The evolving design of the farmhouse (and other structures)

In October 2020, the design of the farmhouse (and other orchard structures) was drafted and printed on tracing paper for blue-printing. Many incremental revisions have been made since then to improve  aesthetics and functionality.

DESIGN EVOLUTION. (1) The two 1.20 m x 1.20 m windows at each terrace were consolidated into a single 1.60 m x 1.20 m opening; (2) The large 1.60 m x 1.80 m window to the left of the main door was split into two 1.2 m x 1.8 m ones to achieve a symmetry of the four openings by the porch; (3) The floor beams were allowed to protrude about 2-1/2 inches beyond the vertical wall for isolation with a paint accent later; (4) A hanging wall was added above the railings of the terraces and porch; (5) The sloping exterior ceiling at the sides were made horizontal, allowing the formation of a nice full triangular upper wall above each terrace; (6) A pocket garden now planted with blue grass was added in front of the porch (a walkway composed of twin stepping stones, running straight to the main stairs, will be built later); And (7) the steps in the perimeter slab were modified to suit the actual ground slope.

BOODLE FIGHT AREA. An outdoor kitchen with an enclosed cooking section, an open dining area, a grill and a laundry area was added near the rear stairs. The space below the landing itself will be utilized  as a mini-storage room (with a lockable door) for garden tools and LPG tanks. A long LPG hose will run from this storage space to the main kitchen above. The outdoor kitchen is separated by a 3-meter wide driveway that will be lined with gravel later. A cantilevered canopy of polycarbonate sheeting will be added  above the landing, while a walkway cover of the same polycarbonate sheeting will connect the two structures. This will allow one to walk from the outdoor kitchen to the farmhouse without getting wet during the rainy season.

SPOT FOR A NEW BAHAY KUBO. The area under the shady mango tree beside the outdoor kitchen will host a new bahay kubo - a nice place to hang around with our three small dogs. The lower branches of the mango tree will be trimmed to accommodate the native hut. The 7-meter wide driveway leading to the main gate of the orchard will be lined with gravel too. Gravel is our preferred material for lining driveways because it's cheaper than concrete, it blends with the environment better especially when grass starts to grow in between the stones, it can survive rainwater runoffs without damage, and we can easily clear it if we decide to re-purpose some sections of the driveway in the future.

BACKUP WATER SUPPLY. The orchard is located in a hilly terrain whose elevation is about 20 meters higher than the surrounding vast ricefields. We started digging our first water well (located at the back of the farmhouse) in September 2020 and it ran out of water in the summer of 2021. We extended the depth of this well no. 1 several times until it reached 40 feet, deep enough to maintain a minimum daily recharge rate of about 300 liters of water during the driest period of the year. This volume of water supply is not enough for our domestic needs, even without watering the plants in the orchard. Thus, this summer of 2022, we dug a second well about 120 meters down slope from well no. 1, at a ground elevation about 7 meters lower than that of the first well. At a similar depth of 40 feet, we achieved a water recharge rate of 1,800 liters per day. This is good enough for the whole orchard's water requirement. Well no. 2 will be operated only for a maximum of three months a year (March to May), when water in well no. 1 is at a critical level. The rain harvesting system is already operational, and it can refill well no. 1 at a fantastic rate during the first rains of April and May (a recent brief cloudburst added roughly 4,000 liters of water within 30 minutes).