REAL ESTATE DEVELOPMENT

LADRILLERA PROJECT, Historic Center, San Miguel de Allende

Our first foray into real estate development in San Miguel started in 1995. We had just sold our first project and decided to buy a large lot at the edge of the historic center, on the corner of Ladrillera and Arboles. We had our attorney divide the land into three pieces and began designing three colonial townhouses. We decided to pre-sell the projects to insure we had buyers before we began construction. Because we controlled the entire project, we were able to work with our clients to design homes that maximized light but also insured privacy.

CALLEJON BLANCO PROJECT, Historic Center, San Miguel de Allende

Our next development project was on Callejon Blanco. We again bought a large lot in the colonial center and divided it into three. This time, we were able to design larger homes with more garden space. We again designed and built all three homes, and were able to maximize privacy and light. This parcel came with an added challenge: a very old and very large mesquite tree in the middle of the property. We were able to make this a focal point of the project, visible from all three properties. We pre-sold these projects meaning that buyers became clients with a great deal of control over the final product.

RANCHO LAS GARITAS, Atotonilco, San Miguel de Allende

Rancho Las Garitas was originally part of a larger ranch, and was purchased by friends and clients in the early 2000's. The large property is set on a spectacular bluff above a bend in the Rio Laja. They wanted to divide the property into building lots, saving a prime piece for themselves. Because of local development restrictions, each lot had to be a minimum of 1 hectare, or 2.5 acres. The challenge was to lay out the property so that as many lots as possible had views back to Atotonilco or over the river. For parcels that did not have prime views, we oriented the lots toward other interesting vistas of the mountains in the distance. Although the lots were large, we still wanted to maximize privacy and view. We also worked with the owners to develop design and building guidelines and CC&Rs to govern the new residential community.

FUENTES Y FAROLES, Atascadero, San Miguel de Allende

In 2004, Eden and Hal Box approached us about developing a beautiful corner property in the hills of the Atascadero. The site had lovely views of San Miguel but was irregular in shape with a large flat section at the bottom and two steep slopes at the streets. We agreed to divide the lot into three equal pieces, with the Boxes keeping one lot for themselves. We came up with a unique layout of the property lines that maximized privacy and views. We designed all three projects together, but each house had its own style. We hired Rob Johnson, a local landscape designer, to plant the three lots with large palms and other vegetation that would tie the development together and give the illusion of larger gardens. In this development, as in our first two, we pre-sold the projects, assuring that the buyer became a client and was able to have input into the final product.

POND VILLAGE PROJECT, Brookfield, Vermont

In 2000, we first discovered the Pond Village section of Brookfield, Vermont. Situated on an idyllic pond spanned by one of the country's two remaining wooden floating bridges, we were captivated by the charm of the  place. In 2006, while working on a residence right on the pond, we discovered a beautiful wooded lot on a hill above the village. After some investigation we found that it was for sale, and that it could be divided. We hired a local engineering firm to study the well and septic issues and found that we could build five houses on the site. Because the property was bounded by two roads, we were able to site two of the homes on the lower road, and the other three on the upper road. This insured maximum privacy for all of the lots. We hope to begin construction on these sites in the near future.

CALLEJON DE LOS MUERTOS, San Miguel de Allende

In 2005 we purchased two side by side lots on Callejón de los Muertos. We have always loved this area and coincidentally, our first property and construction project in San Miguel was just across the street. A client was looking for a small patio home so we fused the lots and then re-divide them with one smaller lot for her, and another larger lot to develop for pre-sale. As we had done in the past, we chose not to divide the lot into traditional rectangles. The city has a minimum lot width on the street, so we respected that. In the back however, we were able to widen the larger lot allowing it to wrap around the smaller lot. The result is a lovely two bedroom patio home on the smaller lot and plenty of room for a larger three bedroom home with a pool on the larger lot. The larger project is currently in the design phase and will be listed for pre-sale soon.