HOUSE ON A BUDGET / Simple House Design 20K - Building A Home In The Philippines

Pea gives a comprehensive progress update on building her parents their first real house on the island of Leyte, now eight weeks into construction and roughly halfway complete. She breaks down the full permitting process with exact costs, shows the 3D model of the home design, gives an on-site walkthrough of the construction in progress, and explains how she's keeping a 150-square-meter concrete home under a million pesos (about $19,000 USD) by using family labor instead of contractors.

The project overview ​

• Four bedrooms, two bathrooms, 150 square meters (about 1,600 sq ft) — quite large for a Filipino home
• Budget originally planned to be less, but material prices skyrocketed over the summer
• Using the best quality materials because Leyte is typhoon-prone
• On track to complete for just under 1,000,000 pesos (~$19,000 USD)
• No contractor, no middlemen — the family is building it themselves
• She calls it "the greatest thing that's ever happened to my family"

3D model walkthrough of the design ​

• All doors will be blue (Santorini-inspired: white walls with blue trim, like Greek architecture)
• First floor: sitting area near the entrance, two bedrooms (one for parents, brothers decide on the other), dining area, kitchen at the back with door to outside, bathroom
• Second floor: plenty of open space, two more bedrooms, access to a terrace running the full length of the house
• She jokes about her terrible 3D navigation skills: "I'm driving like a drunken pirate"

The permitting process — took two months, with itemized costs ​

• Barangay clearance (proof of address): 230 pesos
• Barangay drainage certificate: 230 pesos
• Locational clearance from city planning office: 1,810 pesos
• Latest tax declaration from city assessor's office: 90 pesos
• Latest tax clearance: 80 pesos
• Copy of property title and deed of sale: 2,940 pesos
• Sketch plan/lot survey by geodetic engineer: 8,000 pesos
• Approved subdivision plan from DENR: 100 pesos
• Architectural plans (6 sets), structural plans (6 sets), plumbing/electrical plans, bill of materials, scope of work, specifications — all as a package: 16,000 pesos
• Notarized application form for building permit (7 copies): free (the only free item on the list)
• Electrical permit from Bureau of Fire and Protection: 1,845 pesos plus 550 pesos processing fee
• Tarpaulin printing to display building permit on-site: 400 pesos
• Miscellaneous (transportation, photocopies, etc.): ~2,000 pesos
• Total permitting cost: 34,275 pesos
• She notes prices may vary by island; bigger cities like Cebu or Manila would likely cost more

Construction phases ​

• Demolished the old house first — Pea says watching her dad tear down the old house was really sad, but the materials were just odds and ends (corrugated tin, weave bamboo) that came apart easily
• Dug deep holes for foundation beams and set them in concrete
• Built walls on the first floor; rented a cement mixer to make it easier
• The cement mixer rental cost got the classic Filipino answer: "It's up to you" — Pea's response: "Okay then I guess it's free"
• Placed beams to support the second floor, poured concrete over metal mesh for added support
• She jokes about her Uncle Joey "working really hard today since he knows I'm standing right behind him with a camera"
• Using four sizes of rebar: 9mm, 10mm, 12mm, and 16mm for sturdiness

On-site walkthrough of current construction ​

• Property sits on 200 square meters of land
• Plans for a six-foot solid concrete wall around the entire property with steel gates, a mailbox, and a doorbell — she thinks it may be the only house in the area with a mailbox and doorbell
• A small portion of the old childhood home remains, being used as storage for building materials; it will be demolished
• The courtyard area will have ornamental plants and bamboo chairs for a sitting area
• First floor: 77 square meters (~800 sq ft) with two bedrooms, bathroom, kitchen, dining area, and living area
• Second floor: two more bedrooms; her dad (whom she calls "Charles Bronson") appears on camera
• One bedroom designated as "the Pea Pod" — her quarters when visiting, though she says she'll let her dad use it as a man cave since she doesn't live there
• Her dad jokes his plan all along was to have an upstairs retreat for when he and mom fight
• Mountain views from the second-floor windows
• No AC provisions — electricity is too expensive in the Philippines for central air, and window/split units are optional later
• Electrical has been roughed in

Current status and next steps ​

• Workers are building beams for the roof trusses, which go up next week
• Roof will be blue to match the Santorini-inspired color scheme
• Next time she shows the house, it should be the finished product
• She invites viewers to ask questions about the building process and costs in the comments
• She thanks viewers, saying without their help "none of this would have been possible"

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