Laying your own path ... literally

Time is catching up on me and I need to work out what needs to be done now and what is merely cosmetic can safely be left for later. The sad state of my path is my present concern. An upgrade was not in the original plan for this trip.

But first a translation issue …
I come from a place where the walkway outside your house is referred to as a path (the “a” pronounced as one would when the doctor says “say ah”) or pavement.

Many from other lands may claim that since it is walk-way be-side your house it should be referred to as a side-walk. That’s not going to happen here – deal with it!

Not wanting to spoil our piedra de río (river-stone) garden path (which the previous owner had specially ordered) nor our gardens and walled front area, we have used the outside pavement for running the electrical cables to our main junction box.

My builder advises me this is a perfectly acceptable choice on Cozumel and has now cut a trough along the full length of my decayed path to accommodate the cables. It makes sense, since it is our responsibility to maintain our front path – “to the maintainer goes the access” I guess.

During this process my builder also had to remove the electric meter for a brief time. I returned from visiting a friend to find it casually lying on the grass unconnected to its power source. Seeing ones electric meter disconnected and casually sunning itself in the garden does cause your average gringa a pause for thought.

I asked why it needed to be removed. Apparently the hammering on the wall might have damaged it – and the current is off – so I guess since we have its best interests at heart – and are not using power anyway – that makes it ok.

I quickly dismiss any further thoughts on the matter!

Anyhoo... our sorry little crumbled path needed repair and elevation to keep our garden well out of reach of any street water “high tides”.


We are not in a flooding area but many are - those who buy property here do well to research this as it is a problem for many on Cozumel.

Hurricane Wilma gave us the highest water level for many a year. Those with single story properties were wading in water, with little opportunity for escape while the hurricane still raged outside, a most daunting experience.

A repair without elevation is pointless, we need as much protection as possible from flooding so I decide to go the whole hog and build a whole new path.

My builder suggests an elevation height and “common garden” concrete block path. Since one is hardly ever given the opportunity to personalise one’s own path, well legally anyway, I want something much more decorative.

I show him my illustration with decorative rajueleados (ra-hoo-lay-dos ...concrete chips) inserted in divides between the slabs of concrete and the occasional tile for decoration that I have admired on other paths around town.

My builder smiles the smile of one who realises he should have known better than to think I would take the simple route!

The guys start work and within a few days my old cumpled path is now a gleaming (if concrete ever gleams) new path to be proud of with an elevation level to challenge the best of hurricanes.



Unfortunately a surprise awaits... now our new path is higher ...our privacy wall has become "lower". So arises another problem to be tackled, we definately want privacy for our new pool.

Changes to the overall plan will inevitably crop up as one goes along. These may arise on a daily basis until your project becomes more advanced. Sometimes a new possibility will arise, sometimes a problem needs to be overcome.

You can hire an architect to plan, oversee and take care of these events and pay a portion of the costs for this service, or you can stick around and make the changes yourself.

I like to be very “hands on”, and much prefer the latter. I make a point of always checking how a new builder/electrician/etc reacts to my desire for changes. Some will point blank say a thing cannot be done and refuse to budge … or might make an excuse if they don’t want the hassle of a change. They don’t stay here long. Others will agree with requests but then carry on as before and act like they never hear you. They get short shift too! The “I didn’t understand you” can get played from both sides when convenient.

If someone makes multiple mistakes, you probably shouldn’t invite them back, even if only to repair their errors. You will probably end up with more problems. I tried this once, they guy came back only to build further on the first mistake.

On another occasion I found myself on New Years Eve without water for the upstair toilet! While my usual plumber was visiting family, I had hired a new plumber to keep the project moving. He rerouted the water supply but forgot to reconnect it. It wasn’t apparent until we tried to reinstall the toilet on completion of the work.

On his return my house plumber had to tear up brand new tiles to install a new supply. So much for saving time!. In my experience it's better to just take a deep breath, pay again for a reliable worker, and move on. Chalk it up to experience. It’s also cheaper in the long run believe me!

Fortunately, my pool building team are good realiable workers. They listen, make a point of following my wishes and rarely say no unless it is with good foundation. My house plumber/electrician does likewise.

I in turn respect their expertise and try to learn as much as I can about the building process here before I barge forth with my gringa ideas. Things cannot be done here as they are back home. A good tradesman will advise you.

If you trust them … you should listen…and if you don’t trust them, they probably shouldn’t be working for you in the first place!