I moved to Mexico, the Tijuana area, and acquired 800m2 of flat
land for an animal
shelter. I will have 2 buildings, the shelter and a hostel. The hostel is for humans and the purpose is to support the shelter operations so its a
non profit. A garden and other things are planned but arent the main focuses right now.
I met a
local architect who does eco building, he has built a house from basically TRASH ie; bottles, plastic, tires etc; and he also works with super adobe and suggested that for the
project. The shelter is for animals obviously and they are a lot less picky, so focusing on the hostel since it will have paying guests i wanted to ensure it would be suitable. I wanted to get some opinions on if adobe would be fine. The hostel would be rectangular and 2 levels with a flat roof so a 3rd could be built later. I was thinking about having a basement dug but not built so that when more fund are available it could be completed and become usable space. I intend to have lots of ceiling fans but also mini splits in each of the bunk rooms just in case. I definitely want insulation, Tijuana weather is basically San Diego and right now it is super chilly, sometimes freezing. Mold is also a concern. Sometimes there are heavy rains and due to the lack of sewers, the streets get flooded and some homes as well. The land i have is on street level so i intend to have as many drainage holes as possible, and i figured i would make the foundation a bit thicker so the entryways are further from the potential
water. Eventually, we plan to recycle water and use
solar, so having connections in place will probably be incorporated.
Obviously, since the shelter is going to be on the same lot there will be noise. But in Mexico, noise is everywhere, people partying, barking past midnight etc; i will just ensure that potential guests will be aware, i will of
course try to do as much as possible to make the hostel noise proof. For the hostel, i definitely want an architect and experienced builders. For the shelter, i will think about finding local volunteers to help build and save on expenses.
For those that want to know, this is the website which is basically nothing right now
https://sanctuaryhostel.org/ and the article about the eco casa
https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/news/border-baja-california/sdut-popotla-house-recycled-materials-rosarito-beach-2015mar24-story.html
Any tips, suggestions on how to make building this project go well? Is super adobe the right way to go?
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