How to stop Isla Mujeres builders driving you mad

Following on from last weeks blog, Buying land and Building on Isla Mujeres, this week we cover the effective steps that anyone can follow, to avoid the disappointment and frustration and financial loss, so often experienced by those building their isla Mujeres dream home. Its important to take into account that the owners are so often absent while the property is being built, and lets face it even if they are in attendance they rarely know what to look for.

The first important stage, although generally overlooked is to find a Architect who knows how to prepare the plans and also draw up a Catalogo de Conceptos,. The Catalogo de Conceptos is a document of between forty to fifty pages. It specifies every single item of building materials to be used, the specification and brand (to ensure that inferior materials are not used), also the labor to be carried out in the building process. This is so vitally important because the builder has to put his price in next to every single item which the Architect then cross checks. As it covers everything down to the last bag of cement and yard of sand plus all the labor, it makes it impossible for a builder, who is so inclined, to overcharge the client. Its difficult to emphasize how important this document is.

One of the areas the document should cover is to specify the fumigation of the soil prior to building, this is so important but rarely done. This is because one of the major problems on Isla Mujeres, is with termites, and once they get into a property they are almost impossible to eradicate. This can be largely avoided by fumigating the whole plot before building. It is always recommended to use a professional company rather than rely on the builder to carry this out. Another important factor when it comes to termites is the type of wood to be used. There are some species that termites love and others that they wont go near.

The next stage is to find a builder who knows how to complete a Catalogo de Conceptos, if they don't, that is not a good sign. Or if they are reluctant to do so that is often a sign that they are aware that is going to limit their scope for overcharging by way of extras or "unaccounted items". Another very important stage is for the client to view at least three of their previous projects and speak to three of their satisfied clients. Once the building process starts, the property owner should at regular intervals ask to see evidence that the builder is making the social security payments for their employees. The reason for this is that if it comes to light that they have not been paid, the property owner can be held liable for these payments for a number of years after the construction is completed.

There are many builders on the island who cannot meet those requirements. We have been building and selling homes on Isla Mujeres since 2002. We no longer build because there is so little prime land left at a reasonable price. There are however plenty of builders that do still build on the island, and by closely following the aforementioned steps, anyone can avoid the horror stories one hears, and become the owner of an Isla Mujeres dream home at well below market price.