It was signed in both Spanish and English.

I am not sure as I am not a builder here. As far as I know, only the building permit is required. There are some inspections but not sure which ones. When we had our builder, a stop work order was put on our home because he did not do omething that was required so I do know there are some inspections. Certainly nothing like the 23 inspections we had during construction when I was in Florida.

You are right when it comes to a crooked builder and I know which one you are talking about. However, like in the US, courts here take time and even slower than NOB. However, if a person is willing to hang in there and go through all the time and frustrations, the chances are good that eventually some kind of justice will be done. One must figure on around 3 years so this builder that did these things seems to be getting away with it but, in the long run, he will end up in a courtroom. However having a good contract which has everything spelled out will make the case a lot stronger when it finally reaches the judge versus a quote on a piece of paper.

And, if you are working with an honest builder, a complete and thorough contract helps avoid misunderstandings and problems down the line. If you are expecting an American Standard Town and Country handicap toilet in the master bath and it is specified in the contract, it certainly prevents having a huge fight with your builder or having to pay extra if he puts in a cheap Mexican toilet. The more you have in writing, the better off you are whether you have a crooked builder or the most honest one at Lakeside.

Peter excellent comments. For the price of your lots do you mean per sq metre.

I agree labour is far less productive here and as you mentioned not such a bargain. In fairness to them they are not trained and lacking proper equipment. This is not a slight but simply an observation. The point of a concrete truck is an excellent one and the mix is right and consistent. It also typifies the mentality to create and drag out employment as long as possible as getting and keeping work is so critical to many workers.

Peter curious your thoughts on the typical and common concrete and brick wall construction vs say concrete block.

You help make my case. I wil bet you went with a builder that gave you a super attractive price and you probably got what you paid for. I will also bet that your contract did not specify the make and size of the electrical panel box that was to be used, the type of plumbing lines such as copper and what quality or PVC, whether lines were to be in conduit, etc. If you had gone with one of the better builders in the area, chances are pretty good he would have honored the things specified in the contract. You would have paid more for the house but would have avoided all your problems later on. And, if you had these items in your contract and they were not done, then you have legal recourse.

Mexico does enforce contracts, specific performance, etc. Again, it takes time but there is recourse nonetheless.

So Peter it seems as if you have all your bases covered!

I see nothing wrong with the concrete and brick wall construction. They have used it here for hundreds of years. My new house has it as that is what the builder recommended at the time and I was still naive in Mexican construction. But, I did have plans to insulate the walls and ceilings to keep the home more comfortable year round. My next house, if I build, will be concrete block. It is my belief the walls are stronger being 8"wide, there is more support for the roof, and the dead air space in the block makes for better insulation and sound proofing.

You are also right about dragging the work out. I could watch the men working for the builder from my old house and they would get to work about 8, have breakfast from 8:30 to about 10, walk around for awhile and finally get some work done around 11 to 1 when they took their 2 hour lunch. At 3 they walked around some more, and finally from 3:30 to 5 did some more work before packing up to go home. When I took over, I gave the maestro a realistic list of things I wanted accomplished each week and it meant working and working hard. He quit every other week saying I was pushing too hard but when I asked him if I ever gave him something he could not accomplish, the answer was no. He was with me to the end. And, I was on the job everyday. If I found someone slacking, they were given a warning. The second time they were fired. After 2 or 3 guys were replaced, the rest of the crew got the message.

As for the lots, I screwed up and the price is per square meter. Sorry about that.

I wonder how many foreigners would buy a properly built home at the higher price or take their chances with a cheaper property. From your figures the home would cost double to build lakeside.

Peter considering material and labour costs is concrete block more expensive.

Also when you say 80 to 90 a sq ft are you talking enclosed sq footage (as priced NOB) or total sq ft including balconies etc.. thanks John

Like anywhere else, you get what you pay for. When building in Florida, I was on the upper end of new home builders that specialized in upper middle class customers. Most builders were substantially less expensive than me but, in most instances, I could prove to a prospect I was also giving them a whole lot more in construction quality, in amenities, in safety, in comfort, and in lower maintenance over the years. If the other builders included what I did, they all would have been higher in price than me.

I guess the best comparison would be in cars. You can buy a Hyundai for a very low price or you can buy a Toyota, Cadillac or Mercedes for more money.
They all get you from point A to Point B but which is better built, which has the better resale, which is safer, and so on. It all depends what you want.

Finally, I am not a builder here. The prices I am using come from 2 different Mexican builders and were quoted to me just recently. One of the builders is a good fiend and had quoted me around $55 a sf 4 years ago. The other is one of the better known and respected builders in this area.

John, I have no idea if concrete block is more expensive or not. Again, I am not a builder here so I cannot honestly answer your question. NOB, brick was more than block but a mason that can do brick can easily do block as well. The only thing I can see is a slight difference in cost of materials, if any. And, labor may be less because they are working with 16" long block rather than the shorter brick. An excellent question that I wish I had an answer for.

Most everything here is priced for under roof, not air conditioned or heated space. When I was building in Florida, I never broke my houses out by living area, garage, and lanai. I priced out the entire home and gave the price accordingly. It costs money to build a garage, an entry, a lanai, etc. The price per sf is much lower than living area but, in Florida, prices were predicated on everything under roof.

As for balconies, I guess that would depend if it has a roof, support columns, tile floor, etc. If it is just an open balcony with a railing, I do not believe it would be figured in.

I would add one suggestion for those building. Include in the project at least one or two VENTED gas space heaters tied into your main propane line. I'd put one in each bedroom that is likely to be occupied in the winter. You may want one in the living room too.

It does get chilly here, if not for very long. I see people dealing with this using either electric, which blows up your power bill, or unvented gas, which is dangerous.

Also ceiling fans over the beds in the bedroom and a few other strategic places.

Dan I even saw a house that had radiant floor heating in Brisas but all are good ideas.

Radiant floor heating is really expensive. I don't see how you can justify that cost for something that might get used a few weeks per year.

It is the best, however. It was used in all the top end homes in New Mexico.

There is an article on page 13 of this week's Guadalajara Reporter that says average construction costs increased 11% in August and that "the average price of a square foot of constuction has gone up 74% since August of 2007."

I can believe that.

In Feb 2006 recieved a bid of $1700 for an addition onto the side of the garage in the corner of the garage and front wall, so there are only two walls, a dry laid brick floor, a basic tile roof on steel beams and 2 windows and a sliding glass door plus a passage door from the garage. Size was 22 x 16. No electrical or plumbing, we would do that.

Jan 2007 bid was $2600.

June 2008, cost is $4900.

So we've decide to roof in an interior courtyard.

A TV show worth watching is Holmes on Homes on TLC. It has become very popular and clearly shows the right way to build and renovate homes. It can be see at various times including 9:30 pm Saturdays.

I watch Mike Holmes show regularly and always learn something new. Unfortunately, since the show is Toronto based and NOB building style, it rarely helps with Mexican style building. I love it anyway.
It is also on HGTV and occasionally on BBC.
We can all heed his motto "Do it right!!!"

Sounds like its time to take a brick laying course.......

Bob.

Sounds like time for a Mexican tv show, Roberto on concreto.