Building a Home in Davao

[Tommy T.]

9 hours ago, KC813 said:

Looking at that 2nd picture, is that metal framing for the deck?  And 1 1/2" decking material?  Looks like a pretty solid structure!  With the overhead trellis, what are your plans for utilizing this space?

I have really enjoying living through you on this build.  If you don't publish this record you created electronically or in book form, you're missing a great opportunity!

 

Yeah... all the framing is steel. My God!!! so much steel to build a small lanai! Many 2x6 steel beams. And the wood is treated 2x4 or 2x6 pine from New Zealand.

This is a space to just hang out some times but also the roof will allow us to keep the large sliding door open during rainy times.

Thanks for your kind comments, KC... I might just try to publish this already public record some day. Now it's time to relax with my girl, maybe a beer or wine and, of course, my Tanduay! The lanai deck should be finished today or tomorrow...

[RBM]

5 minutes ago, Tommy T. said:

Yeah... all the framing is steel. My God!!! so much steel to build a small lanai! Many 2x6 steel beams. And the wood is treated 2x4 or 2x6 pine from New Zealand.

 

may have mentioned this Tommy, if its NZ pine be sure to treat often as the termites here just love it.

[Tommy T.]

28 minutes ago, Snowy79 said:

Just a quick observation Tommy. To me it looks like a good access point for a burglar with the roof of the decking being so close to the fence.  Seeing how locals get coconuts I think the average one could have access easily to your upstairs windows in seconds. 

I'd also fit some guttering to catch the rain from the roof and divert it away to maybe a water butt for watering the gardening. 

Hi Snowy...

Yes... the proximity of the roof to the fence is a bit of a concern. However, the next door neighbour has many dogs that bark at the sound of a cricket... It is also a quiet road and purok here where everything is noticed. We still need to get the cctv system connected and probably also a burglar alarm system for doors and windows.

Of course, nothing will keep out determined or career criminal types...but we will do our best. The word from the purok "captain" is that this is a safe and quiet neighbourhood. It is also out of the way from most traffic, with slippery, muddy road.

At this time, we are not planning for guttering from the roof. The garden will start right at the edge of the deck. But...things change and develop...

[Tommy T.]

5 minutes ago, RBM said:

may have mentioned this Tommy, if its NZ pine be sure to treat often as the termites here just love it.

Yes...  Thanks for the advice, RBM...

Even though it has already been "factory" treated, I had the boys do another treatment with a Solignum wood sealer. I plan that to be an annual event - like I did with a smaller deck in Seattle. There we didn't have termites, exactly, but "carpenter ants." Same difference.

After 10 years, the deck there still looked like almost new. There are sealers available here similar or the same as Thompson's Water Seal which I used before. The only problem is that the sealer makes the wood slippery after rain for a few weeks, so extra caution is required after each application.

Edited December 18, 2020 by Tommy T.

[Jake]

2 hours ago, Tommy T. said:

The word from the purok "captain" is that this is a safe and quiet neighbourhood. It is also out of the way from most traffic, with slippery, muddy road.

That's a great move, knowing the purok capitan.  I think a nice Christmas gesture (imported alcohol) and a cartoon of smokes would bring a smile to his face.  Well done shipmate.  

[Tommy T.]

3 hours ago, Jake said:

That's a great move, knowing the purok capitan.  I think a nice Christmas gesture (imported alcohol) and a cartoon of smokes would bring a smile to his face.  Well done shipmate.  

L and I made it a point to meet with him a couple of weeks ago. We gave him P1k as an offer to assist with the clean-up that they seem to do here along the access road. He was pleased and noted it down in an official purok log book with the amount and my name. He was very official and we appreciated his approach. It turns out that I am the first and only foreigner in this purok... Everyone knows now about our new home, me and all. It seems okay, even though I try to be private, I guess I am now a bit of a local celebrity...

He, the captain, pledged that he and the others would look after me (us). I have no reason to doubt him...

[Tommy T.]

4 hours ago, Jake said:

That's a great move, knowing the purok capitan.  I think a nice Christmas gesture (imported alcohol) and a cartoon of smokes would bring a smile to his face.  Well done shipmate.  

Well... maybe nothing imported, but I will make an effort to share a bottle of Tanduay and see about the cigarettes. He is an old guy and very nice to us...

Ilicite alcohol is not a problem here... As stated in another post somewhere, the trade in alcohol has just moved below the radar and is now a bit more expensive than before...

Edited December 18, 2020 by Tommy T.

[Tommy T.]

I mentioned before that these boys do good work when directed.

Check this out... When living on the yacht, I learned that things were supposed to be uniform, clean and proper...

So I also instructed the workers here to do the same on our lanai/deck...

Please note how they made sure to align the cross on the phillips screw heads so that they were all "aligned." All screws on the yacht were always aligned perfectly - from the factory.

Yeah... I know this was a bit anal... but...why not? Maybe some of them will learn and try to perfect their work? And....maybe not. It's a tiny part of my attempts to teach quality. L agrees that it is good to at least try...

Edited December 21, 2020 by Tommy T.

[hk blues]

4 hours ago, Tommy T. said:

I mentioned before that these boys do good work when directed.

Check this out... When living on the yacht, I learned that things were supposed to be uniform, clean and proper...

So I also instructed the workers here to do the same on our lanai/deck...

Please note how they made sure to align the cross on the phillips screw heads so that they were all "aligned." All screws on the yacht were always aligned perfectly - from the factory.

Yeah... I know this was a bit anal... but...why not? Maybe some of them will learn and try to perfect their work? And....maybe not. It's a tiny part of my attempts to teach quality. L agrees that it is good to at least try...

If I may say, Tom, getting the contractors to align the crosses on the screw heads is perhaps a step too far.  From my experience, you are p***ing in the wind as far as teaching old dogs new tricks.  

Just my tuppence worth.  

[Tommy T.]

Yes... Maybe... But so far so good and the boys are fine with it. Fortunately there is no wind today... And Jake is not here to pee into it either!