Hi Lavie, I'm sure you've made a lot of memories in your grandmother's home, probably afternoons running around in the garden? It's a beautiful property and I agree, that it's not easy to maintain a large house. The upside though is that you've seen what it's like and would be able to implement what's necessary and ideal in your dream minimalist home.

We grew up in a tiny apartment and my Mom later built a 7-bedroom home where we eventually spent our teenage years. Hence, I spent most of my free time tidying up and when we temporarily stayed there after moving back to the Philippines, the maintenance drove us nuts. Based on experience a maximum of 80 to 100 sqm habitable floor area is manageable for us, not too small to have everything cluttered but not too big either. Setting up a rainwater collection tank in the Philippines is doable. We did it here in Cebu and were able to direct the rainwater flow in a 9 cubic meter underground tank which is used for toilet, shower, gardening, and cleaning.