designing your own provincial house?

[Enuff 29,737]

I am in the planning stages of a very simple house in the province of Bohol.

 

Online I can search just about any home style...................... except Filipina.

 

What I'm looking for is standard Filipina issue, 3 br, 2 cr, living room, dirty kitchen & big porch with dining area. maybe 60-80sqm

 

I have a few ideas and have found 1 online that I kind of like but my brother-in-law, the engineer, says it wont work in the province. Apparently cr's needs to be right next to each other and kitchen close by, for septic & water purposes.

 

Does anyone know of any place online that you can see "acceptable provincial" home plans?

[Davaoeno 37,356]

I am in the planning stages of a very simple house in the province of Bohol.

 

Online I can search just about any home style...................... except Filipina.

 

What I'm looking for is standard Filipina issue, 3 br, 2 cr, living room, dirty kitchen & big porch with dining area. maybe 60-80sqm

 

I have a few ideas and have found 1 online that I kind of like but my brother-in-law, the engineer, says it wont work in the province. Apparently cr's needs to be right next to each other and kitchen close by, for septic & water purposes.

 

Does anyone know of any place online that you can see "acceptable provincial" home plans?

 

 

i built 3 of these :

 

Villa Grande Subdivision 

Barcelona Deluxe 3 bedrooms, 2 crs, 

100 m lot 70 m house

1.788 M

 

actually the engineer originally designed it to have 1 CR but I had him redo it to include 2. 

 

In the one pic I had 2 built side by side sharing a common firewall.   Those ones are also backed right to the back lot line so that I had to build a firewall there also.  That gave me a CR in the master bedroom with no window, a problem I solved by putting glass blocks in the CR wall facing the bedroom.   I have solved several problems here using glass blocks, which the engineer says are legal, but which no one ever thought to mention to me !!  It seems thinking outside the norm is frowned on -maybe?

 

Question- since your bil is an Engineer why dont you have him give you one of his designs ?

Or do one for you ?  It shouldnt cost you more than 2000 pesos 

Edited October 25, 2013 by Davaoeno

[SomeRandomGuy 6,596]

nice i like this style thanks for that daveneo    are there rights or anything to use this design here?

[Enuff 29,737]

 

i built 3 of these :

 

Villa Grande Subdivision 

Barcelona Deluxe 3 bedrooms, 2 crs, 

100 m lot 70 m house

1.788 M

 

actually the engineer originally designed it to have 1 CR but I had him redo it to include 2. 

 

In the one pic I had 2 built side by side sharing a common firewall.   Those ones are also backed right to the back lot line so that I had to build a firewall there also.  That gave me a CR in the master bedroom with no window, a problem I solved by putting glass blocks in the CR wall facing the bedroom.   I have solved several problems here using glass blocks, which the engineer says are legal, but which no one ever thought to mention to me !!  It seems thinking outside the norm is frowned on -maybe?

 

Question- since your bil is an Engineer why dont you have him give you one of his designs ?

Or do one for you ?  It shouldnt cost you more than 2000 pesos 

 

Thanks for you photos & design

 

He will actually do for free, but I would rather send him something to draw for me. I have a few idea designs but was looking for a bunch of ideas to draw a few great ideas from (kinda like a mutt, best of everything). what I have so far are primitive designs and very very simple. definitely as nice as your houses but its all that I need and don't care much about resale as we all know it will never be my land.

[Davaoeno 37,356]

nice i like this style thanks for that daveneo    are there rights or anything to use this design here?

 

 

hahaha  you do realize that you are in the Philippines dont you ??  No problem using my design at all - I paid for it to be done from scratch.  Its just a basic low cost housing box anyway - with a couple of frills added for looks.   And cheap to construct. 

 

Admittedly its not top quality, nor even near top quallity, but its the most important thing of all - its easy to build and cheap to build . [ i guess thats actually 2 things lol ]

 

I see someone who built one of these did a spiral staircase and made a roof deck above the garage .

Edited October 25, 2013 by Davaoeno

[SomeRandomGuy 6,596]

 

 

I see someone who built one of these did a spiral staircase and made a roof deck above the garage .

a roof deck is the only thing I would have considered doing differently.... and yeah i realized this is the phil's.. realized quiet a few things this last week and I do like this simple but elegant looking design.... it is very appeasing to the eye.

 

u say u made this for around 1.8 mil?  can i ask u did u make your own blocks or bought them yourself.... just here I have seen this 18/1 mixture and it really is quiet weak.

[Davaoeno 37,356]

a roof deck is the only thing I would have considered doing differently.... and yeah i realized this is the phil's.. realized quiet a few things this last week and I do like this simple but elegant looking design.... it is very appeasing to the eye.

 

u say u made this for around 1.8 mil?  can i ask u did u make your own blocks or bought them yourself.... just here I have seen this 18/1 mixture and it really is quiet weak.

 

I build houses to sell.  I just copied the info from my ad - 1.788 is the selling price finished on a 100 m lot.  My actual cost of the house  is obviously much less [ which i can give you some hints on by PM if you want.   I dont build in Cebu so I am not offering anything for sale here

[Enuff 29,737]

I want to keep mine VERY simple as I wont be there for the build. My BIL will submit final plans after we decide on the layout. My FIL will retire next year and be the foreman/contractor, he has built 3 houses on his own, though much more primitive than I desire. of course he will hear of less than 1/2 of the budget. im pretty sure I will let my BIL assist me in buying materials as he is very honest guy, with great morals, values and makes much money at his company (so no need to skim from me).  I will pm you when I get those privileges. not sure if you can pm me, but im new so I cant pm you.

 

thanks for all of you pictures & help

[Headshot 29,312]

Good luck on having family help you build your house while you aren't there to supervise. It has been a recipe for disaster for many foreigners building something here in the Philippines. Why would you want to build the house before you are around to supervise construction? I would never do it. It is easy enough to find a place to rent nearby while your house is being built, and then just move in when it is completed. Almost all of the 30,000 houses that were severely damaged or destroyed in the earthquake were built using local materials and construction methods. That should tell you something.

 

There is nothing that says your plumbing has to be in a certain place. That aside, having your plumbing and sewer lines centrally located doesn't just make sense in the "provinces" of the Philippines. It makes sense anywhere in the world. It makes the whole plumbing and sewer system easier to install and maintain. It has nothing to do with septic tank vs. sewer system. Once sewage leaves your house, it doesn't matter where it is going. Having plumbing and sewer lines centrally located will save you money because less material will be required.

 

I don't know where you live, but if you are in North America or Europe, buy some books (the kind you find in supermarkets and builder supply stores) or look at online books of house plans for small homes. They can give you ideas on what you want in your home even if you don't decide on any particular plan. For a pleasing design (that you will be happy with long term), you should try to cluster your bedrooms so they (and your main bath) can access a small hall (remember that hall space is wasted space if it is longer than you need).

 

I know that Davaoeno builds homes using local designs (and I'm sure that is what the majority of his customers want), but that doesn't mean that you will be happy long-term with a house where bedrooms are accessed directly from the main living area (it is very disruptive). How your house is laid out inside may or may not affect how it looks from the outside. You can choose an exterior style that will completely fit in with the neighborhood while still having an interior that will really meet your needs long-term. It is just a matter of design.

 

BTW, few homes here are handicap-accessible. If you are coming here to retire, then you may want to think about the future when deciding on door widths and hall widths. Even bathroom access is questionable here, since local bathrooms (CR's) are usually tiny, and are an inch or two lower than the hall or bedroom adjacent to them. That makes them very difficult to use if you are mobility impaired.

Edited October 26, 2013 by Headshot

[shadow 18,481]

 Apparently cr's needs to be right next to each other and kitchen close by, for septic & water purposes.

 

 

 

I guess nobody told me that when I built. I have two CRs about 70 feet apart, and the kitchen farther yet. Seem to work just the way it would have in the US. However in the case of a Filipino engineer, this may apply, because many of them do not seem to understand that four 90s is a plug and sh** runs downhill.

 

[Jawny 4,617]

Headshot has given you some excellent advice.  Judging from your queries, you have made some assumptions that may not apply here.  I am aware that enforcement of building codes may differ in some areas.  However, in general, they are a lot like speed limits along the highway here.  Only advisory and not likely to be enforced.

 

I agree FULLY that you should do all you can to be there at the time of the build.  It is not strictly a matter of trust.  I have relatives I can trust, but that does not guarantee they will be able to live up to the promises they make.

 

For example, your BIL has a professional qualification to oversee the project.  That is great.  But, will he be there every day?

 

My home was built while Iived here.  I accepted the design (big mistake) and watched the work most days.  However, I was not present on some critical days and this has cost me dearly.  I could get into the details, but suffice to say, a home can be constructed with all sorts of hidden faults which would have been avoided if the owner was present.

 

As far as having design plans, that may not be needed with as much detail as you may think.  My home was built with no inspection ever performed by a government representative.  In fact, when the electrical plans were presented to my electrical cooperative, we went through all sorts of hassles to get drawings and details to them for approval.  Not a single one of the designs was ever used.  Not one.  It was all a game to avoid paying too much for the approval which was based upon the way the circuits were shown.  

 

The only "inspection" that was done was by a representative of the local DENR.  They had gotten a report that illegal lumber was being used for construction.  Turns out, it was.  The contractor, unknown to me had procured some local (illegal) lumber and a neighbor had snitched…….so they got their portion of the bribe the contractor gave to the DENR rep to let it pass.  Of course the real price is being paid by me as I have discovered this lumber has powder post beetles. Ironically, the lumber was provided by my FIL as a favor to me to save costs.

 

So, even if you are there, problems can be developing right in front of you.

 

If you blow off this advice, bear in mind that the wiring and plumbing problems that may develop later may end up costing as much or more than the initial build costs.

 

It is not a really big deal to live nearby when you are able to be here for construction.  That's what we did.  Rented a small place (a dump) and made daily forays to the house.

[SkyMan 23,506]

I have a few ideas and have found 1 online that I kind of like but my brother-in-law, the engineer, says it wont work in the province. Apparently cr's needs to be right next to each other and kitchen close by, for septic & water purposes.

It does simplify construction but is hardly a requirement.

[BossHog 38,212]

If you keep a beer fridge next to the bathtub then you won't have these issues.

[Enuff 29,737]

Thank you Headshot & MikeeW, great advice.

 

I will definitely keep in mind and utilize the advice.

[Paddy 1,425]

I'll reinforce what the others have said. My partner and I have only built one small house and she is now highly unlikely ever to start any significant construction unless I am present. It was a very stressful period. I did the design for our place, including, for example, the electrical plan. I assumed my partner's brother, who has done all sorts of electrical work, would understand the concepts of things like circuit breakers and common sense positioning of outlets/sockets and switches and lights etc.Not so. If I ripped out all the walls and ceilings I am certain I would find a mess instead of the logical plan I put together.

 

It might well be that both your BIL and FIL have your best interests at heart, but I guarantee that they think differently than you and I also guarantee that their experience in what constitutes a "normal" house is also different than yours.

 

By saying that the crs and kitchen won't work in the province if they are separated, your BIL has demonstrated this in spades - and he is a qualified engineer!

 

If you are even remotely familiar with building codes in your home area, you are going to be surprised by the general lack of understanding about house systems. Another example. I have studied the houses in the town and around our place. In the nice houses, you will often see soffit vents but you will never see roof vents. Quite how a roof is supposed to breathe without roof vents is beyond me. When I said to brother (through partner) "we need to vent the roof" they were both convinced that only soffit vents are necessary because the hot air will come down through them. Hmmmmm?

 

I finally convinced them that roof venting was necessary, that it should be as high on the roof as practically feasible taking into account the structure of the roof and that the area of the out venting must be equal to the area of the in venting. I sketched the sort of thing that could be constructed from roofing materials if roof vents could not be found in the building stores (they could not) and I sent pictures of roof vents available here. So...what did we get? A single 4inch pipe extending about 4 feet above the roof (with a U at the top to prevent rain entering). Fortunately, this thing is on the back of the roof and is not an eyesore.   There is over 300 sq inches of in venting. Πr² tells you how much out venting there is.

 

I do have a theory as to why this might be so. It seems to me that some local building practices have evolved from bahay kubo methods. In a nipa roof, the soffits are open and the roofing material vents naturally. 

 

Despite all this, I do like our house and I love being there. We plan to extend the house. But...no more construction without me.