Coast of build this home?

[Ron19]

A number of posts containing advertising and the answers to them have been removed at the posters request.

[sirineou]

1 hour ago, natway09 said:

Where are you going to build ? 

Khon Kaen,  right outside the ring road on the University side

1 hour ago, khunPer said:

You could demand the constructor to use water-proof cement-mix all over, as it will reduce cracks, which is a problem in the Thai heat and sun; it's only a few hundred baht extra per cubic meter concrete. Also use water-proof additive in the plaster mix, which will prevent most of the fine cracks (I did that with great success). Dig down to (very) hard soil for column feet, to avoid settings; eventually make large thick feet covering two or more columns (my constructor that, no setting cracks at all). Furthermore make sure that all columns are wrapped in film immediately after casting molds being taken off, and cement deck duly watered within the first 24 hours, whilst beams preferably shall stay in their casting mold for at least three days (open top watered with first 24 hours).

 

A number of posts share one thick foot.

 Thank you, all good advice.

The property is stable ground  has never being used for rice. in addition  about three years ago my FIL (he unexpectedly passed away last year, miss him terribly)  filled it with more dirt, but put too much dirt. I have a 2m high perimeter wall  around the whole property and in some places the dirt is now 1 m high. and well compacted over the years. 

I have hired a macro to come take some of the dirt away (too  much) and level the property. so we will be starting at virgin ground, further more we will sink piles and then a 1m x1m footing  20 cm thick  1m in the ground, I know it is overkill but better safe than sorry. 

Good advice on the waterproof concrete, and render , Thank you, I will certainly take your advice. I will also insist on proper coverage of the steel,chairs to keep it off the ground, wrapping to keep it from losing moisture to evaporation , and losing strength. also I will ask for slump test, and proper vibration, but good luck since I will not be there.

thanks again

[Alantct]

Might see you in Blues bar for brekkie and a chat some day [emoji23] didn't realise you were a kk resident. The owner is a good friend of mine if your ever in there his sausages are awesome


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[bazza73]

The OP should allow for a 10% cost overrun. He'll be asked to make payments as the house proceeds, and it's almost a given an overrun will happen.

I can't stress too much the importance of having a ventilated roof and the thickest roof insulation available, especially in a climate like Khon Kaen.

[Elkski]

Cool to read.  Could a Budda room be behind portable wall dividers if ever needed?  Before deciding if the soil is ok for only 1 m deep footings should you do a test and core sample down deeper?  Is this common?

[cracker1]

Any quotes above 10,000 baht per square meter should be discarded, as these may be considered as getting into "Ripoff" territory.

 

[sirineou]

4 hours ago, Elkski said:

Cool to read.  Could a Budda room be behind portable wall dividers if ever needed?  Before deciding if the soil is ok for only 1 m deep footings should you do a test and core sample down deeper?  Is this common?

below is my understanding on the subject, I am certainly not an expert and I would apreciate any corections.

 as you said, it all depends on soil condition, and that also depends on your geographic location in Thailand (Khon Kaen VS BKK)  BKK is mostly marshland I am told. and concrete piles driven into the ground several meters below the footings are necessary .

It also depends on previous land use,  (was the land a rice paddy previously? and how long has it being backfilled if it has, and weight of the structure being build.

  In my case, I have owned the land (ok ok wife has) for close to 10 years. and before that it was family owned so I know that the ground has being undisturbed for at least that long. I will be removing a couple of feet of dirt as the land fill my FIL did a few years ago to level the land is too high , so already I am starting below existing grade.

   In addition piles will be driven to an adequate depth not yet decided, below the footings. so I think 1m is adequate but my thinking is open to advice by wiser minds and could easily change. 

   Your local Or bor tor  will have soil condition maps that determine the soil condition in your area and should be consulted. 

[cheeryble]

The fill you are removing might pay for some nice extras.....

 

The house in the video looks nice largely because of the furniture but from the kitchen and woodwork is certainly no more than medium finish, Id agree with the previous poster on total 8-10k/sqm for fully built rooms with you supplying. In fact I'd go the upper end or a bit more as you will have a slab and render floor.

As for the lower tiled area well you could have very nice tiling for 5-600/m2 all-in, then you have the extra cost of the pillars which are really only extensions plus a lick of paint. As you have plenty of dirt and the ground floor isn't load bearing that should be a cheap job.....maybe you swap some fill for some base rubble.

[sirineou]

1 hour ago, sirineou said:

Cool to read.  Could a Budda room be behind portable wall dividers if ever needed?

As far as I am concerned Buddha can get his own room!!

    In fact if I remember correctly he had renounced such earthly possessions , and would be abhorred at the gold gilded monument to him.

 That's the argument I will use  with my wife. You are all welcome to use the same argument , but I warn you, I am pretty fast on my feet, unless you are the same I would consider caution or a helmet.

Seriously , on her sisters house next door, we have a spirit" house outside, I don't know is that the same as Buddha room?

    They burn incense and place  food offerings,

The neighbors chickens seem to love it. How they make it over out 2M high fence I don't know, perhaps they are possessed by the spirits.

[steven100]

18 hours ago, ajcnx said:

If you are giving a contract to some builder it will be something in between 8000-10000 baht/sqm. it includes everything from zero to full finished project.

if you are doing it of your own like just paying for the construction cost and buying your own raw material you will be paying around 6500-8000 baht/sqm . it will be a hassle for few months but you will be more satisfied as you bought everything by yourself. this price does not include surroundings and fence wall or outer gates . giving a contract for the whole thing you can negotiate few things as for your parking space or garden it depends. 

I very much doubt you can get a contractor to build his house design for 8,000-10,000 bht / sqm ....   with good finishes and professional workmanship, more like 15,000-17,000. imo

You may get a cheaper single story block & tile for that price ....  imo ... just saying.

[carlyai]

It looks very nice from the video. You need to not look at the video surrounds, but pictue it in the area you are going to build. I designed my place using a CAD program, with a walk thru video, but some things I would have changed if I had located it in the exact area I was going to build.

If it's going to be your retirement home, you need to think about when you get in your 70s or 80s as well. Why have 2 storey? You'll probably spend most time downstairs anyway.

Getting rid of shiny floors is nearly impossible here in Thailand, but get a sample and throw some water on it and you create a skating rink. I'd try and go for less slip flooring. Make sure the flooring you do have is only 1 level. When you get older you don't want to be walking and changing levels, where all the tiles are the same colour. Easy to miss a step and break an ankle.

I know it's only a drawing but go overboard on power plugs, you can never have too many.



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[r136dg]

1 hour ago, carlyai said:

If it's going to be your retirement home, you need to think about when you get in your 70s or 80s as well. Why have 2 storey? You'll probably spend most time downstairs anyway.

Excellent point!

[sirineou]

4 hours ago, carlyai said:

It looks very nice from the video. You need to not look at the video surrounds, but pictue it in the area you are going to build. I designed my place using a CAD program, with a walk thru video, but some things I would have changed if I had located it in the exact area I was going to build.

If it's going to be your retirement home, you need to think about when you get in your 70s or 80s as well. Why have 2 storey? You'll probably spend most time downstairs anyway.

Getting rid of shiny floors is nearly impossible here in Thailand, but get a sample and throw some water on it and you create a skating rink. I'd try and go for less slip flooring. Make sure the flooring you do have is only 1 level. When you get older you don't want to be walking and changing levels, where all the tiles are the same colour. Easy to miss a step and break an ankle.

I know it's only a drawing but go overboard on power plugs, you can never have too many.



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Thank you Carl 

All god points. That I have consider also 

I am a very active person , always pattering around , and the lot we have is a narrow lot, but we like it because it is only 15 min from the center of the city but in quiet country setting.also next to my wife;s sister's house so she can keep an eye on our house when we are away. We will still maintain a house in Florida and we have a house available to as at Salamis Island in Greece (my brother is retired there) and near Venice italy (My sister is retired there).So we plan to travel extensively when I have more time , after my retirement.

  As I said our lot is narrow 15m wide by 25 M long and I did not want the house to take the whole property, I am an outside person , Hence the elevated design  with the open downstairs ,which leaves me  much of the property to play around.with..

Later on I might frame a room downstairs in the back corner , behind the bathroom, especially if i find it difficult to go upstairs as I get older. 

  Good point about the tiles, I have noticed the same. I will certainly use anti skid tiles downstairs, a fall and a broken hip can be a death sentence for the very old..

Thank you all for your helpful and kind replies. Lots of useful information.

[Pilotman]

On 15/09/2017 at 8:08 AM, r136dg said:

1.7 seems pretty reasonable to cheap, but I can only reason that from my recent build. Having experience, you're not going to like what you see from the start of your project & you'll probably be drawn into it (getting your hands dirty). I would suggest a lot of research first & look into everything you want (materials/toilets/doors/electrical/ect.) Maybe meet with some of the generals subs, there will be a lot of details to address. They will work to their normal standards and believe me, they won't even be close to yours.

Good luck & the DIY forum will be a great asset to you!

We bought a built shell 2 years ago.  the house was 'finished' with all  services connected, but it has taken a further 1.2 million to get it Farang liveable. By the time we added, air con, water filtration and backup tank, kitchen and utility  house and services, outside covered living and relaxing space, extra electricity protection, new secure doors, curtains etc it was costly.  We haven't finished yet, as swimming pool  and garden will set us back a further 1.2 or so. The only advice I can add is that we seriously underestimated how much extra work, and cost,  is involved in getting a 'Thai finished ' house, up to the standard we needed to live in. I have no doubt that it can be done cheaper, but I can only pass on our experience. Total cost for a house that started at 4.2 million when we bought it.  will be in the region of 6.5 million. when truly 'finished' 

[Alantct]

We bought a built shell 2 years ago.  the house was 'finished' with all  services connected, but it has taken a further 1.2 million to get it Farang liveable. By the time we added, air con, water filtration and backup tank, kitchen and utility  house and services, outside covered living and relaxing space, extra electricity protection, new secure doors, curtains etc it was costly.  We haven't finished yet, as swimming pool  and garden will set us back a further 1.2 or so. The only advice I can add is that we seriously underestimated how much extra work, and cost,  is involved in getting a 'Thai finished ' house, up to the standard we needed to live in. I have no doubt that it can be done cheaper, but I can only pass on our experience. Total cost for a house that started at 4.2 million when we bought it.  will be in the region of 6.5 million. when truly 'finished' 

 

 

Absolutely true.

Anyone that thinks they can get a decent house for 10000 baht per square meter will be in for a rude awakening.

Maybe not in a year but when the cracks and subsidence start to show you will regret being a cheap Charlie.

For 10k you will get a bare bones single skin no insulation shell with questionable foundations and sub par electrics and plumbing.

That's a fact.

I am in the building trade 40 years and 10'if those in Thailand and I know most contractors here and I know the prices including the Thai builders and I also know the quality of their work.

God knows I have been brought in often enough to fix the issues.

Underpinning crap foundations.

Re rendering cracked walls

Redoing poor electrics

Installing proper circuit breakers and RCBO

The list is endless.

 

 

 

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[dick turpin]

If you are thinking of an extra room downstairs do it now.

Was in a similar position during my house build, asked the

builder for a quote and he said B20,000, easy for him all

the materials and labour were already on site....saves a

whole mess later on. 

[Pilotman]

14 hours ago, sirineou said:

As far as I am concerned Buddha can get his own room!!

    In fact if I remember correctly he had renounced such earthly possessions , and would be abhorred at the gold gilded monument to him.

 That's the argument I will use  with my wife. You are all welcome to use the same argument , but I warn you, I am pretty fast on my feet, unless you are the same I would consider caution or a helmet.

Seriously , on her sisters house next door, we have a spirit" house outside, I don't know is that the same as Buddha room?

    They burn incense and place  food offerings,

The neighbors chickens seem to love it. How they make it over out 2M high fence I don't know, perhaps they are possessed by the spirits.

too true, no contribution to the cost, no private room.  

[Jack james]

My friend is having one built just like pic. 3 br. 2 bath. Elevated. House not land - 2.4 mil

[sirineou]

Follow up update:

Thanks to all for your advice  kind comments, and a special Thanks to a particular member (i am not using name because I am not sure if he wants to be identified)  who introduced me to the builder he used and was satisfied with is work.

He seemed like a very nice guy, and very knowledgeable,

Everyone else I met tried to sway me from using Super block . one told me that they are not used very much in Thailand, to my surprise as I see them used everywhere, and sold everywhere, especially the 7.5 cm ones.

  Anyway Dook (that's his name, ) immediately suggested I use Superblock and explained why (all the right reasons)  He does speak some english,  and I was able to communicate with him (a major plus)  at a basic level. he understood all of my concerns and addressed them in a professional manner.

  I am a construction professional in the NYC highrise industry, and I was impressed by his expertise on the subject, and that he did not try to blow smoke up my , you know what.  

  We settled on a 1,700, 000 price all in , signed contract, transfer 15% to start in his bank account and started clearing ground  on the property, tomorrow we will stake out the house. 

   He wanted to do all that because I will be going back to the US Sunday and we wanted me to see where the house will be and see some progress before I go. We will try to do the piles before I go also.

   and we will start the foundation after Buddhist lent , when we can get the monks to bless the foundation.

I wish I could be here , and I know I should, but it is impossible, Work is going crazy without me, (good to know when I negotiate my next contract) and they are begging me to come back, I am up writing this at this late  time because they dont seem to be able to grasp the concept of time change. I should turn my phone off.

   Anyway, wife will come back to supervise the build, But  she will not be able to do that for a month or so,

    What do you all think, should I let him do the foundation and columns on his own???..

I am a bit apprehensive ,  but he is very professional, seems honest, and we talked about all the things I dont want done, or want done, such as , proper coverage of the steel. vibrating the concrete, no extra water in the concrete, , wrapping the columns. etc etc. The wife will be back for the rest and I can tell her what to watch for. If she is a tough on them as she is on me, God save them

  Once we get started I will start a separate Thread and try to document the progres.

Thank you all again!!! 

 

[Pilotman]

3 hours ago, sirineou said:

Follow up update:

Thanks to all for your advice  kind comments, and a special Thanks to a particular member (i am not using name because I am not sure if he wants to be identified)  who introduced me to the builder he used and was satisfied with is work.

He seemed like a very nice guy, and very knowledgeable,

Everyone else I met tried to sway me from using Super block . one told me that they are not used very much in Thailand, to my surprise as I see them used everywhere, and sold everywhere, especially the 7.5 cm ones.

  Anyway Dook (that's his name, ) immediately suggested I use Superblock and explained why (all the right reasons)  He does speak some english,  and I was able to communicate with him (a major plus)  at a basic level. he understood all of my concerns and addressed them in a professional manner.

  I am a construction professional in the NYC highrise industry, and I was impressed by his expertise on the subject, and that he did not try to blow smoke up my , you know what.  

  We settled on a 1,700, 000 price all in , signed contract, transfer 15% to start in his bank account and started clearing ground  on the property, tomorrow we will stake out the house. 

   He wanted to do all that because I will be going back to the US Sunday and we wanted me to see where the house will be and see some progress before I go. We will try to do the piles before I go also.

   and we will start the foundation after Buddhist lent , when we can get the monks to bless the foundation.

I wish I could be here , and I know I should, but it is impossible, Work is going crazy without me, (good to know when I negotiate my next contract) and they are begging me to come back, I am up writing this at this late  time because they dont seem to be able to grasp the concept of time change. I should turn my phone off.

   Anyway, wife will come back to supervise the build, But  she will not be able to do that for a month or so,

    What do you all think, should I let him do the foundation and columns on his own???..

I am a bit apprehensive ,  but he is very professional, seems honest, and we talked about all the things I dont want done, or want done, such as , proper coverage of the steel. vibrating the concrete, no extra water in the concrete, , wrapping the columns. etc etc. The wife will be back for the rest and I can tell her what to watch for. If she is a tough on them as she is on me, God save them

  Once we get started I will start a separate Thread and try to document the progres.

Thank you all again!!! 

 

good luck.  At some point, you always have to take the plunge and provided you have done your background checks,  which you obviously have, hope for the best. 

[tomwct]

Construction prices are going down because economy in the house sector is terrible. Your house could be built for 1.2M if you look for a hungry builder. Good Luck, but always remember in case of a breakup with your wife it's her house not yours. Just walk away with a smile in case of divorce.

[cheeryble]

I also thing the price could have been lower with close oversight, but with a good budget he is less likely to cut corners and as it sounds like you had to move fast you did the right thing.

If youre earning, who cares, you want action?

 

I would set up a system where a detailed video is taken at very regular intervals......and the builders know it......for you and your workmates to peruse up some skyscraper in NY the same day. Maybe before you go you could make a schedule of important things to video and whether you need close up etc. (e.g. rebar before pour, wiring, render finish etc etc?)In fact you could have  a YT channel so we could also watch the progress and charge a $1

[sirineou]

2 hours ago, cheeryble said:

I also thing the price could have been lower with close oversight, but with a good budget he is less likely to cut corners and as it sounds like you had to move fast you did the right thing.

If youre earning, who cares, you want action?

 

I would set up a system where a detailed video is taken at very regular intervals......and the builders know it......for you and your workmates to peruse up some skyscraper in NY the same day. Maybe before you go you could make a schedule of important things to video and whether you need close up etc. (e.g. rebar before pour, wiring, render finish etc etc?)In fact you could have  a YT channel so we could also watch the progress and charge a $1

Thank you Cheeryble for your kind words. I agree , if I stayed here to supervise the build it would have cost me aa lot  more in lost wages than any savings I could ever achieve . never mind the years of therapy that I would need after.

As far as the YT channel ideal one question, what category should I post it under, Comedy, or Drama?  Any suggestions of a title?

I am thinking "As the stomach Turns" any better suggestions?

[cheeryble]

7 hours ago, sirineou said:

Thank you Cheeryble for your kind words. I agree , if I stayed here to supervise the build it would have cost me aa lot  more in lost wages than any savings I could ever achieve . never mind the years of therapy that I would need after.

As far as the YT channel ideal one question, what category should I post it under, Comedy, or Drama?  Any suggestions of a title?

I am thinking "As the stomach Turns" any better suggestions?

 

Actually since you mention the title......

I would bring the builder in on it to the extent that a YT channel is named something like "Kh Dook builds my beautiful house"

.......perhaps in Thai or show him his name is right there in English.

I'd do it as if I'm honouring him rather than trying to avoid mistakes.......that would never do......more like give him something he can be proud of.....a model job. 

[cheeryble]

I checked the price of AAC blocks last week at Tor Home in CM.

 

75mm were 17.5bt

100mm wee 30.5bt

 

So over 80% dearer for 33% extra thickness!

I can only guess this is similar at other sellers........true?

 

For any future build I was thinking of using a single skin of 100mm AAC for outside walls and grow some vegetation to help shade it.

What do folks think of the effectiveness of a single wall of 75mm for someone who;s lived with fans and no aircon for 14 years (though there will be air fitted for the most unpleasant season)? 

 

 

 

[sirineou]

5 hours ago, cheeryble said:

I checked the price of AAC blocks last week at Tor Home in CM.

 

75mm were 17.5bt

100mm wee 30.5bt

 

So over 80% dearer for 33% extra thickness!

I can only guess this is similar at other sellers........true?

 

For any future build I was thinking of using a single skin of 100mm AAC for outside walls and grow some vegetation to help shade it.

What do folks think of the effectiveness of a single wall of 75mm for someone who;s lived with fans and no aircon for 14 years (though there will be air fitted for the most unpleasant season)? 

 

 

 

at that price for 35 bht you can have a double wall of 75 mm

[cheeryble]

7 hours ago, sirineou said:

at that price for 35 bht you can have a double wall of 75 mm

Well its a thought. Let's see.

One block is 60x20=1200cm2

10,000/1200 = 8.333 blocks/m2

8.333blocks x 35 baht = ca290bt

Adhesive at 95baht I'm told does about 5 m2 one skin 

So 1m2 double skin approx 40baht/m2

Add 290

Totals 330/m2

My one bedroom chalet would be ballpark 36m2 at say 3m height probably average less

Say 100m2 total @ 330baht = 33,000baht

 

If the 100mm blocks are not available much less than 30.5 baht a single 100mm skin would cost roughly 29,000 baht.

 

So that's a no brainer.

The alternative would be an inner skin of cheap blocks or bricks probably not much difference in insulation for a combo twin skin, maybe a hint less noise resistant than the AAC blocks.

But if the AAC blocks for each skin only cost 33,000/2 = 16500baht well a brick or block wall is not going to cost a worthwhile amount less.

 

So Sirineou youre right....in fact for a major component of the chalet it sounds like a snip.

 

I'm guessing a cavity wall of twin AAC 3 inch would be pretty noise deadening.......nice to know in case one might have close neighbours in future. In a nightmare scenario of a future barking dog or whatever the worst would be make a "safe room" by double glazing the not-so-large bedroom window(s).

 

Presumably they sell "ties" to attach the two skins across the cavity?

Or maybe bodge them out of galvanised stiff wire bit like coat hanger thickness?

[Naam]

On 9/22/2017 at 4:59 PM, sirineou said:

if I stayed here to supervise the build it would have cost me aa lot  more in lost wages than any savings I could ever achieve . never mind the years of therapy that I would need after.

if, for 10 months, i had not been the first one on the construction site and the last one to leave only dynamite would have solved to eradicate a monstrous result. i only survived that period with the help of a hip flask filled with vodka.

[cheeryble]

7 minutes ago, Naam said:

if, for 10 months, i had not been the first one on the construction site and the last one to leave only dynamite would have solved to extinguish a monstrous result. i only survived that period with the help of a hip flask filled with vodka.

Every cloud has a silver lining 

 

[carlyai]

As everyone (a rough guess) who has built here, and had to leave during the build, would say out loud...you must be here for the build.  Things don't happen the same if you, not your wife, are not here.

'Thailand building code 101'