Every stage where a build can go wrong with a contractor, in the order you'll actually hit them: vetting before you sign, choosing the right contract, catching overbilling, change-order abuse and substandard materials mid-build, terminating a non-performer or dealing with abandonment, and what you can still claim after turnover. Written by PRC-licensed engineers who get called in when these disputes are already live.
Most contractor problems are decided here, before a single wall goes up.
The 7 questions to ask before signing, and the red flags that predict every problem later in this series.
Read the guide →Which contract type actually protects the owner, and what Article 1724 means for variations under each one.
Read the guide →Check a quote against real 2026 cost bands: what the per-sqm figure implies, and what's usually excluded.
Run the checker →What a real bid package looks like, so a vague quote can't hide behind construction jargon.
Read the guide →What CAR insurance covers, how it differs from a performance bond, and when your contract should require it.
Read the guide →Where most existing-client disputes actually land: is the bill honest, and is the extra real.
How an independent verification settles a percent-complete dispute, with a free gap-check calculator.
Read the guide →Civil Code Article 1724, the two written conditions that make an extra charge enforceable, and a free legitimacy checker.
Read the guide →Civil Code Article 1715's redo-at-their-cost remedy, why acceptance doesn't erase it, and a free severity checker.
Read the guide →The build stops. Here's what the first week decides.
Rescission for breach (Article 1191) vs withdrawal at will (Article 1725) — the cost gap between them is large, and a free route checker.
Read the guide →What to document immediately, what the Civil Code gives you, and where the claim goes — barangay, small claims, CIAC or PCAB.
Read the guide →The house is finished. This is what you're still owed.
What acceptance actually waives under Article 1719, the hidden-defect and fraud exceptions, and a free claimability checker.
Read the guide →Civil Code Article 1723: who stays liable for a building's collapse for 15 years, and how it differs from a defects warranty.
Read the guide →Send the contract, the billing and your photos. We'll tell you honestly what an independent review would and wouldn't be able to settle.
This is a standing series — as we publish new guides covering other stages of an owner-contractor problem, they'll be added here in order.
Statutes referred to across this series. Each individual guide carries its own full Sources section. Links open in a new tab.
Cost figures and market data cited across this series are AEDO Construction's own practice figures unless a source is named beside them.
