⌛ Want to build a Green or ECO home.

I am starting my plan to build a new home I am looking for a local architect to help me design it. I would like to put a solar PV system in. I would like a two bedroom, one bath. Big houses are out of style so I want a small home, easy to maintain.

 

PBF Books

Hello Teacher,
I have many books on the subject and would be happy to share them with you.
Solar Technologies for Buildings
PDF English 5.4 MB
Ecohouse: A Design Guide
352 Pages. PDF
And many more on Eco homes. Take care John

 

okay thanks

I love to read. Anything you could share would be would be very help full thank you my friend.

 

Decided I will keep my house.

After looking at what people are selling homes for in Dumaguete my house is worth too much to attempt to sell. So I will retain my property. It only cost 750,000 peso’s to build my house, two bedrooms, two bath. All tile even the front porch it only cost 26p for a 12x12. 130 square meter house. For the electrician it only cost something like 7,000 peso’s to wire the house. Okay I had to go and buy the wire and outlets, breaker box, light fixtures. The same with the plumber and supervise everything that was being done. Even the cement and supervise how my hollow blocks were made so I could be sure of the quality and keep the cost under control.

Then I see what you guys have to pay in Dumaguete the prices seem so high I saw someone selling a house for 1.2 million makes me glad to have my home in Mindanao. Where the average Joe can afford to live like king..

 

Thats not bad teacher. I guess when you are able to supervise the construction with your own materials the cost can be kept down. In Dumaguete the use of contractors starts to add to the costs. My wife built a same size house without the tile for her parents for around 400,000 but they built it themselves on their own land. Thats why I wish I had some constuction experience, I would love to build my own house but I just don't have the knowledge or skill. I guess if I could do some volunteer time with Habitat or a like organization I can pick something up that I can put to good use.

 

The Building isn’t that hard it is the lifestyle that’s hard..

You have family members that can help you build a nice house. You would be surprised how much you really know about building a house just from what you have seen being done in America. But honestly you have to keep the house practical don’t go overboard making it to western you can save more than I did. Just keep the house simple because that is the lifestyle in the Philippines. Really why do we want to live in the Philippines? For me the answer was to simplify my life. I want to relax and enjoy what was left of my life.

And dragging my American lifestyle with me was not the answer to living a simple life in the Philippines. Filipino’s really understand simple living and what is important in life. It really isn’t having so many comforts. I know life for us is almost impossible without our creature comforts. We learned to live with them; we can learn to live without some of them. A western lifestyle is an imported way of living so the cost is even higher than in the west it is almost twice of three times the cost, than in the west. Even the simple things like shaving cream it cost three times more in the Philippines than back home.

To look at my house it is very simple on the outside no Filipino is impressed with the outside of my home they say it looks like a school. But when they walk inside the oo’s and aw’s start then they always say how luxurious the inside of my house looks. But for me I wanted my comforts and like in the west it is the inside that counts not the outside, which in the Philippines is so very different for them the outside is the most important. Never could understand that. I am a westerner so there are something’s I know that no westerner can ever understand. I guess the most important part is you have to change your attitude to live here not just your global location. The Philippines or any where you are can be heaven or hell it is what you make of it. Because when it comes to push or shove you are the person who has to adjust.

 

Well, yes the poor ones understand simple living...mainly because they have no choice. Once they get some decent incomes they want better...and when they have huge incomes - it often becomes obscene. I had an interesting conversation with one of the sugar barons many years ago at his palace - and I'll never forget it....he was explaining why he prefers Maserati's to Ferrari's and going into great detail (I wish it had been Camry's and Accord's - so I had a clue). Then he showed me around the palace, and the fleet of luxury vehicles...If he turned every electrical 'convenience' on at the same time Negros would brown-out...until his megawatt generator system switched on. Very impressive also was his 'wife' - the real wife was off living somewhere else in 'exile'...and his young replacement for her was a 15 on a 1-10 scale. LOL, when they got the bucks - the nipa hut and dried fish are forgotten very quickly.

 

...do you talk about the sugar baron or about most expat's ... hehe

you may safe money while building a house with family-members and relatives, but you will loose hundred times more with "supporting" them the rest of your lifetime....
Never build a house somewhere, where relatives can travel to your place in less than 48 hours...

 

yeah you are right...

Well nobody can argue with rhoody on that one. His point is a true, just a fact of life when you have a Filipina wife. But really as most of us know living in the Philippines or not you have to curse Alexander Graham Bell. I cringe when ever my wife’s cell phone rings. If you are 48 hours or a country away nothing will change if there is a problem the riches member of the family has a duty. So get her sister married to someone richer than you. LOL

garbonzo what you said is true too but you are talking about less than 1% of the people in the Philippines. Expats come with the best intentions and a serious lack of understanding. But no one can tell you how to live here, just give a little advise what not to do. You really have to live there to learn. What works for one may not work for you.

Their are many books you can read but they can't really prepare you for life in the Philippines. That is the very reason I am working to go back home to the Philippines and start again I learned so much there for the university of hard knocks in the Philippines, I wish this forum was around before I came to the Philippines, but alas it wasn't. I really don't know of a better place than Dumaguete forum for information and help for people coming and living in the Philippines. really think about it.

Almost every place else is trying to sell you books and secrets on how to live in the Philippines. what a joke!!!!they are, I bought, I think three books it all looked to perfect and it was the truth in a way but they left out facts that would have better prepared a person to be here. I love the Philippines would never want to live any place else. No matter the problems it is worth it.

 

... ask my GF how many Peso went out of my wallet to her family the last 6 years... (not including her little one living with us), but it wouldn't buy a single burger at jollybee.... you just need to make that very clear from the first second and don't fall for monster-tears out of BIIIIIG brown eyes...

the "rich-one is in duty" - tale is also one of the stories too many believe and is simply not true, there is just no way out of it anymore if somebody gives the the first peso to relatives.

Garbonzo last sentence is not about 1%. saw many "friendships" breaking up cause of a few bucks involved and suddenly this people are something better and don't talk to "old" friends anymore. When the "moneyrain" (or in some cases western union support) stops and nothing is left they come crawling to your door again begging for help and friendship.

What was that with the loosing-face-thingy and pride in the Philippines???? ...but hey, never got my bike that clean for a hand full rice... hehe

anyway, going back to the topic.

Rino's Design Center
Architectural Works, Design Services, Building Plans, Plumbing Works and Construction
severinosantiago@yahoo.com

don't know if he is cheap, but I know he is good. tell him you come from Dumagueteinfo and ask for discount... hehe

Rhoody