Building a Home in Davao

[Tommy T.]

15 hours ago, Viking said:

I thought all electrical appliances sold in Philippines where without a ground? So why bother with grounded outlets?

Now I expose my ignorance about electricity again 

My knowledge about appliances sold here is still quite limited - so far only a washing machine and water dispenser. Each one of those has a yellow/green ground wire hanging at the back.

Edit: I remembered I also bought a computer printer. There are no metal parts accessible to the touch, so I guess there is no need for a ground connection? At least, none is provided...

The small appliances - like the blender - just have the standard two prong plugs. So I will need to find ways to connect the danglers. 

I feel fortunate that the electrician sub-contractor really is an electrician and knows his stuff. Installing grounded outlets is unusual here, but not unheard of. I wanted this after having experienced 220 volt zingers from ungrounded and mis-wired outlets when sitting on a cement floor in the Marshal Islands one day while connecting up a computer system at the hardware store where I was consulting...

11 hours ago, Huggybearman said:

Most are, it’s true, but there are quite a few that are sold with a grounded plug. Like many of us I am sure, I have appliances from my home country, the UK and Thailand where we lived previously. They have different, grounded, plugs. A selection of the different types we currently have in use: 

 

 

 

 

I am not a great fan of using adapters to make them fit, so in our new construction I propose fitting this type

 

Together with a few of these at strategic points around the house.

 

I agree that your plan is the most comprehensive way to do this, but I think the ones I chose should work for the majority of, if not all, plug-in gear at our new house. I think the slanted prong plugs are only used in Oz/Kiwiland? I don't have nor expect to have any appliances from those countries.

Edited June 6, 2020 by Tommy T.

[Huggybearman]

4 hours ago, Tommy T. said:

I agree that your plan is the most comprehensive way to do this, but I think the ones I chose should work for the majority of, if not all, plug-in gear at our new house. I think the slanted prong plugs are only used in Oz/Kiwiland? I don't have nor expect to have any appliances from those countries.

I have never come across the slanted pin type over here either, and the larger three pin plug from the UK also, so the type of outlet you have selected should cover all your needs. But we have several appliances from the UK which have the molded fitted plug so not easy to change to Philippine local ones.

[hk blues]

On 6/5/2020 at 5:25 PM, Viking said:

I thought all electrical appliances sold in Philippines where without a ground? So why bother with grounded outlets?

Now I expose my ignorance about electricity again 

Most stuff here is 2-pin but not all - "heavy" stuff like A/C units/Stoves/Shower heaters often have the 3rd pin and sometimes even TVs do as well as many imported appliances.  If it were me, I'd install 3-pin outlets to cover all (OK - most)  eventualities.  The 1 or two we have are "dummy" in that there isn't a 3rd wire connected but at least we can plug in the appliance.  

[Tommy T.]

Yesterday brought us to another visit to the home build... 

Things are progressing... Instead of 11 guys working onsite, there are now only 8. The ones that moved on are already on another site and are all cement masons (or mason wannabe's...)

Over the past few days L and I have been running around to at least 5 or more stores looking for the "perfect" lights for the inside and outside of our home. We still need to pick out a few more things, but we are almost done with that shopping spree...

The usual photo... but this time, if you look carefully, you can see the stainless steel and mild steel railing for the roof terrace.

This view shows it better. Now the lighting circuits have been roughed in for the awnings, too.

We also picked out the wood pieces for moldings around windows, doors and between walls, floors and also ceilings.

The stair lighting circuit is in place and...

A test of one of the short lights is a success! These are going to be soooo cool!!!

The stairs from below looking up to the second floor.

One of the "pin" lights or, as we call them in USA - "can" lights... ready for installation.

Another view of the stair light being tested.

We also finalized the design for the kitchen cabinets and the window people will meet us on Saturday to finalize window pricing, layout and configuration. So many things happening all at once!

 

Edited June 12, 2020 by Tommy T.

[Tommy T.]

And for you, @GeoffH... here is a photo of a propane valve with gauge that they sell in Citi Hardware...

 

[Tommy T.]

Today was exciting for us at the home site...

We met with two engineers who work for the window company we chose - Philips Glass - to finalize the window configurations. It was good that we all were there because we made a few more changes regarding which windows will open and where they will be located. So now we wait about a week or so for them to manufacture the windows, then it will take about a week for them to install them.

As soon as the kitchen windows are installed, the kitchen cabinet company will come in and install the cabinets...

Meanwhile, the boys were installing the roofing over the laundry/CR/dirty kitchen areas along with styrofoam insulation with foil backing. They were also working on the roofing over the top of the house, finally. I want to ask them why that was scheduled as one of the last items rather than earlier on... They will need to make some adjustments because the original roof design was rather flat and the foreman was concerned that it would not drain properly or completely from the embossed pattern of the steel. They will raise the high side of the roof an additional 20 cm in order to increase drainage flow.

And the electrician has been a very busy guy! He has already installed many "pin" lights (that we call "can" lights in USA), two ceiling fans and some dome lights too. I think he has also installed at least some of the "cove" lights.

Downspouts from the roof drains.

The new gutter and roofing preps over the CR, laundry and dirty kitchen.

Roofing going in over the laundry and dirty kitchen. You can easily see the foil part of the insulation.

Roofing ready to install...

Big-ass roll of insulation ready to go.

Living room 52" ceiling fan - Westinghouse. I wanted Hunter, but Wilcon is discontinuing that line and I didn't trust something else that they carry called "Laze?" or something like that. Never heard of it but have heard good things about Westinghouse. Note also the pin lights installed. We chose a type that has plastic covers which will prevent insects from getting inside.

A smaller ceiling fan for the dining area....and more pin lights!

Pin light and dome light installed in the downstairs guest bedroom.

My supervisor on the roof deck enjoying the view and testing the new safety railings.

There will be a small awning over the door from the stairs to the roof deck.

Summing it up for today - we are pleased.It's still slower than we would like, but we think the work is being done correctly. I am sure the foreman is shaking his head sometimes when considering some of our ideas... But he goes along with them and points out potential problems that we don't always catch.

So I bought them 2 bottles of Tanduay and just one for me...! And always a big thank you to the boys for their work.

Edited June 13, 2020 by Tommy T.

[GeoffH]

You're house is coming along really nicely Tommy... but you have the patience of Job.

I'd be pulling my hair out by now (what's left of it) 

[jimeve]

Coming along nicely. How wide is the span of the canopy's over the windows and door?

[Tommy T.]

23 minutes ago, GeoffH said:

You're house is coming along really nicely Tommy... but you have the patience of Job.

I'd be pulling my hair out by now (what's left of it) 

Thanks Geoff... not as much to pull out as before, so maybe that's a help?

Edit: And that's why God created Tanduay! It helps me keep my sanity as I watch the coffers rapidly drain away...

Oh... and I really forgot to mention L's almost endless patience with me (sometimes I have a wicked temper and let fly with nasty comments and sarcasm... she helps throttle me down from my incipient outbursts). Also, she is a wonderful translator and her background from building her own home has proven invaluable with this project.

And... as one of the kids (the two engineers from the window place were so cute) put it..., "We are not helping you build your house, we are helping you build your home!"

My sentiments exactly... and that helps. I just keep thinking ahead about relaxing in a lounge chair in the living room after a nice meal with wine... Then I switch on the stair lights, turn off the other lights and the Stairway to Heaven awaits... 

 

Edited June 13, 2020 by Tommy T.

[Tommy T.]

3 minutes ago, jimeve said:

Coming along nicely. How wide is the span of the canopy's over the windows and door?

I really can't answer that, Jim... I can only say - and I am not trying to be a smart-ass - wide enough?

But all doors and windows should have some sort of awning, according to what my supervisor tells me...

Any windows that will not have much protection will be "awning" opening type. This way we might experience less air flow in light breezes, but we should be able to leave them open in all but heavy, blowing rain... At least that's the wisdom today... I will let you know in a few months how that really works.