Beach front property Merida Mexico - Yucatan mexico real estate

Beach front property Merida Mexico

What are the typical building costs per square foot ?

If you figure $ 50 to 75 usd per square foot you are not going to be far off. That does not count the finishing work so if you start thinking of imported marble from Italy that number rapidly turns into something else.

In the 10 years I have been here I have acquired 3 crews of 30 guys in total whos specialties cover all the disciplines needed from start to finish any size residential project. We do 5 to 10 projects a year ranging from small pools and renos to large from the ground up multiple storey projects.

Originally I started by using 3rd party contractors but very quickly learned that if I was dealing with 7 to 10 contractors from foundation, block layers, plumbers, electrical, window, door and screen guys, carpenters, plumbing, landscapers and specialty work like air conditioning and water purification specialists. It was my experience that maybe 2 or 3 of them would be gentlemen and honor the price they gave me without any games.

A motorcycle is always trying to fall on its a side, a boat is always trying to sink and the contractors were always trying to pick my pockets and give less than what was agreed. As well as working the client they would short change their own workers and in retaliation the workers would put nail holes in all the PVC water pipes and the walls would fill up with water. Because I was here all the time this never happened to me but it is public knowledge.

Although there are some out and out thieves most contractors fit into the category best described by the great Micheal Gerber in his book the E Myth as the Technician .

The E Myth talks about the skills required to run a small business and states that most small business are started by technicians ( the guy who does the work for which the client requires) but they do not require the other essential skills which the entrepreneur and the manager possess.

In other words they cant manage, budget and forcast the needs of an operating business. So the result is they under bid a job because they need the money and donâ??t anticipate what can go wrong then they run the client around while they look for another contract which hopefully the deposit will provide them with enough capital to finish the first job.

They donâ??t have the skills to keep their own workers in line so materials go off site, cement to sand ratio goes inadequate and delays, rework incompetence consume the clients money.

I have tried using Architects from Merida but there are many times in the project where you need to be on the job site twice a day and the architects were unwilling to drive the 2 hours back and forth per trip.

So after 10 years I have 3 crews who I have personally groomed to Canadian, American and European standards who report to my supervisor. I do all the design work, the budget and the scheduling.

I am responsible to the clinets for completion dates and quality assuring the final product.

If you are going to try and do it yourself it is possible but the propensity is for things to fall short of your expectation. If you get into a legal conflict with the contractor down here you can kiss the money good bye. Yes there is a legal process but the reality is that it offers no remedy.

Robert Harker is a Canadian living and practicing real estate in Yucatan Mexico serving the beach communities north of the city of Merida, in the state of Yucatan. He has been a practicing real estate and mortgage broker in Mexico for the last 10 years and has a total of 25 years international real estate experience with 1,000 career deals and counting. He specializes in retirement beach property for foreigners and has a full service construction company catering to the needs of his market niche.

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