Getting started on building a house

Dear cccmmm. You speak to my dream case scenario! You got lucky because you had an good architect who did everything and obviously had the manpower on his payroll. Also, it seems that you paid the material and labor cost separately (?)

Anyhow, I was in search of such a person. I can go with the more reputable one-stop shops as well but I suspect it will be quite more expensive with the cost is embedded in the per sqm price (not clear what markup is reasonable).

Thanks again.
~Neal.

 

Dear WhateverBeYourRealName Thanks for reminding of that!
Best,
Indranil

 

No. It was reported separately, but payments are reflected in the cash flow statement. So from there you can see what you payed, what was planned and what was used by period - actual cost (weekly in my case)
The other sections will show what (materials) and how(labour) it was used (in detail down to the puj fare)

Honestly, I would do it again. I would not like to be on site and having headaches, chasing things etc. (have built in Europe and speak from experience). After 9 months when I arrived again everything was finished (and I was happy).

Also, each time you show up at the building site, be prepared that costs go up, as it is very common that when the owner shows up some changes occur (you wan to change this and that...)

Also, if you are on site and if they want to cheat you, it will happen (unless you are 24h there and count every cement bag and nails etc. and make sure they used it for your house). It might have happened to me, that I paid maybe for 5 cement bags and somebody "slipped" one bag, but it would have happened as well if I would have been on site.

For me much more important is the maintenance of the house. Here, maintenance is an "unknown" word. My house looks and feels still new. Other houses here after 10 years.....but this is another story.

 

A good architect can make quite a good estimate even with the per sqm price. My house was quoted this way and a "risk" mark up. However, as I mentioned the variance at the end was around 80k. That is how it works (of course based on the plan you come up with the architect).

Otherwise, sell the land and buy a finished house.

Good luck

 

I was a carpenter for many years in the US, then became a contractor and then a building of homes. From my 50 years experience in construction I will agree with Gord as well as the others. Even if you get a good building/architect it will be difficult as there are questions that come up along the way and the decisions need to be made quickly or the work will stop.
JET, or JT as I have heard him called has an excellent reputation in the community although I do not know him personally.
I have built one house here for myself and it was an eye opener. I actually put my tools on and worked alongside the workers. (at nearly 70 at the time was not something I wanted to do) The materials here, in many cases are not the same as used in the US and some of the methods they use here are and will be a disaster in the future. For example, electrical wiring is twisted and then taped to make a connection here, it is standard. In the US a wire nut is used to connect wires together.
We bought a house that was already built by a reputable builder. After about a year the floor tile, (ceramic), started to come loose, just one here and there at first, then most of them started coming up. When they lay floor tiles here they soak it in water just before laying. After a few months of this growing problem it occurred to me that used to happen in the US many years ago and was caused by tile setters soaking tile before laying. It was OK at first but usually years later, 6 or 7 in our case they started coming up, just as these tiles were coming up. This something that the tradesmen pass on to their protégées. Soaking of tiles inn the US this is now prohibited and the problem with tiles coming up has stopped.
We replaced the tile throughout the house and as the tile setter was about to start he was soaking some tiles although he had been told not to prior to the work. I was there and told him again not to soak the tiles which he argued with me about. He was concerned it would not turn out right. I showed him the box the tile came in which stated, "do not ein water prior to laying". He did a great job on the tile.
My point is that you need to know what you are doing and getting a knowledgeable, experienced contractor is the most important part of what you are about to endeavor.
There will be paint colors, tile colors, cabinet designs, lighting, plumbing roof color, exterior wall color, trim colors and many more decisions that YOU must make that will be next very difficult to make from a distance.
Good luck in your decision, I agree with every post made here. I too have lost lots of money investing in ventures here and have never had even a return of capital let alone return on investment.

 

I suggest you buy the materials yourself. Dont trust any contractors as most of them are cheaters. They will not buy you quality materials to cut down cost and so they make money out of it.

I think 210k is a bit high of a price. The architect we went to only asks about 60k for a 210sq.meter 2storey house..he asks 350 per sq. Meter. And the other architect is asking 50k,that includes land analysis,blueprint,assistance for procesing the permit,etc.

We are planning to build a prefab house. A well insulated one. I guess its better you find another architect to see and compare the fees theyr asking.

 

Reading all these comments; it would appear that a Hollow Block House with Bamboo Rafters and Nipa Leaf Roof is looking more likely in my future than I had originally anticipated.

 

It seems one of the main concerns of your post was to make sure that you are dealing with honest folks. I will just toss in my 2 cents of opinion here as someone who has had projects done for me by Gord and his company. Gord helped me to find my house and I purchased it through his real estate company. After that his construction company did a very major remodel for me in which we took a large one story house, pulled to roof off it, and added a second story. This was a major project as the first story was not designed from the beginning to support a second story, so additional supports had to be incorporated into the first story and then massive big steal beams had to be constructed on site to create the structure for the second story to be built on. All of this was done while I was still living in the US and it was great to be able to log onto the site cams and watch the work in real time, and just about every week I would receive a big batch of pictures and descriptions of where we were at in the process. When we arrived here everything was completed and ready for our move-in. I am absolutely confident that we could not have got a better quality construction, or a better cost than what Gord was able to deliver for us. My recommendation to anybody who is considering doing anything relative to real estate in the DGT area (buying, selling, building, remodeling) ... your first step really needs to be to talk with Gord, he is so knowledgeable and experienced with all the 'unique issues' of working in this area. If you are overseas I would highly recommend that it is very much worth the expense to come here in person and see your property and meet with Gord to discuss your plans. Whether you ultimately use his services or not, certainly you will come away much better informed.

 

Hello.

Neal......I am from Michigan, built a home on Bacong. My family there are builders....I can give you there number if interested...