Gates to our lot

 

Our lot

This week is a very important one for us as its the first opportunity we have had to purchase the land for our house. Currently we are looking to build a property similar to that shown in the photo below.

not everyones cup of tea but I love the design due to it being simple. Im not into over complicating things much rather have 2 simple homes than headaches of constructing something over complex and unneeded.

The plan is just to give location. We will likely build the main structure then look at internal layout later due not being in Cebu at the moment sorting out where water/electric supplies enter the building and waste leaves still need to be sorted. but towards the point of the triangle a decked area and garden will be built. The Right angle the entrance gate and drive will be fitted. With the other areas housing a BBQ and trees for shade.

Well thats something it will hopefully soon look like... Prepare for what it looks like at the moment.

As you can see its a big work in progress. But one of the things we are trying to do is keep some of the original trees. Currently Bananas and Coconuts are growing on the property. Just hoping we dont have to cut too much of it down.

There are people working on the Lot today cutting down the high grass and pulling the weeds. The trees and plants will be staying until at least August when im home. We are also looking to put to some use bits of the land to create some pig bedding for the Piggery which is also being built this week on another lot. Photos of both projects and updates are to follow. Several people have said that there isnt much profit in farm yard Animals but im hoping we can prove not only is there money to be made but its sustainable. We will unfold ideas and projects over the next few months showing how things can be done.

1st May 2008

There has been a lot going on lately which has kept my wife and family busy while ive been away. Its times like these you realise how much trust you put in other people and they are all doing a great job. April is great with budgets and keeps finances under control. My father inlaw has a lot of experience and built his own house including all the metal windows and metal roof structure due to being a skilled and gifted welder.

So far the Piggery has had the trench dug out and the block building has begun.

DAY1

DAY 2

The metal bars being fitted.. I would advise anyone thinking of carrying out a construction project in the near future to purchase the bars asap. The prices are going up and up due to the worldwide demand on metal. But just make sure you have somewhere to store them safe.

Bad weather stops play.

At this point I was starting to think the work would be dragging on with the storms then today I received the folowing photos

Its things like this you realise how much you can trust people. Aprils Parents have overlooked the projects while im away due to April presently looking after our daughter. As expected they have done a great job of organising things and supervision of the workers. Aprils dad is also a skilled worker and im glad to have someone who I know has knowledge looking after things.

Our lot

The lot has now been cut back and weeded. We have decided to keep the trees and plants as long as possible in the hope to keep most of them around the house. Nothing like fresh bananas and coconuts. Hopefully will add several other plants such as mangos to the stock.

Labour rates vary depending on what is needed on a site and its location. The work we had carried out here cost one day two guys and P500.

Other work undergoing at the moment is a bit of finishing work on the house we have in family compound. Which included having the walls skimmed over as shown below :-

Final costings will be added later. But it finishes off our small garden at the back of our house well. A little bit more work with a couple of lights added and it will be ideal for eating out in on the evening. We have a lot of plants which you cant see on this picture and some herbs we are growing. I brought a lot of seeds in from the UK to trial but most have died due to the heat. But we are looking to trial some in shaded areas under the palm trees to see how they fair. The biggest issues ive found with the concrete in RP is a lot of the time its drying out too fast and cracking is caused, the hollow blocks are very brittle which is why we are looking to buy our own small block making equipment to improve the mix and guarantee good blocks.

Slight editorial here. This WAS our house, which was kindly taken off us via a relative. Waited until all the work has been done including building the place before "charging rent". No issue before but now its "just business". So be warned only work on land you and your wife own or with people you know you can trust. Its cost us around P200k, the loss of our home and the trust we have with a lot of relatives. My big question would be was it worth it? There have been a lot of the family projects scrapped and divides have materialised. Just be warned this is a very common problem and take action in advance. Dont assume things and keep your eyes open.