In all the forums about construction I've joined in the past years, there are many common questions that are frequently asked. Well, to avoid repeated posts questions and answers at the forum, I will attempt to list them here and try to answer them to the best of my knowledge.
Question No. 1: I want to build my House/Building. What should I do first?
My Answer:
First, find out if you already have the following:
1. LOT with the right classification.
Residential for Houses, Commercial for Commercial Establishments,etc. If you are not sure of the lot's classification, you can go to your local Municipal Hall Land-use and Zoning Office and check in the Land-use Map. Residential areas are commonly shaded with color yellow or orange and Commercial areas are in red. Institutional is in blue and Agricultural is in Green.
If you are thinking of changing the land-use of your property eg; agricultural land to commercial land, you will be required to secure ECC or Environmental Compliance Certificate from DENR.
2. BUDGET
It's self explanatory, everything will work out if you have this.
For those who doesn't have this yet, you can try to use your other assets and properties. Loan is a good answer. It comes in many form. it's up to you how to obtain it.
The next question is "how much is the budget?" We'll discuss this later.
3. WILL
If you have the first two, but do not have the will, then all is nothing. right? In my experience, the owner's Will mosty dictates the progress. Lack of budget became out of problem. Or it may be that a simple problem may cause the construction to stop. Just what like a song says: "... 'pag ayaw may dahilan, 'pag gusto palaging mayroong paraan..."
If you already have these, next is to consult a professional, preferably an Architect, who is a relative of yours or a close friend or someone already known to the profession. Why? Simply because it's very hard to trust anyone. Kahit pa nga kamag-anak minsan nagkakasiraan pa di ba? Please, please, please, do not ask ideas from those who are not in the field of construction. Or yun mga nakikialam lang at nagmamarunong. This oftenly ruins your disposition and may lead you to miserable path and end up not enjoying the construction procedure. Trust me on this! You don't entrust your health to someone who is not a Doctor, or your Legal Cases to someone who is not a Lawyer. Right?
Many are afraid to consult a Construction Professional thinking that they will be paying too much for any of his services. But fact is, payment only starts upon signing of contract. Initial advises and even initial designs are usually free.
Everything else follows. the architect will then translate your dream house to reality!
For other questions, you can email me at royestrella@gmail.com
Friday, December 11, 2009
Monday, February 2, 2009
An Overview
The Main Cast of Characters in the Construction Project:
OWNER
The Protagonist. The Producer
ARCHITECT
The Author!
CONSULTANTS
The Co-Author and Advisers
CONTRACTOR
The Director and the Staff
PROJECT MANAGER
The Editors and Quality Checkers
Above is a simple metaphor to simply explain the roles of the individuals in a construction project. This may be inaccurate but I think good enough to be understood by laymen. Although this is explained in details in many Construction and Architectural Books, I believe posting this would greatly help and enlighten the OWNERS and the people who are confused in the process of constructing.
Question: Does this mean that there should be at least 5 individuals involved in a Construction Project?
Answer: Not exactly! It depends on the type of project, its scale and complexity. In some small projects, there may be only the Owner and the Contractor, or the Owner and the Architect with a Team of Workers, or in some cases, The Owner and the Workers directly. In Large projects, Designers and Consultants are a team composed of Professionals specializing in their respective fields. The Team is usually headed by the Designing Architect. General Contractors have their Field Supervisors and Subcontractors. There are also other Specialty Contractors directly hired by the Owner.
It is still recommended to have all the listed above present in a project. This decreases the chances of poor and unsatisfactory product especially in large complex projects. But in most cases, what’s keeping the ‘Others’ off is the budget. Owners tend to think that it is not worth paying engineering services in small projects and hiring a Foreman or skilled workers is the way to save a lot. Others even opt to Do-It-Yourself. In some cases it worked! But in some cases it didn’t and created more complex problems and frustrating results. Well it’s up to you to decide and take the risk. Having them all is not a guarantee but at least would place you in a safer side.
Many are afraid to consult a Construction professional. Maybe because they think that the charge is way too expensive. Fact is, An Architect or Engineer would likely not charge you yet in your initial meetings. Except for well-known Design Firms, most Freelance Architects would answer basic questions without pressuring you to hire him immediately. Some even give free initial designs according to your preferences. And some more others give free advises! Unlike other profession that is like a Taxi meter the moment the consultation started. You may not realize yet that if you didn't hire a construction professional, you may have so many questions specific to your project that you are dying to know the true answer. Chances are, you might end up having what you need but does not understand it well by heart. You might even experience comparing with your friends' projects. You will be burned by the question "Why does his... like this and mine is not?" or even "We have the same... but why his... is cheaper?"
For me, finding a Good Contractor is actually the hardest part for the Owner. With so many Fly-by-night contractors nowadays, it is a nightmare if you ended up to one. But there are ways on how to find a Reputable Contractor. We'll discuss this on my next posts.
FYI: The Architect may function as both the Designer and the Builder. As explained in the UAP(United Architects of the Philippines) Documents’ Design-Build Services, this may be possible but not in all cases.
For ethical reasons and to ensure that there is ‘check and balance’ the Architect-Builder and/or Contractor should not function as the Project Manager. Project Managers are usually the Owner’s Representative and has the main duty of protecting the Owner’s interest.
OWNER
The Protagonist. The Producer
ARCHITECT
The Author!
CONSULTANTS
The Co-Author and Advisers
CONTRACTOR
The Director and the Staff
PROJECT MANAGER
The Editors and Quality Checkers
Above is a simple metaphor to simply explain the roles of the individuals in a construction project. This may be inaccurate but I think good enough to be understood by laymen. Although this is explained in details in many Construction and Architectural Books, I believe posting this would greatly help and enlighten the OWNERS and the people who are confused in the process of constructing.
Question: Does this mean that there should be at least 5 individuals involved in a Construction Project?
Answer: Not exactly! It depends on the type of project, its scale and complexity. In some small projects, there may be only the Owner and the Contractor, or the Owner and the Architect with a Team of Workers, or in some cases, The Owner and the Workers directly. In Large projects, Designers and Consultants are a team composed of Professionals specializing in their respective fields. The Team is usually headed by the Designing Architect. General Contractors have their Field Supervisors and Subcontractors. There are also other Specialty Contractors directly hired by the Owner.
It is still recommended to have all the listed above present in a project. This decreases the chances of poor and unsatisfactory product especially in large complex projects. But in most cases, what’s keeping the ‘Others’ off is the budget. Owners tend to think that it is not worth paying engineering services in small projects and hiring a Foreman or skilled workers is the way to save a lot. Others even opt to Do-It-Yourself. In some cases it worked! But in some cases it didn’t and created more complex problems and frustrating results. Well it’s up to you to decide and take the risk. Having them all is not a guarantee but at least would place you in a safer side.
Many are afraid to consult a Construction professional. Maybe because they think that the charge is way too expensive. Fact is, An Architect or Engineer would likely not charge you yet in your initial meetings. Except for well-known Design Firms, most Freelance Architects would answer basic questions without pressuring you to hire him immediately. Some even give free initial designs according to your preferences. And some more others give free advises! Unlike other profession that is like a Taxi meter the moment the consultation started. You may not realize yet that if you didn't hire a construction professional, you may have so many questions specific to your project that you are dying to know the true answer. Chances are, you might end up having what you need but does not understand it well by heart. You might even experience comparing with your friends' projects. You will be burned by the question "Why does his... like this and mine is not?" or even "We have the same... but why his... is cheaper?"
For me, finding a Good Contractor is actually the hardest part for the Owner. With so many Fly-by-night contractors nowadays, it is a nightmare if you ended up to one. But there are ways on how to find a Reputable Contractor. We'll discuss this on my next posts.
FYI: The Architect may function as both the Designer and the Builder. As explained in the UAP(United Architects of the Philippines) Documents’ Design-Build Services, this may be possible but not in all cases.
For ethical reasons and to ensure that there is ‘check and balance’ the Architect-Builder and/or Contractor should not function as the Project Manager. Project Managers are usually the Owner’s Representative and has the main duty of protecting the Owner’s interest.
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