By Amado de Jesus
Philippine Daily Inquirer
Summer is definitely here. Many are constantly complaining and longing for the cool weather present during the early part of the year. Summer is also that time of year when many homeowners embark on house construction. They surmise that it is the best time to avoid costly delays in the construction due to heavy rains.
For many, constructing their homes, especially for the first time, is a very exciting undertaking. Unfortunately, many are not aware of what it takes to go through the process. Some people enjoy getting involved with the day-to-day construction activities, but for the vast majority, they are stressed and go through sleepless nights. Some even lose or gain weight.
While it is not possible to totally eliminate the problems associated with house construction, it pays to be very thorough and even meticulous in planning to get the desired result—a successful project that meets the owners’ requirements in terms of quality, time and budget.
The key to it all is planning. Many of the problems in construction stem from lack of planning.
Wish list
For any project, not just for houses, a wish list is the starting point, the most important step. This can be a simple list of the owner’s room requirements to more elaborate catalog of furniture and electronic equipment. The idea is not just to enumerate space requirements but also their functional requirements.
It is also at this early stage that green architecture principles can be seamlessly integrated into the project. How do we bring sunlight in? The use of sliding glass doors, terrace doors, balconies and bigger window openings is now a lifestyle feature.
How do we conserve water? Do we include a cistern, provide for rainwater collection and graywater plumbing system project from the start?
The wish list, also called the Basis of Design Report, includes requirements for structural, electrical, mechanical and landscaping. It is constantly reviewed and updated by all disciplines especially when revisions are made.
In my experience, what are normally lacking in the owner’s wish list are storage spaces and service areas. If they are included at all, the space allotted is usually not enough.
I designed a house for a client who had it rented to a European couple. It had a courtyard and living-dining areas that open up to a huge garden. These areas did not impress the new tenants; instead they praised the efficient layout of the utility area with laundry equipment, sewing machine and fold-down ironing board properly tucked away in built-in closets.
In developed countries, the service areas are just as important as the major rooms like the living room, dining room and bedrooms, since they do a lot of the house chores themselves. Some families here are now in the same situation.
Budget
In many cases, owners do not reveal to their architect the true budget they have in mind. Perhaps it is to provide some allowance for cost overruns.
Clients may give a reasonable budget to the architect who will translate this into a defined floor area based on existing cost parameters. With the wish list and budget in hand, the architect’s task is to verify if they are compatible. Adjustments can be studied if the requirements for space are too much for the budget.
For example, careful planning can be done so that the basic core of the house can be built first and the other areas to be built later. Another way is to focus on the shell with limited finishes in most areas. The most obvious solution is of course to reduce the floor area, and this is normally the last alternative.
There are also ways to incorporate green features in the future, if they cannot be included in the budget. Electrical conduit pipes without wiring can be provided at present for future solar panel connection. Water pipes can be done in anticipation of future installation of more expensive cistern and pumps. The same goes for the graywater system. Graywater system conserves water by recycling it from kitchen sinks, wash basins and showers to be used for flushing toilets and irrigation purposes.
Architect
The architect is the best person to translate the wish list into a workable plan to suit the owner’s requirements while staying within the budget. It will be very helpful if the architect is familiar with the multidisciplinary aspects of green design so that the wish list can be accurately interpreted into drawings and details to be implemented at the project site.
Building Green: An LGU imperative. For this reason, the Green Building Initiative, in collaboration with the Climate Change Commission under the Office of the President, and the International Finance Corp., will hold a forum on April 23 at the Dusit Thani Hotel in Makati for the greening of the building officials of all local government units.
For comments or inquiries, e-mail amadodejesus@gmail.com
For your retirement and real estate needs, please visit http://www.gregmelep.com.
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