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 Vallarta Living | Home & Real Estate | January 2005 
Making the Move to AND Building a House in Vallarta
 One man's dreams of building a home in Puerto Vallarta becomes a reality, and another expatriate finds that living in Mexico is living the good life.
 After many visits to Puerto Vallarta, I decided to make the big move of leaving crowded Southern California and relocating here. Since I had always stayed in resorts, I wanted to see if the laid back lifestyle really suited me and decided to try living like a local. So I walked the streets in the downtown area with a pen, pad and phone card writing down all of the "for rent" phone numbers and using my [very] limited Spanish to ask about the apartments available.
After "beating the streets" for a while, I finally decided to rent a furnished two-bedroom apartment in Colonia Las Canoas that cost $3000 pesos per month. When I moved in, I found that basically nothing worked; there was no hot water, the bathrooms didn't function properly, and the kitchen was sadly lacking in modern conveniences. But my biggest surprise came at about 4:30 the next morning, when the sound of my next door neighbors' roosters crowing had me flying out of bed. At least that problem was easily solved . . . I bought a radio and kept it on all night.
After my one month trial period, I decided to look for an apartment closer to the beach - and one that had air conditioning. I found my new apartment in Colonia 5 de Diciembre for the same $3000 pesos per month, but it also had an air conditioner, plus cable television. The apartment was small, but as a single guy looking for that "right local girl," it sufficed. After spending a month in my new home, I was so happy that I wanted to sell my condo in San Diego and buy one here. I was fortunate or "lucky" enough to have a small condo in Central San Diego that quadrupled in value in the five years I owned it, so figured I could buy my new place for half of the proceeds and bank the rest.
However, a gringo advised me to first experience the summers here and to live out my "honeymoon year" renting a place before I made the big plunge. It was great advice, but at the one year mark, after making it through my first hot and rainy summer season, I started to look for a condo to purchase. I had a budget of below $80,000 USD, so I went around with a realtor looking at condos in the Olas Altas, Conchas Chinas area.
I found that 80 grand was not going to get me much, so after looking at a few two-bedroom condos, I backed down to a one bedroom - but I still wasn't real thrilled with what I found. So we moved further inland to some local communities and looked at more affordable places, none of which I was very happy with. Things were not looking very promising . . .
Then I made the phone call that changed my life. I had become very close to the owner of my apartment, a retired doctor who lives in Saltillo, who has a second home here above the small apartment complex. In fact, Gabriel was my second Dad, my Mexican "Papa." I was so happy living in this local community that I didn't want to leave the neighborhood. However, due to its central location, real estate prices were very high. I asked the question, "Can we build a floor on top of your house that I can buy from you?"
He was so honored that he came right down to Vallarta and we started the planning process. It was then that I learned to follow my gut instincts and not listen to all of the negative advice that I was getting from my fellow expatriates. "Don't trust them, they will screw you" was the most common, so I decided not to speak to anyone about my plans and went on with the planning process.
The doctor has a brother, Martin, who is an architect in Veracruz, so Gabriel and I invited him over to design and supervise the project. Martin came to town and we all ate together, talked a lot (which helped me with my Spanish), and watched the girls walk by - Martin's favorite pastime. He drew up the architectural plans to my specifications, two bedrooms and two baths, [with a Jacuzzi in one,] central air, a cupola, a balcony with sliding glass doors and screens off the master bedroom, and another from the living room with an ocean view.
Keep in mind that this was not going to be an expensive, large home, just 750 square feet planned to utilize the space in the best possible manner. Martin submitted the plans to the city and they were approved. Dr. Gabriel, Martin and I picked out a construction crew, and I have to admit that when I met the Maestro of the team I was a bit scared, as he was just a small man that didn't seem like one that you might see leading a crew in the states. Maestro Juanito assembled a five man crew and we added Maestro Leon for all of the electrical and plumbing work.
At this time I want to tell you that nobody spoke English except for the doctor, whose second-language skills were as limited as my own - around 10% - but somehow we managed. Whoever believes that Mexicans workers are lazy, come to work late and drink on the job couldn't be more wrong . . . these guys were spectacular! They were friendly, hard-working and always happy to do whatever it took to get the job done.
The first thing we needed to do was begin the construction of a new roof on the doctor's house, which would serve as my floor. The existing roof was torn off leaving only four pieces of wood, one in each corner of the building. As work progressed, we shopped for tiles, paint, kitchen and bathroom fixtures, doors, and the necessary construction materials for building my new home.
Soon, the four pieces of wood became concrete foundations with wooden planks holding up the rest of the roof that was to be poured. The only machine that was ever used was a crane, which dumped the first load of concrete on the roof. All the rest was done by hand. The crew hand carried buckets of concrete up to the third floor to lay the foundation for my roof, and finally, the house began to take shape and concrete replaced the remaining wooden supports. Concrete blocks, panels and then the cement separated the rooms.
Building a house is indeed a tedious process, especially after the structure has been completed. We always needed to buy some of this and more of that, but the project didn't exceed budget. The part that became difficult was the carpenter. Just as Dr. Gabriel told me, they accept jobs, but you just can't count on them showing up. Then the Commission de Electicidad acted as if they were the IRS, and we all know that Telmex is not a pleasure either.
After the red clay tile was placed and the bathroom and kitchen fixtures were installed, it was appliance and furniture time. We purchased everything larger than your typical Vallarta house; refrigerator, stove, sinks, microwave, a washer and dryer, and television sets for each room. Finally, everything was put into place. As in any newly built house, there were things that didn't seem to work quite well and adjustments that had to be made but, just five months after we tore off the doctor's roof, I moved into my new home.
As an added bonus, Gabriel and his lovely wife Luzma had their "old" house completely renovated in the process. Everyone was thrilled, and it became time to see the Notary. The contract process and the change to a condominium was completed with little problem, after a small mistake by the attorney. I love the place, and would recommend the construction crew to anyone.
I'm sure glad I didn't listen to the gringos in town with their negativity and skepticism, or I might still be in my little apartment, or worse yet, might have purchased a place that I really didn't like. Best of all, I got to watch every stage of the process, something that I never would have had the chance to experience. I can't guarantee that you will have the same good fortune, but I'm glad I followed my gut and my heart and left my Americanism in the states.
-Bob Cohen |
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