Renovating spaces sounds appealing, especially when displayed with before-and-after photos and videos online. This kind of post may trigger your creative design inspiration, but you should keep in mind that it could bring about challenges and inconveniences caused by several factors, including, and most especially, related to your budget. To avoid further headaches, here’s your guide on how to save for your house renovation budget in the Philippines.

Setting a renovation budget is a no-brainer. Anyhow, here are three essential points that should be kept in mind while preparing for your planned revamp, given the rising cost of construction materials in the Philippines.

House Renovation Considerations in the Philippines

Before you get too excited about your house interior makeover, here are the key factors to note as you save up for your house renovation budget in the Philippines.

List down the things you will be spending on.

This may be a basic tip but is definitely a necessity. You would be surprised how much the seemingly small items on your list would contribute to the total cost of the renovation.

It is helpful to list everything down before the actual renovation begins so that when you are already over budget, you can go back to your detailed list and decide which items to let go of to trim it down.

Also, do not forget to check if there are requirements aside from the actual construction and labor cost. Samples of this are construction permits, bonds, fees for professional plans, and gate passes for deliveries inside subdivisions.

Set a buffer budget for unforeseen issues.

Most renovations are aimed at extending the usability of spaces. Sometimes, it is solely to spruce up the look of a space. Either way, demolishing parts of the house may be involved in the procedure. During this phase, the existing problems of the house may be uncovered. Alongside this are the costs it entails to fix them.

Examples of unforeseen expenses are rot and decay of materials, faulty plumbing, and outdated electrical systems.

Monitor your cash flow.

While planning is good, execution is the main thing you need to focus on. Check your planned budget versus your actual spending.

Is your money being spent on the items you planned on spending? Have you adjusted if the additional unforeseen expenses are too high? Check and double-check.

How to Plan for House Renovation Cost

To further support your dedication to adhering to your renovation budget, here are more ways to ensure your cost does not skyrocket.

  • Decide who will work on your renovation. Will you hire professionals like architects and civil engineers? Will you be working with contractors? Will you employ workers only? Will you opt for DIY?

    There are pros and cons to DIY versus hiring skilled people to make things happen. If you are doing it on your own, evaluate the knowledge, time, tools, and skills you will be spending on the renovation. Will you be buying tools for the projects? If so, do not forget to add that to your expenses. Are you confident in your knowledge and skill level? If you are, that is good for you and your budget. If not, it is highly advisable to hire professionals—architects and/or civil engineers.

    Hiring people abreast with the renovation process will save you from possible mistakes that can further push your budget up. Mistakes are costly, especially in the construction industry. To cite an example, additional costs could accumulate from the wrong process or wrong installed materials, as they should be removed and then replaced with the correct ones.
  • Conduct due diligence. This applies to the professionals, contractors, or workers you plan to hire. During this process, check on your potential hires’ licenses, permits, customer feedback, and past accomplishments.

    Doing so would save you from the unnecessary stress of being scammed. Remember that you carefully planned where to spend your money. I guess your list does not include wastage.
  • Secure a contract and cost estimate. Similar to any official transaction, never forget to put everything in writing if you decide on hiring contractors to finish your renovation.

    A signed agreement between two parties would be something to go back to when conflicts between parties arise. This shall include all the details of the work, the cost estimate, the agreed payment schedule, the timeline, and penalties for unmet conditions. You can also ask them how much to renovate a house in the Philippines, based on their experiences to give you a ballpark cost for the project.

    Not having a signed contract could affect your budget if interests are not aligned and you are left with no option but to shoulder the expenses it brings about.
  • Conduct site visits. Site visits are encouraged so you can see for yourself if the agreed plans are done onsite. This is necessary, especially if you employ workers on-site without the supervision of professionals like architects and engineers.
  • Use high-quality materials. Ensure the chosen materials for your renovation adhere to the Philippine National Standards, if applicable. Choosing subpar materials would increase your renovation cost since you would be required to replace these parts eventually.

    Added to this is the risk it entails, especially when it is related to the structural integrity of your house, like cement. One highly recommended cement supplier you should include on your renovation budget list is Union Cement.

Union Cement

Even if you would want to make your renovation cost cheaper, you must not settle for low-quality construction materials. This applies especially to cement, which is essential to the majority of your house parts. With that, Union Cement is here to serve you with high-quality cement through its terminal and port facility in the Freeport Area of Bataan (FAB) in Mariveles

Union Ultra Strength 50 is a Union Cement’s Ordinary Portland Cement with compressive strength of up to 50 MPa after 28 days, which simply means that it can withstand heavy and extreme loads. It is highly suitable for structures and buildings that require durability and resilience. In addition, it conforms with the DPWH standards on cement materials and PNS 07:2018. Union Ultra Strength 50 is available in bulk and in jumbo 1.0 metric ton bags, which are preferred for large construction projects. 

For general concrete applications, Union Super Strength 40 is a Type IP cement product blended with superb mineral additives applicable for general concrete construction.

Union Extra Strength ES is Union’s type 1P Portland-Pozzolan cement variant formulated for general concrete applications and generally available at your preferred hardware stores nationwide. 

Consistent with parent company PHINMA’s vision of making lives better, Union Cement provides a reliable and consistent supply of high-quality cement products and services to support our country’s construction and infrastructure requirements.

Union Cement is part of the PHINMA Construction Materials Group (PHINMA CMG), which includes affiliates Union Galvasteel Corporation, and PHINMA Solar Energy Corporation. The synergy of these three companies allows PHINMA CMG to provide high-quality steel, cement, and solar solutions at outstanding value to customers nationwide.

Union Cement ang Sementong Astig. Basta semento, i-Union Cement mo! Visit our Contact Us page or Union Cement Facebook page to know about our cement prices in the Philippines and more.