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Thinking of Building House; Costs per m2


southland

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If anyone has kept up with construction costs, please advise.

price per meter for moderate or mid-range quality finished construction costs. (Think 120 m2.) ____________________.

price per sq meter for higher end finish? ______________

Land costs?

Not Central Ajijic, not west of Ajijic, but other areas more central, please.

Chapala

Riberas

Libramiento

I know prices can vary widely, so I am just looking for a number of inputs, and I will try to calculate my own median price expectation.

AGAIN:

Construction costs per meter squared.

Land costs per meter squared.

Thank you. Any inputs welcome.

 

 

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This website had the most choices for lots that I have found. 10 pages but make sure you read them all because they go up in price but are sometimes listed in pesos and most are in U.S. dollars... in other words, the 1 million peso lots are mixed in with the 1 million U.S. dollar lots.

http://chapalamls.net/properties/land-and-lots

There really is no average but you can save a lot of money if you get quotes for Obra Negra (finished walls/plumbing/electrical) and then include "installation only" of the tile that you've bought and the windows that you've contracted for... understand?

If you want a view, the lot will cost more but remember that views can be blocked and, honestly?, the view at night is like the black hole of Calcutta... no twinkling lights on the other side of the lake.

Any retaining wall is going to cost you a lot extra and make sure it's done right or your house will crack and slide.

If the lot is in an existing defined development, there are going to be H.O.A. fees or condo fees (or whatever you want to call them) afterwards. What is the water situation? What is the overall infrastructure of water/electrical/internet/sewer... Will you be building a septic tank? Will you have to buy your own electrical transformer? Aljibe or tinaco or both?

There are so many variables that it's mind boggling. But, it's a great adventure if you're going to be on site daily and I would rather build a house from scratch here than live in the mess of renovating again.

Set your absolute max budget for both and then find your lot. Live within your budget and make choices accordingly. Suerte!

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Legal expenses of workers fees and final paperwork costs are to be considered. DO NOT trust that they are done and paid for because you paid them through the contractor.  Pay them yourself and keep all receipts or it will be a very expensive problem later. I know from experience....It could cost you the house later.

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Excellent point Alpha 1! We had an accountant do all that separately from the builder when we built on the coast. There were no extra costs at the end when we applied for the Finiquito that tied the house to the lot. That is an extremely important part of the building process.

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Yes Ferret, it is a shock to find out when you pay your land tax that the house is not part of the lot due to the shenanigans of the builder who pocketed the payments you've made. This results in fines and penalties and a doubling of the original expenses. Add to this the threats by the builder.

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Add the hassle to be on-site everyday to make sure things are going according to plan--not that the workers can read blueprints.  Watch the plumbers that they correctly glue the joints of water pipes and don't get side-tracked.  A leak in a wall is a devil to find and fix.  And if you are a female, forget about building, as a construction worker will not take instructions from you--period.

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1 hour ago, Yo1 said:

Watch the plumbers that they correctly glue the joints of water pipes

Highly recommend TuboPlus  (the green, not blue, not red) double walled, co-polymer thermo-fused pipe.    

Strong and very durable, yet a bit flexible.    No glue, bonds permanently when heated ends go together.

Hit it with a hammer.  No problem.    Sunlight - no problem.    Rated up to close to boiling point of water (90 C)

Sizes and fittings for all needs and applications, residential to commercial.    Made in MX by RotoPlas under license from the German originators.

http://www.tuboplussmx.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/especificaciones-tecnicas-tuboplus.pdf

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Expect time and cost overruns. Allow for it in your budget. Any change you make during construction is the golden opportunity for the contractor to make extra on you. Be aware of it, don't fear it and go ahead and make those changes. You may live the rest of your life there so have some reserve money and pay more attention to the finished product than to your budget. We built one right behind our BnB while running that business and we learned a lot. You can pay by the week for labor or pay by the square meter. They know how to maximize their payment whichever way you choose. Remain friendly with them whatever you do and NEVER pitch a fit on the job site. There are so many ways they can retaliate that you will never notice until after the last payment is made. Go with the flow, smile when you visit the job site, send pozole for lunch once in a while and it may be one of the most memorable projects you ever take on.  It was for us!

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That is very true!  When we renovated our place in Chapala, we were living there. First, we were cooking on a veranda with an old door on two sawhorses and one plug.  Later, we moved into a guest room off the courtyard, then into the casita, and eventually into the house.  We enjoyed the entire process and loved our interactions with the contractor, the maestro and the workers.  We learned much!

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I only lost my cool with the maestro once...we came home to the BnB and as usual maestro had two wires slung over the electrical lines out front. That told me he was welding back on the new house. The wires came in the front door, down the steps, and through the swimming pool and thence to where he was welding.

Sorry Luis but that called for pitching a fit. His response (wish I could imitate it because he stuttered terribly when he was upset) was that nobody was in the pool, so no big deal!!

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LOL! Loved the story and, of course, his logic is what makes it so funny.

I loved renovating my current house and building on the coast. I learn a lot with every experience. As with everything in life, you have to give respect to receive it.

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4 minutes ago, happyjillin said:

Contrary to popular belief,it is less costly to buy an existing house and renovate than building from scratch even if the reno is major. Yes, Jimi Hendrix,I am experienced.

Of course, the saying goes, "Can you afford the remodel AND the divorce?"

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I hear ya jillin'. Did lots of renovating with hubby over many houses and many years both here and in Canada. My favourite trick was to wait until he went on a golf vacation or was in the hospital and then just do what I wanted. All done and finished by the time he got back. My absolute favourite was when he was consulting in the city from Monday to Thursday and only came home for the three day weekend. He kept telling me that he'd called and I wasn't home. Well, I was helping build new kitchen cabinets for the farmhouse... sanding, staining and scut work with the carpenter. He came home early one Thursday just as I was cleaning up after the installation. His jaw dropped when he walked in and he stammered "I thought I'd come home and find you with another man and I found you with... a kitchen."

The house finally sold shortly thereafter.

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