Overseas

26 November 2006 filipino globe
life
filipino globe home, health & beauty, stars & sports
November 2006
27
Leaky faucet giving me sleepless nights
QMy leaky faucet keeps
giving me sleepless
nights. I’ve tried everything
except throw the kitchen sink
at it.
How can I stop it getting
into my nerves?
VIR SAN JUAN
Jordan
AThe first thing you should
do is figure out what kind
of faucet you have.
This will help you get an idea
as to what replacement parts
you need.
ROBERT
LUNARIA
DIYBOB
do it yourself
Also, there are simple ways
you can resolve the problem
before you make that trip to
the hardware store.
With minimum plumbing
skill, one should be able to do
certain things and not end up
feeling helpless.
Start by turning off the water
supply to the leaky faucet.
Water shutoffs are often
located under the sink, but in
older homes, there may only
be one main water shutoff
for the entire house, usually
located where the water pipe
enters (often facing the street).
Open the faucet and let any
water in the pipes drain out.
Put in the sink drain plug or
put a towel in the sink bottom.
Faucets have small screws
and you don’t want to lose one
down the drain.
Remove the faucet handle.
Virtually all handles are
attached with a screw often
hidden under a decorative cap
that can be pried off with a
small screwdriver.
Remove the workings of the
faucet and determine what
kind of repair is required. Once
you have identified what kind
of faucet you have, you’re
almost ready to start some
repairs.
A word of caution: When
working with chrome and
brass fixtures, make sure you
protect the surfaces from tools
that can scratch and scuff the
finish.
Use a cloth or put masking
tape on wrench jaws to
prevent marring the surface.
Send your questions or comments to
diybob@filglobe.com
Ready-made
or made to
fit, it’s all
up to you
Prefab houses are opening
doors to investment and
profit, writes Lori Sandoval
If it fits, wear it. Better still, live
in it.
Many housing developers live
by that mantra. It’s based on the
notion that buyers who are in the
market for inexpensive homes in a
hurry want instant gratification.
It has not always worked,
largely because of perceptions that
anything cheap and done in an
assembly-line fashion is not worth
the investment.
Then there is the realization that
a house is probably the biggest
investment anyone will make in
his life.
“It has always been a quality
issue, more than a price issue,”
said Gus Brion, a Manila-based
project engineer for a developer
that specialises in prefabricated
housing.
“But now, homebuyers are
beginning to accept the idea that
prefab is the way to go.”
A rising number of OFWs are
driving demand for ready-made
housing, with cash chasing
anything to invest in.
“They have first-hand experience
and they have seen that the idea
works,” said Anthony Velasco, a
Filipino architect in Hong Kong.
“If you live in the US or any
developed country for that matter,
you will have been exposed to the
prefab phenomenon.”
Mostly, that’s what is being
done there, but will it sell in the
Philippines?
Real estate broker Rita
Campomanes thinks so.
“Its already happening. To a
great extent, most developers have
embraced the idea,” she said.
“There used to be a lot of
resistance from the market but
now, we are even getting inquiries
and cold calls.”
But this is not the end of
traditional custom construction as
we know it.
Custom-made or prefab, homebuyers have a wider clear choice. Many are opting for ready-made houses.
This market easily outstrips that
for ready-made homes. For one
thing, developers like the generous
profit margins.
“It’s a no-brainer. Those who
have definite ideas about how they
like their houses built, how they are
designed and how much they are
willing to spend make this market
a going proposition,” Campomanes
said.
But those looking for value,
rather than frills, now have another
choice, and an increasing number
are opting for it.
“We’re able to pass what is saved
in terms of manpower to buyers, so
they pay less than they otherwise
“ There used to be
a lot of resistance
from the market.
Now we are even
getting cold calls
RITA CAMPOMANES
Real estate broker
would,” said Freddie Bartolome,
who runs Royal Ventures, a
Hong Kong-based company that
has been cashing in on the prefab
phenomenon.
By being upfront with
customers regarding the
materials used in the “Lego”
house, the industry has been able
to ease worries over quality of
construction. “We have to be
transparent with them. We are
always willing to show them
what materials are being used
to build their house and we
explain why we do it this way,”
Bartolome said. (With reporting
from Raul Acedre in Manila)