San Pancho Rentals Selva Suites Vacation Rental Late 2019 – Four Months Building Progress

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It has been four months since we broke ground and started building our San Pancho rentals vacation rental home along with its rental suites in San Pancho. The property will be comparable in quality and competitive in price and amenities offered to hotels in San Pancho Nayarit in Mexico. San Pancho located in the state of Nayarit, Mexico has been gaining some fame due to ABC’s show Bachelor in Paradise. The show is primarily filmed at the next village to San Pancho, called Sayulita. Sayulita is a 5-minute drive from San Pancho. The show has visited our San Pancho village for some of the dates. Although it is fun and funny to see this on TV, we appreciate the privacy, quietness, elegant and subtle luxury it currently has, and we want San Pancho to continue being that unique experience visitors would have.
We named our San Pancho rental home, Selva Suites in San Pancho. During these 4 months of building our San Pancho vacation rental, we completed the huge interconnected water cisterns of 314 m3 with a capacity of 314,000 liters or 82,950 gallons!!! Also completed the foundation walls of the infinity swimming pool along with the extension wall posts supporting the lower level of the pool, the first floor level with the plumbing and electric conduits and have started to put up the Hebel block walls making up the first rooms.
Kids swimming pool and balcony with ocean and jungle view
Kids swimming pool and balcony with ocean and jungle view

This is the view from one of the suites. To the left is what will eventually be the pool for kids and adults loving being kids, to enjoy the ocean & jungle view. Or sit on the balcony immersed in the jungle to stare the view, listen and observe nature. Visit https://selvasuites.com

We have had a pleasant surprise. At the lower level, there are column posts supporting part of the building structure of the master rental suite. That area is really large and covered with an amazing 160 degree immersed view of the jungle. Because of its location, under the building, close to the ground and surrounded by the thick jungle, it enjoys cooler temperatures. We will most probably complete this, by adding simple bathroom facilities and visitors will be able to enjoy a very unique experience of being in the jungle with the comforts of a home – or it will be my private hide-out place, my man-cave or the dog-house (the “dog” being me)  depending on the circumstances!! 🙂 LOL
The road to San Pancho is absolutely amazing driving through what seems a jungle-tunnel formed by the surrounding jungle trees. The Hebel building blocks for the rental rooms are great. They are light, easy to install, yet strong with sound and thermal insulation of the rental. The views even at the first level are better than expected, with a mixture of jungle and ocean vistas of San Pancho. I like to think of the San Pancho vacation rental home Selva Suites as the secret paradise in hiding or in Spanish el Paraiso Escondido en San Pancho!
In the meantime, we have been building and testing behind the scenes of the website reservation system. Visitors will be able to search for room availability and reserve a room online with instant email confirmation and a PDF attachment of the reservation details. An Invoice will follow with instructions on how to complete the payment. It will be possible to pay by direct bank account deposit, or by electronically transferring the funds using Zelle, or by PayPal/Credit Card.  The reservation system appears to be working great, it has a clean interface and is easy to use. Visitors will be able to add optional services to the reservation, such as Airport Transfers, massage sessions on-site at Selva Suites, private chef cooking meals prepared at Selva Suites, nature, bird-watching, and other tours. The reservation system is responsive which means that it will be able to function on any type of device, laptop, tablet or mobile phone.
There is still a lot of work to be done, but for now, enjoy the latest 5-minute YouTube video below showing the past 4 months of building.

This is also a reminder that our San Pancho rental will not be found in real estate rental sites like Airbnb, VRBO, Zillow, Craigslist, TripAdvisor, FlipKey, Bookings or any of the local rental home management agencies here in San Pancho. If the question is where or which is the best hotel or vacation houses for rent in San Pancho or rental home to stay in San Pancho Mexico, then the answer is right here at the San Pancho rental Selva Suites reserved only directly through our secure website https://www.SelvaSuites.com Only 4 minutes away from the San Pancho (San Francisco) beach and La Patrona’s Club de Playa with one of the best beaches in Nayarit, Mexico for surfing. Also an amazing place for horseback riding at the exclusive La Patrona’s Polo Club.

San Pancho Rentals Selva Suites in San Pancho One-Week Building Progress in Two and a Half Minutes Minutes YouTube Video.

Posted on by Selva Suites
What an exciting start of the San Pancho rentals project has it been. Executing on the structural plan, the top platform of the lot was excavated to make room for the perimetrical foundational walls. The dirt the came out of the excavation is reused in filling or elevating other areas.
We encountered scheduling challenges getting Cemex, the biggest concrete company in Mexico to come on time. We soon identified a local concrete company with a production plant in San Pancho. They turned out to be more reliable and cheaper than Cemex.
There was a minor defect with the vibrator used to vibrate the concrete as it is being poured into the frames and we had to manually hold one end into the hole to reach the motor!! 🙂 that was fun (not)!
Despite these challenges, we are a little ahead of the project plan and it is exciting seeing what was just a drawing just a month ago, becoming a reality. Our vacation rental will be awesome and as it is being built, we start realizing that the ocean and jungle views are going to be more dramatic than we had thought at the beginning.
The YouTube video below shows one-week worth of progress in 2.5 minutes, fun to watch.

Spring Break – Semana Santa in San Pancho with a View. Building of Selva Suites started!

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We passed our Spring Break in San Pancho. We rented a whole house, similar in quality to what we are building on our lot. The weather was amazing, the people of San Pancho as always welcoming and friendly with great tasting food.
The house we rented in San Pancho is in a similar location to our lot. Not far from the beach and relatively close to the village of San Pancho without having to deal with the loud noises from the San Pancho tourists and vacationers.
We walked to our lovely jungle lot and we are so excited, we can’t wait for our Selva Suites home to be ready. The building permit has been given, we have purchased the first materials and are almost ready to hit the ground.

Selva Suites San Pancho Building Project Estimates Are Here!

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We have received from our engineer some building estimates. Prices can and will fluctuate depending on many factors such as the global commodity exchange of raw building materials, exchange rates, your choice of engineering manager, architect etc. As a result, I am not going to report the exact prices in this blog. However, I will report high-level expectations and actual.
From our prior research, we had received estimates and were expecting a wide range of $50 to $200 per square foot. We have now landed on an approximate estimate of $100 per square foot. This level is with good quality, experienced project manager, but not necessarily one of the “famous”, “big-name” building companies in the area who will charge a hefty premium for that brand big famous name. Also, this estimate is with very good quality building materials, cement and rebars, Hebel/Aircrete for the walls, one of the best quality and durable PVC plumbing piping, ecological applications such as solar energy, solar water heating, and custom architectural design such as ours.
It is important to have the assistance from people who can manage the whole project from the beginning to the end. You have continuity, communication and knowledge transfer among the different parties working on the project when it is managed by a single company.
After researching a lot we went with Evolutionary Consulting Solarium Vita ( www.EvolutionaryConsulting.com/build.php ). They have long experience both in the US, the Mexican and particularly the San Pancho, Sayulita and Lo de Marcos markets. The combination of this market experience was important because they know both the legal requirements and materials offered on both sides and can make smart recommendations based on facts on the ground.

The Final Plan Details are Penned in. Almost Ready for Construction of the Vacation Home.

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At a previous post, I discussed the materials to be used for the walls. We had the choice of regular cement blocks or bricks, the Convitek and later we were looking at Hebel and Aircrete.
Hebel and Aircrete are brand names companies in Mexico making a building material mixing cement, other materials and air. The production process created a building block which is lightweight, very tough when you hit it directly, yet soft enough to be able to be cut using a hand-saw. Installation time is very fast, using simple adhesive on all sides. The air pockets within the building block functions as a sound and thermal insulation system. This eliminates the need for additional installation of other materials for sound and thermal insulation. The building material is also able to withstand being in direct flame for four hours.
On a overall $250,000 to $400,000 building cost, the cost difference using Hebel/Aircrete vs regular cement block is estimated at $15,000. Taking into consideration the value and benefits it is a no-brainer and makes absolute sense to use Hebel or Aircrete.
We have also had some long meetings working on several building details. We have made 90% of the decisions for the number and locations of the electrical outlets and light switches. We have decided the route and functionality of the water supply piping, water storage and distribution, gas storage and distribution, gray water treatment.
Water and gas lines along with their respective controlling valves will be easily accessible for fast and easy access when there is a need for a repair.
The property has the appropriate surface inclinations so that the rain water can be collected and drained into the quite large cisterns. We are looking at one or two-cistern system with a range of 115 m3 to 180 m3 water storage facilities. This should provide us for quite a healthy safety large quantity of water supply in case of government water shortages
The stored water will be maintained and treated with chlorine and filtration both while stored in the cistern and with a whole house water filter before the water enters the house for consumption for shower or cooking.
Our engineer will be working in the coming weeks to create the project labor calendar and line up the builders. So everything is shaping up and is falling into place to be ready to break ground and start construction by the time the building permit is issued in about a month’s time from now.
Exciting times!!

New Thermal & Sound Insulating Building Materials for Selva Suites Home in San Pancho, Mexico.

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We are still in search of the ideal material to build Selva Suites. In this earlier post, I discussed the Convitec material. While Convitec might be economical with some thermal and sound insulating properties, we are concerned about its stability, strength, and durability. I read in some forums of some people who had the unfortunate experience of mice or critters getting within the walls, under the stucco, eating away the material. In some cases, it was attributed to bad workmanship. However, what would be the long-term maintenance to keep this hermetically closed, so that critters do not get it? This is a concern.
An alternative that we are considering is a relatively new technology of synthetic cement blocks. These type of cement blocks were initially created by mixing concrete with ashes, creating air bubbles within the block. However, the challenge with this is that the recipe must be very accurate to produce a good and consistent-quality result. The technology evolved and new formulas which appear to be more stable producing a more consistent result. Every country and cement producing company markets the same material under a different brand name. In Mexico, there are two companies Aircrete and Hebel.
The material they sell has some amazing results and properties. The Aircrete and Hebel blocks are very light compared to regular cement blocks. It is easier and cheaper to transport. It appears to be easier and faster to install than regular cement blocks. Because of the air bubbles within the block, it provides extreme thermal and sound insulation. It is hard and solid, yet it can be cut easily even with a regular manual saw and it is extremely easy with an automated saw to cut through the lines for water and power. The installation videos available on YouTube appear simple. The material can withstand to be exposed to a continuous fire of four hours!!
We have requested more information and quotes from these companies. We hope the price is going to be appropriate for our budget and comparable to regular cement blocks.

Latest 3D Video Render of Selva Suites Home and Suites for Rent in San Pancho!

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This is the latest 3D Video Render of the Selva Suites home. Good things are coming. We will be getting a more precise construction cost analysis and we are collecting now all necessary documents for the building permit. Enjoy the video.

How to Spend Your Vacation in San Pancho and Progress in Building our Vacation Rental Rooms and Home.

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Xmas and New Year Vacation in Puerto Vallarta and San Pancho (San Francisco, Nayarit), Mexico

We have had a great time for our New Year vacation in San Pancho and Puerto Vallarta. We spent several days in San Pancho. The village was busy, but not too busy and this is the charm of San Pancho which has just the right amount of activity to make it pleasant, as opposed to the saturated and overcrowded Punta Mita and Sayulita.
The restaurants were in full swing, there was live music and people danced in the streets. The beach was busy only at the main point at the end of the Tercer Mundo street leaving both sides/edges of the San Pancho beach with sparse specs of vacationing tourists.
In the opposite spectrum you have Punta Mita and Sayulita which get so crowded that you can hardly walk the streets. You can easily get into a stalling traffic waiting for about 30 minutes to get a parking spot. I was told that one Easter (Semana Santa) Sayulita was so crowded that the police closed its entrance and would no longer allow people to enter the village!!!!
We walked along the San Pancho beach with the kids all the way to our lot. The kids were really excited as it was their first time to visit the lot and our youngest 7 year old was surprised that there was not already a house built! 😊 LOL
We took a great drone video of the lot from several points of view and it will give you a perspective of what the lot looks like the surrounding lush jungle and the amazing views to be enjoyed once Selva Suites is built and ready to accept vacationers. I am in the process of editing the drone footage and adding some music. The drone video includes footage of the nearest beach area only 3 minute walk from Selva Suites.  I will be posting the video soon on YouTube.

Building Project of Selva Suites in San Pancho.

We have concluded these steps: Closed the property purchase with the Title (Escrituras). Completed Topography, Land and Soil Survey, removed some trees, Architectural Design, Environmental Impact analysis happy to already have it.
The next step will be the Structural analysis. We are receiving three quotes for this. Based on the prior steps, the Structural
Analysis will be done to provide the recommended quantity of materials (cement, rebars etc) needed to built our dream place. This will be created and signed by a Civil Engineer who will ultimately be legally responsible for the safe and sound structure of the project, so this is an extremely important step. Also based on this analysis, we will be able to get a better cost estimate of building the home and the vacation rental rooms.
Also we have started deciding in the interior and exterior wall finishes.
Fine_Finish_Interior_Wall
Fine_Finish_Interior_Wall
They will be flat, clean, contemporary, minimalistic. They will be primed, painted and sealed with special liquid used on beachfront homes to withstand the salty ocean winds.

Wall Materials

We are also now starting to consider potential building materials for the walls for our Selva Suites in San Pancho. We want it to be cost efficient, easy to manage and build, long lasting
and environmentally friendly. While in San Pancho the construction of the walls that I have noticed, has been done with traditional cement
Convitec_Wall
Convitec_Wall
blocks and steel rebars for seismic reinforcement, our architect has recommended a material he has used and after researching

Convitec Application

in various forums and websites, it appears to be a great option. It is called Convitec. It is Styrofoam reinforced with a structurally advantaged steel mesh. The theoretical advantages of this material are:

 

 

 

Structural Strength and Integrity

The diagonal zig-zag steel mesh is supposed to be stronger and more flexible than a traditional square/cube design in case of an earthquake.

More economical

These “walls” come in prefabricated sizes and are installed on-site. They are easier and faster to install. They are lighter to transport than cement blocks. It provides integrated enhanced insulation to what I have read is about R25, therefore saving on energy bills.

Risks of Convitec

Some of the potential risks that I read were that the workers must have experience working with this material. They must know the installation process and be monitored carefully that they do a good job. Part of the process is that the walls are covered with cement. That cement coverage need to be sprayed adequately so that it dries properly. If it is not done correctly in read that within a couple of years the wall may develop cracks on the surface.
Another cautionary information is that the steel wire mesh must be reinforced with additional rebars spaced appropriately. The wall corners where two walls meet must also be reinforced with additional wire mesh and steel rebars shaped in L form.
Finally, I read that it must be covered in cement completely and be done well, so that critters, mice or rats do not manage to get within the wall and eat away the insulating Styrofoam.
The encouraging news is that I have been reading that this material is used extensively in Latin American countries such Costa Rica, Panama, Ecuador and Mexico, places which have similar warm and humid climate as we have in the Banderas beachfront area which include Punta Mita, Sayulita, our vacation rental accommodation suites in San Pancho and Lo de Marcos.
Do you have any experience with this building material? Please comment below.
We are also starting to be looking into other finishes like tile flooring, plumbing details, vanities and more. This year of 2019 will be extremely busy and exciting!

Typical Flower of San Pancho!

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This is an example of a flower you would be encountering on your walk from Selva Suites rental property to the beach or the village of San Pancho. 

While most people look for vacation rentals in Sayulita or Punta Mita, they forget to look into the quaint and posh village of San Pancho.

As soon as our Selva Suites is ready, it will have amazing views and incredible nature sounds with all the modern comforts.

Typical Flower of San Pancho
Typical Flower of San Pancho