Health & Wellness Best Posts in Thread: Hut builder/contractor

There is a guy from Bacong who does this I have seen a roof of 600sqm that he has done and it was a work of art, I cannot say it was of good sound construction but it sure did look good and just recently a friend of mine a retired builder from Germany had some work done by this same man and he is very happy with it, it is possible I could get his contact details from my friend? one thing I do know about Sac Sac roofs the steeper the pitch the longer it lasts and consider having it at 60 degrees for optimum longevity, even 45 will be better than the standard 30, the steeper it is the less water it holds and slows down the rot.

 

Hi, Rabbit91, I'm a native of Dumaguete. On retiring years ago, I needed a contractor to handle a small project and I learned, in the course of searching, about how building construction goes in Dumaguete nowadays along with the building law and rules mentioned in my January 10, 2018 post, in the old thread HOUSE BUILDING.

In Dumaguete, when you ask for bonded contractor referrals, people would assume you are asking for those in the List of Contractors With Philippine Contractors Accreditation Board (PCAB) license who customarily put up surety bonds as performance guarantee in the ordinary course of business. These especially-licensed contractors, however, are mostly businessmen occupied with lucrative government infrastructure works most of the time but who would do home construction if it happens to be a multi-million project. I'm in no position to recommend for I haven't done business with but a possible exception recently learned from church friends might be worth mentioning - that Dumaguete First Baptist Church at EJ Blanco Road, Piapi has a project to be handled by one Engineer Cesar Patrick of PCAB licensee Gorme Construction & Supplies (+63 9171428691/+63 35 420-5093).

For building a house, people will refer you to a person practising his profession, usually an architect who is a member of the United Architect of the Philippines (UAP) Area C Dumaguete Chapter, since a civil engineer’s professional practice under Republic Act No. 544, series 1950 is now lawfully differentiated from an architect’s professional practice by Republic Act 9266, series 2004. Again, I have not done business with but UAP Dumaguete’s Director (past President), Architect Zorich Guia (+63 9175167201/ +63 9156509691), may prove a good source of architect or construction service referrals in Manjuyod. In practice, surety bond to guarantee performance in home construction is not customary but it can always be negotiated as an inclusion in the contract if you assert it.

Now for building an indigenous dwelling, people would likely refer you to independent foremen with own skilled worker outfit, legally operating under a DTI registration and a Mayor’s Business Permit but who might find having to put up a bond guaranteeing performance for the construction of a native family dwelling a strange requirement, such a structure being low cost and exempt from technical plans with professional certifications needed to obtain a building permit, according to the building law and rule below:

1. Buildings and structures in the Philippines have been and are being regulated by Presidential Decree No. 1096 or the “National Building Code of the Philippines” since 1977 by the Department of Public Works & Highway (DPWH) thru each Local Government Unit (LGU)'s Building Official.

"Section 103. Scope and Application thereof declares, and I quote: ”(a) The provisions of this Code shall apply to the design, location, siting, construction, alteration, repair, conversion, use, occupancy, maintenance, moving, demolition of, and addition to public and private buildings and structures, except traditional indigenous family dwellings as defined herein.” (highlight, mine)

"Section 209. Exemption thereof provides and defines, and I quote: “...Traditional indigenous family dwellings shall be exempt from payment of building permit fees. As used in this Code, the term “traditional indigenous family dwelling” means a dwelling intended for the use and occupancy by the family of the owner only and constructed of native materials such as bamboo, nipa, logs, or lumber, the total cost of which does not exceed fifteen thousand pesos." (highlight, mine)​

2. The Implementing Rules & Regulations of PD 1096 was revised by the Congress of the Philippines in 2005, and it repeats the above with additional provisions, in this manner:

“SECTION 103. Scope and Application​

"1. The scope of this IRR shall cover the following disciplines: architectural, civil/structural, electrical, mechanical, sanitary, plumbing, and electronics. This shall also apply to the design, location, siting, construction, alteration, repair, conversion, use, occupancy, maintenance, moving, demolition of, and addition to public and private buildings and structures, except traditional indigenous family dwellings, and those covered by Batas Pambansa Bilang 220 otherwise known as the “Economic and Socialized Housing Projects.”​

“SECTION 209. Exemption

Public buildings and traditional indigenous family dwellings shall be exempt from payment of building permit fees.​

As used in the Code, the term “traditional indigenous family dwelling” means a dwelling intended for the use and occupancy by the family of the owner only and constructed of native materials such as bamboo, nipa, logs, or lumber, the total cost of which does not exceed fifteen thousand pesos (P15,000.00).” (highlight, mine)​

“SECTION 507. Designation of Fire Zones

The legislative body of the LGU may enact ordinances for the purpose of designating fire zones based on the parameters and guidelines set forth in this Section.

1. Designation of Fire Zones is purposely for management, prevention, control and suppression of conflagration that may occur in population centers. The designation of fire zones is as follows:​

a. Non-Fire Restricted Zones: These are areas where siting of buildings/structures are permitted without fire-resistivity measures, often located in the country sides or rural areas where commercial and industrial and other buildings are sparsely constructed, or may be clustered in small groups like farm lands wherein dwellings are built of indigenous materials such as bamboo, sawali, nipa, cogon, palm leaves and wood up to Types I and II Construction as classified in Section 401 of the Code.” (highlighting, mine)​

The point is that, a PCAB licensee, an architect or civil engineer, or a registered foreman's outfit may find it unreasonable to have to put up surety guaranteeing performance for the construction of a small and indigenous family dwelling; and/or an insurance company may find it too minimal to undertake assurance guaranteeing performance for the construction of a low-cost native family dwelling.

Yet since surety bond is a Western concept, a Western mind might be receptive to it and will find ways of doing business in the way you want. I am neither acquainted nor have had business deal with but it is verified there is a Canadian named Gordon Mckissock who resides in Bacong and who locally conducts business as managing partner of Dumaguete PhilX Condev Corporation (DPX). A number of his clients have given testimonials about the work of his firm.

Hope the above helps find a reputable & bonded contractor.

 

So hardiflex is just concrete? Any exterior surface (binding)? Is it internally reinforced? I heard of it but assumed it was a version of plasterboard, as used internally in the UK.[/QUOTE]
Hardieflex is a fibre reinforced cement board. We used it almost 10 years ago in the walls and ceilings of a native style house. Then covered the exterior with rattan, spray coated with preserver. Providing it's not used for load bearing it's fine and still going today - we've never even had to replace a single panel so far.

 

There is a strip mall being constructed on the waterfront towards Silliman beach. It is being constructed with this type of construction without the rice hull insulation. Metal framing, concrete board siding. This system used a lot of horizontal frames which would make it harder to fill with the insulation.

The cement board used was like Hardi board with a smooth finish. How well would the render stick? It was not rough like this type:


Would you render the joints with fiberglass cement board reinforcement tape?

If the rice hulls were treated with borax and boric acid would this protect cocowood studs? (Instead of steel studs.)

It looks like this type of construction is a lot faster than the block construction. Should be significant cost savings and shorten the time having to deal with the construction. Multiple stories would be lighter and handle earthquakes better.

 

LOL - Another completely baseless and unsubstantiated statement.

I assume you are comparing this to the local blocks made with "mountain sand" and then plastered.

Concrete hollow blocks have the worst thermal insulation properties of any building material. Concrete hollow blocks are also known as concrete masonry units. (CMU) A 4 inch thick wall made with concrete block has an R value less than 1 (0.8) whereas a typical 2 x 4 wall with wood studs and mineral insulation has an r value of 12.44.

https://www.archtoolbox.com/materials-systems/thermal-moisture-protection/rvalues.html

Wood shavings have an R value of 2.2 per inch. So a wall with 4 inch studs would have and R value of 9 just for the wood shaving alone. (Not including the sheathing inside and out.)

http://www.fao.org/3/y5013e/y5013e08.htm

Having been made with dirt, (mountain sand) local blocks are pitifully weak and have to be carried very carefully when placing them in position. The structure of local buildings is dependent on the post and beam construction (hopefully the contractor did not over-water the concrete). The walls are simply filler material. Typically the "mountain sand" blocks used for walls are not filled with reinforcement and concrete.

I have experience with wood fiber insulation in wood framed homes and it makes a great insulator for sound and heat. The thermal insulation is an order of magnitude better than concrete hollow blocks. You would have to keep it "under the roof line" so it stays dry.