List of Things to Consider before Visiting your Contractor or Engineer

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Your Architect or Engineer may require inputs from you before proceeding for your house construction plans so it is necessary to make final decision you want to your dream house.

Some list of things to consider before meeting with your contractor/architect or engineer:

• Purpose of construction, whether it is residential or commercial purposes
• Information about your lot such as lot area, lot boundaries and dimensions
• Type of house you want to construct whether bungalow, two storey, three storey or more
• Car parking or garage. Mention how many cars or wheels do you intent to park or keep.
• Floor area you want for your house
• Number of bedrooms and comfort rooms
• Areas you want to include in your house aside from living room, kitchen, and dining area. You may want to have storage room, utility area, study area, basement, dirty kitchen, laundry area, etc.
• Emphasize the size of each areas of the house if you want to have extra space for different areas of your house.
• Mention the type of floor plan do you planning to build
• Type of house finishes you want whether is conservative, simple, complex, elegant, etc.
• Kinds of windows, doors, and others fixture you want to install in your house
• Indicate the exterior and interior you want for each area of the house
• Types of roof design as well the type of roof you want to use
• Specify the design for your house to be so that the architect or designer of your house may have ideas
• Lastly, mention your budget so that your constructor or architect fit his/her designs to your budget

House Renovation Sample Estimates

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September 8, 2020

Dear Mr. and Mrs. Santos:

I am pleased to submit our detailed quotation for the Labor and Materials for the Renovation such as Tiles of two bedrooms, electrical works, and painting works.

  1. Materials for Flooring
  • 50 pcs. granite 60 x 60 ———————————————— Php 8, 750
  • 14 bags Cement holcim —————————————————- 3, 220
  • 2 bags Adhesive —————————————————————- 500
  • Bosun Diamond disk ———————————————————- 560
  • Sand ————————————————————————– 2, 500
  • Transportation —————————————————————– 500

Total: Php 16, 030

2. Paint materials

  • 6 gal. flat latex ———————————————————Php 3, 900
  • 6 gal. ready mix paint —————————————————– 4, 300
  • 5 gal. Enamel ————————————————————— 3, 500
  • Paint thinner ——————————————————————- 500
  • 4 Rollers ——————————————————————– 1, 300
  • 5 brushes ———————————————————————– 400
  • Tinting colors —————————————————————— 800
  • 2 Polituff ———————————————————————– 400
  • Punching compound and Skim coat ————————————- 1, 500
  • Transpo ————————————————————————- 200

Total: Php 16, 700

3. Electrical Materials

  • 12 pin lights ———————————————————– Php 6, 000
  • Wire flexible hose ——————————————————— 5, 000

Total: Php 11, 000

  1. Labor cost
  • 2 tiles setter ————————————————————– Php 650
  • 1 mason ———————————————————————— 650
  • 1 labor ———————————————————————— 400
  • 2 labor ————————————————————————– 400

11, 900

  • 2 painters ——————————————————————— 5, 200
  • Electrician ——————————————————————– 4, 500
  • Contractor ——————————————————————– 5, 000

Total: Php 26, 600

4. Terms of Payment

40% downpayment and remaining 60% progress billing

Summary:

  1. Material cost —————————————————- Php 43, 730
  2. Labor cost ————————————————————- 26, 600

Total Contract Price: Php 70, 300

Prepared by:

Jc Mer Herrera
Contractor / Project Engineer

Renovation Contract Sample

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Commercial Building Renovation

This Agreement is subject to the following terms and conditions:

  1. Project
    The Project is Renovation of Commercial Building to be finished at Carnation St. Liliw, Laguna a construction cost of Seven Hundred Thirty Five Thousand pesos only (Php 735, 000) including granite flooring in 1ST floor, painting, 4 roll up, re installation of plumbing and electrical, tiles in 4 cr, gutters and flashing of plain sheet to be paid by the OWNER (Richard Mateo and Maricris Mateo)
  3. Scope of Work
    The BUILDER shall exclusively undertake, pursue and manage the completion of the project and shall likewise provide all the necessary materials, labor, tools and equipment necessary for the construction of the said project, and shall perform all such works in accordance with the approved plans and specifications, inclusive of, but not necessarily limited to the items set before this, see Succeeding pages.
    The BUILDER shall not carry out extra or varied works without the permission and approval of the OWNER and/or his authorized representative. In the same manner any additional construction, revision i.e., not covered by the construction plans and scope of work specified, shall be subject to separate billings by the BUILDER.
    All additional constructions and amendments to or changes in the plans and specifications from the date hereof and the corresponding costs thereof shall be subjected of a written agreement between the parties; and the amendments or changes shall have the effect of reducing or increasing the contract price hereinbefore stipulated, the same shall be correspondingly adjusted.
    Attached herewith is the specification of materials to be used during construction.
  4. Contract Period / Time of Completion
    The work to be performed under this agreement shall commence from and after the receipt by the BUILDER of all approved construction permits and licenses required for the project, and down payment by the OWNER.
    The work shall be completed by the CONTRACTOR within sixty (60) working days. Provided, however, that any delay of reason of force majeure of fortuitous event, or by reason of additional constructions or amendments to or changes in the construction shall be excluded.
  5. Contract Sum
    The OWNER shall pay to the BUILDER for the performance of this agreement the sum of SEVEN HUNDRED THIRTY FIVE THOUSAND PESOS ONLY (Php 735,000) construction cost for Renovation of Commercial Building.
    Upon signing of this agreement, from and after the receipt, and or the advice of the BUILDER, the OWNER agrees to pay a down payment of fifty percent (50%) of the total contract. Said payment will be deducted on total project cost.

The down payment will be used as mobility fund and to cover materials and labor expenses for the project. The remaining balance of 60% will be paid on progress billing.

The remaining balance will be paid in progress billing or monthly stipulated as follows:

1st Down Payment Upon Signing of Contract ( 50%)
2nd month 40% – _
3rd month 10% – __

  1. Guarantee
    The OWNER and the BUILDER agree on the application of the following conditions for the faithful performance of the Contract/Agreement.
    The BUILDER hereby guarantees that the project shall be constructed strictly in accordance with the scope of works and condition of this contract and shall make good, any defect in materials and / or workmanship to the fault of the ARCHITECT/CONTRACTOR within one year after the full completion of the project.
  2. Termination of Contract

Work under this contract may be discharge by performance if both parties are not able to comply with their respective obligations

Conforme:

Richard Mateo / Maricris Mateo
Owner

How to Secure a Building Permit here in the Philippines

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One of the requirements of building a house is securing a building permit. The purpose of building permit is to encourage the owner, architect and engineer to follow the codes, standards and minimum requirement for a building and other laws that assures safety.

If someone caught building a house without building permit, the authority will force to stop the construction until your building permit is issued. You also required to pay a penalty for not following the rules.

The following are the requirements for securing a building permit:
• Forms for Building permit (5 copies)
• Forms for Electrical permit (3 copies)
• Forms for Sanitary permit (3 copies)
• 5 sets of complete sets of detailed plans
• Structural Design Analysis signed and sealed by Civil Engineer at every page for two-storey house
• Boring and plate load test and Seismic Analysis for more that two storey building
• Photocopy of Transfer Certificate of Title (TCT)
• 5 copies of Photocopy of tax declaration of Property-lot (Certified true copy)
• 5 copies of Current Tax Receipt
• 5 copies of Bill of Materials and Specification signed and sealed by an engineer or an architect at every page
• Locational Clearance
• Permit billboard
• Photocopy of PTR# and PRC license of all concerned architects and engineers
• Clearance from DPWH if the construction is located along National High way
• DOLE clearance
Additional requirements if property is not registered under the name of the applicant:
• 5 copies of contract of lease
• 5 copies of contract of sale
• 5 copies of affidavit of Consent of the Lot Owner for the the construction of building or house.
• 5 copies of deed of absolute sale


The following are the procedures of securing a Building Permit:

  1. Get a checklist of the requirements and an application forms from the municipal’s office.
  2. Go to the office of the building officials and submit the necessary documents. They will instruct you what to do. You will require you to go to the Assessor’s office.
  3. An acknowledgment receipts will be issued which contains the date of the application. It usually around ten (10) working days.
  4. An order of payment will be given to pay the building permits fees if your application is approved and compliant with the National Building Code.
  5. Present the order of payment at the Treasisurer’s office. The cost of building permits is depending the municipality, construction size, location and assessement plan. It may cost to six thousand pesos (Php6,000.00) and above.
  6. Photocopy the Official Receipt and bring to a copy to the Office of the Building releasing section.
  7. After five (5) working days, go back to the releaseing section of the Office of the Building Official and claim your building permit.

Bungalow House Design

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Bungalow is a type of house that is typically either a single storey or has a second, half or a partial storey which is built into a sloped roof.

Bungalow construction is more affordable that is why there are many bungalow houses here in the Philippines. For those who have limited budget, they choose to construct a bungalow over a two storey house.

Having a bungalow house has also advantages aside from the cost. These advantages include is perfect for seniors who have a hard time to navigate up and down stairs daily, good for family with young children since young children may tumble down the stairs and it is common fear to parents. In addition, bungalow house is flexible for addition most especially with those with large space of lot. They may expand their living house in the future such as may add additional rooms or dirty kitchen, etc. A bungalow house also have low maintenance as the roofs and guttering is easy to access.

The cost of bungalow construction here in the Philippines is between Php 19,000 to 25,000 per square meter depending on the design or style and type of finishing.

Here are a video of sample bungalow house construction. You may click the following links here:

Modern Two Storey House Construction

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Here is a video of two storey home during construction. The lot area is only 90 sqm while the floor area is 110 square meter. 55 sqm at the first floor and 55 sqm at the second floor.

Please click the link to see a sample house construction…


The home contains three (3) bedrooms and two(2) bathroom. The design is very ideal for those who have a small space for the house. Two storey house construction usually cost around 23,000 to 25,000 pesos per square meter depending the design and location. The type of finishing can be conservative or elegant.

This house construction is a project of Quality First Design and Builders. The team aims is to provide quality by implementing quality works and using only quality materials during construction. It is very important to use quality materials in order to prevent house from any damage in the future.

Always, check with your contractor the brand to be use in your home and should included in the contract to assure that only the best materials are install in your home.

Before signing in the contract, make sure to include the materials specification to be use in your home such as switches, roof specification, plumbing materials, doors and windows, etc. During construction, always visit to the site to ensure that the contractor follows what is in the house plan and contract.

Danger of using Substandard Building Materials

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It is very important to know if your contractor is using a quality materials for your home. Always remember that the house structure is very important than the finishing. Don’t ever reduce the cost if suffer the structure of your house like putting a tie beam in your house, reducing the steel and among others.

The more hands on during the construction process, there is less chance of major defects in the future due to substandard materials. The lot of involvement may save you from future headaches.

Here are some tips in order to ensure that your contractors is using quality materials:

• Before signing a contract, make sure that the contract outlines everything from project scope to payment agreements, to deadlines for the house construction.
• Be sure also to include the materials specification as well as the brands to be used in the construction
• Educate yourselves on what types of products or materials will be used in your home so that you will understand of what to expect in terms of quality
• Aside from asking the experts or professional, you may get a customer review on the brand or types of products to be used like for instance for your window or door, materials to be used in plumbing and electrical, etc.

The use of substandard building materials will not lead to the sustainability of any building most specially if the there is a natural disaster like earthquake. It may stand for a while but not last for future generations.

Substandard building materials will be responsible for high incident of building being collapsed. It also the cause of structure deformation within the short period of time including cracked walls, leaking roofs and susceptibility to flooding.

Car Wash Construction Specification

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Car Wash Construction Proposal

Project: PROPOSED CAR WASH WITH OFFICE AND BEDROOM
Location: LUCBAN, QUEZON CITY

SPECIFICATION

GENERAL CONDITIONS

A. MASONRY AND CONCRETE WORKS

  1. Class “A” concrete mixtures for footings, tie beams, columns, beams and slabs.
  2. Class “B” concrete mixtures for all wall plastering.
  3. Masonry walls- the size of CHB on exterior and interior walls are 5” respectively. All masonry walls shall be reinforced with 10mm deformed bars.

B. CARPENTRY WORKS AND WINDOWS
A. Walls

  1. All new walls high partition to be done double wall ½” gypsum board on 2”x 3” vertical and horizontal metal studs.
    B. Ceiling
    1. ½” thk gypsum board for ceiling on metal furring.
    C. Others
    1. ¾” thk plywood for closets and counters, granite tiles on countertop.

C. STEEL WORKS

  1. Steel truss shall be ¼” x 2” x 2” thk. angle bar (top chord and bottom chord) and 3/16” x 1 1/2” x 1 1/2” thk. angle bar (web members).
  2. Use 1.2mm x 2” x 3” c purlins.

D. ROOFING AND TINSMITHRY WORKS

  1. Roof sheeting – shall be 0.4mm thick long span roofing sheets with complete accessories.

E. HARDWARE

  1. Full Extension guide for counters.
  2. Loose hinges for doors.
  3. Lockset for doors in satin chrome finish.

F. FLOORING

  1. 600mm. X 600mm. Granite Floor Tiles on Bedrooms.
  2. 300mm. X 300mm. Ceramic unglazed Floor tiles at all Toilets.
  3. Installation of ceramic tiles with the same color of grouting.
  4. Floor finishes not indicated on plans shall be Plain Cement finish.

G. WALLING

  1. 300mm. x 300mm. Ceramic Wall tiles, glazed at Toilets.
  2. Semi-gloss latex paint at all exterior and interior walls.

H. CEILING

  1. Use 4.5mm thick ‘Hardiflex” ceiling board on metal furring frames at all Interiors.
  2. Use ‘Spandrel’ metal ceiling board at ceiling eaves.

I. WINDOWS

  1. Use Aluminum ‘Analok’ Windows with 6mm thick clear glass, provide Security Grilles as per design.

J. DOORS AND FENESTRATION

  1. Solid Wood Panel door at Bedroom Doors.
  2. PVC toilet door with louvers at Toilet.

K. PLUMBING
GENERAL CONDITIONS

All plumbing works shall be done in accordance with the existing and ordinance of the local municipality.

  1. Sewer lines- use PVC pipes (series 600).
  2. Water lines- use PVC pipes for all water lines.
  3. Plumbing fixtures- all plumbing fixtures indicated in the plans shall be of standard type.

L. ELECTRICAL WORKS

GENERAL CONDITIONS

All electrical works and installation shall be done in accordance with the existing rules and regulations of the local power company. Installations shall be done under the supervision of a license electrical engineer or master electrician.

  1. The work consists of furnishing of all labor and materials, tools and equipment’s and necessary services to complete the electrical work ready for operation as shown in the drawings and specified as follows:

a. Supply and installation of the main and sub-feeders from electrical panel boards up to service entrance.

b. Supply and installation of electrical panel boards, gutters, pull box and accessories box as required.

c. Supply of wiring devices, porcelain receptacles, outlets, switches, etc., complete with suitable cover plates as per specifications.

d. Supply and installation for all branch feeders circuits from panel boards up to all outlets, switches, controls or other loads; other wiring as shown in plan.

e. Installation of all Owners’ furnished materials such as lighting fixtures and electrical control.

f. Grounding system as per EE requirements

M. PAINTING
GENERAL CONDITIONS

All works shall be done by workers and materials to be used shall be Boysen or approved Equal.

  1. Walls shall be in semi gloss roller paint finish.
  2. Doors, counters shall be in semi duco white semi gloss finish.
  3. Ceiling shall be flat roller paint finish.

House Construction Proposal

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Sample House Proposal

Project Name:
Two Storey House

Project Description:
The project is for a Two Storey Layug House with the total floor area of 240 sqm floor area with 5 bedrooms and 3 bathrooms to be built for Mr. Edwin Rodriguez. It will be built at Hi-way near Arellano High School, Balanga City, Bataan.

Work Scope:
This proposal is a comprehensive estimate for the full range of services required to complete this project from start to finish. All materials, labor, goods and services are included in this estimate.

Time Frame:
The project will be completed 7 to 8 months

Project Specification:
• 50 cm house elevation, with Tie beam , Backfill are not include(tambak)
• Rib type colored roof united pentagon 0.5mm thickness, Spandrel off white United pentagon
• Stainless gutter original 304 smoke
• Downspout Alasco series 600 pvc pipe orange
• Phelps dodge electrical wire , Panasonic for outlet, plate and switches wide series
• Pin light 3 way and cob light LED
• PPR for plumbing installation
• Hardiflex for ceiling and metal furring 0.5mm
• HCG brand for toilet bowl,lavatory, faucet and shower
• Sliding window, sliding door aluminum white
• Steel grills for windows and air con
• Mahogany solid door for main and exit and flush door for rooms
• Door knob raider/ henry brand
• Bedroom build in cabinet and kitchen cabinet
• Granite kitchen 60×60 double coating
• Granite flooring 60×60 double coating superwhite
• CR ceramic tiles 30×30 and 30×60
• Boysen paint
• Accent 30×60 tiles for Living Room and Dining only Note: Other interior design are not included


Total project cost————————————— Php 7,100,000 ( 240 sq. m house plus garage)

House Construction Budget

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It is important to have an idea how much money needs in order to finish your dream house. Developing a budget may know the allocation of funds for each stage of house construction.
First of all, determine the money needs in order to build your dream house. Like for instance, the budget is depends upon your dream house such as the type of house, size of house as well as the type of finishing.

Here are some factors affecting house construction budget aside from house construction expenses:

  • Expenses on requirements for house construction such as Building permit, electrical permit, etc.
  • Architects professional fee for house plan
  • Installation of water such as jetmatic and deepwell
  • Construction fee and Bond fee if the location is in subdivision
  • Fees for applying temporary electrical installation
  • Additional expenses if there are house modification during construction

The usual cost of house construction for bungalow is 18k to 30k per sqm for bungalow and 22k to 35k per sqm for two-storey houses depending on the design and finishing type of the house . It is important to ask your contractor what will be included in their cost so that you may know if there is an additional expenses aside from house construction. Like for instance, make sure to include kitchen and bedrooms cabinets, lights and fixtures, grills, screen doors, door knobs and locks, etc.

Before signing the contract, make sure to know the job included in your house construction as well the materials to be used in the finishing stage to properly budget your money for your dream house.