16.30% Complete

The bank decided to check the house construction progress a few weeks ago and sent us an email that stated, "16.30% complete". Well, this is what it looks like as of 28 November 2009:

Land Ahoy!

As of 18 September 2009, they have finally started on the house. Unfortunately, Avida is way behind schedule considering that the house turnover is slated for the 4th quarter of 2009 (according to the contract). Uh, that's supposed to be now.

But at least they've started. They told me that the earliest completion date is January 2010 and the latest is February. I'm betting more on March...

Out of curiosity, I called the customer care department of Avida and pretended to be a prospective customer. Here were some of my questions:

Q1.) Once the 20% down payment has been paid, how long does it take to issue the "Notice to Construct"?
A1.) One week.

Q2.) After the "Notice to Construct" has been issued, how long before Avida starts building?
A2.) It will take one to two months for the permits and they'll start building as soon as the permits have been issued.

Q3.) How long will it take to build the house itself?
A3.) Four to six months.

Let's compare that with what is actually happening:

1.) Down payment paid in January 2009. "Notice to Construct" was issued in June - five months later.

2.) September is three months after June.

3.) We will have to wait and see on this one...

No House in Sight

Our agent told us that Avida will start applying for the permits in April and this will take one to two months depending on how fast the government approves them. Then they will start building the house. By my calculation, they should have started building the house in June.

Last month, I called the Alabang office coordinator for an update and Raquel told us that there was already a "notice to construct" and that this means they have "started gathering the construction materials". So I'm thinking that by July, we would be able to visit the site and see their progress. Right?

Two weeks ago, I spoke to Rommel from the construction group and he informed me they have yet to start building... Huh? Apparently, the land management group has yet to turn over the lot as it has not yet passed the soil compaction test. He did say that the lot has been filled but they have to wait for the moisture in the soil to dry out before doing the test again.

Uh, it's been raining since that time so when will the soil dry out...? Another thing, it's currently the RAINY SEASON.

I asked Rommel how long the house will take to finish once the lot is turned over to their group. His answer? Six months. We're thinking that the stated turnover schedule (supposedly fourth quarter of this year) will definitely not push through.

But then again, this will give us more time to save for what will go in the house. So all is well.