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Travels and personal perspectives on Iloilo and Panay Island
Our Philippine House Project: Windows
Tags: Build your own windows, Casement Windows, Cost of windows, Fire escape, i-bar, Iloilo Glass, Iloilo Glass Service, Philippine windows, t-bar, Windows, Windows Philippines, z-bar
Windows – a key part of our Philippine house building project. Our plan is to live as much as possible without air conditioning in this steamy tropical climate. Therefore, our eight main windows are big, 2.4 meters wide (almost eight feet) and 1.6 meters (0ver five feet) high. We decided on casement windows because almost 100% of the window opening is really open, whereas with sliding windows, only half of the opening can be open. Big windows also cut down on the thermal mass of the block walls which heat up in the hot sun of the day and re-radiate the heat into the house at night. We also have high ceilings, over ten feet, will have ceiling fans in every room and our property is naturally very breezy because it’s located in an open agricultural area about one kilometer from the sea.
A friends of ours in Iloilo had their casement windows made by:
Denis Jaleco, denisjaleco@gmail.com, 0929-772-8699
Here’s a photo of the Jaleco casement windows in our friend’s bedroom. These large windows give a light, airy feeling to this fairly small room.
Bedroom window 2m high and 2.5m wide (on a 3m ceiling and 3.5m wall). Also note sliding screens. These windows were custom fabricated.
The Jalecos (Denis is an architect and his father makes the windows) gave us a quote for all of our windows (12 in all) of about P90,000 installed but not glazed. We thought this was a very fair price but since we already had a welding shop set up, our welders said they knew how to make windows, and they were running short of welding projects, we decided to try to make our own windows.
In the U.S. we’re used to windows being pre-made with fancy insulated glass, plastic cladding, smooth opening and locking hardware and big prices. In the Philippines it’s quite common to weld up windows at the job site, especially for less expensive homes. Here’s a steel casement window in a big house in one of Iloilo’s swanky subdivisions. You can see the security grilles behind the glass panes. Our windows will be just about the same, with three pairs of sash per window, each having three panes of glass. Our windows are bigger so the glass panes will be quite large — about 50cm high and 35cm wide.
Our welders beginning the fabrication of casement windows
Because steel window-making is common in the Philippines, the larger construction supply outlets stock the necessary materials; Z-bar, T-bar, I-bar, hinges and latches. The problem is that such windows usually go into cheaper houses, so the materials are aimed toward affordability rather than quality. This is so often the case in the Philippines. The z-bar is the main problem. Standard z-bar is very flimsy. It was hard to find better z-bar. We found somewhat better z-bar at Far Eastern Hardware on Quezon Street. The cheap z-bar is P189, the better is P520. We bought the better stuff, but it’s easy to see why the cheap stuff is the best seller.
"Premium" 7/8" z-bar from Far Eastern.
The z-bar constitutes the main item in window construction. It is used to make the exterior of each sash.
This is the quite heavy I-bar stock. It is used as part of the frame, separating the sashes.
T-bar
This is the the T-bar which separates the panes in each sash.
Another key part of the window is the security bars. Practically all windows in the Philippines are protected with security grilles. With casement windows, the bars forming the grilles are welded to the interior of the steel window frame. They are spaced to create a grid which the smallest child cannot climb through. You can see the grilles in the photos above. This is because children are sometime used as part of a break-in. If the children can squeeze through, they can then make their way to an entrance door and unlock it to allow the rest of the team to get in.
The windows themselves are welded to reinforcement bars embedded in the concrete walls. The windows are then mortared into the wall openings making a very secure window.
Handles and security bars
We were able to find good quality window handles at Far Eastern Hardware in Iloilo City. They have at least three grades of handles for those making their own casement windows. These are the deluxe models at P45. This photo also shows the 13mm security bars.
The first window being installed 3-12-10
and adjusted....
and welded to the rebar in the wall.
This makes for a fairly secure window.
The building looks a little more finished with windows installed.
The security grill in each bedroom has a fire escape secured by a padlock.
COMMENT: The materials available for window making, especially the z-bar — even if you buy the premium material, is still not that sturdy. Perhaps heavier material is available in Manila, but I suggest welding up your own z-bar and t-bar from angle bar and flat bar. This is going to involve more labor, but the reality is that labor is inexpensive in the Philippines. Welding your own stock (say 3mm flat bar) means you can make really sturdy windows, something not really possible using the stock that was available in Iloilo City. Our windows are fine, but if I had it to do over again, I would weld our own stock.
March 18, 2010. The windows are now complete except for final painting and glazing which will be done as part of the finishing of the interior. The two welders took 19 days to construct the twelve windows. They were paid P280 per day each for a total of P10,640 ($US 230). The welders sometimes had to help with other work so the real cost of labor is a bit less. The materials were about P70,000 so the total cost of the windows before glazing is about P80,000 or $US 1,750.
Another great thing about making your own windows is the complete flexibility to choose whatever thickness, color, energy efficiency of glazing (glass) you want to use.
COMMENT: June 6, 2010. Now we are finishing (plastering) the interior walls of the house. This includes making cement window sills. Another thing we’d do differently is to add a slightly larger steel frame around the outside of the window assembly. As it is, the cement finishing comes quite close to the sash. More space would be better. You can see the narrow gap between hollow block and the windows in the photo above.
Window installed and cemented in 6-11-10
Another coat of Boysen epoxy primer and a finish coat of Boysen “Mahogany” enamel got the sash ready for glazing.
Installing 3/16" glass.
We used about 27 tubes of Corning silicone caulk (made in Korea) to install the glass.
We bought the glass from Iloilo Glass Service, 439 Iznart Street, phone 033-335-0768. They gave truly superior service. There were some minor problems, partly our fault. Iloilo Glass made things right with no hesitation. 188 panes of 3/16″ glass cost us P16,640. The Iloilo Glass quote was one-half the quote we received from another Iloilo glass shop.
Completed and glazed (but not washed!) windows.
My estimate of the total cost of our eleven windows is about P120,000 or about P11,000 per window. Aside from the size of the windows, we used more expensive, higher cost materials; 11mm security bars, the best Z-bar we could find, epoxy primer, brass hardware, thicker 3/16″ glass and Corning silicone.
More to come…..
Read all about our Philippine House building Project at http://goiloilo.com/building-our-philippine-house-index/
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Posted by GOIloilo on 02.28.10 12:24PM under Our House Project, Philippine Retirement
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Posted by PaddyC on 02.28.10 8:02 pm
Personally I would never weld a security grill to the window frame. Especially in a bedroom away from an exit. In situations like this I would hinge the grill or part of with a lock, or just fit on to the sashes and fit good sash locks.
Posted by GOIloilo on 02.28.10 8:44 pm
You’re 100% correct. I forgot to mention that one window in each bedroom will have a hinged security grille section which can be opened as a fire exit. This is required in our permit. We have such a fire exit in our apartment. It’s locked with a padlock. Can we remember where we put the key when we need to use the fire exit? We’ll have to come up with a good latching solution which is secure but will also work well in an emergency. Bob
Posted by Building our Philippine House – Index at goILOILO.com on 03.11.10 3:28 pm
[...] and roofing Our Philippine house: Electrical Our Philippine house: Plumbing Our Philippine house: Windows, we build our own casement windows Our Philippine house: Drainage and Wastewater (Septic System) Our Philippine house: Project [...]
Posted by vic & jackie on 04.30.10 10:19 am
we love your website!!! very informative w/ lots of details! we plan to uild our house in Dumaguete. hope you are enjoying your new home!
Posted by Tim Kinghorn on 05.27.10 10:27 am
Hi Bob and Carol,
I really appreciate your website. My wife Helen and I are building our house on Camiguin Island and I really appreciate all the information you provided.
Thanks again,
Tim Kinghorn
Posted by GOIloilo on 05.27.10 7:35 pm
Thanks and good luck with your project. Someday we hope to visit Camiguin. Everyone says it’s fantastic.
Posted by Danny on 06.26.10 6:43 pm
Me and my wife were building our house in sigma,capiz. The house is almost done. Thanks for you web site i use it to get some informations on house construction in philippine. Your site was really usefull for me. Thanks Again.
Danny & Christine
Siagma, Capiz
Posted by Our Philippine House Project – Security at goILOILO.com on 07.18.10 7:30 am
[...] We built security bars into our window design. The openings are small enough so that even a child could not get through. We worked to make the bars a positive part of the sash design, so that the bars would give the appearance of window panes. We are happy with the result. The window security bars are 14mm square. Each room, as required by our building permit, has a hinged window panel which serves as a fire escape. For more on how we built or windows see http://goiloilo.com/our-philippine-house-project-windows/ [...]