OLD Houses for ABC Wednesday
Last Saturday i joined my two male friends in visiting some Heritage Houses in Taal, Batangas, another town in my province. We were looking for some very old relics which might have surfaced in these old houses, now made into museums. These houses were used during the Spanish period centuries ago in mid 19th century, and were houses of the rich and famous during that time. These are mostly built from indigenous materials like hardwood and shells for the windows. Some houses have intricately designed ceilings imported from Belgium. But the hardwood's durability is really awesome to withstand insect damage and tropical weather conditions.
The architectural design during those times also fit the warm tropical climate. Windows are widely opened with opening provisions even below the window ledge at level with the floor. Room partitions are also wide open and all sides have doors for continuous air circulation. Airconditioning units are not available yet those days, and these house designs ensure very good conditions inside the house as if the occupants are just resting well under the trees. These are houses which are in total connection with the environment.
Living rooms are wide and very accommodating and hospitable both for air and to visitors.
Wide eaves give enough shade to the side of the house and give colder temperatures inside.
A lounging chair near the window has the same porous woven rattan seat and back for thorough air circulation. It also slightly rocks back and forth to enhance sleep.
An old dresser cabinet with full length mirror also withstood the test of time. The right mirror reflects the four-poster bed with lacy covers while the left reflects the green vegetation outside.
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Beautiful! And so incredibly well adapted to provide comfort without the use of further energy. We could learn a lot from design like this.
ReplyDeleteHello Gaia, you are quick in commenting! You are so right, unfortunately our houses changed these days mimicking the western houses of stones and very closed quarters. It leads to high temperatures inside unlike the houses of old, and requires too much use of energy for comfort!
DeleteI love home tours. Especially historic ones. There are some beautiful design ideas here that would actually work in the low desert where we live.
ReplyDeleteThat fretwork above the doors would work like the transoms in old houses!
That floor is quite magnificent, too!
Thanks for the visit Jenny. There are also design works under the windows, and they allow air too. The ceilings are also very high to make more air circulation. Wood floors are from real big and long trees, incredible trees!
DeleteI came from Our World Tuesday and I find this post very interesting, especially because these are very old houses. Have a nice day
ReplyDeleteYes Laura, even if I am from here, i find these houses very interesting too!
DeleteThey are gorgeous houses Andrea, much better than new ones being built there made to look like European houses but they end up looking faux.
ReplyDeleteYou are so correct Mark, you wont believe it but in Mabini we have what they call the Italian village, of mansions mimicking the old ruins of Rome. I am sure you know the story behind these designs here! But there is also necessity of making stone houses these days, security!
DeleteWhat a lovely post and such a beautiful historical house so perfect for the climate.
ReplyDeleteI can rally see myself in that lounging chair with someone supplying me with endless cool drinks.
Thanks Arija, yes those houses are so perfect for our climate, unfortunately these designs are not suited anymore for other circumstances this period in our history. Security is already a big thing, climate effects can be remedied better by other things like airconditioning units. Ah signs of the times!
DeleteLovely Andrea, reminds me of the houses I saw in Vigan City when we visited.
ReplyDeleteOh Gaz, so you have been to Vigan with Mark. Yes they are of the same period in history and it takes big fortunes to maintain these old wood houses through time. I wish i can also enter some of the Vigan houses, unfortunately I've just seen the outside facades.
DeleteI like the idea of the shade awning. The facade detail is beautiful.
ReplyDeleteThanks Donna, but those awning are very difficult to clean or to paint and maintain!
DeleteBeautiful images of a gracefully aging house!
ReplyDeleteyes that is the word, i should have thought about it, "gracefully aging house". thanks.
DeleteI love those old ancestral houses in PI. I just hope they be kept up for the next generation.
ReplyDeleteI just saw in the news last night that the old house of Rizal's sibling partly collapsed. How sad! It was being bought by the Historical commission years ago from the private owner, but didn't want to sell, but he eventually just let it without maintenance, so half of the tiled roof collapsed!
DeleteOpen and airy. I'd love to have a place like this:) But no mosquitoes please.
ReplyDeleteKreesh, in the old days mosquitoes are not yet people's enemies, and there are no disease yet brought by them. Today, they are very scary!
DeleteOh my gosh...I hate them so much!! Today I got bitten several times!
DeleteI can see why you are so enthusiastic about this house. It' s so beautiful and in perfect condition. Thank you for showing.
ReplyDeleteWil, ABC Team.
Thank you so much Wil, and yes am very enthusiastic because houses like these remaining are very, very few. A lot of them go to waste because the owners didn't have enough funds for maintenance, or just because of sheer neglect!
Deletelove historic OLD houses like these!
ReplyDeleteROG, ABC Wednesday team
I've been to Taal numerous times, but have never entered these historic homes. I have, however, visited some houses in Vigan and Pila, and they look very similar to this. Your description of them is perfect, Andrea... because I always noticed how airy these homes felt. And the hardwood floors are gorgeous!
ReplyDeleteOn the contrary, I've been to Vigan a few times and have not been inside any house yet! Pila is very near Los Baños , but I've never seen any old house. I've long wanted to go there again, one of these days i hope. For the Taal houses, i am awed at the size of the trees to make those floors and solid doors, and you should see the 'batya' at the Villavicencio museum. It is a solid cross section of a tree made into basin, beautiful.
DeleteIt must have been fascinating to visit these historic homes. I really like your photos -- you've captured the charm of these homes very nicely.
ReplyDeleteThank you so much George for the visit and kind words.
DeleteLOve Old hOuses and this One is simply wOnderful!
ReplyDeleteThanks fOr sharing. And thanks for visiting and taking the time to comment.
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Have a nice day****
I love how we built houses with the environment...making it easier to live in them naturally...I love the openness and materials!
ReplyDeleteIt is very disappointing that only a very, very low percent of the old historical houses were maintained or restored like these I've shown. Even my grandmother's house, although not as grand as this was not saved, it needs a lot of fund to do so. These days our houses are not like these anymore, even if our climate has not change to be colder!
DeleteBeautiful houses... would be a shame if they do not receive proper maintenance...
ReplyDeleteThanks Lrong, many of this kind of houses already went to oblivion because heirs cannot cope with the high cost of maintenance, and the government have other priorities...
DeleteBeautiful houses. Too bad they don't make them like this anymore. How shortsighted.
ReplyDeleteHi Melanie, years of presence by western colonizers can completely change culture, tradition and soul of a people, this is just the least among them! Spaniards, Japanese and Americans wreck havoc on us, so what can we expect!
DeleteVery nice, very authentic and definitely very ethnic.... there is a hint of what we have here. Yeap, we really are related...........
ReplyDeleteI could easily live in there ! It really looks beautiful !
ReplyDeleteLove how you got the images in the cabinet mirror.
ReplyDeleteMy favourite Photo of all. I love mirrors.
Hi Andrea, It is interesting to see the mix of cultures in this house. The dark woods make it feel very rich and luxurious. I wonder about mosquitoes? Did the residents sleep under nets?
ReplyDeleteHi Jennifer, thanks for your visit. I love the solid wide wood floors and panelings too. During those times, diseases brought by mosquitoes are not yet present, and yes they have mostly four-poster beds with mosquito nets. Only the rich and famous have the 4-poster beds those days!
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