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Rancho Paraiso: Building Our House in Mexico

The following are photos of our ranch near San Miguel de Allende, in Guanajuato, Mexico. Getting to know the land, designing our house and learning how to live and build 'green' will be a years long project. The following is a diary of our ongoing experience. 

Week 7 In House, View 1, July 2009
View from my desk (in my studio).  This is what I am looking at right now (as I upload these photos)!  Paige and I are moved in and have been living in the house for 7 weeks.   We are both overjoyed and overwhelmed!  It is hard to believe what we started in 2005 - a vision of building an off the grid home in the mountain desert countryside - has finally been realized.   Hooray!  The most recent views of the house are shown first. The diary then shifts to 2005, when we purchased the property and the photos are sequenced in chronological order.

Week 7 In House, View 2, July 2009
West side, cobblestone access road we just finished (also the road will ensure the rock walls don't erode from the rain, especially since the land slopes).

Week 7 In House, View 3, July 2009
Front area outside front of house looking East.

Week 7 In House, View 4, July 2009

Week 7 In House, View 5, July 2009
View more or less of what you see when you walk inside front door (especially if you were standing on the right looking towards left!).

Week 7 In House, View 6, July 2009
Standing in dining room looking across, towards West (living room is a step down).

Week 7 In House, View 7, July 2009

Week 7 In House, View 8, July 2009
Looking from outside terrace towards dining room and kitchen.

Week 7 In House, View 9, July 2009
View from Kitchen

Week 7 In House, View 10, July 2009

Week 7 In House, View 11, July 2009
View of stairs leading down to studios.  Off to the right is our bathroom & bedroom.

Week 7 In House, View 12, July 2009
View of our bathroom from our bedroom.  The door on left is a sliding pocket door.  Also, there are 2 sinks - one on each side of the mirror.

Week 7 In House, View 13, July 2009
Paige wanted big windows in the bathroom.  I did not.  Compromise: 1/2 window and 1/2 glass block so we still get  tons of natural light (and can see the sky).

Week 7 In House, View 14, July, 2009
Fireplace in our bedroom

HOUSE IS FINISHED! , May 28, 2009

Werner (Architect) &Paige, (on P's birthday), 2009

Interior View 1, Late May 2009
A view just inside the front door: kitchen, pantry, stairs down to lower level.  Right now the house is in process of being thorougly cleaned.

Interior View 2, Late May 2009
The dining room/library area.  In the middle of the book shelves will be a panoramic photograph by the Kahn/Selesnick.  The floor is poured concrete.

Interior Views 3, Late May 2009
From the dining room/library looking towards the living room and outside terrace.  MORE INTERIOR PHOTOS SOON!

Terrace Views 1, May 2009
Sammy coming round the bend on the terrace

Terrace Views 2, Late May 2009
A pump recirculates water slowly into the 'eye' from the cistern beneath it (which also houses rainwater caught from the roof) . The falling of the water into the well makes a subtle echo sound.

Downstairs, Southeast corner, 2009
Downstairs are Paige's studio and Barb's studio.

Front steps leading to house, Late May 2009
We are coming to see Gerardo (he is 'Maestro' or head of the contruction crew and his blue truck is on the left, always playing Mariachi music!).

A small rock border, Late May 2009
The rainy season starts next month and since we are on a steep hill we have asked Gerardo to use rocks to shore up areas prone to erosion. The first area is very small and will also be a great area for plants.  

Special rocks, Late May 2009
For this area Gerardo was inspired and brought unusual geodes and quartz rocks from his house.

Spcial Rocks 2, 2009
They look like fossils.

Down below, Late May 2009
The bigger erosion project is down below along the Southern edge.  Just beyond the South side of the house is gravel and it drops off as the land slopes downward.  Gerardo and Paige are going to meet the truck which is delivering huge rocks.

Rock truck, Late May 2009

Rock, Late May 2009
Gerardo is going to lay the rock flat along the Southern slope which will give the earth more stability during the rainy season.

Laying the rock, Late May 2009
He and his workers are doing this all by hand!

Progress of the rock slope, Late May 2009

View looking up, Late May 2009
A view of our house from down the road where Donna & Kelly's house is.  Notice the black scorched earth on the left.  A huge fire from miles away, fueled by very dry grass and brush and high winds swept across our land the day before.

So Close, May 2009
The crew stopped working and we started a fire brigade grabbing every hose and drenching areas to try to stop the fire from spreading and especially from catching vulnerable areas far from our house such as down near Donna & Kelly's and where the solar panel is (it generates the energy which fuels the well's water pump).  The fire and smoke were too intense and we had to evacuate the area. Next morning we saw how close the flames came to the solar panel.  Luckily because our homes are built with adobe and brick they were not in danger of burning.  

Widespread, Late May 2009
The fire then cut across the bottom of our land and on to our neighbor's property.  You can get a sense in this photo how much land was burned.  Fires are very common here at this time of year. Firework spark?  Tossed cigarette?  Glass shard caught by the sun?  Candle?  And it is also common for people to start fires to clear their land or to burn garbage.  There was a fire on our land  two years ago.  It is shocking to see and remarkable how fast everything grows back. 

Early April Views 1, 2009
Tree Planting Begins!

Early April Views 2, 2009
Luis making the hole for the Pepper Tree.

Early April Views 4, 2009
Living Room - Gerardo &  his brother work on the fireplace.

Early April Views 5, 2009
Paige at the bar - where we typically eat most of our meals.

Early April Views 6, 2009
In Dining Room/Library looking towards Kitchen

Early April Views 7, 2009
View of master (mistress?!) bathroom

Early April Views 8, 2009
Paige in her studio.

Early February Views 2, 2009

Early February Views 3, 2009

Early February Views 4, 2009
Underneath the eye shaped water feature on the terrace is a cistern -- the rainwater will drain off the roof and into the cistern.

Early February Views 5, 2009

Early February Views 6, 2009

Late January Views 1, 2009
WE HAVE WATER FROM OUR WELL - HOORAY!

Late January Views 2, 2009
We have thermal water on our land, it comes out of the well at 107 degrees. The blue color is from the minerals in the water.  Our well is at the bottom of our property -- down a steep hill and a ways away - and we didn't know if the pump would be strong enough- it is - and it runs on solar.

Late January Views 3, January 2009
We cannot believe it - it is like a giant hot spring!

Late January Views 4, January 2009
The last couple of weeks has been all about the hardscaping - moving the earth and the rocks around to create a shape and entrance to our house.  Since the incline to the house was steep, we decided to create terracing (the terraces would be stabilized by rock walls and eventually we will landscape) and a set of stairs down to the house.  We decided to put the same green slate rock on the stairs as we have on our outside terrace.  To see the difference a couple of weeks can make scroll to the right and look at  Early January Views 1.

Late January Views 5, January 2009
Looking back towards entrance at the hardscaping and rock walls.  All of the rocks came from the land and were made by hand.  Very cool and hacienda - ish!

Late January Views 6, January 2009

Late January Views 7, January 2009
View of bathroom and bedroom.  There will be a sliding pocket door between the two rooms.

Late January Views 8, January 2009
Paige in the bedroom, taking a photo of fireplace.  Wood floor is in process of being installed.

Early January Views 1, 2009

Early January Views b, 2009

Early January Views c, 2009
Looking from front of house to road -- we are starting the hardscaping, using rocks from the land to make steps and terracing from entry wall to our front door.

Early January Views 2, 2009

Early January Views 3, 2009

Early January Views 4, 2009

Early January Views 5, 2009

Early January Views a, 2009
Terrace outside living room.

Early January Views 6, 2009
At kitchen island looking towards dining and living room. 

Early January Views 7, 2009
Concrete for kitchen island and counters that has been poured in molds and will be installed when dry.

Early January Views 8, 2009

Early January Views 9, 2009

Master bath and dressing room.  Carpentry is going in.

Early January Views 10, 2009
Adjacent to bath and dressing room is bedroom.

Early January Views 11, 2009

View from terrace outside bedroom, looking down our road to Donna and Kelly's house. 

December Views 6, 2008 ,
New dogs, Toto is a few months old and was left on the property. The other dog just showed up a couple days ago (and in January dissapeared just as mysteriously as he appeared).

December Views 1,
Rock wall between casita and our house in progress. 

December Views 3,
Paige testing out new sliding doors in Living Room.

November Views 1,
Construction begins on a stone wall to provide privacy between casita and house.  All the rocks being used are from the land.

November Views 2,
Looking from front of house to where the stone wall is being built.

November Views 3,

November Views 4,
To support the roof beams with shock absorbers were added in the front corners of the house.

November Views 5,
Close-up of spring/base of beam supporting roof.  The spring will provide cushion from wind and earth movement -- we have more earthquake protection in this house than we ever did in San Francisco!

October 31 Views 2,
Front entrance.  Sergio is with the workers who are putting the sealant on the adobe.

October 31 Views 3,
Windows are going in - hooray!

October 2008 Views 1,

October 2008 Views 2,
View from Terrace, West corner.  The eye shaped water feature is also a cistern for water catchment below.  The water will flow and circulate into the eye and the wall behind is for plants .

October 2008 Views 3,
On Terrace at sunset.

October 2008 Views 5,
Sammy looking out from Eastern corner - terrace off bedroom.  It's a dogs life!

Public access road to our land / Beginning of Diary, March 2005
This road, known as Camino San Benito, ends up ahead at the entrance to our property.  The property is 5 hectares or almost 12 and a half acres, is wedge shaped and slopes 200 feet from the top to the bottom.  From the top there are panoramic views of mountain ranges to the West, South and East and the town of Atotonilco to the North.  At the lowest elevation is a creek bordered by ancient mesquite trees.

View Looking West, August 2005
After the rains in June and July the land turned from brown and thirsty to green and growing. In the distance are the Guanajuato Mountains.

View Looking Southwest, August 2005
Barb keeps her eyes on the ground as the terrain is rocky and steep!

View Looking East, August 2005

View looking Northeast, August 2005

Cactus, August 2005
The cactus are everywhere in all shapes and sizes. 

Dowser, April 2007
We work with a dowser to locate a source of water. He brings his divining rod - a tree branch.

Paige and the Dowser, April 2007
When the dowser finds water, his two pronged stick leaps upward to his chest. It's hard to believe unless you feel it yourself. Here the dowser invites Paige to experience this age old method of searching for water.

Barb, Scott and Tim, April 2007

Lulu, Donna, Leah, Barb and Paige, April 2007

A view from the bottom looking up, July 2007
In April there was a wildfire that scorched all the land.  It was a shocking site.  We were fortunate in that most of the trees were spared.  Many people reassured us it was a blessing as the land was thick with overgrowth and now it was cleared and ready for the Spring rains.  They were right.  By June, the torrential rains made the land green again.

Scorched Cactus, July 2007
This cactus was burned in the fire but as you can see it has already begun to regenerate itself.

Werner, July 2007
Our architect and master builder, Werner Joaquin Stubbs.

Casita , August 2007
Paige is standing at the entrance of our property.  To the left just inside the fence will be a small casita.  Underneath the casita will be our cistern.

Casita & Cistern, August 2007
The underground cistern can hold 100,000 meters of water.  And, the casita will have incredible views!

Deciding where to put the road, August 2007
We need to put a road from the top of the site to the bottom.  We had a makeshift road for the rig when the well was drilled but theincline is very steep and will wash out if we don't do something more permanent. Werner suggests we curve the road to make it more pleasant to drive and walk on and that we can use the rocks already on the land to cobblestone the road.

Starting the Road, August 2007
The construction of the road begins.  It is a big job and will take about 6 weeks to complete.

Cobblestones, August 2007
Using only hammers, picks and their hands, the workers begin to cobblestone the road.

Werner & Tomas, August 2007
Werner and Tomas, the head of the road building crew. 

Solar, Late August, 2007
Towards the bottom of the property, near the creek, we discover Jim the solar man (who we hope to have a photo of soon!) has started to place frames for the solar panels.  This one is in close proximity to the well and will provide energy for the pump to bring water from the well up to the house.  We have decided to go solar for all functions of the house and property - hooray!

First view of Casita, Late August 2007
The cistern is now finished and on top of its concrete pad the construction of the casita is going fast.  The casita (small house) is looking so beautful we want to move into it now!

Casita construction side view, Late August 2007
Following are some view of the casita under construction.  From the next couple of views you can get a sense of how much the land slopes.  The idea is for this small house to sit at the top of  the property and have views in every direction.

Paige and Danny in Casita, Late August, 2007

Looking up at Casita, Late August 2007
We start to walk around on the land and this is a view looking up at the casita. The shed on the left is temporary and where the crew stores their tools.

Looking Out Casita Windows, Late August 2007

View from Casita Kitchen, September 2007

Progress on Casita and Road, September 2007,
The casita is about to be crowned by its roof and the stone road is close to completion just off the left edge of the photo.  The little dog in the lower left corner is named Toto.

Kelly & Donna,
Paige is with our friends and neighbors on the land, Donna and Kelly.

Designing the house, cut away views -DRAFTS, October - November, 2007
We are now in design phase for our house.  It continues to be a challenging process to distill how we live, the demands of the land and ...our budget!  We have been looking at concrete, stone, steel, stucco, adobe, different styles of windows and doors - from the high to the low, we have been looking at it all.  The drawing on top is a draft (hence the scribbled out part on the left ) of what the front of the house will look from the front.  The bottom drawing is as if you were looking at teh back of the house.  Note the bottom - that is where the studios will be.

Designing the house, First Floor View, December 2007
We started the process of designing the house in September 2007.  As you can imagine, the design has changed shape and scale several times. With Werner (the Architect), we have rigorously explored the questions of functionality, what we have always dreamed of in a house, our different cultures and styles and cost.  After months of creative, frustrating, and exciting discussions we have a plan we love and can afford - hooray!  Above is the drawing for the main floor of the house.  Note:  see the steps into the living room/sala - they are steps down into the room and the doors to outside are all sliding glass. The dining room (if you are in the sala you take a few steps up to the dining room) will also function as a library (we love being able to spread books out on the table!).

Designing the house, Ground Foor, December 2007
The studios and the exercise room (which will also double as a second guest room) are on the ground floor.  Where you see the car is a driveway with a covered part on the right side (originally we wanted a garage but this is an example where we compromised to cut down on expenses).  The covered portion will  house the solar equipment. You can access the car and the studios via the stairs thru the house or, by walking around from either the front or back doors. The house will be made out of adobe, cement, steel and glass. The plan is to break ground on January 7, 2008. 

Deciding site on land for house, December 2007
For the last several months we have been scouting all over the land to find the perfect spot for our house. There are approximately 10 acres and since the land is steeply sloped every tier has a different view.  Some spots are expansive and some feel private.  We have been considering all aspects during the design process.  I think we finally found our perfect location!

Orienting the direction of the house, December 2007
Werner checks with his compass to determine best direction to situate the house.

Paige, Werner and Gerardo, December 2007
Gerardo is the head of the construction crew.

Marking the direction of the house, December 2007
Jose is helping Gerardo string lines to show how the house will be situated.  Jose is standing approximately where our bedroom terrace will be.

House construction Phase I, Jan-Feb 2008
House construction begins!  View of walls going up for ground floor.

House construction , January 2008
On the terrace will be an eye shaped water feature (think foot deep with various river rocks and stones).  Underneath it will be a small cistern for rain water catchment.

East view, January 2008

Terrace, February 2008
Water feature/cistern on West end of house is almost finished.

February Progress, February 2008
Ground floor

Agave, February 2008
Barb (if you can believe this) went to Guanajuato with friends who heard of a landowner who had miles and miles of agave plants for sale.  $1.00/each!  We dug up and trimmed 50 to bring back to plant on our land. 

Lily and Sammy, February 2008
Lilly and Sammy.  Sammy is now 4 months old and 17 pounds (she was 5 lbs in December!). 

Front View , April 2008
The construction of the house has been moving fast since breaking ground in January. 

Bedroom corner looking West, April 2008
We are looking from an outside corner of the bedroom West.  Notice the wrap around terrace. 

Terrace West end, April 2008

Underneath the water feature is a cistern that will capture rain water.  Luna, our friend's dog,  loves her new pool!

Adobe and slate, April 2008
The adobe bricks they are building the walls with and the green slate that will be used for the terraces.

Roof Structure, April 2008
On the side of the house is the roof structure.  Right now they are in the process of welding it together.  They hope to get it up in the next month or two before the rains begin.

Front View from our road, May 2008

East Corner from driveway, May 2008
You can get a good sense of the roof line seeing the first half of the roof installed - imagine it with a span coming over the front of the house- like butterfly wings.

View of East Side, May 2008
You are looking at the East side of the house -- moving from left to right and bottom to top are: the front entrance to Barb's studio, the driveway & rooms for solar equipment, and the stairs going up to the house. Above the driveway/solar storage area are the windows in the master bathroom and to the left of those is the bedroom window and terrace (above Barb's studio).

South East Corner, May 2008
From this corner looking West, you can see the window in Barb's studio (the door faces East), the exercise/spare room doorway and bathroom window and at the end, the doorway and window to Paige's studio.

View from inside B's studio, May 2008

Lower Level, Backside of House, May 2008

South West Corner, May 2008
This rounded shape is a cistern to hold rain water. Above, on the terrace is an eye shaped water feature that catches the water (and is an excellent pool for the dogs).

West Side, May 2008

North West Corner, May 2008
From this angle you can see the exterior of the guest bath, room and terrace.

Front Entrance, May 2008
We have just circled the exterior of the house and are now going thru the front entrace to the interior.

Living Room View South, May 2008
There will be sliding glass doors leading out to the terrace.

Dining Room Looking West, May 2008
We have taken one step up from the living room and are looking at this view from the dining room.  Looking across to the living room wall you will notice a place for the television and underneath a fireplace. To the left of these will be a very tall window. All of the windows will be double glass, UV filtered and tinted (it won't look like a tint --we realized if we didn't do something we would need to wear sunglasses inside!) You can also see in this photo the eye shaped water feature for water catchment.

Living Room towards Dining Room, May 2008
Paige is back in the living room and from this view you can see the large window in the dining room.

In Kitchen Looking West, May 2008
Walking  a step up and out of the living room we are now basically in the kitchen area. You can see the close relationship between the kitchen, dining room (which will also function as a library with floor to ceiling shelves for books) and the living room.  The wall you see is a structural wall and also good for art.

Kitchen and Pantry, May 2008
Moving toward the Northeast corner of the house, you can see the Kitchen window (out the window is a view of our casita up the hill - for more on that scroll to August 2007), and to the right is the pantry and behind the pantry is a utility room.  If you look again at the exterior- the first photo titled: Front View From Our Road - you can see there is also a second entrance to the house off the utility room.

View from Bathroom Windows, May 2008
Think Spa!

Bathroom looking towards Bedroom, May 2008

Stairs to Bedroom and Lower Level, May 2008
To the left is the pantry again and what you are seeing in this photo is the stairway from which you access the master bedroom and bath and if you continue down the stairs you will be at the driveway and solar storage area.  In addition to the window looking East,  there will be a skylight above the stairwell.

Bedroom View, Terrace, May 2008
In the corner of the bedroom will be a fireplace.  Sliding glass doors will take you out to the terrace.  This terrace wraps around to the West side of the house (where the water feature is).  In fact I am walking it now.......

Looking in from Terrace, May 2008
Here we are on the terrace in front of the living room.  Just in time to catch up with Paige and Sammy. 

New Views 1, August 2008

New Views 2, August 2008

New Views 3, August 2008
Gerardo is the head of the construction crew (known as the Maestro) and does everything from putting up the roof to installing the slate terrace to mixing perfect concrete colors.  He is awesome!

New Views 4, August 2008

New Views 5, August 2008

New Views 6, August 2008

New Views 7, August 2008

Paige on the terrace, Late June 2008

East Side, Late June 2008

Concrete Color Tests, Late June 2008

Mixing Cement Colors, June 2008
We have just started mixing colors for the cement floors, kitchen counter and bathroom sinks.  We are going to experiment with pigments until we get our color choices refined and then we will make some tests using concrete molds.

Roof is on- North East View, June 2008

Roof is on - East View, June 2008

Roof is on - West View, June 2008