2 months and 8 days - Trusses and Ondoy

After 10 weeks and a super duper typhoon, we're still going strong in building the house. In fact, I heard that all the walls are now closed, and ready for electrical rough ins this week. We've been searching for an electrician, but it's just hard to find the 'skillful one'. Our regular electrician is now based in the middle east (what's new?) and we cannot find a candidate with equal skill and right attitude. I'm just so particular with these electrical stuffs because a lot of fire incidents are caused by poor wirings and other causes that has something to do with electrical. It's just scary. One of the girl that we used to play badminton with had fire in their house last year, and unfortunately, her kids got trapped and burned. It's just so tragic to hear these stories and I don't want to take the risk.

The trusses are also halfway. It's supposed to be finished this weekend, but super duper typhoon Ondoy (I hate Ondoy!) affected the work schedule. So, the timeline can be extended until the end of next week. I don't want to keep my hopes up too much because I heard that another monsoon will come this Thursday and Friday. It's already OctoBER! Give the Philippines a break, pretty please?

I've been also busy for the past month because mom and sister Karen came to visit as well as cousins, Achie Jac and Ahia Glenn. Never been around Australia that much until they came here, which is good because I appreciated this place more (at least I think). Now, I'm Sydney-overdosed, and I don't plan to go out even if there's an upcoming long weekend (Labor day! woohoo!). Hmmm, what will I do? zzzzzzzzzzz.....yey.

I feel that there are a lot of things to blog about and they're all stuck in my head. For one, there's Ondoy that struck Manila that killed a hundred people and still counting. I was online last Saturday because we came home early from our Blue Mountains tour. I overheard from Achie Jac that their kids were stranded in Market Market mall which is quite strange because that is a posh place and it's not supposed to flood. Anyway, I talked to mom when I got home and I thought that it's just a normal rain. We are very used to this kind of weather in the Philippines. I was online, checking out Facebook updates and got worried when Jun, my friend from Marikina created a shoutout asking for help. It's got to be serious, otherwise, he wouldn't be bothered to broadcast that he needs help. Until later that Saturday, I talked to mom again (thankfully, landlines didn't get cutoff) and she said that this is the first time she saw this level of flood working in our shop for 30 years. Whoa! I also talked to Jeff and he sounded very upset because his laptop and all of his hard drives are now being flooded as we spoke as well as the 2 Civics, and he cannot do anything but watch it soak in flood. I cannot believe this happened to Banawe, properties here are worth I don't know how much and all the commercial shops around and luxury cars and the famous restaurants - what happened to our street?? What happened is really sad. I just hope that our countrymen will be more prepared next time this happens.

Anyway, here are some photos of last week. The progress had slowed down because of the weather, hopefully it'll become better this week. We're still in the rough phase and funds are running out. *Panic mode*

High ceiling / stairs area on the left side

Bedroom 4 window

Master Bath window

Second Floor front view

2nd floor balcony front view

Ground Floor bath

Picture window high ceiling / living room area

Bedroom 1 ground floor

Bedroom 4 2nd floor

Masters bedroom door

Laundry room ground floor

Dining area 1st floor

High ceiling / stairs area

Perspective Rough

Week 7 – Slab,check! Now, the walls

Woohoo! The slab is now done. The good news is so far it’s still intact and standing. Up until last week, I still made some revisions with the floor plan. My mom and sister are in town for a visit and while we were discussing the house construction, my sister suggested that the office space in the 2nd floor is too big just to be used as an office space. My mom is the most workaholic in the family, and she will probably be the only one using that big space on an average of 3 hours per day. So, I thought it might not be worth to have a huge space that will only be used 30% of the time. So, Bedroom 3 and Home Office were swapped. I bet Bedroom 3 will be the best room because of the bay window. It will have the best view among all of the rooms and a balcony.

At this point, provision for electrical and plumbing are also done too. As you can see the orange PVCs in the photos.

Now, here are some photos of Week 7

Week 6 – Pouring of concrete slab

August 26 was the date that we set to pour the concrete slab, this makes up the concrete floor for the 2nd floor. For 2 weeks, the workers ‘stitched’ steels that will form the slab. They also used coco lumber to support the steel work and eventually the concrete slab.

We requested for several quotations from different ready mix concrete suppliers and ended up with Concrete Masters with a price of Php 3,370 per cubic. The cement has a specification of 3,000 psi and 14 days curing time. We also had to rent a Pumpcrete for Php 10,000, this equipment will pump the concrete all the way up to the 2nd floor. The whole pouring process took just an hour. I’m glad that we chose to do it this way rather than the manual way, because who knows how long that will take!

They say that this is one of the most critical parts of the job and I’m happy that it’s over. Here are some photos of the site

Week 4 to 5 – Steel Scaffoldings, Coco Lumber, Plywood, etc

For 2 weeks, the steel scaffoldings were formed to prepare for concreting of the slab. It is at this time where the bulk of materials were ordered and the budget was hugely deducted by all the material costs. We ordered steel from Chichay Hardware which is known for selling steel at a cheaper price.

Here are photos of the workers weaving steel

Ready Mix or Manual Mix?

It's been a month since we started the house construction. This week, we worked on making the scaffoldings and frames for the beam. There were initially 8 workers on site, but since there are a lot of work to be done for the structure, 2 more carpenters were added, so they're 10 now.

Last week, before the beams were started, there were some miscommunication as to how the cement will be implemented. Apparently, there is a more advanced way of applying cement called the ready mix cement. This type of cement is manufactured in a factory or batching plant, according to a set recipe, and then delivered to a worksite, by truck mounted transit mixers. The primary advantage of using this type is its precise mixture because it's made a computerized machine at the cement factory. I've heard of the many advantages of using this and eversince wanted to use it for the slab. It will definitely make our life easier if we use it, and it's said to be just marginally pricier than by doing it the manual way. Anyway, the half part of the 15 columns are done and the scaffoldings for the beams are done as well. There were confusion as to how the cement will be used for what part. Engineer doesn't want the columns to have ready mix cement because this cement dries up very fast and it's possible for the mixture to have 'holes' in it while applying. These holes causes weak points in the structure and therefore very much avoided during construction. Since I just get this information from email, I thought that he doesn't want to use ready mix cement at all. Since the workers are getting paid on a daily basis, there is a tendency for them to slow down the work pace just to make the work time longer, and then they get paid more. So, I didn't give up on persisting them that I want to use ready mix cement, because I want the job to be done fast. I was getting stressed on all the confusion, and I eventually called Engineer via long distance just to understand the whole scenario and finally got it. Nothing beats a phone call, even if instant messaging and email are available. It just makes things easier to understand when you actually hear straight from the source. Whew!

So, the conclusion of all this thing is ready mix cement for the slab, manually mixed cement for the columns and beams.

Week 3 - roof off

Last week, the roof was taken off from the original structure. The demolition went on from Monday and Tuesday, and then the forms for the beam structure were setup. We had to buy additional steel bars and coco lumber for the support. Gosh, the cost of steel is ridiculously expensive!

After removing the roof, typhoon Kiko arrived with strong winds and rains! Inspite of the bad weather, the work still continued, of course. Here are some photos of the structure on Week 3.

Building your dream house, a checklist for first-time home buyers

Imagine a happily married couple saving money during the next two years for their dream house. Both have satisfying jobs and earning above average salaries. They find a nice lot in a good neighborhood, accessible to work and major establishments. They find an architect through referrals. They hire a contractor to supervise the house construction. Everything seems to be in order. That is, until the lot’s real owner knocks on their doorstep and charges them for illegal construction. It seems that the couple failed to double-check the lot based on the Transfer Certificate of Title (TCT).

The dream house becomes a nightmare. The story ends not entirely bad. The matter is settled outside the court with the real owner getting paid twice the value of the lot for damages.
Unbelievable? Things like this do happen but they can be avoided.
In building a home, certain issues have to be addressed. Below are some of the main considerations:

The lot

With urbanization, areas like Alabang, Muntinlupa, and Fairview, Quezon City that seemed far-flung years ago are now accessible. There are still a good number of vacant lots in Metro Manila but the lot prices vary based on their proximity to major centers and road networks.
Ideal travel time from home to work is an hour to an hour and a half. Prospective homeowners are searching as far as the outskirts of Metro Manila like Rizal, Bulacan, Cavite, and Laguna. Lots should be accessible to schools and hospitals, the market, and churches. Make sure basic utilities like electricity, water lines, telephone, cable, and Internet lines are accessible.

If you already have a lot, check and double-check your TCT. Make sure that the property has no pending cases to avoid future headaches. Hire the services of a surveyor to ensure that the boundaries given in your TCT are accurate and match the actual lot.

Before construction, the lot should also undergo soil testing to determine the kind of structure and number of storeys the lot can carry.

Time and money

In construction, these two factors are quite related. A bigger budget means continuous workflow and shorter construction period. In the process, you can save more.
How do you intend to finance the construction? Who among your family members can help shoulder the building expenses? How much is the annual household income? From the various housing loans available like PAG-IBIG and banks, find out which is the best for you.
Based on these, you can set a realistic budget and decide how much you’re willing to spend for the house. Keep in mind that the cost of construction materials changes from time to time, so set aside allowances.

Manpower

The Philippines has a wealth of manpower from architects to contractors and laborers, many of whom are going to Middle East countries. Owners should first get the services of a licensed architect. Ask friends and relatives for referrals. Inside subdivisions, you may opt to look for your candidate based on their existing works.

Architects are licensed professionals under the Professional Regulatory Commission (PRC), making them the best and only choice in the field of design. Currently, there have been cases filed against non-architects who have misrepresented themselves. When in doubt about an architect or contractor, you can inquire from the PRC or the Bureau of Internal Revenue.

The law requires the representation of architects in almost all forms of transactions from the application of building permits to construction to completion. A contractor is similar to a wedding planner, acting as construction supervisor on the owner’s behalf. Although not everybody can afford a contractor, it is advisable to have one.

Make sure you have a contract for every transaction which describes in detail the architect or the contractor’s scope of work and responsibilities, mode of payment, and other pertinent information. The Constitution protects clients from possible abuses by contractors and vice versa.

Architect Jenner P. Macaballug, managing principal of J.P. Macaballug Architectural Services advises, “Hire a 3D renderer or walk-through artist for added visuals to ease decision-making for owners. Few owners can understand the concepts of plans so walk-throughs allow them to see and feel the space.”

Space requirements and output

Filipinos are generally creative and receptive to new ideas. We adapt new ideas and “Filipinize” them. But during conceptualization, we sometimes lose sight of what we really need.
Architects should enlighten you regarding practical design and address the requirements of the users at the same time. Your inputs are highly invaluable during the design development phase because spaces should be set according to your lifestyle and norms. Effective and sound design should work for the people who will live in the house instead of forcing you to adjust to the design.

Will you be bringing in new furnishings or reuse your old stuff? Make a list of things you still intend to use. Consider the layout of your spaces based on the furnishings you intend to bring with you and buy.

Consider spaces, doors and windows. In some cases, you are forced to make last minute adjustments because some of your previous belongings cannot fit in the new house, like perhaps the bed that cannot fit inside the main entry. Worse, you may be forced to dispose of these items, resulting to additional costs.

Feel free to consult a feng shui expert but incorporate the recommendations with the design before actual construction.

Building materials and technology

With continuous innovations in building technology, there is a wealth of building materials now available from door and window openings to ceilings and roofing materials. Take advantage of the opportunity to know the latest in building technology.

These include environment-friendly termite killers, solar-powered water heaters, and non-toxic paints. There are even pre-fabricated houses available in the market, prices of which are below half a million. In some cases, these materials are not only economical but also earth-friendly.
Numerous establishments like MC Home Depot house a number of building suppliers under one roof, making purchasing for building materials easier. Specialty shops and suppliers can be sourced out via Internet, phone directories, and media advertisements.

In the Philippines, there are two major events that showcase the latest and best in building technology: the Philippine World Building and Construction Exposition (WorldBex) and Philippine Construction Exposition (Philconstruct), held in the first and last quarter of the year, respectively. So visit those expos to get a better idea of what materials and technologies are available in the market.

From Inquirer Global Nation