There are many sayings I’ve heard from folks planning to move to the Philippines that show they just don’t understand much about what such a move will mean … but one at the top of the list is always "When I get there I am building my own home, unlike the Filipinos, I know how it should be done."
Well maybe you do, and then maybe you don’t. I led this article off with the picture of typical "stick built" homes under construction in the US. You will almost never see such a scene here. In fact, you will seldom, if ever, even see a 2×4.
One of the things many visitors from Asian countries find surprising when visiting the US is just how spindly and rickety the US home building model is … based on cheap wood from cheap trees, even for multi-storey structures.
When a hurricane strikes, or a tornado, etc., the typical US stick built method shows it’s true colors … houses literally explode, or fall down with not that much provocation.
In the Philippines, as in most Asian countries, reinforced concrete, or a combination of hollow "concrete" block and reinforced concrete is the norm .. except for extremely cheap "squatter" or slum homes.
Part of the reason for this is material availability … there is not a lot of lumber left in Asia. Part comes from the knowledge that hurricanes (typically known as typhoons here … a hurricane or a typhoon is properly called a "tropical cyclone"), earth quakes and, in particular termites are going to come to visit regularly … and a flimsy, stick-built house is just a wasted investment.
My view is, a typical Filipino who has enough money to build a home in the first place knows that if he lose4s it, it’s gone forever, so rather than trusting to government handouts, he builds it to last.
Homes and home building are always a popular subject and I plan to write quite a bit more on the subject … so subscribe now, either by standard RSS reader (I love Google Reader myself) or by Subscribe to All the Facts Philippines by Email">Subscribe to All the Facts Philippines by Email’>secure email so that future articles land immediately in your inbox.
Just don’t expect much information on the price of a 2×4 here in the Philippines … we don’t find much use for them.
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I have just completed my house. I took over 2 years of continual work to complete but it is approx 500sq metres, not including the two gazebos or the roof deck, outside store, toilet. The house has so much rebar and poured concrete the local Barangay thought I need a commercial permit. For example the main columns are 0.6m x 0.5m containing 16mm rebar, wrapped every 0.1m. The pilinths are 2.5m below floor level and are 1.5m thick and 2m square and consist of 20mm rebar. The whole house was concreted using 1300 psi poured concrete, in two sessions.
My next door neighbour (whoever they will be) will buy the house being built now. I never saw the footings but I saw the columns, they are 0.3m x 0.1m with six rebar rods usinfg 12mm, thye are wrapped every 20-30cm. In the centre of each column is the drain from the roof. On the side of the house next to me there are only two columns. The rest is pure CHB, none of the windows have beams over them, all the plumbing is inside the walls. Some sections between windows are one CGB on top of the next (no bond). The house will look fantastic.
I would never ever recommend anyone to buy a house in the Philippines unles you built it your self. I dont plan to sell mine but I would like a bigger lot out in the countryside, so I am waiting on a nice big eathquake, then it will be a sellers market, if your house hasn’t collapsed, LOL.
@southcraven: Thanks for dropping by and for your interesting comment. Fully agree that many buildings here, residential and commercial are poorly emgineerd … by far the biggest problem is that nobody seems to beleive in digging a footing, becuase there’s no frost line (the reason you have to dig a few feet or more in North America) it’s almost as bad as just pour concrete on the ground and build on top of it.
OTOH I’ll probably never build to the level you have … I’ve lived in Japan. It’s kind of a dream people have to think you can defeat a quake wiht more and more concrete and steel. If the quake is strong enough, no buildings survive, so my thought is, strong enough for moderate shocks and for the rest? We’ll see.
Your LOL about the collapsing houses jarred me .. I know you never meant it mean spirited, but it’s clear you haven’t been in any major quakes … nobody is laughing then, believe me, even if their house is standing.
Anyway, livehappy and thnaks for sharing. Where in the Philippines might you be?