Building our house in the Philippines

[tom.inbigdtexas]

Thanks Rufus,

I took a look on Lowes site... saw 24\" and 36\" units and looks like good prices at around $200.  These would probably be sufficient for a 2,500 sq/ft house in the RP. 

Geeeeeezzz... every time I Google something I\'m amazed at the number of sites on arcane items... I looked at some on wholehousefan.com... some high rpm units that run up to $1,500.

The one I had was a 60\" monster that looked like it was stolen off a P-51  .  I sometimes had the feeling it was going to suck my pets and children up into the attic along with all the loose paper it captured.

Maybe Colin or Murf will install one and report back.

Tom

[tom.inbigdtexas]

I am using the Spanish tower idea to create a natural airflow,...
...main living area extend up two floors with high level windows to allow the hot air to rise and escape.
Colin

I love the Spanish tower idea, Colin.  Both for appearance and utility.  Have you thought about screening it in? That is very commonly done in Florida (porches, not towers), and I assume other places, to keep mesquitos and other flying menaces out.  It would make a great place for an afternoon nap... or an evening Red Horse Martini  .

The open tower with high windows for ventilation is a good idea... sort of like the attic fan concept, but without the fan.  Might combine the concepts with a fan in the floor of the tower.  This might have the added benefit of a constant exiting breeze through the tower \"windows\" and keep a few bugs out even without screening... sort of a Rube Goldberg mesquito barrier. 

Tom

I am using the Spanish tower idea to create a natural airflow,...
...main living area extend up two floors with high level windows to allow the hot air to rise and escape.
Colin

I love the Spanish tower idea, Colin.  Both for appearance and utility.  Have you thought about screening it in? That is very commonly done in Florida (porches, not towers), and I assume other places, to keep mesquitos and other flying menaces out.  It would make a great place for an afternoon nap... or an evening Red Horse Martini  .

The open tower with high windows for ventilation is a good idea... sort of like the attic fan concept, but without the fan.  Might combine the concepts with a fan in the floor of the tower.  This might have the added benefit of a constant exiting breeze through the tower \"windows\" and keep a few bugs out even without screening... sort of a Rube Goldberg mesquito barrier. 

Tom

Hi Tom,

An earlier plan had the second floor stairs continuing up to the third floor, until I realized that it could let in the rain and burglars, so moved it to the outside; I don\'t want to fit security bars up there. I will put screened vents in the upper corners of the second floor. I am not too sure about screening the \'Crows Nest\' and first floor \'Arcade\'. I don\'t think there will be a problem during the day, and at night the mosquitoes don\'t seem to like the lighting that attracts all the other insects. Ultraviolet insect killers will be essential.

I had also thought of fitting small extractor fans in the ends of the three roof sections that butt up to the walls, but I thought that could turn that area into a sauna and defeat the whole object.

Colin

[tom.inbigdtexas]

An earlier plan had the second floor stairs continuing up to the third floor, until I realized that it could let in the rain and burglars, so moved it to the outside...

Colin, if you wanted the stairs to continue inside to the third floor for aesthetic reasons, you could have the stairs terminate in an enclosed vestibule in the crow\'s nest, with an exit door out to the crow\'s nest.  That would resolve the rain problem, and the door could be secured in whatever manner you are intending for the door on the second floor balcony.

Just a thought.

Tom

[grizzi]

Have you considered an attic fan?  They were very common here in Texas before air conditioning (sort of 1950s and before). 

For those not familiar, it is a very large fan, usually 3 to 5 foot blade diameter, usually mounted horizontally in the attic above the central area of the house, with the opening in the ceiling covered by some type of grate, often decorative metal or lattice work. When turned on, the fan pulls air from the living area below, through the attic, and out through vents, usually eve vents.  This creates a constant breeze through the house, and the area of the breeze can be controlled by which windows are open. (there are several variations, but this is the most common)

Tom,

It sounds like a good idea, but from personal experience, I would think that working on unrestricted airflow through the house by natural means would be more advantageous, especially when you factor in the cost of electricity and the number of brown outs that seem to be coming more frequent, especially in the province.  I did think about using an electric vent fan in the sofit of the house and put it on a timer to draw the hot air out of the attic in the late evening to make the house cooler for sleeping.

I will be looking into solar water heating though..the less electric I use at the house, the less dependant on the electrical grid in the event of a failure...which is something you have to put up with...or buy a nice gen....

Part 4

More detail needs to be added to the doors, windows and columns to give the house a more Spanish Mission look.

The whole approach to the design of the property was to make it a place where Family and visitors would be welcomed at any time, but at the same time keeping private areas for ourselves. The TV room, Arcade and everything in front of them will be considered public area for the entertainment of guests. The pool is partly for my daily exercise, but also to entertain the kids. Our neighbour opposite has promised to bring over a bottle of champagne when it is finished; I think that is return for a season ticket. When we took the family on an overnight visit to a Beach resort, they all enjoyed playing billiards, so I hope one day to include a Snooker Table, but will start off with just darts and Mah Jong.

The plan below shows the first floor and includes the entrance hall/family/TV room, bedroom, study, workshop, the main lounge, dining room and kitchen.




And here is a 3D view



The downstairs bedroom will be used by Bings Mother and the Hall/Family/TV Room if for Tagalog Soaps that most Filipinos can’t seem to live without. They will be banned from the main lounge.

The room height was left at the programme default height of 109” which I assume is a US standard, but may be less than is normal for the Philippines. The stairs were given a very shallow run of 12” tread width with 5.2” riser. This is to make an easy ascent for us older people. It is intended to make the stairs a feature when first entering the house.

Second floor plan. This has the master suite and two guest bedrooms



Second floor 3D view



The following is a plan of the lot, and as well as the main house, also includes the Maids Room/Laundry/Dirty Kitchen on the top right, the pool and Games Room/Toilet/Gardener-Handyman Room. These will not all be built at once, but included to avoid having to repeat the approval and permit stage. The boundary wall and pool, at a possible P1M each, will definitely be added later, and the games room, while only be native construction, is not too important and can be delayed.



The house will be constructed with the standard columns and beams, but instead of infilling with hollow block, will use Styrofoam sandwiched between heavy wire mesh. I will give more details on the next part and will photograph a sample that I have.

Continued in part 5

[tom.inbigdtexas]

...hope one day to include a Snooker Table...

...will use Styrofoam sandwiched between heavy wire mesh.

Looks like a very \"livable\" design.

If you\'re a serious Snooker player... make sure you build that area at least 25\'x30\' so you will have room for furniture and people without intruding on the necessary 15\'x20\' clear space.  You might find you have a whole new group of \"new relatives\" when word gets out that you have Snooker table.

I assume the Styrofoam/wire mesh is designed for stucco application -- Are you going to finish both exterior and interior in stucco? 

On the lot plan... is the long rectangle a lap pool?  If so, what length are you planning?

Tom

 

...hope one day to include a Snooker Table...

...will use Styrofoam sandwiched between heavy wire mesh.

Looks like a very \"livable\" design.

If you\'re a serious Snooker player... make sure you build that area at least 25\'x30\' so you will have room for furniture and people without intruding on the necessary 15\'x20\' clear space.  You might find you have a whole new group of \"new relatives\" when word gets out that you have Snooker table.

I assume the Styrofoam/wire mesh is designed for stucco application -- Are you going to finish both exterior and interior in stucco? 

On the lot plan... is the long rectangle a lap pool?  If so, what length are you planning?

Tom

 

Hi Tom,

I would not describe myself as a serious Snooker player, it used to be a Sunday pastime with a group of friends when I was in my early 20\'s. I also played around with motorbikes and cars and later moved on to Ballroom dancing, then got hitched and all those activities stopped  I prefer the full size Snooker table to the smaller Pool tables, and I don\'t understand the rules of Pool as well. The new friends would be welcomed.

All walls in the Philippines have cement based Stucco applied to them both inside and out, it is the standard form of finish here. I would prefer gypsum plaster for the inside, but I have not seen that available. Maybe it is not suitable for the humid climate, perhaps others members here may have more information on that.

The long section of the pool is for my exercise, maybe around 30-40 metres long 4\' deep and 10\' wide, enough for the kids to race each other. The square at the house end is an 8\' deep diving pit, and the other end is shallow for the younger kids. I may streamline the shape a little later but I just need something now to put on the plan for approval.

Colin

[fred]

Colin..
Pretty sure no gypsum deposit here in P.I and thats the reason its not used as plaster..
Once the walls are rendered they will apply a powerful neutralizer to the dried cement and then face fill the walls with a filler (patching compound) mixed with a water based emulsion..The whole lot is rubbed down smooth and painted with 2 coats of paint..
Gypsum plaster board is available here (imported I guess) which is ready for painting after the seams have been taped and jointed so that may be another choice worth considering..Problem may be finding local labour that know how to fix the stuff to the wall.
Fred.

[fred]

Have you considered an attic fan?  They were very common here in Texas before air conditioning (sort of 1950s and before). 

For those not familiar, it is a very large fan, usually 3 to 5 foot blade diameter, usually mounted horizontally in the attic above the central area of the house, with the opening in the ceiling covered by some type of grate, often decorative metal or lattice work. When turned on, the fan pulls air from the living area below, through the attic, and out through vents, usually eve vents.  This creates a constant breeze through the house, and the area of the breeze can be controlled by which windows are open. (there are several variations, but this is the most common)

Tom,

It sounds like a good idea, but from personal experience, I would think that working on unrestricted airflow through the house by natural means would be more advantageous, especially when you factor in the cost of electricity and the number of brown outs that seem to be coming more frequent, especially in the province.  I did think about using an electric vent fan in the sofit of the house and put it on a timer to draw the hot air out of the attic in the late evening to make the house cooler for sleeping.

I will be looking into solar water heating though..the less electric I use at the house, the less dependant on the electrical grid in the event of a failure...which is something you have to put up with...or buy a nice gen....

Our roof is open at both ends (thai style) so the air just passes through..It really works and I have no need for an A/C here.

Solar heaters are really easy to make your self here..A simple example would be to paint 50 mtrs of hose pipe jet black in a neat coil leading to a metal storage tank also painted black.
The pipe we have from the barangay system provides hot water all day long as it sits above ground in the sun which can get on my nerves as I prefer a cold shower in hot weather.

Fred

[grizzi]

We are looking at doing the same thing. Using a primary 450 liter water tank, and a smaller 150 liter or so tank for hot water. Gravity fed by a coiled tubing system.  About the only time we use hot water is for dishes and showering, so the much smaller tank should be enough for our needs.  I\'m agreeable about the \"pass through\" floorplan design and think it would really reduce the amount of heat in a house and dependency on electricity.  There are some good thoughts being posted on this thread.  Hope we keep it going! 

Our roof is open at both ends (thai style) so the air just passes through..It really works and I have no need for an A/C here.

Solar heaters are really easy to make your self here..A simple example would be to paint 50 mtrs of hose pipe jet black in a neat coil leading to a metal storage tank also painted black.
The pipe we have from the barangay system provides hot water all day long as it sits above ground in the sun which can get on my nerves as I prefer a cold shower in hot weather.

Fred

My brother-in-laws house on the Prison farm also had an open ended roof, but the problem was that the ceilings were suwali (woven bamboo). At night the rats used to run across the ceiling and shake the dust down on the bed. We had to put a sheet on top of the mosquito net. On our next visit they had fixed rice sacks to the ceiling.

Another easy water heater is to mount a tank on a stand, take a hose from a bottom connection, wind it around the stand from top to bottom the connect it to the top of the tank. This gives a simple gravity system.

Colin

Part 5

Here is a photo of a piece of Styrofoam sandwich I rescued from a scrap heap when our engineer was extending his father’s hardware store.



This is the 2” version, the foam being 1.5” thick. I understand that it can be obtained in other thicknesses to order. The 8’x4’ panels are fixed to dowels in the columns and beams then cement rendered on both sides giving a total thickness of approx 6”, the same as a hollow block wall. The panels work out slightly dearer than the equivalent hollow blocks, but are quicker and easier to install so reduce the labour cost. Also being lighter the foundations, columns etc can be reduced in size giving an extra small saving. I have seen these panels used in the hardware store, a ‘penthouse’, above the store, where they are also used for internal walls, and in a large warehouse.

This is a copy of the Fibreglass insulation available from CitiHardware.



Continued in part 6

[geno555]

Looks like a very savvy idea you have there Colin and quite an insulation factor without great cost or almost no cost!! Looks like your pulling everything together and starting to really get ready to break ground good for you. I wish you all the good fortune and luck in the efforts you house is certain a lot bigger than mine will every be , but I don\'t have the funds as you my old friend

I better not take away from your post and post some new pictures of my own  as I don\'t want to eat up your post time. Just thought I would drop you a line and say smart idea with the Styrofoam sandwich.

Maybe you ought to patent that baby.

the \"Murf\"

[c_a_p_t_a_i_n_r_o_n]

Foam sandwich has been in the public domain for 40+ years, so no patent riches for Col I\'m afraid