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Small Beach House in Mexico Breaking Ground
Written July 24, 2010 by John Hendricks, AIA Architect • Filed Under Resort Areas, Waterfront We’ve recently broken ground on a small beach house in Mexico. The home is organic in nature and designed for outdoor living, as well as situated to bring in the ocean breezes. Located above the Pacific coast between Puerto Vallarta and Acapulco, this hillside beach house is about 30 miles (48 km) SE of Zihuatanejo and the beach resort town of Ixtapa in the Mexican state of Guerrero.
 North View from the Beach House Views are wide ranging out to the Pacific Ocean and up and down the coast. More information, including schematic plans and elevations of the home, can be found on our Mexico Beach House blog post.
The builder is Israel Magna Rodriquez of In-Progsa. Construction materials for a beach house are quite different from a mountain style home. The typical cedar siding over wood frame construction in the mountains would quickly rot in a high humid location. The best materials to use in high humidity climates such as coastal Mexico and Nicaragua are less perishable ones like concrete and native hardwoods. This home will be concrete with some hardwood trim and finish work.
John Hendricks, AIA Architect
Hendricks Architecture, Mountain and waterfront architects in Sandpoint, Idaho
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Mexico Beach House
Written April 30, 2009 by John Hendricks, AIA Architect • Filed Under Architecture, Waterfront As an architect living in the mountains outside Sandpoint, Idaho, it is always fun to design something a little different. We are currently in the schematic design phase for a small beach house in Mexico. This home will be located on the Pacific coast between Puerto Vallarta and Acapulco, about 30 miles SE of Zihuatanejo and the beach resort town of Ixtapa in the Mexican state of Guerrero. There are several roof decks to take advantage of great views in all directions, including the beach just below, and fisherman boats anchored to the south. The home is designed to capture the ocean breezes in the warm, tropical climate.
 
Main Level and Rooftop Level
This will truly be an indoor/outdoor home. Most of the home is actually outdoors, with enclosed indoor areas having air-conditioning. The kitchen (cocina) is outdoors, covered by a waterproof deck above, with a large outdoor bar for those still wet from the swimming pool. The guest bathroom is shared with the pool area, with an organically formed outdoor shower. The upper level consists of the master suite and several rooftop gardens. Awnings, hammocks and lounge chairs will be provided. The owners will supply the daiquiris, margaritas and Coronas.
The landscaping will consist of an infinity-edged swimming pool hovering over the Pacific Ocean, along with terraced patios, pergolas, another outdoor kitchen, gardens, planters, palm trees, and more hammocks. As my grandfather used to say, “This is real living!”
 Mexico Beach House - Pacific Beachfront Elevation  Mexico Beach House - Courtyard Elevation
I was excited to design a beach house in Mexico when I was approached by the owners, who live in Idaho. I grew up in California, where I was exposed to several styles of architecture, from the beach to the mountains. I also learned about Mexican history and culture in school. At Texas Tech one of the architects I studied was Luis Barragan, who was one of the most influential Mexican architects of the 20th century (he was also a very prominent landscape architect). I’ve also been fortunate enough to be able to design some Mission and Tuscan style homes in California.
Every project is different, and it’s just a matter of bringing out the owner’s own tastes to fruition. Some of the elements are borrowed from the local indigenous architecture that evolved over centuries to make the most of the shade and breezes. The owners wanted a more organic flow for this home though, more so than what it traditionally in the area. There are some aspects of mountain architecture, such as the gnarled wood columns and timbered ceilings. The owners also supplied me with several books and printouts of their favorite elements. Some books they really liked that I found very helpful were:
- Casas en la Costa Mexicana and Casas el la Costa 2, both of the Lifestyles Nature & Architecture series by Fernando de Haro & Omar Fuentes
- Casa Mexicana Style by Annie Kelly, with some great photographs by Tim Street-Porter
- Houses by the Sea: Mexico’s Pacific Coast by Mauricio Martinez
My wife tells me she wants to retire somewhere by the beach. I halfway joke that if I can get enough beach houses in my portfolio I can still work when I’m “retired”.
Drawings are attached with permission from the homeowners.
John Hendricks, AIA Architect
Hendricks Architecture, Mountain and beach architects in Sandpoint, Idaho
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Mountain Home Taking Shape On Lake Pend Oreille
Written April 4, 2009 by John Hendricks, AIA Architect • Filed Under Mountain Architecture, North Idaho, Waterfront A new Hendricks Architecture designed waterfront home on Lake Pend Oreille near Sandpoint, Idaho is taking shape. This steep site originally consisted of a tear down home with three separate garage structures. The new rocky mountain style home will have roughly 3,000 square feet over two levels. It will tie into one of the existing garages, which will all have new stained cedar siding and cedar carriage house doors. The Contractors are a collaboration of Dan Fogarty of Sandpoint and Denman Construction of Whitefish, Montana.
The home has a cupola over the Great Room which will bring in additional light. Large cedar decks will have great views of the lake, as well as the Selkirk and Cabinet Mountains, and a private beach below. Natural stone will cover the concrete piers which buttress the decks.
 Water View of Lakefront Home under Construction
John Hendricks, AIA Architect
Hendricks Architecture, Mountain Architects in Sandpoint, Idaho
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