Great Renovations: Let there be Light
An Ixtapa couple create the dream home they couldn't find
Renovation and Interior Design: Maru Pinto de Caraza Searching for your dream home and still haven’t found what you‘re looking for? One couple who were not ready to take on the task of building a home decided to make-do with what they had found, and make it their own. Renovating a dark, uninviting space into...
Design Notebook: Kitchen Makeover
Project : Kitchen Makeover, Bay View Grand, Ixtapa Remodels and makeovers can be some of the most fun and creative projects to work with as you are improving, upgrading and in some cases completely recreating a cooking, dining, entertaining, sleeping or exterior space. In most cases, the already existing space is either outdated, in deterioration...
Architect Enrique Zozaya
Defining Zihuatanejo's landscape
Everyone knows a Zozaya building, whether they’re aware of it or not. In a way he informs the landscape of coastal Mexico as surely as enramadas and plastic Sol chairs. Synonymous with luxury coastal homes and hotels, his influence has begun to trickle into the mainstream in Zihuatanejo over the last decade. Most of the...
Exteriors: Water Features as Architectural Detailing
Water has been used for thousands of years to add beauty and symmetry to architectural design… The simple pleasure we receive gazing upon water, taking a cool refreshing dip or listening to its gentle trickle makes it a desirable element in home design. Whether in the form of a swim pool, Jacuzzi, fountain, cascade or...
Interiors: Choosing Your Home Appliances
Choosing the right appliances for your home is a matter of form and function. Whether you are looking for a utilitarian, modern, rustic or contemporary kitchen you can be sure to find a suite of appliances that will meet your style and cooking needs. Home appliances are no longer bulky hunks of metal and plastic;...
Interiors: Custom Built Furnishings
Mexico is home to some very talented and creative artisans who turn wood, bamboo, stone, rattan and other natural materials into beautifully crafted furnishings to fit your individual style, taste, budget and more importantly: measurements. The beauty of custom-built furnishings you can build to fit exactly the spaces and contours of each room and area...
Interiors: Finishes & Flooring
Flooring may be the last thing you think of when it comes to building a home, but it’s usually the first thing to make an impression upon entering your home. The first step towards a beautifully finished interior is deciding on a floor that is both appropriate for your budget and fits with your interior...
Building a Home in Mexico
Construction Phase
Assuming that the proper paperwork for your construction project (license, permits, insurance, etc) has been processed and approved, you are now ready to see some ground-breaking work begin. Here we’ve outlined the general steps you’ll encounter once the construction phase of your project gets underway. Having a better understanding of the overall process will help you...
Building a Home in Mexico
Pre-Construction
Congratulations! You’ve decided to build your dream home! The burning question is … what happens now? Well, if you’ve already decided on an architect then half of the battle is already won. Assuming you are ready to move forward, here is a basic overview of what you can expect over the course of your home...
Opening a Mexican Bank Account
Most of us extranjeros (foreigners) want to make our lifestyle in Mexico more convenient. One of the first steps towards doing so is opening a Mexican bank account… The ability to pay bills and have easy access to cash makes a big difference when you are residing in a foreign country. A local bank...
The Cool Comfort of A/C
If you lived in Zihuatanejo thirty years ago chances are you didn’t have air conditioning, so if you wanted a respite from the heat you jumped in the ocean or took several showers a day. Although it’s this simplistic, and at times bohemian, lifestyle that attracts us to Zihuatanejo, nowadays escaping the heat can be...
Zihuatanejo Style
An Introduction
In the 1960s and 1970s when Zihuatanejo first began to attract large amounts of foreign tourists, visitors would find themselves lodging in structures that were built with some combination of adobe, enjrejado (a wall’s skeleton is built with sticks and then filled in with mud and coconut shells, rocks, or other things), and/or huesito (the...
