Is building construction regulated in Thailand? Are there any rules (minimum standards) on the design and construction of newly built premises built as dwellings.

Please no funnies, any useful contacts etc. would be appreciated.

I was told that house constructions in Thailand is largely unregulated.

You don't have to be a licensed contractor to build houses.

The city requries that you submit building plans but they only check to make sure you have enough support pillars. There are no other demands or requirements. There are no inspectors who come out at regular intervals and inspect the building of the house.

There are no set building codes.

Quality control is monitored by the contractor....sort of like the fox guarding the chicken coup.

Most construction workers are farmers or day laborers with no formal construction training. They get on the job training. There are no building trades like electricians or carpenters or bricklayers or plumbers in Thailand. Laborers carry out those functions themselves.

The warranty period for a house in Thailand is one year.

It's truely "let the buyer beware"

Maybe others will have their own opinions

I was told that house constructions in Thailand is largely unregulated.

You don't have to be a licensed contractor to build houses.

The city requries that you submit building plans but they only check to make sure you have enough support pillars. There are no other demands or requirements. There are no inspectors who come out at regular intervals and inspect the building of the house.

There are no set building codes.

Quality control is monitored by the contractor....sort of like the fox guarding the chicken coup.

Most construction workers are farmers or day laborers with no formal construction training. They get on the job training. There are no building trades like electricians or carpenters or bricklayers or plumbers in Thailand. Laborers carry out those functions themselves.

The warranty period for a house in Thailand is one year.

It's truely "let the buyer beware"

Maybe others will have their own opinions

Many thanks for your reply 'egeefay' ............by the lack of replies, I was beginiing to think I had not posted my topic on the forum properly.

If the Thai authorities spent half as much time regulating building regs as they do enforcing visa regs then many of us would be a lot happier. Thanks again for your help.

As far as I can tell the local authorities are not concerned about building quality.

As long as the building won't collapse they could care less whether the house is safe to live in or if construction was shoddilly done.

They pretty much let the builder do whatever he wants.

And since the warranty on a Thai house is limited to one year, don't be surprised when concrete driveways start to crack or things start to leak.

You are pretty much on your own once the year is over.

That's why the best advice still holds true.

"Don't invest any money in Thailand that you can't afford to lose"

Got that from someone on this forum

Is building construction regulated in Thailand?