior walls as well. You want to get your house "closed in" asap, and the interior walls painted) Also be sure that they don't use salt water to mix your concrete. I don't think this is such a great problem nowadays, but it used to be, and I don't have to tell you what salt water will do to rebar...and fast. My experience in Veracruz was a nightmare, and still is. Yet if I move to Cancun, I will build again, as today, to build is for the most part, a lot cheaper and easier than to buy an existing home and make the changes that you want.
Thanks Thank you to cunspin and Rick for replying!! We used my husbands uncle in Mexico City as our architect/engineer. Took advantage of that...He had designed a few in Cun area already, so we took the original blueprint of the house we liked most - made some changes. I also believe we are using the contractor that built one of the houses, but this is yet to be set in stone.... I would say the house is going to be higher middle class?? I believe 2800 feet of construction. My husband is buying the land in November, and that is when we will make the final choice. Depends on accessibility as there isn't a paved road - we want a piece that will have one sooner, rather than later!! I'm sure you know what I'm talking about!!!! As for the electrical, and plumbing - will definitely pass that info along... We used to live in La Luna and the plumbing there was sometimes a NIGHTMARE - smelt terrible, and the pressure wasn't great. So I can relate to the importance!!! Were there major delays that got in your way Rick? Cunspin - have you had any major problems, or delays?? Most ppl have told us that we need to be on that jobsite once in the am - once in the pm, make sure they are doing what you've asked, and what you've paid them to do?? We are more than willing to do this. My father in law and mother in law are more than willing to help us out with that as well... We have already been told what it should cost us per sq foot. Obviously, it can go up or down from there depending.... Just wondering - did you see a big difference in what you were told it could/should cost?? We have rec'd an official quote for our pool, however, they only provide the materials, and the construction will have to be done by our contractors...including the plumbing and electrical. This suprised me a bit, and I'm not really sure why. We are also going to have a cement structure throughout the entire house, meaning, the kitchen will be made of cement, including countertops. I may not be explaining myself well as I am aware the homes are built of cement, it's just hard to explain.... Also, how long did it take from start to finish?? (actual construction) I beleive once we purchase the land the first step is to build the wall, and clear it out?? I'm just getting an idea so I can plan for this!!! Also, I just enjoy speaking to other expats who have done the same thing!!!! Thanks again to both of you - really appreciate it!!! Lauren
"Most people" are right...you definitely need to be there as much as possible. If you remember my example of possibly having to buy the green wire for the grounds.....well someone else did that, and then found out he had to be there, to make sure they used it!....and were color-coding all wires correctly. IMO, you want to be there when they do all of the important aspects of the 4 items I mentioned. For example, the pressure testing of the pipes. It may be that the people don't know how to do this, because they've never done it before......and so they'll try anything to pass it on. Again, Cancun is wholly different from other parts of Mexico, so these things may not be an issue. You have an approx. cost per sq/ft....does that include the rise in costs that will take place after the New Year, when everything goes up in price in Mexico? This is especially important if you're in mid-construction when the new year arrives. Maybe you won't begin until after the new year, but be sure your estimate reflects that. I was hit with a 10% surcharge on all outstanding work. No unusual delays that aren't encountered everywhere, even NoB. The biggest problems seem to occur toward the end of construction, when there are a lot of "little things" and loose ends that need to be tied up. Your contractor will be loathe to pull workers off the next project, just to come to your house for an hour or two. So as construction nears completion, try to make lists of all these things, so that maybe the crew can come back for a whole day and finish it all, and to your satisfaction. The biggest problem in Mexico is having the workers show up for work.....especially the Monday after they have been paid, as they may have serious hangovers. As I see it, about the biggest flaw in the Mexican psyche, is that "the future" is not part of their vocabulary. They think only about "today," and if they have money in their pockets, then why go to work? I noted very carefully, the workers who I thought were doing a good job, and who showed up for work every day. I was especially nice to them, and made a point of getting their names and phone numbers, in case I had a need for a good worker in the future. BTW, if your crew in general is doing well, a 12-pack of beer for them at quitting time on Saturday afternoon is not a bad thing, either. Also have some Cokes for those who don't drink, or who are too young. Can't advise on the pool and who puts it in. My only advise is to do it away from the rainy season. If you have a pool in mid-construction and we get a deluge, it can actually pop out of the ground and float like a boat. Very costly to replace and repair. This actually happened to my family once, albeit not in Mexico. And since you have a pool, you don't need to do this, but for homes without pools, I always suggest at least ONE BATHTUB/JACUZZI be installed. This is because of hurricanes, and we in So. Florida always fill out tubs with water, before an impending storm. This water can be used to fill the toilets after use. The power in parts of Cancun was out for 2 weeks after Wilma, and no tinaco is going to last that long, so any means you have for having extra water is a plus. As said, with a pool, you don't have that problem. Along the subject of hurricanes, it's not a matter of "if," but "when," as far as Cancun is concerned. So when I build my house, I'm planning in advance, for a space to put at least a 6.5 Kw generator, and have it hard wired directly to my breaker panel. This may not be big enough for "whole house" electricity, including the AC units, but at the breaker panel, you can turn off your refrigerators and freezers for the night, and use just the AC units. There will be no spoilage by morning, when you turn off the AC's and turn the refer and frezer back on.
I really think you need to be on site as much as possible especially since your Architect is not here, ours is onsite daily and ther is always something that comes up that needs changing. We are about one month behind right now due to rain but hopefully they will catch up or not have any more delays. Our Architect is someone that my Husband worked with on 3 different projects (restaurants) so he knew/knows what we want and vice versa. Our house is 300 sqaure meters plus a pool and garage, it is not big but has a lot of open space. IMO you really should have your Architect here unless you are willing to leave everything up to the Contractor . I have made changes, to many to count one that comes to mind is that they wanted to paint all my ceilings chalk white with about a 4inch border all around , I hate that and see no reason for it so I insisted on a cream or ivory color with no border. I am also on the exact same page with my husband as far as our taste and ideas, many times I will be at the house and have asked all kinds of questions and my husband arrives and pretty much repeats everything I have said word for word. That helps a lot, no fights over the house ....yet.
Since both of you had made some valid points about the architect ... I hounded my husband - only to find out we do have one in Cancun. His OTHER uncle - hehehe :? That makes a lot more sense to me now. Luckily, we have a friend building right now as well.... In the same area too - so we can also learn from them. What worked, and what didnt'... We have been told, and estimate that building should take 5-6 month. I'm not sure if that would include our pool being finished, or not. BBQ area, etc...?? Cunspin - are you covering your garage?? Your house sounds kinda familiar to what we are planning. I don't think we will be the smallest in the area, but definitely not the largest!!! WK - are you planning on moving to Cancun?? The wiring issues you mention are scary!! Same colours? How can you ever differentiate if you need to repair?? YIKES. WK - the points you make about the hurricane are excellent. I left the year of Willma - that was a disaster. Not the reason we left, but it was a disaster..... I remember taking buckets of water from our pool to flush our toilets. No electricity. It was a scorcher. We were very jealous (in a good way) of our inlaws; as they had a generator. However, I forgot all about that until you just mentioned it!!! You think we would have learned our lesson :? I am hoping my husband and I don't bud heads too many times on things!! Most ladies want a big closet, or a big washroom - I want a pool, and a nice kitchen!!! That is ALL I request. The rest is honestly, up to him. A girl from Canada just wants a pool :lol: Ohh I guess I also want a more modern mexican look - rather than traditional. I think for resale I'd get more bang for the buck in the area.... Again, apologies if my response is alll over the place!!! Thanks again!!!
Yes, and as soon as I can sell this house. It is 350 sq/mtrs and wayyyyy too big, even for 2 people. I have a girlfriend in Cancun, and already have my archetect lined up, as well as a mechanic for my boat!! What else could a retired fishing fanatic want? And yes, my wiring is a nightmare, as the electrical contractor recommended by my contractor was a real fly-by-night type. He spoke some English, and put on a real good show, though. Problem was that my Father had recently passed away, and I was sort of commuting back and forth between Veracruz and Stuart, Florida...taking care of affairs. But when I came back, I could see the ends protruding from the wall boxes, and it was a horror story.
