Building maintenance? I guess that part of that is down to the standard of the build in the first place.
Most construction is done on a very low budget, using 'sub-standard' materials. I am endeavoring to use best quality materials, for example, load-bearing, machine-made concrete blocks instead of the rather weak hand-made ones (We have some hand-made blocks which have been lying around for a couple of months - they crumble in your hands as you pick them up).
Another factor is that much construction is left incomplete for long periods, as the budget runs out - I'm sure that this cannot help the longterm durability (eg leaving rendered concrete unpainted for a long time).
Another factor is that most buildings are painted concrete and if the paint is not maintained it will become 'tired' looking.
In the UK, we are used to solid, brick-built, houses which have stood for 100 years. It comes as shock to learn that buildings in Phils have an 'economic' life of 25-30 years, after which the expectation is that they would be demolished. We discovered that we couldn't easily get a renovation permit for a house which was 30 years old, so it has been demolished to make way for the new house. Local friends, who see the standard of construction of our new house express the opinion that it will stand for 100 years!
