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Provide clean and safe drinking water: a challenge to real estate developers

27 Jan

Today, going green or being eco-friendly is no longer a matter of choice, it’s a matter of necessity. Nature’s growing unpredictability has made many individuals and companies realize that if we are to sustain our society for generations to come, we must treat nature and earth’s resources with utmost respect.

Fortunately, many real estate developers have caught on and have seen the importance of building projects that are sustainable. Thus, their emphasis on green building designs and construction.

In spite of these, though, there is one important environmental issue that no local developer has yet to address.

I would like to see the day when developers include among their amenities the provision of tap water that is so clean that one can drink it straight from the faucet, thereby eliminating, or at least reduce, the need for individuals or households to buy bottled water.

Bottled water not only burns a hole in your pocket, they’re one of the most environmentally-damaging commodities that we have become so used to.

 
 

Responses to Is the condominium boom in Metro Manila a sign of a healthy Philippine economy?

07 Jan

The concentration of condos in Metro Manila is born out of necessity because of the fact that there’s not much more land on which to build single-detached or attached housing units therein. I’m not saying that for the country to have real progress, condos should be built all over the country, in fact, it’s wrong to do so. Please read my blog that was featured on the online version of the Inquirer in 2009.

It’s true that for our country to make real headway economically, it should be seen and felt in the entire country. I am certain this can be attained; maybe not in our lifetime, but it can be attained if our leaders and those that will come after them will truly put their hearts into it. It’s going to be a very long and arduous process but we must begin somewhere or with something. And that “something” is going to be the subject of my next post.

 
 

Trains will open up new real estate markets outside Metro Manila and stimulate economic growth in the process

30 Nov

In my last post, I concluded that the condominium boom in Metro Manila should not be viewed as a sign of a healthy Philippine economy. Massive human congestion has resulted to serious scarcity and high cost of land leaving developers no choice but to build vertically.

Metro Manila has become what it is today because of the over-concentration of businesses plus recreational, cultural, and institutional facilities therein – elements that are barely present in many parts of the countryside.

An ideal economy is one wherein most if not all citizens see and feel economic gains (in varying degrees) wherever they may be. It’s a gargantuan task but I think it can be done; definitely not in this lifetime, but I do believe, slowly, it can be done.

Yes, for me, a major factor that will stimulate economic (สะหวันเวกัส)growth in the countryside is a modern, fast and reliable railroad system that will not only cater to commuters but will also transport cargoes (freight trains) over long distances.

PNR has already rehabilitated the so-called Southrail Line – from Tutaban in Divisoria up to the Bicol Region. However, the rehabilitation was poorly done. There appeared to be no resolute effort to really modernize the project. Most of the coaches or trains are second hand that were donated by Japan. Travel time from Manila to Bicol is ten hours, the same time it takes when taking a bus : (

By the way, our railroad system is also originally planned to extend North all the way to San Fernando in La Union.

 
 

Tour of Nuvali and other places in Sta. Rosa, Laguna

01 Nov

One of the reasons why I decided to take this tour was to find out more about an important matter that was related to me by a friend. She emailed to me an image from Phivolcs indicating that there might be an active fault that traverses part of Sta. Rosa. It’s called the Valley Fault System.

I will talk about this active fault at the end of this post.

But first, let me tell you about the tour my daughter and I did yesterday. What was originally intended to be a casual visit to Nuvali turned into a 12-hour trip that extended up to the swollen shore of Laguna Lake.

We arrived at Nuvali around 9:00 am and left for home at 9:00 pm. Needless to say, my daughter and I had a blast the whole time.

This is the second time I visited Nuvali in less than a month. The admiration I had for it during our first visit became even more intense after I found out that what looked like opaque walls of One Evotech were actually transparent; they’re probably glass curtain panels. The photo that was taken at 8:30 pm clearly shows the bicycle ramps that one can use to go up and down the building using his bike.

 
 

DMCI Homes’ latest offering at Mahogany Place III

26 Oct

In Taguig, a city in southern Metro Manila, is where you will find DMCI Homes’ vast landholding – the 86-hectare mixed-use development dubbed the Acacia Estates. In it you will find DMCI Homes’ various projects like the condominium developments Rosewood Pointe, Royal Palm Residences, Cedar Crest and Cypress Towers plus the gated subdivisions of Mahogany Place I, II and III.

Mahogany Place I and II are sold out but some parts of Mahogany Place III are still available. Accessible via C-5 Road, it is only a few minutes from Bonifacio Global City and the Makati Central Business District. This gated community is home to a variety of single-detached houses, townhouses and duplexes.

 
 

what catch many first time real estate buyers by surprise Posted by Jun on July 1st, 2011

18 Oct

This post is meant for those who are planning to buy, for the first time, real estate properties from developers, whether it’s a lot, a house and lot package or a condominium unit.

Many first time buyers have this notion that buying from a developer simply involves payment of two costs: the down payment and the monthly amortization. I can’t blame them, because most developers, in their desire to entice buyers, often initially specify only the down payment and the amortization and remain silent on other costs that ultimately inflate the final contract price of a real estate property.

How many times have you seen a condominium ad saying: “Own a condo unit for just P10,000 a month?” Believe me, it’s much more than that if these developers will be totally upfront about all the costs involved in the real estate transaction.

And why are developers not upfront about these costs? Because these costs tend to become “deal breakers,” i.e. potential first time buyers tend to be turned off by these additional costs, that many walk away from the deal after they realize that they should pay much more than the down payment and amortization.

 
 

The more stories or horizontal levels a residential project has, the less its cost per square meter becomes.

11 Oct

To a certain extent, townhouse developers realize profits in basically the same way. Think of a quadruplex for example; just think of the side walls. This four-unit structure has two side walls and three partition walls or a total of five. Slice them into four single houses and you end up with eight side walls and at least three setbacks between houses that will require a bigger lot.

Construction of a quadruplex is also more simple and faster. Digging the foundation for the four units involves a single process and a single set up time. Divide them into 4 individual houses and the developer will have to do this process four times, albeit, each at a smaller scale. But there’s a set up time every time he does it, making the whole process longer. That’s just for the digging of the foundation.

These are just a few things I know why condominiums and townhouses are very popular among developers. They are a way for developers to “mass-produce” housing, reduce cost, maximize profit and sell at reasonable prices at the same time.

If you know of more reasons, feel free to leave them in the comment section or contact me. If you think some of my observations are wrong, kindly do the same and I will gladly edit or totally remove this entry if necessary.

 
 

The environmental cost of bottled water

04 Oct

According to a 2007 report of the Worldwatch Institute, a US-based environmental research organization, massive production of bottled water results to excessive withdrawal of natural mineral or spring water thereby threatening local streams and ground water.

Equally disturbing is the environmental impact resulting from the production of PET (polyethylene terephthalate) plastic to make the water bottles.

* Being plastic, PET’s are petroleum-derived materials that worsen the already dwindling supply of non-renewable fossil fuel.

* “Producing one kilogram of virgin resin PET requires 17.5 kilograms of water and results in air emission of 40 grams of hydrocarbons, 25 grams of sulfur oxides, 18 grams of carbon monoxide, 20 grams of nitrogen oxides, and 2.3 kilograms of carbon dioxide.” That’s just for the production of the raw material, not the bottles themselves.

* According to the same report, this means that… “in terms of water use alone, much more is consumed in making the bottles than will ever go into them.”

* Bottled water is also distributed in a very inefficient manner. From the factory, they are delivered by trucks to their various destinations. Even neighborhood water refilling stations deliver water to their costumers mostly using tricyles thereby increasing fossil fuel consumption and carbon monoxide emissions.

* I don’t have to delve into the amount of plastic waste resulting from our consumption of bottled water, we already know that.

 
 

condominiums and townhouses appeal to developers

28 Sep

The more stories or horizontal levels a residential project has, the less its cost per square meter becomes. This is true not just for condominiums but also for townhouses and single houses. Savings, ergo profit, is realized because of the following basic reasons:

* A single roof is needed for the whole structure.

* Only one foundation is needed. The taller the structure is, though, the more complex and more robust the foundation should be and, therefore, costlier. Add to that a much stronger set of columns.

* The land is optimized, i.e., with a small plot of land, so many homes can be built. Ayala Land’s Senta Condominium in Legaspi Village in Makati will seat on a 1,865 square meter lot; will have 39 stories and 438 units with an average of 14 units per floor.

In our example, imagine slicing those 30 to 60 units into single houses. Each unit will require its own foundation and roof. Imagine erecting these single houses in a “small” subdivision; think about the roads and the setback between or among houses. Can you fit them all in a 1,000 square meter lot? Add to that a more complex drainage system and the perimeter wall. Imagine how each house will look like.

 
 

8 Responses to “Why condominiums and townhouses appeal to developers”

07 Sep

“As a would-be home owner, assuming that you are neither an architect or a civil engineer, and you do your homework in earnest, you may remove the developer in the build process and derive savings that would have gone to him; but never the architect and contractor.”

Yes, Im a would-be home owner (and a buyer), and I’ll choose an “architect and builder” but not an “architect and contractor”. But then I prefer to buy a house within a planned community, so I’ll just search for the right developer that meets my needs. This is also the reason why I found this very informative blog.

I already have a short list of developers with a modern-contemporary design signatures. I just hate those houses with lots of stone works and mouldings (to me these are just “burloloys”). There’s also a developer with a proud “Energy Saving” slogan on their flyers, but their rooms dont have a cross-ventilation. It also has a second-floor carport, :) (Funny but true).

Hopefully, there will be a developer that will allow interior changes without changing the design for the exterior massing, like pushing some walls, putting interior view windows, optional interior finishes, etc.

Keep posting sir, I added this blog on my favorites. I always wanted to post some comments on other categories but dont have spare time to create one.