According to Wikipedia, “Scaffolding is a temporary frame used to support people and material in the construction or repair of buildings and other large structures.”
In modern countries, metal pipes or tubes are used in constructing scaffoldings but in third world countries, they are comfortable with Bamboo scaffoldings. I bowled over this idea as I did not – ever in my wildest dreams thought of bamboo scaffolding used in building structures especially skyscrapers. It is too difficult and risky! But that’s the way it is. This has been used for hundred of years throughout history, especially in Asia.
This type of scaffolding is widely used in China to build apartments, high-rise buildings, houses, walls, etc. Just as I have indicated above, this type is cheaper, lighter, more flexible and takes less time to erect and dismantle. This conclusion can be related to the fact that bamboo is common in Asian countries and scarcity will never be an issue. Provided that bamboo scaffolding is erected and installed properly, there wouldn’t be any problem. Bamboos are known to possess enough strength not only to be used as scaffolding but also as a permanent member of structures.
Nowadays, there are studies and practices wherein both the metal and the bamboo are used together to get the perfect scaffolding because of bamboo’s versatility and the metal’s safety. Using both elements in equal proportions, it is quite possible to tie up the flexibility of bamboo and strength of metal. The metal scaffolding is used in the primary stages of the construction to allow the workers to carry equipments and materials with ease. Once this is done and the correct framework has been established, sections can be added to extend areas using the bamboo scaffolding. This method is the solution wanted to adapt to the different requirements in a construction site.
Saturday, May 23, 2009
HOUSE REFURBISHMENT
The ancestral house of my grandparents was built around 1903. Needless to say it is now old and dilapidated having withstood all the typhoons as it proudly stands at the shores of the Pacific Ocean. This year we are planning to give it a massive refurbishment because we just can’t see it decaying each day – we have lots of childhood memories in that house. It saw us grow and witnessed all our childhood expeditions.
From an old Spanish house, plans are already made to turn it into a very modern, not state of the art, just modern piece of art. The galvanized iron roofs will be replaced by slates, the capiz (a type of shell used largely in interior decorating and for decorative purposes and accessories) windows will be reinstated using alloy metal sheets instead of wood. The original plan was to refurbish it without damaging the Spanish aesthetics of the house.
We will maintain the openness of the ground floor because it’s the trademark of most Spanish houses. They are also known for large, open living rooms and dining rooms so we will maintain it probably. A little tweak on the interior design will be done, replacing the buri walls with wooden slabs and replacing the incandescent and fluorescent lights with moderns ones. The kitchen opens onto a patio with space for recreation and family gatherings, pool and beautiful garden. Divider walls will be substituted with glass for more daylight. The windows of the bedrooms will not be touched but the floor needs major replacement.
Back in early 90’s carpets were installed in most rooms in that house but it really isn’t a good idea to install carpet in open windowed houses such as ours as dust creeps in almost every minute. Vacuuming the carpet daily to keep the dust away is a tough job! With this, carpets will be removed and shiny floors will be used again.
In this type of job DIY is not so feasible as this would require lots of planning, organizing and work to maintain the aesthetics of the house and to work within the allotted budget.
From an old Spanish house, plans are already made to turn it into a very modern, not state of the art, just modern piece of art. The galvanized iron roofs will be replaced by slates, the capiz (a type of shell used largely in interior decorating and for decorative purposes and accessories) windows will be reinstated using alloy metal sheets instead of wood. The original plan was to refurbish it without damaging the Spanish aesthetics of the house.
We will maintain the openness of the ground floor because it’s the trademark of most Spanish houses. They are also known for large, open living rooms and dining rooms so we will maintain it probably. A little tweak on the interior design will be done, replacing the buri walls with wooden slabs and replacing the incandescent and fluorescent lights with moderns ones. The kitchen opens onto a patio with space for recreation and family gatherings, pool and beautiful garden. Divider walls will be substituted with glass for more daylight. The windows of the bedrooms will not be touched but the floor needs major replacement.
Back in early 90’s carpets were installed in most rooms in that house but it really isn’t a good idea to install carpet in open windowed houses such as ours as dust creeps in almost every minute. Vacuuming the carpet daily to keep the dust away is a tough job! With this, carpets will be removed and shiny floors will be used again.
In this type of job DIY is not so feasible as this would require lots of planning, organizing and work to maintain the aesthetics of the house and to work within the allotted budget.
STAIRS CARPET FITTING
You now have a toddler and the least that you want to see is him rolling down the stairs from the loft or your second floor. So what do you do? Install a carpet in your stairs. This job may not sound as a good idea to some but for a mother who is flabbergasted with the idea above – it’s a savior.
Stair carpet fitting will not require you to buy new carpet from the hardware instead you can use the carpet previously fitted somewhere. This can be easily cut up and used to cover the stairs.
Now here are some general rules in fixing that carpet:
• Stair carpets should have much protection on the nosing of the stairs. This is possible by using a good contract quality underlay that will provide protection.
• Consider a smooth and rounded stair nosing because sharp angled ones may cause unnecessary rapid wear.
• Stair carpets should be cleaned, lifted and moved periodically to even out the point of wear.
• Winding steps in staircases should be fitted beginning at the bottom of each flight – not at the top, working upwards.
Now if you’re not on a tight budget and is willing to shed a few bucks for a new carpet, I’d say go for the handmade ones – they’re definitely beautiful. These handmade stair runners are available in various natural fibers and borders. You can create your own or order the standard size staircase based on 13 stairs. This type of carpet runners do not require professional fitting as this can be placed onto existing gripper rods. Underlay is not necessary unless you want a smoother and softer finish; it isn’t inexpensive anyway so I highly recommend you to add it on. Another thing, with this kind – cutting is no longer needed for that beautiful and professional finish.
The choice is really yours, depending on your budget.
Stair carpet fitting will not require you to buy new carpet from the hardware instead you can use the carpet previously fitted somewhere. This can be easily cut up and used to cover the stairs.
Now here are some general rules in fixing that carpet:
• Stair carpets should have much protection on the nosing of the stairs. This is possible by using a good contract quality underlay that will provide protection.
• Consider a smooth and rounded stair nosing because sharp angled ones may cause unnecessary rapid wear.
• Stair carpets should be cleaned, lifted and moved periodically to even out the point of wear.
• Winding steps in staircases should be fitted beginning at the bottom of each flight – not at the top, working upwards.
Now if you’re not on a tight budget and is willing to shed a few bucks for a new carpet, I’d say go for the handmade ones – they’re definitely beautiful. These handmade stair runners are available in various natural fibers and borders. You can create your own or order the standard size staircase based on 13 stairs. This type of carpet runners do not require professional fitting as this can be placed onto existing gripper rods. Underlay is not necessary unless you want a smoother and softer finish; it isn’t inexpensive anyway so I highly recommend you to add it on. Another thing, with this kind – cutting is no longer needed for that beautiful and professional finish.
The choice is really yours, depending on your budget.
WOMEN ARCHITECTS
According to Wikipedia, an architect is “trained and licensed in planning and designing buildings, and participates in supervising the construction of a building”. Nothing much has been said on the gender inequality in architecture but what I don’t understand is the way how women architectural students are being treated by their professors in the university. This is one reason why less and less women are taking up architecture.
The architecture profession is being dominated by the male specie and women likewise don’t get recognized by prestigious awarding bodies for reasons nobody understands or even knew about. So here are some reasons why we are not seeing women architects lately:
• Women are sensitive Women gets offended easily, a trait that isn’t good in this field. Working on a place dominated by men requires toughness for you to earn their respect and appreciation.
• Natural Calling. Women who pursues this career most of the time ends up doing interior design because it’s their natural calling, not to design buildings but to design the interior of the homes or building.
• Family and Work Pressures. Women deal a lot of issues from themselves and the people around them so putting on additional pressure from the male dominated population is such a burden to them.
• Personal Obligations. Women prioritize their family over their careers. Their family is their pride making them better persons in the long run so they fit better at home rather than designing building and working long hours in the construction area.
I know that these are not the only reasons but for me there’s nothing wrong in pursuing that career, as long as you can stand the pressure - go for it. Being in a male dominated facility doesn’t have to be an issue, as long as you can do whatever you’re asked to do, there would be no problem.
The architecture profession is being dominated by the male specie and women likewise don’t get recognized by prestigious awarding bodies for reasons nobody understands or even knew about. So here are some reasons why we are not seeing women architects lately:
• Women are sensitive Women gets offended easily, a trait that isn’t good in this field. Working on a place dominated by men requires toughness for you to earn their respect and appreciation.
• Natural Calling. Women who pursues this career most of the time ends up doing interior design because it’s their natural calling, not to design buildings but to design the interior of the homes or building.
• Family and Work Pressures. Women deal a lot of issues from themselves and the people around them so putting on additional pressure from the male dominated population is such a burden to them.
• Personal Obligations. Women prioritize their family over their careers. Their family is their pride making them better persons in the long run so they fit better at home rather than designing building and working long hours in the construction area.
I know that these are not the only reasons but for me there’s nothing wrong in pursuing that career, as long as you can stand the pressure - go for it. Being in a male dominated facility doesn’t have to be an issue, as long as you can do whatever you’re asked to do, there would be no problem.
LOFT CONVERSION
My children are growing so basically I am in dire need of an extra room for another kid. She’s entering her teens and that spells P-R-I-V-A-C-Y. She has asked us to convert the loft into a bedroom which she can call as hers but renovation during crisis is not a great idea. My husband and I made a great heart to heart talk about it and eventually decided to give in. We did a research on how we can have an economy loft conversion because we really can’t splurge much cash during recession.
We saved a large sum of money from the architectural services, so that’s the first rule: Find an architect you know and ask him or her to do some service for you. This way you’ll save a lot and you’re helping your friend at the same time.
It took a while for the project to materialize because first, we have to put into consideration the amount of cash that we’re willing to shed. It was our first concern, my daughter’s wrath second because aside from this we still have to save for their education, mortgage, insurance and other necessities. Upon completion of the plan and agreed amount, we started the project right away.
To save on materials, my husband went to and through a lot of thrift shops to get good bargains on scraps and furniture. We saved almost 40% of our budget just by doing that, not bad huh? Everything doesn’t have to be new, just use the magic of remodeling. Aside from this, he made use of the materials available at home – he didn’t buy everything, he maximized what we’ve got and saved a lot!
To contribute to the economical conversion, I made use of old pillows, bed sheets, comforters and curtains to beautify the interior of the loft. My daughter was so pleased with her new comforters which I made from old ones. I rummage through our storage area and found vintage knick-knacks that I displayed in her remodeled wall display cabinet.
You see, renovation doesn’t have to be expensive. It just requires budget, proper planning and a little imagination.
We saved a large sum of money from the architectural services, so that’s the first rule: Find an architect you know and ask him or her to do some service for you. This way you’ll save a lot and you’re helping your friend at the same time.
It took a while for the project to materialize because first, we have to put into consideration the amount of cash that we’re willing to shed. It was our first concern, my daughter’s wrath second because aside from this we still have to save for their education, mortgage, insurance and other necessities. Upon completion of the plan and agreed amount, we started the project right away.
To save on materials, my husband went to and through a lot of thrift shops to get good bargains on scraps and furniture. We saved almost 40% of our budget just by doing that, not bad huh? Everything doesn’t have to be new, just use the magic of remodeling. Aside from this, he made use of the materials available at home – he didn’t buy everything, he maximized what we’ve got and saved a lot!
To contribute to the economical conversion, I made use of old pillows, bed sheets, comforters and curtains to beautify the interior of the loft. My daughter was so pleased with her new comforters which I made from old ones. I rummage through our storage area and found vintage knick-knacks that I displayed in her remodeled wall display cabinet.
You see, renovation doesn’t have to be expensive. It just requires budget, proper planning and a little imagination.
FLOOR LAYING
As a child I grew up in an old Spanish house built before the Japanese war in the Philippines. The house made in paramount details by Spanish Engineers was just so amazing. One thing the visitors will notice is the shiny wood made of mahogany and narra planks lined alternately. It’s so classic that it adds beauty to its aesthetics.
Deciding for the floor details of our house was no easy task. We were contemplating whether to stick with the vinyl tiles as the kids were growing or think long term and consider wood boards instead. After several days of decision making comes the verdict – laminated wood boards. This type of flooring is very popular because it looks good, needs minimal maintenance and durable. This is one great alternative to my mahogany and narra dream floor.
We were all set to finding that laminated wood board type but was flabbergasted to know that we could not find it at our local builders shop! It was so disappointing that at some point I wanted to stick with vinyl tiles! Good thing my husband found a very reliable resource community which offered us laminated flattened boards made of bamboo. The species used for this were Bambusa Blumeana and Dendrocalamus Asper.
There are two types of laminated bamboo flattened boards: bamboo parquet blocks/laminated floor boards and laminated boards for walling, headboards, tabletops and any other uses that you can think of.
So there, my husband and his builder partner have had a grand time working with the floor boards because it’s flexible and lightweight because it’s made of composite material of wood veneer and bamboo slats.
Fancying the floor of your dreams doesn’t have to be very expensive. Just picture the kind of floor that you want to have, check if it would work well on your house and come up with the right flooring.
Deciding for the floor details of our house was no easy task. We were contemplating whether to stick with the vinyl tiles as the kids were growing or think long term and consider wood boards instead. After several days of decision making comes the verdict – laminated wood boards. This type of flooring is very popular because it looks good, needs minimal maintenance and durable. This is one great alternative to my mahogany and narra dream floor.
We were all set to finding that laminated wood board type but was flabbergasted to know that we could not find it at our local builders shop! It was so disappointing that at some point I wanted to stick with vinyl tiles! Good thing my husband found a very reliable resource community which offered us laminated flattened boards made of bamboo. The species used for this were Bambusa Blumeana and Dendrocalamus Asper.
There are two types of laminated bamboo flattened boards: bamboo parquet blocks/laminated floor boards and laminated boards for walling, headboards, tabletops and any other uses that you can think of.
So there, my husband and his builder partner have had a grand time working with the floor boards because it’s flexible and lightweight because it’s made of composite material of wood veneer and bamboo slats.
Fancying the floor of your dreams doesn’t have to be very expensive. Just picture the kind of floor that you want to have, check if it would work well on your house and come up with the right flooring.
CARPENTRY
Our houses are the trophies of the carpenters or builders as we call them. Their job involves a lot of hard work not to mention the time of being away from their families once a project has started. When you’re a carpenter, you’d do so many jobs normal carpenters do but there are some who specializes. These are the types of carpenters who have taken classes in specialization. The thing here is, know and master the base ideas first before taking any specialization classes.
Carpentry is no easy task. This job involves many kind of construction like renovating the kitchens or bedrooms and as hard as building highways and bridges. Carpenters work from blueprints, layouts, measuring, marking and arranging materials according to the local building codes. Aside from this, they also man the preparation of materials to be used on the actual building process according to the specifications of the client.
The ones who perform so many tasks at the same time need a broad range of carpentry skills. They might be required to build a wall, install door and windows, build stairs, do the plastering, etcetera. Different activities require them to be flexible and allow them to switch from doing domestic carpentry jobs or commercial constructions.
Carpenters who work for construction contractors do specialized carpentry. They do a few regular tasks such as building concrete forms for tunnel, bridge or sewer construction projects depending on the task assigned by the Senior Carpenter.
So you’re now decided to try carpentry? Think again. This job is physically draining as it requires prolong standing, bending, climbing walls and most carpenters are in high risk of injuries as the they work with sharp, heavy or rough materials and heavy duty equipments. Aside from these, carpenters who work outdoors are subject to variable weather conditions and may be required to work longer than the standard 40 hour week.
Carpentry is no easy task. This job involves many kind of construction like renovating the kitchens or bedrooms and as hard as building highways and bridges. Carpenters work from blueprints, layouts, measuring, marking and arranging materials according to the local building codes. Aside from this, they also man the preparation of materials to be used on the actual building process according to the specifications of the client.
The ones who perform so many tasks at the same time need a broad range of carpentry skills. They might be required to build a wall, install door and windows, build stairs, do the plastering, etcetera. Different activities require them to be flexible and allow them to switch from doing domestic carpentry jobs or commercial constructions.
Carpenters who work for construction contractors do specialized carpentry. They do a few regular tasks such as building concrete forms for tunnel, bridge or sewer construction projects depending on the task assigned by the Senior Carpenter.
So you’re now decided to try carpentry? Think again. This job is physically draining as it requires prolong standing, bending, climbing walls and most carpenters are in high risk of injuries as the they work with sharp, heavy or rough materials and heavy duty equipments. Aside from these, carpenters who work outdoors are subject to variable weather conditions and may be required to work longer than the standard 40 hour week.
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