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Custom home design in Mérida and beyond

By Arkham Projects · Published on · Data reviewed on

Arkham Projects, an architecture firm founded in Mérida in 2013, designs custom homes for people who will live in them, anywhere in Mexico or the world, and can help you choose a plot if you do not have one yet. A schematic design is presented in 6 to 8 weeks, and construction documents typically take between 5 and 6 months, depending on the size and complexity of the house.

What is it?

Custom home design means designing a house from scratch for the people who will live in it and for their plot. Before drawing, we understand how you live: what you value, what excites you, what your routines are and how you imagine your life in that space. The house comes from there, not from a catalog: we do not work with standard plans or mass-produced houses.

Who is this service for?

It is for you if

  • You are going to live in the house and want it to resemble you, not a catalog.
  • You already own a plot, in Mérida, Mexico City or anywhere in the world, or you want help choosing one.
  • You want the design to start from your plot: its orientation, shape, vegetation, context and regulations.
  • You want light, orientation, materials and the relationship with the garden decided in the design, not corrected during construction.
  • You live outside Mérida or abroad: we coordinate remotely, with direct communication, and travel to the plot and to the site when the project requires it.

It is not for you if

  • You are looking for standard plans, a catalog house or a mass-produced model: every project starts from scratch, with you.
  • You want a firm that designs and also builds: we design and supervise, and construction is carried out by a builder we trust or one you choose.

What is included and what is not?

What is included

  • A first conversation and assessment of your plot, needs and budget, at no cost.
  • Help choosing a plot, if you do not have one yet.
  • Schematic design (anteproyecto).
  • Construction documents (proyecto ejecutivo).
  • Interior design, if you want it.
  • Construction administration and site supervision, so that what is built is what was designed.
  • A residential team: from the kick-off, Min Peniche Calafell and the team take over the design and accompany you all the way to construction.

What is not included

  • Construction itself, carried out by a builder we trust or one you choose.
  • Standard plans, catalog designs or plans for sale.

From the first conversation to the keys

  1. Conversation and assessment

    You tell us how you live, what you need and where. We review the plot, your needs and your budget. At no cost: we would rather tell you early if something does not add up.

  2. Working meeting with Jorge

    In person or by video call. Jorge Duarte Torre explains how Arkham works, the methodology and the scope, and gives you the order of magnitude of the fees in that same meeting. No second appointment just to talk about money.

  3. Formal proposal

    Scope, methodology, fees and terms in writing. A meeting to answer questions and adjust the scope or the payment schedule.

  4. Kick-off and residential team

    A 2 to 3 hour session, usually with a site visit: the practical side (program, budget, regulations) and the emotional side (how you want to live there). From that day on, Min Peniche Calafell and the residential team take over the design and accompany you all the way to construction.

How long does it take to design a house?

A schematic design (anteproyecto) is presented in 6 to 8 weeks. The complete construction documents (proyecto ejecutivo) depend on the size and complexity of the house; typically between 5 and 6 months.

Portfolio case studies

  • Casa Akúun, single-family house in Mérida (2020)Casa Akúun

    1,028 m² · Built · A house almost seventy meters long, divided by a courtyard with a poplar at its center: hence its name, Akúun, Poplar House.

    Photo: Yoshihiro Koitani

  • Casa Mulix, single-family house in Mérida (2023)Casa Mulix

    793.94 m² · Built · A large volume that seems to float over the first level and opens to the views or closes for privacy, around a triple-height courtyard.

    Photo: Manolo Solís

  • Casa Alpha, single-family house in Mérida (2021)Casa Alpha

    704.76 m² · Built · A concrete refuge that floats over the plot's vegetation, with the social areas oriented to the views.

    Photo: Oscar Hernández

  • Wóolis, single-family house in Mérida (2021)Wóolis

    450 m² · Built · A cylinder with a lattice top that casts sun patterns on the walls; winner in the Private Homes category of the 2024 International Architecture Awards.

Can I build a house in Mexico as a foreigner?

Foreigners can hold a plot in Mexico; what changes with the location is how. Mexico's Constitution bars foreigners from acquiring direct ownership of land within 50 km of the beaches and 100 km of the borders (Article 27, section I). In that restricted zone, permits from the SRE, Mexico's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, allow foreign individuals or companies to use and benefit from real estate through a trust with a bank as trustee, which lasts up to 50 years and can be extended (Foreign Investment Law, Art. 13). Outside it, nationals of countries with which Mexico has diplomatic relations file a waiver agreement with the SRE.

The trust permit is requested by the bank's trust officers, and the notary must require it before executing the deed. The design of the house starts from the plot, so these steps come first.

Sources: ⁠[1]⁠[2]⁠[3]⁠[4]⁠[5]⁠[6]⁠[7]

What size of house does Arkham Projects design?

As a reference, Arkham Projects looks for house projects from 400 m², and most of the houses it designs have about 400 to 600 m² of built area, although it has designed residences from about 200 m² to more than 1,000 m². The minimum is not a strict rule: the firm can consider smaller projects when their scope, complexity, budget or strategic relevance make them a good fit.

Sources: ⁠[8]⁠[9]⁠[10]

General information with an official source; not legal advice.

Frequently asked questions

How much does it cost to design a house with Arkham?

Every project is unique and the fees depend on it. In the first conversation we assess the plot, your needs and your budget, at no cost. In the working meeting with Jorge Duarte Torre you receive the order of magnitude of the fees, with no second appointment just to talk about money.

Do I need to own a plot?

To design the house, yes: having a plot lets us develop the project from its specific conditions: orientation, shape, vegetation, context and regulations. If you do not have one yet, we can help you choose it.

Do you also build?

We provide construction administration and site supervision. Construction is carried out by a builder we trust or one you choose; in both cases we accompany the process so that what is built is what was designed.

Can I see finished houses before deciding?

Yes. We show you the complete portfolio and, when possible, we coordinate visits to finished houses.

Sources

  1. Constitución Política de los Estados Unidos Mexicanos, art. 27, fr. I (Cámara de Diputados) — Mexico's Constitution bars foreigners from acquiring direct ownership of land and water within a strip of 100 km along the borders and 50 km along the beaches (Article 27, section I). (accessed on September 28, 2026)
  2. SRE, Dirección General de Asuntos Jurídicos: Permiso para constitución de fideicomiso sobre inmuebles localizados dentro de la zona restringida — According to the SRE, trust permits allow foreign individuals or companies to use and benefit from real estate located in the restricted zone. (accessed on September 28, 2026)
  3. Ley de Inversión Extranjera, art. 11 (Cámara de Diputados) — A bank needs a permit from Mexico's Ministry of Foreign Affairs (SRE) to acquire, as trustee, rights over real estate located in the restricted zone (Foreign Investment Law, Art. 11). (accessed on September 28, 2026)
  4. Ley de Inversión Extranjera, art. 13 (Cámara de Diputados) — Trusts over real estate in the restricted zone last up to 50 years, and the term can be extended at the request of the interested party (Foreign Investment Law, Art. 13). (accessed on September 28, 2026)
  5. SRE, Dirección General de Asuntos Jurídicos: Convenio de renuncia para la adquisición de inmuebles fuera de la zona restringida — To buy property outside the restricted zone, nationals of countries with which Mexico has diplomatic relations only need to file with the SRE a written agreement accepting Article 27, section I, of the Constitution (the waiver agreement, or Calvo clause). (accessed on September 28, 2026)
  6. SRE, Dirección General de Asuntos Jurídicos: Permiso para constitución de fideicomiso sobre inmuebles localizados dentro de la zona restringida — The trust permit is requested by the trust officers of the bank that will act as trustee, before the SRE's Article 27 Permits Office, using an advanced electronic signature (FIEL) through the SIPAC27 system. (accessed on September 28, 2026)
  7. Reglamento de la Ley de Inversión Extranjera y del Registro Nacional de Inversiones Extranjeras, art. 4 (Cámara de Diputados) — Before executing a deed for a transaction that requires an SRE permit (such as a restricted-zone trust), the notary public must require that permit. (accessed on September 28, 2026)
  8. Arkham Projects — According to Arkham Projects, the minimum size of the projects it looks for is 400 m². (accessed on October 2, 2026)
  9. Arkham Projects — According to Arkham Projects, its residential projects are mostly houses of about 400 to 600 m² of built area, although it has designed residences from about 200 m² to more than 1,000 m²; the residential lots it works with are usually about 300 to 1,000 m². (accessed on October 2, 2026)
  10. Arkham Projects — According to Arkham Projects, its minimum sizes are a reference, not a strict rule: it can consider smaller projects when their scope, complexity, budget or strategic relevance make them a good fit. (accessed on October 2, 2026)

Keep reading

About Arkham Projects

Arkham Projects is an architecture firm founded in 2013 in Mérida, Yucatán, Mexico, by Min Peniche Calafell and Jorge Duarte Torre; it designs custom homes and architecture for real estate developments.

  • more than 100 projects
  • more than 70 national and international awards and recognitions
  • founded in Mérida in 2013

Meet the team

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