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Old Posted Jan 17, 2008, 4:36 PM
Crawford Crawford is offline
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Join Date: Nov 2003
Location: Brooklyn, NYC/Polanco, DF
Posts: 30,550
Quote:
Originally Posted by johnandahalf View Post
Where are the safety skirts on all the floors? (just kidding)

On my last trip to Puerto Vallarta, I saw a "four" story building under construction. The first floor was finished and open for business, the second floor was almost completed, the third floor was framed and ready for plumbing/wiring, and the fourth floor was rebar and bare concrete - no windows, no fixtures, no roof. I couldn't believe that businesses on the bottom floor were open while the fourth floor was still drying.

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Yeah, I see this stuff all the time in GDL, and in Mexico in general. Compared to the U.S., construction rules are practically nonexistent.

The really interesting (or scary) stuff can be seen in the working class neighborhoods and the mostly illegal (but unenforced) "do it yourself" homes and building additions.

The upside of the lack of regulation is the architectural diversity and the ability of poorer folks to substantially improve their housing situation.