When Russia hit a temperature of 32C this July we have better worry for Malaysia too.
A few things we have done:
1. Orientate the house so that the longer side faces north and south. The least surface facing east and west means the less hours of heating by both the rising and setting sun.
2. Ventilation via open windows and doors. Nothing beats the cool breeze. It saves energy for earth instead of creating more wastage by air conditioning.
3. Trees! Our best friends to give us wonderful shades, oxygen and sometimes food.
4. Since the west is the hottest room, we chose to put least used rooms and thicker curtains there. Bamboo curtains practically can shade of most lights.
5. Allow your roof to cool down by installing aluminium sheet to reflect the heat. Choose a lighter colour roof. Allow ventilation of air through the roof.
Other things that you can consider:
1. Use a solar reflecting paint.
2. Use water misting fan.
3. Build a cool basement underground.
4. Insulate the house and ceiling with fibreglass, polysterene or cellulose. Not many homes in Malaysia are doing it as it costs a bom.
5. Use double pane glass for all your windows.
6. Use LED or energy saving bulbs for the whole house. We are almost there to have cheaper LED lights for the whole house!
Harry and Stephanie Boswell had built and amazing energy saving house in Melaka that uses RM2/day for 4 continuously running AC. Check it out at http://www.ien.dk/cooltek/
Sunday, September 19, 2010
Roof structure
In the tropical rainy weather of Malaysia, the practical choices of roofs are not many. Since it is the most unaccessible part of the house all consideration should be taken to avoid any future renovation. It can be the most expensive part of the house too.
Many designs can be considered but a slanting angle is needed to allow water to flow well. Any stagnant water can be a breeding pool for mosquitoes here.
However you can think of slanting outwards in the conventional way or inwards in a V shape to collect rainwater. The collected water is a good store for watering plants.
The most commonly used material here is timber and steel truss. Undeniably steel truss is more lasting without the worry of termites. As my house is designed with the tropical healthy concept in mind, the principle is to avoid man made material as much as possible, especially metal. So probably I can worry less about electricity disturbances and electromagnetic influences but more on the natural enemy of termites.
Journey to Moonriver - a permaculture experience!
Permaculture - permenant agriculture, where earth is replenished continuously with natural products and we get rich organic food all year round. Sounds familiar? Our ancester had been doing it till the industrial monsters started to swallow the traditional way. Now we learn it again, in a systematic and scientific way.
We found our way to Moonriver Lodge in Sigar Highlands near to Cameron Highlands. It is the first in Malaysia and nearest to home. After passing all the malodorous farms on the way from Blue Valley it was a surprise that this organic farm smells only of flowers.
Just by reusing many of our home waste from vegetables, fruits, newspaper and even more, rich and environmental friendly fertilizer was produced! The techniques are best elaborated by the sifu there.
We set our mind to practic the techniques as much as possible later. Then rubbish can be called "mulch" and worms are named "best workers".
We found our way to Moonriver Lodge in Sigar Highlands near to Cameron Highlands. It is the first in Malaysia and nearest to home. After passing all the malodorous farms on the way from Blue Valley it was a surprise that this organic farm smells only of flowers.
Just by reusing many of our home waste from vegetables, fruits, newspaper and even more, rich and environmental friendly fertilizer was produced! The techniques are best elaborated by the sifu there.
We set our mind to practic the techniques as much as possible later. Then rubbish can be called "mulch" and worms are named "best workers".
Friday, August 20, 2010
Roofing
Clay roof tiles? Concrete roof tiles? Ceramic? Terracota? Metal!
Solar panels? Green roofs?
Flat? Shingles? Roman? Portugese? Chinese? Or the unique Singhorra!
Red? Brown? Mixed? Patterned? White!
Or just a flat concrete?
How to protect the house from the scotching heat which is worsening every year, and withstand the torrential tunderstorms during each monsoon?
How to find a lasting material that can age gracefully, and keep the cost reasonable?
The ideal tropical roofing shall definitely be the singhorra tiles ie the clay fish scale tiles of the East coast of Malaysia. Mediculously hand made, it allow the hot air to seep out yet the smooth slant and overlapping edges protect the house well from the tropical rain. Because of the fragile material, the life span is short usually less than 20 years. With the last and only factory in Kelantan, it will be a daring decision to use these precious tiles. Check out Aryani Hotel in Terengganu.
Saturday, August 14, 2010
Iron Man 2
As part of the basic structure, iron is the backbone as in cement is the flesh.
A simple square house will definitely require much less iron, and also other materials. The wisdom from our forefathers, effective and economic!
The iron frame is bent into a exact measurements by these skilled workers. They go around the whole town for almost every individual project.
Wednesday, August 11, 2010
Guarding the house
For safety of the house, insurance companies has listed well trained guard dogs as the most reliable measure. The key word is: WELL TRAINED.We decided to start early by getting a 2 month old puppy. It is well known that German Shepherd and Rottweiler are the best dogs to perform the job. Being a first-time dog owner, we decided to keep the more easy going mongrel. By allocating 15-30 minutes a day, Comet follows commands easily, but for house guarding we have to wait and see.....................
We have thought of staying in Muslim area and the inappropriateness of keeping a dog. GOOSE/GEESE can be good options too. You can save on lawn mowing in addition to the reliable house guarding.
Lat's House
The prototype of truly tropical house.
At the time when we did not rely on electricity or piped water.
When the natural breeze from the surrounding lush greeneries gave us cool fresh air that no air conditioner, purifier of ionizer can beat.
Thatched roof: Renewable, readily available and effective heat shield.
Large windows: Fantastic ventilation. No stagnant corners for mosquitoes to linger.
(Check this out: Modern houses have large glass windows to keep air conditioner working hard to fight the blazing tropical suns fronm the large openings.)
Elevated wooden floor: Extra ventilation for cool air. No worries for flash floods too.
Large shared spaces: best for ventilation of air and emotions.
Bathrooms: Open air and cool well water. No solar panel or special piping required. More fun, more healthy.
Kitchen: Far away from the WC to avoid possibility of contamination.
It is a fantasy to have both convenience and ample natural at a affordable price.
Who knows one day the dream will come true when we try hard enough!
Tuesday, August 10, 2010
Sunday, August 8, 2010
Pile caps!
'A successful man is one who can lay a firm foundation with the bricks others have thrown at him. '
David Brinkley
Reinforcement was done with more iron rod frame around the denuded pile ends. We didn't use bricks at this stage but surely lots of cement was poured into the deep holes around the piles.
'Because if you have a strong foundation like we have, then you can build or rebuild anything on it. But if you've got a weak foundation you can't build anything. '
Jack Scalia
Saturday, August 7, 2010
Undressing tops, of the piles
After the piles are set to solid ground to provide for a good foundation, the excess length of free column is removed in the most noisy way.
This lorry brought the petrol powered driller to remove the cement on the iron rods. Pile caps will be built around these iron rods.
The noise literally shook the ground with the noise level probably equivalent to a small earth quake. The amazing thing is the worker was not even wearing any protective gears. Really man of steel!
Friday, August 6, 2010
Piling - do your homework first
This is the part that is most unpredictable. Even though surface earthwork has been done, the engineer can only know the depth of the solid boulders under the build site after digging the soil out. These solid boulders will support the piles, which in turn support the weight of the whole house to prevent cracking and worst, tumbling.
We started with some 2o feet 6 inch reinforced concrete piles. After the 10th feet the piles did not set in but broke on pressure. We wasted 11 piles. After consulting the engineer and changing to 10 feet 8inch piles, luckily everything went well. We need 42 piles for an area of 1500 sq feet.
House built on reclaimed mining pond land sometimes need a few piles in a straight line to touch the solid ground at depth of 80-100 feet. The similar build up area can use up to 4 times more 20 feet piles! So choose your land well.
Thursday, August 5, 2010
Preparing the ground
Our land was flat and previously filled with river sand. Bushes as tall as a man's height was cleared in one day by a bulldozer. The engineer was rather pleased. He told us stories of difficult earthworks where gigantic boulders needed to be moved and deep mining pond was to be filled up. Well, we saved money on this.Next, the land surveyor came to locate the legal boundaries of our land. Believe it not, the art of surveying started in Egypt at 3000BC. So, people were concerned with territory and ownership way back then.
The surveyor also checked to make sure the house is facing the feng shui direction. As our land has an irregular pentagon shape, he helps us to mark a rectangular shape from it. Based on feng shui, rectangles are easier to plan and manage. We are going to leave the extra land out for non essential activities e.g. space for dogs to roam.
Wednesday, August 4, 2010
Always look out for Hidden dangers - water
The land was just next to the river which has caused flash floods before. We have to take heed of the reports of global warming, melting ice bergs and rising sea levels; even though we are 83km from the sea.Measures that we have taken:
1. Ask neighbours about the incidence.
2. Look at water marks on the walls of houses around.
3. Increase the height of the floor to 2.5 feet above the current ground level. Take 1 and 2 into consideration.
4. Ensure a gentle slope to ease drainage of the water.
5. Ensure proper drainage around the house.
6. Keep the huge Bobinsana tree near our house. The roots will help the hold the ground better. We also try to keep the trees around the land as much as possible.
7. Build a 2 storey house.
8. Prepare escape route: balcony accessible to the roof, a small boat....
9. Good storage of food!
Tuesday, August 3, 2010
Choosing a builder
There are a few ways to finding a builder: the most important step in ensuring your dream house is built according to specifications, on time and on budget.1. Ask your friends, who are satisfied.
2. Go through advertisements, not many in Malaysia.
3. Go around the town and look for impressive house workmanship. Look for the builder's contact from the signboard.
4. Ask the architect.
5. Ask the engineer.
6. Ask the lawyer.
7. Ask the banker.
A responsible interested builder will show you his company profile, a few houses that were built and being built. He will prepare a quotation for you according to your needs and budget.
This is such an important step that we took the longest time to decide.
Next, loan arrangement again!
DIY house planning 2
The most fulfilling part of the preparation is the research to building a house of our dream.
We set the ideals:
GREEN
Lots of fresh air and sun shine
Open space
Cost effective
We found the solution: SIMPLE.
There are good websites that show you popular house plans and good magazines too. They are good basis when you can conceptualize your own. We finding that drawing and showing the architect what you want helps save time and cut costs. Just take out your paper with squares and start drawing!
Tips: If you have everything on paper when you consult the architect most probably you will get a big discount!
We set the ideals:
GREEN
Lots of fresh air and sun shine
Open space
Cost effective
We found the solution: SIMPLE.
There are good websites that show you popular house plans and good magazines too. They are good basis when you can conceptualize your own. We finding that drawing and showing the architect what you want helps save time and cut costs. Just take out your paper with squares and start drawing!
Tips: If you have everything on paper when you consult the architect most probably you will get a big discount!
Monday, August 2, 2010
Paperworks for house ownership in Malaysia
After the land was found, there were still a few steps and months before we could get the ownership.
1. Sign an agreement to purchase and pay a deposit of 5% from the agreed price.
TIPS: Some bargaining may be proceed the step. Generally in Malaysia, owners like to mark up the price for you to negotiate.)
2. Find a reliable lawyer to draft the Sale and Purchase Agreement (SPA). Standard template is generally used. For us, she negotiated with the sellers' lawyer to confirm the terms.
TIPS: For non-Malay buyers, be patient if you want to purchase from a Malay seller. The lawyer will need to get the Menteri Besar's (Chief Minister) consent. It may take countless years. Forget about it if you want to buy a Malay Reserve land, it is almost never!)
3. Once the SPA is finalized, just pick a good day to sign the many pages of documents. On this day we paid a total of 10% to the seller, inclusive of the deposit.
TIPS: Read through what you have sign to understand the terms.
Take note of the date. In 90 days you have to pay the other 90% of the sum.
4. Do a quick search for the best loan in town. The bank may promise you that the processing is pretty fast e.g. two weeks, but the release of the sum to the seller may take longer. Remember to count the days well otherwise you can get a penalty of 8% of the overdue days.
TIPS: The best published rate may not be the best negotiable rate. Talk to the right persons to fit your budget.
5. Things may get more complicated if you want to loan for the building of the house at the same time. You really have to finalize the house design quickly and get the local council approval within a very tight time. We didn't try to as it was too stressful.
TIPS: If you have a ready made house plan, you can save on the legal and processing fee by just applying for the loan once.
More......
Sunday, August 1, 2010
criteria for a dream home 2
Continued from the previous post:
5. Feng shui Taboo: We always view feng shui as an art of living harmoniously with the nature. Many of the dos and don'ts and be explained logically. A tall post in front of the house, house facing the crossroad, house on the slope and house next to the hill have all be been demonstrated to be in disaster in Malaysian news. Nothing is perfect. We just aim for 70% correct.
6. Neighborhood: "The house on the right belongs to a cardiologist and the left to the boss of peanut factory." Almost every property agent try to create this link as much as he can. For me just avoiding Ah Long area is good enough.
7. The Feel: We have been to nice area which is much sought after, but not moved at all. When I saw the beautiful stream with the background of the rolling green hills as backdrop, I was touched. With the soldiers of trees along the jogger's track at one side and dotting coconut trees and Wooden houses at the other side, I know I have found it here.
So we kept driving again and again, asking around and around the area until the day the good fortune strikes. WE FOUND IT! We knew it right away, after seeing 188 houses.
After two days of consideration, we paid the deposit to the property agency. Our search finally ends here!
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