Thank you! It's difficult to not be critical when things are sub-standard. I'm ok with splashes of paint here and there, things a little bit off, small superficial cracks etc. When I have to re-do work that "professionals" did just weeks ago, because it's a hazard... yeah, it's annoying, lol. Part of building in the Philippines, at least when done as we did it, I guess!
Thank you and good luck with your future build! It's good to learn from others, whether it's things to do, or not to. We appreciate all the good ideas we've gotten in the comments.
I like the idea of the carabao. Such great animals, I would have one too if I lived in the province. But you'd have to create a muddy pond to make him happy.
Yeah, cool animals for sure. We actually have had some carabaos chilling on our land, we have a couple of muddy ponds over on the "other side" of the property that some in the area have used (before we added posts and barbed wire at least).
Hi I’m Gord…we have a half time house in Liloan, just north of Cebu City. One of our daughters & my sisters in law live in & look after the home. The other half of the time we’re in Minneapolis. I can can tell you if horses are in your vicinity you’ll be a hero if you always have a couple sugar cubes in your pocket…. Love your build show… keep it going….
I know exactly what you are talking about, mate. It's easy to say do this, do that, but everything comes with the price of the labor it may be cheap for others, but if you are there and you pay the labor and the snacks as well it's gets expensive towards the end, I know that for our experience, until now we're not even finished doing our place as the material and the labor are so expensive now, anyway take care and have a lovely afternoon over there 😊
It's way cheaper than in the West for sure, but at the same time it adds up here. And while "simple labor" may be affordable, qualified (electricians, but also builders with claimed experience) can cost quite a lot. What I've found is that guys working for 250-300 PHP a day can often do a better job than those costing 700-750. Especially if I need to tell them exactly what to do anyway. We're switching more and more to the "cheap" guys, as I like their work ethic/pride in work way more. It's important to find the right guys. Also, they struggle to find consistent work, so me providing work helps them/their families more. Thank you for watching and best of luck in your build, I hope our adventures have been helpful (both what to do, and what not to)!
@@ABetterLifePH It's way cheaper there than in mindoro then hey, in mindoro the mason charge us 600 per day ang the laborer are 500 per day, also we have to provide the morning snacks and afternoon snacks as well, so it adds up heaps towards the end 😔 in the city the labor is even more expensive, I suppose different place different charges, but you guys are lucky enough that you have a good people to work for yous, also cheap labor too, anyway it is what it is hey,have a pleasant night over there guys, I watch your show every time you got a new uploaded video,take care even though I don't leave any comment from time to time I just push the like button when I finished watching your show take care and I can't wait to see your new show again soon👍
@@lolitamcgovern5651 Thank you so much! We really appreciate the support, and that you enjoy our content! Our first crew wasn't a huge hit, but our neighbors are really good. Loyloy and Anize are such hard workers, his dad is a trained carpenter and his brother has plenty experience through his government job. 500 a day for a laborer sounds like foreigner price to me... that sucks. Especially if you need to feed them on top of that! 🤯
@ABetterLifePH Tell me about 😔 but that's the way they roll over there,and we can not do anything about it. On top of all that, all the materials are not cheap either,but it is what it is hey, thanks for the reply mate, take care 😊
@@lolitamcgovern5651 Same, best of luck! Might want to try to bus workers in if they are that expensive. We were considering having some people my wife knows from Gensan (6 hours away) come do the work.
Looks like the workers don't know to separate human trash from unused construction material. US standard of patio slope is 2%, meaning 2FT for every 100ft ( Slope %tage is measured by rise at the end of a 100ft distance. 100% slope means, it rises 100ft at end of 100ft. 2% is 1in at 50ft, so a 2% slope is roughly 1/4″ rise per foot. 10ft should have 2 1/2in slope. You should do that on the upper retaining wall area or your patio so that water won't puddle anywhere in the surface. Looks like the exterior wall is parged already. All the best.
Yeah, once the package deals are done we'll go over everything and fix what we can. Thank you for the tips, we'll definitely need to fix the "terrace" area. On top, I'm thinking French drain style.
they didnt run strings to guide them on the slope, even the roof they used no strings to guide them on the slope. here even the finishing of the walls cement they put strings to guide the thickness. now if i could get them to pay attention to edges ,corners, sides, tops, bottoms...LOL😆
@@justaguy-69 They used strings for hollow blocks at least. Loyloy's brother used strings when he partially fixed the roof, but lack of proper tools is another issue (better for sure, but not great). I like pragmatic solutions, but I also like the right tool for the job. And safety equipment, but I gave up on that fight (just glad they're using eye protection when welding). Oh yeah, funny story...or dangerous. They (Loyloy/electrician) were welding. "Oops, you almost started without grounding it/attaching the clamp". I just stood there, looking, wondering. I asked my wife if they knew that the "grounding" clamp they attached to the metal piece went through a welding machine that was hooked up to a non-grounded outlet. I'm not an expert, and hope I misunderstood something, but I did see some flaws in their logic.
@@ABetterLifePH yeah it took me a while to figure out the electric here, i have lots of 3 plugged wired tools and 3 plug sockets in my house but there are only 2 wires running to all the sockets and fuse box etc.. turns out the POLE outside is grounded, so it kind of acts as a ground for all the hot and negative wires running to all the houses off of that pole. i'm no electrician but the electric here scares the sht out of me, i have had sockets frying and sparks flying for over a minute until the short was burned til there was no wire left to short ! but the fuse still didnt pop off ! dont even get me started on the bare wires at head level downtown over the sidewalks as i step thru puddles ! i have taken to walking in the street instead of ducking, if you are short i guess youre ok !
i had to fire my wifes family and grandpa and pick my own crew, it was not the most pleasant thing but it passed over time and i did find 2 guys who knew what they were doing and made them my leaders, i just explained everything to them and let them explain it to the crew.
@@ABetterLifePH i later found out her family were the worst enemies i had anyway so it didnt really matter.😆 long story but now my wife sees us and our kids as 'her family' and we are very happy with the situation. those who have good honest in-laws here are luckier than they know!
Wow, sorry to hear that (good about the wife though). Quite honestly, Lourlin's family is awesome. Great parents, siblings and the mandatory 400 cousins are cool, great uncles and lolas. I'm sure there will be some remote relative I haven't met yet that might be a d*ck, but so far all good!
@@ABetterLifePH you are blessed ! appreciate it, it saves you a lot of hell ! ( i thought everyone was good since they all smiled, it took a few years for me to learn😏)
We've encountered a few bad apples, but I'm good at reading people and am starting to get a better read on Filipinos. I've barely even encountered skin tax (the wife does tell me to stay in the car sometimes). But yeah, I picked a good one from a good family. Not sure how common it is, but I have had no problems with her family at all. Honorable, hard-working people, the mom is very active in the Catholic church (but still cool with me) and has raised all kids to be good people. Glad it worked out for you, even with a rocky start! Really cool that your wife prioritized you over her biological family, not everyone does that.
We also needed to get water from a lower level as you. Ounce you decide your expectations (as far as liter reserve and house water pressure) , I'd be happy to give you a few suggestions. (as if you don't already get too many hahaha)
I appreciate all suggestions! We'll have a 1500 L tank only at first, might add more later. For pressure, I'll try gravity first, but I need hot water so we'll see if gravity is enough for the water heater to work.
once they see you allow poor workmanship in one tiny area the problem will gradually get worse and worse until any caring is totally out the window and they will just drink the night before and slop everything together the next day and any respect they had for you at the start will be gone. when you do the rest of your project use all new crew and stay on top of every nail and rebar bend and shovel full of sand and dont allow any tiny mistakes and insist on every detail being done 100% correctly, by the time you get 3/4 of the way thru they will already know to fix any mistakes before you see them on their own because they know it wont fly. you would save a lot of money and get way better quality paying workers by the day. if they get paid when an area is completed they will always get it done as fast and easy as possible to collect their pay, being done correct becomes irrelevant. the first time i refused to pay my crew for the entire day because everything done that day was incorrect and had to be ripped out and redone, quality went up 100% for the rest of the project. you can always hire a stern foreman who you hold responsible for every detail being done right and let him be the 'mean' boss guy if you're not up to it. if pay goes up for top perfect quality days and pay goes down or disappears for poor quality days - GUESS WHAT?😏
We had two reasons for why we did package deals etc. 1) we weren't able to be present every day and 2) we lacked experience. When we expand, we'll be present and we'll at least have some experience. We're done with the first crew. I don't think they were slacking, but the quality (from day one really, which I should have noticed) was not good enough. Friendly guys, helpful etc, but most likely just not experienced enough. We will spend some time (after moving in) fixing their work and evaluating the guys we're currently using. But yeah, I should play a bigger part.
That is a very difficult question as it depends on several different things. Bukidnon is huge and has different kinds of land types (titled, ancestral domain, timberland and more). The most important thing for price is how desperately the seller needs money (trumps all other aspects). Land around where we are located is typically 0.5-1.5 m per hectare (+30% for fees), I know one area being developed where they sell 500 sqm for 75k (and help with paperwork). I hope that gave you a ballpark. It might (not always) help if you stay in the car btw, assuming you have a Filipino partner. Our skin tone sometimes help us in this country, but it can also make things more expensive.
@@ABetterLifePH Thanks for the answer. 75k for 500sqm is exactly what I would like to get. Of course it must be titled and the process must be legit by using a lawyer. This price category is farm land mostly or residential? I think that matters because on farm land there might be more restrictions on what type of house you are allowed to build. Or if you are allowed to put a cement wall around your property.
@@sebastian_philippinen For that price, it won't be titled in a residential area. This is ancestral domain in the province. If you want titled in Bukidnon, you'll have to go to the lower (warmer) areas around cities. I'm not sure which ones have titles, but Malaybalay (bit remote, but very nice) should have. I don't know the price per sqm there though, it would also depend on area (access/neighborhood). Things in the province work differently, more risk but cheaper and at least for me - many benefits. You can still have some safety with enough paperwork (get COLO, building permits etc), but titles are typically safer of course. Best of luck! I would strongly suggest you find the area you want to live in first (spend a couple of months there) before buying anything.
I think the Filipino educational system is starting to catch up to the Western one. Maybe not because the Filipino one is getting better... We had that happen in Europe. Finland used to be "meh", now their system is the best. What they did: nothing. What the rest did: went woke.
yes i had to create a 30 minute period at the end of each day for all hands clean up. i was in the middle of a brngy and using a lot of others spaces to pile up crushed stone and rebar being primed and hollow block stacked up so i needed to keep it neat as best i could to prevent complaints. after 2 weeks they knew it was 30 mins from quitting time and the stopped to clean up on their own.
@@justaguy-69 Loyloy/family are starting to adapt already. They notice that we don't like trash everywhere, and are even telling their kids. Our site is starting to look ok (and I didn't do all of the cleaning!). My hope is that in time, their kids will start to clean up around their own house. It's not my place to say, very different culture, but this country is beautiful...the nature is outstanding...and pretty much all of them just drop wrappers etc straight in the ground. Everyone should learn from the Japanese!
@@ABetterLifePH i LOVE japanese culture❤ the kids all clean the schools and they take turns cooking and serving healthy fresh veggies for all the kids meals at lunch and students even serve the food to other students, they put such love and craftsmanship in the things they do, so quiet and polite and humble too. i have kids just toss their candy wrappers on the floor "inside" my house😦 without even thinking about it, its just natural to toss a trail of litter wherever they go, they look at me so strange when i clean up in front of my house , like they are wondering why thee foreigner wants all that litter i am picking up! my kids friends that frequent our house are starting to adapt tho.. little by little. you must be diligent and consistent with them.
![MV วิถีชีวิตใต้ - ผา อัยย๊ะ [Official MV HD]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/nODlkOUu9B0/mqdefault.jpg)
The build is looking awesome. I love your attitude. Don’t be hard on yourself. Like you say, it is what it is!
Thank you!
It's difficult to not be critical when things are sub-standard. I'm ok with splashes of paint here and there, things a little bit off, small superficial cracks etc. When I have to re-do work that "professionals" did just weeks ago, because it's a hazard... yeah, it's annoying, lol. Part of building in the Philippines, at least when done as we did it, I guess!
Great accomplishment, very inspiring, one day ill do the same ,keep up the great work
Thank you and good luck with your future build!
It's good to learn from others, whether it's things to do, or not to. We appreciate all the good ideas we've gotten in the comments.
I like the idea of the carabao. Such great animals, I would have one too if I lived in the province. But you'd have to create a muddy pond to make him happy.
Yeah, cool animals for sure. We actually have had some carabaos chilling on our land, we have a couple of muddy ponds over on the "other side" of the property that some in the area have used (before we added posts and barbed wire at least).
Hi I’m Gord…we have a half time house in Liloan, just north of Cebu City. One of our daughters & my sisters in law live in & look after the home. The other half of the time we’re in Minneapolis. I can can tell you if horses are in your vicinity you’ll be a hero if you always have a couple sugar cubes in your pocket…. Love your build show… keep it going….
Thank you!
I'm more interested in goats, sugar cubes might work there too?
Good kids❤❤❤
Most of the time! 😄
I know exactly what you are talking about, mate. It's easy to say do this, do that, but everything comes with the price of the labor it may be cheap for others, but if you are there and you pay the labor and the snacks as well it's gets expensive towards the end, I know that for our experience, until now we're not even finished doing our place as the material and the labor are so expensive now, anyway take care and have a lovely afternoon over there 😊
It's way cheaper than in the West for sure, but at the same time it adds up here. And while "simple labor" may be affordable, qualified (electricians, but also builders with claimed experience) can cost quite a lot. What I've found is that guys working for 250-300 PHP a day can often do a better job than those costing 700-750. Especially if I need to tell them exactly what to do anyway. We're switching more and more to the "cheap" guys, as I like their work ethic/pride in work way more. It's important to find the right guys. Also, they struggle to find consistent work, so me providing work helps them/their families more.
Thank you for watching and best of luck in your build, I hope our adventures have been helpful (both what to do, and what not to)!
@@ABetterLifePH It's way cheaper there than in mindoro then hey, in mindoro the mason charge us 600 per day ang the laborer are 500 per day, also we have to provide the morning snacks and afternoon snacks as well, so it adds up heaps towards the end 😔 in the city the labor is even more expensive, I suppose different place different charges, but you guys are lucky enough that you have a good people to work for yous, also cheap labor too, anyway it is what it is hey,have a pleasant night over there guys, I watch your show every time you got a new uploaded video,take care even though I don't leave any comment from time to time I just push the like button when I finished watching your show take care and I can't wait to see your new show again soon👍
@@lolitamcgovern5651 Thank you so much! We really appreciate the support, and that you enjoy our content!
Our first crew wasn't a huge hit, but our neighbors are really good. Loyloy and Anize are such hard workers, his dad is a trained carpenter and his brother has plenty experience through his government job. 500 a day for a laborer sounds like foreigner price to me... that sucks. Especially if you need to feed them on top of that! 🤯
@ABetterLifePH Tell me about 😔 but that's the way they roll over there,and we can not do anything about it. On top of all that, all the materials are not cheap either,but it is what it is hey, thanks for the reply mate, take care 😊
@@lolitamcgovern5651 Same, best of luck! Might want to try to bus workers in if they are that expensive. We were considering having some people my wife knows from Gensan (6 hours away) come do the work.
Looks like the workers don't know to separate human trash from unused construction material. US standard of patio slope is 2%, meaning 2FT for every 100ft ( Slope %tage is measured by rise at the end of a 100ft distance. 100% slope means, it rises 100ft at end of 100ft. 2% is 1in at 50ft, so a 2% slope is roughly 1/4″ rise per foot. 10ft should have 2 1/2in slope. You should do that on the upper retaining wall area or your patio so that water won't puddle anywhere in the surface. Looks like the exterior wall is parged already. All the best.
Yeah, once the package deals are done we'll go over everything and fix what we can. Thank you for the tips, we'll definitely need to fix the "terrace" area. On top, I'm thinking French drain style.
they didnt run strings to guide them on the slope, even the roof they used no strings to guide them on the slope. here even the finishing of the walls cement they put strings to guide the thickness. now if i could get them to pay attention to edges ,corners, sides, tops, bottoms...LOL😆
@@justaguy-69 They used strings for hollow blocks at least. Loyloy's brother used strings when he partially fixed the roof, but lack of proper tools is another issue (better for sure, but not great). I like pragmatic solutions, but I also like the right tool for the job. And safety equipment, but I gave up on that fight (just glad they're using eye protection when welding).
Oh yeah, funny story...or dangerous. They (Loyloy/electrician) were welding. "Oops, you almost started without grounding it/attaching the clamp". I just stood there, looking, wondering. I asked my wife if they knew that the "grounding" clamp they attached to the metal piece went through a welding machine that was hooked up to a non-grounded outlet. I'm not an expert, and hope I misunderstood something, but I did see some flaws in their logic.
@@ABetterLifePH yeah it took me a while to figure out the electric here, i have lots of 3 plugged wired tools and 3 plug sockets in my house but there are only 2 wires running to all the sockets and fuse box etc..
turns out the POLE outside is grounded, so it kind of acts as a ground for all the hot and negative wires running to all the houses off of that pole. i'm no electrician but the electric here scares the sht out of me, i have had sockets frying and sparks flying for over a minute until the short was burned til there was no wire left to short ! but the fuse still didnt pop off !
dont even get me started on the bare wires at head level downtown over the sidewalks as i step thru puddles !
i have taken to walking in the street instead of ducking, if you are short i guess youre ok !
But they'll still hope or ask for a bonus. I regret most of what I doled out after our home build.
Yeah...
No bonus in our case, but we definitely paid more than I think it's worth. At least some parts (road/wall in particular).
i had to fire my wifes family and grandpa and pick my own crew, it was not the most pleasant thing but it passed over time and i did find 2 guys who knew what they were doing and made them my leaders, i just explained everything to them and let them explain it to the crew.
I'm surprised they got over it (if they did). But yeah, the first crew won't do more work for us.
@@ABetterLifePH i later found out her family were the worst enemies i had anyway so it didnt really matter.😆
long story but now my wife sees us and our kids as 'her family' and we are very happy with the situation. those who have good honest in-laws here are luckier than they know!
Wow, sorry to hear that (good about the wife though). Quite honestly, Lourlin's family is awesome. Great parents, siblings and the mandatory 400 cousins are cool, great uncles and lolas. I'm sure there will be some remote relative I haven't met yet that might be a d*ck, but so far all good!
@@ABetterLifePH you are blessed ! appreciate it, it saves you a lot of hell !
( i thought everyone was good since they all smiled, it took a few years for me to learn😏)
We've encountered a few bad apples, but I'm good at reading people and am starting to get a better read on Filipinos. I've barely even encountered skin tax (the wife does tell me to stay in the car sometimes).
But yeah, I picked a good one from a good family. Not sure how common it is, but I have had no problems with her family at all. Honorable, hard-working people, the mom is very active in the Catholic church (but still cool with me) and has raised all kids to be good people. Glad it worked out for you, even with a rocky start! Really cool that your wife prioritized you over her biological family, not everyone does that.
Nice place in tagum what is the name of your barangay or municipality
Thank you!
We're not in Tagum, we're in Sinuda (Bukidnon), about 2.5 h North of Davao.
We also needed to get water from a lower level as you. Ounce you decide your expectations (as far as liter reserve and house water pressure) , I'd be happy to give you a few suggestions. (as if you don't already get too many hahaha)
I appreciate all suggestions!
We'll have a 1500 L tank only at first, might add more later. For pressure, I'll try gravity first, but I need hot water so we'll see if gravity is enough for the water heater to work.
once they see you allow poor workmanship in one tiny area the problem will gradually get worse and worse until any caring is totally out the window and they will just drink the night before and slop everything together the next day and any respect they had for you at the start will be gone.
when you do the rest of your project use all new crew and stay on top of every nail and rebar bend and shovel full of sand and dont allow any tiny mistakes and insist on every detail being done 100% correctly, by the time you get 3/4 of the way thru they will already know to fix any mistakes before you see them on their own because they know it wont fly.
you would save a lot of money and get way better quality paying workers by the day. if they get paid when an area is completed they will always get it done as fast and easy as possible to collect their pay, being done correct becomes irrelevant.
the first time i refused to pay my crew for the entire day because everything done that day was incorrect and had to be ripped out and redone, quality went up 100% for the rest of the project.
you can always hire a stern foreman who you hold responsible for every detail being done right and let him be the 'mean' boss guy if you're not up to it.
if pay goes up for top perfect quality days and pay goes down or disappears for poor quality days - GUESS WHAT?😏
We had two reasons for why we did package deals etc. 1) we weren't able to be present every day and 2) we lacked experience. When we expand, we'll be present and we'll at least have some experience.
We're done with the first crew. I don't think they were slacking, but the quality (from day one really, which I should have noticed) was not good enough. Friendly guys, helpful etc, but most likely just not experienced enough.
We will spend some time (after moving in) fixing their work and evaluating the guys we're currently using. But yeah, I should play a bigger part.
Hi, I would like to ask what is the price per sqm in an area like that in Bukidnon?
That is a very difficult question as it depends on several different things. Bukidnon is huge and has different kinds of land types (titled, ancestral domain, timberland and more). The most important thing for price is how desperately the seller needs money (trumps all other aspects).
Land around where we are located is typically 0.5-1.5 m per hectare (+30% for fees), I know one area being developed where they sell 500 sqm for 75k (and help with paperwork).
I hope that gave you a ballpark. It might (not always) help if you stay in the car btw, assuming you have a Filipino partner. Our skin tone sometimes help us in this country, but it can also make things more expensive.
@@ABetterLifePH Thanks for the answer. 75k for 500sqm is exactly what I would like to get. Of course it must be titled and the process must be legit by using a lawyer. This price category is farm land mostly or residential? I think that matters because on farm land there might be more restrictions on what type of house you are allowed to build. Or if you are allowed to put a cement wall around your property.
@@sebastian_philippinen For that price, it won't be titled in a residential area. This is ancestral domain in the province. If you want titled in Bukidnon, you'll have to go to the lower (warmer) areas around cities. I'm not sure which ones have titles, but Malaybalay (bit remote, but very nice) should have. I don't know the price per sqm there though, it would also depend on area (access/neighborhood).
Things in the province work differently, more risk but cheaper and at least for me - many benefits. You can still have some safety with enough paperwork (get COLO, building permits etc), but titles are typically safer of course.
Best of luck! I would strongly suggest you find the area you want to live in first (spend a couple of months there) before buying anything.
I'm so afraid someone will fall over the edge
They're pretty good at athletics........not so good at academics.
My hypothesis is that Filipino DNA is 50% mountain goat. If anyone will go over, it'll be me. Unfortunately...
I think the Filipino educational system is starting to catch up to the Western one. Maybe not because the Filipino one is getting better...
We had that happen in Europe. Finland used to be "meh", now their system is the best. What they did: nothing. What the rest did: went woke.
I would not use your builders.
Friendly guys, but yeah, we're moving on.
@ehlersjim12 Especially an issue out in the province.
The workers like a messy site. They won't clean up until made to at end of project
Clean ups on construction sites.......a rarity here.
Oh, I don't expect them to clean up when they're done either. 😆
yes i had to create a 30 minute period at the end of each day for all hands clean up. i was in the middle of a brngy and using a lot of others spaces to pile up crushed stone and rebar being primed and hollow block stacked up so i needed to keep it neat as best i could to prevent complaints.
after 2 weeks they knew it was 30 mins from quitting time and the stopped to clean up on their own.
@@justaguy-69 Loyloy/family are starting to adapt already. They notice that we don't like trash everywhere, and are even telling their kids. Our site is starting to look ok (and I didn't do all of the cleaning!).
My hope is that in time, their kids will start to clean up around their own house. It's not my place to say, very different culture, but this country is beautiful...the nature is outstanding...and pretty much all of them just drop wrappers etc straight in the ground. Everyone should learn from the Japanese!
@@ABetterLifePH i LOVE japanese culture❤ the kids all clean the schools and they take turns cooking and serving healthy fresh veggies for all the kids meals at lunch and students even serve the food to other students, they put such love and craftsmanship in the things they do, so quiet and polite and humble too.
i have kids just toss their candy wrappers on the floor "inside" my house😦 without even thinking about it, its just natural to toss a trail of litter wherever they go, they look at me so strange when i clean up in front of my house , like they are wondering why thee foreigner wants all that litter i am picking up!
my kids friends that frequent our house are starting to adapt tho.. little by little. you must be diligent and consistent with them.