If you missed the other parts you can catch up on
How this
whole thing started
Building the dock on the canal for Sea42
Building the House
Part 1 and finding the property
Now that we had the land title in our name and the dock for the boat sorted out, we turned our attention to building our winter home.
The local
architect/builder Alejandro Lazareno was recommended to me by Pepe Padilla, the
realtor we
used. He knows the area very well and used to be the mayor of the neighboring town Melaque. He had built many of the homes I liked in the area and this gave me
the opportunity to talk to other home owners about their experiences. He builds a mixture of traditional mexican features with modern lines using lots of curved walls where other architects prefered more boxy designs.
We worked with him ofr many months, visiting other homes and choosing materials. There are a lot of items in a new house if you start from scratch!
There are many horror stories about building in Mexico, mainly they
involve the builder running out of money as builders tend to underbid jobs
in order to get work. Having a solid contract and ensuring the builder
has considered all aspects/costs are vital. The builder I chose had
completed over 50 homes, my 2 direct neighbors houses had been built by
him and they were very happy. I felt I stood a good chance of getting what I wanted.
Completing the building contract took over 6 months as we had to wait for our
title from Bancomer (Mexican Bank) and also because it took that long to
design the house we wanted and to get the contract details correct. We
first spoke with the Architect in February, by September that year we were ready
to sign the contract and wire the deposit. Luckily the exchange rate
moved in our favor in September as the US economy crashed, so we are glad
it took so long. I just checked our gmail log for emails to our
architect and counted 178 messages!
Breaking ground for our new house. Alejandro (our architect on left) discusses details with the main contractor. Sea42 is tied up at our newly completed dock in the background. October 2011.
As this is an earthquake zone (like San Francisco) I had specified a large foundation built on piers sunk into the ground.
We had all our plans checked by a structural engineer. Ill let you know
how it works out after our first big quake. To add to the excitement of
starting the house, hurricane Jova hit Barra de Navida directly 2 days
after the photo above was taken. (the hurricane season in central
Pacific Mexico runs Jul-Oct). It caused damage in the nearby towns and
to some beach front properties in Barra. Our boat was spared as its
really protected in the canals. I even got an insurance waiver to keep
the boat in Barra during the hurricane season.
Damaged property on the sea front in Barra from hurricane Jova waves. No damage in the canals luckily.
Ground floor plans. dock/canal and pool on the left
First floor plans. Large round area is an outdoor palapa.
The nearly completed foundation. All this part is underground.
Looking from the street at the front
The foundations are sealed and filled with sharp sand
A dump truck fills in the palapa area. The drivers son supervises
Once the sand is tamped down, plastic barrier sheeting is placed with
steel rebar in preparation for the concrete floor. PVC piping for the
bathroom is laid out
The foundations are nearly complete. The orange conduit is for electrical wiring.
Ready to start first floor walls
Mixing concrete for the foundations
The first floor begins to take shape. On the right is the garage. TV room in the center. Kitchen at back.
Ingenious method to hold the pillar forms in place.
Cardboard tubes are placed over the steel rebar before they are filled with concrete. These will be the pillars that hold up the palapa.
The kitchen wall. A reinforced concrete lintel runs around the entire floor to provide support for doors and windows.
Looking through the hallway out the front door.
The forms are in place to pour the first floor.
Palapa and balcony pillars in place
Master bedroom balcony forms
The forms are ready on the first floor ready to add the steel mesh
The opening for the spiral staircase
Tying the rebar mesh together. Note the conduit to the light fittings.
All the wiring and piping in place before the floor is poured
First floor complete
Concrete is dry, so start on the 2nd floor walls
Very few machines, everything is done by hand and using locally available materials
I fly down in late November to check on the progress. There are already 4 yachts anchored in the lagoon.
Front of house. Office above garage on left. Kids bedrooms above kitchen on right
View of boat/canal from master bedroom shower.
Hallway to entrance. Kitchen on left
Spiral staircase from hallway. Entrance to garage on right.
Upstairs office/guest bedroom and balcony
2 tons of blocks and a 55 gallon drum full of water on the upstairs
floor 10 days after it was poured. I'm not worried about it being strong
enough now.
The palapa area and the master bedroom balcony take shape
Overlooking the marina from the master bedroom balcony
My neighbor dropped by after he caught this 100lb yellowfin tuna. He spared me a slice for dinner.
Checking the Jeep will fit in the garage. Should be enough length to fit 2 cars or the Jeep and a small boat.
A thin concrete coat is rendered on the walls. 4 coats will be applied in total. The final finish will be smooth and flat.
The 2nd floor walls in our master bedroom are almost complete.
The roof is nearly ready to pour. All in under 3 months.
The lower walls after 2 of 4 coats of concrete.
