What They Don't Tell You When Building Your Space

You finally have the savings/loan to build your own home. You get your interior designer, your architect to make your dreams come alive. Your designer and architects are a dream to work with, and you finally have all the working drawings and designs needed to have a contractor build it. Since you're money-savvy, you get several contractors to bid. Now comes the hard part. Who will you choose? Shall it be the lowest price? After all, you do want to get your designer chairs! Or maybe that might not be a good idea. 

The ugly truth is the most difficult part in building a space, whether it's your home or a commercial space, is the construction itself. Yes, there are lots of horror stories from contractors who use materials that aren't up to the specifications indicated, to those who actually don't finish the project and just leave you hanging with an unfinished space! I've had my own share of nightmares. It's part of the job most unfortunately. However, they don't really talk about this until you experience it yourself or maybe a friend/relative has told you. So what do you do?

Here are some guidelines in choosing your contractor/supplier (they apply to suppliers too-from building to furniture suppliers):

1. Reputation is king.

The most important thing is to find out their reputation. Google! Yes, most suppliers are already on the web. Although admittedly, plenty of contractors here in the Philippines aren't. So what do you do? Ask for referrals from your friends. Find out their experience. For contractors, check out their work. Ask them if you can visit a place they built. From there, you can see the quality of their work. If you're not sure, bring your designer with you. 

2. Trust your designer.

Chances are your designer has had his/her experience with suppliers and contractors. I, for one, actually experiment on my home when using new suppliers. At the very least, if they screw up, it's on my turf. While I admit, not all passed my standards though. And yes, that is the very reason why your designer has only a limited pool of suppliers!

3. Price isn't everything.

Yes, I know. It's not how cheap it is nor how expensive. As I said previously, the best is always to go for reputation and referrals. While this may not be a foolproof solution, it's a better one and may save you a lot of headaches. 

4. Trust your gut.

Truth. I screen my clients. I don't just jump at every opportunity when there is a possible project. Why is that? Because normally, I work a minimum of 2 months and longer to build a space (from design all the way to construction), having a good working relationship with my client is important. In the same way, trust your gut. Meet your prospective contractor/supplier in person. You'll find out if you can work with him/her even with your first interaction. Of course, this isn't always a guarantee especially if you're not that good in reading people. However, it will avoid any unwanted suppliers/contractors, yes, and even interior designers/architects.

While I urge your to be cautious, I do hope you enjoy the process as well! While there are nightmarish stories, there are successful ones too. 

For interior design services, contact me.

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What Exactly Is Your Filipino Carpenter Saying?

Before I ventured into interior design, I was just like you trying to build my dream home. There were times that my carpenter asked me something, and it literally took me like 2 minutes... maybe more... staring and wondering what the heck he was saying. Yes, it seemed like Greek! Most of them are derived from Spanish words but hey, no habla Español. Well, to make it easier for you, I've compiled a short list of Filipino construction terms so you finally understand what they are saying!

alulod/gutter

bisagra/hinge

haspe/wood grain

hulog/plumb line

Photo from christianunityministries.org

pasamano/window sill

palitada/plaster

roskas/thread

Turnilyo/screw

Alahado - Flush - a state of alignment, where two things are even/aligned against each other. Let's say you're asking your mason to make the tile flush to the concrete surface, "Alahado ba?"

Alambre - Steel Wire 

Ampaw/Kapak - honeycomb air pockets that form on the concrete if it isn't applied correctly. The problem with this is that your concrete won't be strong. The more air pockets, the weaker the concrete, and you don't want that! This also applies to the way tiles are layed incorrectly. That means if there's a hollow sound, there are air pockets between the tile and the concrete surface. What happens is that your tile will get loose or crack. Beware of this!!

Alulod - Gutter - usually refers to the gutter in the roof where rainwater collects and continues to a downspout 

Asintada - Alignment - To line up things so they are even. You want, let's say, your wall and your tile to be even, you tell your mason, "Asintahin mo," that means to align. Or "wala sa asintada" means out of alignment.

Bahada - Slope - Your bathroom needs to be sloping towards the drain to prevent water from pooling, thereby causing mold and mildew to your tiles.

Biga - Beam

bisagra

Bisagra - Hinge - First time I heard this, I had a blank stare! Hahahaha!

Dos Por Dos - 2"x2" - refers to lumber

Hamba - Door/Window Jamb - frame of the door/window

Haspe - Wood Grain - Normally, your carpenter will ask you what direction the wood grain (pattern on the wood) should be. When they say, "pino ang haspe" that means the wood grain is fine.

Hulog - Plumb Line - a string with a metal weight that when suspended goes vertically down. It is used to find the depth of water or to determine verticality.

Masilya - Putty - a compound used to fill holes, normally used during finishing. 

 Palitada - Plaster - the act of plastering a surface like putting cement on the wall 

Pasamano - Window Sill

Rehas - Window Grill

Roskas - Thread - the part of a pipe/screw/bolt with grooves. When your plumber/carpenter says, "maluwag na ang roskas" that means the thread is loose and you need to change it.

Tambol - Board up - If you want to cover something ugly, like wires or pipes showing, you ask your carpenter to board it up. "Tambulan mo ito."

Tumbok or Butt joint -woodwork basics.com

Tumbok - Butted/Butt Joint - a joint where two surfaces meet at right angles

Media Agua - Canopy

Poso Negro - Septic Tank - a watertight container that receives waste from a sewage system

Poste/Haligue - Column/Post

Senepa - Fascia Board - a horizontal board to cover some things like a fluorescent light 

Tambak - Fill

Turnilyo - Screw- don't confuse with pako which is a nail. Yes, it happens. Don't worry, I won't tell!

This is by no means an exhaustive resource but these are some common words I've encountered during construction.  

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