House Renovation

[swordsman]

Our soon-to-be townhouse needs immediate renovation, and once the deal finally completes, i intend to have a contractor take a look for an estimate on renovation. So i need suggestions/feedback on contractors that you guys had good experiences with. Or have friends who had good experiences with. At a reasonable price, but excellent workmanship, syempre trustworthy din sana. I'm on a tight budget din, so negotiable naman yong gusto ko pagawa. I can prioritize what needs immediate attention, depende sa magiging quotation.

The lot area is 64 sqm, floor area is around 150sqm, 3 floors, 4 bedrooms(2 each on the 2nd & 3rd floor), 3 t&b.

Here's what i have in mind for renovation:

Roofing repairs/renovation to get rid of possible leaks
- may water marks na kasi sa one part of the ceiling, so malamang may leak na

Rejuvenate wooden flooring (may have to replace some parts) on the 2nd & 3rd floor
- the wood flooring have scratch marks and discoloration/fading. a small part is rotten. depending on cost of labor/material, i may have to replace everything(or not)

Master's bedroom expansion
- the adjacent room will have to be reduced in size(will just use it as a office/study). current (room)divider is a floor to ceiling built-in cabinet.

Main Toilet & Bath renovation
- rejuvenate/replace tiles, painting
- replace shower system as it is not working anymore
- replace sink/faucets with one having countertop
- add hot & cold water facility to this bathroom, piping ready for hot&cold
- if budget permits, add a bath tub(probably needs to expand the bathroom if ever)

Kitchen renovation
- kitchen already has countertop and cabinets, but we would like additional extension(around 5') countertop made.
- install better sink & faucet, the one installed now is already old & a cheap set
- add provision for range hood
- paint/rejuvenate cabinets

Overall Plumbing work
- to check/fix and make everything working
- to install additional sink/faucets/tub plumbing if necessary

Paint work
- painting of the whole house - interior & exterior

Electrical/Cabling/Phone line checks & service
- the unit has an outlet on each room for telephone and cable tv as far as i check. i don't know though if these still work. i'd like to revive these outlets to their functional condition if possible.

General cleaning/renovation of Flooring/Tiles on the 1st floor
- medyo madami na mantsa nung tiles, needs treatment of muriatic acid, probably para bumalik kintab nya

Upgrade the lighting on the living & dining rooms, hallways & bedrooms, kitchen
- usual flourescent lamps/bulbs ang gamit as of now, plan ko palagyan ng may design na ilaw

So far, these are what we intend done. Please post if you have any suggestions on contractors and ideas(do's & don'ts) on the general renovation itself based on your experiences.

Thanks!

[shadow]

dude, malaki-laking trabaho yan ah... meron tayo ditong isang member whose into construction business...van wilder yata... I think nasa sig niya ang contact details niya....

[shadow]

tip ko lang pala ikaw na lang bumili ng mga fixtures na kailangan lights, sinks etc...mas makakamura ka....pati tiles ikaw na rin bumili...

[v6dreamer]

Wow! This is a major renovation and were asking big money here. Anyway, its your domain and want the best of it.

With this kind of big job you must look for a reputable license contractor, with a proven quality work. You must not settle for a bargain if you are not sure this people. Ask about their previous project, ask others who have experinced with that particular contractor how good thier craftmanship and most of it if they stand there quality meaning "satisfaction garuantee". Get at least three stimate from diff. contractor. If you do your homework before the job, less problem and before you know it, youre enjoying your pad.

[swordsman]

^^^ yup, medyo malaking work nga. i have 2 contractors checked it out. magpapagawa din lang, might as well pagawa na lahat kelangangan pagawa.

dude, malaki-laking trabaho yan ah... meron tayo ditong isang member whose into construction business...van wilder yata... I think nasa sig niya ang contact details niya....

i think his company's mostly into constructing new houses.

tip ko lang pala ikaw na lang bumili ng mga fixtures na kailangan lights, sinks etc...mas makakamura ka....pati tiles ikaw na rin bumili...

thanks. i plan to do just that.

[swordsman]

BTW, for bathroom fixtures/accessories like wash basin, faucets, shower heads, toilets/water closets, bathtubs, where do you buy these at the best prices? Do the normal hardware stores carry these? I usually see these at Home Depots and ACE/Handyman outlets, but i guess they have that added price. Some brands i see at these outlets are American Standard, HCG..

[boybi]

I'm currently renovating our house.

For our masters bedroom, gusto ni misis lakihan ang walk-in closet, so kumuha kami ng space from the adjacent room.
Ang problem ko now is baka hindi umabot sa loob ng walk-in closet yung lamig ng aircon. Can I put a sort of transfer fan to suck in air from the bedroom and blow it into the walk-in closet through the ceiling?

Also, sa mga toilets naman, ang gagawin ng contractor is put new tiles over the old tiles. Ok lang ba ito?

[renzo_d10]

I'm currently renovating our house.

For our masters bedroom, gusto ni misis lakihan ang walk-in closet, so kumuha kami ng space from the adjacent room.
Ang problem ko now is baka hindi umabot sa loob ng walk-in closet yung lamig ng aircon. Can I put a sort of transfer fan to suck in air from the bedroom and blow it into the walk-in closet through the ceiling?

Also, sa mga toilets naman, ang gagawin ng contractor is put new tiles over the old tiles. Ok lang ba ito?

Diba tinatanggal ang tiles ? Kasi when we had our faucet repaired sa bathroom, the tiles were removed. Yes, it may take a while ( tapos medyo maduming trabaho pa ) but putting a tile over another might just look odd.

Just my 2 cents.

[CVT]

Floor to ceiling ba ang tiles? Kasi kung hindi, it will look awkward....

It it is, then, 'sisikip' ang bathroom...

Just wondering kung matibay ang pagkakadikit niyan.....

13.3K:springsmile:

[MICGIL]

I'm currently renovating our house.

For our masters bedroom, gusto ni misis lakihan ang walk-in closet, so kumuha kami ng space from the adjacent room.
Ang problem ko now is baka hindi umabot sa loob ng walk-in closet yung lamig ng aircon. Can I put a sort of transfer fan to suck in air from the bedroom and blow it into the walk-in closet through the ceiling?

This should work. I have tried this. But see to it that the cooling power of your acu can accomodate the added area. May corresponding sq.m ang capacity ng acu based on its h.p.

Also, sa mga toilets naman, ang gagawin ng contractor is put new tiles over the old tiles. Ok lang ba ito?

Traditional is to scrape first the old tiles. Pero pwede rin ipapatong ang new sa old tiles. tile-to-tile finish ang tawag dyan. May chemical na ilalagay for that specific bonding. Not ordinary tile adhesive.

[Super Inggo]

BTW, for bathroom fixtures/accessories like wash basin, faucets, shower heads, toilets/water closets, bathtubs, where do you buy these at the best prices? Do the normal hardware stores carry these? I usually see these at Home Depots and ACE/Handyman outlets, but i guess they have that added price. Some brands i see at these outlets are American Standard, HCG..

safest and widest choices ang wilcon builder's. noong ginawa ang bahay namin, lahat sa wilcon namin kinuha, pwede pa ibalik pag hindi tama ang nabili mo within 30 days.

[vito corleone]

I'm currently renovating our house.

For our masters bedroom, gusto ni misis lakihan ang walk-in closet, so kumuha kami ng space from the adjacent room.
Ang problem ko now is baka hindi umabot sa loob ng walk-in closet yung lamig ng aircon. Can I put a sort of transfer fan to suck in air from the bedroom and blow it into the walk-in closet through the ceiling?

Also, sa mga toilets naman, ang gagawin ng contractor is put new tiles over the old tiles. Ok lang ba ito?

first, kailangan ba na lumamig din ang walk-in closet?

on the tiles, mas ok kung tanggalin yung dati kasi makakabawas ng space, at me chance na mabasag ang newly-installed tiles pag di maganda ang base

[boybi]

first, kailangan ba na lumamig din ang walk-in closet?

on the tiles, mas ok kung tanggalin yung dati kasi makakabawas ng space, at me chance na mabasag ang newly-installed tiles pag di maganda ang base

Pagsummer kasi, super init sa 2nd floor. And mahirap din magbihis ng pinagpapawisa ka.

I've searched the net, and medyo common ng ginagawa ang tile-over-tile. May ipapahid munang tile adhesive.
Floor to ceiling ang wall tiles. Half inch lang naman ang dagdag sa kapal ng tile plus adhesives.

[Zeus]

Pagsummer kasi, super init sa 2nd floor. And mahirap din magbihis ng pinagpapawisa ka.

I've searched the net, and medyo common ng ginagawa ang tile-over-tile. May ipapahid munang tile adhesive.
Floor to ceiling ang wall tiles. Half inch lang naman ang dagdag sa kapal ng tile plus adhesives.

Masmakapit yata ang tile pag magaspang ang surface, di ko lang alam yung tile adhesive sa smooth surface

[shakatak70]

maraming klase ang grout adhesive.. di gaya noon kailangan talagang mag tiktik..

[boybi]

I'm also planning to install a water softener and carbon filter in my main water line. Our relatives/visitors always complain of the smell of our water (nawasa) when they take a bath or brush their teeth. Ang ang tindi din magwater spots sa mga bathroom fixtures and kitchen sinks.

The carbon filter will eliminate the odor and the softener will solve my water spot problem.

My question now is when bathing. How hard will it be to rinse off the soap from the skin. Hindi kaya ako mabwisit na parang ayaw matanggal ng sabon? And baka lumali lang ang water bill ko sa kaka-rinse?

[KERSMcRae]

Sa mga toilet, hindi advisable ang tile-over-tile (although common na ito). Bababa kasi ang water closet lalo na kung naka-fix ito with grout. pero pwede rin kung isasabay na itataas din ang mounting pad niya.

Regarding sa heat sa 2nd floor (mostly 2 storey houses). It is due to heat convection and less exterior openings (operable windows). Solution is to add more vents on the eaves or if possible, roof dormer to draw out the warm air at roof plenum. The best roofing system (cooler) is a multi-layer (like concrete roof tiles over corr. roof sheathing + insulation), but it's expensive and heavy.

If the ceiling is high enough, you can also add a clerestory window (awning type) above the door header to improve air movement inside. It can be closed if the space is cooled with aircon unit.

[boybi]

Sa mga toilet, hindi advisable ang tile-over-tile (although common na ito). Bababa kasi ang water closet lalo na kung naka-fix ito with grout. pero pwede rin kung isasabay na itataas din ang mounting pad niya.

Regarding sa heat sa 2nd floor (mostly 2 storey houses). It is due to heat convection and less exterior openings (operable windows). Solution is to add more vents on the eaves or if possible, roof dormer to draw out the warm air at roof plenum. The best roofing system (cooler) is a multi-layer (like concrete roof tiles over corr. roof sheathing + insulation), but it's expensive and heavy.

If the ceiling is high enough, you can also add a clerestory window (awning type) above the door header to improve air movement inside. It can be closed if the space is cooled with aircon unit.

I'll be replacing all the water closets in the toilets, so ok lang na tumaas yung floor.

Our windows are huge. 3m x 1.5m each. But in the expanded walk-in closet, ang window lang will be the one in the toilet na maliit lang. Kaya I'm planning to install n parang exhaust fan that will suck in air from the bedroom into the walk-in closet, pero sa taas ng ceiling ang ductings and vents.

[chua_riwap]

I'm also planning to install a water softener and carbon filter in my main water line. Our relatives/visitors always complain of the smell of our water (nawasa) when they take a bath or brush their teeth. Ang ang tindi din magwater spots sa mga bathroom fixtures and kitchen sinks.

The carbon filter will eliminate the odor and the softener will solve my water spot problem.

My question now is when bathing. How hard will it be to rinse off the soap from the skin. Hindi kaya ako mabwisit na parang ayaw matanggal ng sabon? And baka lumali lang ang water bill ko sa kaka-rinse?

di ba sapat lang yung filters? 4 na yung filters namin sa bahay, nagkukulay na yung mga tiles (namumuti) namin. nawala yung amoy, pero yung kulay na naiiwan sa mga tiles, adun pa rin. btw, water source from our village is deep well. drinking water is of course....binibili.

so separate ba yung filter & water softeners?

[boybi]

Hiwalay yung carbon filter sa softener.

May carbon filter ba kayo? If yes, then the carbon filter should eliminate the water discoloration. Unless maliit ang filter nyo versus your water consumption.