This is my entry to @aplusd's contest: What is Your Dreamhouse? MY dreamhouse has actually evolved in my mind as I grew up but one thing is common in the different evolutions of it: it is big. The first picture I had in my head when I was a kid was that it looks like a mansion with lots of chandeliers with a maze garden, a pool by the side, with a mini playground where I would hang out on lazy afternoons. As seasons come and go, and maturity is slowly catching up with me, the picture I am seeing for my dream house is also slowly changing as I grow.
The Vision
A simple, sustainable, functional sanctuary that allows for a smooth flow of air and light throughout all the rooms in the house. I want my dream house to look like a modern and futuristic Bahay Kubo. If you know the song "Bahay Kubo", you can start singing now because I really plan on planting all the vegetables in that song. I have always loved the idea of having a flower garden in front of the house and a vast vegetable farm in the backyard. This means I would have to have a huge land where I could situate the house of my dreams.
It is a raised Bahay Kubo so that there's space underneath for all the homesteading tools and supplies. I don't like it too high, the stairs towards the front porch should be just about 10 steps. I like it to have a huge space at the front just before the front door so I can see who's knocking before I open the door and also so that there's enough space to hang out or just receive visitors during the sunny days.
The living room would have huge windows enough to not need electricity for lighting during daytime and also so that the natural breeze can pass through. Since I'm only planning for one kid, there will be just the master bedroom, the kid's room, and the office. The office will be where my husband would work, my daughter will do all her homeschooling, and where I'll do all my blogging and crocheting. All the rooms will have that capiz window design. But for security measures, I would have window grills installed.
I am all for organization and order in the house so the office, along with the bedrooms and all the other rooms in the house will have storage compartments both seen and hidden. The office, for example, will have sections for my husband's trinkets, my daughter's stuff, and my crafts supplies.
For the dining area, I am actually thinking of having an indoor and an outdoor dining area in my dream house. The lockdown has made it impossible for me and my family to have that family date and so for that reason, I thought of adding that outdoor dining space.
The kitchen is definitely outside the house, at the back, just before the homesteading garden. My cousin's kitchen was designed that way and I have always wanted to have that kind of kitchen ever since I visited their house. I would love to cook on a firewood stove. I'm not sure if it's just me but I think rice and any other meals cooked on firewood tastes a bit different. A good different. It's like the smoke adds to the flavor.
Since I am sure that I will be the only one working in the kitchen, this will be my area. When I went to Cebu and went to the Yap-San Diego Ancestral house, I remember how their food prep area looked like. I also like to have a batalan or batalan themed water system, I guess I'll have to talk to the plumber about that. I also like their dish rack there, it was made of bamboo if I remember it correctly, where the dishware were just arranged beautifully in rows on a bamboo rack.
I remember when I was young and visited my aunt in the province, they also had a bamboo hut, their bathroom was outside the house. It was a bit scary for me to go in the middle of the night. I don't want that for my dream house so I'll have just the normal type of bathroom but with a touch of the entire theme of the house.
Location, Location, Location
The design I have in mind definitely is not suitable in the urban area. The land area has to be big enough to position the bungalow right smack at the center, leaving enough room for a flowery pathway towards the front porch and enough space for the homesteading garden at the back. I went to Palaya Natural Farm in Tanay Rizal where I experienced sleeping in a tiny Bahay kubo. I guess that was where I fell in love with the idea of having a Bahay Kubo of my own. A bigger, more personalized Bahay Kubo, designed for my family's personality.
Most probably, the location would be in the province, in the countryside, where there is lesser pollution. Like the farm we went to last 2018, my house would need to be situated near a water source. Not too near because water is scarily dangerous and unpredictable, but not too far because my farm needs enough water for it to be sustainable.
Materials
I'm not sure if using bamboo would be a very sturdy material for a big house but I definitely would want to have a bahay kubo feel for the interior and exterior of the house. Instead of anahaw or nipa for the roof, I was thinking of adding solar panels instead. I don't really understand how this technology works entirely but that's what I want and I guess I'll have to study more about it once my dream is nearing fruition. I also like wooden flooring. It's natural, it's more homey than stone, and I just like it. I love husking the floor, it's exercise and the shiny finish gives me that sense of accomplishment.
I must say this contest has made me a bit too dreamy. I liked the experience. I have little to no knowledge at all about architecture and engineering so I know my dream house poses a lot of questions on my future engineers and architects, but hey, this is a dream house. I'm just being my dreamy self here. LOL
I also have been watching Interior Design Masters and Tiny House Nation on Netflix so this has kept my spirits up. Thank you @discoveringarni for this contest. And good luck to all the entries.
@romeskie is a full-time stay at home mom juggling homeschooling, crocheting, and homemaking. A Business Administration graduate with a major in Marketing who ended up in the contact center industry, on the frontlines, climbing her way up to Workforce Management where she found her passion in real-time analysis and management. A once self-proclaimed careerwoman who soon realized homemaking was her real calling. Her passion varies from reading, writing, photography, and most of all, crocheting.
Connect with her through her Facebook Page: The Leftie Crocheter and on Instagram. Feel free to subscribe to her Youtube Channel: The Leftie Crocheter
I like your idea, my dream house has to be in a quiet place and must be tidy
Home should be a place of relaxation. A quiet and tidy place is indeed a dream. 😊
You're right, by the way, I hope you have your dream house. Greetings!
WOW, that is a very beautiful house.
Thank you. 😊
I could imagine your dream house while reading and I found myself smiling with joy while doing so. A modernized Bahay Kubo with plenty of space for the garden to grow food and flowers and play.
In the Philippines, the kitchen is outside in most ancestral homes, and lots of modern houses nowadays have a covered outdoor kitchen so this is definitely feasible.
Bamboo is sustainable, strong, and durable when properly treated as insects resistant material. I have an architect friend who trained in Bamboo Architecture in Bali for this specialized bamboo construction and he designed his own house and structures in a modern way.
Thank you Romeskie for participating in the contest and may your dream house be realized in the near future. 😊
Ahh, I do hope so. Thank you for creating this contest. I felt dreamy while I was drafting this post.
Vernacular architecture is a great choice for your dream house! As the Philippines has an abundant supply of local materials for your Bahay Kubo, a futuristic and modern version of this architectural favorite is very possible. Thank you for your entry to this contest!