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Hollow blocks, cement, and steel are the most common materials used for home construction. However, for those who want to incorporate a Filipino touch and build their homes sustainably, knowing local materials in the Philippines used in house construction helps.
Local building materials can help you achieve your goal of constructing homes that showcase Filipino heritage. Architect Francisco Mañosa is among those who incorporated indigenous elements and materials in the structures he designed.
Aside from promoting Filipino architecture, using local materials in the Philippines for home construction allows you to build a home for the Philippines’ tropical and monsoon seasons.
Whether you want to build a modern bahay kubo or a luxury mansion with Filipino architectural design, here are local materials you can use:
Bamboo
This local building material is versatile, and you can use it whole, split, or in strips for your home’s walls or floors. Bamboo can also be to build furniture or decor in your home. Professionals cure bamboo by soaking it in special solutions, eliminating starches that make it susceptible to fire and termite infestations. Curing bamboo for home construction also makes it last for as long as 30 years.
Coconut Lumber
Another affordable and indigenous building material you can use is coco lumber. The lumber is cut off when palm trees stop bearing coconut to allow new trees to be planted. Coconut wood is durable and versatile, making it a good substitute for home construction. You can also use coco wood for flooring, furniture, paneling, pallets, utility poles, joinery, plywood, and veneers. Like bamboo, you can also treat coco lumber with preservatives to make it resistant to termite attack.
Mahogany Wood
Mahogany wood is recommended if you want to build a premium home. This type of local material is beautiful and durable. You can use Mahogany for your floors, doors, stairs, bedframe, cabinets, shelves, and other furniture at home. Mahogany is ideal because it is decently resistant to rot and insects and does not shrink or expand much in time. The wood may only shrink or swell slightly during extreme seasonal changes but is mostly unnoticed. It is easy to paint and polish and requires minimal maintenance. Aside from Mahogany, you can also use Narra, Yakal, and Molave for home construction and design in the Philippines.
Santol Wood
Santol wood is one of the local materials in the Philippines used for protective covering and skeletal framework. It becomes highly resistant to wood borers (bukbok) when appropriately cured. Santol wood is a good wood alternative because it is easy to work with, even if it’s less dense. You can also use Santol wood as base frames for your sofa if you want a modern Filipino home interior design.
Sawali
Sawali, also known as Amakan, is a traditional woven split-bamboo mat used for walls, wall cladding, and paneling. This local material is often used as walls for nipa huts. It allows air circulation to cool down the home, especially during summer. Since it is porous, it also balances the indoor pressure of a house during strong winds, which can help minimize roof damage. To treat Sawali, it is soaked in saltwater and dried. Varnishing it is optional.
Rice Hull Ash Cement (RHAC)
Ash from rice hulls and husks is an agricultural waste that is an affordable and effective substitute for concrete. Rice hulls are burned between 700 to 750 degrees Celsius. Afterward, it offers binding properties, making it a good additive to cement solutions. According to experts, rice husk ash concrete improves the compressive strength of concrete. It also lowers the permeability of concrete and makes it highly resistant to the penetration of chloride and other materials.
Rattan
Rattan is a beautiful and sturdy local material in the Philippines that can be used when crafting home furniture and decor. This local material is flexible and durable, making it a versatile material you can use. Having Rattan furniture and fixtures adds a tropical feeling to your home.
Abaca
Abaca is the toughest natural fiber. It has a non-slippage character and is resistant to saltwater damage, which makes it ideal for Filipino homes. Abaca fibers are mainly used for twine and rope. Baskets made of abaca can be used as aesthetically pleasing and purposeful storage in your home.
Local materials in the Philippines make great alternatives to other materials for home construction and crafting furniture. Aside from beautifying your home, using local materials is sustainable and can help you save money.
For more tips and advice, check out our previous journals here.
Main photo from Shutterstock
