To Avoid Flooding its Altitude, Altitude, Altitude. Gaano Kataas ang Lugar Mo?

By Hoover Uy de Baron (hoover.uydebaron@gmail.com)

When Ondoy struck last year I thanked my lucky stars hindi kami na-Ondoy. The reason I considered myself lucky was that when I bought my condo here in Ortigas Centre I had no idea that it was 60 metres above sea level.



What Ondoy did was expose Metro Manila's weak drainage system and infrastructure. I didn't know that flooding was such a life and death issue here. I mean, sure, I knew Metro Manila flooded but I didn't think people could die from it! Like many property owners I thought that if its near a main road and its in a nice neighbourhood you would be ok. How could we have known that Ondoy would strike in Marikina, lower Pasig, Cainta and even in the exclusive villages of Valle Verde and Magallanes.

Being in the property business I decided to study the effects of flooding in different areas of Manila and it all boils down to this:

Altitude of the surrounding area

Drainage of the surrounding area

Proximity to rivers, creeks and lakes

Unfortunately its hard to control 2 out of the 3 factors when choosing an area that doesn't flood. It's difficult to know if the creek nearby will flood and even more difficult to know just how good a place's drainage system is. So really, when looking for property its altitude, altitude altitude... Gaano kataas ang lugar mo?



One more thing... Don't rely on hearsay... Don't rely on neighbours who tell you - huwag ka magalala mataas dito! The only sure way is to get an altimeter and measure how high the property is above sea level. As a guide you should be looking at a property which is at least 10 metres above sea level.

Now its hard to buy an altimeter just to know the altitude of your property so here are the heights of some of the well-known areas in Metro Manila:

Kapitolyo, Pasig - 30-40 mtrs. above sea level

Fort Bonifacio, Taguig - 20-45 mtrs. above sea level

Eastwood, Quezon City - 13-15 mtrs. above sea level

Magallanes, Makati - 3-11 mtrs. above sea level

Valle Verde 2, Pasig - 11-13 mtrs. above sea level

Ayala Ave, Makati - 15-50 mtrs. above sea level

Do you know how high your place is? Tell me your address (hoover.uydebaron@gmail.com) and I will let you know.

Hoover Uy de Baron is a Director at Rent to Own.ph. Rent to Own.ph specializes in rent to own properties in the Philippines. For more information visit www.renttoown.ph.

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Living in a Container House

Got this from point2agentblog.com. An interesting article by Tanis Macala.

Have you ever thought about living in a container? Yes, you heard me right! No, I’m not talking about being forced into due to the economy, but rather living in one by choice, thanks to the ingenuity of local entrepreneurs.

The other day, a colleague and I made our way to a site on the outskirts of the city to meet with ‘container gurus’ Bryan McCrea and Channing McCorriston to have a peek at a “container home” demo unit. The two (along with Evan Willoughby, who was not present) are the founders of 3twenty Solutions – a company looking to produce affordable dwellings based on containers, right here in Saskatoon.

Their award-winning business concept of recycling and renovating shipping containers for purposes such as office space, sleeping quarters, and housing units has been raising eyebrows and taking heed from a number of industries and property seekers.

The two were kind enough to give us the grand tour of a renovated container – and let me say, I foresee myself wanting one…or three!

Here’s a look at some of the prep work conducted to make these units livable…





And here’s a look at end product…who knew a shipping container could look this sexy!




The great thing about them – they come standard sizes, which means the dimensions are the same throughout the container. No need for endless measuring, you know exactly what you are getting. Containers are also made of Corten (the strongest steel out there), and have the ability to withstand just about any weather condition.

While this concept might seem revolutionary to North Americans, the truth is that containers have been re-purposed in other parts of the world for quite some time. Containers have been found & reused in parts of China, Australia, and Western Europe – but the trend is just now starting to catch on domestically. For example, check out this video of a container office being constructed in Providence, Rhode Island:



In fact, even some of Google’s Data Centers reside in a complex made of shipping containers. But, thanks to local companies like 3twenty Solutions, these units are on their way to becoming one of the hottest trends in urban living – and perhaps one of the next ‘styles’ of real estate.

With over 700,000 idle containers in North America alone, this recycling initiative couldn’t be a greener one.

Hoover: What are your thoughts on living in a container house?