Building a Retirement House in Marinduque-An Update

I have received several e-mail and telephone inquiries from friends and relatives here in the US on the cost of building a retirement or vacation house in Marinduque. Before, I could give them a decent estimate, there are several items and information that I have to know:

1. What kind of a house do you want, that is either it will be constructed with native materials (nipa/bamboo/coco lumber) or with cement, hollow blocks and metal roofing

2. How big will the house be in terms of area, that is square footage or square meters

3. What kind of fixtures you want installed, such as plumbing, doors, windows, garage, balconies, fans, air conditioning, attics etc...

My estimate will consist only of materials and labor plus architect fees. It will not include furniture's, kitchen appliances, landscaping and caretaker expense and fencing of the property (highly recommended). It will not also include the price of the lot.

I can give a decent estimate based on our retirement house built in 1996. If you want to build a similar house, 2700 sq ft, 4 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, two balconies and a one car garage with cement, metal roofing, air conditioning and marble floors, my estimate will be around 5 to 6 million pesos.

So based on today's exchange rate of 1 to 40, it will cost you around $125,000 to $150,000 in US dollars. This is cheap if you compare it to the standard 3-bedroom, 2-bathroom house here in Northern California. Here in Fair Oaks, CA the standard house (3BD,2B) in a decent neighborhood sells for an average of $250,000 to $450,000. If it is high class subdivision, it will cost you about 20% more.

Speaking of location(in Marinduque), lots with beach front are very expensive if you can find one in Boac. There are a several beach front lots in Buenavista and Torrijos. They are cheaper compared to beach lots in Boac or Gasan. Lots in the interior ( no beach front) are much much cheaper and are in abundance.

If you already owned a beach front lot in Marinduque, here are a few tips you need to know before building. Because of the salty ocean breezes especially on Habagat season (rainy- southwest winds), it is recommended that you build your house with stainless materials if possible. Double paint the outside and de-rusts annually. High maintenance expense is what you get for an ocean view and fresh ocean air during the amihan season (gentle Northeast winds) during summer.

If you have a lot already and have decided to build your dream vacation or retirement home, here are the steps to follow:

1. Hire a professional architect ( Research the type of architecture for your dream house). Visit local homes for ideas.

2. The estimate of the architect is normally low, so that your property tax will also be low.

3. Multiply by 2 the architect estimate. That will be your decent estimated cost until the house is finished.

4. Allot about 15 to 25% for furniture's, appliances, landscaping and caretaker expenses and fencing( highly recommenced).

5. If you can not personally supervise the construction, ask a relative or someone you can trust with finances to supervise during construction.

If you are really serious in constructing your dream house, let me know. I have 15 years of experience building three houses and one Conference Hall at the Chateau Du Mer Compound in Marinduque. I will be glad to give you ideas and free advice and tips( no consultation fees). Have Fun and Enjoy the planning, constructing, landscaping and eventually moving to your dream retirement house in Marinduque or anywhere else in the rural Philippines. Here's a short video if you plan on visiting the Philippines soon.