
The first house I built in San Miguel de Allende was a two-bedroom, one and a half bath home, for the cost of US $140,000, with the lot another US $30,000, so that was a total of US $170,000. It was 1,300 square feet, so the cost of construction was for US $107 a foot. It was a phenomenal house.
My first house in San Miguel de Allende was a completely finished house- it had really excellent ceramic tiles, I had light fixtures that I designed myself, and for the garden, I contracted the very best landscape architect in San Miguel de Allende who had designed the most expensive hotel gardens in San Miguel- the Rosewood Hotel.
Everything in my first house in San Miguel de Allende was tile, and I had really fine woodworking, all arched doors, casings on the windows, a full rooftop terrace with a beautiful pergola, and a view of the Parroquia, which is the main church in town. I was my own contractor when this house in San Miguel de Allende was built. I worked with an architect, and he had a crew that consisted of up to 25 men. They built the house in 6 months. It was the first time I built my own home. I did other things with my first husband, but it’s the first time I built a house all by myself. The cost of building my first house in San Miguel de Allende was very reasonable.
The second house that I built in San Miguel de Allende is the place where I currently live. The cost of building my second house was a little over US $200,000, including the lot. Its size is 1,800 square feet in a planned community. This was not in Centro, as it would cost more, but it’s also not in the unimproved general area where it would cost less.
The first time, I bought a small lot near Centro, which was a 10-minute walking distance into town. I walked everywhere. It was very, very convenient. I also had a car because I drove myself to Mexico. It was really very reasonable. I’d sold a California home, but I sold the home during the crash so I didn’t make as much money as I would have made otherwise. I made enough to come to San Miguel, build a house, and be okay.
(Rosewood Hotel courtyard, San Miguel de Allende, Mexico, pictured.)