Getting started on building a house

Hi DI. Thanks for giving me a name i can work with Do you or any of your friends have any personal experience with using them ?

Best regards,
Neal.

 

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I used a contractor here. His price 9 years ago was 21,000 smtr, today 25,000 smtr for the “better quality” option. If interested, send me a message for details.

 

Dear Gord. Thanks for taking so much time to reply. Sincerely appreciate your "full disclosure" I certainly did not realize you own this site ! You touch upon lot of advice that I find useful. I particularly like your idea of having pictures uploaded periodically. That could really help !

About your point "Typically here it is not unreasonable for an architect to charge you 3.5 to 5% of the contract price to oversee the work, however what they usually do for that fee is handle the construction management without the use of another contractor". If the architect DOES handle the construction management what does it effectively translate into...he manages the work of a foreman leading a bunch of laborers...a set up like that ? Apologies if that be a stupid question...I have never been involved with house building before.

Best Regards,
Neal.

 

I'm living here now for 25 Years and haven't build anything....but my general advice is, just wait for your retirement, come over here and start it when you are here....

 

Here man, Im in the same boat as you ( 2 kids, 46 years young, not in the position to retire to the phils yet), i work in china, but have been in and out of there for 9 years......i have tried several ways of trying to get surplus cash for a rainy day fund, or trying to get a few little things up and running there, but all to no avail, lost at every little venture ( from trying to get a little piggery to owning a tricycle then owning a jeepney) filipinos in general are a very very nice bunch of people, but when they get a sniff of a euro, peso or dollar, the DNA changes they are very likeable bunch, but when there is foreign money about it all changes, the only people you can trust are the people inside when you lock your door and that is it and even with the wife you gotta sit down and be direct with her as regards who gets what and why, and the end of the day she too is filipino, in the sense that she has a big heart too, and would like to help neighbours or family, you have got to see the wood from the trees (most of what i lost was to the closest around me, the cousin, the brother, the neighbour.........( im ranting )...............I would suggest you wait until you are ready to go the phils full time, do not try to run the show from the USA you will get raped every which way


if you cant be there for the whole time for the build you cant be there the whole time when its built either, who is going to run it for you, dont expect your wife to do it, if she has no training and look after two kids as well

time to finish, i am giving my tuppence worth as i am the same age as you more or less in the same boat as you, but i have been in and out for 10 years now, got my fingers burnt trusting the locals with money.....you will be on an absolute loser, by not being here.

you will be more or less trusting strangers with your lifes savings/kids future
their mentality is " he is a foreigner, he is rich, he wont miss the money, it will be ok, God is good, he have money/I have no money, my brother is sick......etc etc etc etc etc

they will clean you out.............i reckon i got creamed to the tune of a million pesos all told.

they just cant be trusted..........and police/lawyers/barangay captains/judges/courts will never come out on your side, it will cost you twice as much as you lost to try and get it back....dont dont dont do it

 

Good average construction prices for a nice middle class house are between 22k and 32k per sqm depending on the location, the quality of the material and the equipment of the house. Never buy a lot which is not directly fronting at a barangay road. This prevents hassles with right of way cases. Another thing is to never build next to running water (river, brook, creek) to prevent damages due high water. Exception is if the house is on enough high altitude that the high water will not reach it. And then try to build it typhoon proof.

 

I was reluctant to write here first, as it might mislead you or give you "false" hope...but I will write anyway-

I actually build a house while I was not on site, just one trusted person. This is in Cebu around 10 years ago.
The result was very good. This might not be the "usual" outcome.

I had a very good architect - running everything (from project management to his own building company - so no contractors needed). Sadly he died a few years ago, he was really good in every aspect.

I was there on site when I finalized the plans with him. Also, I selected all materials like tiles, fixtures, windows (that was outsourced), etc, etc.

Nowadays the process might be even easier, with better internet connection. He sent me pictures every week and a very detailed expense tracking, comprised of:

• Cash flow statement
• Comparative analysis as of (estimate, actual, variance - itemized). Example:
  • - Item 12: cutting of coconut trees (commissioned)
  • - 1unit Aerogaz 4-burner stainless cooktop
  • - Less: Item 14: Swimming Pool Faucet (reclassified as unreported additional item below)
  • - Unreported Additional Items or changes ordered by (my person on site) for reporting period:
  • - 110V ceiling fans: labor charge of P600, chain, 1gang plate, puj fare (notice even the jeepney fare)
• Detailed costs - additional items (this were all the costs and any additional cost, which were not included in the original estimate. The costs were by sections: Additional cost, labor, materials etc. ). Example:
  • Date: atlantic#253432 (#20802): 80meters-stranded wire#10-thhn @31.20
  • cebu hardware#16603: 3meters chain, puj fare=37
  • 10 bags portland @215
  • 4 kgs common wire nails @60
  • labor: installation of ground rod
  • 4 days: carpentry/masonry-sanny paypa @330

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At the end I had a variance of around 80k (pesos). The house turned out very well (actually a dream). Many people walking by ask if this is a public resort and if the place can be rented (and no it cannot...)

So it can be done, but I would only do it with an architect you trust and manages everything. He was not cheap, but worth every cent (as far as I know he was also a consultant for the UN in environmental matters).

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As one relative of mine put it. To whom God has given wings it is expected, that they will carry the ones who weren't given wings....how convenient. Now if I win that 1.6 billion mega millions jackpot, I'm down for that.

 

I know nothing about building here .... but I do know that any business-type arrangement with family/ friends has the potential of going badly wrong. It is very difficult to pull-up someone who you are close to and so standards can slide and then you may lose what you really wanted to achieve AND also lose your friendships.

Find someone who you are fully detached from and can have a go at if things start to go wrong - never mix business and emotions.