Another project wraps up.
July 7, 2016
This was the end result of building 2 rental casitas and Hacienda style entrance and carport
A longterm project draws to a close.
May 23, 2016
This reno of a Centro home, involved new plumbing, electric, moving a kitchen, twinning the bathrooms building walls and a whole lot more, all on a very tight budget. We added antiqued concrete floors with pasta insets and the final touch was putting it all back together and polishing the floors.
Modern alternatives to block buildings
April 6, 2016
Anyone familiar with construction techniques in the Yucatan or other parts of Mexico, has seen the familiar block buildings. Block is easy to work with and makes a reasonably strong structure, if several variables are taken into consideration. A block structure is only as strong, as the mortar bonding the blocks together and the traditional Viga and Bovedilla roofs are extremely heavy. The other main issue with block construction is heat transfer, as typical block buildings here, do not have any insulation. I have done some testing with a laser temperature gun. On average a block wall facing the Yucatan sun, is approximately 4 degrees C warmer, than a wall not in the sun. That is a very large difference, if you are using A/C in the evening to cool a bedroom. Not only does the A/C have to overcome the ambient air temperature, but it also has to counter the effects of the Blocks radiating heat into the room.
There are more modern alternatives to block buildings and one of them is structural panels. Structural panels are an interlinked welded zigzag of wire, supporting a styrofoam core. These types of panels have been used for constructing multi story hotels and are hurricane resistant, they are that strong.
Some of the benefits of these types of panels is they are light weight, facilitate a faster build, but also very important is they insulate due to the styrofoam core. The panels come in various thicknesses and sizes, so that they can load a second or more stories or just be the wall for a simple single story home. Structural panels also come especially formed to be roof panels, so the suns energy is not easily transferred to the inside of your home. This also means cool air from your A/C unit does not strike a sun heated surface and warm up. It is the house version of a styrofoam cooler.
We have been working on several projects with the manufacturers tech advisor, using these structural panels.. This has offered our clients a lightweight and insulated option for the addition of second stories, as well as the option to build entirely out of the panels for a thermally efficient home.
Just a few of our works in progress.
February 21, 2016
People often ask us, why we don’t post more, pictures of our projects. The truth of the matter is, we are so busy we simply forget. We also know people like to view projects, to get ideas for their own.
Final outdoor details for a home in Yobain. Centro reno
New perimeter wall prior to house build. Addition of arches and new balustrade
New second story master addition Totally reno’d kitchen
Specialty concrete polisher for counters Island after polishing
An unsolicited email
November 11, 2015
Normally we don’t post testimonials, as it is common to post nice comments from friends or just make them up. But this is direct from customers we worked for, renovating a house, including putting a pool on the roof, all via long distance emails. The project is discussed here https://aerocretosdemexico.com/category/pools/
Morning Steve
I tried to post on your website but couldn’t. Thought you could cut and paste this.
We would like to thank Steve and Fernando and the whole crew for the amazing job they have done. The thought of renovating in a foreign country was a daunting one. We had a vision and they managed to accomplish it and more. We are thrilled with the workmanship, help and generosity that we received from them. The constant updates and communication enabled us to feel assured that things were going to be completed as we wanted. After seeing the final result we were even more impressed. Thanks guys.
Dave and Elaine
Sent from my iPad
Technical challenges are our specialty.
November 10, 2015 3 Comments
There are lots of different types of construction and a lot of different construction companies. At Aerocretos de Mexico, we love a challenge. Lets be honest, just about anyone can put up a wall around a yard. But, can that same company, engineer a complex structural repair? Most can’t and most renovations require this combination of experience and technical expertise. Recently, we were approached to rebuild a very large historical home, that needed some serious help. Beautiful arches and columns that were holding up a rather large and heavy terrace, were in need of serious help. The problem is obvious in this picture.
The column where it met the arch had crumbled and the rebar rusted away. That in itself is not a small issue, but all the columns (7) had the same issues. So the problem now became how to fix the columns, without the arches collapsing under the weight of the terrace they were supporting. Added to that, the arches themselves in some places were cracking. You have to remember this was not block construction but mamposteria construction, which is rock and cement with a facing of cement mortar/stucco. Move the wrong stone and down she comes.
We had our staff engineer come up with a plan and then set the plan in motion. First step was to control any possible movement of the second story. So it was supported from underneath, with extremely strong sapote wood posts. Then we saved the hard to replace old pasta tile, as it was removed and new reinforce footings placed adjacent to old columns without disturbing the existing ones.
One by one, columns were replaced from the top down, not from the bottom up.
You have to remember this is a difficult restoration, not a knock down and recreation, using modern materials. The crew has to know stone construction, in addition to modern techniques and materials
Time and constant attention to detail, along with superior technical knowledge and qualified crews all combine to give superior results.
Once the rest of the surfacing is complete the building will be painted to reflect the colonial feel. Along with a full renovation of all the interior surfaces and structure, we are adding all the modern touches like grounded and colour coded wiring, pressure water, all new custom windows, to fill the arches and a whole lot more. This building will be stunning!
Another reno done, with new second story.
June 5, 2015
This is what happens when you have a good primary structure and a little imagination. This 1 story house that needed updating, gained a second story with master bedroom, bath and large sitting area. A beautiful staircase was added, trimmed in Talavera tile. The kitchen and bathrooms were revamped and the pool area had a total makeover complete with BBQ area. The pictures will tell the rest of the story.
Front and back before
Front and back after
Stairs for second story
Kitchen layout
Entertainment center
New Master Bath
Custom mosaic headboard
New entrance centered to match arch
Pool revamp and redesign
Our latest small projects being completed
February 13, 2015
Remember, the creativity displayed in a project, is only limited by your imagination, this customer wanted a cool custom TV display area. These concrete cabinets, will hold a variety of articles including stereo and surround sound equipment. All with custom inset LED lighting.
Custom welded stair railings were the order of the day for these folks as the grandkids were coming down.
New pool, stamped concrete terrace and total top to bottom house reno here, complete with all new kitchen tiling and cabinets.
Looking for a kitchen make over?
February 6, 2015
We just finished a complete home remodel, featuring these beautiful custom made cabinets
Why does painting a house cost so much?
February 5, 2015
Exterior paint, takes a beating in the Yucatan. The sun breaks down the pigments and binding agents over time and the paint begins to chalk and flake. If you are at the beach, the salt air and sand are even harder on the paint and it does not last as long as house paint in Merida. I am currently having my own house at the beach painted and it is not a quick process if you want it done right, so that it will last. It is not a matter of a quick scrape and slapping on some paint.
First the exterior has to be washed with a good powerwasher. This will strip any flaking paint and dislodge any loose finish. The areas of loose finish, then need to be chipped away, to get to a solid surface, making sure the underlying material is sound.
This area then has to be prepped and resurfaced. We use a special bonding agent to make sure the new cement bonds to the old.
Aerocretos de Mexico 
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