1) Puerto Los Cabos, El Altillo Section, Casa "Tres Amigos"
The first home to be built in the exclusive El Altillo section of the Puerto Los Cabos planned community in San Jose Del Cabo, Casa "Tres Amigos " is a spectacular dual-level 5550 sq. foot (interior) home with 4 master suites, maid's quarters, a 5th guest bedroom, steam room, gym, and innovative jacuzzi/pool structured on the ceiling of the lower level, to provide a massive upper-level greatroom/ 2 master suite owner's floor with an 1800 sq. foot entertainment deck. The client's taste leaned toward Mexican Riviera architecture with an emphasis on practical, understated elegance, in a package that was generously proportioned without seeming cavernous, and offered optimal privacy for a party of 4 couples staying in the same home for an extended sabbatical. The design places the 4 masters on opposite ends of the house's width, on two levels, all facing the ocean, using the dining room/kitchen/living room as the separating area upstairs, and the 5th guest bedroom as the buffer zone on the lower level. The design features a gym, home theater/family room, and laundry in the lower level. Hand-selected travertine marble floors, tasteful stonework, custom cabinetry and doors, an abundance of interesting and unique granite and marble surfaces, an open floorplan...all combine to create a sense of relaxed excellence and discreet prosperity. The property's total of 2800 square feet of deck space, entirely finished in cantera, reinforces a lavish sense of vacationing in an exclusive private retreat.
Here is a photo montage of the progress on Casa "Tres Amigos ", starting from raw land, and as permits are obtained and construction commences, through construction progress. Construction started Feb 25, 2007..
Raw land, downhill lot. Will also require significant landfill.
Looking up at the lot. Dirt area is golf course edge. Home will have ocean and golf course views.
View of the golfcourse looking down from El Altillo hill. Project will require us to bring in water truck and power, as development doesn't have any yet.
Project started on 2/27, land being cleared, retaining walls now getting footings poured in preparation for walls and landfill.
Rebar waiting to be set into concrete.
Lot cleared, trench for footing cut, landfill going in.
Another view of the retaining wall that will hold the house and dirt up.
The footing and rebar skeleton of the wall. Scale is footing goes down 5 feet.
Looking up the lot towards the street. Through what will be wall next week, at beginning of landfill.
Landfill being dumped onto the lot. Yes, we are working on Saturday.
Several more weeks go by. Lower floor rear wall is now cemented in place and has had time to cure, trenches are being dug for foundations for lower floor. Even more landfill will be poured once lower floors take shape, as structure will act as retention mass. Currently accumulating landfill in preparation.
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3/30 Footings for lower floor poured, rebar in place for commencement of construction of foundation and walls.
Does it look hot? Because it's hot. Really hot. Note the scale of the wall. This is a big house. Just the lower floor is the size of many homes in other communities. Should be impressive as all getout once completed.
View from the street level. Note lower floor taking shape. Walls up, foundation and floors poured.
Looking up from the golf course at the bottom floor. 3 BR's across the bottom. Each with en-suite bath.
Configuration now taking shape. Maid's Q on far left closest to wall, BR 1 on left facing ocean, BR 2 in middle facing ocean, media room behind it, BR3 on R facing ocean, Gym behind it. Note size of men. These are large rooms.
Lower floor largely completed on "Obra Negra", landfill now in place, foundation trenches for upper floor dug, rebar support frame for floor and walls in place, ready for concrete to be poured.
Top floor facade now up, floors insulated and ready for concrete, pool taking shape on upper deck.
Foam blocks used to insulate between floors. No heat leakage.
Note pool prepared to be poured.
6/25 - The roof, the roof....The top floor walls are largely up now, and the pool and floor of the street level are poured. A roof has been poured and is being roughed in over the garage. The main house is getting to the point where a roof will be going on within a few more weeks.
July 3, and the house is ready for the roof. A new plan was submitted to the design review committee, featuring a dramatic, exposed wood beam peaked roof over the dining room, and that required a week or so of delay while the board considered it. The tradeoff was justified, as the new effect should be breathtaking upon completion.
7/10 - New roof design approved, and it's on with the roof!
7/22 Flat roof is now poured, getting ready to pour the sloped sections. The new high exposed plank roof over the dining room is already obviously a big wow item, as one walks through the house inside.
7/30 - And a roof is born.
8/06 - Plastering the interior has begun, and the exterior work is almost finished. Wood supports will remain in place until concrete cures.
9/03 - Plastering is almost complete on the interior. The new peaked roof is curing, the facade is now done, the brick dome over the entry is done, and the trim around the roof is taking form.
9/18 - We survived the hurricane and a week and a half's worth of washed out roads and delayed shipments into Baja. The home came through it well, with only nominal issues easily repaired in a week or so. Puerto Los Cabos is located in an area where the only access road into the compound washes out and floods, and the ensuing damage can last weeks. Once the bridge is built that should stop, but we are a long ways away. So we lose about 2.5 to 3 weeks total, due to lack of ability to reach the site, latency on supply delivery, inability to get crews in, and then any necessary repair work. That's life in Mexico.
Flooring going in. Pool taking shape. Exterior mortar largely done.
That's a lot of flooring.
10/12 - Exterior cantera going in, flooring finishing up, columns going in, roof tile going on..
11/09 - Getting closer to the finish line. Exterior stone going on, Cantera trim around windows being fitted. New jacuzzi placement completed. Teja tile on.
11/24 - It is getting close to the finish line now.
Wood awaiting staining and mounting outside. Interior finishes should occur over the next several weeks, as the pocket doors are installed, and the wood roof effect is installed, along with all the cabinets. Still have to paint the place, install the appliances, and do the carpentry and windows, all of which are ordered and should be here any day...
Stay tuned for more construction photos as the project progresses.