Trades & Labor Cement Support Posts Needed-Need Advice

I just wanted to get a quick opinion here.

My wife and I own several cottages that sit on bamboo posts over the sea and many of the posts eventually rot away from the water, exposure to the ocean elements, etc. A more permanent solution are concrete posts dug into the sea floor. Now taking this into consideration I need the framework built into the sea floor with re-barb metal wiring extending about 5 meters up from the sea floor, then filled with concrete. I gave my Dad (being a Construction/Carpenter Business Owner, Now Retired) All the info and the quote but was shot back with an earful of ("I can hire a bunch of undocumented immigrants, to do this at half the expense, half the amount of time (more workers), and a better quality job"- Now, I don't want to be discriminatory at all and this thread is not meant to be however this particular job involves "family" and some ethical decision making on my part so I don't want any outside factors influencing my price quote.

To sum up, I just wanted to get some personal opinions on what they would do in the situation of needing to find a permanent solution instead of bamboo support posts to structurally hold a cottage above sea level, if anyone has paid for cement support posts in the past and what the cost was, and/or what someone that has experience in the Dumaguete area would expect to pay for such a project...

I appreciate any feedback

 

Using Sahara with the Cement will make it water proof so that the concrete does not soak the water and rust the re-bar over time which happens. Another approach would be to use good wood posts as many Piers in many Ports around the world have support poles that are 100+ years old. Another thing would be getting the Poles into the sea bed, unless the ''Family' has the equipment to hammer in the poles to a suitable depth then they will be merely sitting on the surface of shifting sands which will play havoc on your investment.

I think in this case it is like if you need an Engine rebuild, you do not approach the Auto Electrician to do it to make him happy or save a few pesos, do it once, do it right...

 

Hmmm I would be more concerned with the Kinetics of moving these bungalows onto new Posts

 

Yeah its a lot to take in, I would hate to pour a bunch of money into this and then see it either A) Not Work, B) Done Improperly or C), Hurricane/Earthquake tears through the following year ruining everything. I mean I could just keep repairing the current bamboo posts but over time this is getting irritating and expensive. I would prefer to have a more permanent solution if the price is right.

 

Do you have any pics of the cottages, how they are currently supported. There could be many options but really difficult to give any advice without seeing what your existing conditions are. Pics looking at the underside of the cottages at low tide would help as well.

Shawn

 

Here is a photo of our neighbors cottage. This is similar to what we want to do with ours (the first part having the cement posts), the rest of it is currently Bamboo Support posts which is what we currently have. (Although ours are much newer and more nicely placed)

 

Are the columns still submerged at low tide?

 

My friend has a resort on Biliran island and he uses the bamboo supports for all his piers and cottages over the water. He told me it is cheaper and less risk to use bamboo rather than concrete supports. Concrete supports rot in the ocean when battered by tides and storms and is expensive and difficult to maintain or replace. Bamboo supports also rot but he has a crew that is almost continually replacing the rotting bamboo parts. He said the trick is to use the right kind of bamboo. Seems there are at least two kinds and one of them is extremely long lasting and durable. So much so that he sends his guys on a 60 km trip to get the correct type of bamboo rather than using the local supply..

Read more here:
Types of Bamboo Poles | Bamboo Habitat

 

no, low tide is the only tide the sea floor is visible and can be dug down into.