Getting an Architect is Cheaper in the Long Run than Merely Dealing with Foremen

Actual dream house projects by our friend
Arch. Marvin Mijares. If you want his services, just
use our Contact Form on the sidebar.

Architects are Trained to Help You Get What You Want with Your Budget

A lot of folks planning on building their dream houses or business places think they're getting cheaper deals when they do without an architect. They prefer talking with foremen who act as contractors, and getting the architect's fee out of the way feels like big savings, right? Wrong.

Most of us often don't get to hold big-enough money to build dream houses with, so we better make use of it the smartest way we can. I mean, it's often a once in a lifetime thing to earn money that big--and then you waste it all away by getting a bad deal with small-time contractors who make a mess of your dream house or business place. And often, we get this amount through bank or PAG-IBIG lending which we'll have to pay dearly for after.

In the end, you spend more money dealing with mere foremen than if you dealt with a professional architect. Your building cost often ends up higher when you hire cheap labor to build your dream house. Take this lady I know, for instance. She hired a foreman-carpenter to do her small 5X5-meter studio-type residence, thinking it would cost her less. However, the small project took 1 year to finish (no kidding) and cost her almost a fortune.

She learned a most valuable lesson she'd never forget in her life--never cut down too much on your dream house.

After all, if it's a "dream house" or "dream business place" you want, you have to shell out some. And it's the wisest investment actually, saving you not just money and time but a lot of headaches and heart aches after.

The small architect's fee you'd be paying actually is a good investment in the end. The fee is small compared to what you'd spend with the mess foremen-carpenters are apt to make out of your dream house. I've had a lot of friends and acquaintances make complaints about how some bunch of carpenters turned their dream houses into huge frustrations, to no avail. Once the structure is up, no amount of complaining will change it except that you pour in new cash for a new contract to repair the mess.

And what if you have limited budget? You will have to make do with a "dream" house or business place that makes you sick each time you see it. So, if say, your fixed budget is P1.2 million, you should make sure you entrust that budget to a smart and initiated professional who knows the right system for your requirement and budget and who'd be professionally honest to recommend an alternative in case something is really not feasible.

Here are the advantages of hiring a licensed Architect for your small or big dream project:

1. Backed by educated procedures and schedules that make the project systematic and cost-effective.
2. Architects are answerable to their signed commitments. They have a license, title, and career to protect.
3. Architects can not run away from responsibilities because they are easily traceable from their PRC license and United Architects of the Philippines membership.
4. Everything is agreed on and signed on the architectural and working drawings plus the official cost estimates and specifications.
5. Every construction system used is backed with engineering estimates for structural sturdiness and approved by the city engineer's office. Every phase of the construction is inspected with a professional eye for details.

Foremen and carpenters can always just disappear or deny or ignore client's complaints after the project is done and the contract is paid for. They have no license or title to protect. And I have seen how some of them simply abandoned projects in the middle of everything in search of another more lucrative project. I know a couple who, after giving a huge amount of money to their contractor, one day just found their unfinished dream house abandoned by the contractor for whatever reason.

Because they didn't want any hassle or didn't want to attend court proceedings if they filed charges (and that's additional expense), they just forgot about the contractor and hired a new one--and paid new contract money.

And I know of stories where the contractor-foreman was even a close relative of the client, but the same anomalies prospered, just the same. Well, not all contractor-foremen are probably like that, but why risk your hard-earned money for your dream house or business place?

So, get a licensed and professional architect. They are trained and mandated by law to give their clients nothing but the best the project budget could make out. It's good investment in the end and more cost-effective.

If you need an architect for your dream house--like the ones on the picture above made by our friend Arch. Marvin Mijares--simply use the HOUSEpinoy Contact Form on the sidebar for inquiries or project estimates.

Build Your Dream House the Way You Want It

Dream houses are only so if they're built according to how you want them. I've heard a lot of people complain about the contractors they had who built their own version of their clients' "dream" houses. Then I pondered--yeah, why is it that most small contractors today cannot stick to the plans you give them? Instead, they implement their own plans--how they see your "dream house" fit into their agenda.

And that's pretty frustrating for clients.

Imagine spending your hard-earned money only to see your contractors's dream house rise up from the property you bought? It's not your dream house he built--it's his. And this business has got to stop now. Clients should start seeing their very dream houses rise up from their lots. And contractors should be servants to that ideal, not the other way around.

Well, I have met big-time builders who really do what they clients want to the letter. But they're already big-time. If you're planning on having your small dream house built, contracting them is definitely out of the question. They won't take building projects below P50M. I mean, they're big-time. So, what happens to those of us who just want to have our small dream houses come true? Are there any more good contractors around catering to small projects like ours?

Well, I have this architect-friend who has been in the building business for years and have built several good projects and made clients satisfied and happy. He builds dream houses and offices and business places according to his clients' wishes, visions, and purposes. In short, according to the clients' dreams. And that's real service.

Architect Marvin Mijares can help you realize your dream family house. The Aspiras and Zotomayor Residences in the images above are just some of his finished projects for happy clients. The Aspiras is a classic rendition of traditional modern villas or mansions typical for most posh subdivisions. The Zotomayor is a multi-level townhouse type with a Zen character ideal for edifices built within limited spaces but with glamour and elegance.

Make every cent of your hard-earned money count when building your dream house. A key here is to get the best builder to entrust your dream house with and who would understand your needs and wishes.

For inquiries on similar dream house projects to be done for you by Arch. Mijares, simply comment below and we'll get to you as soon as possible. Absolutely no obligation on your part during inquiries.