Home on Mondays: Typhoon Proofing Your Home

I joined Home Buddies FB group a few months ago to learn from other homeowners. Lately, a lot of homeowners have been complaining about water pouring in from their ceiling and walls. We experienced the same a few months after we moved. It started in trickles and eventually water started pouring from the kitchen lights!

The contractor who renovated the house just kept putting sealant on the roof. It would work for one to two downpours, but obviously it needed more work. The crew of the contractor knew what was wrong, butt the contractor didn't bother to work on it. We decided to get another contractor when the kitchen lights became compromised. Well, it opened pandora's box of house issues. 

Issue happened because roof flashing wasn't installed by the contractor.

Here's a list of what we learned from architect's and the master plumber's team:

1. Make sure your roof is installed properly. Have proper roof flashing and gutters. Part of our roof did not have flashing and that's why water was pouring in the kitchen ceiling. Sealant really won't resolve the issue. 

2. Make sure downspouts go to a proper drain. Water would pool in our back garden. The flood posed a risk to our family room. The master plumber's team re-worked our drainage and made sure the downspouts pointed to the drainage. 

This happened during the pandemic. 

3. Water can also pour through your sliding doors. We experience this whenever it rains sideways. Aside from making sure your sliding doors are properly installed (no holes and with rubber), make sure that there is a cut on the bottom track to allow water to pour out of. Also useful to have an awning to prevent water and rain to come in. 

4. Avoid tall windows because water can come in from the bottom track when it rains sideways. 

5. In my Mom's house, water comes in from the drain and toilet in the basement. This happens when water from the road slides down. We're having it investigated to understand why the pipes are compromised. I saw a comment from Home Buddies on how to cover bathroom drains, not sure though what he does with their toilet. 

6. One of the most common complaints in Home Buddies are walls that go moist. This is an issue with water proofing. Watched a video Architect Ed recently posted on how to resolve this issue. Make sure to scrutinize your contractor contracts if you're building a house.

7. Avoid installing polycarbonate or plastic roofs if you can. We have two areas where we have both. One come with the house when we bought it and then we recently had a polycarbonate roof installed in our laundry area. Both drip. They placed sealant on the plastic roof sheet multiple times already and it always drips. Maybe we'll have more luck on the polycarbonate roof. Also make sure to have downspouts for extra roofs.

So far unsealable, probably need to find a better solution. 

8. You can also install flood gates if you live in a flood prone area. 

A friend who owns a construction business told us that your roof gets compromised months before your ceiling starts dripping. It is hard to know if things have been done properly if your house was built during the summer (as with Architect Ed's experience). I learned from Home Buddies that you should withhold 5 to 10% of the full payment for a year to make sure the contractor will fix issues.

We always have typhoons and it's one thing we didn't miss when we lived in Singapore, but we're here permanently and as much as I keep complaining about our home, I'm grateful we are able to keep warm and dry. We have fixed most of the issues and I'm moving on to loving our home. I realized I had held off from doing that because of the issues, but it's our home and it's where Papa God led us. Bahala na si karma sa unscrupulous contractor. What's important for me is my family is safe now. 

Keep safe and dry everyone!

#BeKind #StaySafe

Not a Good Day

Unstable today. Will hopefully be better tomorrow.

Have a blessed Sunday everyone. Stay dry!

#BeKind #StaySafe

Lego Botanical Collection

Dropped by Toy Kingdom yesterday and was surprised to see the expanded Lego Botanical Collection. They started this collection a few years ago and I guess a lot of Lego fans liked it because the collection grew. 

Well, I've just been admiring it from a distance because it's expensive. I wanted to scrutinize it more, but there was a person obstructing the area and I soon got distracted by the Star Wars collection, haha. Oh, they also have a rendition of Birds of Paradise. 

Good alternative in case you give up gardening, haha.

#BeKind #StaySafe

Foodie Friday: Pasta Pinangat

One of my favorite dishes from Bicol is pinangat. We always had it whenever we visit Mom and Dad's hometown. I first tried pasta pinangat when I visited Legaspi. It was so good I asked my cousin in Naga if there was a place that served it. She said, no need to find a resto, just buy some pinangat from the palengke or shop and prepare it yourself. 

It's so easy to make! Just saute garlic and pinangat, add some all purpose cream and add salt to taste, then mix in the noodles. My cousin taught me how to bring back pinangat from Bicol back to Manila. Just buy it, ask the hotel to freeze it for you. Pop it in the freezer when you get home. It lasts a long time!

I know only of one place here in Manila where you can get pinangat, JT's Manukan and Grille. I normally get a serving and freeze it. I cook it when I feel like eating pasta pinangat. Ummm, yum yum! Try it!

Throwback Thursday: Do You Like Performing During Company Christmas Parties?

When you're a newbie in a company in the Philippines they usually group you with other newbies to perform at the year-end holiday party. I was a newbie so many times and that meant I had to embarrass myself x number of times too. I absolutely dreaded it. 

The streak ended when I finally joined an international company. I was so relieved it wasn't a tradition for them. I know that the activity is meant to help newbies meet other employees and develop camaraderie. I'm an introvert, so performing and dancing in front of an audience is not my cup of tea. Plus, there's nothing to be gained from seeing my ungraceful body dance. You cannot imagine the hours it took for Jap and Dave to teach me how to do the otso-otso. 

The memory popped up in my head when I was looking through Google Photos. For some strange reason I'm already thinking about Christmas. I guess it's because I wasn't able to mail cards the past two Christtmases! I also did not finish my Christmas quilt projects last year. So I guess that's why I started to thinking about Christmas.

Well, much as i didn't like the activity, what I enjoyed was getting to know colleagues. Of course, there would be a lot of practices you have to attend and that gives you time to get to know others. I also had the opportunity to be part of holiday party organizing committee. A lot happens behind the scenes and well holiday parties are meant to be fun and memorable. 

I wonder though, are companies organizing holiday parties again? 

#BeKind #StaySafe

#EgayPH

We're onto our fifth typhoon this year and it became a super typhoon (now downgraded). Thought I'd write about our experience so far. #EgayPH or typhoon Doksuri (international name) is very different from the other typhoons we've experienced. 

Past 1 in the morning last night, sudden intense torrential rain dropped on our roof. It sounded so different from other rainshowers we've experienced. It dropped so fast on our roof, it felt like we were in a tin can being pounded by stones. The strange thing is it didn't even last long. The cycle happened several times last night and this morning. I know because the strong rain would wake me up every time it fell.

Aside from the strange intense intermittent rain, there was also a lot of wind. We'd hear it howling every so often. My friends said they experienced the same in other parts of the metro. I can just imagine how scary it must be up north. 

I was in Baguio running an event when typhoon Yolanda hit. The wind rattled the windows of the hotel and I thought it was going to break. I didn't allow Juned to go home that day and had him stay with us in our room. I would not have been able to sleep if he traveled back by bus with the typhoon going on.

I hope and pray everyone is safe. 

#BeKind #StaySafe

Keep Learning!

Just finished reviewing the goals I set for the year. I'm happy I've made a dent on some of my goals. One thing I forgot to list though are things I want to learn. I'm retired, but that doesn't mean I can just rest and do nothing. Well, I do have good days and bad days. 

I'm usually flat on my back on bad days. I rest, but I can still read and watch videos when I'm awake. One thing I've been meaning to do is start reading the books I've accumulated. I started reading again recently. I read while waiting for stuff. It's better than browsing on your phone. 

I'm currently reading the book "The Time Keeper" by Mitch Albom. I'm just halfway through the book, but it's already been a good reminder to me about being mindful of how you spend your time. Everyday is an opportunity to learn and that's what I try to do in whatever I get into. 

One thing I also learned through the years, especially with my career, is to treat everything as a learning journey. That helped me get through a lot of challenges. It also kept me grounded. So, keep learning so you could keep growing. 

#BeKind #StaySafe