Building? Initial Paperwork and Procedures
Once you’ve purchased the land on which you’ll be building, and you have an architectural project and initial quote, then you need to obtain the following:
First you need a Building Permit. To obtain it, you need to show the design blueprints for the ground floor and other levels, transverse views and façade, structural blueprints containing all pertinent calculations, signed by the responsible authorized Expert (Perito), a copy of the title deed for the property, registration into the Public Property Registry carried out by a Notary Public, copy of the application with Official Number and Alignment and a position diagram showing its location on the street and pertinent side streets. The Permit Office will calculate the surface area to be built upon. The payment made is based on a fixed price per square meter of construction. You may begin construction once the application has been submitted even though the permit has not yet been granted. If for some reason the permit is not granted, then construction must be halted until it can be achieved. Otherwise you will incur in penalty fees and/or the closure of the site with subsequent fees and consequences. Normally, the procedure takes between 15 and 30 days, depending on the complexity of the project.
To begin building, you must first request a water source and drainage. This should be applied for at the local water and drainage offices. Connections could take more or less time depending on existing infrastructure disposable in the area. At the same time, you should request electricity for the property, at the CFE, the Federal Electricity Commission. You can apply for either 110 or 220 V, as the case may be.
Generally, you would build a storeroom for materials and to house the night watchman. It’s usually made of wood and cardboard, easily built and eventually discarded.
The land should be cleared of all plants and weeds. The upper layer, called the plant layer, must be removed because it contains organic matter. It’s usually about 8 in. deep. Once the property is cleared, then the surface should be filled, compacted, and leveled or terraces or levels should be made when necessary. In some cases, retaining walls are needed and should be built to delimit the leveled areas. Depending on the size, this job can be done either manually or mechanically. The filling process should be in layers with wetting in between to obtain the degree of compaction and hardness required. Mechanical testing is carried out on the soil to determine its condition and not run any stability-related risks.
Once that’s been completed, then the property is delineated, usually in chalk or lime, showing the lines that will define the building, and the location of the joints and foundation. These are dug out and compacted once again so as to contain the mortar infrastructure, some 2 in. thick. The hole must be wider than the joints and foundation so as to allow for the wooden framework. The mortar infrastructure will receive the rod iron framework for the base and joints of the foundation. The specifications should be contained in the structural and foundation blueprints: diameter, aperture, splices, joints and steel ties. This structure is raised to a height that allows the concrete to penetrate to the depth indicated in the blueprints. A common mistake is to leave them at the base. There are specialized bases or you can simply use stone.
Once the structure is made, then you proceed with the wooden boxes that will define the width and height of the bases and joints. The wooden framework is larger than the structure itself so the latter will be completely covered by the concrete poured over it.
The concrete pouring can be contracted out to concrete suppliers to get the best homogeneity or it can be done in smaller amounts. For the latter, you need small revolvers or cement mixers running on electricity or gasoline. The proper ratio of cement to gravel to sand must be strictly maintained to obtain consistent quality in the concrete produced. The quality will affect its hardness and resistance. There are tables that can be used to ensure the proper proportions.
So by now, I’ve taken you to the point where you have the necessary documentation and the foundations required.
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By Miguel Angel Vazquez
