He always felt he needed a vacation from his life in Chicago. So he retired at 40 and moved into a $110,000 house in the Philippines with his wife.

• Corey Fraser, 42, moved from Chicago to the Philippines with his wife, Rachel, in 2022.
• He put together a six-year plan that led him to retire early and build a $110,000 house near the sea.
• "I wasn't going to be rich, but I was comfortable every month, having more than I would need in the Philippines," he said.

After a two-and-a-half-week vacation in the Philippines in 2016, Corey Fraser realized he didn't want to go back to his regular life in the US.

Back then, Fraser — a Portland native — had been living in Chicago for almost seven years. While his career in the automotive industry was good, Fraser knew he wasn't happy.

"At the airport, I think it was the first time I understood what depression was because I had to leave," Fraser, 42, told Business Insider.

He enjoyed the simplicity of life in the Philippines, and how warm and friendly people were, even toward a stranger like him. It was unlike Chicago, where everyone seemed to be caught in a rat race, he said.

"I realized I needed to figure out a path to be happy all the time, which would be moving over here," Fraser said. "You shouldn't just be happy on your vacations once a year."

It would take him another six years and 11 trips to the country before he could finally achieve his goal. In 2022, Fraser retired early and moved to the Philippines with his wife, Rachel.

Building a house near the sea

The couple, who have been married since 2019, settled in Negros Oriental, a province on Negros, the fourth-largest island in the Philippines. Negros Oriental is about an hour and a half by plane from Manila.

The couple decided to build their own home on the west side of the island, near the ocean. They're about two hours away from the nearest airport, mall, and movie theater, Fraser said.

Since foreigners can't own land in the Philippines, Fraser signed a 25-year leasehold contract on the land instead, with the right to extend his lease for an additional 25 years.

"So people always say that I could get in trouble. And I'm like, 'Well, 50 years after I'm 40, sure.' But if I'm around at 90, I'll probably be in the city near a hospital," Fraser said.

Designing the home on his own

The land is 850 square meters, or about 9,100 square feet, while the couple's loft-style house measures a little over 2,100 square feet.

Fraser spent about $110,000 building the entire home. He designed the place on his own before enlisting an architect to create the blueprints for the property.

"I actually drew it on my computer. I was doing this for different types of automotive facilities in the past, so while I had never designed a house, I was pretty good with the software and setting everything up," Fraser said.

The first floor of the house is where the living room, the kitchen, the dining area, an office, a bathroom, and a spare bedroom are. The second floor is where the master bedroom and bathroom are.

The couple started building the home in 2017, even before they moved to the Philippines because they wanted it to be mostly ready by the time they arrived.

"We got all of that done, including the pool and the tile work before I moved here, and then we finalized plumbing and electrical when I got here," Fraser said.

Challenges building the house

One of the bigger challenges he faced during the construction process involved finding the right crew.

"Around here, they would generally build houses very cheaply and they would try to do it quickly, and I didn't want that," Fraser said.

Additionally, the local contractors had a different practice when it came to fixing mistakes.

"In the West, if the contractor doesn't do a good job, he's starting it over for free. He's fixing it to do it right," he said. "Whereas now if I didn't like something, he goes, 'Well you can pay me again to do it next month.'"

Debt-free living

The house is hooked up to the power grid, but the couple installed solar panels for electricity.

Likewise, although they're connected to the mains water supply, they also put in a well on their property.

"My plan for moving over here was not to have a mortgage, nor an electric bill, nor a car payment. Lastly, I wanted to also grow at least part of my own food because those are your highest expenses over here," Fraser said.

Most of the vegetables they eat are grown in their own garden, he said. They also have over 40 chickens, which they're rearing for eggs and meat.

A healthier and happier life

It's been over two years since Fraser moved to the Philippines, and he says he's much happier and healthier than he used to be.

"Living in Chicago — I'm not blaming Chicago — but I was on blood pressure medication in my 30s and now my blood pressure is lower than it's ever been, and I'm not even on any medication," Fraser said.

His pace of life has slowed down dramatically, and since the cost of living in the Philippines is much more affordable than in the US, he doesn't feel as stressed as he used to be either.

"I'm not running in the rat race back in the States just working nonstop to pay bills and then start it all over again," he said. "I wasn't going to be rich, but I was comfortable every month having more than I would need in the Philippines."

Now, Fraser has a new hobby: He's been documenting his journey moving to and living in the Philippines on YouTube.

Part of what motivates him to share about his own experiences is to inspire others, he said.

"My goal the whole time was to create a life that I don't need to vacation from," Fraser said. "And I want everyone else to know that they can create that life too, even though it's going to take years of planning to get it done."

Start as soon as possible

Fraser has one piece of advice for those who want to retire or move elsewhere: To start their plan as soon as they can.

"Don't say you're going to do it the next day or a year from now. You're postponing the start of your plan," Fraser said.

Although it might be difficult trying to cut back on expenses and save money for the move, it'll be worth it in the end, he said.

"You might have to struggle. You might have to work two jobs for a little while, but I'd rather be frustrated and work too much and save too much — which was what I did for five years — and then be happy every day after that," Fraser said.

Have you recently built or renovated your dream home in Asia? If you've got a story to share, get in touch with me at [email protected].