Five Tips for Surviving Your House Renovation

Renovating a colonial home is time-consuming, sometimes frustrating…and always rewarding.

Nov. 20, 2008
Campeche, Mexico

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Hola Mexico Insiders,

Many potential expats dream of living in a restored colonial home in Mexico. Once they move here, many expats do, in fact, make that dream a reality. They buy and restore a colonial property. Some of them even get addicted to the process and become “serial renovators”; they buy, renovate, and sell a property—then move on to the next one.

Restoring a colonial home to its former grandeur is an exhilarating process—but it also has its frustrations. I speak from experience. I spent a year renovating my lovely colonial in Campeche, and now, having recently moved in, I’m working through all the final kinks.

For those of you dreaming of a colonial home, here are a few things to keep in mind about renovating. These tips are based on my own experience as well as that of others.

Make sure your architect is well-recommended, and that you can communicate easily. Talk to other expats if you can, and look at other examples of your architect’s work. And if you don’t speak Spanish, make sure your architect’s English is good. (And remember, all the hands-on work will be done by a non-English-speaking crew, so if you have any questions about their work, you’ll have to go through the architect.) These points may seem obvious, but they’re worth repeating.

If possible, supervise the work regularly and in person. If this isn’t possible, find another way to get regular updates. For instance, you can have your architect e-mail you regularly with photos of the work in progress (I have friends who did this when renovating a house in Guanajuato). Or hire a knowledgeable local who can check the work periodically and send you reports.

Expect the unexpected. You never know what you’ll unearth when you start renovating a colonial property. For instance, under the floors and back garden of my 120-year-old house we discovered three separate septic tanks, none of them usable. We filled these in and built a new, state-of-the-art system. It didn’t cost terribly much—but it still was an unexpected expense.

Make sure your contract includes a lengthy “breaking-in” period. Inevitably, there will be things that won’t work quite right at first…a drainage pipe that has become stopped up with debris, or possibly more serious problems like faulty electric wiring in one room. Make sure you have that grace period—then use it wisely, systematically checking out all fixtures, plumbing, and the like.

Reconcile yourself.No construction or renovation project, in Mexico or elsewhere, ever turns out exactly as we envision it. Compromises are always made along the way. Get used to it. Instead of grousing, plan well and stay in close touch with your architect to make those compromises as small and unimportant as possible.

In the end, when you walk around your colonial home, with its high, gracious ceilings and ample space, it will be worth all the effort.

Best regards,

Glynna Prentice
Editor, Mexico Insider

P.S. In Mexico: The Owner’s Manual we cover colonial cities (with properties for sale) from Mexico’s Highlands to the Yucatán Peninsula. We also tell you what you need to know to make the move, from visa requirements to shipping your household. Don’t even think about moving to Mexico without this guide—it will save you a bundle. Find out more here.

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