Building a Home in Davao

[hk blues]

10 minutes ago, Tommy T. said:

I did not take any photos but, HK, ours was a circus tent! The planks had lifted to almost touch the bed frame in our room!

And, I forget if I mentioned this before - probably did - but our wood was just laid onto fairly thin (maybe 3/16 inch or less?) foam padding. The panels sometimes move very slightly when treading on them. I was assured this is normal and will diminish over time as the foam compresses.

This method is the common one used by the pros who do contract installs for both Citi and Trust here in Davao. This the same way as @RBM has, but the panels in contrast, as mentioned before, are pressed bamboo tongue and groove and maybe 1/2 inch thick. They are quite robust.

I researched wood tiles fairly thoroughly before buying and the bamboo is supposed to be stronger than hardware flooring - like maple, I think oak also? It's also a lot cheaper and available here. I could not tell from the packaging, but I think they came from China?

From my research, I also learned that gluing the panels directly onto the substrate is commonly done but I am not sure if anyone does that here in this climate?

Our planks were similarly laid onto the thin foam padding - we have had laminate flooring numerous times over the years in various places and all used the same method and thin foam so I guess it's suitable.  At the end of the day, it's a vapour barrier rather than an underlay. 

Yep, the movement you feel is normal and actually the way such floors are designed to work - they float.  That's why they should not be glued down or fixed.  I'm talking laminate flooring - I'm not sure if the bamboo type you have is the same. 

[Terry P]

5 hours ago, hk blues said:

Our planks were similarly laid onto the thin foam padding - we have had laminate flooring numerous times over the years in various places and all used the same method and thin foam so I guess it's suitable.  At the end of the day, it's a vapour barrier rather than an underlay. 

Yep, the movement you feel is normal and actually the way such floors are designed to work - they float.  That's why they should not be glued down or fixed.  I'm talking laminate flooring - I'm not sure if the bamboo type you have is the same. 

Just about right HK

It is a floating floor however if the matting were to be waterproof you would end up with a film of water between the barrier and the underside of the flooring. Two problems there. First the laminate would deteriorate and second the smell would be disgusting.

The foam is to compensate for any imperfections in the floor below.

Over time the click joints weaken especially in heavy traffic areas becausethey are brittle

Laminate has been developed that can be used in wet areas such as bathrooms and kitchens eliminating a lot of moisture damage problems

I suspect RBMs is not that grade hence the damage round his water dispenser

[Tommy T.]

It's been a while so I thought I would submit an update:

We have informed the contractor that we will complete the house construction and deduct our expenses from their latest invoice to us... They are not happy about that, but seem to have accepted this... We will see what happens... plaster (cement facings) on the fence and house foundations are being addressed... painting, electrical work and on and on... we are getting them all fixed or completed now, on our time schedule and at our price... Done with messing with contractors...

We are setting some waterlines underground rather than on the surface... setting some electric lines also underground rather than on the surface.

Currently, and having nothing to do with the contractors - thank God!!! - we are grooming the back yard. @graham59's photos have inspired us!

We have hired a couple of guys who do decent work to level out our back yard in preparation for planting our garden plants.

Here is some new soil and preparations for planting veggies!

Looking back at the house from the back of the property...

This is exciting for us to start growing our own food.

Edited February 15, 2021 by Tommy T.

[stevewool]

It’s a good size lot you have there , is there going to be room for a pool one day too.

[graham59]

That's a big back yard.  Plenty of scope there.  

[Tommy T.]

11 hours ago, stevewool said:

It’s a good size lot you have there , is there going to be room for a pool one day too.

It's not as large as I would prefer, but we were running low on funds for the house build, so land acquisition was laid to rest.

I know you are at least partially jesting here, but we gave it serious consideration. L loves telling her friends and co-teachers that we will have a pool. They all ask why we built the home so close to the front of the property rather than in the middle. The real reason was to keep it as far from the existing neighbour's house as possible, but also to have some side yard for L's flower garden. But she tells people it is so we can have our pool. What is cool about the location is that there is road right-of-way on two sides, so nearest neighbours will only be also on two sides in the future.

We already decided not to because it would be high maintenance - it would have to be covered when not in use to keep out leaves and some dirt and maybe reduce the incursion of insects. Pools require constant attention to keep them clean and healthy - that equals more cost and time... We agree about this. But it would be a great place for afternoon cool down...

We are planting trees and other things to block out the view of just the fence and also the neighbours already here and in the future. It really is fun for us now to plant all these new things, nurture them and watch them grow!

Edited February 15, 2021 by Tommy T.

[RBM]

11 minutes ago, Tommy T. said:

It's not as large as I would prefer, but we were running low on funds for the house build, so land acquisition was laid to rest.

I know you are at least partially jesting here, but we gave it serious consideration. L loves telling her friends and co-teachers that we will have a pool. They all ask why we built the home so close to the front of the property rather than in the middle. The real reason was to keep it as far from the existing neighbour's house as possible, but also to have some side yard for L's flower garden. But she tells people it is so we can have our pool. What is cool about the location is that there is road right-of-way on two sides, so nearest neighbours will only be also on two sides in the future.

We already decided not to because it would be high maintenance - it would have to be covered when not in use to keep out leaves and some dirt and maybe reduce the incursion of insects. Pools require constant attention to keep them clean and healthy - that equals more cost and time... We agree about this. But it would be a great place for afternoon cool down...

We are planting trees and other things to block out the view of just the fence and also the neighbours already here and in the future. It really is fun for us now to plant all these new things, nurture them and watch them grow!

Brings back memories Tommy some of which were not pleasant during our build. It was for me, perhaps the most difficult time experienced here.

Your section is huge, as others said perfect for a pool, we almost did that how ever for reasons you outlined we compromised by installing a large jacuzzi. 

Seems once place is 3/4 done many workers tend to loose interest, at least that what we experienced.

A month or so your going to relax among the veges, plants and drink a SM forgetting what you have done.

[Tommy T.]

42 minutes ago, RBM said:

Brings back memories Tommy some of which were not pleasant during our build. It was for me, perhaps the most difficult time experienced here.

Your section is huge, as others said perfect for a pool, we almost did that how ever for reasons you outlined we compromised by installing a large jacuzzi. 

Seems once place is 3/4 done many workers tend to loose interest, at least that what we experienced.

A month or so your going to relax among the veges, plants and drink a SM forgetting what you have done.

And Tuko greets us every morning and night..."F*** You!" He is family too...

Yeah, RBM, amen to that! It has been the most challenging for me too - and also for L. She is always running interference for me and is really tired and irritated by all of it. Pretty much, the contractors and workers lost interest just before Christmas. Since then, virtually nothing has been done by them. So we are giving up some cash that was given to purchase parts and supplies, but we are gaining peace of mind and starting to relax a bit now that we are in total control - well worth the exchange!

I forgot to mention this important point: Now that we are in residence here, it is so easy now to keep an eye on the work and workers. Every 15 minutes or so, one of us goes out and takes a look at the work. Several of these current workers were employed by L before and so she is familiar with their work, unlike with the contractors' people.

A jacuzzi might be manageable...but not for a while since we have other priorities - like veggies! The jacuzzi would certainly be decadent! I love it!

Let's hope the alcohol ban lifts soon (end of March here, maybe?)

We go out and talk to our plants and trees every day... they are now part of our small family!

Edited February 15, 2021 by Tommy T.

[Tommy T.]

Three weeks after my last post here and (18 months + since the beginning), the home construction still lurches along.

However, now it is lurching along faster than before. We and the contractors have abandoned each other and probably to mutual benefit.

As mentioned previously, we have assumed the mantle of completing the - mainly small, but some bigger - projects ourselves. Through friends, acquaintances, friends of friends and others, we have found some workers who seem truly professional...finally.

We have had painters in all week fixing poor coverage, covering recent cement repairs and electrical junction boxes. They fixed floor trim that was damaged when the wood floors were repaired. It took six guys to move the solid mahogany bed out of the way.

The headboard to the bed in the master bed room had an ugly seam running along where the plywood was joined. So the painters fixed that and re-painted.

The electricians installed a proper breaker box on the fence. They also fixed some wiring, including non-functional wiring in one CR. It turns out that the feed wire is not connected to any live wire. Currently (pun intended), they are grounding the outlets on the system. A few seemed to be grounded, but we couldn't figure out where they grounded outside. So the boys pounded in two 10-foot ground posts - one for the main house and one for the small house.

They also buried three water lines and at least two electric conduits and covered them with thin veneers of cement for protection.

Note the Baygon can... One of the boys encountered multiple ant nests along with several bags of rubbish buried in the waste soil near the house foundation. The big black ants deliver a very nasty sting - one got me last week - as bad as a large bee or wasp.

A welder visited today to see if he would work for us and will return to do some projects on Monday. A cabinet maker visited on Thursday and will give us price quotes on several simple cabinets for supplies and tools and also for some shelving in a few places.

Unlike the contractor's workers, these boys seem a bit eager to work and to please. i am sure we are paying them more than the unskilled boys working for the contractor.

We still need to get someone to fix the leaky roof from which it rained inside in a downpour yesterday afternoon.

We are planting our veggies and the corn is doing well (in spite of hungry goats from next door raiding the smaller ones(!). Wing beans, green beans and daikon are planted and we have planted a bunch of sunflowers for decoration. Next will be bougainvillea and some of those vine plants that @Queenie O.described in a post a while back. Time to make the place a bit more private from some nosey neighbours...

We are so tired of having workers here, but we know we are getting closer...

[Mike J]

On 2/15/2021 at 8:14 AM, Tommy T. said:

We already decided not to because it would be high maintenance - it would have to be covered when not in use to keep out leaves and some dirt and maybe reduce the incursion of insects. Pools require constant attention to keep them clean and healthy - that equals more cost and time... We agree about this. But it would be a great place for afternoon cool down...

You are correct on all counts.  Guess who gets to clean our pool?