When it comes to building your dream house in the Philippines, there is a myth that goes around that traps future homeowners. A lot of people think that hiring an architect is for rich people and not for the middle class and “normal” people.
In this article, we will discuss how much you need to save or prepare if you want to have your dream home built in the Philippines. The importance (money-wise and safety-wise) of hiring professionals like architects and engineers will also be discussed to avoid scams and overspending.
How much does it cost to build a house in the Philippines?
The following estimates that you will read will be based on labor and materials alone. That means, it is assumed that you already have a lot to build your house on, and an architect to design your house.
The most common way to estimate what your house would cost in the Philippines is by getting the area and multiplying it with the estimated cost of the finish you like. This is called the parameter estimate.
To start, multiply the length and width (in meters) of your floor plan to get your area. This will be in square meters.
Common finishes and their prices:
Rough Finish
This is also called basic finish. In this category, your house will already be livable but it will be bare. The wall may be unfinished concrete blocks, your floors may be plastered cement, your windows bare or jalousies. The ceiling will just be flat and you’ll probably only have one bulb per room for your lighting. Prepare 18,000 to 23,000 pesos per square meter if you want this finish.
Standard Finish
This is also called semi, mid, mid-level, or consecutive finish. In this type of finish, you may have granite tiles already for your floor and finishes. Your walls will be plastered and painted, floors will have tiles, and your roof may be ribbed. For this type of finish, prepare 23,000 to 28,000 pesos. For faster estimates, a lot of architects or contractors use 25,000 pesos as the basis for the formula they use when a client asks them.
High-end Finish
This finish is also called an elegant finish, luxury, and deluxe finishes. This finish varies a lot depending on the finishes and materials that are used. These are what you see in luxurious houses like the common clients of Fitnesscape Creative Studios. Most of the time, the owners of these houses have their materials imported from other countries, thus, the estimate can vary in a lot of ways. In this category, prepare a minimum of 30,000 per square meter which can go up without limit depending on the design.
Other factors that affect the cost
It is important to remember that these prices are just mere estimates for the sake of ballparking your budget. Having said that, let’s talk about the other factors that can affect the price of your house. This is important to know so that you won’t be caught off guard with sudden expenses that may throw off your budget.
- Location. A big factor in pricing is the location of your lot. Materials and labor in the city tend to be more expensive than that of those that are from the province. Given this, it is important to know the going prices in your area.
- Add-ons. In the given estimate above, other areas outside of the house are not included. Note that if you want to have your garden (any landscape), swimming pool, fences, gates built, the amount of these is on top of the estimated cost above.
- Unplanned expenses. In any construction project, there will bound to be unplanned expenses and delays. These will add up to your total cost.
Rachitect’s tips when building your dream home
When building your house, there is a big chance that you may get overwhelmed with the overflowing information that is available on the internet today. Because of this, we have rounded up our top tips to make sure that you get the most out of your experience and you stay out of scams and overspending.
- Research. Before calling or asking anyone, take time to research. Collate the ideas and house designs that you find yourself attracted to. Compile them and look for professionals’ portfolios that are into these kinds of design. This is better than asking the first architect you find to do a design that is not in his style. Search for other tips from those who have more experience in the field. To read more about Tipid Tips Sa Construction, read Architect Karlo Marko’s tips here.
- Hire professionals. We always say here in Rachitect that it is important to hire professionals like architects and engineers. To break the myth that is going around, you have to understand that hiring an architect, or any professional for that matter, does not just “add to your expenses.” In reality, they are saving you from more expenses that might occur in the future due to faulty designs, as well as unforeseen expenses due to failure in estimating properly. Not to mention the fact that they save you from emergencies and accidents that might occur when your house is not designed by professionals. This is based on Pinoy Architect Llyan Oliver Austria‘s tips in his videos.
- Have a contract. Seal any deal with a contract and do not ever rely on verbal agreements. These are easily thrown away especially when it comes to additional charges and scams. In the contract, make sure that everything is written down. All the inclusions should be there and everything that you should expect. Does the contract already include the landscape? The fence and gates? Or building permits? To read more about building permits, click here.
- Be mindful of scams. There are a lot of scams in the construction field. To avoid them, we wrote a separate article for you based on Engr. Slater Young’s tips. Read it here.
- Add 10%. In securing your budget, B-Art Design (Choox TV‘s architect) says that saving up 10% on top of the estimated cost is a safe bet.
There you go, we hope this article has helped you shed light on the common number one question when it comes to building your dream home. Simply put, the question “How much does it cost to build a house in the Philippines?” cannot be answered with just a single number. There are a lot of considerations and factors to look at. Once these are taken into consideration, only then will be able to determine the cost that your house will be.
