In America, an architectural firm, especially in residential architecture draws the plans and elevations for construction. In house or with associations we would provide all structural, electrical and mechanical plans to give the client a full set of plans to take to the building department for permitting.

The best view the client would get was the black line, no more blue lines or blueprints, elevation drawings showing all four sides of the building. Sometimes we would draw basic interior elevations to show cabinets, built-ins or any specialty carpentry. At times the client would request a colored elevation for marketing.

For high end houses, especially if being build to sell, the developer would hire a company to do a perspective drawing. This style of drawing was usually drawn by hand and would give the look of a 3d representation. There were some specialty graphic companies that would make this perspective drawing look more like a photo, or at least more realistic. These drawings were for marketing brochures or advertisement. There were some 3d modeling programs on computer, but this type of service was expensive and timely.

I did not work with or know anybody who did this type of work in America. Then I moved to the Philippines and was hired for about seven months with an Engineering, Architectural and local building firm here in Davao. There I met a young man who started his career as a graphic artist before attending Architectural School.

This man is amazing; with the use of Google Sketchup or AutoDesk 3D modeling and 3D StudioMax he can take a floor plan and elevation and turn it into a 3D model. From this model he can show views that look as a photograph of a finished product or even a video walk-thru of what looks like someone with a video camera recoded their visit to a real home. He has also taken a photograph of a street and inserted a rendering of a building to show how the block will look after the new project is built.

With my contacts and lists of architect firms and developers in America, we teamed up and just opened a website offering these services. Even if you are not in the building trades or an architect, I think you will enjoy seeing his work. If you are in the industry, or know of someone who is, I would appreciate you letting them know about us. We offer amazing work with lower prices than you can get anywhere in the States, Canada, Europe or most anywhere.

The site is BestRender4U and I hope you will enjoy it. This is the beginning, over time we will add more examples and more U.S. style representations. Feel free to comment on your thoughts.

With this site, and many readers, I have been asked to get information for some people, answer questions, locate items and also assist people either moving here or once here finding places to rent. I always do my best to help when asked.

About three months ago, one of the readers here contacted me. He was soon to arrive in Davao and asked if I know of a nice apartment to rent on a monthly basis for his stay. He was planning an extended vacation and felt if he could rent a place cheaper than a hotel, and had the ability to cook some of his own meals, he could remain here for a few months. The day he arrived, he emailed me, and then sent me a text. I told him of about the apartelle I posted about on June 30th. Click here to read.
I also offered to meet him at his hotel and drive him to see the accommodations. As soon as he viewed the apartment available, he said he would take it. I drove him back to his hotel where he checked out, brought his luggage down and I drove him back. He became a real friend that day and stayed here 2 ½ months until he needed to return home quickly because of an illness in his family.

Last Friday I was contacted again by an American who just arrived in Davao and with a similar request. This man is planning to live here in Davao but wanted to locate a place to rent, fully furnished with all the amenities including wifi or internet access. I directed him to the article I had posted, and again as in the past, I offered to pick him at his hotel and drive him to see the apartments. I met him at 10 am at a nearby coffee shop and we talked a little, then I drove him and his girlfriend to see the apartment. Just as with the previous person, he liked it right away and I drove him back to check out of his hotel and after we stopped for lunch, I brought him to move in. Just as the first person I met and showed the apartment, we sat for a few hours talking and soon realized we felt comfortable with each other to be friends.

With both these people, they asked to pay me something for my time and gasoline. I told them to give me what they felt they thought was applicable and I was treated fairly.

Also from my time here, and my associations with tradesman and architects, I have been asked for design assistance and to possibly help with getting a house built. Many times someone has needed a painter, electrician, carpenter, mason or other building or repair needs.

Recently a friend replaced an old hot water unit in his shower. The new unit drew more current than the old one and after about a minute of use, it blew the breaker. He asked me if I had an electrician. I contacted my best contact and two hours later, I brought my electrician to his house. The electrician went into the attic, checked the wiring and gave his recommendations, a part list of needs and his fee for labor. My friend agreed and within two hours, the job was done.

Earlier this week, another friend contacted me. He bought a new range with a lift cover and an exhaust fan unit. Unfortunately his kitchen cabinet was too low to even raise the glass cover. My friend wanted to have the cabinet bottom raised, the exhaust fan wired and a hole to the outside for the exhaust outlet. I contacted my carpenter and the next evening brought him to my friend’s house. They discussed the project and my friend also realized with the location of the range, he would have room to add an “L” extension to the lower cabinet between the range and the existing cabinet. My carpenter looked over the project, made a parts list and decided it would take four days with him and a helper. He gave my friend the labor fee and my friend agreed. The project started Wednesday and on Friday I visited the house, most of the work was done and the tile on the cabinet extension was complete. It matched so well, once painted, it would look original. Saturday I met with my friend in the evening and asked about the project. He told me it was done and he was completely satisfied with the work and will keep my friend in mind for future needs.

After we hired our domestic helper, Elena was asked by a few friends if she could get helpers for them. Elena called her sister-in-law and about a week later, she came to Davao with three girls for Elena’s friends.

I enjoy these situations. I get to help foreigners that need assistance and also get to help Filipinos whom I know with their businesses. If I make a commission, that is fine, but not my main objective. Maybe someday it will turn into a real business or someone will offer me a position or a way to earn some income because of our connections.

One thing, because of my background, that interests me is the Architecture of the Philippines.

The original peoples used native resources to build their homes. These were made from bamboo and wood and long grasses for thatching of their roofs. These homes are known as Nipa Huts probably from the use of the Nipa Palm for a building material.

These homes would be placed above the ground on stilts to keep wild animals from easy entrance and ventilation from air passing below the house. The Moro’s on Mindanao would build a similar home but the posts would be places on a rock base used as a type of roller incase of earthquakes. I feel this also helped keeping the termite problem to a minimum.

These homes would usually be a one or two room configuration used for multipurpose. It was a meeting, eating and sleeping room. The roofs were grass thatching and would have a long overhang to help with shade and protection to the areas below.  The floors were usually made of split bamboo which would enable to allow dirt and food scraps to fall through to the ground below.

After the arrival and colonization by the Spanish stone or block wall construction was introduced and the homes had a more Spanish appearance or style and would be larger mansion style. Over time the Chinese style came onto the scene too.

After the Spanish American war the architecture developed into a more functional style with straight lines. Then there was World War II where a lot of the older buildings were destroyed and some others just fell to decay.

These days a lot of structures have a modern look, but with a lot of old style of thoughts.

In America homes have a more spacious look with larger rooms. Many here have smaller rooms in the private areas. The bedrooms are sized to contain the required items, but not extra room for comfort. There are usually no closets or areas for storage. CR’s are narrow and some do not even have a lavatory (sink). There is a shower head but no curb or shower enclosure.

A lot of the upper scale homes, especially the multi-story homes have large glass windows spanning the whole height of the structure. This is beautiful but without operable panels, it lets in light and heat without ventilation.

Homes and many commercial buildings are painted in bright colors. I was asked once “What do you think of Philippine Architecture?” My reply was “Bright, Bold and in your Face.” What I mean with this is the bright colors, larger gutter and cornice trims. I am not one in favor of the “minimalistic” style of architecture, but also not a fan of architecture that screams “Look at me.” But that is only my opinion.

As I have stated in other articles, I am also a fan of using natural ways to protect and ventilate the homes.

One thing I think is wonderful here, with the carpenters and craftsman, you can have beautiful panel doors made in any design or style you like. There are painters that can paint metal to look like fine grained woods.

As anywhere, if you plan to build, you need to look at different styles, understand what can be done with available materials and the wants verses budget constraints.

Many of us dream of building our own house in the Philippines. The first step is finding a lot. That is easy, there are Real Estate agents to help, sub-divisions all over or just drive the roads and look at the posted signs.

You do need to keep in mind, there are some scams where people are selling lots with phony titles. You need to have someone to go to the government office and make sure the title is legal.

You also need to remember, a foreigner cannot legally own land in the Philippines unless you receive it in an inheritance and that can be hard. I am not going to go into all the legalities involved. So let’s assume you have that lot and you want to build a house.

There are many Architects here in Davao and all over the Philippines. The services here are somewhat different. In America an architect will draw the plans for all the areas needed to build the house and make sure it will pass the local building codes. From there you find a builder or licensed General Contractor to get the contractors and sub-contractors to do the work.

Part of the Architects job is not only to get all the plans needed to build the house, he also will include a full bill of materials to determine all components needed and a price to build the house. Also part of his fee is to visit the project to make sure the house is built to the plans.

The typical type of construction here is masonry. They use the Post and Beam type of structure. That is concrete posts or columns vertically with concrete beams running horizontally. Then the walls are filled in with 4 inch masonry block. The interior walls are also 4 inch masonry block. After the block is laid and set, they come back and use a cement plaster to cover the finished wall. Over time, I have noticed cracks appear.

I have known from my work here for an Engineering and Architectural firm that higher end homes are using steel wall framing and using a concrete wall board. Hardie Flex is the product I have seen used. I have heard it can also be used for exterior walls. My only concern is sealing it to stop water and insect infiltration.

Doors and windows are usually made to fit the opening and there are some window companies that come to your location and cut and weld the window units on-site.

Roofing is mostly corrugated steel attached to steel trusses. There is some stamped steel roofing that looks like Spanish “S” tile or concrete tile. There is also tile roofing which means you have to have a plywood roof deck to attach the tiles to.

You do need to explain to your architect what type of house you want and your desire and needs since Philippine house design is different than American homes. Most Philippine houses do not have closets, bathrooms are narrow and storage is not thought of.

If you’re in the Davao area and need help in design or finding an architect or builder, feel free to contact me. In my time here I have developed a list of quality contractors, project managers and Architects. I am also available to manage the project to keep your project running smoothly with continual contact with you during the project.

I guess first I need to explain how most houses are constructed here in the Philippines.
The exterior and interior walls are made from a 4 inch thick masonry block. They are made with a low quality concrete and are not used as a structural element. There are formed and poured concrete columns and beams for structure and then the 4 inch block is more of just a fill.

If you watch the construction, the mortar joints are very uneven and there sometimes not full and smooth.
After the wall is up they use a concrete plaster to cover the exterior and interior walls like a stucco finish. This is their way of covering all mistakes. Unfortunately over time the plaster cracks.

If you ever want to add electrical or plumbing, you need to chip out the wall and then re-concrete it closed.

Back to my frustration;

Here for clothesline we use a thick gage steel wire. To attach it in the past to the wall I got plastic expansion anchors that you drill a hole and the screw expands the anchor. Well over time the concrete crumbles under the weight of wet cloths and fell out. I next got Sleeve Anchors but 2 of them failed too. Today using a bigger anchor the wall kept crumbling. I had to break out more of the hole, mix some concrete to fill it solid and as soon as it sets I will then try again.

Think how easy it is in the States where you have studs and drywall. Any time you want to hang a picture, you just use the thin nail and a picture hook. Here you need to get some item to attach to concrete.

I have to accept it since I have no choice but in the future, if I am able to build a house, all interior walls will be metal studs with either concrete board or regular drywall.

But a lot of the craftsman does not have the luxury to afford a lot of the tools we take for granted in the States.

Recently we needing some cement work and some tiles. The man we met through a friend is mainly a carpenter. But because most tradesmen need to work in other areas to complete a job, he is also a mason and a tile setter. He also was able to do some plumbing since we needed a sink replaced.

I have seen other forms of craftsman that surprised me. In the States if you need some fancy exterior molding or cornice work on a masonry structure they use a foam piece molded in the desired shape and then just stucco over it. Here it is done totally with cement mortar. When done it shows no ripples but smooth as if it was pre manufactured.

In America most interior doors are hollow core and in most cases is just compressed paper with wood frame. Here the interior doors are 6, 8 or 15 panel doors. They are hand made, and one of the best things is they are more soundproof.

Most interior walls are masonry. They mostly use a 4 inch by 16 inch hollow block and then a smooth coat of mortar is put over the block like a plaster coat.

Electricity is mostly run in a flexible PVC conduit. The bad part is if you want to add any electric receptacles they need to break open the wall, run the conduit and wiring and then close the wall back up with concrete.

Decent wood to build with is either expensive or of a low quality. Also since it is hot and humid here most of the year, termites are a problem. So because of this, as you can understand, concrete is the mostly used building material.

Roofs are mostly metal rafters with a metal covering. The coverings come in different styles. Rolled seamed and also some that look like tile.

I have not heard of the use of attic insulation so venting the roof is a good way to keep the house cooler.

From being in the architecture industry with home building, at first I was amazed by the way things are built, but I do not see any falling down and as the old saying “When in Rome ……”

I still remember when I moved to Florida from California. In California most homes are built with wood stud framing. When I was driving in Florida and saw masonry block exterior wall construction and metal stud for interior walls, I said to myself “Where is the wood”

So, you see, construction changes by country as well as regions within a country.

First let me tell you about houses in the Philippines. Houses or homes here are in many different styles and building materials. I do not want to show photos so I do not embarrass anyone who might have lived in a poorer type construction.

Houses here can be anything from a structure of woven fronds to a large masonry and modern home. There are “Nipa” style homes. Those are made from bamboo strips woven into wall panels.

There are also multi-family condos and townhouses being built in a lot of areas.

Also it is allowed to build to the property lines and all sides. The problem with that is you cannot have any windows or openings on those sides except facing the road.

The house we moved into is on the property line on the 2 sides and the rear. It does have an atrium on one side so the Master Bedroom and the dinning area has windows or French doors to get out and let fresh air in.

The house started out as a small masonry house and then a past owner added to the original house. It is now a 3 bedroom, 2 CR (bathroom) home. The Master bedroom, Master CR, the kitchen/dining room and Sala (Living room) are large. There is a second kitchen called a “dirty kitchen” which is like a prep kitchen and is also the access to the back bedroom. There is a second interior bedroom and a second CR.

The 2 CR’s, the dirty kitchen and the 2 smaller bedrooms have exhaust fans to blow out the hot air and bring in fresh air.

The Sala is at the front of the house with a door to the outside. The outside area is small and has just enough area for a small car and a flat area to put a couple of chairs.

Right now the 3 girls sleep in the rear bedroom and our nephew has the bedroom in the middle of the home.

It is comfortable but someday I would like to sell it and either buy or build something a little more modern.

In America and I would think most developed countries modern machines and technology has replaced a lot of manual labor.

Because of the overpopulation here and the minimum wage you see more people doing jobs that can be done faster with machinery.

One example is where we live. Down the street there are 2 houses adding additions to their homes. Instead of using a cement mixer to mix the mortar for the hollow block construction 2 or 3 men pile their sand and concrete in a pile, mix it well, then after pushing a depression in the center, they add water and mix with a shovel.

When they were installing the storm drain system, they also mixed the cement by hand to seal and attach each section of covert pipe.

You see another example shopping at the malls. Each department has sales people. Even though each item is tagged with the price, a salesperson has to write a receipt. Then you have to go to the register for that department. You cannot pick up something in the men’s department and then go to the ladies department to get something there.

As the register counter there is one person who checks the receipt with the tag then passes it to a person at the register. If you are using a credit card a third person has to write down the card number and transaction amount, go to a credit card machine to run the card and then bring the printout to the person at the register. After your transaction is complete the receipt and the merchandise is past to a final person to again check the tags to the receipt and then puts it in a bag. The bag is then sealed with a heat seal and the receipt is taped to the bag.

I guess this is a way to employ more people and save money on equipment. It is just one of those differences where you want to say “it is different where I come from” but we are not there anymore, we are here.

As time goes on, I know I will be more accustomed to things here, but if I get too accustomed what will I write about.