All,
For those of you who haven't yet checked out our new forum, below is an
example of the quality of posts we get. To read a digest of the posts we
are getting & some of the topics covered have a look at:
http://livinginthep
If you like what you see check out our FAQ for some answers to getting
started at:
http://livinginthep
In the meantime, enjoy & hope to see you soon for a 'TALK' about
whatever interests you.
Keith.
List Guide - Living in the Philippines Community.
From 'Fish Ako':
I built my house on the beach in Negros Oriental with a lot of help. I
hired local guys within walking distance to my place. All live in the
same barangay. I had between 5-12 people working at any given time and
I acted as foreman and engineer. I paid 180 pesos per day and we worked
6 days a week. We always had a snack at the end of the day. They went
home for lunch.
Not everyone worked out for the long haul. The guys who cleared the
land didn't necessary transition to the foundation work. Some guys
showed up drunk and they were "let go" as I reduced staff. A
few quit (out of pride) after I reduced their responsibilities and pay.
I built a small house using methods that I would later use for the main
house and kitchen. This gave me chance to train the crew and find out
who could mix concrete, bend re-bar and tile. It also gave me a place
to live while we built the rest of the place. I only trusted one guy to
mix concrete and he knew the standard. By the time I built the main
house, everyone on the 6 man 1 woman crew knew their jobs and I got
custom work.
We held team competitions to see who could consolidate concrete the best
or set the forms for a column the fastest. The winners took home a
bonus. They worked fast and safe and had a great time. There was no one
milking the job as happens very often in construction in the
Philippines.
I always had a first aid kit ready and insisted on eye protection for
grinding steel. I used ladders and scaffolding that I had our welder
make custom. The workplace was as clean at the end of the day as any job
in my career. We had zero injuries in a two year period. I took care of
the guys and sponsored their sports team.
Prior to our move on site to the little house, we had a discrepancy in
the inventory. I was using a rotating shift for the night watch and
accountability suffered. I took one guy off the crew to do permanent
night watch. We made a tool board and an inventory sheet. One of the
family did turnover in the morning. I have never had another loss in
tools or inventory.
Most contractors will have a crew that build a CR and live in a
temporary shack on site. Their laundry is hanging around and it
generally looks like a mess. Safety is the last concern. Guys quit and
take stuff with them. The foreman takes a percentage from the crew.
Fight break out. That's not what I wanted. I was living on site
with my wife. My place was always peaceful, clean and quiet when the
crew left and the watchman showed up.
One of my workers went on to additional construction jobs in town and is
in high demand.
My first worker was a lady that lived next door and just showed up to
help. She has been on the payroll ever since and has had fewer issues
than any of the guys. The guys spend their money on cell phones and
karaoke. She saves her money by delaying her pay until she can buy a
goat. She lies to her relatives "I didn't get paid" so they
don't ask for support. Then she buys another goat. She sweeps the
place daily and helps around to this day.
The most talented and trusted of my crew stayed on as my maintenance
guy. He is more loyal to us than his family and I was his witness at
his wedding.
Too many foreigners in my opinion waste an opportunity to hire locals
and build their own home. Many end up frustrated by the process and
spending more money for less quality. They already develop a bad
reputation for the way they treat their workers before they even move
into the neighborhood. The make their contacts after the house is built.
It's a missed opportunity.
Most who hire an expert of any kind including contractors, agents,
engineers, electricians, and even foremen are robbed and live with
shoddy construction or worse. Some have the municipal engineer's
attention because the contractor never got the permit. Some violate
easements and end up with a suit later. They pay markups on materiel,
labor fees and consultations. They get less than the required re-bar
and little supervision. The crew list is padded. There are a hundred
other trick of the trade.
All of my money went to hard labor and good materials. I won't say
it was cheap. I didn't use a single hollowblock. I used cast in
place reinforced concrete, mahogany for exposed joinsts and other good
materials. It shows.
Construction is not rocket science. I did a little construction but I
had never laid tile or poured concrete before. I never did framing. I
studied the process and read books. When you're retired you
can't say that you didn't have time.
I treated the chance to build my house as a one in a lifetime dream. My
wife does not have a single complaint.
Ted was in Negros, now back in the states for a while.
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
***The List Real Estate Consultant is President of the Cebu Realtors Board, Tita Domingo, a Realtor (R) with national associates. She is TitaDomingoRE@hotmail.com .***
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