The COVID-19 pandemic has led us to invest in and own land in the Philippines. With travel restrictions and lockdowns in many countries, we became worried about the future and started looking for alternative investment opportunities. Our focus is to find a place away from the big cities, and covid also plays a role in the decision. We found affordable real estate in the municipality of Kiblwan, and thus, the house project became real.

Just DO IT, remotely!

The project started in mid-September 2021, and the plan is to build a simple house. We decided not to hire architecture as we didn't have a budget, so we drew a rough outline of what the house looked like and started the process. It's a half-cemented one-floor house; the rest will be wood and bamboo. The Philippines faces many calamities yearly, like earthquakes and typhoons, and we also consider how the structure of the house. We utilized the materials by using the trees and bamboo that grew on the land we bought, which helped straights our budget. There were only two builders at the beginning of this project, and my brother is one of them. This is a family affair, so every family member has to contribute.

Managing this project remotely was a struggle; misunderstanding and miscommunication made the project take a surprising turn for us.

Stick to the plan, rain or shine!

Halfway through this project faced a few bumps. These include suppliers that changed prices unexpectedly, drama among the management in the field, water shortage, so rainwater is our main source and the changing weather that prevented materials delivery. But Filipinos are good at finding unconventional solutions to any obstacles—ridiculous ways of transporting materials like cows, water buffalo, horses, and motorcycles. Due to these struggles, the progress of the project was relatively slow. The workers also have many mistakes in design but are forced to redo them.

We decided to drill our water well to address the water supply issue, which sped up the building process. While the project is back in its phase, we added an extra worker. We are aiming to finish it by March 2022.

End with deadline

As the progress reaching to its peak, the plan changed. We initially plan to build a separate kitchen. But we ran out of budget and time, so we decided to have a kitchen attached to the house. We also hired five more people and gave them a three-week deadline to finish the kitchen.

We could have done better at executing this project. The obvious one is not bulk purchasing of the materials—differences in the prices from starting to the end of this project are enormous. It's a lesson to learn.

Managing a project remotely requires clear communication, well-defined goals, regular check-ins, and collaboration tools. It's essential to establish trust and build relationships with team members, establish clear expectations, and adapt to the unique challenges of remote work. It's also important to prioritize self-care and work-life balance to prevent burnout.

Overall, successful remote project management requires technical, daily communication, and leadership skills. Without these, the chances of failing are imminent.