Possibile To Find A House For Around 15000 Usd In The Provinces Around Cebu

[Jollygoodfellow]

I heard of a house and land in Tarlac City Luzon for just over $7,000 US. Of course, you will have to be married to make the most of these bargains. Its not Cebu though but if they exist there they should be all over RP.

Well they are but its the same as everywhere where you get what you pay for; this one was only $6400 when I viewed it a couple of years back. The view had me sold but the wife felt the house was a little large for our needs with just the two of us.

[Ynot]

this is not exactly on topic but it does have to do with building costs in the philippines and therefore loosely connected to the $ 15,000 USD in provinces. 

 

From my very limited experience here, I've noted people stating building costs are anywhere from 12,000 to 25,000 peso a sqm depending on the finish.  I must admit I find these prices a little high, given I can build a 180 to 200 sqm home in Australia (Perth) for about 40,000 peso psqm and sometimes the builder throws in aircon, granite benchtops, high ceilings, carpeting and tiles etc. 

 

Remembering in Australia the average salary is about  $ 60,000 per annum or 46,153 peso a week.  Most tradies, earn a lot more than the average wage. 

 

You have an electrician come out for the day and it costs you 40,000 peso a day.   A brickie earns over 40 peso a brick.  

 

My point being is that the person building the house in Australia is costing you well in excess of 6,593 peso a day, whereas a local filipino worker is probably costing you  400 peso a day, yet to build a house in the philippines is 50% of the cost to build it in Australia.  Someone in the Philippines is making a lot of money, otherwise the cost of building materials are very very expensive.  To build a house when not in boom times takes about 3 to 4 months from signing the contracts to handing over the keys.

 

 

 

[Thomas]

My point being is that the person building the house in Australia is costing you well in excess of 6,593 peso a day, whereas a local filipino worker is probably costing you  400 peso a day, yet to build a house in the philippines is 50% of the cost to build it in Australia.  Someone in the Philippines is making a lot of money, otherwise the cost of building materials are very very expensive.  To build a house when not in boom times takes about 3 to 4 months from signing the contracts to handing over the keys.

Well. Building material is a big part of the building cost.

E g when I replaced my roof in Sweden, including take away the old, the material cost was around half of the total. With Filipin salaries the material cost is an even biger part  :)    But sure in SOME development projects, someone get a lot of money.

[joeatmanila]

^{Yes you can find with even less than 10000$.}

^{For example the area i live, 1 1/2 hour drive from makati down town (with traffic), they are selling brand new raw houses (meaning no wall plastering and no tiles) for 360.000p 21m2 house on 36m2 lot. Now what develops around a house as such...no you do not want to live there!!! Looks like tondo without the sea floating houses...}

[GregZ]

Someone in the Philippines is making a lot of money, otherwise the cost of building materials are very very expensive.

Some of each it seems.  I will build and pay all the workers directly saving a lot, but someone is needed to direct the work effort and it should come from someone that understands the work & cultural circumstances and that knows what he is doing.  So if you don't have someone to manage the project you end up with the engineer making big money. 

 

I have noticed on the building materials that the construction company I am familiar with is buying at retail prices making their costs high.  Anyone else have direct info on that?  The company I speak of is in Cebu City.  Very surprising to me that they do not work out bulk contracts.

 

For 600,000 peso (US$15,000 @ 40:$) I will have a nice westerner style house in the province (Mindanao, but could do it in Cebu) with tile floors and finished walls.  At 10,000 peso / sq meter that is 60 sq meters.  I'm pretty sure I can get that done with VERY careful planning to limit the materials to REQUIRED only.  Electrical wire and water pipe are primary targets to save a lot of money.  Very, very short runs on these.

 

Notably, I am told that commonly the petition walls in this least expensive construction are wood.  That is what is shown in the video earlier in this thread.  I will not have wood on those interior walls.... finished block all the way through.  Also, the faucets I find here in the Philippines are very poor quality... The ones we put in our current place only lasted a few months and broke; that is both kitchen and bath.  I will likely bring my own from the USA.

[Papa Carl]

 

Just throwing this one out there ...is it truly possible to buy a home( even if its tiny) for about 15,000USD? I know I'm reaching here but who knows. stranger things have been possible

Most definitely but foreigners are not allowed to own land. You can only own the house.

This week, I was offered a 1 bedroom house for P60,000.

My ex father in law built a small 2 bedroom house for P80,000, in 2007. You can see it here

http://youtu.be/c-gkY-gByto

 

Jim, unbelievable! That is fantastic. 

 

Exactly what I am looking for and in my budget!

 

Wow, I have been considering just such a thing, not for the family to live in now, but as something for my wife and daughter after I am no longer around. 

 

Ellie and I have been discussing just this exactly.

 

She wants us to invest in such a place in the next few years, and when I saw that video I could not believe it, it is exactly what she is asking for, and for me I thought it was great because of the land, with a river in the back it would appear?

 

Wow, now if I could find the right spot, I certainly would invest in this.

 

It does not have to be in my name, so I don't care about owning the land, it can go in both our names as suggested by our Atty. We can also put it in our daughters name.

 

Many thanks Jim, you have lifted my spirit for today, now have something to work towards that is realistic and exactly what my wife is looking for.

 

Papa Carl

[JJReyes]

I have received quotations in the P250,000 price range for a native bamboo house (70 m2 floor area, with two bedrooms, living room, dining, kitchen and veranda) similar to the attached photograph. Getting local builders to use treated bamboo and artificial thatch roofing materials will probably more than double the price, but the house should last 50 years. The problem with the bamboo house in the photography is the materials are highly flammable and requires replacement within 5 to 8 years.

[Thomas]

 

Someone in the Philippines is making a lot of money, otherwise the cost of building materials are very very expensive.

Some of each it seems.  I will build and pay all the workers directly saving a lot, but someone is needed to direct the work effort and it should come from someone that understands the work & cultural circumstances and that knows what he is doing.  So if you don't have someone to manage the project you end up with the engineer making big money. 

I don'r know any, who have done it in RP, but in Thailand some have managed to built nice houses cheap by let the native wife being there keeping an eye on the workers/teams the owner have employed - and fired  :)  if they haven't worked good. 

I have noticed on the building materials that the construction company I am familiar with is buying at retail prices making their costs high.  Anyone else have direct info on that?  The company I speak of is in Cebu City.  Very surprising to me that they do not work out bulk contracts.

Are you sure they don't get a retailer discount in their pocket without telling?  :)

[GregZ]

Are you sure they don't get a retailer discount in their pocket without telling?

You can never be positive about anything, but I am pretty sure.  We went to retailers that he uses and did get around a 10-20% off depending on the item.  That was the local version of Lowe's known as Home Builders where we got toilet, pipe, faucets, etc.  Their prices at the store are FULL RETAIL to start with though.  Other materials like sand and portland came from smaller retailers, no discount that I could tell.  He may do better than that somewhere else on a bigger project???  Or he may get a back-end discount.  Right now I am not talking to him or I would ask.

[Thomas]

 

 

Are you sure they don't get a retailer discount in their pocket without telling?

You can never be positive about anything, but I am pretty sure.  We went to retailers that he uses and did get around a 10-20% off depending on the item.  That was the local version of Lowe's known as Home Builders where we got toilet, pipe, faucets, etc.  Their prices at the store are FULL RETAIL to start with though.  Other materials like sand and portland came from smaller retailers, no discount that I could tell.  He may do better than that somewhere else on a bigger project???  Or he may get a back-end discount.  Right now I am not talking to him or I would ask.

Better not expect any big retail discounts. Depending of product, but it's common (small) retailers have very small margins in shops too. (E g one producer/importer in daipers, cleaning and such offer a very small discount to region wholesalers compared to the price offered to retailers, hardly cover even the transport costs from Manila to Visayas/Mindanao!)