# Building a small 'vacation' home- Building costs?



## ILoveAFilipina (Dec 21, 2012)

Hello all and happy new year.

Am buying a small plot of land 60sqm in the same Barangay as my wife's family home and intend to build a small house to use for short vacations 3/4 times a year as the family home is not really equipped to accommodate us (especially now we have a baby). 

The Barangay is not far from Angeles - and there are plenty of hotels there - however it's not exactly the most family friendly place and its a real pain to get from the centre of town out to the family Barangay. It's only a couple of miles but the traffic is so bad it can take over an hour and more if it rains.

I work in Malaysia (and will be for the foreseeable future) so don't want to splash too much cash on a home that will only be used for visits.

Which is where I need your advice.

We are looking at building a basic two bed house with combined living/dining area and shower room. The plot is only 60 sqm so we will probably use most of it.

My wife's family have a few 'builders' who can assist with the construction but not sure their 'electrical/water management/roofing' skills would be that good.

As such wondering if anyone has any experience with professional contractors and what sort of cost I would be looking at.

My wife's cousin married an American 5 years ago and he bought a similarly sized plot in the same Barangay and built a small house using family labour with some professional roofing assistance. He spent approx $10,000 US (about 450,000 pesos) on the whole thing (including the plot) back then - and it is still perfectly serviceable.

Can I do the same these days?


----------



## pakawala (Sep 10, 2014)

ILoveAFilipina said:


> Hello all and happy new year.
> 
> Am buying a small plot of land 60sqm in the same Barangay as my wife's family home and intend to build a small house to use for short vacations 3/4 times a year as the family home is not really equipped to accommodate us (especially now we have a baby).
> 
> ...


Are you aware that 60 Square Meters is roughly the size of a very small 1 car garage? 
Yes, you can probably get it done for $10K if you are the one who buys the material and hire the workers.


----------



## pijoe (Jul 21, 2015)

In my opinion you will not need a contractor with any type of pedigree as much as you will need to physically be there for every last step of the building process. Just about everyone there knows how to build a house. Just about everyone there will want to rip you off. You dont want to find out that there is no re-bar in your walls the hard way. What is considered perfectly acceptable there would make most westerners cringe.


----------



## JRB__NW (Apr 8, 2015)

pakawala said:


> Are you aware that 60 Square Meters is roughly the size of a very small 1 car garage?
> Yes, you can probably get it done for $10K if you are the one who buys the material and hire the workers.


60 SM is actually 645 Sq Ft, or roughly 20' x 32' - more equivalent to a large TWO car garage.. nice size for a small home here I think.


----------



## pakawala (Sep 10, 2014)

JRB__NW said:


> 60 SM is actually 645 Sq Ft, or roughly 20' x 32' - more equivalent to a large TWO car garage.. nice size for a small home here I think.


Your perimeter walls will be that size but when you consider the house within the perimeter walls with at least a 1 meter clearance for passage on each side then the size is reduced. You also have to factor in area for the septic, well, parking, electric pole, small yard, then it ends up being closer to the size of a 1 car garage. The space above the land is free so you can always add a 2nd, 3rd story but of course your cost will increase.


----------



## hogrider (May 25, 2010)

pakawala said:


> Your perimeter walls will be that size but when you consider the house within the perimeter walls with at least a 1 meter clearance for passage on each side then the size is reduced. You also have to factor in area for the septic, well, parking, electric pole, small yard, then it ends up being closer to the size of a 1 car garage. The space above the land is free so you can always add a 2nd, 3rd story but of course your cost will increase.


Not an expert on Phil building codes, but in my case, we have to leave minimum of 2m between perimeter wall and house. Thats in Davao, maybe different in other areas.


----------



## JRB__NW (Apr 8, 2015)

pakawala said:


> Your perimeter walls will be that size but when you consider the house within the perimeter walls with at least a 1 meter clearance for passage on each side then the size is reduced. You also have to factor in area for the septic, well, parking, electric pole, small yard, then it ends up being closer to the size of a 1 car garage. The space above the land is free so you can always add a 2nd, 3rd story but of course your cost will increase.


Duh, of course. I was thinking of a 60 sm footprint of the home. You're right - in that case it is going to be pretty small. 

I didn't even think about septic. Do these tiny plots use septic? AND a well? No wonder there's issues with bacteria in the water.


----------



## pijoe (Jul 21, 2015)

Yes, if you want to do it correctly you are going to have to consider you grey water, black water, and potable water, as well as doing and hanging laundry, parking, ect... I will be in Magalang in the near future if you want some free help. I have developed many challenging spots in the Philippines so I would be willing to have a look and make some suggestions.


----------



## ezedek (Jan 9, 2016)

---> Am buying a small plot of land 60sqm in the same Barangay as my wife's family home
I'm assuming you have a 75 year lease going on that land otherwise your wife will be the true owner of both the land and the house. Naturally, she wants HER land and home next to her family. Heed the advice of more experienced expats and keep your home an airplane flight away from your wife's family and make sure you have a lease and title. Check with local lawyers. <Snip>


----------



## Tukaram (Dec 18, 2014)

We just built a very small house - 30 sq meters. It cost about $7,000 (USD). Her uncle let us use a corner of his 700 meter lot, so the land was free. Here is a video I made... there are 13 or 14 videos of the construction. It is one room only. Combined living room, bedroom, kitchenette. Separate cr, of course. It is built solid enough to hold a 2nd floor we just did not want one. Like all the houses out here the gray water goes into the yard, toilet goes to the septic tank. Well water has a pressure pump (good for the shower heater) but is not potable.


----------



## northwoods (Nov 14, 2013)

*home building vids ..*



Tukaram said:


> We just built a very small house - 30 sq meters. It cost about $7,000 (USD). Her uncle let us use a corner of his 700 meter lot, so the land was free. Here is a video I made... there are 13 or 14 videos of the construction. It is one room only. Combined living room, bedroom, kitchenette. Separate cr, of course. It is built solid enough to hold a 2nd floor we just did not want one. Like all the houses out here the gray water goes into the yard, toilet goes to the septic tank. Well water has a pressure pump (good for the shower heater) but is not potable.
> 
> https://youtu.be/v_nzAJXlccc


watched your vid's ..
thanks for sharing .


----------



## ILoveAFilipina (Dec 21, 2012)

Hi all,

Thanks for all the responses and sorry for the delayed response. The whole 'project' hit a hitch (hopefully temporary) so it wasn't as urgent as it was originally.

Anyway, in answer to your questions / comments:

1) Yes I am aware that 60 sq metres is not a big space. However, as mentioned originally this is a home that we will only be using for a few weeks each year at most. As such I think anything larger would be overkill. Do intend to build a proper home in the Phils in 20 or so years when I retire - and as such do not want to spend too much on what for now is simply a convenient alternative to staying in hotels each time we visit.

On the subject of 'building regs' how seriously do we need to take this? In the Barangay my wife's family comes from pretty much all the similar sized plots are built up back to back, side to side, with the neighbouring properties. Would doing the same cause us big issues down the line - or is this something to which a blind eye is turned? 

2) With regard the 'land ownership' issue I am also aware that I cannot own land in the Philippines and as such the land itself will be in my wife's name. I am aware of this and going into it with my eyes open. I am aware of the bad experiences that many expats have had in the Philippines with land/property issues - which is why I intend to complete this project on a reasonably tight budget - so that even if it does all go tits up at some point in the future my losses will be minimal. That said I have been with my wife for over 3 years now and we have a kid together. I do trust her but even if things did go wrong I would not begrudge losing the property as I think it would be a perfectly acceptable loss when balanced against all the joy and happiness that I have benefited from during that period. In other words 'je ne regrette rien'. But even that 'negative' scenario is hypothetical as my wife has never been anything but honest and open with me - even when it has come to revealing some of the less than perfect behaviors of other family members.

3) As for being there during the construction - I understand where you are all coming from on this. Indeed this applies to the use of contractors anywhere in the world! Unfortunately, I work in Malaysia so there is no way I will be there to oversee the whole thing. That said, my wife is proposing using some family members who have had some building experience (including the property for the American I mentioned in my original post) and while the standard was not 5-star my friend did end up with a perfectly acceptable holiday home. Just going to have to trust that 'tatay' and 'maw' will work with us to keep the work crew honest/reliable. Maybe I am overly optimistic about this!

Finally, the issue that we hit was that the person selling the plot of land seemed to be in an excessive hurry - which rang alarm bells for me. The price asked for the land was low (but not obviously stupidly low) but I refused to pay upfront, other than a small down payment to secure the plot and take it off the 'market'. I refused to part with the bulk of the cash until my wife was there in person and all the docs were exchanged/registered at 'City Hall'. 

However the lady selling got cold feet and said she had to discuss with her husband who was away (who she apparently had no intention of consulting with if we had paid for everything up front). It's possible that I am just being excessively cynical about this and that this lady is legit but will find out next week as my wife will be there in person - so will see if this can be revived or not. Fortunately haven't spent anything other than time on this so far.

Thanks again for all your feedback. It does sound like my overall budget of US$10k is 'reasonable/achievable' based on your feedback so far - which is a nice reassurance to have. Is great to get some reasonably neutral third-party feedback.

Cheers!


----------



## Gary D (Oct 28, 2013)

Yes I think there is a red flag there. You will probably find that the lot has no title or the person selling is not on the title. Often land carrys on with a title of say the grand parents who died years ago and nobody will spend the money to change it.


----------



## pakawala (Sep 10, 2014)

ILoveAFilipina said:


> In the Barangay my wife's family comes from pretty much all the similar sized plots are built up back to back, side to side, with the neighbouring properties.


If you will be using a well, I would not build in this location unless you are dirt poor. You have to consider the close proximity of each septic tank of these confined houses. You probably don't want to shower, wash dishes, etc. with water from their septic seepage. You will be putting your family at risk for health issues/diseases. 

If I were you, I would focus on buying your (much larger) retirement lot, build a fence around it and let it sit for 20 years until your retirement. Property is skyrocketing.


----------



## ILoveAFilipina (Dec 21, 2012)

pakawala said:


> If you will be using a well, I would not build in this location unless you are dirt poor. You have to consider the close proximity of each septic tank of these confined houses. You probably don't want to shower, wash dishes, etc. with water from their septic seepage. You will be putting your family at risk for health issues/diseases.
> 
> If I were you, I would focus on buying your (much larger) retirement lot, build a fence around it and let it sit for 20 years until your retirement. Property is skyrocketing.


Well the 'retirement' lot will not be anywhere close to the family - we already decided/agreed on that. My wife was actually quite keen on this too as she knows that if we stay near the extended family we will have regular visits from some of the less ethical relatives trying to get their pound of flesh.

As we are not based in the Phils currently we don't really have the time to do proper research/due diligence on other areas. Personally I like the Visayas and have visited ****** Oriental (Dumaguete) a few times and liked the more laid back atmosphere - but my wife (a Pampangan lady) is a little more nervous about this - apparently its not 'safe' and Visayans are all a bit weird aand talk funny! ;-)

I hear what you are saying about the land prices though - my wife says the same thing - but still don't want to rush in until we have a bit more clarity on the future.


----------



## Maxx62 (Dec 31, 2013)

ILoveAFilipina said:


> Hello all and happy new year.
> 
> . He spent approx $10,000 US (about 450,000 pesos) on the whole thing (including the plot) back then - and it is still perfectly serviceable.
> 
> Can I do the same these days?


Back in 2013 my wife and I built a 950 square foot home for approximately $40,000. We probably could have gotten it done a little bit cheaper, but we went with an architect and contractor recommended to us by the in-laws, and needless to say we had a bit of a problem with people loafing on the job, theft, and and the foreman trying to overbuy materials. 

Yeah, we got ripped off a little bit, and if I had to do it all over again I'd really go out of my way to make sure a worthwhile foreman is in charge of the job. (My guy couldn't even read blue prints I fount out too late.) Also, if you hire someone to closely linked to your in-laws, then there is a problem if you're unhappy with they way they are working. One day a big ten wheeler comes into our lot to deliver a load of mixing sand to make concrete. A little while later I walk pass the pile and start to look at it more carefully, and I noticed it was about 20 - 30% dirt. I called the foreman over and put a handful of sand into a bucket of water. The water instantly clouded up, and most of the "sand" turned into mud and dissolved in the water. I told the foreman that I didn't want anyone using that particular pile of sand to mix concrete, and if I caught anyone using that sand I would fire them. 

Low and behold the very next morning I go outside and see them using the sand I told them not to use. I ask the foreman what's going on, and he tells me that my wife said it was okay to use. I ask my wife what's going on, and she said that her mother wanted us to use the sand, otherwise her cousin's feelings might get hurt. I kid you not! Also, I'm pretty sure that some of my wife's relatives helped themselves to a box of 12Ga wire, a few gallons of paint, and a few sticks of PVC pipe. - Also the painter we hired lives around the corner from us, and during the time that the exterior of my house was being painted, the painter's house also got painted the same exact color as my house. 

In my opinion, if you hire someone associated with your in-laws, then you better ask to see a house that they built before you agree to hire them. Also, keep track of the supplies that are delivered, and watch out for workers who sneek away and take a nap while you are paying them to work. 

You can probably build a bare bones structure for $10,000, but here is what I'm afraid will happen. The architect or foreman will promise you that they can do the job for $10,000, but then when the job is about 80 - 90% finished they will approach you and claim that it will cost another $3,000 - $4,000 to complete. 

Bottom line is that you really have to be on your toes, and I would really try to make sure that you can live comfortably in whatever they can build for $10,000.


----------



## fmartin_gila (May 15, 2011)

Fully agree with what Maxx62 says. These things are what I was referring to in my post in the other thread of why I went with a recognized builder. I learned so much about the unethical practices during the construction of my enclosing fence for my building lot to not trust. Also have friends in the states who have been sending money for a few years to have relatives construct them a house in Laguna. They visited here last summer to find out that the build was surprisingly dismal as so far there only has been 4 walls up with no floor and no CR or roof, with no explanation as to where all the money has gone to.

Fred


----------



## ILoveAFilipina (Dec 21, 2012)

So a quick update on this. Bought the 'rights' to a 60sqm plot earlier this year in my wife's Barangay (near Angeles) to use as a 'vacation home' giving us our own space when visiting my wife's family.

Turns out we could not buy the land itself as the entire Barangay is a 'resettlement' and ownership of the land is retained by the Government. However the residents/tenants have an in-perpetuity right of use for their plots and they can transfer/sell these rights to other residents of the Barangay.

We got the plot with an existing 'shell' property under construction (stalled). The rights to the plot was duly transferred over to my wife's name and registered at Angeles City Hall.

Anyway the shell property (2 bed, 1 bath, 1 living/kitchen area) cost us just under 160,000 pesos, but we were not 100% happy with the layout (the bathroom was particularly tiny). The shell had a new septic tank, walls and a reasonably good roof, but was not yet connected to local electricity or water supply.

The house sat vacant for 4 months as we were not in the Philippines and I wanted to eyeball the place myself before deciding on the next move.

Finally got over about a month ago for a week. Met up with a local builder recommended by my wife's family (he had done some tiling for them) and engaged him and a helper at a cost of 15,000 pesos to move the various walls and complete the concreting of the floors, 15,000 pesos to install the ceiling and 20,000 pesos to do the tiling.

Also engaged a local electrician (again recommended by a family friend). He charged a 'contract' price of 8,000 pesos (labour) all in to do all the wiring and install the circuit box, sockets and lighting in each room.

Also engaged my brother-in-law (a metalworker) to put together some stainless steel grilles for the two windows and main entrance. This also cost 8,000 pesos (labour only).

Then spent the rest of the week trailing around Angeles' various hardware stores to pick up materials (doors, windows, wiring, lighting, toilet suite, kitchen sink, tiles, stainless steel piping for the grilles etc.) and was completely worn out at the end of that trip and happy to get back to work for a rest! 

After we left the various parties got to work coordinated by my wife's family who live 5 mins away. So far the work has gone pretty smoothly - the builder/tiler was a real star doing what appears to be a very good job. Similarly the electrician also got on with things and everything seems to be functioning properly. 

The main issue I had was the 'painters/plasterers'. They wanted a daily rate of 1,250 pesos. Bearing in mind the place is only 60 sqm I estimated that two of them should easily complete the painting of all rooms (walls and ceilings) with an damp protection undercoat, a couple of overcoats - as well as painting the main exterior wall - within 6 days maximum. Anyway, it got to about 5 days and it looked like progress was very slow (less than half done) so I made my displeasure clear to my wife's family and amazingly the workers completed the rest of the work in 3 days (8 days total).

In total have spent 76,000 pesos on labor so far - and most of what needs to be done remains within the scope of work already agreed, so shouldn't cost too much more.

Materials were the biggest cost. Think we have spent around 175,000 pesos total so far. Haven't tallied everything up yet, but it's in that general ballpark.

Total budget as it stands now (Land/Property, Labour and Materials) is approx. 411,000 pesos (about US$8,400) give or take a little. As my original budget was US$10,000 am quite happy that we are still within that.

Most of the major work is now done, but still have to install the glass windows, door handles, front door and locks - as well as building a small concrete path at the front of the house. 

Here are some 'in-progress' pics from our future holiday home! Hope this is useful info for some of you.










Stainless steel security grilles (as built by a relative), second window (left) needs finishing as per other window.










We have created a small entrance 'lobby'. Main door is inside. When finished will also have a small concrete path along the front..










Living room area looking towards kitchen space with door to bathroom far right. Main entrance (not visible) on the right. Two bedrooms (not visible) on the left.



















Bedroom 1 - Will be installing a built in closet in the space on the left of the door. Bedroom 2 is a mirror of bedroom 1.










Expanded by eating into the living area. Still needs installation of water heater shower (purchased) and glass partition between shower and toilet. Basin (not visible) is to the right of the person taking the photo.










Double sink and tiled worktop area. Will probably buy an electric grill/hob for cooking as only visiting a few weeks a year so will probably be eating out (or at family home) more often. Fridge and storage area behind the photographer.

Anyway, this project has gone pretty smoothly, particularly considering that I have not been there to oversee the whole thing. Main credit for that goes to my wife's elder sister and mum who kept a close eye on progress on our behalf.

My wife and I are expecting our second kid in December, so probably won't even get to visit the place until mid-2017. Hope it stands up to closer scrutiny.

Edit: It seems that the photo links thingy is not working. Here is a link to the IMGUR album: Our 'holiday home' in the Philippines - Album on Imgur


----------



## Asian Spirit (Mar 1, 2010)

ILoveAFilipina said:


> So a quick update on this. Bought the 'rights' to a 60sqm plot earlier this year in my wife's Barangay (near Angeles) to use as a 'vacation home' giving us our own space when visiting my wife's family.
> 
> Turns out we could not buy the land itself as the entire Barangay is a 'resettlement' and ownership of the land is retained by the Government. However the residents/tenants have an in-perpetuity right of use for their plots and they can transfer/sell these rights to other residents of the Barangay.
> 
> ...


Great post. Am sending you a PM in just a few minutes.

jet Lag


----------



## fmartin_gila (May 15, 2011)

Lookin good, pretty much accomplished what you set out to do.

Fred


----------

