I’m Tatay Paul, and this is my story.
Years ago, we had a good business, and we were able to save funds for a 200 sqm. house.
So we started to look for a house contractor in the Philippines (e.g. Google).
We got one, and it was smooth sailing at first.
The construction company we got assured us they will do their best, will take care of everything and we have nothing to worry about.
We paid them handsomely, and they didn’t had any problems with our payments/checks.
The Nightmare Started
But then, when our construction project is in progress (… especially when it reached mid-phase), problems and issues are starting to appear such as:
- Most labor staff disappearing for days (… our contractor got another big project that they need to borrow their labor staff from us).
- Lack of communication and progress reports (… they didn’t even bother to finish our design plans. We have to beg and constantly visit them in their office for follow-up).
- Construction & design mistakes everywhere (… they made every effort to fix them. But still they weren’t able to fix everything. We have to hire another contractor to fix their issues.)
- We were charged extra for their mistakes (… our drainage pipes got stuck with some construction debris, so they need to dig most of our tiled cement to replace the pipes).
- Lack of organization in the site (… no foreman to check staff, house items were missing/broken, very disorganized materials).
- Delayed turnaround (… because of the problems above, there were major delays).
- No receipts (… yes, they weren’t able to give official receipts to save from taxes).
The Final Nail: Sakit-Sa-Ulo
But then once our project was completed, here’s the final nail in the coffin: Lack of after-sales support.
In short, “sakit-sa-ulo”, like what most Filipinos coined after they hire a contractor.
There were still some problems existing in the house, such as our roof ~ spilling rain inside our kitchen.
It now looks like the Amazonian waterfalls, or something like that.
To be fair, they tried to visit the house and repair it ~ but weren’t able to fix it properly.
… and they just left, with very minimal communication.
We learned a lesson
Since then, we were able to learn many things, especially “Galawans” and “Dirty Tactics” of construction companies in the Philippines.
So, for our next contractor, I vowed that me and my wife will do our best to research the best ones.
That’s why we made this blog for those who are worried in getting their first house contractor.
Also I made a small directory to help OFW’s, daddies, mommies and small businesses to choose reputable, budget contractors.
I believe building your first house is a lifetime decision, since it will cost most of your hard-earned money (… not to mention an important highlight of your family’s history and legacy).
I hope our resources will be able to help you decide, and avoid the same mistakes we had when we chose our first contractor.
That’s the story of our house construction ~ yet we love our home even with it’s flaws and mistakes.
Here’s my contact details, just in case you need to ask a question ~ Tatay Paul (0917-5069839) or tataypaulmartilyo (at) gmail.com