Renovation of our house in CDO

[intrepid]

48 minutes ago, GeoffH said:

am not aware of restrictions about pumps in the subdivision (that doesn't mean that they don't exist, something else to check).

Most subdivisions have restrictions on water pumps being connected directly to your water supply.  Even if you have no restriction, it is not a good idea to connect directly to the water supply.  It is best to have a cistern or water storage tank and pump from that.  An added benefit to your own water storage is still having water if there is a supply shortage at times.  For us, every other month the water in our subdivision is shut down for a day between 8am-5pm for flushing the system and such.  Additional times for leaks or whatever.  Now we do not care because our storage tank will last 3-4 days.

[hk blues]

58 minutes ago, GeoffH said:

A lot of recommendations for AEG which is good.  It wasn't one of the brands mentioned by the builder but I will ask SWMBO to enquire about them (and Stiebel Eltron)

Just to clarify - AEG and Stiebel Eltron are one and the same.  

[Tommy T.]

1 hour ago, GeoffH said:

what AC units you guys decided upon and why?

I did a fair amount of research and that led me to Panasonic for split type inverter units. I am sure you read that if you looked at the A/C topic? Reliability plus resistance to short circuits to the main board caused by ghekos that plagued Samsung. Also the price was about mid to high range.

Installation was supposedly free but there were a few caveats - length of tubing exceeding 10 feet, outside brackets for the compressors: these were extra...not a lot, but somewhat. The other brands I looked at were simply dealers (excepting Abensons - whose price was a bit higher than EMCOR) who then engaged outside installers and did not service what they sell. I could easily envision a finger pointing exercise if something did not work properly or failed prematurely.

Several here on the forum mentioned difficulties obtaining factory service for Daikon, Carrier was way too expensive. Kolin and Kopel are also sold by EMCOR but I simply chose Panasonic.

Lastly, the dealer - EMCOR - also has a service center and a dedicated installation team. I like buying from a servicing dealer.

[GeoffH]

12 minutes ago, intrepid said:

It is best to have a cistern or water storage tank and pump from that.  An added benefit to your own water storage is still having water if there is a supply shortage at times. 

That is how ours is set up now, the water will flow even with the pump off to all the cold water taps on the ground floor.

The pump pumps from the tank up to the shower and bath on the second floor and to a hot water tap in the dirty kitchen however that one will still flow some water when the pump is off because the tank is higher than the tap unlike the taps in the CR on the second floor.

[GeoffH]

2 minutes ago, Tommy T. said:

Lastly, the dealer - EMCOR - also has a service center and a dedicated installation team. I like buying from a servicing dealer.

Thanks Tommy, there are two EMCOR branches on our side of CDO, I will suggest to SWMBO that she and her papa go and get a quotation for a Panasonic unit from them.

[Tommy T.]

4 minutes ago, GeoffH said:

Thanks Tommy, there are two EMCOR branches on our side of CDO, I will suggest to SWMBO that she and her papa go and get a quotation for a Panasonic unit from them.

While they are there, may I suggest they pick up a brochure and price quote from Kolin since Koppel sounds like it is not so good from previous posts... and verify that they service what they sell and also handle the installation. I think they are a Kolin dealer but don't remember...

What I do remember was that, when I had L with me to make the purchase, she knocked them down in price a fair amount. I would never want to be on the other side of a table negotiating prices with her - she's a tiger!!!

Also, I got a better price because I paid cash up front whereas most people make two or more payments over time.

 

Edited April 13, 2020 by Tommy T.

[GeoffH]

I just had a look at the EMCOR web site to get the exact address and it says this... I can't say I'm surprised.

 

Edited April 13, 2020 by GeoffH

[hk blues]

2 hours ago, Tommy T. said:

I did a fair amount of research and that led me to Panasonic for split type inverter units.

 

I'll second that.  We are about 4 years in with our 2 x units and zero issues thus far.  We have an annual service from Emcor and in addition I clean the filters every 3 months.  If i was looking  for fault, I'd say the invertor unit isn't the quietest (not very noisy but not the quietest) but the inside unit is quiet and that's the main thing IMO.  

 

[GeoffH]

SWMBO sent me a couple of photos of the start of the renovations, firstly the roof is being repainted as it was badly faded.

Bathroom fittings are being looked for today (in the couple of shops that are still operating) so that will come next.

The unpainted and weathered looking roof to the right in the first photo is the next door neighbours house.  There is a mixed bag of houses in our street, they're mostly large by Philippine standards but some are immaculately maintained where as others seem to have been left without any maintenance since the day they were built.

 

Edited April 14, 2020 by GeoffH

[GeoffH]

The first coat of paint on the roof is finished, a second coat will be done but it's already looking a lot better than it did.