The DJ who's not a DeeJay

 My mom bought her first and only house in the late 1960's. She was still single then, and so her parents and other siblings initially all stayed there. Over the years, as each of her siblings got married and started raising their own respective families, they moved out. When my mom got married, she and my dad moved to another country and raised me. During this time, her parents (my grandparents) and her youngest sister stayed and lived in the original house. 

When I was 9 years old, we moved back to the Philippines and lived here. I grew up here until I was an adult, and I actually lived here for 26 years before getting married and moving out. My parents continued to stay. When my mom passed away in 2019, I inherited the house. My dad still lives there.

Mom and our front garden in 1992. The Mama Mary statue is the only item still there.

This house formed decades of memories, both before and after my birth. And since my parents were in charge of managing the house, from utilities to renovations to repairs to property management and facing challenges like flooding, I was basically in charge of myself growing up. Don't get me wrong. I participated in doing house chores and cleaning up but knew nothing more than that.

Fast forward to today. Since I now own a 50+-year-old house, I am slowly discovering things that have stood the test of time but are either now fragile or in dire need of a long overdue overhaul. I compare it with a person's health. You try to live healthy and have regular checkups to ensure you stay healthy. Over the course of time, a person's body also ages and needs proper care to ensure its longevity. 

Unfortunately, our house has shown signs of wear since the kitchen ceiling started dripping during rainstorms. This issue quickly escalated from occasional drops to a waterfall cascading down the entire wall. I thought that a quick fix on the roof would solve it. After having a few experts conduct surveys to inspect what the problem was, we got the recommendation to replace the house's entire roof since it's already rusty, thin, and filled with holes.

roof repairs in progress.

I thought that it would be pretty straightforward. What I failed to realize is that if the roof is around 50 years old, everything underneath would also be the same age. This included the roof's insulation, the trusses that support the roof, the electrical wiring underneath the roof, and the ceiling that blocks the entire upper area of the house from the actual rooms the house covers. Each one would also require proper inspection. If they were still ok, it was a question of how long they could still last. 

For safety, and prevention of any hazards like electrical malfunctions, roof cave-ins, or flooding, each layer of the house had to be checked and possibly replaced. The leaking ceiling led to a series of additional issues the house faced and needed proper attention. 

The house repairs are still ongoing, and I'm hoping that they will soon be finished, as repairing a house is like walking blindfolded. You don't know if something requires repair until you uncover its condition. At least when building a new house, you start from a clean slate. Everything is new and built according to plan. Proper planning eliminates the element of surprise, and you know what to expect visually, structurally, and cost-wise.

My tip for those who may have inherited a house, like I did, is to learn the basics of the house's structure and understand how each component, such as lighting, electrical systems, plumbing, roofing, and foundation, contributes to the overall integrity of the house. This includes both the interior and exterior aspects, as well as underground elements and the entire perimeter of your lot. It will also provide you with a sense of understanding rather than just nodding at a contractor when the time comes to have your old house repaired.

Also, find out everything you can about the house's history. Old houses lack the visual documentation we enjoy today, like easily taking photos and videos of the house or having several tools that can assist in assessing a house's durability. This becomes even more helpful when a house undergoes a renovation, upgrade, or basically the house changes its form, style, or function. Refer to former residents, old photos, and blueprints or documents that contain all these details. They will serve as a useful guide for rediscovering your old house beyond its memories between your home's walls. 

Lastly, review your financial budget for repairs. And since additional repairs may sprout at times during the original repairs, allocate an emergency fund to shoulder the additional expenses. The worst thing that could happen is an unfinished repair because you ran out of funds. Find out what needs fixing and prioritize the ones that are critical. You may have to set aside a few repairs to prioritize ones that are more critical, especially if it involves the safety of the residents.

Overall, it's a journey that will involve a lot of humps and gaps, but with proper planning and research, you may just extend your old house's longevity for another half a century if lucky.

I took this shot from the hill beside this one. It's a steep hill and I was fascinated with all the curved roads. Photo: Montery Hills (taken in Parang Marikina with an 18x mega zoom).
Here's the same vantage point without any zoom.

A lot of our material possessions come and go. Some get lost, some are upgraded or downgraded, some become out of order, render useless or expire, and some are just simply not needed.

Furniture sometimes is replaced with more timely and fashionable models. Dishes tend to break or wear out. Clothes fade in color and threads start to run if not already forming holes. Gadgets like computers, mobile phones, television sets become outdated and are usually replaced with newer, faster and better ones. Food needs to be consumed to refrain from expiry and forming of molds and other forms of bacteria.

There are a couple of material things though that need to be there and aren't easy to replace because they have become a backbone and extension to our being. And that is our home. It's something very basic, yet unique for each individual and family living in one since they form the experience and memories which make it unique. People and objects may come and go to and from your home but your abode stays. It's something the people living there can proudly claim as their shelter where they feel safe and sound. It's part of where we live our lives.

Yet even something as basic as housing is not necessarily easy to acquire. The search for one based on personal preferences such as location, size, shape are to deal with. Furthermore, personal budgets also dictate whether it be feasible and afforable or not.

Thanks to government projects such as the HDB (Housing & Development Board) in Singapore, it provides Singapore citizens and residents low-cost and affordable solutions enabling them to eventually become a satisfied home-owner. Flexible terms and options allow qualified individuals to acquire houses they can soon call "home".

If you don't know where to begin, there are online services and solutions which provide assistance in looking for HDB property which can serve as your online broker. One need not be savvy nor knowledgeable in real estate to be able to find their ideal house.

Whatever shape or size, may we all find the house we can call "home".