Casas de Mérida – Episodio Dos
Las cosas buenas vienen en cajas pequeñas
Este episodio de "Casas de Mérida" presenta una de las casas más pequeñas que hemos visto renovada en el centro histórico de Mérida. La fachada de esta casa mide solo cuatro metros de ancho (aproximadamente 12 pies para aquellos a quienes se les dificulta el sistema métrico) y el terreno tiene 28.7 metros de largo (unos 94 pies). En los tiempos en que buscábamos casa, ¡ni siquiera habríamos considerado una tan angosta!
Pero vean cómo la propietaria, una estadounidense que la construyó como su hogar permanente, ha convertido esta casa larga y angosta en una joya moderna.
La casa está construida como un vagón de tren (en California, cuando alquilamos uno en los años setenta, les llamaban railroad apartments), con una habitación siguiendo a la otra conforme se avanza de adelante hacia atrás. El arquitecto amplió el metraje al convertirla en un “vagón de tren” de dos pisos y encontrar el espacio para colocar una escalera. Al abrir la puerta principal, la primera habitación que se ve es un vestíbulo, que rara vez se utiliza, pero que sirve como buen aislante de sonido entre la calle y el resto del área habitable. La segunda habitación incluye la escalera, un baño debajo de ésta, un área de estar con repisas para almacenamiento en la parte inferior y una repisa superior para exhibición.
El tercer y último espacio en la planta baja es donde se desarrolla toda la vida: una cocina con electrodomésticos de acero inoxidable que combinan con el concreto gris pulido, con vista a una sala y un área de oficina con escritorio empotrado, todo ello con vista, a través de puertas de vidrio, hacia un pequeño patio, jardín, fuente y piscina pequeña (plunge pool). La propietaria construyó una cubierta retráctil que se despliega para dar sombra a la piscina durante las horas más calurosas del día. El jardín está rodeado de muros de piedra nuevos que parecen llevar ahí décadas, pero que tienen un diseño ondulado que hace eco de la modernidad del resto de la casa. Y justo detrás de la piscina, al fondo del terreno, hay una bodega para equipo y almacenamiento. Las puertas están pintadas de azul para combinar con la onda del muro y dar un toque de color a una paleta cromática por lo demás neutra.
En la planta alta se encuentran el baño principal y un amplio dormitorio principal, también definido en un extremo por puertas de vidrio que dan a un espacioso balcón techado con espacio para colgar una hamaca, todo con vista a la piscina.
Mérida moderna
A diferencia de algunas renovaciones, las puertas, pisos y herrería de esta casa son completamente nuevos, producidos por el equipo del arquitecto y con un diseño moderno. Los elementos tradicionales yucatecos de una casa colonial funcionan muy bien en conjunto con un diseño moderno, como lo demostró originalmente el primer arquitecto que conocimos aquí, Salvador Reyes Ríos. El estilo de Salvador, que consiste en modernizar las coloniales manteniendo ciertos elementos originales, se ha vuelto muy solicitado, y muchos otros arquitectos locales han aportado su propio matiz a esa estrategia.
Nos parece que esta pequeña casa logra reunir todos los elementos que uno desea en una casa en Yucatán: techos altos, pisos de mosaico (en este caso, un poco de mosaico original rodeado de cemento pulido, algo muy típico en una renovación), una piscina, un jardín, muros de piedra, un lugar para recostarse en hamaca. La cocina abierta, las puertas de vidrio y los techos altos dan una sensación de amplitud que no se esperaría en una casa tan angosta.
La casa fue terminada a principios de 2008 por el arquitecto Víctor Cruz y su equipo, para una clienta estadounidense. Es de una recámara, dos baños y piscina pequeña, ubicada en el barrio de Santiago.
Comments
Brenda Thornton 16 years ago
This home is gorgeous. I love that pool. This would be a perfect home for a vacation rental as well. Self-contained, a private pool, and peace and quiet.
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Taunya Dorene Crites 16 years ago
Why didn't you tell the cost of each home in Merida Mexico.
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fabio fortuna 16 years ago
i was also told at INAH that you have to have their permit TO PAINT THE WALLS INSIDE THE HOUSE!!!!!!!!!!!!!! i wonder if anybody does that....(ask for the permit).
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fabio fortuna 16 years ago
to Casiyucateco and working gringos
yes , even painting the facade of the house requires a permit. originally i was told that it actually requires 2 different permits, if the house is located in the centro historico. one from INAH (instituto nacional antropologia y historia) located across the street on one side of SAMS CLUB on carrettera progreso, and AFTER THAT , a permit from the ayuntamiento. BUT it seems to be enough with the INAH permit (as long as it is a facade work). you will need a photo of the facade (on a cd rom), a copy of the number of the cedula catastral, a copy of the predial payed and a proof of ownership. then you will have to fill a form. it normally takes 1 week we were told.... (took us 4...). then you pay a minimum fee of around 91 pesos. at INAH i was told that ACTUALLY you need a permit from them EVEN if you do the renovation of plumbing, electricity, put a pool in the backyard. i was originally told by my architect that one ONLY required permits for NEW construction (if you add rooms in the backyard) etc. but it seems not to be the case....needless to say, our architect didn't apply for a permit to INAH when we did our renovation....
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Mindy 16 years ago
Thanks to Gabriel for his suggestion to watch the videos on YouTube. I was indeed able to do so-FINALLY! To - Working Gringos, I do not have Actibe Content blocked and I do have Flash installed. I am able to watch videos on other web sites so still not sure what the problem is, but thanks alot. Atleast I can see them on YouTube.
Great work. Love this site. I will be visiting very soon.
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Working Gringos 16 years ago
Thank you, as always, Casi Yucateco.
Also, Morris, if you haven't already, read our Building Our House series to get some insight into how things are done here. All of us from "the North" go through a bit of a culture shock adapting to how they build houses here... it's good to educate yourself ahead of time.
At the end of this article, you will find the links to each article in the series:
http://www.yucatanliving.com/real-estate-yucatan/building-our-house-viii-the-end.htm
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CasiYucateco 16 years ago
Morris,
If you are renovating a colonial structure in Centro Historico, you will have to have a permit from the authorities for any changes done to the facade.
Electrical and plumbing work are up to you, your workers, or contractors. You won't have inspectors for those things. You will want to do it well, however, if you plan to live in the house. You can find various workers willing to help you with heavy work or whatever. Particularly in this bad economy, there are plenty looking for a steady income for a few weeks or months.
The main inspector of the work will be you. This is liberating for knowledgeable folks and a little disconcerting for those who don't know how to check the work.
You may want to consider a couple extended vacations or renting a while before diving directly into a renovation project. See how you like the area, the climate, the style of housing and the way work is done (quite different in some aspects from the USA).
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Patti 16 years ago
Ever since my first visit to Mexico, about 22 years ago, I have loved the country. I always look at property in Mexico, to see if there is something that I can afford. I discovered Real Estate in Merida about 18 months ago. I have made many trips to Mexico and several to Merida in the past 10 months and find it more and more exciting with each visit. This is a beautiful area with wonderful people and architecture. I have been researching this area for the past 18 months and am currently in the buying process.
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Morris 16 years ago
I am retired and living in Northern California. Privately, I am warming to the possibility of living in the Yucatan. The "Houses Of Merida - Video Two" has increased my awareness of how older reality listings can be updated for a modern lifestyle. My desire to look more seriously has just gone public! Thanks for the inspiration.
Question: Can a person who is geared toward doing a majority of the upgrade work himself, find an unrestricted path when working with inspectors and local building codes? Building Code adherence in the San Francisco Bay Area often seems to mainly depend on an inspector's particular focus. This can be troublesome, as the goal of upholding important safety standards seems to vanish.
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Working Gringos 16 years ago
If you find this happening to you, it is because you have Flash not installed or active content blocked as a browser security option.
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Patti 16 years ago
Thank you so much for such wonderful pictures from behind the facade...
Lucky Jay and Marie. I wish that I were moving to Merida in the next couple of weeks. We are still in the buying mode. I just continue to pour over every piece of information that I can find regarding Merida and the Yucatan. It is indeed paradise found.
Working Gringos - you are the best.
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