Designing Your Residence in Manila: What’s In Store For You?

So, you’ve bought a property in the Manila area. That’s one off the list to achieving your metro living lifestyle. The next thing you’ll want to do is to proceed with the design and planning process. Sounds easy, right? Well, not really.

The designing process can be overwhelming, especially for first time homeowners. Some may see it as all fun at first, but when technical factors and several considerations come into play, they find themselves confused. In reality, the aesthetic appeal is not the only aspect involved in designing. Several factors can affect how your style and planning approach will be.

Things to Consider When Designing Your Home in Manila

• Minimal space

The house site can play a vital role in the designing process of your home. Since land realty companies want to provide housing access to as many residents as they can, they usually offer smaller lot spaces. Working with a minimal space could directly influence how you’ll arrange the interior and layout plan of the house.

If, for instance, you still want to go for more rooms, more spaces or a larger house in general, you can consider having a two story or three story house. Your space may be minimal, but sky’s the limit. In this way, you can have more spaces for the living room and the kitchen on the ground floor and more rooms on the upper levels. You can even opt for a roof deck if you want to enjoy the view around your house.

The cost may be larger compared to bungalow-type houses, but on the brighter side, you can enjoy more spaces and more rooms for each of your family’s needs.

However, if you’re not a fan of staircases, you can go for a minimalist bungalow house. You might have to sacrifice some spaces and rooms for the necessary parts (e.g. kitchen, living room), but it proves to be more cost-efficient than the former option.

Also consider an interior that requires less maintenance. Since Manila practices a fast-paced lifestyle, there’ll be no adequate time to do a general cleaning of your home. Don’t overdo the decorations, furnishings and such, but don’t let it stop you from giving your home a personal touch.

• Site Location

The location of the site itself can influence the overall design of the house. Is the site flat, mounted or does it have an irregular formation? Certain changes with the floor plan must be made to fit the land, if the plot is irregularly-shaped. Is it prone to flooding? Is there a high level of water table in or nearby the site? If so, then necessary building measures must be applied to ensure the strength of the structure and keep it safe from flooding or any related situations. Is the site situated on locations that have special requirements, like limitations of the space that can be consumed of the house itself?  Whatever situation or location your house site is, there are certain things that shape your approach to the design style of your house.

• The Sizzling Weather of Manila

The scorching heat in Manila can prove to be a nuisance in enjoying a cozy urban living in Manila. To provide comfort against this weather, those planning to construct their dream houses in Manila should consider the advantage of energy efficiency.

To achieve an energy-efficient design for your house, use natural lighting and ventilation. When you have the advantage of natural lighting, you won’t even need to turn the lights on during daytime, which can save energy consumption and your electricity bill. On the other hand, houses with natural ventilation need less of air conditioning as they can enjoy the breeze of natural air.

Natural lighting can be achieved by introducing lighter colors to your walls. Lighter shades reflect the natural lighting of the sun. You can also go for more windows and doors to provide more access for natural lighting inside. Windows can also pave way for natural ventilation. Windows with a height of 3.6 ft and beyond can provide more air movement and reduce the heat loaded in the ceilings. They should also be placed on the north and south areas for optimum ventilation, unless it could obstruct the aesthetic view. You can also consider having balconies or any other open spaces to encourage air flow.

Positioning your house in the right direction can also bring advantage to your house planning. Facing your commonly used living spaces in the wrong direction can bring either the blazing heat during the summer season or the icy wind during the rainy season. If you want to enjoy the right amount of both worlds, consider facing your rooms and living space to the northern direction. This can provide sunlight to as many rooms as possible, which means extra vitamins in the morning and natural lighting throughout the day.

• Pollution

Pollution has been the number one enemy of Manila, brought by several factors such as the increasing number of vehicles and the rate of waste production.

To enjoy the best of the Manila lifestyle without having to suffer from the unnerving effects of pollution, go for an ecofriendly design approach when designing your house. For instance, you can implement the presence of open green spaces by putting lawns or small patch of vegetation on your front yard. This can also help reduce the hot temperature and provide more ventilation. It also helps to create a healthy and cozy environment, particularly for the home owner. Be sure to prioritize using eco-friendly materials for your house construction. These materials reduce the house’s carbon footprint and lower its energy needs.

Let’s Talk About Your Dream House Project!

Don’t complicate things with your house construction project. Designing should be as exciting as it should be. Get in touch with G Cube Design and Build and we’ll help you build that house you’ve been dreaming for!