Houses of Merida - Episode Two
Good Things Come In Small Boxes
This episode of The Houses of Merida features one of the smallest houses we've seen renovated in the centro historico of Merida. The facade of this houses measures only four meters wide (that's about 12 feet for those of you who are metrically challenged), and the lot is 28.7 meters long (about 94 feet). In the days when we were house-hunting, we would never have even considered a house this narrow!
But look at how the owner, an American who built this as a full-time home, has turned this long and narrow house into a modern jewel!
The house is built like a railroad car (they called them 'railroad apartments' when we rented one back in the 70's in California), with one room following the other as you walk from front to back. The architect expanded the square footage by making it a two-story railroad car and finding the space to fit in a staircase. When you open the front door, the first room you see is an entryway, which is rarely used, but provides a good sound buffer between the street and the rest of the living area. The second room features the staircase, a bathroom under the staircase and a sitting area with shelves for storage below, and a counter for display above.
The final and third area downstairs is where all the living is done: a kitchen with stainless steel applicances that match the polished grey concrete, overlooking a living room and office area with built-in desk, all of which look through glass doors out to a small patio, garden, fountain and plunge pool. The owner built a retractable shade that can be unfolded to provide shade for the pool during the heat of the day. The garden is surrounded by brand new stone walls that look as if they have been there for decades, but have a wave design that echoes the modernity in the rest of the house. And just behind the pool at the end of the property is a bodega for equipment and storage. The doors are painted blue to match the wave in the wall and give a touch of color to an otherwise neutral color palette.
Upstairs is the master bathroom and a spacious master bedroom, also defined on one end by glass doors that look out to a spacious covered balcony with space to hang a hammock, all overlooking the pool.
Modern Merida
Unlike some renovations, the doors, floors and ironwork in this home are all new, produced by the architect's crew and done in a modern style. The traditional Yucatan elements of a colonial home actually work very well in conjunction with a modern design, as was originally proved by the first architect we ever met here, Salvador Reyes Rios. Salvador's style of modernizing colonials while maintaining certain original elements has become much sought after, and many other local architects have put their own slant on that strategy.
It seems to us that this little house manages to pack in all the elements that you want in a house in the Yucatan: high ceilings, tile floors (in this case, a little bit of original tile surrounded by polished cement, which is very typical in a renovation), a pool, a garden, stone walls, a place to lie in a hammock. The open kitchen, the glass doors and the high ceilings all lend a feeling of spaciousness that you wouldn't expect in such a narrow house.
The house was completed in early 2008 by architect Victor Cruz and his crew for an American client. It is a one-bedroom, 2 bath with a plunge pool located in the Santiago district.
Comments
Working Gringos 15 years ago
Thank you for all your comments. We taped the first four episodes before airing any of them, so please look for improvements and additions starting with Episode Five.
Yes, we'll do some less "designer" homes. Yes, we'll take more time and show more details. Yes, we'll try to get some photos, and if possible, photos from "before".
Stay tuned!
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John Venator 15 years ago
To the wondersful and creative staff at Yucatan Living:
Great - but too short! Why not go a full 4 minutes in length - instead of only 3+ minutes? This will allow the camera man to pan a bit more slowly when they are tallking about a specific feature in a room so we can see them better. On this video I had to do a "stop freeze frame" multiple times to see the things mentioned in the written narrative or in Eric's comentary / otherwise if you blinked - you missed them since the action was so fast.
Obviously from the very large number of comments you received on Episode #1 and that you will certianly get from Episode #2 - this new feature is a 5 star winner!
The expanded written narrative was most helpful to read before we viewed the video. Maybe a couple photos from the owner of the "before renovation" could have been inserted into the writen narrative to make it even more informative and interesting.
This new "HOMES" feature is going to be your most popular item in each issue. Maybe eventually you will even have to expand it to weekly!?!?
Keep up the GREAT work - I am now going to forwrd this Episode to about 2 dozen friends - many whom I will assume will become new subscribers in their own right - just to see the future "HOME" Episodes.
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Carol Judd 15 years ago
I've seen his house for sale and love being able to tour it at home. I like the house when I saw it online and am encouraged by how a small house can be renovated to something perfect! Thanks again!
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Doug 15 years ago
Thanks so much for the second installment. I send them to friends whom I have spent time with in the city. Great quality even in full screen. Keep up the good work.
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fabio fortuna 15 years ago
wonderful homes! both the home on episode one and episode two are obviously gorgeous, perfectly tasteful and could feature in any magazine! thanks for the new series.
I wish though, you could show some more 'down to earth' maybe not so fancy renovations, and homes which are also more affordable. after all, we are not all interior decorators and architects and not everybody can afford one.
the idea is great, showing actual homes, after a renovation is a fantastic way of getting to know the 'secrets' behind the facades in this beautiful city.
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Carol 15 years ago
What a beautiful house- pefect for a couple. Keep the vidoes coming! Thanks, Carol
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Rob 15 years ago
Great written description above!!! I could envision the house before I saw it. Victor did our house as well and it turned out fantastic. We highly recommend him and his entire team at Estilo Yucatan. We'd work with them again in a heartbeat.
PS. Love the video. The Eric's did great!
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Mario Novelo 15 years ago
When I was growing up in Merida back in the 50/60s, I knew 3 such homes in calle 57 between 74a & 76. One of those homes belonged to my best friend's parents and I often found myself there. After reading the description given "railroad car/apartment" I wonder if the house in question in not one of the 3 I knew back then (those homes were next to each other). For such an small house, 5 people lived at my friend's home (6 if you count me because I practically lived there).
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