Time to start building in the Racquet club.

Since we started this jouney 4 years ago and had to put things on hold we have house plans but no builder.
The Builder/architect is not doing custome home any longer.
Any recommendations thumbs up or thumbs down on a builder or general contractor that you would trust builder if you were not there 24/7?

If you e-mail me privately, I can recommend a couple of builders and a couple to avoid like the plague. mexicanseahorse1948@yahoo.com Peter

I highly recommend Beto. He stepped into a house that was being poorly built by a crooked builder and saved it and its owners. He has done a lot of work for people I know and they have all been satisfied. He has only one crew so he is on site at all times and his cost is reasonable and honest. If you want his references and a contact number let me know and I will send it to you.

I would highly recommend Mario Ramirez Rochin from Ajijic. He does excellent work at a very reasonable price. Most important he guarantees his work. He can be trusted 100% even if you are not living here full time. I think he is a perfectionist.
You can ask him for references. His customers love to show off his work.
He is native to Ajijic. his cell phone is 045 331-347-2814 or email him at mario_constru@yahoo.com.mx
I forgot to mention he also speaks English. You will not be disappointed.

I have 2 questions.

1) There is one guy that advertises or used to who will build a home on your lot for around $40,000US. Has anybody used him?

2) What is the cost to build a home. Perhaps people can give anecdotal experiences of how much they paid and how many square feet.

Obviously all projects are different BUT it will be a learning experience to see costs and perhaps those that feel their costs were out of the median range could offer some explanation why. Also time frames would be great!

Thank you in advance.

I am bumping this to the top. Intercasa has some really great questions. I, for one, would love to hear from some of you who have gone before us who are thinking of building in the area.

Thanks Intercasa
Ruth

Why would you ( if you could that is) build a "house" read shed, on a lot worth say 80,000 usd...lots in the Raquet Club are now sell for over 100usd sq mt!!! come back time for the RC, which has best views, and amenities for lowest fracc fees around..

Either I am reading this post in a drunken stupor OR the poster is. Which is it? What is the post trying to say?

For the life of me I cannot even begin to imagine why people come here and feel they need to build their dream house when there are so many houses on the market at the present time. They know nothing of the lack of standards, construction or the anything goes attitude of the builders who have recently come into the business.
Because a builder speaks English, which is a prerequisite for many newbies, they thiink the contractor must be good and honest. NOT!!! It just makes it easier for them to sell you a bill of goods.
In the past five years the quality of most construction in the area has taken a nose dive. In this small area how many true maestros contractors and skilled laborers do you think you will find? The new contractors hire anyone who can tie their shoes by themselves. Skill is not necessary.
Yes there are a few very good contractors who are fair and honest but not many. This is a contractors' market and the ability to take advantage iof people who know nothing is immense. When things go wrong you have almost no recourse. There are cases winding their way through the courts where obvious fraud and deception was practiced on unsuspecting clients and it will take years if ever to be adjudicated. Hundreds of thousands of dollars were taken from the contractors pigeons and will never be recouped.
Some people have hired civil engineers to watch their homes going up and it did not save them from disaster.
Of the many people I know who have built, there are very few who have had trouble free satisfaction. Some of them may still be in a bad situation and not know it as the cost cutting of mixing the concrete and other things that don't show up right away may haunt them later.
Build if you must and I wish you buena suerte.

oops. duplicate.

On a side note: only 3 lots sold in total in Racquet Club since Jan 2007 via mls.

Well, a few years ago you could build a home to your specs and save $100,000 at the same time. Why pay more to have a home not the way you want it? That was the reasoning of many.

I would be curious to know, now that it's a 'few years later' ... how much these people have spent on repairs/redo projects on those houses. Any idea?

Can you detail the origin of your "information"?

And how much did they sell for?...

Perhaps a “seller” or both?

I think the area may be suffering from “the death of craftsmanship” which is also plaguing the US. I read an article last year written by I can’t remember who, extolling the “craftsmanship” in the construction of homes in the area. The article did say, “even though the walls may not be plumb or the floors level, the detail in the concrete work is pure craftsmanship”. I reread it. I always thought craftsmanship included: plumb walls, level floors, correct wiring, non leaking roofs, correct concrete mix, correct plumbing, paint not cut 20 to 1 with water and on and on. I don’t know what it actually costs to build a home here but I’m guessing under $30.00 per sq ft. I realize amenities drive the costs up but still, what are amenities here, are standard fare NoB. Labor costs here are almost not a factor. Where we lived in South Louisiana, building costs range from $100.00 per ft to $250.00 per ft depending on the area. Where my wife is from in central Mississippi, building costs are around $38.00 per sq ft for the average home. Material costs are near the same and labor varies slightly, so what’s the deal? Even though quality of construction is declining in America, the homes still tend not to fall apart like they do here. They are built to code which helps. I have had some work done on our home here and watched other homes being built and basically all I can do is shake my head. The lack of knowledge and all the shortcutting is epidemic. Basically, throw up some semi-braced incorrectly mixed concrete and cover it with some fancy tile, granite or marble and you got your amenities. Then run electrical lines, plumbing and drains through concrete that is going to crack, no roof flashings and you got built in repair and service costs for years. While there are good contractors here, how do you get one? Even if you take the recommendation of a friend, who knows if you will get the same crew. I know several people who were very disappointed by using a recommended contractor and ended up with an awful job. Depending on where come from NoB, housing costs here can be a real bargain or totally outrageous. We looked at quite a few houses before we bought one and no matter what we were told, they were all fixer uppers to me. I wondered how a house could be built in 2002 and be in the shape they were when we looked at them in 2006, now I know.

Amen to Sharp's post and more. We have one of those houses bought at a stiff price and needing quite a lot of repair and modification to fix lousy design, inferior materials and workmanship. I think there are two problems here, one of which is that many of the materials available here are decidedly inferior to those available NOB. You can't blame the contractors for that one.

The other one is simply that people here are not trained properly in construction technology. Things like understanding proper pipe sizes, electrical service design, roof engineering, drainage, etc., are greatly lacking. We hired a highly recommended contractor and then he has to be constantly supervised and instructed in how to do the work properly.

We are helping a friend look for a house to buy and I can concur with Sharp that basically everything we've seen has serious defects. Having the experience we do now, I would definitely recommend doing one's house hunting during the wet season as that is when the problems really show up. It seems that there is little understanding here that the house needs to be built to handle the heavy rains and dampness of the wet season, not the very benign dry season.

All this falls in the category of reminding one that this is NOT NOB, it is a foreign country and one that is still modernizing. So you deal with it as best possible and grin and bear the rest.

The last two posts are excellent and reality. Building costs have to be extremely cheap based on labour about $3 an hour, no basements, single payne windows, no two car garage, no insulation (in Canada: R20 in walls, R30 in ceilings, and R12 in basements), tiles floors, no high efficiency heating and air conditioning, no bathroom fans, no plumbing vents, no electrical ground fault receptacles in wet areas, little if any window and door trim, no building codes, etc. Then they throw in granite counter tops which here are not that expensive and people go ohhh and ahhh. Finally the price per sq ft quoted includes all covered areas such as balconies and porches. Typical homes on avaerage here sell for about $100 a sq ft. for total area including balconies etc not just heated space. In Ontario, Canada in many places about $140 a sq ft in a well designed subdivision with all the amenities mentioned above and a home built to standards many times what one finds here. In fairness to the "trades staff" their is no formal training nor the education upon which to provide relevant know how and a basis upon which to build these skills.

In addition many homes built on filled land not well compacted with minimal footings.

I do have a friend who loves Brisas and is now building her 3rd or 4th house there using the same builder. Having met him and seen his work I will say he may not be typical but he is very good for this area. Aso, Brisas is very stable as no fill to establish the development. If you want to see scary go up from Salvador's on Revolucion to top and follow the Hernandez R.E. signs for open house of a new development of townhouses with 30 and 40 ft retaining walls selling for well over $120 a sq ft including balconies and there will be condo fees.

No wonder mls sales for past year has averaged 17 homes per month.

I am definitely NOT saying do not come. I am saying be well informed, rent if possible and really know what you are doing in buying property here. Get to know the various areas, the culture, pros and cons and then with eyes wide open as they say decide if and where you want to buy. Look beyond the surface and do not hesitate to take someone who has bought here before or rented to help guide you. As you can see nearly all on this board have much to share and willing to do so. This is a beautiful place to live. smiles.... John

Very true, hopefully 99.9% of the boomers will decide there are better values elsewhere. Anywhere else!

Evidently you have not read the post on Baby Boomers yet. The cat is out of the bag. All the boomers that are already there are letting us, soon to be there boomers, in on the fact that they think this is the most wonderful place to be.

And don't you think it a little selfish to make such a statement. Is that like the "us four and no more" idea. Older people there will sooner or later die or move back to the states and then what will you do for friends?

We will be there - don't think that you are the only one that wants to live a great life in a wonderful place. We are coming - get ready. Maybe you can find a nice place elsewhere before we get there to make room for one more that will enjoy all their new friends.

.01% will be plenty for the infrastructure lakeside when it is added to the Tapatios moving here.

I would like to add that my previous post wasn’t a personal attack on all the builders. Many of them are doing the best they can with what they have. I am not even complaining about the possibly overpriced housing. I was a businessman and have no problem with people making as much as they legally can make. The 20 to 40 percent drop in home prices in parts of America are probably just bringing the price down to what the home is really worth. We are paying extra for weather, views, no heat and air required, lower cost of living and the rest. I am happy paying a bit much for a house on a mountainside overlooking the lake than I was living in a really great house in Louisiana staring at sugarcane fields and not going outside because it was just to damned hot and humid and running up a $500.00 a month electric bill. I would like to see a bit more “craftsmanship” going into the houses here but what the hey, I love the place and I figure I will, over time, recoup the extra price of the house in lower living expenses. I expect that one day, if I ever sell it, if I get the original selling price I will be a very happy camper, that is, as long as it doesn’t fall down.

Look at the bright side. For 9 month out of the year you could have a pretty good house.

I think the last figures I read were 10,000 boomers per day retiring for the next 20 or so years. .01 percent would be plenty.

IMO, anyone hoping boomers will move elsewhere is having a pipe dream. They're coming !

Many good posts about experiences on this web. Don't be fooled by ads in the local papers and magazines about honesty in contracting. That's usually "puffing". Get as much information as you can from people who've used the contractor, and even then, "stuff" happens.

Among the other things that happens, without going into the agony of it all: Your contractor promises to use first class materials and gives you a bid. Less than a year later, the inferior electrical service box burns out; the pump motor burns out because he's put the intake valve into the sludge at the ajibe bottom; the bathroom fixtures need replacement and the $$$ just keep dripping away. His "one year warranty" sounds good, except that he won't return your calls or your emails.

Enough said? Buyer beware, and don't assume anything. Buen suerte.

Many homes here have their screens on the windows on the inside. That is what people want in Guadalajara for esthetics. This does not work. There are large gaps and mosquitoes attack. The new home I am renting had to have all the screens including sliding doors moved to outside. Even though house is supposedly under warranty (no real warranties here) the owner had to pay!!!! This happens over and over here.

Mosquitoes? Here?

Fortunately,less than 50% are disease carriers.

This women is a real senseless, let us see how cute I can be b.t.h, but on this we agree.

At least she can form a complete and coherent sentence. Sheesh.

Again, I would mention that the price of land is what is driving up the cost of home building around Lakeside...YOU can still build a nice home for 55/65peos a sqmt ..also, cement is significantly higher here than NOB...one of the better homes that are being constructed are in the Los Sabinos Fracc west of Ajijic...for the poster who is building at the Raquet Club , check out Arellano Group. they is building a home at the RC, talk with the owners of that place....remember builders are like restaurants, sometimes you get what you want, other times you wonder why some one recommend the place!!! the bottom line , you can still build cheaper here, compared to what you pay NOB..you get BAD builders both side of the border....there is nothing that cannot be fix in Mexico with a big hammer and a chisel!!!!

And if you could read you might know the difference.

Amy Lee - you are getting boring - another candidate for the FOE button.

Amy ... that sentence, makes no sense ... at least not to someone who can read. And, I can read.

I assume that ... you left out a word AND you can't spell bitch ... but that is guessing on my part. A coherent sentence doesn't require the reader to 'guess' or 'assume' what the writer is trying to say.

Or maybe you didn't leave out a word; in that case, you misused the word 'senseless' (since it's not a noun)

Or, maybe you don't know what senseless MEANS since you AGREE with what she said at the same time as you call it senseless. DUH!

Maybe b.t.h is your illiterate way of spelling bitch .. but maybe not .. who knows ???? All we can do is guess ...

Or, it could just be that ....... oh never mind, I am watering the desert, again.

I can believe it. Been told that prime Ajijic village lots, when you can even find one, are $3000 to $4000 Pesos per square meter.

OUCH!

OUCH! is right.

Before long, all those family businesses along the carretera will sell up and Ajijic will be a long row of ugly chains stores and Tshirt shops, selling the usual tourist stuff.

The equipale business left already ..... who will be next?

Can't blame them for taking their piece of the pie, but along with that goes what most of us loved about Lakeside.


Yeah, yeah I know. It's PROGRESS.

Hope not, that price was for prime residential lots near the lake. No one in their right mind would want to live on the carretera. Seems to me there is a glut of commercial land and buildings all up and down the carretera. How many T shirt shops would one need to absorb all that space?

Mainecoons - I find that extremely hard to believe that Ajijic Village lots are $ 3,000. - $ 4,000. pesos a sq meter. They are more like $ 1,000 - $ 1,200. pesos a sq meter. Mountainside lots with a good view run $ 140. - $ 160. a sq meter. Now, which do you think is most desirable. When I bought in the year 2000, my lot was $ 100. a sq meter, mountainside, full unobstructed lake view.

We might try to stick to one currency. in Brisas de Chapala, lakeview lots are selling at $800 pesos/mt.

You may find it hard to believe but that's what several Realtors told me. I'm talking about the most prime neighborhoods. Basically, there are very few to be had at any price.

It's been a while, but were the 'several Realtors' reading from the "Three Little Pigs"?

Scott
Don't let the secret out. It is so wonderfull now that I want it to stay like this.

The MLS says $90 USD per M2 for Brisas lake view lots and $80 USD for non lake view lots. There is a 5% discount for cash.

I'm only quoting prices for lots that have SOLD!

I have read all the answers so far on this blog and it is amazing to me how many people express their opinions on building costs and building construction without any previous experience NOB and that have not built a new home here recently. I personally am a multi-award winning builder with 35 years experience in Florida building medium to larger custom homes. Locally, I have remodeled, through a young Mexican builder I trust explicitly, a resale we bought and I just finished building a 6200 sf two story home that I was forced to take over as general contractor on and did it in record breaking time. Let me just say that the architecture, the specificatons, and the construction are built to American standards.

The advantage to building a new home, if you know what you are doing, is you avoid all the poor construction and prblems found with many resales. We were naive when we bought our first home here 5 years ago and believed all the lies told us by our realtor. We could build a second story on the home. Wrong. the foundation would not support it. We had city water. Wrong, the only water we got was the overflow from our neighbor's aljibe. The house was built by one of the best builders Lakeside. Wrong, the roof leaked around the skylight. If someone sneezed while walking down the street, the paint ran. There was no tile on the roof for water protection. The aljibe, under the carport, had no support for the weight of a car. And much more. Besides not trusting what you are getting in a resale, no matter what you are told by the realtor, most of the new subdivisions going in have construction that leaves a lot to be desired.

While there are certainly a lot of construction problems here and most builders have no concept of what they are doing, there are certainly some very good ones as well. The secret here is three fold. First, you must have an extensive set of plans showing everything, like we did in the US, of electrical, plumbing, elevations, cross section, etc. Any builder not capable of providing complete drawings should be avoided. Second, a thorough contract must be completed and signed by both parties specifying what is to be included by the builder and the quality of those items such as American Standard toilets, Moen faucets, Sherwin Williams best paint, if all the fill and grading is included, electrical lines to be in conduit, and a myriad of other details. One of the better builders we talked to had the idea that a contract was a page from a notebook saying "I will build your house for x amount of pesos" with absolutely nothing specified. My contract, which I wrote, was 18 pages long and left no doubts as to what our original builder was to provide and what we were supplying. Finally, no matter whom the builder, I suggest having someone help supervise the job if the owner is not going to be present or has little knowledge of construction.

As for building costs, everybody here thinks that because labor is so cheap, so are construction costs. WRONG! The way they do things here is so archaic that it takes 3 to 4 times as long to get something done as it does in the US so there really are no savings on labor. A good example is that the original builder's maestro took 8 days to pour the slab for the downstairs which is 1700 square feet and they mixed the concrete on the street and brought it down my lot in wheelbarrows. When it came to pouring the 4500 sf upstairs, I brought in concrete trucks from Guad and hired a slab crew that had worked in the US and we did the whole thing in one day. To build a home to true US specs in today's market will realistically run between $80 and $90 a sf and certainly not the $30 or so a sf someone mentioned.

As for lot prices, a nice lot with lake views can still be bought from $50 to $90 a square foot. I know because I have some for sale in San Juan Cosala, up on the mountain, with all underground utilities and gated for those prices and they range from 14000 sf and larger so houses are not on top of each other. And, I am sure there are the same or lower prices between SJC and Jocotepec.

It would be nice, in the future, if ou are going to respond to someone's blog, even with the best of intentions to help them, that the facts are checked out first.

You can have everything in the world displayed on plans and the most airtight contract and it still guarantees you nothing. I know three people who used the same builder who previously had a great reputation and when things weren't going right for him he took them to the cleaners. The courts have so far given no satisfaction to the victims.
You build at your own risk.

So you translated your 18 page contract into Spanish? If not then the guy's one piece of scribbled paper in Spanish would hold up in court better.

Absolutely right. We have had to redo most of the builder's plumbing work. Had to put in a new electrical box to replace his, which burned up in 9 months. Replace the burned out water pump, since the builder's guys put the intake valve into the sludge at the bottom of the ajibe. This guy advertises regularly about his honest policies. However, his one year warranty isn't very useful since he doesn't return phone calls or answer email. Live and learn.

Just for the record Peter, how many building, plumbing, and electrical permits and inspections are needed, for a one or two floor house.