Shuffle

Ideally, this would be finished at the end of the month and within budget.  However, at the rate I'm going, sadly but no surprise, both targets can't be met.

An opportunity in Manila came up to renovate a small portion of a house.  Since I had found an electrician-plumber-labor contractor from Calatagan who seemed promising, I thought I'd save money by putting the Manila workers back in a Manila project and then the local contractor can finish the mobile beach home using local workers, thus reducing operational cost.  We prepared a turn-over from one team to another but the local contractor gave me a higher price than expected and I wasn't sure of the quality of workmanship unlike the team from Manila whom I've worked with in several projects.  The Manila workers started on the new project and now we have to find a way to get them back to Calatagan by shuffling the workers appropriate for the task.

The new project . . . that's another story for another entry.

Calatagan Update

The idea behind this is that when the house is not being used, it's totally closed off and the inside can't be seen.  We're making the gap between the wooden slats smaller than what's in the photo now.

 Preparing to put up the bathroom walls.

 Electricals in place.

 More window panels go in.

 An old unused drum is chopped off. . . .

 . . . and burried so that the water from the shower and sink will drain into the open tube without spreading above ground.

The septic tank is a recycled plastic drum by Bestank - easy to install since you don't have to use hollow blocks.  Also in the future, if the mobile home needs to be moved, this can be transferred.

Rain and Ignorance Costs

 The jalousies went up quickly although I suspect I was overcharged but such is the purpose of this exercise -- to make mistakes and discover better and better ways of accomplishing things.  

 The rains are really driving up my operational costs because it's driving down productivity.  However, the other major factor is the use of workers from Manila in Calatagan.  It's better to find local talents and hands but how does one find those that can be trusted and with a good track record?  Through a bit of time getting to know some locals with an established network. 

Ronald, the electrician-plumber-contractor was introduced to me by the Ate Flory, the hardware owner who's been so helpful in putting me in touch with people I needed. Ate Flory, it seems knows everyone in Calatagan.  I wish I had met Ronald earlier in this project since he had a lot of good ideas - ideas much better, smarter and cheaper than mine in bringing water and electricity to the remote structure.  Ah well.  Nothing but lessons that need to be etched in memory.

Before the Storm

After checking up on the progress of work last Sunday afternoon, it started to rain till the next day and Pedring lashed out Tuesday making the workers retreat back to Manila.  I don't know how this sea-facing structure survived but this is how it looked like before the storm.

 One . . . .

 Two . . . .

 Three . . . .

I'm quite happy how this turned out.  I had the first try corrected since I didn't want the concrete supports above the ground.  The Minola cooking oil cans of concrete are buried under the sand

 Junie the welder finished his role as he welded the last two wheels and bathroom floor in place.

Prettier than Ever

I thought we would eat some place cheaper but last Sunday, on our way to check up on the work in Calatagan, we ended up having lunch in an old favorite, Sonya's Garden and it's still as pretty as ever, even prettier.  There's an additional hall which I don't remember was there more than two years ago.  The wonderful thing is that they welcomed us including our dog.  And the place was built pet-friendly with hardy outdoorsy floors that could take a beating.   Our son ran up and down the aisles with the dog and made friends with other kids who were attracted to his puppy, making him the popular kid who happily shared ownership and playtime.  

What I love about the construction of this structure is that it's so unpretentious.  It uses simple materials in an honest, simple way and the love affair with plants and great fresh food is the overriding factor.

Beijing Quickie

Five years living and working in China has seen friends come and go in this very transitory waiting place called TEDA which is two hours from Beijing so it's doesn't have as much holding power.  My husband and I decided to gamble in the Philippines and we now only go back to China for a brief holiday for my in-laws to enjoy their precious precious time with Joshua.  During this last trip, I visited one of my oldest friends who's still living in China, Sophie who was my roommate and classmate in a two-week Chinese bootcamp years back and it turned out, among other coincidences, we were born two days apart.  What are the chances, right?  

I took the two hour bus to Beijing just to have lunch with her and catch up with life stories over sumptuous servings of Persian food and coffee in a Spanish restaurant.  

When she heard I was going back into the field of architecture and before I had to catch the last bus back to TEDA, she gave me a tour of the newly opened hotel at the Village in Sanlitun and parts of the commercial development which were closed the last time I was there.  Beijing amazing!  Designers are having a heyday!

Reboot After a Month

After a blogless, blog-proof, blog-free three weeks in China, it's great to finally update my electronic diary of projects.  As soon as we arrived, I made preparations for the crew to go back to resume work in Calatagan, bought the necessary materials and headed there this Wednesday September 21.

Everyone was excited to go back to work after the break.  Some of them didn't get any construction job in between so they appreciated the opportunity even if it takes them away from their family for a while.

The sliding wood slat panels were made in my mom's Paranaque workshop while I was in China.  It was a good way to make use of the time and to continue the work even without my supervision.  My mom's head carpenter did the supervisory work for me.  I thought he would be able to go back to Calatagan with us but my mom needs him more in Manila.  Nevertheless, we continue with having two teams at work - one in Calatagan and the other in Paranaque.  This is the only way we can meet the end-of-October target.

Another team is going to help us finish on time.  I've outsourced the jalousies to a local company located just outside the farm.  They checked out the site, did the measurements, submitted a quotation which I immediately approved.  Here they are contemplating with the foreman what to do with the mosquito screens.  Our team in Calatagan will still do the mosquito screens while the Paranaque team will prepare the used wood so we save money.

While we were in China, the four regular staff in the Calatagan farm collected bamboo to complete this patio roof screen.  It's bumpier and more crooked than the these ones from Tagaytay.  We brought the bamboo back to be turned into sun shades at the Paranaque workshop.

Since all the welding was finished, it was pretty quick to install the bathroom roof.  The welder had to return to add two more wheels to the bathroom trailer, weld the bathroom floor in place and finish the patio support.