A New Home In Paradise - They Built It Themselves!

Pea revisits a family she featured in a previous video who live in the mountains on just $15 a week. After offering to build them a new, larger home and even hire a construction crew, the couple insisted on building it themselves at their own pace. This follow-up documents the completed house tour, the family's construction experience, their move-in traditions, and Pea's housewarming gifts for the family.

Background and setup ​

• In a previous video, Pea met this family of four living in the mountains in a house that was too small for them
• She offered to fund a new home and hire builders, but the husband and wife insisted on doing it themselves
• They chose a modest design and built it as a couple, with help from their teenage son and even their young daughter (who was dragging bamboo bigger than herself)
• The build took approximately one month

The old house ("Love Shack 1.0") ​

• Will be repurposed as storage for corn and bananas
• Also now serves as shelter for the family's new pet dog, Puchi

House tour of "Love Shack 2.0" ​

• Receiving/waiting area: An open-air front section that can seat about 10 visitors; the "password" to enter is "Coco Mama"
• Bedroom: A raised bamboo platform where the parents sleep, with an extended area above for the kids; the gaps between bamboo slats serve as natural "makeshift air conditioning" since the mountain location is cool enough that no actual AC is needed — Pea describes it as "little Baguio"
• Kitchen: Features a bamboo dining table, corrugated tin roof (a bit noisy when it rains), and a view of the garden; the family grows their own pineapple
• Fire pit/cooking area: An outdoor firewood stove where they hang pots and pans; firewood is collected for free from the surrounding area, eliminating the need for LPG or methane gas; positioned away from the house walls as fire protection (Pea notes her own mom's outdoor kitchen burned down from a similar setup)
• Comfort room (CR/bathroom): Built with a stone pathway leading to it, featuring an "anti-peep hole" window that lets you see the banana fields outside while ensuring no one's watching you
• The family made a special decorative sign for Pea as a thank-you gesture, crafted by their daughter using her art skills

The couple's experience building the house ​

• Biggest challenge: getting heavy lumber and materials up the mountain with only the husband doing most of the hauling
• They argued about measurements — when the wife measured wrong, the husband got upset and she had to redo it, which made her mad too
• Best moment: the wife's favorite memory was watching her husband do spontaneous victory dances after finishing a section of construction (she didn't manage to catch it on video)
• They have no plans for extensions or additions — they want to keep it simple and modest (Pea jokingly suggests a hot tub, spa, or disco ball, all declined)

Filipino move-in traditions ​

• Pea asks about provincial traditions — in her family's province, they scattered chicken blood at the corners of a new house
• This family's tradition is different: they place water and rice in the middle of the house for three days before moving in
• Water symbolizes everyone staying well-tempered (no arguments/fighting)
• Rice ensures good luck and that the family will always have food to eat
• After three days, the items can be put away and the family officially moves in
• The family plans to move in the following month with a quiet, family-only affair — no big housewarming party, not because they dislike their neighbors but because they prefer keeping things simple and private

Pea's housewarming gifts ​

• School supplies and a unicorn stuffed animal for the kids (the younger daughter gets first pick since her older sister isn't present)
• Rice (which they can use immediately for their move-in tradition)
• Solar-powered bulbs and a rechargeable flashlight/radio — just needs about three hours of sun exposure to charge
• A purple curtain for the bedroom (purple is both Pea's and the wife's favorite color)
• New farm boots for the husband
• Cutlery, plates, pots, pans, noodles, and food supplies
• 64-piece crayon set for the daughter (Pea says that was her own biggest dream as a kid at that age — the daughter immediately wants to hide it from her sister)
• Wiggles (Pea's favorite snack)
• A family rules sign: "Be happy, always tell the truth, be thankful, work hard, and help others" — Pea tells them to pay it forward
• Wind chimes (to use as a lunch bell to call the family)
• Warm blankets for the parents and kids, since it gets cold in the mountains

Closing moments ​

• The husband finally demonstrates his construction victory dance for the camera at Pea's request
• Pea congratulates the family and jokes about them maybe having another child or two by her next visit (the wife is already thinking about it)

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