Happy New Year! Construction Has Officially Started, and Why I Picked the 'Expensive' Contractor

Happy new year!

2026 starts with the best news I could ask for: we broke ground. Construction has officially begun. After all the planning, the BOM rounds, the trips to China for materials, the architect revisions, the soil tests, the permit dance - the excavator is finally on site.

That’s me on site, looking very much like a guy who has been waiting a long time for this moment. The banner behind me is the residential building permit and the rendering. It’s real now.

First Days on Site

The lot is being cleared and excavated. CAT mini-excavator, perimeter fence already up, a small site office in the corner. Standard early-stage construction.

You can see the limestone-heavy ground we’ve talked about in previous posts (limestone soil is one of the realities of building in this part of the country). The corrugated metal perimeter fence with numbered sections is up, the site is secured.

The Contractor Has Been Excellent So Far

I want to call this out because it matters more than people think. So far the contractor has been:

• Sending frequent updates without being chased
• Suggesting improvements to the plans rather than just executing blindly
• Asking for details and clarifications before making decisions
• Being diligent on documentation

I’m honestly thrilled. On top of that, I have Sameh Dabit overseeing the project and asking questions on the technical side, which gives me another layer of independent supervision.

The result: I’m comfortable that I don’t need to be on site full-time. That alone is a huge quality-of-life thing for someone managing a Philippine build from abroad.

Should I Recommend My Contractor?

Honest answer: probably not, for most readers. Not because they’re bad - the opposite. Because they’re expensive, and most people I get messages from are looking for the lowest cost they can find.

My logic was this: I’m currently working in the UAE. I had two real options.

1. Quit my job and supervise the build myself
2. Pay more for a reputable contractor that I had been recommended to multiple times

Option 2 is much cheaper than option 1 once you do the math. Lost income from leaving a job in the Gulf is a lot more than the premium between a cheap contractor and a good one.

The Real Reason I Chose This Contractor

Cost wasn’t actually the deciding factor. Among the reputable contractors I shortlisted, the prices were all high and not that different from each other. What separated them was something most homeowners don’t ask about.

My contractor has multiple projects running in parallel in the same area.

That is the key. Same area means he can:

• Move people between sites as work loads up and down
• Personally visit my site frequently because he’s already nearby
• Share specialized crews (steel benders, formwork carpenters, etc.) across sites
• Respond fast when something needs a decision

A contractor whose other projects are scattered across the country physically cannot supervise your build often enough. They’ll drive in once a week if you’re lucky and trust the foreman the rest of the time. That’s how the wrong stirrups end up in your column.

One Contractor Actually Declined for This Reason

This part stuck with me. Out of the contractors I approached, one of them turned the job down himself. His reason: most of his current projects had shifted to a different region, and traveling to my area frequently was inconvenient. He could have taken the contract anyway and just shown up rarely. He chose not to.

That was the most professional answer I got from anyone in the process. He understood that taking a job he couldn’t properly supervise would have hurt my build and his reputation. Respect.

What to Look for in a Philippine Contractor

Based on this whole process, here’s what I’d actually screen for:

1. Where are their current projects? Same town/city/island as yours, ideally within an hour’s drive. Not the next island over.
2. How many projects do they have running right now? Too few might mean nobody is hiring them. Too many means yours gets ignored.
3. Do they push back on the plans? A contractor who blindly says “yes sir” to every detail is not engaging with the design. You want someone who flags issues.
4. Do they document proactively? If they’re sending you photos before you ask, that’s a good sign. If you have to chase, run.
5. Will they introduce you to past clients you can actually visit? Photos are easy. Walking through a finished build with a previous owner is the real reference check.
6. Are they up front about cost vs cheap competitors? Anyone underbidding the rest of a reputable shortlist is either making it up on change orders or cutting corners.

The “cheap contractor” path can work if you can be on site every single day. If you can’t, the math shifts hard.

We Spent New Year in China

The other thing about this start-of-construction moment: we didn’t actually spend the new year in the Philippines. We were in China at -32°C, freezing while checking materials.

Yes, -32. As in negative thirty-two. As a guy who lives in tropical climates and the desert, this was a shock to the system. Drinking hot tea while wearing every layer I packed and watching my breath inside warehouses.

It was worth it - we locked in materials, met more suppliers, and made decisions that will save real money once the shipping containers arrive. I’ll write that trip up in a separate post with photos. There were factories, sourcing wins, frostbitten fingers, and an unreasonable amount of hot pot.

Where We Go From Here

The plan for the next few weeks:

• Complete excavation and site prep
• Pour the lean concrete bed
• Tie footing rebar
• Inspections before any structural pour

I’ll keep posting updates as we go. Same approach as everything I write here: honest about what’s working, honest about what isn’t, with real photos from the actual site.

To everyone reading: happy new year, may your 2026 builds go smoothly, and if you’re in the planning stage, pick the contractor who’s already working in your area. That single decision quietly removes half the supervision problems before they happen.

More updates soon. China trip post coming next.