BUILDING A HOUSE IN THE PROVINCE - What Does It Cost?

Pea gives a detailed walkthrough of the house she's building for her parents in Leyte province, fulfilling a promise she made at age four. The video covers the construction progress, room-by-room tour, real material costs with inflation breakdowns, and the emotional significance of giving her family things most Westerners take for granted — like bedrooms, privacy, and a refrigerator.

Background and context ​

• Pea previously showed viewers the house she grew up in — essentially a shack made of odds and ends with no bedrooms, no privacy, and barely enough space to walk
• At the end of that earlier video, she promised to build her parents a real home
• Construction started in October (2021) and is being built entirely by family members — uncles, cousins, brothers, and even her mom and dad
• She named the house "Casa Pia" (or "the Peapod")

Ground floor tour ​

• Outdoor sitting area: Not in the original plans, but her uncle suggested it; added because Filipinos love to entertain, especially during fiestas — she estimates it can accommodate 20+ extra people
• Columns: Her dad added decorative solid concrete columns as "an extra touch of class"
• Main entrance: Wide solid hardwood door (not plastic, not hollow) — will be painted blue with white trim, which she calls "the Santorini life"
• Living room: Nine-foot ceilings specifically designed to let heat dissipate since there's no AC provision; her parents will decide later about AC because electricity is expensive and Pea flat-out says "I'm not paying for their electricity — I did my part"
• Flooring: Pea chose textured tiles that look like stone; her mom initially resisted because she's used to boring white hospital tiles, but Pea convinced her it would look amazing once cleaned and polished
• Parents' bedroom: The first-ever private bedroom for her parents — Pea jokes she hopes the added privacy "won't result in yet another sibling" since the family is big enough already; her dad has been sleeping on a makeshift bed inside to guard the construction site at night
• Housewarming gift: A friend sent a smoker/grill, which thrilled her dad — no smoking allowed inside the house though
• Kitchen: Open-concept design with no walls, plenty of prep space, a big double sink, a large window so her mom can gossip with neighbors while doing dishes ("a little chismis — please don't tell her I said that"), a granite countertop she got at a great price that her mom loves, textured colored backsplash, an embedded stovetop instead of a bulky conventional stove, and a dedicated space for her mom's first-ever refrigerator
• Pea gets emotional explaining that not all Filipino homes have refrigerators — many families simply can't afford one — and says she's excited to "blow her mom's mind"
• Power outlets everywhere: Pea specifically asked her electrician to install outlets in every corner, every room, including multiple dedicated outlets in the kitchen; she makes a big fuss about this because it's genuinely unusual for Filipino homes to have adequate electrical outlets
• Bathroom: Walk-in shower with a rainfall showerhead, no bathtub, plenty of power outlets for electric razor, toothbrush, and hair dryer (even though her dad has no facial hair)

Second floor tour ​

• Chandelier: Her mom calls it "the virus" because it looks like a virus diagram
• Mountain view: Pea's favorite spot — spectacular views, windy, and she loves it
• Best bedroom: Two windows (mountain view and street view), AC provision outlet already installed for when her brother saves up enough; Pea notes her brother Chen has his eyes on this room
• Guest room: Ironically the biggest bedroom in the house — Pea explains this is a Filipino family tradition of giving the best room to guests; she jokingly invites viewers to "book your stay with Casa Pia"
• Wall of shame: A wall designated for family photos, achievement certificates, medals, Pea's magazine feature, and her YouTube plaque
• Boys' hangout room: A dedicated private den for her brothers to entertain friends, do homework, and hang out — something Pea never had growing up because there was literally no space in their old shack
• Terrace: Originally planned without a roof, but they added one; will be furnished with rattan furniture; Pea calls this her favorite spot in the house

Budget breakdown with inflation impact ​

• Original budget: $19,000 USD for the house alone (not including land at $3,000 or furnishings)
• Current projected budget: $25,000 USD (1.25 million pesos) — a significant increase
• Why the increase: Typhoon Rai caused a 2-month construction halt; material prices skyrocketed during that period and never came back down; plus Pea added features (sitting area, terrace roof, laundry extension, outdoor "dirty kitchen" for her mom to cook with firewood and fry dried fish without stinking up the house)
• House specs: 4 bedrooms, 160 square meters (1,700 sq ft) of floor area, pure concrete and metal construction (no wood = no termite or wood rot problems)
• The house has already survived two typhoons and a 5.6 earthquake

Material costs with inflation comparison ​

• Cement: Used ~700 bags; originally 220 pesos/bag ($4.40), now 260 pesos/bag ($5.20) — a 20% increase
• Rebar: Used 12 and 16 gauge; 16-gauge rebar went from 392 pesos/piece to 588 pesos/piece — a 50% increase
• Pea notes these are Leyte-specific prices and may differ on other islands

Labor cost savings ​

• The entire workforce is family — uncles, cousins, brothers, parents
• Pea pays them but saves significantly by not hiring a contractor
• Her uncle is a seasoned mason who suggested many improvements and added features
• She estimates about 2 more months until full completion, with the next update being the finished and furnished house

Emotional moments ​

• Pea introduces her mother ("Mama P") and reminds her of the promise made when Pea was four years old to build her a house
• Her mom says she remembered the promise but didn't think Pea would actually do it
• Pea: "Promise made, promise kept. I even kept some promises I didn't make — sound familiar?"
• Her brother Mark is currently sleeping at the construction site because there isn't enough space in the family's temporary shelter; he's working while waiting for the school year to start in August

Pea's satirical "news report" closing ​

• She does a mock news broadcast about borders reopening: Filipinas now have to choose between their Western boyfriends and their local husbands, and the foreigners are about to find out if the $300/month they've been sending was money well spent
• Jokes about large-sized condom shortages at pharmacies and maternity wards gearing up for a baby boom
• Reports that Filipino YouTubers in Dumaguete have been seen digging fallout shelters in their backyards

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