CBU ASIA DESIGN BUILD CONSULTANTS CEBU – Page 6 – Construction Planning Designing Build Consultants Cebu

Sample online correspondence from prospect customer

By Admin in Fine Furnishings

LOCATION: Bayan ng Surigao del Sur

Hello, I introduce myself, I am John Doe. We have a plot of 300 SQM on the island of Siargao. We would like to build a BUILDING on this site. In order to confirm our budget and to start the construction, we would need to establish a construction quote.

You will find in attached the details in PDF of the contruction and volumes.

The project consist in 4 shops (6m x 8.5m) and one roof top (24m x 10).

We want an estimate containing:

Construction (concrete, iron, etc.) raw ready to receive ceramic or paint. (fittings, ceramic, doors, etc. not included)
5 electric meters (1 per shop and 1 for the roof top)
Location for electrical cables (electrical outlets, lights, aircon, fan etc.)
one clean water supply per pitch (total 5)
provide a system for wastewater (common or individual)
building permit (by law)

All installations, clean water, waste water and electricity must meet the standards and laws in force of the Filipino government on the island of SIARGAO.

The PDF gives an idea of the project once finished but we want an estimate for the gross building + electricity + clean water + waste water.
This estimate should not take into account:

furnishing materials (wood, ceramic, paint)
toilet / sink / plumbing
closing (door / window / etc)

Cordially,

John

Sample response:

Hi John,

Here are the costing estimates:

Raw Structure/Architectural (including front pavers and side stair area) (tile ready floors, paint ready walls, with electrical and plumbing rough ins) (glass works, glass and wooden windows, and wooden facade excluded) (fittings, ceramic, doors, and other finishing items excluded)= p7.43m
Smooth finish painting = p160k; /(Rough finish painting option= 80k)
Electrical works with 5 electric meters (labor and materials) (local ordinance compliant) = rough estimate p450k; Detailed costing estimates requires FULLY REFUNDABLE p2.5k estimation fee (to be refunded during start of blueprinting)
Plumbing works water and sanitary lines and septic tank (labor and materials) (local ordinance compliant)= rough estimate p250k; Detailed costing estimates requires FULLY REFUNDABLE p2.5k estimation fee (to be refunded during start of blueprinting)
Building Permit processing = FREE processing upon 5% commitment on the structure. (govt. fees excluded – to be billed later)
Blueprinting = p35k (Fully Refundable upon awarding of construction)
Site visit = p10k (Fully Refundable upon awarding of construction)

Here’s a similar project we built recently – https://finefinish.cbu.asia/seguerra-commercial-spaces-in-poblacion-talisay-city/
We accept bank to bank payments thru BDO, Unionbank, Metrobank, or moneygram.

Formal proposal can be sent upon request…

Admin

Supervision Only Services

By Admin in Fine Furnishings

Supervising the project - in action. — Supervision Only

Contractors provide project management service to save customers (project owners) from the headaches and stresses of managing a project, however some customers do look for “supervision only” services – as they’re trying to save their money and want to assume most of the project management headaches instead of giving it to a contractor. They usually try to contact a contractor and ask if they provide this kind of service – in exchange of allowing them to add that project to the contractor’s portfolio – a bigger portfolio means more future customers for contractors.

Supervision only services is indeed really very cheap and the contractor who offers such service will not earn anything from it – except for the added new project feature in the portfolio – however it is the customer who could end up spending more since the contractor/supervisor will now switch to “high quality mode” where high quality materials and sometimes even signature finishing fixtures are encouraged since the contractor’s focus now is making this specific project the ideal example project that will shine in his portfolio. The contractor will also ease on the workers and tell them to take the cruising pace to give the customer the best quality workmanship to make this project further shine in his portfolio. Longer work duration means more cost for the labor.

If the contractor is not in the supervision mode, he will naturally convince the customer to accept average quality materials and finishes to give the impression that he wants the customer to save money through good quality but averagely priced materials. If left on his own, the contractor, in the all-in packaged service, will also try to maximize profits by encouraging these good quality – but averagely priced materials. In the all-in packaged service – as opposed to – the supervision mode, the contractor will always try to pressure the workers to finish faster but still strictly observing good quality to avoid back jobs later – thus further saving him on the cost of labor – if the workers can shorten the work duration.

It is important to strike a balance between quality and affordability – and it is the customer who makes the final decision to go for supervision only, or the all-in packaged service.

At the end of the day, it is always best to use high quality finishes and encourage the workers to achieve high quality workmanship by taking the cruising pace, but this always means higher cost, and the more money you invest on your project, the higher will be its value.

Standards for a Two to Three Story Residential Concrete Structure

By Admin in Fine Furnishings

Works should conform to the current National Building Code of the Philippines, National Structural Code of the Philippines, National Plumbing Code of the Philippines, and National Electrical Code of the Philippines.

First off, make all formworks strong enough for all types of load. It should be constructed efficiently – supported and horizontally and vertically so as to retain shape and form. Joints should be proofed against leakage and seepage. It should be strong enough to allow easy removal in pre-set sequence without undue damage to the concrete set. Materials should be set correctly to the accurate line and levels and it should have perfectly flat surface. It should be made of the lightest possible materials. It is preferred that form materials should be easy to find and should be re-usable such as phenolic boards supported by metal tubes or rods. It should not warp, shrink, or bloat when exposed to all kinds of weather. Its base should also be firm and solid.

When removing the formworks, start with the vertical faces of the walls, beams, and column sides. Followed by the forming soffit of slabs, then finally the forming soffit of beams, girders and other heavy loads.

Footings should stand and bear on undisturbed on firm natural earth or compressed fill that can withstand supporting a design pressure of 2,000 PSI. Foundations concrete should have a 28-day compressed strength of 3,000 PSI. Concretes that are always exposed to weather should be low density allowing micro bubbles to 5% (+/- 1%) through an admixture that conforms to American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) C-260. Concretes works should follow Association of Construction Inspectors (ACI) 301 (Specification for Structural Concrete Buildings). Reinforcing steels should meet ASTM A-515, Grade 60. If otherwise specified, the following cover should be observed for reinforcements: a. Concrete cast permanently exposed to earth – 75mm; b. Concrete exposed to earth and weather – 20mm Ø through 36mm Ø – 50mm, 16mm Ø bars smaller – 38mm. Reinforcing marked continuous on the plans and designs should be lap 40 x Bar diameter on splices unless otherwise specified.

Cast-in-place Concrete mixes should meet ACI 301 – using Portland cement that conforms to ASTM C-150 of C-595, aggregate conforms to ASTM C-33, and admixtures conforms to ASTM C-494, C-1017, C-618, C-989 and C-260. Ready mixed concrete should meet ASTM C-94. It should also conform to the following strengths, slump and water/cement ratio requirements:

CONCRETE	MIN. F’c (28 days)	SLUMP	W/C RATIO
Columns, Beams	3000 PSI	2” to 4”	0.46
Canopy Slab	3000 PSI	2” to 4”	0.46
Footings	3000 PSI	2” to 4”	0.50
Slab on Grade	3000 PSI	2” to 4”	0.50

Supervising engineers may use admixture to produce easy flowing mixture. The maximum slump should not go beyond 10 inches. The supervisor should submit test results of the proposed concrete mixes together with the manufacturer’s technical data before pouring. Concreting shall meet ACI 301 (Specification for Structural Concrete Building). Rebars shall meet ASTM A-615 – Grade 60. Welding of reinforcing metals should meet AWS D1.4. Epoxy coatings should meet ASTM A-775. Steel reinforcements should be set and placed before pouring the concrete, except when vertical dowels for walls reinforcers are “floated”. Do not pitch bent bars that are partially embedded in hardened concrete unless specifically indicated or approved. Steel reinforcers, including the hooks and bends, shall be specified to meet with ACI. Further, steel reinforcers specified as continuous should lap with type 2 Lap Splice unless otherwise specified. Edgings of exposed surfaces should be cut away at a right-angle edge or corner 20mm unless otherwise specified. Do not remove formworks until the concrete is at 90% of its 28-day compressive strength curing.

Masonry works should meet the “Specifications for Masonry Structures (ACI 340.0-95)” – published by the American Concrete Institute. Hollow load-bearing masonry units should meet ASTM C-90, Grade N-1 and should be of lightweight aggregates. Minimum prism compressive strength (f’m) should be 1,550 PSI at an age of 28 days, as set by the unit strength as per ACI 530.1. Put grout on all bond beams and reinforced cells solidly. Grout should meet ASTM C-475 and should be in a minimum 28-day compressive strength curing of 2,500 PSI. Steel reinforcers should meet ASTM A-615, Grade 60. Fabricated reinforcer bars that are to be hooked or bent should Provide a minimal lap of 48 x bar diameters on all splices unless otherwise detailed. Mortar should meet ASTM C-270, Type S. All mortar should meet the “Proportion Specification” of ASTM C-270 and be made with Portland Cement/ Lime (Non air-entrained). Unless otherwise set, all walls should be laid in running bond. Put rebar dowels from foundations to match vertical reinforcement size and spacing. Dowels must be 90º hooked and lapped with the first lift of reinforcing. Place horizontal bond beams with continuous reinforcers as specified. Finish all horizontal reinforcers at the control joints except for the bond beams at the bearing elevations. Provide bond beam lintels and brick shelf angles above all wall openings for door and windows. On masonry reinforcements, always use 10mm Ø vertical bars spaced at 600mm O.C. and 10mm Ø horizontal bars per 3 layers of CHB unless otherwise specified by the structural engineer.

All Structural Steel must meet the 1994 edition of the Load and Resistance Factor Design (L.R.F.D.) (Manual of Steel Construction) of the AISC. When otherwise designed, all materials shall meet the following ASTM requirements:

MEMBER	ASTM	MIN. STRENGTH
Rolled Plates/Shapes	A36	36 KSI
Connection Bolts	A325	92 KSI
Anchor Bolts	A307	—
Non-shrink Grout	C1107	8000 PSI

Connections must be shear type – factory set for the factored shear forces as per design to meet American Institute of Steel Construction (AISC) specifications for load and resistance factors. Bolts must be minimum of 20mm in diameter unless specified otherwise, bolts must be shear/bearing type and “snug-tight”. Welding works must meet American Welding Society AWS D1.1 using E70xx electrodes, unless specified otherwise. Make continuous minimum sized fillet welds per AISC requirements. Filler materials must be a minimum yield strength of 58 KSI. If “Continuous Chord” angles are indicated, you must provide a continuous butt weld or full penetration weld at the splice points. Steel fabricators may submit an alternate bolted connection detail. Holes must be drilled or punched. Slotted holes must have smooth edges. Hole burning and cutting of torch at the site will not be allowed. If not otherwise specified, structural steels must be double coated with Type I (Red Oxide) Paint that meets The Society for Protective Coatings (SSPC) 15-68. All temporary guying and bracing must be done with structural steel erectors. Columns, anchor bolts, base plates, etc. must be designed for the final completed condition. Steel erections for columns, anchor bolts, base plates, must be duly designed. Protective paintings that are damaged during transit, erecting and field welding processes must be restored on field and must match the factory applied coatings.

Exterior walls must be plain cement finished with a thickness of 1/2 inch. Interior walls must also be plain cement finished with a thickness of 3/8 inch. Glazed tiles must be properly placed on specified locations indicated in the design. Paints must be flat latex. Painted walls and columns must be treated first with concrete neutralizers then with a primer and finished with double coats of paint. Openings on walls must be properly sealed. Moldings, if provided must be made as indicated in the plans and must be located accordingly.

Flooring finishes must be as indicated in the design: a. Patio, Service – 3000mmx300mm Unglazed Terracotta Tiles; b. Living, Dining, Kitchen and Bedrooms – 300mmx300mm glazed ceramic tiles; c. Toilet and Baths – 300mmx300mm unglazed; d. Stairs, Roof Deck- 300mmx300mm non slip Ceramic Tiles. Tiles must be grouted.

Ceilings must be 4’x8’x1/8” fiber cement with a first coat of flat latex primer and finished with two coats of the same. Lighting fixtures must be of the design specified by the architect or owner. Ceiling height must be a minimum of 2.4m.

Panel Doors must be wood with the option of a customized or manufactured design that is approved or chosen by the owner. Windows must be at least made of aluminum frames customized to size by the chosen manufacturer, or Unplasticized Polyvinyl Chloride UPVC if required by the owner. Window and door heights must be minimum 2.10m. Window sills must be 900mm from finished floor, kitchen window sill at 1.3m and toilet and bath window sill at 1.5m.

Plumbing lines must be concealed as much as possible. Pipes must not be embedded in structural members unless otherwise designed or allowed. Run all horizontal piping in perfect alignment and at uniform grade of not less than the slope of 1:50 for sewer lines and 1:100 for drainage lines. Floor drains must be vented individually. Cleanouts must be flush mounted to wall and must have cover caps. Do not install floor cleanouts except at lines on grade and service areas not service to traffic. Sanitary sewer pipes and fittings must be Atlanta polymerizing vinyl chloride (PVC) pipes. Provide vent pipes and vent stack thru roof as specified. Place gate valves on all water supply lines to fixtures. Individual branches to fixtures or groups of fixtures and / or equipment must be placed with air chambers or capped with vertical pipe extensions. Plumbing works must be under the direct supervision of a licensed Sanitary Engineer or Master Plumber.

Electrical materials must be brand new and installed in applications for which they are intended. Metallic conduits, cabinets and related equipment must be properly grounded and bonded by means of copper straps connected to the copper grounding rod. Size of conductors must be minimum of 3.5mm THHN in 20mm Ø PVC unless otherwise required by the electrical engineer. Exposed conduit runs must be parallel to or perpendicular with building lines supported by anchors or clamps. The engineer shall verify and orient the actual location of the concrete terminal pole for connection to the power supply, telephone, & CATV services. Switches must be rated 15A, 250V and shall not carry a load greater than 50 Amperes. Light switches must be placed for operation on vertical position. Duplex receptacles must be rated 10A, 250V. Special purpose outlets must be rated 15A or 20A, 250V or as required. Electrical works and installations must be done under the direct supervision of a duly licensed Electrical Engineer or Master Electrician.

Catechizing your people

By Admin in Fine Furnishings

Teaching the workers things that matter more in life is every steward’s obligation to God. If you’ve been given people to steward such as in a work organization setting, you should always find time to teach them things that are more important than just money or work. The reason that you are in the position of being the leader in your organization might be because God is calling you to do just that – so you can teach your people.

Finding time for teaching the workers should be within work time. This is because workers value their time – especially for workers who live far from the workplace – as they need time to travel. Also, you will have more authority in your teaching if you’re paying them for their time listening to what you teach.

[Show slideshow]

The Happy Birthday motivation technique for workers

By Admin in Fine Furnishings

Throwing a party for a worker regardless of his skill level can give you a lot of returns – and it’s a really very cheap form of motivational scheme.

The below 500 pesos cake is essential. It is like your yummy greeting card and it is the manifestation of your love for that worker. Add a couple of roasted chickens and some soft drinks to sweeten the party. You can also cook that all time favorite juicy pork humba and some pancit. Workers per site usually don’t go beyond 10 persons – so it shouldn’t cost you much to make your workers happy. When workers are happy and feeling loved – they will work harder and become more loyal to you.

You don’t need to announce before hand that you give birthday parties to workers. Once they see this as your sort of corporate culture, they will find a way to get word to you that it is someone’s birthday tomorrow. Even if not everyone in a site can celebrate their birthday on a working day, as long as they see one of their colleagues get a free birthday party, they will empathize with it and they can feel the kindness you’ve shown them.

The desire to make workers happy is not just to make them loyal to you. It is a basic requirement of God for us to make everyone happy to do it to the least of our brethren and we are doing it to Him, and the best time to do this is during their birthday…

[Show slideshow]

Securing your occupancy permit – after construction

By Admin in Fine Furnishings

Most contractors nowadays leave the occupancy permit to the owner because of the hassle involved in the processing. The occupancy permit is almost like when you’re processing your building permit, but actually takes less time and is actually easier to process.

Because most contractors leave the occupancy permit processing to the project owner, more often than not, it is left unprocessed – especially when the owner learns that no one from the government really goes to your door to ask for it when you start to occupy your new house. However, if you’re building a commercial structure, your tenants will need this occupancy permit when they process their business permit. Thus it is mandatory if your project is a commercial building.

Here’s the usual items needed in the processing of the occupancy permit, but this is for Talisay City only. Other cities might have more steps especially the bigger cities, and rural areas might have less steps:

Legworks done: In a span of 2 weeks (Man hours and gas p10,500)

Secure forms and instructions
Secure seals and signatures of:
— Civil Engineer
— Master plumber
— Master Electrician
Notarize forms
Process new tax dec
Request for site inspection schedule
Site inspection
— Zoning team, Fire team, Assessor team, OBO team
Claim zoning clearance
Claim new tax dec
OBO and Assessor fees computation
Fire clearance fees computation

Costs:

Occupancy Seals and signatures for the civil, master plumber, and master electrician at p5k each – p15,000.00
Leg works – man hours and gas – 10,500.00
Taxi transport for the inspectors – 300.00
new tax dec – 80.00
zoning site inspection fee – 100.00
Assessor site inspection fee – 100.00
OBO fees – 3,600.00
Fire fee – 1,598.00
Tax assessor fee – 10,850.00

Seguerra Commercial Spaces in Poblacion Talisay City

By Admin in Fine Furnishings

Seguerra Commercial Spaces is a low cost yet elegant commercial structure located right at the heart of Poblacion Talisay City. It is currently just a 1 story structure but the foundations are built ready for a 4 storey expansion.

Due to budget constraints, it is built just 1 storey for now and the income generated from rentals will be used to fund the expansion.

The construction took 10 months due to the limited space and filling works as the owner wanted to raise the flooring to avoid floods.

The initial design was for a 6 unit rental spaces but the City hall required a bigger setback for the road expansion, thus only 5 units are created.

The project is set in a very good location in front of the school and as soon as the gate was finished, customer started visiting to book in advance.

[Show slideshow]

Transferring the title of your newly purchased lot to your name

By Admin in Fine Furnishings

You just bought a new lot now you need to transfer this from the seller to your name so it won’t be difficult for you to sell it in the future – or distribute to your heirs.

The process of transferring the title to your name is not easy – it is long but not very difficult – it just takes time, a lot of it, and a lot of patience too – not to mention you will have to pay a very long list of fees – add that to the cost of transportation, follow ups, and coming back and forth to the concerned offices – it could almost cost the same or sometimes even more than the cost of the purchased land – if the land is cheap – purchased in the rural areas.

Here is a sample summary of fees for a specific lot:

BIR (Bureau of Internal Revenue) Payments and processing – 80,000
DAR (Department of Agrarian Reform) Processing (clearances and fees) – 20,000
DENR (Department of Environment and Natural Resources) Subdivision approval – 40,000
LGU (Local Government Unit) Subdivision approval – 10,000
Register of deeds titling – 40,000
Transfer of Tax declaration – 10,000

Here are the usual steps you need to take and requirements you need to submit:

I. BIR Processing: Complete the following requirements:

Certified copy of title.
Certified copy of tax declaration.
Tax clearance
Certification of no improvements
Sketch plan
Valid ID of seller and buyer (photocopy only)
Tax identification number of buyer and seller
Payments of capital gain tax and documentary stamp
Deed of sale
Official or acknowledgement receipt of payments

II. Subdivision approval: at DENR and Bureau of Lands:

Preparation of subdivision plan for submission to DENR
Certified copy of tax declaration
Certified copy of title
Deed of sale

III. LGU Subdivision approval: requirements

Two sets of the site development plan
Two sets of the vicinity map
Two sets of the survey plan
Topographic plan
Two sets of the certified copy of title
Zoning certification from your local Municipal planning and development Coordinator (MPDC)
Deed of sale

IV. DAR Clearance: Requirements

Deed of sale
Tax declaration
Title
Affidavit of transferee
Affidavit of transferor
Certification of land holding seller
Certification of land holding buyer
Inspection from a DAR employee

V. Processing of transfer of title at the Registry of Deeds:

Approved subdivision plan
Certification authorizing registration (CAR)
Deed of sale
Tax declaration
Transfer tax
Tax clearance
Original owner’s copy of title

VI. Transfer of new tax declaration to new owner

Copy of title
BIR certification authorizing registration (BIR CAR)
Deed of sale
Transfer tax

VII. Processing of Estate Tax if Any: Consult a lawyer or experienced Accountant or any BIR respresentative

The DENR Special Land Use Permit for timberland or forest land areas

By Admin in Featured, Fine Furnishings

Constructing on timberland or DENR (Department of Environment and natural resources) protected areas require special permit(s) and for timberland or forest land areas it is the “Special Land Use Permit” (SLUP) if the area you’re trying to use or develop is below 1,000 square meters. This is not easy to get. Though the checklist of requirements they provide look like a simple bullet collection of documents and endorsements from various other government agencies, we all know it’s NOT EASY dealing with any Philippine government agency – as they are most grossly inadequate in personnel and / or equipment.

The first set of requirements you need to secure are the personal documents of the project owner – Birth certificate, ID’s, income tax return, and bank statement showing capacity to finance the project or enterprise – the applicant must be able to show at least a secured minimum of 2 million pesos.

Once you have the personal documents of the applicant – then you need to go to the nearest DENR or CENRO (Community Environment and Natural Resources) office who owns the jurisdiction of your area – in our case, Oslob, then we go to CENRO Argao to request for the project map of the site and to secure the SLUP application form so you can later submit it together with the rest of the needed documents. DENR-CENRO will need to conduct a site visit on your area to create this special map just for your project showing it at the center. The map is need to establish DENR’s legal jurisdiction of your site. Since timberland or forest land projects are in remote mountainous areas then you will need to accompany the CENRO personnel for this mapping activity so they can easily locate your site, and of course when dealing with the government, you will have to provide them with a good reason to prioritize your project by providing them good transport as they only have motorcycles for site visits and of course a good lunch, and thank you tokens to make them remember you in the future when you need their help again. In our case, a total of three mapping trips were done since the first two mapping trips were found out to be erroneous as they we’re only using their cell phone as GPS. The final mapping team had to bring a real hand help GPS device.

While waiting for your map to finish, as in our case – it took them a total of 4 months to come up with the final one, (not surprising when dealing with government people), you can start working on your INDICATIVE MANAGEMENT PLAN (IMP) which is like a feasibility study of your project. DENR Needs this study so they can decide to approve or deny your permit application. We highly recommend you hire someone with considerable experience in writing this IMP. In our case, the CENRO office have their own recommendation – one of their retired DENR officers is now working as full time consultant writing IMPs, ECCs, and other various DENR documentations. The IMP will cost p80k to write and it took the consultant 2 months to finish the study.

While waiting for your IMP or SITE MAP, if not yet done, you can start processing the needed MUNICIPAL ENDORSEMENT. The municipal endorsement will start with the public hearing on the baranggay level. You will need to secure a good number of baranggay attendees of at least twenty people saying yes to your project. The best way to do this is to let the people know ahead that you will be serving them food during this hearing. The food is not a bribe but it will help them to have a clear decision on your project. The baranggay council will convene to discuss the outcome of the public hearing and and will draft a baranggay resolution approving or disapproving your project. This baranggay resolution that they produce will be submitted to the town mayor who will also convene with the town council to approve or disapprove your project. This document which approves your project is the PUBLIC ENDORSEMENT needed by DENR.

Once you have all the listed needed documents for private applicants, you can submit it to the DENR or CENRO office where your project belongs. Once they receive your requirements, they will issue an endorsement for you to seek another clearance from the NCIP (National Commission on Indigenous Peoples) located at Osmena building in Colon Street beside the old VISION theatre – real Cebuanos know this place. The NCIP will conduct a survey on your project area to check if there are no overlapping claims from indigenous groups.

If you need help with SLUP, or if you want to add some info, please comment below…

High-end American home design by – Filipino hands

By Admin in Fine Furnishings

This dream American home of the Tolinan and De la Cruz couple in Valencia City Bukidnon is designed by the couple owners themselves. A hodgepodge of modern and classic designs carefully thought out by the owners.

What stands out in this design is the prominent American design but accented by a lot of good wood and natural stones – giving it that high end look – and yes indeed judging by the cost to build and finish the house – this is in the high end spectrum.

Even the walls are not the usual 4 inches hollows but 6 inches plus 3 inches thick of plastering giving it an above standard very strong walls.

The choice of yellow tinted glass is a good contrast of the light blue paint, and the mixture of dark green and brown stones on the pillars and corners makes it look very elegant.

[Show slideshow]

Like us on Facebook

Latest

Dig More

Get Our FREE Newsletter!!!

Feedback

This Site is Secured by SECTIGO