PROBLEMS

RELATED
TO
HOUSING

Mae Christine Joy Abines

PROBLEMS IN HOUSE
BUILDING
• Choice of building materials
• Choice of manpower
• Fulfilling government requirements
• Financing
1. Availability of Materials

– A brief description of the materials used for house building would be beneficial
in order to be able to choose them properly.
NATURE OF MATERIALS

1. Wood - used for structural purposes like framing, posting, roofing, trusses,
girder, interior decoration, sidings, paneling and flooring.
2. Stone – one of the oldest and most permanent types of materials e.g. marble.
3. Ceramic – is clay and can be used to make bricks for tiles on floors and walls.
4. Metal
a. Steel – its characteristic is strength.
b. Bronze – used for doors and grills, hardware and lighting fixtures.
c. Wrought Iron – used for brackets, grills, locks, gate
NATURE OF MATERIALS

d. Aluminum – a very lightweight material used for window frames and

door frames.
e. Glass – is hard, brittle and usually transparent used for window panes
and wall paneling.
New Materials

1. Concrete – has strength and used for walls, flooring.

2. Plastics – used for many parts such as walls, windows, floors and ceilings and
for equipment such as furniture and accessories.
Indigenous Materials

1. Sawali – is the other covering of bamboo poles; they are woven and used for
walling material.
2. Coco Coir – is a by-product of coconut husks; used for walls.
3. Bagasse – is certainly a sugar cane waste which can be combined with rice
husks used for insulation.
4. Abaca – is a fiber obtained from the leaf stalk of Abaca or Banana plant used
for walls.
5. Bamboo – one of the most commonly used materials used throughout the
humid tropics for house construction.
2. Financing

– The mode of financing the construction of a house will depend on the choice of
wether to use the cash the family has or a long term loan, thereby utilizing the
loan assistance of government or non-government entities.
Financing

Government Agencies Non-Government Agencies

1. Social Security System (SSS) 1. Corporations
2. Government Service Insurance 2. Private banks
System (GSIS)
3. Home Development Mutual Fund
(HDMF) or PAG-IBIG Fund
4. United Home Lending Program
(HLP)
Vocabulary in Home Financing:

• Amortize – gradual elimination of a debt.

• Appraisal – an estimate of the value of the property.
• Assessment – determining the value of man’s property.
• Assignment – transfer of property from one person to another.
• Collateral – a property to insure the repayment of money borrowed.
• Deed – containing some transfer or contract as the conveyance of property.
• Interests – the sum the borrower pays the lender for the priveleges of receiving
a loan.
Vocabulary in Home Financing:

• Liquidate – to settle the accounts

• Mortgage – a written legal agreement
3. Knowing your Construction
Team
– One should be acquainted with the different functions of the construction team
in order to be better prepared when it comes to clear choices.
Construction Team:

1. Project Engineer – a professional who is licensed to make sure that the

structural design has been checked and is in order.
2. General Foreman – assistant to the project engineer whenever the engineer is
not present.
3. Lead Man – makes a list of manpower and their respectives assignment.
4. Carpentry Gang – in charge of general woodworks.
5. Steel Men – in charge of steel works.
6. Masons (Kantero) – in charge of concrete preparations.
Construction Team:

7. Tinsmiths (Latero) – in charge of the construction wrought iron.

8. Electrical Gang – in charge of electrical installations.
9. Warehouse Man – in charge of delivery of materials.
10. Clerk/Checker – assists a warehouse man in recording and tallying of
inventories or keeping.
11. Timekeeper – in charge of time cards and supervises the different gangs.
12. Paymaster – in charge of preparing payroll.
Architect

– A professional and is licensed to in charge of designing floor plan, , elevation,

façade, vertical section, detailed drawings, symbols and specifications.
– He is in charge of supervising the job.
Four Important Factors:

1. Physical Factor – covers topography, soil condition, climate, the average

amount of rainfall, orientation of the sun and wind, access to existing road, the
transportation facilities, and commercial facilities.
2. Economy – refers to the cost of the building.
3. Social Factor – there are several beliefs attached to home construction and an
architect may be guided by these.
a. Start the construction of a house when there is a full moon.
b. Start construction on Monday not Friday.
c. A better time to start is in January to June.
d. Before the cement is poured into the foundation, one peso should be dropped
inside the form.
e. The number of main post should always be even.
f. Main doors should always open towards the inside.
g. Before you occupy to new house, be sure to bring in first sugar, salt and rice.
h. Do not build a house directly perpendicular to the street.
i. For the Muslims, the principal room and stairways should face the direction of
Mecca.

4. Organization Factor – refers to the political requirements existing rules and

regulations promulgated by government agencies.
4. Knowing and following of
Government Requirements
– These permits have to be attended to and be accomplished before actual
construction may begin.
1. Building Permit Application Form
2. Sanitary/Plumbing Permit Application Form
3. Fencing Permit Application Form
4. Application for Electrical Permit Form
5. Construction Logbook Facsimile
6. Temporary Sidewalk Enclosure and Occupancy Permit Form
7. Application for Mechanical Permit Form
8. Scaffolding Permit Form
9. Excavation and ground Preparation Permit
10. Certificate of Completion Form