Continue reading]]> This elegantly finished house owned by a dentist in Pacific Grand Villas in Lapu-lapu City by the Chief Architect Edwin Jacob Roque himself is looking really grand but you’ll be surprised this is just finished with a mid budget. For those looking to finish elegantly with a modest budget this design is for you. The columns are all metal i-beams like the standard now in first world countries especially in Dubai and the USA. Using i-beams can achieve this type of build with your modest budget since i-beams can lower labor time and cost since you no longer have to go through the intricacies of building concrete columns with all its intricate metal works and form works. The interior finishes especially the kitchen, bathroom, and bed cabinetries are also modestly budgeted, but using good color contrasts black and gold gives it a casino hotel type of finish, well achieved by employing a veteran master painter and very experienced and highly skilled carpenters, masons, and painters…. [See image gallery at finefinish.cbu.asia]

Continue reading]]> This modest home of Denis and Isabel in Aldea del Sol Bankal Lapulapu City is so cleverly laid out that it is actually two homes in one. If you notice that door by the garage – it is actually the entrance to the second unit, and the first unit has its door at the left side of the house. The reason for this is that the subdivision do not allow duplex designs, thus it was decided that there will be a separation somewhere in the middle – yet the two units have shared access to the second floor terrace and to the third floor of the house. They will just have separate entry points at the ground floor and separate staircases to the second floor. Since the subdivision requires a mediterranean design, yet the owners prefer a modern Filipino design, the designer Jacob Roque decided to have the cube modern design but by adding the canopies – it will appear mediterranean.

The house has a lot of rooms and a total of 4 bathrooms, that when you access the house you will feel like you are in a beehive yet an elegant beehive designed for humans. [See image gallery at finefinish.cbu.asia]

Continue reading]]> This modern tropical home of Cris Fuentes is situated in Pacific Villa 1 Subdivision, Lapu-Lapu City, Cebu. The lot area is 120.00 square meters, with a total floor area of 187.00 square meters. Construction began in June 2020 and was move-in ready by December 2020.

This design by Edwin Jacob Roque makes efficient use of available property area. On the ground floor there is one bedroom, one full bathroom, maid’s quarter, service area, two-car parking space and open plan living, dining, and kitchen area. The second floor has three spacious bedrooms – each with an en-suite bathroom.

The whole home features clean and modern finishes with 60 x 60 cm glossy tiles. Windows are large to maximize airflow through the rooms to let in a lot of natural lighting. The whole home is semi-furnished with air conditioning in all bedrooms and living areas.

The efficient and functional designing makes for a modestly priced house within reach of anyone who can break through the cycle of renting forever. [See image gallery at finefinish.cbu.asia]

Continue reading]]> If you’re processing your building permit for the big cities like Cebu City, Mandaue City, or Lapu-lapu City and you get really difficult hurdles in the different departments in the city hall, even though you thought you have already attached all the necessary documents and your design is already good as per the building code, then know you might have encountered an unnecessary roadblock…

A specific department may require you very unnecessary documentations and will require you to change this or that aspect in the design even though it might already be what’s called an academic moot or unnecessary technicality then you will need to think outside of the box — remember you are dealing with a government employee. In our experience, dealing with big cities, it is where most of the difficult stages in the processing are found.

The best way to deal with that kind of difficulty is to access channels that can speak their language or to contact friends in that department if you have, if you don’t then that’s going to be extra difficult for you…

You will know you’ve been dealt with a difficult hand when you keep coming back for their corrections in the design and supplying the necessary correction or documents and still they wouldn’t let you through…

You will need someone in that department that can help you — someone who can vouch for you. That someone can be an employee in that department or someone in a different department but with higher powers or even a politician if you know one.

In our years of experience, we’ve already made come contacts with people who can help the permit processing…

Having that kind of connection will not only lessen the time needed to process the permit but will also give you an insider that will keep giving updates on the whereabouts of your permit, and you no longer have to keep coming back to that office and be exposed to the sick air we’re having around nowadays…

Let us know if you’ve encountered unnecessary road blocks in your permit processing and we’d be glad to help you out…

Continue reading]]> All you poly carbonate lovers out there – it looks beautiful and stunning when new with its sharp and bright color looking great as a roof for parking, prayer shacks, over pass, or canopies, but it gets ugly and breaks and even falls apart over time in just about 3-5 years – depending on weather conditions…

The most popular color is blue or transparent white and it is used mostly for canopies and parking sheds as it is light and makes less sound during rains, but its no match against the extreme power of the sun that breaks and consumes just about most things plastic. Let’s face it, poly carbonate is plastic based that’s why its less noisy when it rains compared to metal roofing, yet its more costly per sheet.

Builders and building owners usually prefer poly carbonate over metal roofing due to its beauty thus it was very popular 5-7 years ago, while not that everyone has seen its nasty side when it breaks and falls apart over time…

Another major attraction of the poly carbonate roofing is that it enables light to come through thus saving you some money on lighting costs…

Its popularity is steadily declining now. We hope its price decline would continue in the coming days so more people could use it and enjoy its beauty but just keep in mind that if ever it gets cheaper, it might still come out as expensive in the long run as you will have to replace it in 3-5 years depending on how hot the sun gets in your area… We’ll sometimes we don’t mind replacing it in 3-5 years as long as we can enjoy its beauty today…

Continue reading]]> Getting the materials for your project can be a daunting task especially if you’re not hiring your own driver to try to save operation cost or don’t even have a truck to avoid hiring a driver. Since you don’t really need a big truck everyday – how about you just use your supplier’s truck to deliver the materials on site for an additional fee – but the suppliers’ truck is not really always available as in the case when your supplier is a really large hardware like Vic Enterprises. Recently Vic Enterprises are focusing on the hardware retailers so they can supply the materials to them in “bulk” – we mean 16-wheeler articulated trailer truck type of “bulk”.

Vic is trying to focus on the retailer hardware for ease in logistics as small deliveries will just add to their already massive fleet of deliveries, so if your materials volume is not the 16-wheeler articulated trailer type of volume, Vic Enterprises wants you to bring your own truck to their warehouse and haul the materials yourself. Now if your trying to save on your cost by not hiring your own driver or maintaining your own truck, some entrepreneurial minded truck owners have come up with a solution for you. They are now on stand by at the new Vic Enterprises outlet in Tipolo Mandaue waiting for you to charter their truck and driver. Now this is a really smart solution if you don’t have your own truck or fleet. They charge minimal and you only pay as you go – or as you need them.

Now you can get your materials cheap and affordable like Vic Enterprises pricing without having to maintain your own truck or driver. [See image gallery at finefinish.cbu.asia]

Continue reading]]> You need a building permit for your structure because without it you cannot apply for electrical connection and water connection as they usually require it, and the Office of the Building Official (OBO) – the agency tasked to enforce the building permit – can also issue a violation against you, and they can even order a cease construction order, or worse a demolition.

Here are the usual requirements for the building permit application:

I. BARANGGAY CONSTRUCTION PERMIT. The baranggay level of government also has their own baranggay level ordinances and they need to check if your building and location is a suitable location for construction. They also need to check if you comply with the baranggay level ordinance on drainage and they also need to inform you of their garbage disposal procedures. They usually want to see a copy of your architectural blueprint, lot title, lot sketch plan, and the detailed bill of materials. Most baranggays have a flat permit fee which ranges from 800 pesos to as high as 5,000 like Baranggay Bankal in Lapu-lapu City – most expensive baranggay we know for securing a baranggay construction permit.

II. TAX CLEARANCE. You need to secure a tax clearance at the city or municipal assessor for that current year that you are filing application for building permit – which means you will need to pay the estate tax for that current year in advance. The tax clearance fee is only around 150 pesos to 350 pesos. The assessor will usually want to see a copy of your lot title, lot sketch plan, and an updated certified true copy of your tax declaration which you can secure from the same office.

III. CERTIFIED TRUE COPY OF YOUR LOT TITLE. You can obtain a copy of your lot title from your local registry of deeds from your local bureau of lands. The fee for obtaining a certified true copy of your title ranges from 278 pesos to 298 pesos per copy. They will usually want to see a copy of your tax declaration. Note that if your lot title is still under the previous owner’s name, the OBO (Office of the Building Official) will also need to see a copy of your Deed of Sale for that lot, and you will need to have the previous owner sign the consent section in the building permit application form.

IV. LATEST CERTIFIED TRUE COPY OF YOUR TAX DECLARATION. Aside from the title, the OBO will require a certified true copy of your tax declaration. They usually just want to check if your tax declaration data jives with your lot title and tax clearance. The fee for a certified true copy of your tax declaration is around 80 pesos to 120 pesos depending on your location as different cities of municipalities have different tariffs for processing of documents. To secure a certified true copy of your tax declaration, the assessor will require a copy of your old tax declaration of a copy of your title.

V. LOT SKETCH PLAN. The OBO will want to see your lot sketch plan signed by a registered geodetic engineer so they can check if you are building within your lot observing the required setbacks set forth by the Philippine Building Code. The geodetic engineer will want to see a copy of your lot title. The fee for a sketch plan ranges from 5,000 to 8,000 pesos depending on your location.

VI. BUILDING METHODOLOGY and SPECIFICATIONS. The OBO will want to see if you comply with the accepted methodologies and materials set forth by the Philippine building code. Be sure to follow what you write in your building specs as this document could be used against you in a court of law if you later they find out that you did not follow what you submitted. The building specs document has to be signed and prepared by a civil engineer. This usually comes free with the designing fee.

VII. BILL OF MATERIALS. The detailed bill of materials is primarily used by the OBO as reference in determining your building permit fee. Each municipality or city has a pre-determined tariff percentage for computing the building permit fee. You can expect a higher fee for bigger cities and lower fee for rural areas.

VIII. BLUEPRINTS. You will need to submit complete sets of architectural, electrical, plumbing, structural, mechanical, and electronics blueprints. You don’t need to prepare mechanical blueprints if you do not include air conditioner and elevator in your plans. You also don’t need to submit electronics plan if you did not include data, TV, telephone, and CCTV in your plans.

VIX. COMPLETELY FILLED OUT BUILDING, ELECTRICAL, PLUMBING, MECHANICAL, ELECTRICAL, ELECTRONICS, and ENDORSEMENT forms. You can get these forms at the Office of the Building Official (OBO). Be sure to completely fill out all required fields in the forms. Your engineers – civil, structural, electrical, plumbing, mechanical (if applicable), and electronics (if applicable) will also need to sign and seal these forms.

Different cities and municipalities – depending on your construction location might have additional requirements such as in Medellin of Cebu which requires an HLURB (Housing and Land Use Regulatory Board) clearance for lots located within subdivision lots. The HLURB fee ranges from 9,000 to 10,000 pesos. It is surprising to note though that other municipalities such as Consolacion did not require the HLURB clearance for a subdivision location. Additionally, some places like Medellin also require a DPWH clearance to make sure your structure is outside their no build zone which is usually 10-15 meters away from the middle of the highway.

Continue reading]]> The thing with out of town contracts is the added travel costs of the supervisory personnel checking on the work progress… Unlike the construction workers and the foremen, engineers and quality checkers normally do not prefer to stay on site the whole time.

The supervisory travel costs is not really that significant and it can even be further minimized if the the contractor will assign a project supervisor who can do all three necessary functions – supervisory, quality checking, and the foreman function – and best if he can stay on site even at least during the weekdays…

Despite the unforeseen fears of a long distance project, a well-managed contract can still succeed…

Like this one in Alcantara, managed and supervised by an all-around engineer, Engr. Josifer Bejer, who actually does construction works even at his level… This guy is a real engineering rockstar…

Alcantara Cebu Residential Project

[See image gallery at finefinish.cbu.asia]

Engr. Bejer at work

Continue reading]]> Green homes are practical and functional – they save energy and money. The demand for energy has driven the need to burn more fuel and thus polluting the environment and hastening global warming.

Going green is not just for your neighbors’ sake but for your pocket as well and for the well being of your children’s children – the new generation. If there is lesser demand for energy, less fuel will be burned.

The “green” campaign has already gained momentum in fact every construction material, electronic appliance, home fixtures such as LED lights are nowadays very popular, and air conditioners now use non CFC refrigerants.

Now that almost everything around us should be green, our homes should be green too.

Here’s what makes a home green:

1. Energy and water efficient – A green home should have large glass windows to eliminate the need for electric lights during the day and allow maximum moonlight during night. Large sliding doors to let the cool air in during the day or shut warm air in during the night or cold weather… The bathroom fixtures should also use very little water or best if the house has a water recycling system where waste water can be reused for the toilet or to water the plants. The lighting fixtures should also be LED and the appliances energy efficient such as the new inverter technology for the air conditioner, or LED displays for TVs, etc.
2. Non toxic and biodegradable materials – The construction materials should be non polluting and 100% biodegradble.
3. Renewable energy production – A green home should also be able to product it’s own energy by installing solar power systems, windmills, or solar heaters to store hot water without needing electric heaters.