Thread: EPS panels, Rhino wall, Fiber cement board, etc

Warning: crude drawings.

This is how the building will look like. 3 units each dloor, each unit will have 3m height, 4m width (and 5m depth).



This is the floor plan. The flats (4 units will be 4*5m). The 2-storey townhouse (my abode) will be 4*6m.



The scale that I used for the floor plan is 2 cm: 1m, for the building on the lower left it's 1 cm: 1m.





And these are some dogs that I saw during my walk, just because. The one on the left was fierce and gave me the evil eye & some barks. The shih tzu on the right was super friendly.

@mike - I'm redirecting my reply here, from your remark in Topper's thread

This is the steel deck I'm talking about. I'm thinking of using it for the slab of the upper floor. It has English subtitles. You'll ser how they made/ prepared the slab at ~2:00. Just watch it at 1.5 or 2x speed.



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Using the metal/ steel deck will eliminate the need for formwork (plywood) during the pour of the slab for the upper floor. I'll just refer to the floors as ground floor & upper floor. 1st floor in PH = ground floor, while 1st floor in UK & EU = 2nd floor. Sometikes it confuses me, depending on who I'm talking to (USA or UK person).

You mentioned about investment. Yes, it will be an investment, at the same time it will be my home, if I don't make another one in the future. As you can see from my previous post (the one with my drawings), the structure will be like a triplex. There will be a duplex of flats (2 up, 2 down). The 3rd column (the rightmost) will be a 2-storey townhouse where I'll live.

At my age now, I'll probably have 40 to 50 more years, based on the life span of my mom and aunts from her side of the family. That's if I stay healthy and don't get cancer or similar illness. (I don't have cancer in my genes but have hypertension & Type 2 diabetes, both of which I don't have as of yet.) I'm active with walking/ hiking, so no illnesses yet.

I want the structure to last 40 to 50 years, so that it can provide me with passive income until my later years - minus minor costs for maintenence, of course.

My parents' house is ~30 years old already. The beans & columns are still good. It's a 2-storey building. The slab & beams were done the conventional way - concrete pour over rebar support. They used plywood & coconut lumber for formwork during that time.

I've already decided that the exterior walls will be made of CHB. The room partitions will be made of double walled fiber cement board (Hardieflex brand). The bathrooms will be made of concrete.

I'm trying to explore the possibility of using that steel deck for the upper floor slab. The roof will be made of steel trusses and GI (galvanized iron) sheets. The ceiling will be made with cement boards too.

I know what you said about not skipping costs - point well taken. I'll probably go with the conventional pour. I want the structure to last ~40 years - if the world isn't destroyed by then.

I also don't know if my contractor knows how to use steel deck. He's 60+ yrs old and an experienced contractor, but not a licensed engineer. The houses in my town are made mostly of concrete slabs. He knows how to use cement boards - we've talked abt it in my initial meeting with him. I'll have to ask him if he knows how to work with steel deck. I'll also have to see if there's a steel deck supplier nearby. I will have the plans made by licensed architect & engineer. The plans have to ve signed by arch & engr for the building permit.

My land is inside a subdivision/ mooban (suburb) and the HOA has rules about building permits, height of houses (can't have a 3rd floor), etc. If the land was in the mountains or more rural areas, then the rules are not so strict. The mooban entrance is near the highway (5 to 10 min walk). My lot/land is at the front part of the mooban, so it's in a good location. I'm pretty sure I'll have tenants most of the time.

Building B
At the back of the land, 8.4*5m
4 flats, each flat is 4.2*5m
Back part is a firewall. (It's allowed in our building code to have 1 side as firewall.)

Building B floor plan


Bldg B front & side views


Disclaimer: plans still subject to change!

Edit:
As of now, the exterior walls will be made of CHB, partition walls made of fiber cement board, slab for upper floor - conventional concrete pour (unless I can find a nearby supplier for steel deck). The interior ceiling for upper floor will be made of cement board. The external ceiling will be made of cement board or PVC panel (depends if I can find a supplier for the PVC panel; I've already talked to one & they don't have it). PVC panel is easier to install since it doesn't need painting (while cement board does).

For the lofts in Building A, the loft floor will be made of tubular steel and phenolic boards (or plywood). Again, it depends if I can find a nearby supplier for phenolic boards. The stairs to the loft will be made of tubular steel. The stairs will be removable, similar to the ones I've seen in tiny homes on wheels (example in YT channel Small House, Big Journey). Lofts are "in" nowadays in PH, due to small land area being sold/ available.