Cautions!
Information is your friend. Ask other homeowners about the contractor you are hiring. View their work. Check client references. You are building in a foreign country......think about it...... Do not let your dream become your nightmare.
WORKING IN MEXICO
There are Americans who will tell you that they are legal to work in Mexico. We advise you to see for yourself their current, actual 'FM3 Lucrative' (foreign resident-work permit.) The 'FM3' (foreign resident-only permit) is not a legal document to work in Mexico. Hiring someone who is not legal to work carries the possibility of substantial fines for both parties.
Payments / Contracts
What are your legal rights? What is your line of recourse, what do you ultimately have to loose? Money? Time? Stress? Sleep? Happiness? Great end product?
Management Companies
If you are OK with paying a minimum of 10% or more for a management company to oversee your project for what Vertical Construction already does, then hire them. Most management companies have a pool of Mexican subcontractors that will have bid your job to the management company. The management company will typically choose the lowest bid so they can make the most profit on the Mexican subcontractors who are not committed, dedicated employees. The management company's bottom line is the dollar. Where does dedication, customer satisfaction, warranties, and standards fall among the dollar? In the case of some management companies, once the job is complete, you are on your own and it is then up to you to deal directly with the Mexican contractor and pay for repairs.
Costs
Vertical Construction has often been outbid by a contractor for $10.00 a square foot. This appears to be a lot of money, INITIALLY. In the end, we have been called back to those same projects to correct mistakes, oversights, and sub-standard craftsmanship of the less expensive contractors. Unfortunately, the final per square footage price often ends up being higher than the initial Vertical Construction bid due to corrections that result in extra work needed for demolition and rebuilding.
Social Security
SO WHAT? In the States you can get a guy to garden, build some walls, or pour a concrete pad while paying under the table for the work and get away with it. Why not in Mexico? The Hacienda (the Mexican IRS) has strict laws about hiring, firing, and building. Do your homework and learn what they are. Nightmare: You build a house - you do not pay social security on your workers - you do not pay social security on your square footage - you do not have Facturas (Mexican financial legal documents) - you have not filed your taxes accordingly. The Hacienda will make their own estimate to assess your taxes due on the property, on the workers and on yourself. You can be giving less than a month to come up with the money before they legally start seizing your property or possessions. They are much more swift than the IRS we know in the US. Nightmare: a worker gets hurt on your property working for you. You did not arrange to pay social security for them. You are now liable for their income for the remainder of his / her life or until they start working again.
Language Barrier Cuidado - Be Careful!
VERTICAL CONSTRUCTION San Felipe's Premier American Builder
P.O. Box 9011 - PMB 56 - Calexico, CA 92232
(303) 800-6493 US 011-52 (686) 577-3057