Building a New Family House |
This is the story of
building a two-story four-unit condominium for the families (4) of
Martha, Rosa, Coco and Andrea Valdepeņas. I am the architect and
Enrique, their brother, is the construction boss. |
The lot is 10x40 meters (33x131 feet) and is surrounded by a 3 meter (10') wall as is the custom here. The second floor is identical to the first. The stairs continue up to the flat roof where there are clothes lines as well as a water tank with pressure pump and an air conditioning unit for each apartment. The property walls will be finished brick and the house will be stucco over brick. The interior finishes will be painted plaster walls and ceramic tile floors. |
The lot lies between the white lines on the ancient adobe wall which once surrounded a long-gone nursery that covered the entire block. After the bulldozer knocked down the wall and smoothed the land, we were ready to begin building. We started with the property walls. |
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Cost of Land and Preparation (US$) |
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Land purchase | $ 22,222 | ||||
Legal fees | 1,000 |
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Title and misc fees | 88 | ||||
Bulldozer | 200 | ||||
TOTAL for LAND | $ 23,510 | ||||