This depends on the nature of the project, a short answer is P30K per square meter.

Keep in mind that the average costing fluctuates based on the economy.
Before the Pandemic, Construction labor rates were lower that current and, before the Russia-Ukraine war, material prices were lower than current.

The type of project and the design style affects how long it will take to complete the project.
A typical 200 square meter modern bungalow home will take 2 months to design, 1 month to process the documents and permits, and 6 months to construct.

This would depend on the services that you avail from them along with the type of project you propose.
The minimum standard fees for Residential Projects is; Architectural to Engineering Design Services would total 10% of the construction cost, Construction Management Services would total 8% of the construction cost. These fees are standard minimum fees that apply in the Philippines, However, the professional can adjust his/her fees based on the evaluation of the project.

To check our fees at Skyline Spaces: Go here for our current rates

The Design Documents is basically a laid out guide for the Contractor to follow. This consist of the design and approval of all Architect and Engineers involved in the design. There is clearly more work required to produce the plans to to merely manage it.

Remember, management is different from actually constructing the project. The people who construct the project are the Foreman, Mason, Carpenter, Skilled, Labors, etc.., these people are paid the most in the project cost when computed in total.

Again, this depends on the service package that you avail, also on the contractor that you hired.
The set out standard minimum Service Acceptance of Architects in the Philippines is P25K. This covers the mobilization costs, and data gathering costs for your Architect to start with the Schematic Design.
Different businesses will have different standards on this.

Every business/contractor will require a down payment before any work is done.
The best practice in any case is to always ask for a service agreement before releasing any funds, most specially for bigger projects, this way you are protected with an agreement.

First comes the Design, so look for a good Architect or Architectural Firm

The professional/business you invest with will be a long term partner.
Try to list down a few basic points you expect from the business before you actually hire one. It's not always about hiring the lowest pricing business.

One important consideration to have when choosing one is, the personality and culture inside the business. This reflects a lot about the values and works the business can do for you.

For small projects that require little time to come up with a quotation from the architect, the architect can usually give you the studied quotation for free (through a rough estimation basis). However, for larger projects (eg. resorts, subdivisions, several design requirements) and specific requests, you should pay your architect a minimum of his per-diem fee.

Any type of work that requires time consumed is chargeable.
Site Visitations, Data Gathering, Feasibility Studies, Detailed Estimations made by the Architect or Engineer should be compensated.

To avoid paying these Pre-Design Fees you may avail the architects Service Acceptance. The standard minimum service acceptance of architects in the Philippines is P25K

Both types of companies are both contractors and both may offer the same construction services.

However, an Architectural Firm (Design To Build) usually gives you their percentage based fees from the start.

A Bidding Contractor will only give you the final quoted price which already includes their mark up in the total price.

A contingency is an estimated additional cost to the original estimate based on the nature of the project.
This shall be allowances to the project, since it is difficult to accurately account every small detail from the start.
The greater the project demands, the higher the contingency will be.

This only applies during the Architectural Design Stage. For this, the basis of the percentage fee will be on a rough estimate only. It is a good idea to hold a professional retainers fee (5-10%) before the project is completed, this ensures that any inaccuracies in the fees can be balanced out after the final project cost is accounted, this also helps prevent the business you hired from terminating the agreement.

This means that you are either paying your Architect or Engineer more than enough.
This is why you held on a retainer fee from the start of the project.

Now you have two choices, should you keep that retainer fee to yourself? or should you give it as compensation to your architect/engineer for doing such a good job on saving you money in the construction. The choice is yours.

No.
The job of your architect is to collaborate with you and the engineers and come up with the design solution based on the data gathered, and sign the documents afterwards. Only 10% or less of his/her efforts will be on the regular inspection of the construction.

You can always ask your architect to fully supervise the site on his/her approval, but remember that this will incur additional fees.

A short answer is January.

It is important to work with a registered business, this is for your own good.

Often times, clients choose to hire non-registered entities with the goal of paying less. This is not a problem if the scope of works is just small (eg. kitchen plumbing, bedroom light installation), however, if you are planning to invest in a house, this is a different story, you need to make sure you are working with a registered company.

You would want to ensure that the business you hired will be there to regularly check on the project until it is completed. For some clients the contract agreement is not enough, and so the solution is to hold a retainer fee from the business to ensure that the agreement is followed.

You would want to ensure that the business you hired will be there to regularly check on the project until it is completed. For some clients the contract agreement is not enough, and so the solution is to hold a retainer fee from the business to ensure that the agreement is followed.

There is usually no charge when inviting for construction bidders. Interested bidders will present you their quotes that already has their mark up in the total.

On the other hand asking for a detailed estimates will incur charges, this is because creating detailed estimates requires careful studying and planned out construction phases.

The challenge of most construction bidders is to be the lowest bidder while making sure they don't go below the break even point. And to achieve this, a large contingency is usually made.

The challenge for Architects and Engineers is to provide an estimate as close as possible to the actual construction cost, with ideal contingencies. And so, fees are usually suggested when requesting for this.

"Fishing" is a term used to describe the unethical act of a client looking for the professional who can provide the lowest rate.

Many clients come up with the same line, that they have contacted other firms and professionals, with the goal of negotiating hard. This action reflects desperation in the client and so he/she is avoided by many professionals and firms.

Try to avoid inquiring for detailed quotations from Firms, if you're goal is just to find the lowest bidder. An architectural design build firm will only give you a percentage based rate, only after the business had accepted the service agreement will you get a construction estimate.

If you only availed a Schematic Design Service, then only expect Schematic Design Service, otherwise you will be billed additional for the additional services you demanded for.

Some businesses will provide you additional services on top of the service you availed with no extra charge even though you didn't ask for it, this does not mean that it will be the same case every time.
The business that you hired is not mandated to work on your other project needs if you didn't agree with them from the start.

Businesses that Over-Deliver to their clients should be given credit and appreciation.

An architect will only do architectural works, an engineer will only do engineering works. Additional works that you request for outside the standard scope of works (eg. accounting, processing, documenting, etc.) will be quoted separately. Larger businesses usually have all these extra works quoted in their fees already.
It's best to ask and make sure.

Yup! You may not see what is going on inside an Architect/Engineer's head when you request for a modification in the plan. A slight variation in the position of the Kitchen or the Bathroom will affect everything! From the Electrical, to the Plumbing, to the Façade, and sometimes to the Structural. Everything will have to be re-studied.

This will also greatly impact the fees from the business you hired. Starting fees for remodeling, modifications, renovations, and the like is 150% of the standard fee. If the construction has begun, and you then decided to adjust the floor plan, expect the cost to even double in that particular area.

The lowest bidder is not always the best bidder. You might be able to save up on additional expenses but it might also just require you to do the extra work yourself or you might even have to hire additional supervisors to get the work done accordingly, or even worst you might need to get some repairs done.

God's Act does happen, and there is no one here to blame.

From the start you should agree on this with the business/contractor on who shall cover these God's Act expenses.

If your contractor has an insurance to cover this, usually his/her fee would also mean higher than the typical. If your contractor does not have the insurance for this, you should get an insurance yourself.

This can be one of many reasons.
It could mean that the business is currently fully booked. It could mean that the business is getting more than enough leads and trying to filter out the other clients. And it could also mean that you (the client) might have negotiated a little too hard.

Keep in mind that good contractor's are often busy in most cases, they don't want to do the extra work on a client who might not appreciate them, they would rather invest their time in the other many clients that would appreciate them.

Incase you were one of the clients that were screened out. The best thing to do is to be courteous, and ask them if they can refer some other business who will accept your proposal.

A good business/contractor will do this.

The large down payment represents the client's commitment in the project moving forward.

This down payment will also make sure that the client is capable and comfortable to release a large payment like this, which means the next billings will come easier.
A contractor does not want a client who delays the payments.
If the project has commenced and a progress payment is being held, then there will be no certainty in the work, when this happens, the contractor will have to pay for his men/labor for being on standby, this will hurt your contractor's margins, worst comes to worst your contractor will pull out his men or ever terminate the agreement.

A large down payment would also mean, lesser number of billing phases.
The more number of billing phases there is, will do nothing but ruin the relationship of the client and the business, just imagine having an accountant coming to you every so often asking for your next payment.

When the client, architect, engineers, contractors are all certain on their responsibilities, this is most likely a guarantee to success.