You should not ask, “Where to buy floor tiles?” rather it should be, “How to choose the right floor tiles?”

Why?

It is not that hard to find floor tile shops here in the Philippines. Some are even giving away discounts for those who buy in bulk. However, don’t be blindsided by ads like “50% off” or “less 30%.” More than ever, you should be wary if you’re getting value for your money.

So the question again, “how to choose the right floor tiles?” Here are the factors you should look for once you decided where to buy floor tiles:

Types of floor tiles

The Balance lists six different types of home flooring:

Ceramic tile

Pros: waterproof, can be used indoor or outdoor, and even on countertops
Cons: prone to scratches and grout

Hardwood flooring

Pros: durable, an insulator, easy to maintain
Cons: non-waterproof, prone to noise, expensive

Laminate flooring

Pros: can withstand high traffic areas
Cons: non-scratch resistant, cannot be refinished

Marble flooring

Pros: an insulator, can enhance the look of a floor space
Cons: expensive, needs high maintenance

Cork flooring

Pros: cheap, easy to install
Cons: not good in the kitchen, prone to damage

Bamboo flooring

Pros: durable, easy to clean
Cons: non-resistant to water, vulnerable to scratches

Location

After buying the floor tile of your choice, where would you install it? This is important because as you’ve noticed above there are certain type of floor tiles that are not water resistant such as wood and bamboo flooring. It would be safe if you categorized it into two: the area of the house susceptible to water and those which are not.

Another thing you should consider is the foot traffic in each room. Foot traffic is one of the reasons floor tiles suffer from wear and tear.

Color & Style

You should possess an “eye” for this because no matter how classy or unique a floor tile is, if it is not a good match, well, it isn’t. Is the color and style you chose compliments the entire room or it becomes an eyesore? Moreover, as explained by BuildDirect, “color influences the overall attitude of your room.”

Size & Pattern

According to Tileflair, “there are certain floor tiles that have a variety of sizes and will have a modular pattern to follow for each square meter.” It boils down on the layout of the room. Is the layout of the room plain square or rectangle? Or does it have uneven corners or angles? This is also where you consider going DIY or hiring a professional to install it.

You can determine how many boxes of floor tiles you’re going to buy as well. But can you estimate it on your own?

Budget

Of course, this must be always on top of your mind when shopping for floor tiles. It is way more important than answering the question of where to buy floor tiles? Very importantly, ask how much is it?

It is true that it increases the resale value of your house, stated by Forbes. However, you should not go beyond your budget even with the seduction of posh-looking porcelain flooring. Stick. To.Your.Budget.

Droughts and typhoons are some of the weather phenomena that is common in Cagayan de Oro. Just this January 2017, the whole area was submerged in flood. Back in May 2015, 15 barangays around the area were badly hit by drought. We can say that Cagayan de Oro’s location near the Inter-Tropical Convergence Zone is a factor that highly affects the season in the area.

Cagayan de Oro does not receive an even amount of rainfall throughout the year. As the area is considered to have a tropical climate, it has its cycle of dry and rainy months. The driest months are March and April while August and September are the wettest months. The rainy or wet season lasts from June until November with the relatively drier seasons lasting from December until May. Cagayan de Oro also has an annual average temperature of 28 degree Celsius and the hottest recorded temperature in the area was back in 1998 when the heat hits 39 degree Celsius. And now that summer is fast approaching who knows if Cagayan de Oro will be hitting that all-time high mark again. And if ever you have just purchased a house for sale in the area, you might want to consider making it summer-friendly.

In the Philippines, instead of the cold and warm season, we have wet and dry seasons which is mostly attributed to the amount of rainfall a location gets. So technically when we people say summer, we are referring to the dry months. And let’s admit it, the summer (or dry season) in the Philippines, at times, can be really unforgiving not just for our health but also for our houses. The following are just some tips on how you can summer-proof your home:

1. Add proper insulation to your ceilings and walls. While this can get a bit pricey, insulating your home will provide you with the best results and will make sure that your home stays cool in the summer. 
2. Minimize the heat produced inside your home by monitoring your appliance usage. Turning off the TV and the lights when they are not needed or in use may seem like a small thing but this can actually help you lower down the heat generated inside your home.
3. Get air circulating inside your home by installing fans. Opening windows for cross-ventilation is effective as well, but try to avoid doing so during the peak of a hot day.
4. Make sure your air-conditioning unit is in shape. Running the air-conditioning unit on a very warm day may be energy-consuming. But if you are going to run it, it’s best that you are maximizing its effects by making sure that it is in the right condition. 

There are some houses for sale in Cagayan de Oro that are already designed to withstand warm weather. But if you are looking for a favorable stay in Cagayan de Oro, you might want to spend that extra cash to get the convenience that you deserve.

Weather condition and climate in certain areas in the Philippines is one of the factors that you have to consider when buying a house and lot for sale—the Cagayan de Oro climate might not be as “cool” as the Cordillera’s, for instance. Weather condition can weaken a house and may produce unpleasant consequences. Luckily, unlike other countries those with four seasons, Philippines has only two seasons: the wet and dry season. Some places in the Philippines may experience more rain than others especially in the months of June to November where tropical storms often visit the country.

House and Lot Laguna Moving Tips

Image source: http://i.dailymail.co.uk/

I want to share with you today my recently researched house moving tips. These tips are really good, effective and proven. I personally applied these tips last month as I moved into this awesome house and lot in Laguna. These helped me to make moving home stress-free!

For these tips, we’re going to use a range of items that we really used every day such as:
You can also fill the drawers as much as you can to transport as many items as possible.

When done, you can protect them from knocks and scrapes with cling film.
If you got electrical items like television, personal computers, that has a lots of wires, it will be best to have a record of how they all put together by taking a picture using your mobile phone. This will help you re-connect the wires when the electrical items hit your new home.
If you are dismantling pieces of furniture you can use food bags to keep all the loose screws together. Label the bag what furniture these screws, blots etch, belong to.
Use linen cloth to wrap up fragile objects like plates and figurines to secure them from breaking.

I was at my uncle’s house in Suntrust Laguna last week and I have a really cool experience.

It was 2 in the afternoon when Uncle Kim’s phone rang. He answered it while yawning and suddenly, his face becomes serious. “Mom will be here in a couple of minutes!” he told me, referring to my grandmother.

Grandma is a disciplinarian and she wants things organized, clean and tidy. At that moment, Uncle K’s place is not. It’s all messy and the things are over the place (because we have a lot of fun earlier).

“What are we going to do?” he said. Then a bulb suddenly light up in his head and we did the “TOP SECRET WAYS TO CLEAN THE HOUSE in a FLASH! Here it goes.


The first step is DO NOT PANIC. He said this while taking a deep breath. The focus should be on the living room. We grab laundry baskets and put in there all the things that are not in their proper places like toys, pillows, blankets, shirts, basketball etc. All things that are not supposed to be in the living room throw it on the basket and hide it in a place that is not supposed to be checked, like a storage room.

Turn on the lights and spray cool scent.


The second step is to tackle the bathroom. Wash your hands in the sink. Use a nice and fragrant soap (beauty soap haha). Give the sink, the handles, faucets, and the basin a nice scrub-down with your hands. Get a rag and wipe it off. Use the same rag to wipe the mirror.

For the toilet, take a wipe and wipe it down of the handle, the top, and the bottom. Sprinkle a little of powdered soap or detergent in the toilet and scrub it, this time not with your hands but with a scrubber and don’t flush it. Leave it there. And lastly, spray some deodorizer and fragrant.


Last but not the least (definitely not!), attack the kitchen. Again we grab some laundry boxes, this time, I have a box and start stuffing. Same as what we did in the living room. For the dirty dishes, we put them in a basin and hide them under the sink. Uncle told me we’ll handle that later. Wipe down the table, the sink, the stove, and other things that might be in there. Lastly, sweep the floors. This is the last thing to do and only do this after all things have finished. This is the last priority. Again, spray that sweet scent.


These take us only 15 minutes I guess. Surprisingly, I didn’t imagine we can clean the house this fast. I asked Uncle K where he got the idea. He said from her girlfriend living in a lovely condo unit in Manila. She always does that when her parents are on a visit. Cool!
Minutes passed and Grandma arrives. She is so amazed how the house looks and how organized and clean it is. I am too was amazed. While Grandma is seated on the couch and drinks her coffee, Uncle K hands me his laptop and a video is playing. Here it is.




I believe this is the source of his top secrets on cleaning his house fast! Really cool!