My Nuvali Home - Montalut

Building LEADIA: What is Community?

In 2011, I was living in Nuvali, an ecocity in the Philippines. I’d just built my first home and documented my journey to sustainable living in a blog, MyNuvaliHome.

I’m now incorporating that blog into Montalut, and came across abrasive comments on my About section, where I shared the Why of my blog. Reading between the lines, one can tell that the person was angry at something, yes, and it was at the promise of Nuvali.

When you’re building something out of the future, all you have is your vision of it. You are emerging something new, something that doesn’t yet exist. To see it too, some people need a proof of concept that it’s been done before or that you’ve built a prototype of sorts. Some need more than that–they want to feel it directly benefiting them before they jump in. If the benefits fall short of the promise, they bite.

And yet a few already see the future with you, and choose to journey with you.

Reading that comment today made me recall what community is, at least to me.

Here’s the reply I wrote back in 2012, and it still rings true today:

Nuvali is a beautiful place that I’ve personally invested in, and it’s just one of the many new developments in the South that seeks to address the congestion problem in Metro Manila. Anything can happen years from now, but as someone who’s already betting on this community, I also hope to be an active part of what will make it truly a home — along with my future neighbors and those looking to contribute to and benefit from alternative communities like this.

Community is what we make of it, and as with anything in life, you get what you give. You give nothing, and you get nothing back. You give love and joy, and you get love and joy back.

Back to homemaking

My Nuvali HomeFurniture

$\"Home$

Spotted at the mall yesterday — chair leg covers! Didn\’t even realize these things existed. Bravo Daiso!

I haven\’t bought anything for the house in over three months, and I think every homebuilder can relate to this: there just comes a point when you want to put down the builder\’s hat and go back to everyday life. This happened for me in a very pronounced way — I quit the hardware store (byebye True Value) cold turkey last December and decided I would stop spending for home renovations or decor.

Yesterday I remembered something a friend shared years ago: once you have a house, you\’ll forever be renovating and restyling. So true. Little pick-me-uppers that don\’t hurt the pocket are a good way to get into the groove of being a homemaker once again… but this time I\’ll go at it slowly and remember to enjoy the process.

I think these leg warmers are a fun alternative to foam pads that come in uninspired white or black.

$\"Home$

Available at the Japan Home Store/Daiso.

Greening the roofdeck

My Nuvali HomeConstruction & Floor Plans

There\’s nothing like entertaining at home to raise the urgency of fixing up one\’s house.

My birthday\’s coming up and I\’ve already invited friends and family to come over for a housewarming/birthday barbecue, so I\’ve been pressured to finish a home project with which I\’ve been dillydallying: the roofdeck.

$\"My$

This week, we greened the concrete floor surrounding the grass. The original plan was just to leave the concrete floor as is, unpainted and \”unfinished\”, to go with the industrial look of the rest of the house, but we had some cracking issues on the deck because of the exposure to rain and sun. Solution was to take out the cracking layer of pure concrete (puro), and apply flexibond plus elastomeric paint. I chose a garden green color to unify the grass and non-grass portions of the floor.

Next step is to put a wooden box to encase the soil, and then go furniture shopping.

$\"My$

The grill is ready and waiting, and am happy to say that with the teak lounge chairs, the place is already coming together. Yay!

Getting the wood grain look

My Nuvali HomeFurniture

When it comes to finishing my doors and cabinets, am very thankful for Mang Romy, who is skilled in giving any piece of wood that beautiful hardwood look just by painting lines to resemble wood grain or haspe:

$\"My$

The door primed in yellow before the wood grain finish:
$\"My$

Stained (first coat):
$\"My$

Here\’s Mang Romy working his magic on shelving in the bedroom:

$\"My$

He\’s also transformed these ordinary wooden cabinet doors into textured ones with a softer and more natural look:

$\"My$

As an aside, I came across this gem of a document on scribd while searching for the correct spelling of haspe — uploaded by Zy-rah de Chavez (thank you!):

english-tagalog construction terms

Very handy, thank you again to Zy-rah de Chavez for sharing.

Modern-Mexican house: kaya ba talaga?

My Nuvali HomeConstruction & Floor Plans

When I was just starting out with house plans and design, I was hopping between two extremes: modern-minimalist (\”less is more\”) and warm-lived in (\”more is more\” aka Mexican). I like clean, simple lines, but also the coziness and freeing energy of color.

For the exterior, I knew I had no choice but to follow the modern theme of Nuvali, but inside the house was a different story.

I said out loud last year that I would make modern and Mexican go together, and here I am, one month away from house completion and the question I\’m asking is: kaya ba talaga?

My brother echoed a concern last night that, admittedly, I\’m also beginning to feel: what if the house ends up looking chop suey?

Here\’s a moodboard of the facade, actual photo on the upper left.

$\"My$

The house will have the roof on the upper right (as per Avida DOR requirement). Decided to go with white and gray for the walls and stoneworks, with wooden accents. Will have the steps, grass and striped carport. Have yet to finalize fencing for the sides, but I\’m liking the wood (or wooden finish).

Looking at it now, I\’m getting a rigid (matigas) vibe, but don\’t know if the roof will soften it enough. Plan for the front door is to have a curved etching, shaped like an 8 (for the lemniscate). Wild idea: what if I cut a wave across the front lawn instead of using linear steps? Also playing around with the idea of using boulders on the lawn to soften up the facade.

INDOORS

First step inside the house will be greeted by these:

$\"Tiles$

We did color testing for the walls, decided on yellow (I\’ve always wanted a yellow house!):

$\"My$

Will do tone on tone colors (going for multiple shades of the same color in a room, to create a crisp but rich texture) for the rest of the space, an idea I picked up from doing pinboards on pinterest. Did a quick review of boards I\’ve already collected for inspiration, and was happy to see the power of visioning at work: I didn\’t realize I already singled out yellow and green for my wall moodboards a month ago!

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Source: myhomeideas.com via Johanna on Pinterest

For now, we\’re thinking of using the green upstairs.

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Source: bhg.com via Johanna on Pinterest

…

Modern-Mexican house: kaya ba talaga?Read More »

The search for that elusive ceiling fan…

My Nuvali HomeSolenad, Furniture

…may have just come to an end!

Surprise, surprise, look at what greeted me right in my (our) own backyard:
$\"True$

$\"True$

Found in True Value Nuvali, my new favorite hang out place in Solenad 2. 🙂

What I have my eye on:
$\"True$

Good buy already at P4,199.75 ! I asked around and friends who have the same unit say it\’s mighty breezy.

The question now is whether to get it in beige or wood:

$\"True$

🙂

Other Binondo finds: garden set + ceiling fans

My Nuvali HomeFurniture

Sharing for interest 🙂 Saw these at the same lighting shop in Binondo.
$\"Binondo$
Garden sets are my least priority, but mom said this one is already cheap at P6,800.

$\"Binondo$
Does anyone know where to get nice, reasonably-priced ceiling fans? This one\’s a bit bulky for my space.

My brother said he saw nice steel-wood ones in Home Depot, will check those out, but they already go for about P5,000 to P6,000 each.

Would be grateful for any help!

Bargain hunting for lighting

My Nuvali HomeFurniture

Took a trip to Binondo with my architect-contractors, Paul and Rommel, to once and for all see the bargain finds for the house that they\’ve been raving about.

We went to a lighting shop on T. Alonzo Street…
$\"Binondo$
…where Rommel excitedly showed me the LED pin lights he planned to use for my house. $\"Binondo$
Each set, casing and bulb included, comes out to about P380, which he says is just slightly higher than a standard pin light. $\"Binondo$

Because I\’ll have LED pin lights, it\’ll be more efficient for me to use them as my everyday lighting, and save the cove lighting for entertaining. Yay.

Here\’s Paul waiting for his light bulb moment:

$\"Binondo$
Ang kulet!

As far as light bulbs go, this one below was by far our favorite. Made of cut up steel pipes, it certainly is a curious piece:

$\"Binondo$

$\"Binondo$
Downside, apart from the price, is that it uses halogen lights– not very green 🙁

If you\’re more adventurous you can go for a red bulb, maybe to help ignite those passion projects– it\’s a great find at P1,020! $\"Binondo$

Other pieces I found interesting: …

Bargain hunting for lightingRead More »

Solar garden lamps for P488

My Nuvali HomeFurniture

$\"Binondo$

Found in Binondo last Saturday!

$\"Binondo$

Price was slashed from P850. Such a steal.

Got four for the roofdeck and two for my front porch. Will be good for ambient lighting at less than 1 watt per lamp.

More on lighting and fixtures shopping Binondo later.

Hurry to Megatent– last day today for 36 mos 0% installment!

My Nuvali HomeFurniture

$\"Appliances$

A quick post to give you all a heads up on a super sale at the Megatent in Ortigas– we went there last night (2nd to the last day!) and were so happy with the promo terms we got.

$\"Appliances$

Refrigerator, aircon, washing machine all checked off my list now.

If you\’re looking to buy appliances for your house, make time for this sale– our bill was a little over P110,000 but our cash out is P3,000 a month for the next 3 years.

Can\’t be beat.

P.S. Purchases must be made via HSBC credit cards.

Appliances at 0% interest anyone?

My Nuvali HomeFurniture

Normally I ignore promo emails, but any ad on buying appliances on installment at 0% interest will make any homebuilder stop and listen.

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Big ticket items on my appliances checklist:

Washing machine
refrigerator
airconditioners

Gadgets particular to raw food:

vitamix

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dehydrator

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Now you know what\’s on my Christmas and birthday wish lists.

What\’s on yours? 🙂

Ready for furniture shopping at Manila FAME

My Nuvali Home Green Design and ArchitectureFurniture

So excited for this! It will be my first time at a CITEM trade show, and what a first time it will be– I’m coming in as an actual buyer and not just an usi or usisera.

Thanks again to my trusty friend, Claudine, for the heads up! 🙂

The fair will run for four days starting this Sunday, October 16, 2011. More info and online registration at the Manila FAME International website.

UPDATE: Just called the Manila FAME Sectretariat (833-1258) and was advised that pre-registration to the trade fair is now closed. Admission is at P500/day.

PRODUCT CATEGORIES

FURNITURE AND FURNISHINGS

Architectural Components

Interior/Exterior Architectural moldings and millwork, columns and capitals, balustrades, wrought iron components, pressed tin and stamped steel ceiling tiles, brass tubing and fittings, period and contemporary hardware, plaster architectural elements, fireplace surrounds, etc.

Arts & Crafts

Local items including handicrafts, textile/fabrics for product applications (merchandise, both fashion and non-fashion, that uses indigenous materials made from natural fibers), handmade paper (made from handmade paper that uses natural fibers and recycled paper), basketry, and woodcarving, among others.

Furniture

Movables that are both functional and decorative that distinguish the various settings of the home or any building structure (home/office); includes household, office and contract furniture, as well as furniture components.

Garden Accessories

Items for the garden such as tools, planters, pots, decor items.

Home Décor

Items for home interior that are functional or decorative. Dividers, door/floor mats, umbrella stands, decorative wall hangings and antique reproductions, among others, excluding picture and mirror frames, and art objects.

Kitchen & Tableware

Articles for the kitchen and dining table that are either functional or decorative.

Lamps & Lighting

Lamps, lighting fixtures and accessories to illuminate the home which can be both functional and decorative. Mirror & Picture Frames Home accessories for the living room, kitchen, bathroom, etc. made of wood, metal, plastics and natural materials.

Visual Arts

Paintings, framed pictures and sculptures.

HOLIDAY AND GIFTS

Boxes

Containers, storage, packaging materials, etc.

Christmas & Other Holiday Decorations

Seasonal decorations with designs associated with holiday occasions such as Christmas, Halloween, Thanksgiving, Easter, etc.

Gifts and Premium Items

Generally given as a gift or items used as souvenirs and tokens for any occasion, including gift packaging materials.

Stationery & Desk Accessories

Table/desk accessories like pencil holders, filers, notepads, stationery sets, as well as writing instruments.

Toys, Games & Dolls

Merchandise for entertainment, education and recreation of both children and adults, including collectibles like model cars and others.

Personal Care Products

Personal care includes products as diverse as colognes, deodorant, eyeliner, lipstick, lotion, makeup, mouthwash, pomade, perfumes, shampoo, shaving cream, skin cream, cleansing pads and wipes, lip gloss, and toothpaste, as well as handmade soaps made of natural materials.

Votives and Candles

Votives or candles that are decorative/ functional articles in homes and spas.

Spa Products

Restorative merchandise of marine origin both natural and processed: aquatic plants, salt, dirt, components of marine animals, as well as other natural products, such as plant extracts, essential oils, enzyme, vitamins, food supplements, etc.

FASHION ACCESSORIES

Costume Jewelry

Body adornments made of materials other than gold, silver, and precious/semi-precious stones.

Fashion Complements

Fashion enhancers, usually worn in parts of the body or attached to clothing, they may also be carried as part of an overall look or may serve practical purposes.

Fine Jewelry

Body adornments made of gold, silver, and precious/semiprecious stones.

Footwear

Fashion wearable for men and ladies made of leather, manmade materials, or indigenous/natural fibers.

Leathergoods

Fashion enhancers made of leather or combining leather and natural/synthetic materials; may also be carried as part of the overall look or may serve practical purposes.