Check the Roof of the House

Here is a simple tip for checking out old houses for sale. Check the roof! Check the gutters also.

It will tell you a lot about the house. If it looks very rusted, it may have already holes on it and the rain could have enterned the house.

If rain goes through the roof, it will touch your ceiling. your ceiling will moisten and affect the paint and be discolored.

http://www.ehow.com/how_7704219_remove-rust-stains-roof.html

http://www.buildingforhealth.com/proddetail.php?prod=RCM

You can actually just initially look at the ceiling. if there are dark spots or water mark spots, chances are, the hole in the roof is above it. but it is not always the case. you may need to hire someone to go into the roof and check if the water just crawled into the spot and remained there to cause the water marks.

The roof and ceiling is a bit expensive to replace and doing remedial work will usually be a temporary solution.

Now you won't be fooled!

Emil M.

Wrong Choices on Home Building

Its frustrating to see home builders that go into the project without a clue on how to go about it. They trust their builder or foreman to do the work hoping they will take their best interest in mind always.

An example of this is the house construction just at the back of the house. Here is what's happening:

1. The house is not yet complete after about 10 months. (Very long for a small bungalow house)

2. There are only 4 workers doing the construction. (Too little if you want to have an efficient and effective crew).

3. They seem to take their time. Doing small work here, then doing short work there.. all over the place. (The construction has no direction!)

4. No one familiar with the construction business is supervising the work.

5. The owner seem to have hired the workers on a daily wage. (This can only be ok if there is someone to supervise). This is probably the reason why the workers are moving soooo slow - the slower the work, the more money they get. And they get to be paid even if they are doing wasteful work.

6. Probably no milestones, no deadlines.

Add the fact that they wake me up every Saturday morning with their power tools noise at 8am. I still need to catch up on sleep but no can do.. Frustrating!!!

Did the owner really think the construction can take that long? Is he not getting good advice from someone besides the builder?

10 months is very long for a small house. A brand new one can only take 7 month to build (just make sure you have the cash to finance your building project). A full year is only good for mansions with intricate architectural details.

Only 3 or 4 workers doing the work? This is a disaster on efficient work especially in construction. They will only slack (tatamarin) doing small work here and there. There is no motivation. There is no accountability. for every skilled worker, you need one or two "helpers" to make the job efficient. the one doing the plastering works in your wall must not be the same person mixing up the cement or getting water to put on the mix. the helpers make the work so much more efficient and FAST! Even carpenters need helpers. Only painters can have no helpers.

Construction workers doing meaningful work without supervision are a rare breed and can be likened to someone winning the BINGO game with 10,000 people. You need proper supervision.

When you have competent supervision, you can now pay the workers on a daily basis.

Are you building now and going nowhere and losing money on inefficient work? Its time to get help before its too late.


Emil M.
emilmendoza2003@yahoo.com

Zen & Modern Houses. Granite Walls!

Hello Dreamers,

Dreaming of that new house yet? Have you been browsing the web or magazines for the perfect look of your dream house?

The past weeks, I am trying to inspire myself with beautiful pictures from the Web on modern houses. Having a modern or Zen type looking house is not just "Modelo" or "Hip" these past years, but it is also practical and possibly even more affordable than the "Italian" or "Mediterranean" themed homes.

But don’t be deceived by the beautiful photos.

The stone-looking materials in the walls and toilets could be solid granite! On average, its about 2,000 pesos per square meter. Pretty expensive but if you can afford it, it’s worth the price for a wall that would never fade and will never be replaced ever. (well.. not forever but a long, long time).

Don’t buy the cheap ones – they are just that – cheap stones that will easily crack and will not look as good.

I stumbled upon Busyboo Design blog and Hometta (see pictures below from their websites). They have great concepts and architectural pictures.

http://www.busyboo.com/

http://www.hometta.com/

What I envy from the houses abroad is the wide spaces and great surroundings. You can only get that here in the Philippines if the development is made by the top developers. Think about Nuvali or Anvaya Cove. They have almost picture perfect lots and great views. The open spaces are wide and so many activities that can be done there.

Back to the Zen or Modern designed houses. Did you see the interplay of materials? Great architecture! Go see the websites now and go back reading this blog..

Done?

I know you saw it. Wood, Glass, Concrete, Stones, Steel.

Usually we have wooden floors, but wood clad walls are just as nice.

The big picture windows with top to bottom glass are very elegant and classy.

Steel structures are poised for the minimalist approach.
The Hometta designed house is more practical for us here in the Philippines. They practice the design of smaller houses (medium size for us Pinoys).

Be inspired. Don’t let that dream die down.


Emil M.

Photo Credits: Busyboo and Hometta Websites
N.B. I am not affiliated with any of the above mentioned Design Firms