Pictures from the FLIPBOARD APP - Great house designs!

Hi there Dreamers!

I would like to share with you some great pictures from articles I got from my FLIPBOARD App. They select some of the very best in house design and other topics ranging from Business, Travel, Fashion and Technology and generate these short articles into a flipboard "magazine". Wow! Amazing and truly, one of the best ever!

Here are some of the pictures or screen shots of the fabulous designs.

If you have a smart phone..Get Flipboard and check the article on home design - most of it are from DWELL.com.

Great use of Wood and modern finishes. Enjoy.

Construction Contract for Your Home

Hi Dreamers!

Its been a long time since i had a new post. But don't worry, anytime you need an answer - just email me or post your comments in the blog for me to answer them. I recently read Supreme Court rulings about the construction industry. Very informative reading that teaches us the value of doing construction the right way. One point that is highlighted in the rulings is the need to have a good contract in your construction project- whether it is a house or a building. It is best to have a well written contract to protect yourself from bad contractors or those contractors that actually do not have the right capabilities to do your home.

Some might ask, is a one page contract that is usually done for home construction enough? The answer is NO! I am sure the very reason it is so short is to have a lot of grey areas and of course, contractors who have been in the business for so long can argue and convince you to pay more than you should.

Do you have "Liquidated Damages" (LD) provisions in your contract? This can be a very powerful tool to show the contractor that you are serious in building the house and building the right way. The LD is basically a penalty to the contractor if they do not finish the contract in the specified time if the delay is not attributable to the owner.

Powerful stuff!

Get to know more important provisions of the construction contract when you sign-up for a coaching session.

Remember, build it right the first time!

Emil Mendoza

The Perfect Match of a Faucet and Lavatory

Have you gone to the mall and started to wash your hands and feel sooo uncomfortable? Maybe the space between the faucet and the lavatory is too narrow or small - you can't move your hands too well. When washing your hands, you hit the walls of the lavatory and feel like you you are actually getting the germs from other people's whashing? Maybe the splash of water is not right that splatter gets into your clothes? Are the designer faucets a work of art and good to look at but is not practical when brushing or washing?

Here are the principles to the Perfect Match of a faucet and Lavatory:

1. When you open the faucet in its maximum opening, splatter will not get in to your clothes.
2. You can freely move your hands while washing them and not touch the walls of the lavatory.
3. When you open the faucet half way, the water hits the drain in the middle or a little behind it. Not in front of it.
4. Its big enough that when washing your face, most of the water will go in the lav.

Have you bought the Perfect Match? Let me know..

Keep on Dreaming..

Emil M.


4.

Don't Waste that Space under your Bed! Tips from Your Home Your Dream Philippines

Hello again Dreamers!

Sorry i was not able to post the past few weeks. terribly busy at work and had a lot of personal stuff to work on.

Image: http://www.gowfb.ca/4-PC-Nevis-Platform-Bedroom-Furniture-Set-by-Modus-Furniture-International-p-3951.php?products_id=3951

Here is the tip of the day!

When planning your space for a small home, Get a bed that has a clear open space at the bottom about 400 milimeters. the under side of the bed is a very big space to store your stuff like ironing board, shoes (there are shoe racks that are designed to fit under the bed), collapsible bags, narrow boxes for books and old magazines! Just make sure you cover the openings with either bed linings that is cloth or a solid cabinet type door with recessed handles.

Now you have a second cabinet. There are plastic containers that are now specifically designed to fit under the bed. so dust wont get into your things.

Small space or big space, the more stuff you can neatly keep near your bedroom, the less time you will spen in the attic to look for stuff you need.

Think big for your small space...

Emil M.

Inspiration to go do what you want - To Get You Started in Building Your Home

Carey Casey Inspiration

Wow!

In one word, that is how i can describe the inspiring talk of Carey Casey in Ted.com.

 

Before you read further, go to  http://www.ted.com/talks/lang/en/caroline_casey_looking_past_limits.html  

Its all about being free and what do you want to become. The interesting twist in her story is that she is legally blind and that did not make a difference in her pursuit of her dreams. She did not even know this up until her 17th birthday. Well, credit was given to her parents who did not pity her but was raised like any other daughter or child.

She was taught to be tough. No special needs in school just to survive. It was ingrained in her that "Believe that I could!"

Everything in her life was moving just fine but one day in 1999, her eyes just suddenly stopped working. as if all the stress in her professional life climbing the corporate ladder at a global consulting firm just poured in and cause her eyes to shut down.

The turning point in her life was when her doctor asked her "why are you fighting to be what you are not?.. What what do you want to be when you are little?"

"Time to stop fighting and do something different.. something that you want to be.."

She explained that at that point it was "Game's up" the fact that her eyes shut, was a time of dispair. She was angry, broken, did not understand what was going on.

With the advice from her doctor, which was not medical advice, she was to pursue her dream and live a different life.

She wanted to become her childhood hero in Mogley, the elephant handler.

She wanted to go to India and handle an elephant to raise awarness for those with challenges in their eyesight! Carey made it all happen in 9 months.

Make change happen in your life.

Be the very best of one's self.

Remove all labels.

Be extraordinary and wonderful.

Seminar for Your home Your Dream and Get Inspirations from Stumbleupon.com

Welcome back dreamers!

The past few days, I was collecting a lot of photos of kitchen and living rooms. Boy did I get a lot of wonderful and beautiful pictures!! So INSPIRING! If you happened to miss my latest post (Just scroll down to see it, what a BEAUTIFUL room..), the article came from the site Stumbleupon.com. This website is such a powerful tool. you get to be directed to websites or articles that people already gave their thumbs-up. Meaning they like it so much, they vote for it. Its like the "Like" button at facebook although I do not know who got the idea first.

The idea is to go to Stumbleupon then change the category to Architecture or Design. then "Go Stumble"!

I mentioned this technique to all you dreamers to get inspiration for your home. No need to buy those magazines for now. You can do that later if budget permits. For me, The internet is just full of resources especially pictures- wonderful and great shots.

As for most pictures, just "right-click" the photo and save it into your computer. I suggest you put them all in one file. Just go crazy saving all the pictures. no need to look for your specific designs yet. You never know, some designs may be better than what you previously conceived. you can just edit , rename and transfer to new folder the ones you pick out for your home as inspiration later.

Look at this design concept:

This came from 1 Kind Design. The house is a super narrow house. and the living room concept is very different. Its a long living room with no furniture. Very radical but practical for such a narrow house. It has lots of seating and creative and stylish storage. You can make it a flexible dining or a very long living room.

Be inspired. Check the internet, Stumbleupon, and other great sites.

Be inspired some more..

As for the Seminar part of this Post, I am starting to conceive a seminar for all you dreamers out there. I am looking at February or March 2012 this year at Taguig City, Metro Manila for this Learning Event. I am hoping to connect with people wanting to build their dream home the RIGHT way. Its going to be a seminar on the basics and a lot of Question and Answer portions. Learn from me and other home building veterans. This will be one of a kind. Spread the word for this seminar. Its not too late to build the right way.  

Keep on dreaming.

Emil M.

Complete Renovation Article

I saw the article below from Stumbleupon.com

Amazing apartment renovation! I wish i has the same opportunity to renovate like them. It looks pretty expensive though.. What an inspiration.. Here is the article (Click on the link below to see the "Before" Photos and see the finished product in the pictures below)..

http://www.desiretoinspire.net/blog/2010/8/13/a-completely-renovated-first-apartment.html

CLICK on the picture to make it bigger.. WOW!!!

Living Room and Kitchen

Kitchen up-close

Living/ TV Room with Dining Set for two.. Nice Clock..

Study / Office with Cabinets and Shelves

 Small but beautiful Toilet and Bath Combo

Simple Bedroom - See the accent Green walls.. Nice combination!

Keep on being inspired by wonderful homes and room design ideas. Who wants to build one?

Keep on Dreaming..

Emil M.

Starting to build your Dream Home

I was consulting with someone needing my advice on house construction just today. We have been exchanging some e-mails already but basically, the house is already finished.. and nothing more we can do about it.. its just sad to know there are still some people getting bad advise and not getting their money's worth on the house they are building.

I would like to stress the importance of having your construction manager / consultant/ coach at the START of the project. Even way ahead of time. Starting the build right, before getting a contractor, before the contract is signed and before the loans are made, is removing many headaces that will arise from starting the build poorly.

Just a tip, some banks do not release the full loan amount outright. They release it depending on the accomplishment of the house. They do not want to risk that the whole loan can be just defaulted and not paid without the collateral of a partially built house. Some banks also do not relase a loan without a construction contract with a contractor.

What if at the begining, you already purchased materials that were supposed to be supplied by your contractor, how do you subtract them?

Do not be at the losing end of the contract just because you do not know better.

Start right , build right.

Emil M.

Home Construction - Contract and Contractors

http://www.google.com.ph/imgres?imgurl=http://blogs-images.forbes.com/benkerschberg/files/2011/04/contract

Tips for the day..

1. Have a Construction Contract - Always.. Always.. Always. Never have a hand-shake contract with your builder. You are going to spend hundreds to millions of pesos or dollars for your home and you will not have a contract? No way. You should know what you are getting at the very start.

2. Never have someone act on your behalf to coordinate with your builder (Assuming you are out of the country) who is not an expert in the home construction business. Don't go in and build blind and not knowing what to do.

Lets expound  on item 1 and assume you are dealing with a builder who is also your designer.

There are many of those around who will build your house and they will give you "free design". They say they have an in-house architect who will do it for them. Hhmm.. Sounds convincing. Really, nothing is absolutely free in the construction business.

For this you need the following as an end product:

The blue prints of the house
A visual sketch or perspective of the finished house (one or two views) – colored.
A Materials Specification booklet (Like what type of wood to be used and where. How thick the glass will be for the windows, how thick the aluminum window frames will be, brand of tiles, thickness of the roof.. and so many more.)
The construction contract (With the following: Cost to build the whole project, Detailed bill of materials and bill of quantities and Construction duration)

These will form part of the contract. The builder will sign each page (yes each page) and if you accept, you will also sign each page (yeas again.. each page). That’s how it is in business and home construction.

Think about it like a new car sales brochure. The image of the car is in the front, the details of the engine, brakes, suspension, leather seats, backing sensors, auto-alarm system, fog-lamps and the like are at are at the back. And to think this is not the contract yet. This is to not deceive the buyer on what they are getting and not getting and how much.

Build your home the right way. Have a contract and have an experienced professional guide you along the way. Your dream home will hopefully have happy memories while building it.

Keep on Dreaming.

Note: for all these, consult a licensed professional engineer who is knowledgeable in the home construction business and legal counsel.

Peace of mind and no more guessing in Home Construction

Imagine yourself just starting to build your dream home. All the concepts and the house plans are finished. Now you just need to build it. How do you start? Do you have bidding from 3 different contractors? Do you get the contractor that your close friend got when they did their home? What to do next…?

Imagine yourself already building your dream home. You are in the middle of the construction and the walls are starting to come up and the roof is already there. The exterior walls are stable but not finished or painted yet. Then you decide you think you can afford to add another room for storage and a future bedroom. You ask your architect to lay it out where you want in the house plans. Perfect you say to yourself. You show it to your builder and ask how much it will take to add this room. After a day, he gives you the estimate- 265,000 pesos. Is this the right price for the room?

What is the value or advantage of having a construction coach in building your home?

(1) Peace of mind that you are only paying for what you need and at the right price.

(2) Someone technically knowledgeable about construction will back you up and have your best interest in mind.

(3) Guessing will be put to a minimum if not completely removed.

(4) You will not do the mistakes of other people by getting good advice and opening up options that you are confident in making. 

Do you want peace of mind and not make the same mistakes other already did? Do you want to save money  and quit guessing if the price is right? Having a home construction coach will be the best option.

Dream big always...

Emil M.

Tips that YOU WANT from Your Home, Your Dream

Hey guys! Anyone out there busy building their dream home? Helpful tips are all over the place in this blog.. just click at any of the posts to get INSTANT and FREE advice on how to build your home.

If you did not find any helpful tip here.. I will answer it the best way i can if you just type it in your comment just under this blog post! ANYTHING so that i can help.

I have seen countless houses being built the wrong way and i do not want you to make the same MISTAKE!

Glad i can help..

Let's start building!!!

- Emil M. 

Tips for choosing Paint Colors

Before reading the post below, i would like to share a Color Visualizer software from the website below. Try it NOW (You may need a fast internet connection to fully appreciate the visualizer)

https://www.sherwin-williams.com/visualizer/

__________________________________

Tips for Choosing Interior Paint Colors

Written by: Chris Bibey

Choosing an interior paint color can be a lot of fun. But this fun can turn to disaster if you make the wrong decision. It is very important that you choose a color that you are going to be happy with for many years to come. The last thing you want to do is find yourself painting the same room over and over again. Not only is this a waste of money, but it can take up a lot of time as well. The good thing is that choosing an interior paint color can be an easy process with these five tips:

1. What works with your current décor? You need to consider all details of your current color scheme including your furniture, wall art, flooring, trim, and much more. You may be redoing your entire room. In this case, you do not have to worry too much about matching everything up. That being said, some people just paint – they are not buying everything else.

2. Lighter colors will make your room look bigger. This is something that you may or may not be concerned with. It all depends on the size of your home and the room that you are painting. But as a general rule of thumb, if you want a room to appear bigger you should opt for a lighter color.

3. Don’t forget about the flow from one room to the next. Depending on the layout of your home, you may have one room that flows directly into another. This means that you have to choose a paint color that suits both. The last thing you want is for a clash of colors.

4. Trim counts. There is a good chance that your home has baseboards, door trim, crown molding, etc. Most people opt to keep their trim white, but you do not have to fall in line with everybody else. It is your job to decide what you want your trim to look like – just make sure you consider this color before you start on the walls.

5. Neutral for selling your home. If you believe that you may sell your home in the future it is a good idea to opt for neutral paint colors. Not every prospective buyer will love neutral paint, but the majority of them will. On top of this, neutral colors are the easiest to match with any décor.
If you are in the process of selecting interior paint colors for your home, follow the five tips listed above.

The tips just mentioned are so simple they can be applied right away! don't just imitate the colors of your neighbor or the celebrity house you just saw on TV. Choose it based on your taste and personality.

Get it right the first time!

Lets start building..

Emil M.

Disclaimer: I am not affiliated or in anyway connected to the author of the article or the Color Visualizer program maker and its marketers. For appreciation purposes only. Thanks!

Bathroom Furniture - Bright Ideas

Hi Dreamers!

I came accross the website http://www.homebuilding.co.uk/feature/bright-ideas-bathroom-furniture . Its a UK site with great bathroom furniture. Great Ideas and Great Pictures! Here is the article below..

BRIGHT IDEAS FOR BATHROOM FURNITURE

More than just providing functional storage, your bathroom cabinets can make a real statement. Claire Lloyd takes a look at the latest trends and reveals her top design tips

Be clever with your storage

Bathroom vanities and cabinets should not be secondary to choosing sanitaryware — they are an integral part of the design. After all, it is the storage they offer – both for hiding away clutter and for displaying expensive-looking bottles – which will make a new bathroom the haven that it is supposed to be. “There are also cost benefits,” comments Peter Elson of Ellis Furniture. “Using furniture can reduce the cost of other materials such as tiles. Time and money can be saved on labour for boxing in pipes, for example, which are also unsightly.”
Utilising the space beneath the basin is a growing trend, with double vanity units or those designed to accommodate wide contemporary basins particularly popular. Choose vanity units with dividers and/or removable drawer organisers – which can be taken out and cleaned in the dish washer in the event of a leak – to help separate out the toilet rolls from the shampoo bottles.
Other clever ideas include units with space to hang clothes, dressing gowns and towels. A large vanity which doubles as a full-length mirror, or as a mirror above the basin, is another good solution.

Make a statement with wall-hung units

Following on from the trend for wall-hung sanitaryware, wall-hung bathroom furniture is the perfect solution for sleek, contemporary bathrooms. On a more practical note, wall-hung units provide clearance below — making them space enhancing, and the floor beneath easy to clean. This will, however, mean that renovators replacing old free-standing or built-in units (around which the existing flooring was cut to fit) with wall-hung ones, may have to replace the flooring too.
You will also need to consider the wall construction. Design consultant Alan Stanford, from the Kitchen Bathroom Bedroom Specialists Association (kbsa.org.uk), explains: “The one thing to remember about wall-hung products is that they are only as secure as the wall to which they are fitted. In other words, if the wall is a plasterboard partition with little strength, it’s probably best to avoid wall-hung fixtures.” Free-standing furniture on legs is a good alternative where wall-hung is not an option.

Make storage family-friendly

Ample storage, including dedicated space to store away bath toys, is key to the success of family bathrooms. Mobile storage units are particularly good for this purpose. Yet, layout is also important: vanity units which will hold medicines and/or cleaning products should, for example, be positioned out of easy reach. Locked cabinets (right) are another good alternative.
Soft-close doors and drawers are increasingly being introduced as standard, which is good news for young families — preventing doors slamming shut on little hands. While handleless doors will prevent young children from banging their heads against protruding door furniture.
Your furniture will need to withstand the additional knocks, bumps and splashes that a family bathroom is likely to come up against — so choose a material up to the job. “For front finishes, look out for solid acrylic doors from Parapan — the high-gloss finish runs all the way through the material and is impervious to water,” says Alan Stanford from KBSA. “So too is Corian and other similar mineral-based man-made materials.”
For furniture with an MDF, chipboard or plywood core, Alan recommends specifying pre-assembled units. “The ideal construction is a traditional glue and dowel, rigid construction, delivered to site as a complete finished article. Having said that, a good, conscientious fitter can make a perfectly reasonable job of fitting flat-pack furniture with a few extra precautions.” Alan also suggests that “all exposed edges should be sealed with a suitable edging strip”, for a durable finish.

Plan Small Bathrooms

Small bathrooms and en suites require careful planning. Too little storage can result in cluttered surfaces, while over-sized cabinets and vanities will make the space look cramped. Built-in units, such as those which incorporate the WC and basin (and conceal the plumbing) with storage, can prove a good solution in small, boxy rooms (above). While small wall-hung under-basin vanities lend a compact, but contemporary feel.
Made-to-measure fitted furniture is often the best way of maximising on storage potential in awkwardly shaped small rooms. “Corner vanity units are especially suitable for smaller bathrooms, making the most of an unused area of the room,” suggests bathroom planning expert Geoff Wells from fitted bathroom specialist Dolphin.
Where possible, try to maintain a minimum comfortable circulation space of 400mm around furniture and sanitaryware.

Turn furniture into a feature

Vanity units and cabinets do not just play a functional role, but are integral to the bathroom aesthetic. Needless to say, the furniture you specify should complement the style, finish and colour of your chosen sanitaryware. This is particularly key when renovating an old home or building a period-style house where you intend to recreate an era style, such as Regency or Art Deco. Mixing contemporary wall-hung units with a Victorian-inspired high-level cistern toilet, for example, will inevitably detract from rather than enhance a bathroom. Matched well, furniture is an asset which will help to create a timeless bathroom interior.
Bathroom furniture can also be utilised as an eye-catching room divide. This works particularly well in large bathrooms, helping to creates zones — with a practical space for getting ready for the day to one side, and relaxing and bathing to the other (as above). Add to the ambience with illuminated shelves or lit vanities to showcase your favourite products and lend a soft and relaxing background glow.
Furniture could also be positioned so as to hide the WC from view of the door or the bath. If the vanity will stand away from the wall and you intend to mount a basin on top, remember to plan in advance for the wastes.
Finally, bathroom furniture need not be square or rectangular: the current trend for curved kitchen units has seen curved bathroom furniture quickly follow suit. Vanities and cabinets are also beginning to be seen as pieces of well-designed furniture in their own right.


Lets start coming up with your own designs that fit your design taste!

Now your bathroom will look soooo unique.


Emil M.

Join the Truly Rich Club. Click the link below:

http://bosanchezmembers.com/amember/go.php?r=9494

Disclaimer: I am not affiliated or in any way connected to the site http://www.homebuilding.co.uk/ 

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

Easter Time Deck Flowers and Garden Tips

Happy Easter!

The flowers are almost in full bloom this time of the year. Did you see the Deck Decoration Concepts page of the blog? I took pictures of the same deck plant decors and most the blooming white buganvillas are in full bloom.

Some of the Yellow Bells are also starting to bloom if you noticed. The flowers just love the sunshine.

You can decorate the exterior of your house with different stones or paint colors but nothing beats the low maintenance flowering plants! You cannot really have them all at once. They need time to grow and adapt to the surroundings. Ask your local gardener which ones are best in the shade and out in the sunshine.

Grass

For example, carabao grass will not grow in the shade.. like most of the local grasses available. I like the carabao grass better than the Bermuda. For one, its cheaper to buy and another is that it will not grow tall. It will crawl and thicken.

Not all planting methodologies are the same. Some plants need good soil and some just grow anywhere. 

For those who have the budget to have their grass the perfect way, you need about 6 inches of sand underneath (this will help drain the water) and not cause "Ponding" of water in one spot of the lawn or garden. Then you have the grass in mats (that's the square patches of grass when you buy them form the Plants supplier) and you sprinkle sand on top just enough so that the grass will not be muddy when you water them daily. this will also help retain the soil because it will not be easily washed away.

Happy Easter again to all!

Emil M. 

Old houses and foreclosed property

I got a chance to visit 2 old houses that were built more than 30 years ago in one of the first villages in Metro Manila. I got to inspect the roof and the inside of the houses.

For the first house, the older of the two, it was mainly built on concrete for the ground floor and almost purely wood on the 2^nd floor. Of course except the Toilet and Baths that has concrete walls and tiled floors and walls.

What was amazing about the house were two things. First, the roof sheet is virtually intact. No holes and only a few rusting part if I were the owner, to preserve the life of the roof, I would apply rust removers (or just scrape the rust using steel brush) on the rusting parts and apply roofing paint at once.

The roofing sheets of the older houses are really thick and don’t easily rust. Imaging this roof sustaining all the typhoons the past 30 years! What quality this material has! You won’t get that from what we have in the market today.

Another preventive maintenance on the roof is applying epoxy with fiber mesh at all roof nails. These are the nails with big heads the size of a coin and is the one holding the roof sheet to the trusses. These are the ones you can see when you look at the roof.

Another amazing aspect is that it does not have indications that termites are eating the wood! (Indications only because me and my companions did not do a full inspection of all the nooks and spaces). The old wood are the real wood! Not the wood of today where builders install the wood that are not dried up yet. This is a no-no because termites love soft wood and wood not fully dried! remember that when you are deciding on cheap wood (from the trees that are cut before they mature and not dried properly) or the real mature or dried wood. 

   

For the second house, it is a foreclose property which was selling very cheap. Look at the specs below!:

Lot Area:  350 sq.m.

Floor area: 320 sq.m.

Bank List price: Php 4.9M (Wow!)

Remember my older posts last April? I list their the prices of new real estate developments. Here they are again:

 
Imagine this sample brand new house for sale recently:

Floor Area: 40 sq. m. (430 sq. ft.)
Lot Area: 153 sq. m. (1,646 sq. ft.)
Location: Taguig City, Metro Manila
Price starts at Php 5.5M ($ 122,000.00)

Its PhP 137,500.00 ($3,050.00) per square meter of livable area! Oh my! And to think the size of the house is targeted to those just starting their families. Too expensive!

Or this brand new condominium for sale:

Floor Area: 80 sq.m.
Price: PhP 4M ($88,900.00)

That is PhP 50,000.00 ($1,110.00) per sq.m. (Oh my!)

If you did not notice the very big price difference. And computing the price per floor area, clearly the foreclosed property is much better. Although it needs some repair, not to make it brand new but livable, one needs about 1 million pesos to do that.  Still, this is a better bargain with a little more (about 20% more) added to your budget.

Which house whould you rather live in, in a 150 sq.m. or 320 sq.m house? I would not mind living in a house where I can do the repairs little by little!

This would be my next recommendation to building your own house, LOOK FOR FORECLOSED PROPERTIES to consider as you dream home. I know they will not look brand new and need repairs, but it will be much more worth the price since you get a bigger house and a bigger lot!

Now start looking for the diamonds in the rough of foreclosed properties!

Check out also the wood furniture in the other pages of the blog. Beautiful furniture only real dried and mature wood can give!!!

Home Building Coaching Program - Its for you Dreamers!

Are you building your dream home now without the proper techniques that can possibly save you millions of pesos?

Its not too late!

For an overview on what you can get from this program, read my posts in this blog. Very helpful and powerful stuff..

Click the Coaching Program page at the right and learn more.

Its all possible!

Emil M.

Floor tiles practical tip

Here are Floor tiles practical tips!

There is one very easy and practical test if the floor tiles are installed properly. The test is to "knock" the tiles with a coin and if the sound is solid. It means the grout at the back of the ties are evenly placed.

The one-peso coin will be hard to handle so you can use either a 5-peso or 10-peso coin.

For large tiles, knock on them not just at the center but also in the edges since you have a lot of tiles to test, knock on the middle of the edges (that's 4 knocks already) then knock on the middle. It will not take you 2 seconds to test each tile. You can even teach your kids to help you! Its that easy! 

How about the levelness of the floor tiles?

Just glide or skid your feet (with shoes..) across the tiles and if there is a a very noticable difference in the level or height of the edges, the tiles are not ok. determine which one of the tiles are either set too high or too low with respect to the other tiles. Remember my previous post on not rushing the installation of floor tiles? You cannot expect good results if you are the one rushing things.

I can help you with other tests like large slabs of granite or marble.. contact me anytime for any help i can give.

Dream house, here we come!


Emil M.
emilmendoza2003@yahoo.com