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Large Contemporary House With Pool for Sale

Located just 5 minutes from Centro, this contemporary house in San Miguel de Allende, Guanajuato, Mexico is FOR SALE.
This house has so much to offer including:
5 bedroom
3 bathrooms,
built in closets in 2 bedrooms
3mtr deep Lap pool,
internal fountain,
Ample rain water collection cistern + town supply water
underfloor heating
12inch thick external adobe walls
8inch thick internal adobe walls
huge 3rd floor terrace
views for miles!!
quiet & friendly neighbourhood
generous on street parking
garage
so much light!
simple lines
Contact Melisa Valero 

• Sothebys Real Estate Professional

Phone: +524151525220

Mobile: +525522600273

Why a Rainwater Cistern?

There is a scarcity of water in San Miguel, being that we are in High Sierra, almost desert like conditions.

The aquifer strains to supply the 7 municipalities it serves...

In this region, there is a history of abundant rainfall every year, more than 500mm on average, traditionally falling from June to Sept.
The obvious answer is to catch the rain to relieve the pressure on the aquifer... for this reason, we did the responsible thing & constructed a rainwater collection  cistern.

We use this to fill the pool, (nicer to swim in fresh water than water from the aquifer), & also as a backup throughout the year.

We have town supply water (which of course comes from the aquifer), but we also have confidence knowing we can supply our own water if we need to, & compared to town water, the rain water is so soft & fresh!

Why Underfloor (Radiant) Heating?

Although we live in the High Sierra offering excellent warm sunny days year round, it comes as a surprise to many that it actually can get quite chilly in the winter months.

Many homes in San Miguel do not factor this in, & people find it a bit of a shock... not in this house, we have underfloor heating in both stories, thermostatically controlled ensuring nice cosy living even in December...

The heating is provided by way of a closed loop under floor water system heated by gas, & because it sits under the surface of the cement floors, it reaches pre-set heat & requires much less energy to maintain that heat...the cement floors retain the heat & all the living areas (even the bathroom) are warm from the ground up!

Eco House with Style

To build an environmentally friendly & responsible house you don't have to skimp on style.

This house incorporates many eco friendly features including:
* The aspect of the house allows winter sun in the bedrooms in the morning & winter sun & warmth in the living/kitchen area in the afternoon, & light all day!
* We have a rainwater catchment system, with oa large capacity (as well as town supply when needed)
* The external walls are 12inches thick & internal walls 8inches thick.Made from only 1/6 cement & 5/6 tepetate (soil)which not only provides excellent thermal properties not found in the red brick alternative, it also lessens the cement footprint.
* We have radiant/underfloor heating as a healthy & efficient spacial heating option (although we barely have to turn it on as the adobe is so warm in Winter - & cool in Summer)
* We have incorporated a central light well, we have a glass ceiling (table on the terrace) which allows light to filter through to the living area, with a glass floor on that level the light carries on down into the ground floor area meaning we never have to have a light on during the day, & light from the living area filters down at night!
* the swimming pool is filled with rain water, so it is super soft, maintained with a salt water chlorination process, a natural process with no added nasty chemicals & minimal maintenance required.
* we purposely have only 3 bathrooms, bathrooms are a major cause of wasted water, there is no un-necessary flushing, we have showers only & no bathtubs... if you want to soak, soak in the pool!
* a purposely small lot means gardens are small & the plants were chosen because they are hardy & not thirsty..

You can read more about several aspects mentioned here, in the posts below...

What is this house made of? Why Adobe walls?

We have made sure to be environmentally friendly in the construction of this house, we put rainwater catchment systems in place & built only 3 bathrooms to minimise ongoing water usage, (1 bathroom on each floor is plenty!!)

We chose to construct the house of environmentally friendly materials...

The walls of our house are made of poured in place adobe...

This means only approx 1/6 cement & 5/6 tepetate (silty earth)was mixed together with a binder & poured between forms to create the walls.

The usual method of construction in this region in Mexico is small red bricks which are then plastered...Although these bricks are a cheaper method of construction they have very little thermic value, ie they do not retain heat & so houses constructed with these bricks are cold in winter & hot in summer...Also during the construction process of these bricks the kilns are fired with garbage so the resulting pollution is bad for the environment . As well, to lay these red bricks a lot more cement mortar is required.

We have purposely reduced our consumption of cement, since the production process of cement is a big CO2 baddie...

The reverse is the case with our house, adobe enables heat transfer & retention - result - our house is warm in winter & cool in summer...

Plus the outer walls are 12inches thick & the inner walls are 8 inches thick, all n all a sturdier building material, resulting in a superior finish & product.

About the Colonia of Montes de Loreto

Some official stats re Montes are: inhabitants approx 437, altitude 1960 mtrs.

Montes is a small "developing" neighbourhood, mostly hard working Mexican families and a few expats who have discovered the secret of living in Montes.

Although it is just 5 minutes it really is like living in a peaceful little village.

The community is very friendly, all neighbours wave to eachother, & exchange rides into town...

The views are astounding, back into SMA, we see the fireworks above the Parochia almost every week... we can see all the way west to the setting sun, over the las ventanas golf course, & out the Dolores Hidalgo Road.& the new Parque Zeferino.

We enjoy the quiet of the countryside, barking dogs are a rarity, we are bordered by a large green belt, we affectionately call the "high chaparele".

We have a few little well stocked tiendas, a kindergarten, a wonderful park with playground equipment, basket ball court & a soccer field, courtesy of the community who pulled together to raise the funds to build & furnish this excellent space... The expats are very well integrated into the community, some are teaching english, others art classes, others share rides with neighbours.

The small church evolved out of the hillside & hosts the most spectacular re-enactment of Easter every Semana Santa...We get to see Roman Soldiers place Jesus on the cross every year, then he is taken down, & jokes about how hot it was up there, while everyone congratulates this years' "actors"...





There are trails for walking, mountainbiking & just big rocks for sitting on to contemplate the view & the slower pace of life.

Cost of living in San Miguel de Allende

Cost of living is very reasonable in San Miguel.
Our average electricity bill is approx $1000 pesos per mth.
Water costs are incredibly inexpensive under $100 pesos per month.
We have gas cooking & water heating (including under floor heating in winter), currently pay approx $250 pesos per month.
High speed internet $630 pesos per month.
Food is fresh & low cost a few examples:-
A kilo of tomatoes around 40mxn
Mangos 3 large ones for 40mxn
chicken breasts 3 for $60mxn
Luxury items at City Market 10mins away. .
A bottle of corona at the supermarket is $20mxn



Buses are plentiful & cheap at 7 pesos around town, taxis the same approx $50pesos in centro, & $80 out of centro...Petrol is approx 9 pesos per litre (govt. subsidised & price controlled).

Buses around the country are luxurious (including wifi on some) & inexpensive with a trip to Mexico City, taking around 3.5 hrs & costing just $367 pesos.

A ticket to the movies (english, with spanish subtitles) will cost just $48 pesos per adult, & a entrance to one of the many thermal pools, 10mins away, around $200 pesos, where you can lounge on deck chairs ordering tropical drinks & yummy food treats under the shade on a large green lawn...

You can roll up your sleeves & join one of the 140+ non profit organisations, giving back in so many ways, from helping find homes for animals, to tending trees in the botanical gardens, to helping find computers for the young college students, or join Rotary & do all of these!

You will find Atencion every Friday - the local newspaper, an addictive read for what's happening around town & a who's who, & what's what of all the many cultural festivals every month.


San Miguel is very social, with approx 10,000 expats from all necks of the woods & walks of life.

There are baroque festivals, International film festivals, Jazz festivals, Intl. writers' festivals, & even a world famous (in Texas) chilli cookoff...Tickets to world class performers are often available for just $100-$150 pesos.

Price

The price reflects the quality of the construction, bearing in mind this house is constructed not with plastered over red bricks but with 12 inch thick exterior & 8 inch interior adobe walls, has underfloor heating, a lap pool, a rainwater collection cistern, as well as spectacular views, easy parking, & peaceful quiet surroundings...

Our asking price is US$540,000