Fernando Pagés Ruiz

June 15, 2023

Fernando Pagés Ruiz is ProTradeCraft's Latin America Editor. He is currently building a business in Ecuador and a house in Mexico. Formerly, he was a builder in the Great Plains and Mountain States. He is author of Building an Affordable House and Affordable Remodel (Taunton Press).

Author - All Contributed Content

April 17, 2016

Updated: June 15, 2023

Trocas de Trabajo

Make the most of what you've got... and then pile on a little more

April 10, 2016

Updated: June 15, 2023

Country Style Roof Construction: Sticks, Bricks, Mud, and Goop

I spotted this interesting roof construction in Cuenca, Ecuador: Branch logs as rafters; purlins of split branch logs with thin brick overlaid in two strata

April 3, 2016

Updated: June 15, 2023

Adobe Brick Production Facilities

Homemade bricks ready to become walls

Concrete & Masonry

March 27, 2016

Updated: June 15, 2023

Peruvian Patinas of Local Building Materials

From the Earth, basic materials become the building blocks of a home—nature nurtures native spaces.

Siding & Exterior Trim

March 13, 2016

Updated: June 15, 2023

The Colorful Character of Las Casas de Cartegena, Columbia

What doesn't kill you makes you stronger

Siding & Exterior Trim

March 6, 2016

Updated: June 15, 2023

Green Roofs Where They Make Sense

Native plant homescaping

February 28, 2016

Updated: June 15, 2023

Colorful Commodes

If you're color squeamish, don't look at these pictures of plumbing fixtures— turn away now!

Kitchens & Baths

February 14, 2016

Updated: June 15, 2023

'Growth Rings' of Cash Houses

Each layer reveals personal and technological circumstances

Siding & Exterior Trim

January 27, 2016

Updated: June 15, 2023

Designing for the Long Hall

It's not just wasted space anymore

Tile, Flooring, Drywall

January 9, 2016

Updated: June 15, 2023

Witch-Proofing Your Roof

In Cartagena, Colombia, where the Spanish Inquisition burned 800 suspected sorcerers and witches in the town square, roofs were equipped with spiked corners to prevent witches from landing on them.

January 7, 2016

Updated: June 15, 2023

An Electric Showerhead? Really?

You don’t need much hot water in the tropics, but just in case, don’t adjust the nozzle, there’s no inline GFI breaker!

Plumbing, Electrical

December 17, 2015

Updated: June 15, 2023

Why I Like Insulated Vinyl Siding Better than Uninsulated

I've been using vinyl on the affordable homes I've built over the last few decades for a couple of simple reasons. It is durable and it is inexpensive, so it frees up budget for energy improvements and high quality interior finishes.

Siding & Exterior Trim

November 22, 2015

Updated: June 15, 2023

Elevated slab, Floating on a bamboo raft Builder's culture shock

Concrete & Masonry

November 15, 2015

Updated: June 15, 2023

Latino Lumber Yards

A Latin American look at concrete, cane, and tropical hardwood

Concrete & Masonry

October 25, 2015

Updated: June 15, 2023

Safety First Means Something Different in the Third World

As a building inspector, I used to spot potential health and safety violations with a keen eye, calling out “trip hazards”, “head-knockers” and “shock threats” with regularity.

October 18, 2015

Updated: June 15, 2023

Stilt Houses are More Than Just Flood-Resistant—They're a Way of Life

Storage, shade, and a feedlot for farm animals.

October 11, 2015

Updated: June 15, 2023

'Natural' Brick and Block are Beautiful Materials

It can come from surprising places

Siding & Exterior Trim

September 27, 2015

Updated: June 15, 2023

Galapagos Island Construction is Unique, Too

Forget about the turtles, look at the tile

Concrete & Masonry

Decks & Porches

September 20, 2015

Updated: June 15, 2023

TV at the Bathroom Faucet

In some ways, the first world is quite far behind.

Kitchens & Baths

September 1, 2015

Updated: June 15, 2023

Good Fences (and Friendly Guards) Make Good Neighbors

It's a cultural thing

Decks & Porches

August 19, 2015

Updated: June 15, 2023

South American SIPS (Stucco Insulated Panel System)

A faster way to build affordable housing in a tropical climate. It is a quick build when compared to standard block and stucco.

Insulation & Air Sealing

Siding & Exterior Trim

August 13, 2015

Updated: June 15, 2023

Will Vinyl Siding Fade? Yeah, But Doesn't Everything?

Bright and dark colors used to be bad choices for vinyl, but better polymers and manufacturing process have reduced fading, cracking, and expansion.

Siding & Exterior Trim

August 2, 2015

Updated: June 15, 2023

The Progressive House

Living in what you can afford to build—until you can afford to build more. In places where mortgages are not readily available, people use the layaway plan.They lay away money, and then they build their plans.

Concrete & Masonry

July 19, 2015

Updated: June 15, 2023

The Guts of an Old Soffit

I like to see the guts of buildings when the surfaces crumble and reveal what's behind the plaster and paint.

Siding & Exterior Trim

July 12, 2015

Updated: June 15, 2023

Miles and Miles of Pattern and Patina

There's something about the old materials that modern concrete, and even modern tile cannot surpass

Concrete & Masonry