The Expat Files

Building and/or Buying a House: PART 4 - Hiring a general contractor, and why you don’t want him to speak English, dress nice or drive a decent car. - Latin skilled labor, and why you should never judge a man by his sorry looking tool kit. - The lost art of plastering walls is alive and well and everyone and his brother’s an expert (and its infinitely better than drywall). And why if you do use drywall, you’ll be sorry. - Why checking written references or letters of recommendation are complete wastes of time. - Contractors do guarantee their work, but you should never fully believe them, even if its signed in blood. - Petty theft; when things walk off your construction site, and they will, and what to do about it.