Archive for construction
Thinking About Building a House in Guatemala?
Posted by: | CommentsYou might want to go here to get a ‘peek under the covers’ first.
Building a House in Guate
Posted by: | CommentsIf you’ve looked at as many houses as we have in the 10 months we’ve been here, you might think about building your own. Certainly many of the expats I hear from are contemplating buying land and building. After all, you can build a $100/sq ft house for $30/sq ft here, largely because labor is so cheap.
However, there are some pitfalls; vendors who don’t show up after getting advances, materials of low quality, theft at the construction site, architects who want to charge you $10,000 for plans and of course, workers who represent they have the skills and experience to do a complex job but are no more qualified to build than I am. Add to that the greed-I saw a 1/4 acre lot in Antigua recently priced at $125,000! (That’s dollars!)
I was reminded of some of these problems while browsing ExpatMom’s site and came across an old post of hers. Here’s an excerpt:
…we have a tub that doesn’t drain, a shower that doesn’t heat and a toilet that doesn’t flush.
So what’s the problem?
Construction Techniques
Posted by: | CommentsWhen I visited Art & Rosie for the first time, I was impressed by their home, not just because it was large and inviting, but because it was the closest thing to US construction standards I’d seen in more than six months. If you or your family need a place to stay, it’s worth a five minute ride out to Ciudad Vieja.
Along these lines, Jim is a Peace Corps Volunteer and, in a former life, an architect. He’s written a post that gives you some insight into local construction techniques. If anyone understands any of it, let me know.
New LDS Temple Under Construction in Xela
Posted by: | CommentsOne of the things that surprised me both in Mexico and here in Guate is the relative prevalence of the Mormons, aka, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (LDS). I guess I was equally surprised when we lived in Phoenix and discovered it was the 2nd largest Mormon community outside of Utah.
Of course, the Mormons here are like they are everywhere, clean-cut, polite, always smiling and evangelistic. What I’ve noticed here that never occurred to me before is how spacious, clean and generally attractive their Church buildings are. Whether you’re walking down a tiny street in Panajachel (!) or in the capital, you can find a temple (or are they called ‘wards’?) where LDS faithful worship and baptize.
I think most people tend to get accustomed to the dense, ugly, concrete construction styles in the capital and forget what modern architecture in the US looks like. At the other end of the spectrum, here in Antigua the ancient style couldn’t contrast more with that of the US or the capital.
That’s why the LDS temples stand out so much, with their clean architecture (which is identical in style to every temple I’ve ever seen), open spaces and generally pleasant appearance. I was reminded of that when I saw an annoucement that a new temple is being constructed in Xela. Perhaps expats who are struggling with local construction techniques should hang out with the Mormons and learn a few things.
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