Perimeter Walls

[fred]

Most everyone seems to have hollow block walls around their property. We have a 1,500 sqm lot on Panglao, around which we want a wall and gate. A neighbor claims to have experience building such walls. He wants to dig 1 meter below ground level and lay hollow blocks until the wall is 2 meters above ground level.  We want decorative wrought iron on the top. Dimensions of the lot are approximately 24m x 62.5m. We want the wall for noise abatement as well as security.

 

The price would be P1.1 million. That seems like it may be too much. Should we get another estimate of costs? I want to know why it would be necessary to dig 1 meter below ground level. Is that standard practice? If so, why? Digging down from 16 to 30 cm would be sufficient, in my opinion.

 

To the O/P..

Thanks for the PM... Yes its me BTW!!

No need to dig down 1 meter for perimeter walls as its probably solid lime stone.. A couple of feet will do but still best to put in a solid reinforced beam all around for the blocks to sit on..

We still have our workers here from Manila for about 3 more months.. If you think you can put them to use before they go home..Give me a shout..

Hollow blocks are not cheap right now as trucks still cannot take their traditional route because of earth quake damaged bridge..(around 15 Pesos each right now)

BTW...Lunch is on me next time!!

Cheers,

Fred.

Edited May 20, 2014 by fred

[Dave Hounddriver]

This is across from another thread but I want to put this thought out there . .  Is it really worth building high walls?  Thomas commented:

 

If I can afford it, I aim at building the bottom floor (=garage and "cellar" but above ground) as a "fortress", and the second floor as a common bungalow  

 

I have noticed that most homeowners, filipino and expats alike, build perimeter walls and other basic security.  I have noticed that the filipinos more often build walls of up to 6 feet while I have noticed many foreigners with walls of 8 ft in height to as high as 15 ft in height.  I have noticed young filipino lads climbing over each of these walls with equal ease if they have a mind to do so.  They are climbers!!! Height is no barrier to them.

 

I would build a 6 foot high solid wall so that the average guy cannot see over it.  What the eye don't see, the heart don't grieve.  Then I would put in whatever other security features I feel needed, such as cameras, dogs, motion detectors, armed guard or whatever makes me comfortable.  My only point here is that a wall over 6 feet high is a waste of money.

[Medic Mike]

This is across from another thread but I want to put this thought out there . .  Is it really worth building high walls?  Thomas commented:

 

 

 

If I can afford it, I aim at building the bottom floor (=garage and "cellar" but above ground) as a "fortress", and the second floor as a common bungalow  

 

I have noticed that most homeowners, filipino and expats alike, build perimeter walls and other basic security.  I have noticed that the filipinos more often build walls of up to 6 feet while I have noticed many foreigners with walls of 8 ft in height to as high as 15 ft in height.  I have noticed young filipino lads climbing over each of these walls with equal ease if they have a mind to do so.  They are climbers!!! Height is no barrier to them.

 

I would build a 6 foot high solid wall so that the average guy cannot see over it.  What the eye don't see, the heart don't grieve.  Then I would put in whatever other security features I feel needed, such as cameras, dogs, motion detectors, armed guard or whatever makes me comfortable.  My only point here is that a wall over 6 feet high is a waste of money.

A lot of the pinoy walls I have seen in Cebu are lined with jagged pieces of glass on the top. I would not be too keen to climb those :).

[Dave Hounddriver]

A lot of the pinoy walls I have seen in Cebu are lined with jagged pieces of glass on the top. I would not be too keen to climb those .

 

That is true but it is also true that you can scrape off most of the glass with a rock and throw the neighbors laundry on top of whats left to climb over the wall and break in the front door.  At least that is what was done to me in a house I rented.

[Thomas]

I would build a 6 foot high solid wall so that the average guy cannot see over it.

But if they get over, then the neighbours don't see thieves, so they can make the burglary much EASIER...   :)

 

IF I would live in a city, I would have a fence, which can be looked through, there to keep stray dogs and peeing Filipins away  :)

 

But I will settle rural with no neighbours. When having a garage, there will be NO NEED of a fence, if I don't need to keep away neighbour cows or such. But of security reason it can be good to have some height advantage if some violent criminal come there.

[Medic Mike]

 

A lot of the pinoy walls I have seen in Cebu are lined with jagged pieces of glass on the top. I would not be too keen to climb those .

 

That is true but it is also true that you can scrape off most of the glass with a rock and throw the neighbors laundry on top of whats left to climb over the wall and break in the front door.  At least that is what was done to me in a house I rented

Buy a bunch of hungray feral street dogs for your side of the fence...problem solved :hystery:  :hystery:

[Dave Hounddriver]

That is true but it is also true that you can scrape off most of the glass with a rock and throw the neighbors laundry on top of whats left to climb over the wall and break in the front door.  At least that is what was done to me in a house I rented.

 

IF I would live in a city, I would have a fence, which can be looked through, there to keep stray dogs and peeing Filipins away 

 

In the situation I mentioned It was an iron rail wall along the front so people could and did see the guys coming over the concrete wall on the side.  Makes no difference.  When the police asked the neighbors, they said they saw nothing, and then told us afterwards that they did see but they do not talk about it to the police.  Happened about 2 in the afternoon while we were at SM Mall and a dog may have helped but we had none at the time.  This happened about 5 years back.

 

And yes, filipinos still pee against the iron railing and don't give a damn if you look.

 

Edit:  I learned from this that it is more about the area you live in than the height and type of the wall.  I moved from that area right after this event and I am careful where I rent now.  You develop a gut feeling about certain areas with time and experience.

Edited May 22, 2014 by Dave Hounddriver

[Thomas]

 

That is true but it is also true that you can scrape off most of the glass with a rock and throw the neighbors laundry on top of whats left to climb over the wall and break in the front door.  At least that is what was done to me in a house I rented.

 

IF I would live in a city, I would have a fence, which can be looked through, there to keep stray dogs and peeing Filipins away 

 

In the situation I mentioned It was an iron rail wall along the front so people could and did see the guys coming over the concrete wall on the side.  Makes no difference.  When the police asked the neighbors, they said they saw nothing, and then told us afterwards that they did see but they do not talk about it to the police.  Happened about 2 in the afternoon while we were at SM Mall and a dog may have helped but we had none at the time.  This happened about 5 years back.

 

And yes, filipinos still pee against the iron railing and don't give a damn if you look.

 

Edit:  I learned from this that it is more about the area you live in than the height and type of the wall.  I moved from that area right after this event and I am careful where I rent now.  You develop a gut feeling about certain areas with time and experience.

Well. Not so odd your neighbours didn't dare to tell the police, risking having to be witness if it go to court,

but if you have a good contact with the neighbours, I suppouse they can CALL the police to come and stop the thieves in action.

 

I don't want to SEE them peeing  :lol:      that was just to have ANY fence to keep them AWAY enough from peeing on the house.

 

Yes, sure the neighbourhood is very important for risk for burglary, in bad neighbourhoods or to close to such.

As far as I know, the three Swedes, who I talked about in some other topic concerning living among Filipins and not need to pay "kano prices", have never been robbed or have burglary where they live (East Bohol and northwest of MetroManila) while he, who lived at Panglao, Bohol got his garbage stolen  :hystery:

[Medic Mike]

There is one back alley that the taxi's always take as a short cut from Ayala to Banilad, this alley has very high perimeter walls, much to the detriment to this part of town. Driving through it during the night, and locals urinating on the walls is not the worse thing you will see in this alley. :1 (103):  :1 (103):

[robert k]

I wonder how an earth bag constructed wall would compare price wise with a CHB wall?