Fausto Moncada’s residence in Compostela near CEBECO II is a middle end house with two options – one for roof deck and the other option is for a hidden roofing design with cantilever. The hidden roof option will be for a metal roof but hidden with concrete a railing. It will all depend now on the costing estimates whichever will be favored by the customer’s budget during construction. If the customer goes for a roof deck, which will cost way higher than metal roof, then the design perspective is ready for it – either the metal roof or the concrete roof deck. Both roof deck or hidden roof is so designed to create a neat accent for the house. No exposed gutters or sharp roof edges. This article will be updated accordingly how the finished product will be decided…

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Setting up a mall shop can be a daunting experience but if the planning is done well then the whole set up process can be done in just one night, so that what used to be an empty space in your favorite mall becomes an exciting shop by 6:00 am.

The planning starts with your layout. In the layout planning, seasoned interior designers from abroad are involved so that every little space is a function that will lead to a buy.

Shop implements of modules can be manufactured locally using usually acrylic materials which is popular today and each module can have embedded lights so that every module is a mechanism that inducing people to buy.

Your workers for a mall shop should also be highly skilled, highly paid, seasoned workers with great attention to detail since your mall shop will need to very enticing for passers by so that they would stop, come in, and buy. Since workers are working just over night to set up the whole shop then you need a supervisor who can give them the right rhythm to work as one team – fast and reliable…

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This house with sawali (amakan) walls is especially designed to produce a cooling effect at the interior. The design and materials also gives the house an earth-friendly and native feel as it will be built in San Francisco Camotes. There’s a good supply of sawali in the area. The framing, beams, and columns will still be concrete but all of the walls will be sawali also known as amakan in the locality. The flooring will be ceramic tiles. The asphalt shingles roofing will give it extra thermal shielding from the hot tropical sun and soundproofing effect during heavy rains. Asphalt shingles is also best for small island locations as it it resists corrosion coming from the sea water breeze. The house is designed is a concept of Celestino Tinao – the owner himself – who intends to use it as a rest house.

San Francisco in Camotes is an idyllic beautiful beach island paradise, but it is a really very humid place. So I can see why the owner prefers natural walling his rest house. Always turning your air conditioner “ON” is not only damaging to the environment, but also damaging to your budget. A lot of this design is not modern like the center firewall that seem to divide the house is a typical 1960s design that is meant as a safety feature hoping to save half the house in case of fire. It also acts as an additional sound barrier when the other half is having a noisy party. The kiln dry wood is meant to assure the wood will not deform over time as it doesn’t have any moisture to release since it is already dried industrially at the factory using a speed drying chamber called a “kiln”. Kiln drying also makes the wood product receptive to the use of wood glues in carpentry since it is already dried. The concrete framing gives the house added strength and lessens the cost since using bigger wood parts for framing is not only costly but also not as sturdy and long lasting compared to concrete. The popularity of concrete houses today is not only a fad, but is a real effect to the governments total log ban – to help the environment.

One thing I like about this design is the multi purpose area that is covered in gravel. This also a throwback feature where in contrast to the modern designs – people use the roof deck as a party area, but the rain or strong wind can potential ruin your party, this covered party area offers shelter from the rain and storm so you can party all night long. Another good feature of this covered multi purpose party area is that you can start your party even if the sun is still up. Well the best thing that the roof deck party offers is the view.

Another feature I like very much of Celestino’s design is the preference for a raised bedroom area. It not only creates more space by adding the mezzanine, but the concept also adds additional safety from snakes and other crawling things since it is always psychologically assured by the higher elevation.

Another specialty design that is in our incoming project list is this hut proposed by Reylisa Perochio who intends to build it in their newly bought lot in the mountains of Balamban. Though the design is more of a beach hut than a mountain villa, who can prevent you from doing otherwise? The design includes a real flat hammock bed and spine saving reclined chairs as you enjoy that sweet mountain air. The glass sliding doors give it a little modern appeal and additional free interior lighting. The crawler space at the bottom is meant to separate the house from the creepy crawlers of the mountains. 

The house is designed to be a small living zen dedicated to the owner’s child who has special needs due to an inborn illness that demands fresh atmosphere and natural living surroundings. This is only their second house. Their first house is in a subdivision in the city. This house is also meant to be some form of a rest house for the child. The doctor advised to give the child natural surroundings. The natural wooden flooring and walls gives the natural feel that the child needs.

They say there are several ways to kill a cat, but when it comes to something critical or of high importance such as a leaking roof deck, we always turn to our favorite tried and tested solution – a cement mix fiber reinforced crystallizing material that seeks out the microscopic pores and cracks and seals water out.

Even if you waterproof your roof deck during construction, over time, the usual cement mix material during construction will fail, due to several factors such as earth movements, sun exposure – which causes cement to wear out, constant hammering of people walking around the deck during parties, etc., so it is inevitable that over time, leaks start to occur. 

There are a lot of materials out there – from cheap ones, not so cheap ones, and really costly ones such as the rubber cure, but as we are here in the Philippines, we always seek out that material or method which is cost effective, not so cheap, not so costly, but highly effective – a cement based fiber reinforced acrylic polymer that is mixed with portland cement. 

The material we use is a flexible, fiber-reinforced, modified high-grade acrylic polymer that is mixed with
portland cement to provide superior water sealing of your roof deck. It has great advantages and benefits such as superior water impermeability, highly compatible to concrete substrates since it is cement based, high water vapor transmission, superior UV resistance due to the high grade polymer and cement, monolithic, tintable (can be mixed with different colors), moves with concrete as it is fiber reinforced, bridges hairline cracks, excellent adhesion to concrete due to its chemical and mechanical bonding properties, releases retained water vapors in concrete, prevents blistering, no joints and laps, minimizes painting cost.

Competition in the construction industry today is tough especially if you’re trying to target the affordable segment – those looking for affordable construction services.

Here are some of the designs we’ve created and saved for those customers in the affordable segment.

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