From Renting a Room to Owning a House and Everything In Between

Being in my late 20s, I have come to take into serious consideration my plans for my future. Ample questions kept running through my head. Questions like "What do I want to happen in my life?" and "If I want something to happen, I must take action but how and when?" I guess it must be the pressure and the responsibility that got me.

With unceasing prayer and careful decision, I finally figured out what I wanted. I want a life of my own, something I could proudly say I have done for myself. I have been working right after graduation but I didn't feel like I was earning. I haven't seen something as the fruit of my labor. I am not reaping the reward of my hard work. I had to do something about these ideas before they knocked me out of my senses.

It has been my long-time dream to build my abode since I have been renting a room near my workstation since day one of getting employed. This time, I want my own space where I am free to do whatever I want and discover more of the person I am.

THE BIGGEST LEAP OF FAITH

In December 2021, I purchased a titled lot of 1,000 square meters and paid it in full.

_{This is how the lot looks like.}

In May of 2022, in a matter of five months from the purchase, my partner and I decided to start the construction of the house. We didn't have the budget yet. We just got the guts!

Building a house right after the surge of the pandemic isn't a good idea. It doubled and even tripled the price of everything. Things have become costly, including construction materials, not to mention the rise of the construction worker's pay. We had to brave ourselves for the overwhelming expenses and purchases coming ahead.

BEFORE CONSTRUCTION

Building a house nowadays doesn't just happen in a blink. We had to undergo a series of preparations. We had the lot surveyed by a Geodetic Engineer.

_{This area is the heart of my dream house.}

After, we contacted a Broker to process the transfer of the name on the Tax Declaration. I decided to reach out to a broker because I cannot take a successive leave from my work that easily and I know the process will take a lot of patience and time. I lack the former and I don't manage well the latter.

Next to that, I hired someone to visualize the house and process my building permit before we could lay hands on the lot.

_{This is the original plan but due to unpredictable occurrences, it was revised a little bit.}

We also purchased the basic materials needed such as steel in different sizes, sand, cement, hollow blocks and a large number of coconut lumbers for scaffolding.

We also had to construct a bunkhouse where we can store the purchased materials.

I also had to hire people to carry and transfer the materials from the road to where the house is situated. Up, up towards the top!

The preparation before the construction took time and it badly challenged our finances.

DURING CONSTRUCTION

The construction of the house foundation took forever to finish. From days, it crawled into weeks because of its location and the presence of large rocks in the area.

After 5-6 weeks, the workers which included my Papa had shown little progress. The pillars and beams stood up.

To state the obvious, I hired my Papa for me to have someone I could trust, someone who has to be my eyes and ears to manage the pacing and progress of the construction while I'm at work.

A few months passed, and I have already seen piles of hollow blocks on every side. The piles became taller each day until they reached the top, stood tall, and looked like a wall.

From then, we had to breathe a little. We were losing finances.

After three weeks of resting, we resumed the work and purchased c-purlins and angle bars for the roof trusses. This time, I needed to hire additional workers, especially welders.

Right after forming the roof structure, we purchased color roofs and have them installed. It also took more than a month for them to finish everything on the roof structure.

Again, this time, we were running out of finances. We almost reached a hundred thousand for the color roof and the roof trusses only. We had to recharge our pockets and banks.

After nearly a month of figuring out where to get the amount to be used for future expenses including the worker's pay, we got back to work.

This time, the workers proceeded to the flooring of the house.

Meanwhile, I needed to talk to a licensed electrician to install the electrical wiring in the house. I had to wait more than a month before the documents were signed.

When we were given the go signal, I had to buy two posts, wooden and steel, for the wire connection since the main post is quite a distance.

The wires and the installation of the light's main switch or circuit breaker, the outlets, and the switches were so expensive. I cried. I almost gave up. I could not bear the expenses and where to get the finances. But my partner just wouldn't give up.

To provide a little ease, we opted to lessen the number of workers. We did cost-cutting of some of the materials to be used for the interior of the house because if we didn't, we wouldn't have survived.

After the installation of the electricity, the workers started digging up, and a few days after, they covered and finished the septic tank. I was able to buy also the bowl and lavatory of the comfort room, the faucet, and the shower.

The window glass was also installed.

Then, they went on with finishing the walls.

After that, they applied skimcoat to remove the rough areas of the wall before painting it white.

In the following days, they continued working on the ceiling and setting up the tiles on the floor.

It was in February this year that we decided to have our roadway going to and out of the house. I contacted a backhoe owner and negotiated a three-day operation. The backhoe costs 1,800 pesos per hour.

As of this writing, my Papa and his two fellow buddies have just finished the window grill and installed the doors.

They are already on their way to finishing the terrace and one of the room's balconies.

WE'RE ALMOST THERE!

The struggles we have been through are no joke at all. It may take us a year to finish the house but I am beyond grateful for God and for the people who accompanied us on our ride. Seeing the house, almost done, makes my heart melts. I just dreamed about it and now, it has become a reality. Very fulfilling!

Indeed, it is true that great things take time!

Next month, I plan to move in into our new house. (fingers crossed)

And this is all for today. I will be writing my moving in journey and hopefully, the house blessing soon. 🙏

I pray that everyone is safe and doing fine. Until the next writing.