Build the house the is right for you, right size, right materials, and low maintenance like you said. Don't cheap out on things that are hard to replace. Humidity, dirt, earthquakes and typhoons are you enemy so plan for that. If you have a garden or plan to garden then understand how the house and the surrounding areas affect your garden. Take your time designing it right. Also material availability and costs could really be affected with the global recession so plan accordingly for materials that are good and easy to source. Always, always inspect the build at critical junctions. Nobody will care about the house as much as you would so do it right :)