TalkBaja.com » Baja Mexico Forums » Building your Baja dream home

With the recent construction posts, one thing I can reinforce is the fact that you need to be there when it's built. I wasn't. showthread.php?t=589

I actually had a really good contractor, but the contractor isn't there all the time, and things will be missed if you're not there to double check.

Here's a project I did today to fix one of the mistakes. This is the conduit that runs from my roof for the solar panels. It was supposed to have conduit sweeps, but instead it has PVC 90's and 45's. Impossible to pull wire through.

I spent the entire day cutting and chipping out the 90's and 45's to access the straight conduit. Fortunately (?) the electrician didn't use any glue on the joints and the 90 and 45 pulled right off. No wonder one of my conduit lines had water in it after the hurricane last year . Now I've got to go up on the roof to check all the exposed joints.

Plus when you are onsite it is easy (and cheaper) to make changes to the project as you go along. Some things you will never truly envision until they are right in front of you...

Is it possible/practicle to hire a crew without a contractor? I haven't set block, but I've done all the rest of the physical construction of about 20 homes.

Of course, I was younger then, and stronger. I'm not adversed to hiring locals, in fact I plan to do so even if I don't absolutely need to so that I can begin to build links to the local community.

It sounds like the employee tax situation is tricky. I assume that a contractor usually takes care of that, can I use a local accountant as an alternative?

What are the going rates for journeymen and apprentices in say, San Quintin or La Paz? Is there likely to be much difference in labor costs from place to place?

Even if we can develope a budget that lets us hire it all out, I would still be on the site from layout until the project is finished.

Wooo, you DO know....even if you'd have been there, that could have still happened anyway....while you were on the other side of the casita supervising something else, or on a materials run to town for a work-stopping item....dontcha!

Sorry you had to discover the problem the hard way....typical, but hard! Chipping out is a real hassle!!

Originally Posted by Islander

Is it possible/practicle to hire a crew without a contractor? I haven't set block, but I've done all the rest of the physical construction of about 20 homes.

Yes, but...

Originally Posted by Islander

It sounds like the employee tax situation is tricky. I assume that a contractor usually takes care of that, can I use a local accountant as an alternative?

Yes, but...

Originally Posted by Islander

What are the going rates for journeymen and apprentices in say, San Quintin or La Paz? Is there likely to be much difference in labor costs from place to place?

Can't speak for La Paz but here in the current economy in our neck of the woods right now it is running something like this:

Helper - 200 pesos per day
Experienced Mason - 250 to 300 pesos per day
Maestro - 350 to 700 pesos per day, based on the type/size of job

Another expense to consider is that if you are in a remote area they will probably ask for some help with the gasoline expense.

Originally Posted by Islander

Even if we can develope a budget that lets us hire it all out, I would still be on the site from layout until the project is finished.

Excellent plan...

Originally Posted by Islander

Is it possible/practicle to hire a crew without a contractor? I haven't set block, but I've done all the rest of the physical construction of about 20 homes.

Of course, I was younger then, and stronger. I'm not adversed to hiring locals, in fact I plan to do so even if I don't absolutely need to so that I can begin to build links to the local community.

It sounds like the employee tax situation is tricky. I assume that a contractor usually takes care of that, can I use a local accountant as an alternative?

What are the going rates for journeymen and apprentices in say, San Quintin or La Paz? Is there likely to be much difference in labor costs from place to place?

Even if we can develope a budget that lets us hire it all out, I would still be on the site from layout until the project is finished.

Yes....I agree also, but:
You really need to know how to work with a crew. I have operating contractors businesses currently, and do know that you MUST have the ability to work with the crew. Have seen ****heads acting like Gods to the crew and getting nothing done :-)


San Felipe is bout the same:
Helper - 200 pesos per day
Experienced Mason - 250 to 300 pesos per day
Maestro - 350 to 700 pesos per day, based on the type/size of job

Originally Posted by Islander

Is it possible/practicle to hire a crew without a contractor? I haven't set block, but I've done all the rest of the physical construction of about 20 homes.

Of course, I was younger then, and stronger. I'm not adversed to hiring locals, in fact I plan to do so even if I don't absolutely need to so that I can begin to build links to the local community.

It sounds like the employee tax situation is tricky. I assume that a contractor usually takes care of that, can I use a local accountant as an alternative?

What are the going rates for journeymen and apprentices in say, San Quintin or La Paz? Is there likely to be much difference in labor costs from place to place?

Even if we can develope a budget that lets us hire it all out, I would still be on the site from layout until the project is finished.

Yes, you can hire any combination of workers that you need/want, & you can contract for whatever specific work you want them to do....i.e., walls & roof for enclosed structure & you do all the finish detail yourself. And yes, labor cost varies appreciably from location to location. I paid $5,000 pesos a week (5.5 day work-week) for jefe (waste of $$!) and $3,000 for general skilled workers.

Your language fluency or lack thereof will play a huge role in how much you'll be able to do on your own with a few workers. I brought mime & drawing in the sand to a whole new level!

Seguro Social added about 40% to the overall labor costs of my construction 2-3 years ago, I don't know what the current rate is. It's not that difficult to set the project account up & it's easy to make the monthly SS payments yourself....and you are certain they are being made!! You just have to make sure you add & remove workers, as needed, on a timely basis. & make sure you close it out at project end. I personally don't feel it's worth what an accountant would cost to handle it for you....you'd have all the information & basically be paying someone to get it from you & hand it off to SS.

I paid it myself on casa #2....after discovering 5 years after-the-fact when I sold casa #1 that the architect hadn't paid any SS (despite the fact he charged me for it!). Because it was spelled out in my contract he was responsible for paying it & because I think they were gunning for him & I was able & willing to provide them the written documentation they needed, they nailed him rather than me....thankfully! It's typically the property owners legal responsibility to prove SS was paid on the total project.

Really great information and advice! Thank you so much..

When I started in construction it was myself and a helper, then another journeyman, and then at the end up to 20 guys and me in an office. I HATED that part, and wasn't really any good at it. I did however learn to be anal about plans, specs and budgets. One of our last houses came in at over $650/sf, which I thought was totally insane and unjustifyable, but it was all driven by owner changes. I had 2000 written change orders BEFORE we hung sheet rock. Little things, like a wine cellar after the excavation was finished and the foundation totally formed and ready to pour.

But that was another life, I'm just saying that I have some first hand experience in how to, and how not to, build a home in a remote location.

I have been out of the construction business for 7 years now, but still meet subs and former employees who tell me how I was their best boss ever. For some that means that I let them get away with stuff, but others appreciated that I respected them as equals.

I'm not wired to "lord it over anyone", and that includes my dog!!

One of my biggest concerns is that I don't have enough Spanish to be as polite as I want to be..

If you plan well you will find that you will be able to build a decent place down here for somewhere around your $650/sq ft figure, maybe even less.



Speaking in pesos, of course...

Originally Posted by BajaGringo

If you plan well you will find that you will be able to build a decent place down here for somewhere around your $650/sq ft figure, maybe even less.



Speaking in pesos, of course...

Wow! You almost killed me with that one!!

Originally Posted by longlegsinlapaz

Wooo, you DO know....even if you'd have been there, that could have still happened anyway....while you were on the other side of the casita supervising something else, or on a materials run to town for a work-stopping item....dontcha!

Sorry you had to discover the problem the hard way....typical, but hard! Chipping out is a real hassle!!

I'M NEVER LEAVING


Yea, it could have easily been missed - even if I was there. My neighbor's his own contractor and he's been gone for 45 minutes at times during his construction, only to return to hours of re-doing what was done incorrectly in that short amount of time. I think it's sometimes inevitable.

I've been putting this repair off forever because I wanted to do it myself. I would have hired someone to chip out the concrete, except I was cutting and chipping right above thousands of dollars worth of solar equipment Didn't want to hear "oops".

To avoid some problems, when we finally continue with our project, I do plan to do most of the plumbing and electrical myself, but I don't have experience running them through block, so I'll hire a local guy to help and guide me in that respect. I have no experience at all with block and concrete.

Islander: As far a the use of contractors, even if you don't want to use one, I think the local experience is worth every peso. Without our contractor, there's no way I'd be able to get the materials at the price he can, nor could I arrange transportation for less than he can, plus he knows who the good workers are and who to avoid...and if there are employee problems, it's much easier to let him be the bad guy and take the responsibility for firing them.

Even with the extra cost of having a contractor, I'm convinced were saving $$ in the long run. Plus, our contractor's a stand up guy. On his own accord, he reimbursed me for all the electrical and plumbing labor because there were so many mistakes. Still have to pay for the repairs, but the screw up's didn't cost me a penny

Whoa!!! You did find a good contractor!! He voluntarily reimbursed....I'm amazed & impressed! You may want to hire someone local to do the finish work after all that chipping....even when someone with years of experience fills that area in, it's very tough to get an invisible repair. Damn near impossible to get a finish plaster "recipe" to match the original. That & they tend to just glop it on & don't feather the edges into the original surrounding material. A person with years of experience will get it closer to invisible than you ever could. Although, for crack repair, I'm better at invisible repairs than any worker who has worked on my places!!

That's what I call determination......I might have been tempted, due to my efficient(lazy) nature, to abandon that run and just run new conduit externally.......
I am DEFINITELY going to rent for awhile.....

There are good maestros who have a lifetime of experience and are actually very good at managing a project. We found one in Chava and I believe that Mike (astrobaja) will agree with me that he is honest, resourceful and very, very good at what he does. He charges a little more than some maestros but a bargain in the long run in my experience.

As far as running any conduits through the walls, I don't care how good the guys are building it, north or south of the border - you have to be there. You are the one who will be using it and only you are the one who truly understands how it all will work.

Especially if you are running anything outside the normal 110v wiring like satellite, ethernet, solar, sound, etc...

I have to chime in with our building experience as we have just completed our year long building project near Loreto. We settled on a "Gringo" builder from Mulege as we really like the quality of the places that we looked at that he had built. All was going really well when about three months into the project he announces that he has this great job offer in the US and is leaving on Thurs. !!!! Of course we headed straight to the bar to think about that, but after thinking it over we decided, "We Can Do It". Fortunately his entire crew stayed and they are the greatest. We did stay on-site the entire time and we just finished the most beautiful house and we know every aspect of it's construction. I desgned and installed the solar system and sewage treatment system and everything works great. We did have our local accountant set up the SS payments and we treated our "guys" very good, lots of Cokes and tacos. We feel like friends with every one of them, it was hard to finally have to say goodbye to them, my wif keep finding more little projects for them to do.

I do think that if you build down here (or probably anywhere for that matter) you need to be involved as much as possible. Much easier to correct or change something in real time than after the fact. We actually had a great experience and saved a bunch of money to boot. If anyone is looking for a great crew, we know where to find them.

Originally Posted by ncampion

If anyone is looking for a great crew, we know where to find them.

If my environmental Impact Study doesn't come through pretty soon, I'm going to be looking for a crew. My guy can't wait for me forever and he has another job begging him to start. He needs to feed his family and can't want for me forever. January 15th will be 6 months and counting. C'mon SEMARNAT!!!

Six months sounds about right. Took us almost a year, but part of that was our fault. Seems like the people we know lately have been getting them in just about 6 - 7 months. Did you know there is a SEMERNAT web site where, if you know your case number, you can track it's progress through their system? I'll try to look it up if you don't have it.

Originally Posted by ncampion

Did you know there is a SEMERNAT web site where, if you know your case number, you can track it's progress through their system? I'll try to look it up if you don't have it.

Consulta tu tramite

We use this site often to track several different permit requests we have in process. It does help to give you an idea of all the bureaucracy that it has to go through and also an idea as to where the holdup is, if any...

I'll have to find my case number. I checked the receipt the engineer gave me for the initial payment to SEMARNAT, but it wasn't on there.

We did use that site to track our federal zone concession for over two years as it s-l-o-w-l-y moved from desk to desk.

BTW, I'm definitely not 20 anymore (or 30, or 40). Swinging a sledge hammer has a much higher price than it used to. Thank God for Advil!

It's not the time in years but quality of the genes...