Building a house in Trinidad

[rspann]

Find out what type of wood was used in the deck and how old it is right now. If it has some age and it hasn't shrunk as yet, it is hardly likely to shrink again. Kiln dried wood and pressure treated wood lasts for years ( he did say it was treated) without problems.Most people building decks use Teak, Greenheart or some other durable wood. If it's not showing signs of rot, and its an old building, they probably used something good. I prefer the wood over concrete or tiles, as it would stay cooler on hot days.

[pugboy]

choose your deck coating carefully, many of them fancy poly coatings are pure marketing and will peel
in a couple years time in our sun.

lumkins by brooklyn bar recently built a deck out of teak,
used some junk coating
looks like crap a month later

[rspann]

I find the best thing is to leave it natural, no peeling or cracking. Treat it with some uv protectant, water or oil based. The teak deck on my boat is in the the sun all day and still looks new after five years. A little scrubbing and some protectant ,that's all.

[De Dragon]

I find the best thing is to leave it natural, no peeling or cracking. Treat it with some uv protectant, water or oil based. The teak deck on my boat is in the the sun all day and still looks new after five years. A little scrubbing and some protectant ,that's all.

All that to say...............

[pugboy]

Yeah oil based is best

[Sam Sam]

Thank you all for your answers, really appreciate.

[adnj]

There is a wood/plastic composite that is available, also. It's very durable and requires zero maintenance.

I'm not sure how the price would compare to teak or other resilient lumber provided from relatively nearby sources.

I am looking to buy an old house and rebuild some things myself. I checked some properties already and especially liked one villa with a wooden deck like this https://tranio.com/antigua_and_barbuda/adt/111243/, the thing is that I am worried that the wood will shrink because of heat/water. The landlord says that it’s some specially treated long lasting wood. Should I just change the wood for some tiles? Just want to move into a ready place and not to do anything about renovation at least for 2 years.
Thanks, Sam

[dtopshottas]

Guys a little help is needed with respect to column spacing for a house. Some persons say 5m and some say 14ft for spacing. Which one is it???

[Nissan12]

Guys a little help is needed with respect to column spacing for a house. Some persons say 5m and some say 14ft for spacing. Which one is it???

That's 'rule of thumb', not engineering... If you start to think of live load, dead load and soil bearing capacity then you will have an idea of how many columns you will need. Then you can decide span between. Depth of beam is the issue so you can go 20' (6.1m) if you want - just design the beam to accommodate the load.

Yeah, not as easy as pulling a figure out of thin air. My house columns are only 10 and 12 feet apart as soil has poor bearing capacity and didn't want mats larger than 4' square...

[adnj]

choose your deck coating carefully, many of them fancy poly coatings are pure marketing and will peel
in a couple years time in our sun.

lumkins by brooklyn bar recently built a deck out of teak,
used some junk coating
looks like crap a month later

Teak is tricky when it comes to finishing. Many of the poly coats work great but in my experience only on temperate species. Teak just pushes the finish off over time.

A tinted oil to fight UV is what I would us for outdoor teak.

[pugboy]

Every single use of them poly I have seen failed

[adnj]

Polyurethane isn't designed for decks or outdoor furniture at all. If it's oil based, it's a lifetime finish that works best on birch, walnut and oak , etc., for interior or casual (think rifle stock or dining table) use. Outdoor teak needs attention every year. I have never heard of teak looking good after 2 years of sun or snow.

Penofin, Sikken,..., they all work on teak but need some attention.

[nos_specialist]

So... what about container houses..take 4 join it together slap in some doors and windows.. link it

[RAM RAM]

Good Day Tuners,

Does anyone know the distance (Buffer zone/safe zone/access zone) one must legally leave away from an LNG pipeline(underground) when building a house?

Also, is it easy/harder to get town and country approval for land that is bordering to this line?

Thanks

[carluva]

Ok, so leme correct you first, there are no LNG pipelines. Most buried lines are NGC's, Petrotrin's and PPGPL's. Water lines are WASA's.

If there is a yellow marker on the ground above the line, then call the number on the marker and those folks will guide you.

Point to note... All underground lines are buries in whats called a Right of Way or ROW. Simply put, the ROW is that area of land which is on either side of the buried line and this could be as much as 10-20ft either side of the buried line, depending on the size and number of buried lines. The ROW is owned by the owner of the buried line so you cant buy that land. Also, on the ROW, you cannot build any structure or excavate since its someone elses land. Its land that cant be touched except by its owner

To get an idea of the ROW, I suggest that you try to find out who is the owner of the buried line and contact them. If it belongs to NGC, their number will be listed on the yellow marker placed on the ROW.

Regarding T&C approval, once you are clear of the ROW, the property in question is just regular old land subject to all the normal approvals.

[RAM RAM]

Ok thanks for the information.

According to your options given, it's most likely NGC's. It's those with the yellow markers.

Why i asked because a surveyor noted that due to the close proximty to the line inclusive of the ROW, T&C may still give some trouble (due to potential gas leak, explosion issues ect).

Also i know some residents were compensated to relocate at the time of installing pipes. I guess they were in the 10-20 feet zone.

[adnj]

Town and Country will tell you what the required set back is depending on the category that is assigned to the adjoining property. You just need to go to their website and get the info to submit an inquiry.

[Trinislacker]

I recently paid of a mortgage for a peice of land(2 years). I noticed saying their land is T&C country approved. I assume mine is since bank financed it. Would I need a paper stated my land is such in order to get it sell?

[adnj]

Undeveloped property doesn't require T&C approvals. You need approvals for developing land and adding structures. You may also need regional corporation approvals for structures and development. Those approvals are typically a requirement for a mortgage on the structure and development of the land.

[SNIPER 3000]

Guys what is an average price for labour to wire and pass a house for electricity, I am getting some big numbers.
What did you all pay for labour for electrical?
Thanks.

[*KRONIK*]

Last 3 bedroom house we did cost 20k

My electrician estimates around 12-18k (depending on construction material)

[urbandilema]

Guys what is an average price for labour to wire and pass a house for electricity, I am getting some big numbers.
What did you all pay for labour for electrical?
Thanks.

Could put you on to a coworker if u want...just pm me an will ask for you.he wires and straight to completion certificate from electrical inspection

[sekhar_777]

Folks, please offer some advice here, in order to catch the dry season, I am looking to finish the foundation phase of my house before I get full drawing approvals that was submitted in March. Do you see any issues here to get 1) Drawing Plan Approval and then 2) Completion Certificate? I understand there is a way to have this done where a structural engineer certifies the foundation that was laid? Thanks.

[lalloboy101]

How long ago was your plan submitted?.
What the proper setbacks adhered to on your plans?
If it was me tho, I would wait till full approvals are given to avoid headaches and complications, unless you are fully confident that they would not send a list of defects to be corrected then proceed .

[sekhar_777]

How long ago was your plan submitted?.
What the proper setbacks adhered to on your plans?
If it was me tho, I would wait till full approvals are given to avoid headaches and complications, unless you are fully confident that they would not send a list of defects to be corrected then proceed .

It was submitted in middle March 2017, up to last week its still in T&C as there is a "backlog". I had the Foundation Plan drawings reviewed by a registered Structural Engineer who will also assist with certification for Final Completions. But your point is noted.

[lalloboy101]

From my interaction with the approval process the breakdown is usually like this, 2 weeks at T&C, 4 - 6 weeks at Regional and 2 -3 weeks at Health. Sometime longer, never shorter. No matter how detailed your plans are they always find faults and mail you a list. Typically for a residential structure, engineer certification is not required unless you have spans in excess of 15'

[Monkey Man]

nice to see fellels in here building their homes

....the only think i can afford to build is jones

[York]

Folks, please offer some advice here, in order to catch the dry season, I am looking to finish the foundation phase of my house before I get full drawing approvals that was submitted in March. Do you see any issues here to get 1) Drawing Plan Approval and then 2) Completion Certificate? I understand there is a way to have this done where a structural engineer certifies the foundation that was laid? Thanks.

YES you still have to send the full plan to get approval and do the Structural Engineer report at the end.

however, since you don't have a building permit the project can be stopped at any time from the authorities, technically. but you shud be fine once you don't disrupt neighbours etc. use Premix cost of readymix very cheap $825 per cu m. pump $2500.

[Youngstar1989]

Guys lots of great info here and very intelligent experienced men.....i am Building my house and would like to kno....Whats the best doors to use for internal rooms... and doors leading to the outside of hous??

[Youngstar1989]

Wtk from any of the experienced men here...whats the Best place to buy a bathtub. Best price and quality