When I posted my last construction report, I had a nagging feeling that I was forgetting something—the expenses! So I went back to check on my previous post and found, to my dismay, that I had also forgotten to include them in that post! Since I had bought some supplies for the preceding period, and they were in sufficient quantity to take me into a following one, even two or three, (such as sand, gravel, etc.) I will cover here what my costs have been from my last expense reporting period up to September 9. I’ve stuck a yellow note next to my monitor screen to 'INCLUDE EXPENSES’.
I usually have Demetrio and his helper Ruben on the last week of the month and the first week of the following month. In between, some work had to be done and it was towards the last part of August. Holes that had remained from the trenches needed to be filled and I bought tepetate to do the job. Armex for building the cadena (armature for the concrete base) were needed. Then I prepared for the erection of the walls by buying supplies in advance of this last work period but fell a bit short.
| Supplies – Manpower | Cost in pesos | Details – Notes* |
| | | |
| Fill holes | 900. | 3 Days work @ about $27. dollars a day |
| 1 truckload of tepetate | 380. | |
| 11 bags of cement | 1,232. | |
| 250 cement blocks | 1,250. | |
| 300 red bricks | 540. | |
| another 300 bricks | 540. | Miscalculation-had to get a second load* |
| 11 Armex | 1,195. | For metal armature |
| 8 kg metal wire | 174. | |
| Wood planks 10’ x 5/8” x 8’ & 4” x 4” x 8’ poles | 390. | Had some from before, but missing some more* |
| Manpower 2 weeks | 2,550. | Demetrio @ $300/day Ruben @ $210/day |
| Black tar paper | 120. | |
| Waterproofing compound | 373. | Bucket – will have use for more later* |
| Glass blocks (5) | 210. | To show detailed plan *1 |
| Manpower 2 weeks | 2,550. | Demetrio @ $300/day Ruben @ $210/day |
| TOTAL | 12,409. | Roughly in dollars equal to $1,094.** |
** I am showing a rough estimate for the total only. The exchange rate fluctuates many times a day. There are also service charges tied in to the exchange from dollars to pesos, (I’m receiving my pension in dollars and paying in pesos). The best that I can do because of these fluctuations and the service charges is either hire an accountant to give me the minute-by-minute costs or stick to a rough estimate of the total.
*1 – Note on the plan
I had first made a floor plan on a very large squared plan sheet, which had to be detailed into an excavation plan showing where castillos would need to be erected. Then I moved on to an actual house plan. This turned out to be many sheets of squared paper, one for each outer wall corresponding to each room. As the construction progresses, I will take photos of each wall and include the corresponding plan.
My next report will cover the week of September 26th and the following one of October 3rd.
If you have any questions, please either post a comment to which I will respond with a comment of my own so that everyone will be included, or send me an email at queenieandme@gmail.com
1 comment:
Thank you for the cost update. When it is all done, maybe I can use the information to entice my husband to move :)
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