Construction of the farmhouse and other structures has been slow, but deliberate. Procurement of materials is still quite challenging because of the varying movement restrictions imposed by the pandemic, and the erratic supply of steel products. As the small construction team takes a Christmas break, we were able to complete the outer shell of the farmhouse, including the roof.
The perimeter slab allows one to walk around the farmhouse unimpeded, and this is now almost completed. It's tougher to build than expected because of the sloping ground.
The perimeter slab houses five plumbing systems - water supply, septic line, kitchen waste water (separated to make declogging due to oil sludge buildup easier), bathroom waste water, and rain harvesting system. We have to hide these plumbing lines within the slab, and make sure that fluid flow will remain optimal given the sloping ground.
The sliding aluminum windows (with screen) and grills are installed, and the plastering/skim coating of interior and exterior walls is completed, ready for painting.
Meantime, on the western side of the farmhouse, the outdoor kitchen building takes shape. This small structure houses a covered and enclosed second kitchen, an open dining/lounging area with a view of the greenery, a laundry area and a grilling spot. A 3 meter wide driveway separates the outdoor kitchen from the farmhouse. Both structures will be connected by a covered walk later.
The roof trusses of the outdoor kitchen are in place. The purlins and roofing sheets will be installed in early January. Note the 3 meter wide driveway separating the perimeter slabs of the two structures.
Behind the outdoor kitchen lies the septic tank. A laundry area will be built below the two small windows on the right. The grilling area be will be at the opposite side of the outdoor kitchen.
A close view of the farmhouse - plastering is almost completed. The complex perimeter slab that houses the plumbing systems is likewise in place. In front of the farmhouse, a gravel driveway will be built.
Viewed from near the main gate, the garage building is to the right of the farmhouse. The walking distance between the parking building and the main entrance of the farmhouse is roughly 50 meters.
The front of the farmhouse faces south. There will be a small patch of Bermuda grass on the rectangular area bounded by the porch, the two bedrooms on the wings, and the driveway.
Beyond the farmhouse and outdoor kitchen, at the left side in this photo, are various plants and trees, as well as open grassy areas. The structures are located in the front portion of the orchard, with the rear boundary of the property about 180 meters to the back of the farmhouse.
We finally completed the roofing system of the farmhouse on September 30th. Now, we can continue with the finishing works even during rainy days. Additionally, we can already store construction materials in the farmhouse itself, allowing us to clear the garage and use it for its intended purpose - parking.
The structures we have built so far are the caretaker's quarters (upper left), the water tower and well (center), the garage/storehouse (partially visible in upper right) and the farmhouse (foreground).
Here, the camera is pointed west. The terrain is gently sloping down from the main gate to the rear of the Orchard. The side of the farmhouse facing the gate is less tall than the opposite end because of this.
With the camera pointed east, the taller side of the farmhouse can be seen. The kitchen doorway leads to a landing that is about six stair steps from the natural grade line. Visible in the background at the upper right is the gray main gate.
The rear face of the farmhouse forms a straight facade, with wide 1.8 meter high windows that allow good views of the atis, cacao, bangkok santol and guava stands around the water tower. The ornamental plant garden is visible in the upper left (just beyond the line of palms).
The farmhouse is U-shaped to allow the maximum number of window openings on the two bedrooms on the left and on the right. Each bedroom has a balcony that faces the ornamental plant garden, while a spacious porch dominates the center. The front of the porch will be planted with bermuda grass later. The gently sloping terrain is also apparent in this photo.
As of September 18, 2021. the roof framing system of the farmhouse is
essentially completed. The GI roofing sheets, gutters and end flashings
are already on site, ready for installation starting on September 20th.
The fascia boards are painted white first before the gutters and
flashings will be installed.
When the roofing system is in place, we can start storing finishing
materials inside the farmhouse. Rain showers, short of a full blown
typhoon, will no longer delay the construction work.
The non-stop rains brought by Typhoon Kiko (Chanthu) temporarily halted our construction work at the half-finished farmhouse. After inspecting the newly delivered GI roofing materials, I visited a couple of trees that are currently fruiting.
We have three mabolo trees that are now about 9 years old. For the first time ever, I saw them bear fruit. It looks like this is their first season of maturity.
A rain-drenched mabolo fruit (velvet apple, Diospyros discolor) yet to ripen. This was a favorite fruit of mine when I was a kid. We used to rub these against the grass to remove the velvet-like fur covering the skin. I haven't eaten one in decades, and I've almost forgotten how it smells or tastes like. I'm eagerly waiting for these ones to ripen. I'm sure a flood of childhood memories will come rushing back after the first bite of a ripe mabolo.
Over at the guava stand, fruits are everywhere, mostly unripe yet. In a couple more weeks, the birds around the Orchard will have a feast on these.
Guavas are great to be eaten fresh off the tree (after washing these, of course). Some folks prefer the manibalang ones (just before fully ripened), while others like the ripe ones better. For me, the best use of ripe guavas is as a souring agent for sinigang na baka sa bayabas (soup made with tenderized beef ribs, string beans and guavas). This was a special dish prepared by my granny in Batangas when I was young.
Meantime, in another fruitingtree beside the farmhouse, a mixed flock of birds are having their lunch. This tiny bird was
feasting on the fruit of an aratiles tree (Muntingia calabura). For a
sense of scale, the berry-like fruit is typically about 1.5 cm in
diameter.
Red-keeled Flowerpecker (Dicaeum australe, a Philippine endemic)
Habitat - Canopy of forest, edge and flowering trees.
Size - 4 inches total length
Shooting Info - filmed in habitat at Maambal Orchard, Pangasinan,
Philippines on September 11, 2021, Nikon Coolpix P1000, fluid head +
tripod + shotgun microphone, manual focus, manual exposure in available
light, 4K/29.97p.
We are now doing full welds on the numerous joints of the roof framing
system. The GI sheets and other accessories will be delivered in a week
or so, and we hope to mount the roofing within a couple of weeks after
that.
Once the roof is covered, our finishing work inside the farmhouse can
progress rain or shine. We can then start decongesting the garage (now being used as temporary storage) and transfer the bulk of construction materials to the farmhouse.
The Orchard was turned over to us on August 24, 2020 (a little over a year ago) pretty much already developed - numerous mango and other trees abound, the property is fenced all around and a caretaker is already in place. Two old bahay kubos are also found in strategic portions of the Orchard.
What the Orchard lacks then (for our intended use) are a stable water supply system, a garage, an all-weather driveway, and of course, a farmhouse where we can stay in. Building these new facilities is taking more time than anticipated because of the current pandemic - supply of construction materials is erratic, and the movement of construction personnel (including us) is restricted.
Despite the challenges, we managed to accomplish a few critical tasks and finish several facilities in one year of slow-paced development.
THE ORCHARD BEFORE TURN-OVER. The aerial photo above was taken on August 15, 2020, or 9 days before turn-over. Ground elevation at the front gate (right) is around 60 meters ASL, and at the rear portion of the property, 50 meters ASL. This represents an elevation change of 10 meters over a 205 meter distance, with an average slope of less than 3 degrees. In our opinion, flat land is not ideal as far as orchards are concerned, as it is tough to manage water flow with the aid of gravity. This property's gently sloping terrain is perfect for easy water flow management.
The small building near the gate is a storehouse that
also served as a caretaker's quarters. No all-weather driveway was built
inside the property. Electricity is already available, albeit the drop
wire is smallish and needs to be upgraded later.
Water is supplied by a
shallow well that goes dry during summer, as well as by a local water
utility (water flows one or two days a week and even then the pressure
is too low because of the higher elevation of the area).
To start the development process, we needed to demolish the old storehouse and clear areas for the garage and the farmhouse. But first, we had to build a new caretaker's quarters. Also, we had to dig a new deep well and build an elevated water tank high enough to supply water throughout the Orchard with decent pressure.
ONE YEAR LATER.This photo was taken on August 26, 2021, about a year after turn-over. Five major structures are visible - the caretaker's quarters (upper right corner), the three-car garage with storage rooms (long rectangular building with a terracotta roof by the road), the farmhouse (under construction, to the left of the garage), the elevated water tank (by the farmhouse) and the gravel covered driveway from the gate to the garage.
The Orchard development plan consists of a 20-point program:
1. Build a new caretaker's quarters so the old storage house can be demolished. (Done!)
2. Dig a new deep well and an elevated water tank for a more reliable water supply. (Done!)
TALLEST STRUCTURE AT THE ORCHARD. The elevated water tank, its top reaching almost 10 meters above the ground, is the tallest man-made structure in the Orchard. It draws water from a 10-meter deep well to its right (with bright square housing). With the camera facing westward in this photo, the rear portion of the Orchard is also visible.
3. Build a new toilet for the construction crew. (Done!)
4. Demolish the old storage house (and the chicken coop to the left of it) to make room for the farmhouse. (Done!)
5.
Build a gravel-lined driveway to protect the soil from rainwater
erosion and tire damage from delivery vehicles. We purposely didn't use
concrete because of this material's high cost, unappealing aesthetics
that don't suit an orchard environment well, and less flexibility for
re-purposing the driveway area. (Done!)
6.
Build the three-car garage. (Done!)
THREE-CAR GARAGE.With two storage rooms (that can be used as guest rooms) and a toilet/bathroom, this will also house the
genset room. Meantime, it serves as a storage area for delicate
materials that will be used in the construction of the farmhouse.
7. Build a three-bedroom farmhouse. (Construction ongoing, about half-way done.)
U-SHAPED FARMHOUSE.Made mostly of concrete and steel, the farmhouse incorporates a guest room, kitchen, dining/living areas, a common toilet and bath, a long porch, and two master's bedrooms (legs of the U-shape), each with a balcony facing the garden. The area between the two MBRs will be a Bermuda grass patch through which the walkway to the front stairs and porch will pass.
A 4k footage of the farmhouse filmed on August 26, 2021:
8. Build a second kitchen complete with laundry and grilling facilities to the left of the farmhouse. (Programmed.)
9. Add a new bahay kubo beside the second kitchen. (Programmed.)
10. Build a dog house and play pen for our four pets. (Programmed.)
11. Install solar lighting around the perimeter. (Programmed.)
12. Develop the main garden at the lower right corner of the Orchard. (Programmed.)
13. Build a mini-fountain at the side of the farmhouse adjoining the gravel driveway. (Programmed.)
14. Construct a storage building with a small garage for the mini excavator. This also will house a workshop for DIY projects involving concrete, wood and metal. Likewise, it will store the farm tools/supplies, DIY equipment, and other voluminous items not suited in the garage's store rooms. (Programmed.)
15. Plant more fruit trees and ornamental plants. (Ongoing.)
16. Install a CCTV system. (Programmed.)
17. Install a fiber internet access. (Programmed.)
18. Install a genset for backup power. (Programmed.)
19. Reinforce the barbed wire fence in some portions of the perimeter with cyclone wire. This will prevent stray animals from entering the Orchard, as well as keep our four dogs safe within the property. (Programmed.)
20. And last but not the least, build a solar power system that can supply most of the Orchard's energy needs during daytime, and provide back up power using a high-capacity battery bank when the grid goes off. (Dreamed of!)
EASTWARD VIEW FROM THE ORCHARD'S CENTER.The distant Caraballo Mountains provide a photogenic background to the farmhouse. To the farmhouse's left is the water tower and the garage (partly visible). Beyond the farmhouse is the gray-colored main gate. Leading to the lower right corner is a row of Bangkok Santol trees.
Should things go according to plan, we look forward to spending this coming Christmas at the farmhouse. For the rest of the development program, assuming the world as we know it will survive the current pandemic, we aim at completing these by the end of next year.
It is not very often in rainy August that the golden light of the sun
shines through the clouds in the late afternoon.
While we continue to assemble the roof framing system of the farmhouse, I
took some time off the construction work to send the Mavic 2 Pro in the
air.
The Orchard and its surrounding farms, now green with young rice plants,
are quite photogenic during this time of the year, especially if the
skies are just very slightly overcast. The thin clouds filter some of
the harshness off the late afternoon sunlight.
In this 4K footage filmed on August 24, 2021, the roof framing system of the farmhouse at Maambal Orchard nears completion.
The truss-rafter combination is built up from 2" x 6" x 1.5 mm thick galvanized steel tubes, with 2" x 4" x 1.2 mm thick tubes as minor members. Three coats of epoxy primer were applied before assembly to protect the framing system from corrosion. The galvanized steel C-purlins are 2" x 3" x 1.2 mm thick, spaced at 0.60 meters on center. Rib-type pre-painted GI sheets at 0.60 mm thick will be used as roof covering.
One year after turn-over of the Orchard, much work is yet to be done. We
have built the garage and the caretaker's quarters, secured the water
supply through a deep well, but the farmhouse is still halfway to
completion.
In this July 8, 2021 update on the progress of building the farmhouse at Maambal Orchard, we dug the foundation of the landing outside the kitchen door using T-Rex, our 1-tonner mini-excavator. We also started scraping earth in front of the house to control the water runoff along the sloping terrain.
A hearty lunch of pork adobo, hard-boiled egg and rice wrapped in banana leaves somehow made the job easier.
There are two Giant Catimon mango trees at the Orchard, and both bore a lot of fruits this season. The fruit of this mango variety is very large, about three times the size of manggang kalabaw. We particularly like its sweetish taste when it's just about to ripen (manibalang). When fully ripe, it still tastes good, but if forced to choose only one, we'd still opt for the ripe manggang kalabaw.
This season, we saw for the first time the fruits of each individual mango tree in the Orchard, allowing us to ascertain which variety each tree belongs to.
Among the over two dozen mango trees in the Orchard, we counted six different varieties. The vast majority are manggang kalabaw, our preferred variety because of its unbelievable sweetness when ripe, and various stages of sourness when unripe. The rest are two types of piko (not good tasting when ripe), manggang supsupin, Giant Catimon and Indian mangoes.
An unpicked Giant Catimon mango fruit - with no familiarly sized object in the photo, the huge dimensions are not readily discernable.
The huge size of the fruit becomes apparent when we include a ruler in the photograph - the total length is over 7 inches!
This particular fruit tips the scales at 969 grams, and this is not yet the largest one we have harvested. Some of the even larger ones easily exceed 1 kg.
This last photo shows the relative size of the Giant Catimon and a large specimen (for its variety) of manggang kalabaw from Zambales. It usually takes three pieces of manggang kalabaw to make 1 kg. We traditionally name something after kalabaw (carabao, or Philippine water buffalo) because of that thing's large size. But if manggang kalabaw is dwarfed by the Giant Catimon, which animal would fit the latter - manggang elepante? Or manggang balyena?
We have cleared the triangular area between the garage and the gate of
construction materials and scrap items, then overlaid it with some
gravel. This area is shaded by a row of mahogany trees and grass wont
grow well in such a condition. The gravel overlay will protect the soil
from erosion and keep the patch a nice place to walk on (mud-free)
during the rainy season.
A new bahay kubo was placed in the centroid of the triangular area to
serve as our field office as we supervise the construction of the
farmhouse.
Burrito, our male pug puppy, recently visited the Orchard. He is about 14 weeks old and he now weighs around 3.80 kg. He weighed just 1.50 kg when he arrived about 5 weeks ago.
The wide, open spaces of the Orchard is a treat to Burrito. He enjoyed running around like crazy, even under the high heat index prevailing in northern Luzon.
There are six matured sineguelas trees at the Orchard and this is the first season when we are able to taste the small, oblong fruits.
Sineguelas (aka Spanish Plum, Spondias purpurea) is a deciduous tree introduced from tropical America by the Spaniards. It grows to a height of 5 meters and bears smooth-skinned, oblong fruits that are about an inch long. When ripe, the fleshy skin and pulp of the fruit is eaten, leaving behind a large, stony seed.
Thanks to the Orchard's previous owner who selected and planted the seedlings years ago, the fruits turned out to be good tasting. The pulp is thick and sweetish, with a hint of sourness and that unique sineguelas taste. The fleshy part easily separates from the seed, making it probably among the best sineguelas varieties I ever come across.
The fleshy part easily separates from the seed, making it probably the best sineguelas variety I ever tasted.
A cluster of low hanging green fruits - it will take about a week more before these ripen.
It seems it was only a short time ago when we got hold of this wonderful Orchard, but it has been actually eight months since the property was turned over to us.
Since August 2020, we have been building structures to make the Orchard a better place to stay in and enjoy the surrounding greenery. The Covid-19 situation somewhat slowed down our pace of development (tough to move around and procure materials), but we are steadily moving forward nonetheless. We hope to complete the major structures before Christmas this year.
(Please click the photos to see the larger versions.)
The front portion of the Orchard as it appeared on August 19, 2020. The old storage shed (also serving as caretaker's quarters) in the center is yet to be be demolished. Sadly, we had no choice but to cut a couple of mango trees to have enough space for the farmhouse.
This is from April 10, 2021, from the same general vantage point as the first photo. The old storage shed was already demolished, leaving only the temporary toilet intact (this will be demolished too in a couple of weeks, as a new toilet has been built elsewhere). Our elevated water tank is now up and running, the garage/storage building is finished, construction of the farmhouse is in full swing and a gravel driveway to the garage is completed. Not shown is the new house of our caretaker which is located in the northern tip of the property.
The almost completed new quarters of the caretaker photographed on October 10, 2020 - only the jalousie windows and electrical connection were yet to be installed. It has one bedroom, a toilet and bath, as well as a cozy kitchen/dining/living area.
The garage/storage building as seen from the rear side - it has parking space for three cars, a toilet and bath, and two storage rooms (with A/C units) that can be alternative guestrooms. Note the gently sloping terrain and the gravel driveway.
We have planted bougainvilleas at the space between the garage and the fence fronting the roadside to serve as privacy hedge. This hedge will replace the old bamboo cladding that is already disintegrating.
A perspective view of the garage/storage building. Later, a rain-harvesting system will be installed at the gutter downspouts then connected to a concrete cistern downhill. The roofs of the garage and the farmhouse will be both utilized as rain catchment systems. With a combined roof area of about 390 square meters, a mere one inch of
rainfall can produce almost 10 cubic meters (50 barrels at 200 liters)
of clean water, a very valuable resource in the hilly Maambal area. The
concrete cistern will be located near the highest point of the Orchard,
and water can flow to the lower parts by gravity via cheap PVC pipes.
The elevation drop from the highest part of the property to the lowest
part is at least 8 meters, over a horizontal distance of nearly 200
meters.
T-Rex (that's its nickname) is a 1-tonner mini excavator that we will use later in developing the garden and in small digging jobs at the Orchard. It is powered by a single cylinder 500 cc diesel engine, and its tiny bucket can scoop 0.025 cubic meter (almost a cubic foot) of materials in one stroke.
Aside from the standard bucket, T-Rex has an assortment of attachments that will be quite useful in various jobs around the Orchard. The five-bladed rake will be excellent for soil cultivation, the auger will make digging holes for fencing posts a breeze, and the hydraulic breaker will make it easier to demolish old concrete structures.
The 3-BR farmhouse is taking shape in this April 10, 2021 photo. Again, the gently sloping terrain of the Orchard is easily noticeable.
This April 10, 2021 photo shows the fruiting mango tree in front of the garage. Construction materials are stored in one parking bay, while the mini excavator (with cover) is parked in the center bay.
A closer view of the low-hanging mangoes in front of the garage.
T-Rex, our 1-ton mini excavator, is mobilized to Maambal Orchard this
16th day of March 2021. This machine will be permanently based at the
Orchard, where it will do various digging and gardening jobs.
We were able to load it safely onto a truck using a pile of sand as a
ramp. At the orchard, it was unloaded without issue using a pile of 3/4"
gravel as ramp.
Upon review of my first try this morning, I realized that I didn't use
the arm and the inward rotation of the bucket to dig into the material. I
tried again in the afternoon, and this time I can scoop bucketfuls of
sand easily.
The motions are still very jerky, but in a few more training sessions, I
reckon I'll progress a bit towards becoming a smooth operator. 😉
We plan to use T-Rex in digging drainage canals, doing earthworks in the garden, and other small digging jobs in the orchard.
Before mobilizing T-Rex (our new 1-ton mini excavator) to Maambal
Orchard, I have to learn to operate it first. A pea-sized gravel
stockpile is a good practice area.
This is my first time to run such a machine, and I'm surprised at how
complicated it is for me to get used to the numerous controls and
movements. Although I've over three decades experience in driving cars
and motorcycles (I can also operate a forklift quite well), a mini
excavator is a different level of ball game. I've to watch out for the
balance of the machine given its very light weight.
I'm confident though that in a few more sessions, I'll become quite
familiar with the equipment and I can start using it in the Orchard.
Our 1-ton mini excavator, which we named "T-Rex", was delivered this 3rd
of March 2021. We plan to use it in sculpting the orchard's terrain -
grading the trails, building earth berms in the garden, digging canals
to drain run-off rainwater and cultivating the soil (its rake attachment
will be used here).
Shooting Info - filmed in habitat at Maambal, Pangasinan, Philippines on
January 14, 2021, Nikon Coolpix P1000, fluid head + tripod + Kenko
Realpro ND8 filter, manual focus, manual exposure in available light,
recorded at 4K/29.97p, ambient sound and music added in post.
