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We actually didn't even think about that. Not surprised though, but it's fine. We'll have a big dog outside eventually, and barbed wire, and motion sensors with light and CCTV, and locks on the sliding door. Hmm, people may think we've overdone it - it's actually a quite safe area! But yeah, you do have a point... 😏

We were thinking sweet corn. But good idea, we might try that. Just need a setup for roasting.

@@ABetterLifePH Yes we gave most of our crop to friends and family and just roasted some in a large pan for ourselves. A guy was going to roast 85 kilo for 2800 paso. He had some large drum over an open fire but I never saw the setup. Good luck

@theshyfarmer Thank you! Might be worth it, if it sells easily/doesn't cost too much.

What are those used for?

"It's more fun in the Philippines!" 😂

Iirc, it was 20k, and an extra 3k for the tint. Installation included (not counting snacks etc for the guys).

Love the door mate, your place is getting better and better each time I watch your show. 😊

@lolitamcgovern5651 Thank you! 🥰 Can't have the Bukidnon view and not have a glass door!

@ABetterLifePH Yeah, that would be fantastic when you sit inside and look at the view 😀

Ah, yeah. Island life, we're subscribed. May have missed that one though, will take a look! Thank you!

Ube is super popular here. I think Lourlin had plans to plant some.

Thank you! Some plants and ornamental stuff does change things.

We have something like 1.5 tons left. Although there's no profit in it, growing for personal consumption should be a good idea. Especially for Loyloy/family as they both eat a lot of rice/mais, and I think they share with the extended family.

I'm actually really surprised how well they not only did the work - but also take care of the materials. The first crew just left items (my money) on the ground to rust. Loyloy et al. clean and reuse best they can. In the very beginning, Loyloy offered to make the road. Unfortunately he gave me a wrong answer when I asked for details, otherwise he probably would have gotten the job (and I expect I would have got a better result). Live and learn!

Yes?

Oh, definitely. It's not that thin. This is the same style used for stores (around here).

I think I get your idea. But no, those cement bags won't work. I'm thinking garden textile, it's pretty cheap on Shopee and will hopefully work/last. 50x1 m for a few hundred pesos.

Well, we've had three typhoons come by by now, luckily we're up in the mountains so they don't hit too hard. Everything still there so far!

@@ABetterLifePH You ain't seen nothing yet buddy! Don't underestimate the power of Mother Nature. You will feel the worst of the wind because you are high in the mountains. Common sense will tell you that. Who is running the show ( House Build ) you or your girlfriend? Because I have seen some very poor decisions made like ( The retaining wall )

We'll see. Being in the mountains, on Mindanao, should help with the extremes. Had we been on the east coast of Luzon, it'd be different. And we're building together. Most of the bad decisions come from us not being present 24/7 and letting the "professionals" do badly what they claimed to be able to do.

Thank you for the suggestion, but I do not want sin as it's terribly loud. One of the main reasons we went with concrete was to reduce the noise. The kitchen isn't too bad, but definitely not for the main house. We've stayed in places with metal roof and you can't even hear yourself think when it rains.

Or ra. There is sin with insulation ... Plus that particular way will be same noise like your kitchen ...anyway you can just look for insulated sin ... A bit more expensive... Check comments on ppl put sin already. 😮

I would prefer a concrete roof because you are high in the mountains and the winds are stronger up there. And is safe from a big ( TYPHOON ) Locals like metal roofing ( Tin ) because the noise is soothing and relaxing when you are ready to go to sleep. Something that you don't understand.

@felixlujan4809 I don't find extreme noise soothing, that is very true. Including roosters, barking, shouting, motors etc. But I believe the choice is mainly based on financial reasons. As for the winds being stronger up in the mountains, I'm a bit sceptical. Higher altitude without obstacles, sure, but that's not the case and regardless - it depends on the weather system.

@@ABetterLifePH I owned a house in the mountains and the Island where I built my house is also a typhoon alley where typhoons pass through and end up in the Philippines. I hired an Engineer a Contractor and a licensed construction company because of the frequent typhoons the government no longer allows substandard homes to be built it has to be all concrete. Depends on the weather system, sorry I am not going to put my family in danger if I have to (depend on the weather system.) Good luck buddy hope everything works for you.

Oh yeah? Like the American bald eagle? We have both a red/white and a mostly white variety here, of these smaller ones. Aniz gave Bisaya names for them, but I can't remember. Some kind of birds of prey at least!

Because? We don't have kids and will live there for many years most likely. Or, you think my extremely devoted, traditional Filipina from a good family will betray me (because of your personal issues)? That's not how things work if you pick the right partner.

@@ABetterLifePH You can not own anything in the Philippines if you are a foreigner. NOTHING other than your clothes on your back. It is good that your spouse is from a traditional Filipino family and glad that you are very sure of your future with her but you cannot predict the future buddy. I hope you are right though. Just Sayin!

@felixlujan4809 I picked well 😃

@@ABetterLifePH I don't have any issues, Ive lived here for many years and seen what happens to many foreigners, good luck

Thank you! We'll keep an eye on it of course, but it looks much better after Plexibond, and no leaks anymore (that we know of).

Tack! Yeah, I'm trying to not be too harsh on the first crew, but it's hard at times. We'll definitely be more involved when we expand. And I will probably invest in a vibrator, which is like 400 NOK, as I assume there are way too many bubbles left in the concrete.

@@ABetterLifePH voids (inside) will be eliminated with vibration, but you still need to scrape the surface smooth with a steel trowel to close the pores when its dry enough to walk on, then again when its a little harder an hour or so later. its called finishing. (i know, they dont do much finishing here of things)

@justaguy-69 I just recently compared two concrete surfaces. One from the first crew, one from Loyloy's dad. One reminding me of the surface of the moon, the other pretty ok (not perfect, but MUCH better). That's with uncle Than essentially having no tools... So yeah, we'll give more work to the neighbors. Live and learn!

@@ABetterLifePH A concrete vibrator is a good investment, even if its just a small one. You guys are lucky to have lazada, specialist tools are really cheap in South East Asia. In a tropical climate with the sun blazing, I also think concreting is better done during sunset or night-time. After finishing the concrete, I would cover up the concrete with plastic and and set up a garden sprinkler to keep the temperatures down. I tried to google what is inside the sahara mix, but since the roof didnt crack yet, its probably fly ash from filipino coal power plants strenghtening the concrete. Since fly ash is a waste product in the philippines, it is probably very cheap, and should be added to all concrete. Be careful to inspect the cement bags before purchase, and see if they already contain fillers or additives. But I think what is most important is that you always look over the shoulders of your workers when they mix the concrete. You want to see how the sausages are made.

Yeah, I wished we would have been able to be present more. I had heard stories of course, but the crew came recommended, claimed to have experience etc. I don't think their "craftsmanship" was due to malice or laziness, just lack of experience and "how it's done here". I shouldn't have trusted that they knew what they were doing (for a living), it seems. Very different from Sweden...

Not sure, they mostly plant vegetables on their land. Corn is more expensive as you need fertilizer, and has low profit.

@ABetterLifePH on your land ??

@@walterperry4565 I'm very confused. But the only grandpa I think of in this conversation was Aniz's dad. He owns a few hectares next to our land. 😃

@ABetterLifePH yes him

@@walterperry4565 Ah, good! He has more land than we do, both he and Aniz/Loyloy farm on their own land. They can't really afford crops that demand fertilizer/pesticide, so it's mainly ginger, casava and vegetables. They also have some banana and paper trees. We will probably use him every now and then to help on our land, but no plan to team up as of yet.

He said there are going to be sliding glass doors. The roll down is protection for when they leave. And I guess protection from high winds too.

The roll-down is only for when we're not there. It'll be (tinted) glass! We'll use the rebar on the lower retaining wall to attach angled rebar with barbed wire. The top one, haven't decided yet. I don't want to cut them until I decide, we may want to add a 1-2 hollowblock wall. I need to experiment with the drain. I want to use material we already have as much as possible. There are a lot of rocks in the soil, so using them would both make it cheaper, and also provide us with a bunch of soil more suited for planting.

Exactly! We don't have trees right next to the house, so should be limited debris coming flying during typhoons, but it doesn't hurt to have extra protection!

@@HockeyCraig ah..i see.

@@ABetterLifePH maybe tie 2 12mm rebars across the top of the ones sticking up and cover it with a nice concrete beam 4 inches by 4 inches, it may help strengthen the wall.

Need to dry it first. It won't last long if milled, we only mill enough to cover consumption for a short time.

@ABetterLifePH no worries..its good u plant more crops there.

We hadn't thought about a ceiling fan, but yeah...not a bad idea! Thank you!

Not really. Technically, we could I guess, but I am thinking solar panels rather than an additional floor. Two story would stick out a lot, would be a pain for building permit and we don't need something huge. Storage, living room, a smaller cr, and a more permanent outdoor kitchen (my style) should be everything we need. I went with concrete for the roof mainly because I detest noise, and metal roof + rain is incredibly loud. But also, being able to use the roof (solar, patio, something) appeals to me.

It's not painted, so most light will get reflected. So far we haven't noticed any issues with heat. We'll have some flat sheet metal replaced due to noise when windy though. The roof of the house gets quite hot though, as it's dark grey. We'll add a top coat or similar, something white

Yeah, we're working on the neighbors' kids. If they misbehave, they're not allowed to come over. The parents understand. But yeah, it's strange to me for sure. Same with the constant littering, by people of all ages. Especially considering people burn trash here, they don't even need to collect for recycling. The first crew we used didn't do too many things properly to be quite honest. Concrete like soup, didn't vibrate out bubbles, didn't show any pride at all in their work. We hopefully made enough changes so that the house is safe, but we will have to fix pretty much everything they did. They made some money I guess, but they could have made a lot more... whatever, their choice, I don't expect to ever hire them again.

@@ABetterLifePH I’m convinced most of the labor force is completely untrained and unskilled. They really have no clue what they are doing in terms of construction. Even hallow blocks crumble…the mix is like 1 to 10 concrete / sand….in the west it’s like 1 to 6. They know we want it done right, why cut corners? They either don’t know any better or skimming materials off the top. My trust is pretty much gone with help in the Philippines…if you catch them and complain watch out as well…

@aboveitall9600 Yeah, it's a cultural difference for sure. Luckily my cultural background works quite well in Asia, as we're pretty nonconfrontational. I try to give people the benefit of the doubt, and I won't raise my voice etc. But if people try to screw me over, show a lack of pride in their work and so on, I will not interact with them again. I won't buy from them, I won't hire them, I won't help them out. If however people try their best, are honest, but make mistakes...that's fine, it happens. There are plenty of good people in the Philippines, but as a foreigner it can be difficult to find them. Especially in areas where very few speak English. We live and learn. Luckily my wife is good with people (I'm not, I'm introverted even compared to other Swedes...).

@@ABetterLifePH My comment may have seemed a bit callous, I came to the Philippines with so much hope and openness that being burned has left me jaded. The scams and overcharging. I gave up on the dream of trying to live in the Philippines… I still visit but glad to return to the West when I’m done. Last trip felt very tired on my return. Even basic tasks seemed like more effort than they should have been. I will give you credit, I know how much effort you are putting in.

@aboveitall9600 I'm sorry that your experience was bad. I understand though. Without my wife, I wouldn't have come here, I think. There are many headaches, for sure, but while the US and some other Western countries may have a future...Sweden does not. This makes it easier for me to accept the bad parts, because no matter what - the Philippines is still better than what Sweden has become.

We planned on sliding glass from the start, to maximize the view. It really opens everything up

Thank you! We're not too happy with the quality of...most everything... but we adapt (and will fix). We're on Mindanao, a couple of hours north of Davao

We'll split 50-50 with Loyloy/Anize, of the net profit. So it depends entirely on the selling price of corn. If we were to sell it at 10 pesos (current price), they would end up with something like 3.5 sacks, and we'd get 13.5 sacks. Considering the amount of work (they) put in, I don't think that is fair. For now, we'll just keep the corn for human consumption. If we can sell it for 20+, then it'd be like 6-11 split, which is better at least. It's not a profitable crop, but we got enough corn that we don't need to buy rice for a long time, and it kept the weeds down for a few months.

We'll see. The normal metal roofs here are insanely loud.

@ I know/agree but when you make hardyfkex ceiling below roof it’s ok/better or best roof for silence would be asphalt roof 👍

@selbstsein967 No leaks currently, but I haven't ruled out asphalt yet. But a white acqua epoxy top coat should bring the temperature down in addition to providing some water proofing. We'll keep an eye on it. Any issues and we'll solve them!

@ wish you success 👍

Or clothes, or anywhere, yeah!

Right now, we're thinking of leaving it as is. It's not a high quality Amakan apparently (can't find here), but I am interested to see how it holds up. We'll put lacquer and anti-termite on the wood though.

The camera angle made it look a bit more dramatic! 😆

Well, for me: no. But they sometimes also add fish paste with lemonsito before they eat it, to make it worse. Yeah...they like it though, but there's a reason there aren't many Filipino restaurants in the world. Or several reasons... 😁

Haha, no worries, the angle made it look closer than it was! Thank you though! :D

Hi, thank you. Yeah, the original crew is gone.

That banana variety isn't that great, but we got a bunch of seedlings of the "lakatan" variety that we'll sprout/plant.

The view was definitely the first and main reason we got the land. But the climate, the people etc are excellent as well! We bought our land together with Lourlin's uncle, it was combined 5 hectares (we got 2, they got 3). It's not titled (ancestral domain) but we have clear paperwork for our part. I don't want to go into how much we paid for reasons I'd rather not share either, lol, but it was cheaper than typical and typical is around 1-2m per hectare. Hope that is good enough.

@@ABetterLifePH I understand that. Wow that is almost 5 acres of land which for US goofy math helps me see & thats exactly the size of land or bigger that I would like one day somewhere there. Congratz on that truly!

Thank you, and we are very happy with the land. Excellent view, large enough that limited amount of neighbors, water source on the land, all very good points! We were close to getting just one hectare, but we would have regretted that.

Yes! Thank you! Every day, a little progress! It's good we have the videos, so we can see that things have actually moved along. It feels very slow, but it's actually not that bad.

:D

Hi Jack! I knew that epoxy coated rebar is a thing, and figured anti-rust treatment would be an option. Thank you for the information! As for size and price here, it depends on many factors obviously. The MAIN factor is how desperate the seller is for money. Lot sizes...well, a friend of ours is actually selling lots of 500 sqm for 75 k Php (very safe seller, view is so-so). But most areas being "sold" here are 1-2 hectares, and price will in general land on something like 1-2 m per hectare, unless they need money fast (in which case it can be much cheaper). Do note that: a) it's not titled, as it's ancestral domain (so it's rather renting for 15-25 year intervals, although it's almost no cost to renew after each period. It's illegal to try to sell the land, but you can acquire the rights to the land...hard to explain here) b) the tribe can take the land back if there's no development within 3 years (so throw up a small 2 k peso shack or something if it'll take time to start building) c) in most (not all) cases there will be an additional 30% fee on top of the selling price (actually, 3x 10%, for tribe, barangay and Fematrics office, which is something like the representative of the tribes). Definitely a lot of hurdles and paperwork to buy here, but much more affordable and as long as you do it right it's as safe (or unsafe) as buying anywhere else, in my limited experience. Just run everything through the Fematrics to avoid scams etc! There are plenty of big resorts in this area and it's very safe, but it's very important to do things correctly. I would not have had a chance to do anything (except lose money) without my wife. Most here do not speak English, so for that reason alone - make sure you have a solid partner that is fluent in either Bisaya and/or Matigsalug.

@@ABetterLifePH Fabulous information you are too kind my friend thank you so much. Yes having someone that is native to the area would be a huge help. Thanks again for the info .

@@jjfalarka8837 You're welcome, best of luck. If you need help in our area, we can of course do that. But you should visit first, see if it's for you. It's a bit remote, definitely not for everyone. There's a small hospital close by, but they don't have x-ray, can't do major surgeries etc.

I think that is a very good idea. It may be more difficult to build without hollow blocks here, but if you're not too far out in the province/you have access to materials or transport - then pouring or AACs is a better idea. Unless you're doing everything yourself - make sure you find the right crew (this part may be difficult). I had absolutely no experience, and pretty much everything the first crew did will need to be either fixed or re-done in time. Luckily I got some great advice from people in our comments section, and we got more and more involved, so we could change some of their plans (like a 3" slab without base as floors), but yeah...lots of extra work in the future.

Yeah, the nature isn't bad either! 😁 Kidding aside, Bukidnon is really beautiful. And the climate is way cooler than most of the Philippines. So happy we found this place!

@ I’m happy for you and your better half… keep pumping out the videos 🙏

Yeah, I agree. Going back and forth slows it down. "Soon"... I hope! 😅

@ we call the corn pieces kernels in the UK

@@Fensome2006 Thank you! "Korn" in Swedish.

No need for air conditioning in the mountains! But if someone is selling local honey, that would be sweet (pun intended). Haven't seen any though.

Well yes but if you boil it even better.

Everything is subjective kind of deal. Absolutely not a daft question. Our neighbors drink it straight from the hose without issues. My immune defense would not like that. Unfortunately, we can't use our filters right now, not enough pressure. My plan was to test the water (before/after filter) and check for heavy metals and bacteria and what not. Honestly, I probably wouldn't drink it anyway, just to be safe. 5 gallons (20 liters) clean drinking water is somewhere around 25-35 pesos, or around 50 cents USD/euro. Too affordable for me to risk stomach issues. But I want the water clean enough to wash face/take a shower, brush teeth etc.

I wouldn't drink it, even after filters. And boiling won't get rid of all potential pathogens, or heavy metals. I would advise everyone moving to the Philippines to just buy drinking water (there are water refilling stations everywhere). It's very affordable.

The water bought in the blue 5 gal bottles is filtered tap water. Might as well install a water station of your own and be total control of your own water.

​@@TitoJames68 Yes, this guy is 100 percent right. To drink clean water, you need to install a separate water line to the sink after your filters and then install 2 filters: carbon and reverse osmosis And you will always have drinking water in the kitchen and once every six months you will change these 2 filters that I wrote

I like her modelling too! 😄