Total home builder

In the late 1930s, Ignacio Pineda Gaddi led his workers in "harvesting" sand from the Pasig River. Medium-sized boats would gather up sand towards the riverbanks where workers called caskeros would use large, semi-circular implements to scoop up the sand and load them into the boats.

Gaddi Gravel and Sand was a respected Quiapo-based establishment that thrived even after World War II. In fact, it supplied materials to build the Quezon Bridge at a time when houses were being cleared to make for a wider Martin Ocampo St., now known as Quezon Blvd.

"We helped build Manila," said Ignacio Gaddi’s daughter, Pilar Gaddi Vasquez.

By the late 1950s, Vasquez would be in the same line of business, rearing seven children while managing Vasquez Gravel and Sand with her husband, Evaristo Vasquez, Sr.

"We were practically raised to be home builders. Gravel and sand became our playground. Concrete hollow blocks were the walls of our play store. We breathed it; we ate it. Now, all seven siblings work in the home building industry," said Lilibeth Vasquez Legasto, marketing head of Vasquez Building Systems, Inc.

Pre-fab system

The company is, however, better known as Vazbuilt, after the prefabricated building system invented by her brother and current company president, Edgardo Vasquez.

"When we started commercially selling the prefab system in 1991, Vazbuilt became an industry byword. Mass housing developers chose our system to quickly deliver strong, safe and durable houses to customers eager to buy their first homes," said chief operating officer Evaristo Vasquez, Jr.

Despite its frenzied pace of growth, Vazbuilt prepared for the worst.

"We could see that the economic bubble would burst. As early as 1995, Vazbuilt laid the groundwork for serving the needs of single lot owners. After 1997, there was a slowdown in mass housing developing. It is retail housing that has sustained our business since," he said.

Vazbuilt differentiated itself from other contractors as a total home builder, addressing a niche of single lot owners who wanted to build their own homes but did not know how to go about it. Some of the needs and fears of first-time buyers the company quickly identified were:

• Where do I get an architect? Is the service expensive?

• Who will be my contractor? Will he be able to finish the job within my budget and on time?

• Can I actually afford to build a house?

As a one-stop shop for such customers, Vazbuilt offers housing consultancy free of charge. Given the lot size and desired budget, professionals advise customers on bank financing, monthly amortization, and how to best build their dream homes. Even house designs done by top local architects such as Felino Palafox, Basilio Valdes, Ed Calma, and Recio

& Casas are available.

"They wanted to share their talents with more people," said Vasquez.

Affordable

Vazbuilt currently concentrates on homes priced from P450,000 to P6 million. The higher priced homes are "kombi houses", built from a combination of pre-fab and other building technologies.

A house can be built between 1.5 months and six months, depending on the extent of customer modification,

Because of its partnership with RCBC Savings Bank and Philippine Savings Bank, Vazbuilt customers can choose a house plan with their budget from a table of appraisal values. If the value of a customer’s lot exceeds the appraised value of the desired home, a downpayment is not required. The lot finances the construction of the home.

As an added service, the company takes care of obtaining the required building permit, subdivision permit, and barangay clearance. The customer is also assured the price of materials for his home will not increase throughout the construction period.

"That is why we are a total home builder," said Vasquez.