Email & ShareBehind the Wooden Door
Aren’t you just dying to know what’s behind those facades? As you drive down the calles and avenidas of Merida, haven’t you always wondered what the houses look like once you get past the front door? And if you are in the process of renovating or building a house here, don’t you find yourself wondering (about five times a day…) "I wonder how everyone else solves this problem?" or "I wish I knew a more creative or interesting way to do this!" or even "Should I expect this to look differently? or is this just how they do it here?"
We thought as much! We know you are having those thoughts, because we have them all the time. And everyone else we know has them too.
Thanks to the wonders of the 21st Century, Yucatan Living is launching a new series… a video series called, not surprisingly, The Houses of Merida. This new topic on the Yucatan Living website will feature a new three to five minute episode every week or two (hey, this is the land of flojera… we don’t want to be slaves to a schedule). Each episode will be hosted by Eric Partney (a local real estate agent), filmed by our exceptionally competent cameraman Erich Briehl, and produced by the Working Gringos. We will bring you behind the wooden and wrought-iron doors to see how people are living in the White City. So be prepared for surprises! The first episodes feature houses renovated and inhabited by fellow expatriates… but that may not always be the case. 
Our first few houses are in the centro, but that too may change. If we have learned anything living here, we know that the houses of Merida are as surprising, magical and unique as the people who live in them. And so we intend to bring you a series of episodes with a wide range of houses of all sizes, types, colors and locations.
Episode One of The Houses of Merida
When we first moved here, we used to walk by the house featured in Episode One and think how beautiful it might be if only someone would renovate it. Seven years later, we are rewarded with our visions come true! This house has been renovated in a way that shows its original beauty, while still looking fresh and modern. In this case, the facade is as exquisite as the interior of the house. 
The facade windows are as elegant as the ceilings inside are high, the columns are ornate, and the arches are myriad. The polished cement floors and bright colors lend a cheerfulness to the outdoor lifestyle that was probably absent in the original version of this home. The stone walls and fluted columns are fitting remembrances of the past, complimented by a rich art collection on the walls and functional but European-styled furniture. The photos on this page give you an idea of what the house looked like before it was renovated. You can see that the beautiful columns and arches were in the original home, but pretty much everything past that is new construction.
Feedback, Please
Because we want this series to be both enjoyable and educational, we welcome your comments and questions. Not just about this specific house. We want to know what you want us to feature in upcoming videos. Do you want more detail shots? More footage of the way the rooms flow from one to the other? We’re going to keep these houses anonymous, so don’t ask us who owns them. 
But let us know what other kind of information would be interesting or useful to you. (Oh, and if you would like to share your home, contact us at info [at] yucatanliving [dot] com. It takes us one to three hours to videotape your home… and in return for sharing it with our Yucatan Living readers, you can have a permanent video on file of your house in Merida. What a nice Christmas gift!).
As always, a picture is worth a thousand words. And a moving picture… a google’s worth? See for yourself… enjoy Yucatan Living’s first episode of The Houses of Merida!
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Holy moly, Batman!
Exquisite, really. I would be nice if you could see the little house(s) that my dear Yucatecan friend, LĂa Can Tun de PĂ©rez, at CIS, has crafted from sheer persistence and hard work. They are not the homes of rich people, but they are rich in determination and creativity. They are also the foundation of the future of the lives of her children and the fruit of the life of her mother, in particular.
Your new module for looking at life in the Yucatan is of the highest caliber.
Bravo! and congratulations on getting it launched.
Fantastic idea for a series! I was excited to see this home featured in the first video, as I’ve walked by it many times and wondered what was behind the facade. Keep up the good work!
Merida is one of the places I’m researching for retirement. What a wonderful series, keep up the marvelous work. I love this website and always look forward to reading everything. Quality is enormous, thanks so much!!!!!!!
I’m loving this new video feature! Of course, my someday Merida home “wish list” is going to get out of control now, but that’s okay. After you’ve amassed quite a few of these videos, it would be fantastic if you could edit the footage for a few special features, like Pools and Water Features, Kitchens, Bathrooms, Patios, Rajuela Designs, Pasta Tile, Facades, etc. What a cool “idea reference” these area/feature specific videos would be for people planning a remodel. Many thanks to Eric & Working Gringos!
The video series is a great idea and well executed as well! I loved viewing the first one and sent it on to many of my friends in the States who wonder what life is like here. Congratulations on the new endeavor. I look forward to the next episode.
Nicely done. This could have run for an hour and I still would have sat quietly watching.
I have always being amazed by the “surprising, magical and unique” character of the houses in Merida. Luckily for Merida, the expat remodeling the houses have been a special type of people with good taste, and a great sense of creativity. What they have done in the houses they renovated is worth a book. But until now you have to be “an insider” in Merida to know this. Houses in Merida series, as the Episode I suggested, seems to be the first effort to make that work open to the public eye.
I look forward to the next episode, hoping that “the flojera” does not last too long.
How do we log on to the video?? I am renovating a house in Merida and would be extremely interested in following these episodes.
Very nice! I love the dog! I hope in your future episodes, you go into al little bit more of how some of these designs are accomplished. Thanks for a great idea!
Great start to what I hope wil lbe a wonderful series!
You might suggest that they also include a person in future crews to concentrate on better lighting while filming.
Also – it would have been more interesting if they could have shown some photos or video clips of what the house was like before renovation.
Finally – why limit the series of programs to just houses in the city of Merida? Why not houses of the Yucatan which would allow you to also go out and film some of the great restorations of various haciendas, etc. elsewhere in the state?
A couple months ago I had the opportunity to visit some of the homes that Andrea Traconsis is rehabilitating for her customers. She operates a property management service in Merida (www.andreayucatan.com ) and is exceptionaly skilled at design and furnishing colonial homes in the city. For those interested in having cutting edge elegence, I highly recommend contacting Andrea
This is a wonderful idea and a beautiful home. I would have liked to see more of the kitchen and some other features and how they were updated but it’s as you say, I am always just curious about the inside of the houses in Merida. On my last visit I nothiced a house called Casa de Lions and the doors were a beautiful black wood witht lion heads carved on the facade. I think it was on 66 on the way to MELL. I meant to return to photograph the doors but, so is Merida…
Shame on me – I also meant to congratulate Eric on a wonderful job as host / moderator!
What a fantastic idea to produce videos of the beautiful homes in Merida. I often refer friends to the Yucatan Living site for more info on the beautiful White City. I am pleased that my freinds will be able to view what is hidden behind those facades. I have visited Merida 4 times in the past 9 months and love it more and more each time.
Will the videos be maintained on the Yucatan Living site for constant viewing, as when you were renovating your home?
Is it reasonable to indicate the name of the Architect responsible for the renovation, if applicable. I personally would be interested in more kitchen shots, as I love to cook. Would it be possible to include a sketch of the floorplan for reference to follow along with Eric’s tour? Perhaps lot size would also be helpful for many epats that have no idea how many meters they may really need…just a thought.
Thank you very much for your wonderful publication. You are the best.
Fantastic video.
Fantastico! Your wonderful ezine is the lynchpin of my Merida fascination and this is the best next thing you’ve done in a long list of best things. It’s like I can take the Library’s Merida House Tour from southern Ontario. Rack up some overtime and post these tours asap!! Por favor y mil gracias.
I really like this a lot. It makes me miss Mexico. But I agree with La Framericaine—let’s have some houses similar to the ones that those of us who are not wealthy might have. Creative and aesthetic solutions to small and modest spaces!
Thanks!
That was great! I also enjoyed the commentary pointing out how people spend a lot of time in their outdoor spaces in Merida.
I’d love to see some well-done, modest houses too.
Thanks,
Marygwen
Amazing..what a treat to see the interior renovations that this very creative home owner has done. Classy ,elegant yet comfortable, warm and welcoming.
Can’t wait to sell our Canadian home and begin renovating ours in Merida.
Very inspirational and exciteing…SHOW ME MORE..I can’t get enough!!
Would love to see the kitchens. Would love to find out where some of the furnishing were purchased from.
Thanks keep up the fantastic work
Wonderful, what a treat, looking forward to seeing more homes!
What a gorgeous home! and what a great idea for a video series. As an aspiring expat myself and obsessed with all things related to colonials in Merida, I will be looking forward to your future episodes.
The only request I would have is to please mention the architect and interior decorators for the houses. I think this would be invaluable information for someone who is looking to renovate themselves. I for one, am dying to hear who designed this home.
Thanks again for the great video!
Hello, all our loyal and wonderful readers. Thank you for your kudos on the first of this series.
We will of course include more modest homes in the series… we have some “in the can” already and more video shoots scheduled. We will be sure to concentrate more on the kitchens. And will try to find photos of the houses before renovation when possible. We will also try to include more information about lot size, architects, etc. in the videos to come.
Stay tuned!!
WOW….
Your web site, the information provided within, your use of latest technology is fantastic!!!! A superior research tool for the casual user interested in Merida and all it offers… Thanks-much for your work and effort!
The application of using video to highlight the architecture and homes of Merida will keep me interested and as such a frequent user and viewer of your site…. keep the images coming!
Please include in your series… beach homes, commercial properties that might make for a good home renovation, odd properties and maybe some before/after images etc.
Thanks-Much
Hello Working Gringos,
As I read through many of these comments it appears that several individuals seem to believe that one needs to be wealthy to live this lifestyle in Merida. From my experience this is really not the case. Perhaps in the states this would be considered a wealthy residence but not so in Merida. This type of home is very affordable, for expats, in Merida.
Thank you for all of your wonderful information provided on a weekly basis.
That was so well done. The filming, Eric as host, the background music.
Gee whiz, I am impressed.
Way to go Working Gringos!
Excellent! Hats off to “Yucatan Living” and Lic. Eric Partney!
Wonderful, I wish all canadians could see how wonderful the Yucatan is. This is a true pleasure to view. I spent one month there last winter, fell in LOVE with the people, so much to see and do. The energy there is awesome. cant wait to spend 2 months this winter. Watching this video gives me great joy. Keep up the great work. this really helps for people to see how wonderful Merida and surrounding area’s are. As the Media keeps people from going there, unless of course you have already discovered it, you would never stay away…it is just absolutely wonderful, and this video just reminded me of that. See you Dec. 26th….
For some reason I do not get the option to view the video. This is the second time I loaded the page but the option for the video does not come up. Any suggestions? I REALLY want to view it.
Cool look at Merida’s houses and what I liked a lot too in this first video was the use of the song “Peregrina” as its musical background. In case you are not aware, Peregrina is one of Merida’s most inspiring songs (if not the most inspiring) and it has been used often in many instances when the city government pays homage to the city, so kudos for the usage of Peregrina in the video.
I also own a house in Merida and while when I come back to live it in a semi-full time I will do some renovations to my house, those renovations will not be extensive (like many expats purchased homes are) because I like the house as it is today (the same way it was when I was growing up on it) but I too often am curious as to how some other Merida’s homes look like in the inside and am grateful to you guys for the opportunity to see with my own eyes what I have been wanting to do all these years.
I love the homes in Merida . To get an inside look at the secrets they hold is a treat . You did such a wonderful job showing this lovely home. It is important to note that saving these beautiful places is in itself its own reward. Too live in a piece of history and enjoy the beautiful Merida surrounds .
Thanks for the peek.
I loved the video and the idea. Could you possibly slow down the filming a tiny bit when showing some of the detail work like the inlaid floors etc? I really wanted to get a better look without having to pause the video.
Other than that, can’t wait to see more, esp. the beach houses and those for more modest incomes.
Thanks again.
When will we be seeing the next episode?
Soon, soon… the Working Gringos are on vacation for a few more days.
Nice work. What a pleasure to see such detail in design and warmth with color.
What a great idea. Homes in the Yucatan have a unique style to them which I love. The film is a top quality tour of a beautiful home. Good job and I look forward to the next installment.
This is a great idea, but every time I try to view the video my computer crashes.
This is wonderful. I’m mulling retirement choices in Mexico – haven’t been to Merida yet, but this video is drawing me in. Keep these coming and make them longer. This home is fabulous, but I’d also like to see smaller, more afforable options for singles. Are any of these old colonial homes being redone into condos?
How about some still photos for those of use who do not have any video ‘button’ or link and so can not see the videos?
So where’s the video? I’d love to see it. Thanks, Kim G
Thrilled to see this. I spent many years in Merida during my college years and after and hope to someday retire there. This sight is giving me great ideas!
Beautiful. Makes me want to own a home in Mexico. I have been visiting Mexico for 6 years now and each time I look deeper into the country I find more beautiful things to enjoy. Merida looks like a wonderful place to visit. I hope to get there in May this year. As for your video, I was impressed. It was short and to the point, yet reveals the culture and preservation of a nation. Fantastic good job. It is snowing here today… looking forward to May.