Anyone with experience building a house?

[winddancer]

Hello everyone. I am new to this board and very happy to find this forum. I would love to hear from anyone who has experience building a house in Cancun or Isla Mujeres. Or anyone who has information of any kind pertaining to building. Thanks.

[Steve]

38 views and no one?

[cunspin]

I think the question needs to be more specific what exactly do you want to know? Permits? Finding a Contractor? Finding an Architect. Dealing with all 3?

[johndish]

We started building our house in September 2004. It was finished in May 2005 and it withstood all of Wilma. We hired an engineer that had built a house for a friend and had a decent reputation. It is a much different process here as I did not get a loan i cashed out everything in the states as far as stocks, cash, credit card advances and a 401k loan. The process was strange. We paid the engineer on a cost plus basis. That meant we paid weekly and it was not that predictable. We were extremely pleased with the quality that he provided but, he was late. You have to be there every day and stay on the contractors as you would every where. The house was delivered somewhat late. If you are going to build get someone who has built for someone you know. I would stay away from architects and make sure that you have 220 elec put in, reinforced rebar, lots of plugs etc... email me at ********@hotmail.com for more...

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[winddancer]

Thank you to all who responded and thank you Steve for suggesting I post this question. JohnDish I have sent you a pmail, as your email address was removed from your post.

[T.J.]

I have been waiting patiently to see if wilddancer would take the suggestion of cunspin and target in on some more specific questions.

I will say that one of my best friends is an American living in Cancun who builds spec and custom homes in higher end subdivisions in Cancun.

I will leave it at that for now as I don't know enough specifics to home in with more information.

I would suggest giving us more info such as:
-Location desired, like hotel zone, downtown, out in the country, Puerto Morelos, etc.
-Price range
-Is proximity to schools important?
-Are you interested in waterfront property?
-Do you need a big yard?
-Are you committed to building your own home, as opposed to buying a new one.
-Gated subdivision?
-Are you only interested in a detached home?
-Plus the things that cunspin suggested.

This board is full of active participants who love ot help out newcomers. Give us a better chance and maybe we can point you in the right direction.

[CancunMole]

Although this is a older thread, after 'searching', it comes closet to the information that I'm looking for.

What permits, what type, from whom and where to go, does one need to restore a structure's roof that is on one's own property and is documented as being on that property?

Is one able to do the work themself or must one hire someone local?

Any direction or experiences will be appreciated. Gracias.

[RiverGirl]

No idea how to do it right. But if you work on weekends you can often avoid the inspectors.

[tallerfulano]

Originally Posted by CancunMole

Although this is a older thread, after 'searching', it comes closet to the information that I'm looking for.

What permits, what type, from whom and where to go, does one need to restore a structure's roof that is on one's own property and is documented as being on that property?

Is one able to do the work themself or must one hire someone local?

Any direction or experiences will be appreciated. Gracias.

If you are going to do a remodel, modifying distributions, structural elements or services, without increasing the built area, you need fill a "REMODELACIÓN" format, pay the fees, look for a registered building supervisor (D.R.O) to sign and supervise the works, and other documents like the older building permit, some photos of the area, etc.


If I can help you here is the office web page
Kaab Tun Index

[V]

Our apt, recently purchased, is getting a significant makeover: we'll have more to report, when it's done, good or bad....

Amazing, the amount of money you have to turn over- on "faith" that people will do what they promise to do.

[Life_N_Cancun]

Originally Posted by V

Amazing, the amount of money you have to turn over- on "faith" that people will do what they promise to do.

I do hope you're not breaking the golden rule.. to NEVER pay in advance for anything, and always go get materials yourself or at least require a receipt if its small things. I can't tell you how many times I've heard of workers taking money to go get something and never returning, or asking for an advance "for rent" or some other thing and never returning to finish the job... it's just a fact of life here when getting any kind of work done... you NEVER pay until the job is done, if they don't like it, they can find other work. Or rare exception you might pay half now half on completion, but you need to be very wary of that and only do so with an established business not with a freelance worker.. and be sure you get receipts for every penny paid. I hope you're not about to learn that the hard way.