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missadventuring
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Registered: 12-28-2013
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Baja Contractor Prices: Fair Daily/Weekly Rates
Struggling to be fair, yet not be taken advantage of. I've had wildly differing quotes from locals and gringos opinions vary as well.
What should I expect to pay skilled/unskilled workers in the Mulege area for painting, plumbing, rockwork, electrical, welding, on-site engine repair,
handyman, etc.?
Looking for time + materials cost, and some for gas. (This is when I would manage my own jobs.)
2nd question: If you add a job "boss" / contractor for the larger jobs, how much do they add (or complicate things)?
Appreciated!
[Edited on 3-21-2016 by missadventuring]
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ligui
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Location: Fraser co.
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might want to look at this http://yucalandia.com/answers-to-common-questions/labor-law-...
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BigBearRider
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Check your U2U. You get there by clicking "U2U" in the top right hand corner of the page.
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Udo
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Welcome to this board, missadventuring!
Udo
Youth is wasted on the young!
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4x4abc
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no matter what, you will pay too much
don't expect work quality at any price
quoted price will at least have tripled by the time the job is done
never pay too much in advance (many are so poor, they need the advance)
keep them hungry, otherwise they might not come back one day
keep a close eye on you possessions - they tend to disappear
non Mexican contractors are the worst
I have had good (in Mexican terms) experiences lately with a local contractor (El Centenario)
If you want quality and reasonable prices, hire a team from mainland Mexico (that's how all the commercial buildings are done)
Harald Pietschmann
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missadventuring
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Thanks for the insights!
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vandenberg
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One piece of advice, Stay away from gringo workers. They, mainly because the parlay english, expect you to pay US prices and do marginal work.
Been there several times.
Must have a learning disability. lol
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Bajaboy
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Quote: Originally posted by 4x4abc  | no matter what, you will pay too much
don't expect work quality at any price
quoted price will at least have tripled by the time the job is done
never pay too much in advance (many are so poor, they need the advance)
keep them hungry, otherwise they might not come back one day
keep a close eye on you possessions - they tend to disappear
non Mexican contractors are the worst
I have had good (in Mexican terms) experiences lately with a local contractor (El Centenario)
If you want quality and reasonable prices, hire a team from mainland Mexico (that's how all the commercial buildings are done) |
Take all advice with a grain of salt. We have not had any of the issues mentioned above.
But we pay fairly, treat our workers with respect, and have created lasting friendships with them.
I would suggest that you ask around town for some referrals.
[Edited on 3-23-2016 by Bajaboy]
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DianaT
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| Quote: Originally posted by Bajaboy | | Quote: Originally posted by 4x4abc | no matter what, you will pay too much
don't expect work quality at any price
quoted price will at least have tripled by the time the job is done
never pay too much in advance (many are so poor, they need the advance)
keep them hungry, otherwise they might not come back one day
keep a close eye on you possessions - they tend to disappear
non Mexican contractors are the worst
I have had good (in Mexican terms) experiences lately with a local contractor (El Centenario)
If you want quality and reasonable prices, hire a team from mainland Mexico (that's how all the commercial buildings are done) |
Take all advice with a grain of salt. We have not had any of the issues mentioned above.
But we pay fairly, treat our workers with respect, and have created last friendships with them.
I would suggest that you ask around town for some referrals. |
Wow, I agree with Zach. We only had a problem with one worker who was actually doing work for the person we hired and he did not want to work for
him. On his own, he was great.
We knew several that we could pay in advance with no problem, and we always paid for materials in advance. We also always fed our workers their
lunch, drinks, and after work, often cerveza. And yes several became good friends.
Maybe it is the small town thing, but we never had a problem with losing anything, and if anything, most did not want to charge enough. So we would
"tip" them when the work was done. When they did not want to take the tip, we always said it was for the children. But then we would always end up
with gifts of fish, lobster, abalone stuff, etc.
Attitude I believe has a lot to do with it. Even in the small town, people we knew who treated the workers poorly, ended up with less work. And
there one who would hire workers for a job and then increase the job while work was being done and not increase the pay, and then complain that those
workers did not want to work for them anymore.
Oh, we had one worker about whom we were warned about by locals and he could not be trusted. And while we loaned money to others who needed it, he
asked only once because he didn't pay it back. It was worth the 200 pesos to keep him away.
Probably different in the big cities. And the going rate for work does seem to be different in different places.
[Edited on 3-23-2016 by DianaT]
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durrelllrobert
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Prices and other things are not the same in the Yucatan as they are in Baja.
Bob Durrell
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durrelllrobert
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| Quote: Originally posted by vandenberg | One piece of advice, Stay away from gringo workers. They, mainly because the parlay english, expect you to pay US prices and do marginal work.
Been there several times.
Must have a learning disability. lol |
Not to mention why they are in Baja and who some of them are hiding out from in the US
Bob Durrell
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Udo
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In my case, in Ensenada, my contractor and myself come to agreements in regards to the price for a specific job.
The contractor is then responsible to make sure the job requirements and hired labor stay within those cost parameters.
However, most workers in the construction business within this area work on the assumption of a per hour or per day labor rate. What those prices are
is dependent upon the job parameters.
For example, the land prep work with a backhoe, worked out to be $200 Pesos per hour, regardless how many hours it took to prepare the land.
Down in Bahia Asunción, I needed to have a parking area, at the house, filled with black round beach pebbles (there was sand there). We agreed on a
price, and the person was paid accordingly.
In conclusion, it is the job's owner to negotiate accordingly for a job, or series of jobs.
Udo
Youth is wasted on the young!
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monoloco
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| Quote: Originally posted by 4x4abc | no matter what, you will pay too much
don't expect work quality at any price
quoted price will at least have tripled by the time the job is done
never pay too much in advance (many are so poor, they need the advance)
keep them hungry, otherwise they might not come back one day
keep a close eye on you possessions - they tend to disappear
non Mexican contractors are the worst
I have had good (in Mexican terms) experiences lately with a local contractor (El Centenario)
If you want quality and reasonable prices, hire a team from mainland Mexico (that's how all the commercial buildings are done) |
Yeah, sure, much better to hire someone from the mainland with no local history or ties to your community. Good luck finding that
guy if you ever have a problem with their work. Many of the best contractors around here are foreigners, they are experienced in different building
and construction techniques, will stick to their bid, understand what quality is, warranty their work, and practice proper book keeping.
"The future ain't what it used to be"
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DENNIS
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Word of mouth references from those other than friends and relatives. There is no set pay scale. I don't think there's one in the US either.
One thing for certain....if a laborer comes to work in a Lexus, you got some bad advice.
"YOU CAN'T LITTER ALUMINUM"
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Pescador
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In Mulege, take special care not to get hooked up with a contractor called Leonardo or Leo. He is a disaster of the highest order. He makes the
rounds to Mulege, San Bruno, Chivato, and San Lucas and is a complete disaster.
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bajaguy
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Mood: must be 5 O'clock somewhere in Baja
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If you are not there every day watching what is being built and how it is being built, you are not going to get what you want and will get a lot of
what you don't want
Must read for anyone contemplating building in Baja (or anywhere else)
http://www.amazon.com/God-Mr-Gomez-Jack-Smith/dp/1883792681
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Udo
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bajaguy is absolutely correct in this assessment.
In my case, the perfect example is when my contractor hired a newbie to lay the tile in MY kitchen floor after the contractor himself laid the tile in
the rest of the house. It was obvious that an amateur laid the tiles, and I was furious and ordered the contractor to rip out all the tiles and do it
again correctly.
Udo
Youth is wasted on the young!
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DENNIS
Platinum Nomad
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If you can't be onsite yourself, consider hiring someone who can.
"YOU CAN'T LITTER ALUMINUM"
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durrelllrobert
Elite Nomad
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Location: Punta Banda BC
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In case you need to negotiate with a spanish only speaking buider here are some common building terms you may want to know:
http://rollybrook.com/building-materails.htm
Also note that I used the term BUILDER and not CONTRACTOR. Anyone in Baja (and maybe all of MX) can call themself a contractor because there is no
liscensing requirementlike in the US (also no completion bonding or insurance requirements)
Bob Durrell
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cobra
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contractor
In Mulege, chivato lupe is a very good, honest contractor. built my house and others in the area. very honest and finishes the work
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