Houses are Ideal only When Built, Part 3 – Problems and Solutions

As I mentioned in Houses are Ideal only When Built, Part 2 – Problems and Solutions, I will be concluding the series in this third and final part. I will be completing the list of past problems of our old house and provide future solutions for an ideal one we hope to build in the future.

So, without further adieu, let’s jump right into things.

Past Problems of the Recreation Room

The carpet was well worn and way past it’s life. It should have been replaced a long time ago but the three-section cabinet on one side of the room sits on it. This cabinet was so massive that it needs to be dismantled if the carpet was to be completely replaced. So, the carpet remains with all its holes.

Still on the topic of the cabinet, one of the biggest problems I have with it was that it isn’t integrated into the wall. This provides a haven for dust and cockroaches.

Oh, and that space between the top and ceiling? Cleaning it a while back yielded enough dust to fill up a flower pot. It was a miracle nothing has grown there yet.

Future Solutions to the Recreation Room

Today’s recreation room will double as an office since I have been fortunate enough to work from home. In the evenings, it will be used by my children and their friends to play computer games.

Like the dining and living rooms, tiles will be used for the floor. While adding a small carpet is a temptation, I don’t like the maintenance involved, especially with dogs that like to rub themselves on anything shaggy.

Oh, and I will integrate any cabinets into the wall Other than eliminating accumulation areas for dirt, it will maximize storage.

[And in a house that will be much smaller that our old one, ever bit of storage space counts.]

Past Problems of the Patio

One of the main problems of the Patio is that it is wide open, allowing feral cats to urinate on the wrought iron tables and chairs. The lack of aluminum screening also makes it a difficult place to lounge in because mosquitoes and flies.

Future Solutions of the Patio

While I had considered doing away with this area altogether, looking into the future has images of my wife and I enjoying the afternoon outdoors sans mosquitoes and flies. So instead of being open to the elements, it will be enclosed with iron bars for security and aluminum screening for comfort.

I will also skip the use of walls with chipped finishes so they won’t attract any dirt. The same goes for the avoidance of tiles. While bricks are great for the exterior, cleaning the spaces between each tile will be difficult when indoors..Instead, I plan to leave the walls bare for easy maintenance.

Past Problems of the Bedrooms

Since all of my siblings have their own families, everyone of them has moved out. The result is that most of the children’s’ rooms have had to be closed permanently in order to avoid the accumulation of dust. Other rooms, like my own, have been converted into storage areas for our old toys and memorabilia.

Another problem posed by parquet floors is rot. When the blockage of the eaves was not cleaned out, something that has happened with more regularity now, water flowed into some of the rooms. And despite attempts to clean the rooms, the water still caused permanent damage to some sections of the floors.

Future Solutions of the Bedrooms

Looking at the situation today, having many rooms is difficult. Apart from having to clean them regularly, maintaining things like the parquet floor has turned into a chore today. However, since we are a relatively big family, I do understand why we had to have a lot of bedrooms.

Things are much more different with my family as it is smaller. With just two children, I foresee just having four rooms, including the guest room. Each room will also be much smaller than what we have right now; but it will still be big enough not to feel claustrophobic.

Finally, tiles will be laid out on all the floors. Apart from making it easier to clean, it will also help prevent the floor from absorbing the cachichas, or bad foot smell, of our small dog.

Past Problems of the Cabinets

Even when the our old house was full of people, the cabinets needed to be cleaned regularly because they were dust magnets. I remember our staff having to come in to a room with several rags and a bucket of water just to get the dirt off each and every wooden slat.

Without regular cleaning, heavy layers of dust have accumulated over the years. What has made things worse is that these wooden slats have begun to hold allergens, like pollen, making even just peeking enough to trigger fits of sneezes or coughs.

Future Solutions of the Cabinets

All cabinet doors will be composed of flat plywood that is painted over to match the motif of each room. The exception will be the kitchen where the cabinet doors will be composed of glass so that it is easy to maintain.

I’ll avoid the use of magnets, which was popular at one time or another, because they tend to lose their latching ability over time.

Past Problems of the Windows

The main problem of all the aluminum windows is that only half of the frame can be opened to allow air in. This has always been the complaint of my more physically active siblings.

[Those of us who weren’t as active also complained because of the stink of the active siblings.]

In an attempt to overcome the limitations of a sliding design, metal swing-out windows were used for the expansion rooms. Unfortunately, they rusted out in just a few years. The corrosion is so bad that the windows have become unusable as they cannot be opened anymore.

Future Solutions of the Windows

Given the issues we had with the old windows, we will retain the use of aluminum to avoid corrosion.

Fortunately, new designs allow the maximization of openings by opening outwards instead of sliding. I plan to take advantage of this by selecting windows that open upwards, as opposed to those that swing side wards. This way, I will be able to catch any breeze coming from the sides of the house. It should also do a better job of shielding the opening from light rain at the panes of glass will act like a small roof.

Past Problems of the Staircase

The main problem we have had with the staircase is that it is open. Being the case, everything from dust to toys to mice can get underneath it.

And while the carpet did have a practical function, which was to prevent slipping, to enhancing the appearance of the staircase, it had to be replaced multiple times over the decades because it simply wore out from use.

However, the last time it was removed due to wear, it was never replaced. This has made the staircase very slippery, especially now that cleaning each individual step has become a chore.

Due to the danger of using the stairs, my parents opted to make the recreation room the new master’s bedroom. So how slippery is it? Well, I have nearly slipped a couple of times going up and down myself. It is so bad, even our dogs stopped going upstairs because they too are afraid of sliding down the entire flight of stairs.

 

Future Solutions of the Staircase

While the plan is to build a bungalow, a two-story house would maximize any small lots we are most likely to purchase.

Should this happen, the staircase will be closed and constructed of non-slip tiles so it will be easier to clean. I will also use the space underneath as a closed storage area to maximize any useful space.

Past Problems of the Dirty Kitchen and Laundry Area

My parents opted to expand our old house to include these two additions because our growing family needed them badly. Parties and an increased volume of laundry made it more convenient to handle their requirements outside of the house.

Unfortunately, the roof above these two areas have fallen into a state of disrepair. The main culprit is the leaves blocking eaves and downspouts resulting in water being redirected into the ceiling. After being waterlogged over the years, parts of the ceiling have collapsed to allow easier access for the rain.

The gates also had spaces for feral cats to enter and use the space as their new homes. Apart from regularly smelling of urine and the occasional feces, they have deposited their litter of kittens here over the years.

While our dogs in the past have been excellent deterrents against them, those have since passed on due to old age. All that are left are a couple of old mutts that are too tired to chase after feral cats.

Future Solutions of the Dirty Kitchen and Laundry Area

We are a physically active family, which means we generate a ton of laundry every week. The sheer volume overwhelms the washing machine, spin dryer, and sink in the place we are currently renting.

To avoid any future problems with a roof not part of the main house, I plan to integrate these two rooms with the main house. However, instead of being walled up, they will be behind iron grating to allow air to flow more freely. The grating will be tight enough so feral cats will not be tempted to use the area for their own purposes.

 

Past Problems of the Garden

I believe my father already covered a lot about our garden in his essay entitled Trees are for the Young, so I’ll just add a few observations of my own. The first is that we had a lot, and I mean a lot, of ornamental plants.

While they may have looked good decades ago, they have become a headache to deal with lately. At least our fruiting trees provide some form of satisfaction, these ornamental ones have turned the garden into a jungle that can be dangerous to children.

The Red Palm had begun to lift up the water pipes. The Balete has begun to reach for the power lines. And the Bromeliads have turned into mosquito nurseries. All the trees planted by the side of the house now pose a security risk because thieves can climb up to the second floor where the windows have no security grating on them.

With so many plants, one of the main problem my children, nephews, and nieces face is allergy to all the pollen. Even the weed, that has begun to grow since our gardener retired, carries the danger of cuts and puncture wounds.

Future Solutions of the Garden

Seeing how my parents are struggling with the garden today, it is with a heavy heart that my next house will not have a garden or plants growing on the walls. Even the front lawn will eliminated in favor of a cemented sidewalk.

However, that doesn’t mean I will ditch the greens entirely because any and all plants will be housed within flowerpots. Some of my choices include Calamansi, Lemon, Pepper, Ashitaba, and even Oregano. I plan to put Bougainvillea near the walls and Sampaguita on window sills.

Past Problems of the Parking Area

One of the most glaring problems our old parking area had was that cars were partially exposed to the elements. Looking back, this wasn’t much of a problem because cars had more hardy paint and we had staff to clean them on a daily basis.

That’s not the case today. Paint is thinner and less hardy and my parents don’t have any more staff devoted to maintain cars. Paint is easily damaged by branches, finger nails, and the rain. For the latter, water spots have become impossible to remove by the average car owner without spending a bit of money.

It would also like to not that these same parking slots were made for the small cars of yore. Today’s cars, even the smallest ones, have grown in size. This has resulted in the hood or trunk being exposed to the elements.

Then there are the droppings from birds and fruit bats, the latter of which are attracted to the fruits out trees provide on a regular basis. Add the sprays of urine and scratches from feral cats and we have a place that isn’t ideal to park vehicles in.

Future Solutions of the Parking Area

Frankly, I am tired of having to wash my car everyday due to birds, bats, and feral cats. Apart from wasting time and energy, this has the effect of thinning out already thin paint from today’s manufacturers. I’ve tried bringing it to a car wash but it ended up with so many scratches, I never went back again.

This is the reason why I have a fully enclosed garage for two vehicles. It will be big enough to accommodate today’s medium to large-sized vehicles to it will be future proof. I’ll be using one of those roll-down doors so the wind won’t get the chance to blow sand, dust, or branches. Plus this should keep feral cats from scratching any vehicle.

Final Thoughts

Whoa! That was definitely a long essay. It actually started out to be pretty short but grew over the Sundays I visited my parents. Somehow, every time I dropped by, some new problem would reveal itself.

This discovery has proven to be a boon and bane for me. On the negative side, I am saddened at how our house has fallen into disrepair. Worse is that the burden of it all has begun to put a bad ending to many good memories. But I guess that is the way it is. What was ideal when built decades ago has become wanting today.

While I’d like to think that having a big house is still great, especially if you have the resources, this pandemic has proven that even the rich are struggling with their mansions. In one post I came across, the entire household staff of a rich family has been infected with COVID-19. And while everyone was vaccinated, the infected staff still had to be quarantined in a room away from those who are uninfected.

Last I heard, the rich owners of the house have had to take over all the household chores themselves because getting temporary replacements is both risky and impossible during this quarantine.

It’s situations like this that enforce my decision to build a house which I can maintain myself. It will be smaller, easier to clean, and cheaper to maintain. And while it will be nowhere near the house that I grew up in or dreamed of getting, it will be the ideal house when built.

Who knows? In the future, big house might become practical again. But then again, only the invention of androids capable of doing house chores will make that possible. And that time will come way after my ideal house becomes less than ideal.