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Our Retirement Locale
After our latest trip to Davao this past winter we have finalized our retirement location. It is in the outskirts of Davao City (about 20 mins from city center, no traffic View Rancho Palos Verdes in a...
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Lot 41 / 21 Home Sweet Home
I recently posted that we had finally decided and purchased our retirement lot. It is located in the Subdivision Rancho Palos Verdes within the Barangay of Mandug / Indangan Davao City, Mindanao. It is...
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The Next House is the Last House
You have read about our retirement location and the specifics regarding where our property is. Now its time to introduce you to your home design. Our property if you remember is located within a gated...
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A House is not a Home without a “Cool Roof”
Roofs are responsible for up to 50% of home’s cooling loads. And that means large air-conditioning bills. If your home overheats in summer and hot weather, reflective roofs and insulation are excellent...
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Choosing a Architect / Builder in the Philippines
When it comes to choosing an Architect for building a custom home in the Philippines the process is a bit more involved than in the US. Architects in the states design / draft the plans so that a...
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“Dirty Kitchen” Will / Does your Retirment Home Have One
Implying that someone has or want’s a “dirty kitchen” in the west would be considered somewhat rude, but in the Philippines its a normal thing. Open Air Dirty Kitchen Wood Burning The term “dirty...
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Living Local Part 2 (Rental Houses)
In a follow up to an earlier post Living Local, I wanted to delve deeper into what you can do to “Live Local” and save tons of money on your next trip to the Philippines. Inevitably in your lead up to...
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A Room The Size Of A Closet
Will you delegate your maid to live in a closet? If you accept a pre-designed home in the Philippines then probably yes. Most higher end homes in the Philippines come with a designated maid’s room. The...
View ArticlePhilippines Building Projects
Today we are introducing a new category of posts that will contain detailed “construction logs” by everyday people in the Philippines. They are building their retirement homes. Under categories /...
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Isabela House (Construction Log 1) Plans and Site Inspection
The Isabela House is the retirement home of Andy Hyner. Andy is from London, England and moved to the Philippines in 2009. He designed the house based off size cues from his house back in England. The...
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Isabela House (Construction Log 2) Site Marking
After the plan for our lot having been approved, it was marking out day when the boundaries of our land were permanently marked by short, round concrete posts set into the ground. So the engineer...
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Isabela House (Construction Log 4) Lot Marking Pt. 2 & Backfill Preparation
At 6.30 am this morning our door bell sounded and it was the senior engineer from our contractor together with the project foreman he has appointed. They just called on their way to our lot where they...
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Isabela House (Construction Log 7) Back Fill & Box Construction
Progress is being made at last. Lorries are now delivering gravel directly onto the back fill area saving considerable shoveling and wheelbarrowing. The men worked yesterday (Sunday) and even today...
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Isabela House (Construction Log 9) Box Construction
Things are beginning to take shape and in the absence of the release of the building permits the site is being prepared in every other way short of pouring concrete. So in a sense concreteless progress...
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Isabela House (Construction Log 11) Foundation and Floors
The first concrete floors of our house are made. So far the floors of the garage, lanai, laundry and dirty kitchen have been completed. Waving around are all the colored pipes carrying the different...
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Isabela House (Construction Log 12) Going Up! (Walls That Is)
The first walls are constructed for the parking/garage/storeroom using the box system of construction. The window openings in the front wall are prepared using prefabricated curved shapes. Despite its...
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Isabela House (Construction Log 18) Roof Continues / Fence Planning Beginnings
The Northcon crew were steaming ahead today. Lots of activity in every area of the house and many skills/craftsmanship in evidence. I feel a certain buzz of excitemen as I wander through the rooms of...
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Isabela House (Construction Log 20) Work Continues & Fence Permits Revisited
When we arrived at the site a couple of days ago, from a distance, it looked as if they had already installed insect screens in two windows of the Mangligot house. On closer inspection we realized that...
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Isabela House (Construction Log 25) Windows & Contractors
As the team continued with the wall footings in the background we could see the the first window installed in the front wall of the master bedroom. The first insulation and roofing also appeared on the...
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Isabela House (Construction Log 27) Details Details
Over half the roof of the Hyner house is now metal tiled. Great sheets of the stuff have been pulled up on the roof for the past three days. Inside a variety of work continues. Ceiling panels are going...
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