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Mr. ozexpat,
120,000 frequent flyer miles speaks for itself. No doubt about it.
As I read across your forum, I can't help but be concerned with your salt air problem. I sense that it's one of your major concerns. We have the same problem here on the Oregon coast. Probably not to the degree you do (much lower mean temps).
Before modern coatings, cars would rust away in short order. My first bicycle (we lived on the coast when I was a kid) was bright and shiny when I got it, but it wasn't long before it became a chunk of rust.
Don't mean to be presumptuous or patronizing, but I notice most of the homes along the coast here are clad top to bottom in plain old wood - coated with modern paints. They call 'em "saltboxes". And when the doors are closed, they close up pretty tight. It would be a tough choice between that or those light and airy dwellings in the Philippines. Also, we don't have the "termite problem", although we do have to fight off carpenter ants from time to time.
I suppose the best solution would be a very aggressive maintenance schedule or program.
On another subject..... as I read your forum.....it often occurs to me: "I bet there are big shot Wall Street types sitting high up in their offices in their seven hundred dollar suits who are secretly reading your forum ..... and dreaming of how it could'a been." We are so "lucky" to have the "American Dream" in this country
Not!!
Best regards.....
A couple we know owns a dive resort about 30 miles south of us. They started out with native materials and they had more maintenance woes than they could handle.
They resorted to concrete everything including roof. Their resort beds are even built in and made of artistically scultured concrete. Its changed from a rustic place to uninviting - well atleast for us.
Our house is made of hollow block walls but hardwood trusses and roof joists. The lanai is a hardwood called bahia. This wood is 40 years old and still going strong.
I use coco lumber on chicken houses but not in my house. I have access to mane made forests of teak, jimalina, eucalyptus and mahogany. also any other hardwood i can scavenge - like the indian wood logs i scored last month get rough milled and placed under the workers house to dry. All these woods are great in construction and furniture making.
My next trip we will replace the double doors on the lanai - I traded the workmanship for some imported muscovy ducks. There are full thickness mahogany in the same style as our newer lanai furniture.
We need to replace our roof. Thats the biggest challenge.
There is a modern plastic that supposed to handle UV well that I am looking at.
If we went with an american petro chemical covered with gravel all over plywood, the shingles are twice the price as here and we would have to reframe it to support the weight.
