Building a Home in Davao

[stevewool]

Looking very nice , and I do understand your comment about getting very tired of the build/ house , but it will soon be over and you will be inside or outside thinking it did not take that long really.

Can I ask how is the budget for the build, have you gone over what you thought it would cost .

[Gas]

Looking good Tommy. 

Still don't understand the deal with the sewage pipe. You have no septic tank and your sewage passes through someone else property on the way to a river?  

[KC813]

Tommy-

I know others have said it, but thank you for taking the time to share your build experience in so much detail.

A lot of us may never actually go through a home build from start to finish, but your posts give us an enjoyable education on building practices, pitfalls and local ingenuity!

As for all the delays you have faced, it gave you more time to take pics and write posts.  Your pain was our gain!

Thanks again!!    

 

[Jollygoodfellow]

Not meant as a negative comment but for me there is no way I would build a 2 story house when getting older. Next there will be one of those stair chair lifts installed 

[Tommy T.]

14 hours ago, stevewool said:

Can I ask how is the budget for the build, have you gone over what you thought it would cost .

We might discuss this a bit using PM if you are still interested, okay?

[Tommy T.]

13 hours ago, Gas said:

Still don't understand the deal with the sewage pipe. You have no septic tank and your sewage passes through someone else property on the way to a river?  

I may not have stated it properly... There is a septic tank with two chambers, then the black water will run off to the river... The sewer line runs along a public right-of-way to the river. Believe me, I am not happy about this... it runs against all of my beliefs, training and experience...

Not acceptable to me in USA, but that is the way here... In the future, I will really try to install a drain field in the property since there is a lot of area available...

Edited July 27, 2020 by Tommy T.

[Tommy T.]

8 hours ago, Jollygoodfellow said:

Not meant as a negative comment but for me there is no way I would build a 2 story house when getting older. Next there will be one of those stair chair lifts installed 

It's okay, JGF... I understand your comment and sentiments. Yeah... there may very well be a chair lift some day. Part of my thinking and plan is that L, who is younger than me, will inherit this place and be able to enjoy it too, long after I am gone. So it's not just for me, but for us.

I am only here, alive, for a finite time, like all of us. I want to leave something for others to use and enjoy.

Edit: And actually, I will add this... we have planned the home so that a downstairs "guest room" will be fine and adequate for us in the event I become disabled or otherwise impaired (hahaha... maybe drunk on my Tanduay?) Even the walkway from road to front door is designed for future wheelchair access... It is all sad to think about, but planning for the (hopefully) long term future...

Edited July 27, 2020 by Tommy T.

[Tommy T.]

15 hours ago, stevewool said:

Can I ask how is the budget for the build, have you gone over what you thought it would cost .

We can discuss this in PM...if you wish...

 

[Huggybearman]

9 hours ago, Jollygoodfellow said:

Not meant as a negative comment but for me there is no way I would build a 2 story house when getting older. Next there will be one of those stair chair lifts installed 

There are two schools of thought on this. For years it was the common practice that homes suitable for elderly should be on one level. But I see that the advice has changed over recent years, that such a layout encourages a more sedentary lifestyle and lack of exercise. Regular exercise and use of stairs is to be encouraged, not inhibited, unless of course you have some disability. 
I am with Tommy T on this. The house we will be building will be on two levels, plus an attic ‘Hobby room’ but the large guest bedroom will be on the ground floor and have en-suite facilities for when managing stairs eventually becomes problematic.

The previous house we rented for nearly four years was a bungalow type, and I would find that when required to use stairs, such as unserviceable mall escalators, etc, would find them quite hard work. I had slipped, almost unwittingly, into a very sedentary lifestyle.
Where we are currently renting, for the last 18 months, has two floors and I find them no longer an issue at all. And since lockdown, to avoid slipping back into my old sedentary ways, I have installed a small gym, with treadmill, epicyclic trainer and a ‘multi-gym’. I just use it for around 45 minutes each morning, while watching the news, and my fitness levels have improved enormously!

If we had remained in the bungalow, I am sure I would need wheeling around in a wheelchair by now!

[hk blues]

1 hour ago, Huggybearman said:

There are two schools of thought on this. For years it was the common practice that homes suitable for elderly should be on one level. But I see that the advice has changed over recent years, that such a layout encourages a more sedentary lifestyle and lack of exercise. Regular exercise and use of stairs is to be encouraged, not inhibited, unless of course you have some disability. 
I am with Tommy T on this. The house we will be building will be on two levels, plus an attic ‘Hobby room’ but the large guest bedroom will be on the ground floor and have en-suite facilities for when managing stairs eventually becomes problematic.

The previous house we rented for nearly four years was a bungalow type, and I would find that when required to use stairs, such as unserviceable mall escalators, etc, would find them quite hard work. I had slipped, almost unwittingly, into a very sedentary lifestyle.
Where we are currently renting, for the last 18 months, has two floors and I find them no longer an issue at all. And since lockdown, to avoid slipping back into my old sedentary ways, I have installed a small gym, with treadmill, epicyclic trainer and a ‘multi-gym’. I just use it for around 45 minutes each morning, while watching the news, and my fitness levels have improved enormously!

If we had remained in the bungalow, I am sure I would need wheeling around in a wheelchair by now!

Agreed - the only concern is if/when we are simply unable to climb stairs.  We chose our unit because it has a master downstairs but my "office" is upstairs so I get my exercise. I definitely notice that as time passes, the longer I go without walking the harder it becomes to get in the groove again.  Old age eh!