Cost of building house in village vs buying in development in expat/tourist town?

[marc26]

6 hours ago, Guderian said:

As you seem to want a western-style house rather than an Isaan shack, you'd probably still have to get a reputable builder in from one of the big cities or you'll end up with a complete shambles of a house. You can save money on the land by building away from the cities, but I wouldn't try to save money using a builder who didn't have a proven track record of putting up houses of the sort you want. Remember, also, that living in the boondocks in Thailand can be pretty lonely for a farang, people are willing to pay more for land and houses in the cities because they want to be near other people they can meet up with for a beer, and also near to the good restaurants and shops. I have a mate who lives in Amnat Charoen, and it's a 110 km round-trip to Ubon just to get a loaf of farang bread from the Tops supermarket there. Be sure you know exactly what you're letting yourself in for.

And to your 1st part, I would search for a very good builder, not just any local builder(but wouldn't rule them out) and know that would add to the costs

No sense in building a house cheap, if it goes to <deleted> in a matter of years

 

Thanks for the advice, appreciate it

[marc26]

3 hours ago, 4MyEgo said:

I live in a village in Isaan, nearest City is an hours drive, 2 towns either way are a 20 minute drive.

Much cheaper building in a house in the village, on the outskirts is even better as you don't get the associated noise from neighbours, festivals, bands etc etc, so on the outskirts, is perfect for us, and neighbours at least 20 metres away from you either side would is ideal, no one behind us or across the road too.

We travel to Hua Hin a few times a year, it's about a 10-11-12 hour drive, we also fly to Phuket.

To build or buy there would be far more expensive than in a village.

We had a local builder build our place for 500,000 baht, we purchased the material for 1.5 mil which worked out to be about 6,250 a square metre all up built, however that didn't include insulation, air cons etc etc.

I know of a farang in a neighbouring village who built a house through a company for about 1.7 mil, it's about a 3rd of the size, it's nice and has 3 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms, also didn't include insulation, air cons etc etc.

If I wanted to be near the beach, I would spend the 5-7 mil, but I prefer to invest kinf of money and also have the same amount in the bank as a back up, after all, even though I have been with the Mrs for 14 years, if it ever went south, which I seriously doubt, it would all be hers, so 10% of my worth to her is feasible for me while we are together, she can get the lot when I croak it as it's in the will and the life insurance is here too.

I enjoy the tranquillity of the village life for the outlay, pretty much keep to myself in the house most of the day which is cool because of the way we designed it and insulated it and when I want to socialise, there are some bars 20 minutes away which I can go to in the evenings and have some drinks, plenty of restaurants around as well.

All depends on how much your prepared to invest or lose, flights are also cheap to most costal places, as are hotels, so you can stay in nice expensive places on the cheap, compared to what you would have laid out to buy in a costal place like Hua Hin or Phuket, but if you like to walk along the beach everyday and have the money to spend on the build on the coast, then as long as your prepared to walk away from it if it ever went sour, at least then you knew what you got yourself into, as they say, nothings forever, even life, and I like to think as much as I trust my wife, I like to keep my finances separate as it provides me with a back up of "comfort and security" and if I invited her to share in that, I would only be exposing myself, so I tend to think like banks, e.g. what security do you have to provide me with for the money I am about to
advance you ?

Thanks for your post

This would be more of a holiday home for us, until at least we decide to spend more time in Thailand

But a place her Mom can stay and keep up and for us to go to 4-5 months of the year

At 49yrs old now, I would be content to spend that time in the village, with some side trips to the beaches

As for finances, I would be happy to put in 6-7 mil for a great build but if 3-4mil was enough to build something I enjoy, that is great.

I've been stuck in Canada because of covid and haven't seen my family in US for a year...........so doubt we will make it to Thailand in 2021, so 2022 I will sit with some builders when I get back

 

Thanks for your post

[marc26]

3 hours ago, Antonymous said:

I had a look at both those listings. Similar to 1,000's of other overpriced 'pool villas' in Hua Hin. I have stayed in one for a month and found it quite depressing. Cheap white porcelain tiles, single course walls, cheap kitchen furniture, open plan (aka no architectural integrity) warehouse style living room/dining room/kitchen room/study area.

Anyway, you might like all that so I won't comment further on that score.

As for price, both those bungalows with pool can be built for around 3,500,000 to 4,000,000 if you put in quality materials and fittings. PLUS the price of the land. That is if you find a reputable building crew with a foreman that allow you to supervise materials purchases and you are on site daily to manage everything. You should scout around the area that you plan to build in and knock on the door and ask the owners of recently built decent houses who they used. I have found folk quite happy to tell you. You'll quickly discover who is the best locally.

Or if you don't want to be involved in the process much if at all, you'll have to go to a construction company and have them quote for your building from the plans. They'll estimate the above and then add their mark up, which could easily be another million baht.

An advantage of building your own place is that you can plan it just as you like. Instead of cookie cutter style farang mubaan type houses, you can design something more interesting.

So actually your first port of call is an architect to turn your drawings into a plan. He'll need an engineer to check and sign off on it. Both the architect and the engineer, if they are reasonably local are bound to know and recommend a building crew for you.

Then get planning permission.

Buying a ready built house saves alot of hassle. Building your own can be hard work, but you'll get exactly what you like and pay less for it. Tough choice.

Best of luck.

Wow, thanks for the post!

And yes, I agree with you on the ready built villas, built like <deleted>

I am always amazed that apartments in Bangkok are similarly priced to Vancouver and the fittings, even in a "5 star" apartment, are always <deleted>

I just posted those links to show the style I would like

For me, I don't need a huge house, I'd prefer quality over size with proper fittings/build

And I always intended to hire an architect 

Thanks for the advice! I appreciate it

[marc26]

3 hours ago, GreasyFingers said:

I agree with what @Antonymous says but if you know anything about building you will loose your temper many times when you see how they do it. What they do will work but it is not the way you expect/want it to be done.

I know absolutely NOTHING about building! I mean less than nothing.............that is a worry

[marc26]

3 hours ago, OneMoreFarang said:

I wonder how the locals would react if you hire builders from "outside".

Personally I have no experience with this but the way I understand Thais I wouldn't be surprised if the locals wouldn't like if you hire outsiders.

My wife's best friend just had a Bangkok builder build her house this year............no issues at all

[marc26]

3 hours ago, bolt said:

For me the 2 biggest differences are

• Gated security front entrance villages typically have tiny gardens, you can almost touch your next door neighbor they are so close
• Owning a standalone plot of land, has some security issues, but you will have far more land to use for garden or veggies etc.

We’re currently in a gated village and been here for last 12 years, we want more space now we’re both older, and we have more time to spend relaxing rather than working 24/7

Will you have any young kids running around?, A gated village is great for that, you can kick them out the house  and not worry where they go, as they always stay inside the village.

It wasn't really a question of village vs Hua Hin/expat area

I was just asking about costs

We won't be full time in Thailand for a while(or ever), so the tourist areas are out of the question

 

Although the only place we would look is Cha Am because close to her Mom's family, since she would be in the house when we are not in Thailand, don't want her somewhere alone away from family

[khunPer]

19 hours ago, marc26 said:

Thanks for any replies, I have always wondered that.............

You can count average 25,000 baht per square meter for a decent quality house, plus up to one million extra for a pool, i.e. 5.5 million baht for the 180 square meter house.

The land under the house might be the major difference, as land is often little, and sometimes much, cheaper in a rural village, than in a developed tourist area.

Furthermore, a property inside a project might include some ongoing community fees for guard and other services, which you will not have in a single independant land plot, village or not. The developer will also have a small profit, of which part might comes from the land, and others from discount when being a major building constructor.

At last you need to include location, and location, and location, which are said to be the three major factors in real estate pricing. I.e. where do you prefer to live...☺️

[marc26]

30 minutes ago, khunPer said:

You can count average 25,000 baht per square meter for a decent quality house, plus up to one million extra for a pool, i.e. 5.5 million baht for the 180 square meter house.

The land under the house might be the major difference, as land is often little, and sometimes much, cheaper in a rural village, than in a developed tourist area.

Furthermore, a property inside a project might include some ongoing community fees for guard and other services, which you will not have in a single independant land plot, village or not. The developer will also have a small profit, of which part might comes from the land, and others from discount when being a major building constructor.

At last you need to include location, and location, and location, which are said to be the three major factors in real estate pricing. I.e. where do you prefer to live...☺️

I would like to stay around 6mil all in, including land

If we can get 3 rai for 400-500k, that would be ideal

 

As for a pool, I was actually thinking of the possibility of an above ground pool dug in just a bit with a deck built around.(very popular in Brooklyn, where I lived)

Not so much for the cheaper price(but obviously a plus) but I think would be less upkeep and less potential issues(structual)

 

That is just a thought, regarding the pool.............

 

http://www.pattayapools.net/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=713%3A26374-ultra-xtr-rectangular-frame-pool-set-w-sandfilter-pump&catid=75%3Aultra-xtr-frame-pools&Itemid=53&lang=en

[DJ54]

Depends where your building in the countryside but is considerably less expensive. We live in a village and has house  built house up here in the NE. .. OP can PM picture if you want. ., western style ..

The nearest small city has maybe 2 kinda proper bars and ver few Farangs., but it works for me... if you decide in countryside  make sure you to check water, electric availability. Our has well and village water.. Morning , earlier very very little water can’t wash clothes take shower etc. So some thing are hooked to well and others to village water..

i like it out in countryside we are just outside main village. After 2 months being in the countryside I ride moto to Udon Thani had a couple then back towards small town .. mid afternoon.. I said first person I see drinking a beer I’m stopping to introduce myself and have a beer..

One guy sitting curside having a beer.. there’s 3-4 guys meet  up twice a week for beers .., from there it’s 22 clicks home all two land country road., is awesome .. 

 

 

 

 

 

[marc26]

1 hour ago, DJ54 said:

Depends where your building in the countryside but is considerably less expensive. We live in a village and has house  built house up here in the NE. .. OP can PM picture if you want. ., western style ..

The nearest small city has maybe 2 kinda proper bars and ver few Farangs., but it works for me... if you decide in countryside  make sure you to check water, electric availability. Our has well and village water.. Morning , earlier very very little water can’t wash clothes take shower etc. So some thing are hooked to well and others to village water..

i like it out in countryside we are just outside main village. After 2 months being in the countryside I ride moto to Udon Thani had a couple then back towards small town .. mid afternoon.. I said first person I see drinking a beer I’m stopping to introduce myself and have a beer..

One guy sitting curside having a beer.. there’s 3-4 guys meet  up twice a week for beers .., from there it’s 22 clicks home all two land country road., is awesome .. 

 

 

 

 

1 hour ago, DJ54 said:

 

Singburi, 20mins away, ahs fantastic Thai pubs/bar/restaurants
Mostly outside, with good big picnic bench style seating

Good food and good live music

Have a huge Thai disco that is very fun

I never seen any farang bars but never looked..............

But I do like having a beer and a chat(or moan 555)

[Airalee]

5 hours ago, marc26 said:

I am always amazed that apartments in Bangkok are similarly priced to Vancouver and the fittings, even in a "5 star" apartment, are always <deleted>

I bought a brand new BKK condo last year and then immediately gutted it.  Your definition of high quality may be completely different from another persons.  
 

You can go from cheap tile floors (the ubiquitous white tiles) up to real stone or quality wood floors for many multiples (฿5000/sqm).  You can get the thin (1cm thick) countertops (look around the undermount sinks for the telltale sign) with a glued on bullnose which will show the line running along the edge within a couple years or you can pay much much more for 2-3cm thick slabs.  Will you tile the backsplash leaving grout to get dirty or will you pony up for the matching slab for the backsplash.  Even sinks and faucets can run from very cheap (what you might find in a stock 6m baht condo) up to...again...very expensive.  Same with cabinetry.  Do you go for a big box store kitchen, step up to a KVIK kitchen or go all out for Poliform.  Appliances...same.  Off brand, vs Panasonic vs Bosch vs Smeg vs Subzero/Viking.  
 

in general, the cheap stuff won’t look good long and the 5 star stuff will cost an arm and a leg.  

Same goes for furniture.  IKEA vs Index/SB design vs Semicustom (boutique) vs Designer (Chanintr).

Then there are the window coverings, doors, windows, lighting and on and on and on.

All the previously mentioned things are where it will be either cheap or expensive and it doesn’t matter if you live in the city or in the boonies.

Good luck with whatever choice you make.

 

 

[khunPer]

5 hours ago, marc26 said:

If we can get 3 rai for 400-500k, that would be ideal

That sounds like going price for farmland up Isaan, not in a developed tourist area, where you more likely shall count from about 2-3 million baht a rai and up, depending of location.

[VocalNeal]

On 3/16/2021 at 2:21 AM, marc26 said:

Now, my question is, would building the same type of house be significantly cheaper in a village? 

Ah village life. Where does your wife wish to live? Happy wife, happy life? Sure land will be cheaper in a remote village but ...

I'm not a house proud person or interested much in capital gains nor do I need a project.

-How far is Tesco/Makro/BigC/Tops/Villa/Global etc? (Do you or your wife wish to drive 20+ kms each way simply to go shopping?) I know people who do but ...

-How far is immigration office? (OK only once a year but...) 15kms or 115kms or further

-How far is the nearest farang regular get together? (Some people are happy to be/drink alone but...)  Do you wish to drive 20+kms each way just for a pint? I know a guy who does. 

Same applies to getting car serviced and all the other minutia around life in a village.

-Hobbies? How far?

So the old adage still applies location/location/location.

Pick a smaller province, well away from relatives, and live in or around the centre of government? There will be many already constructed houses on offer. Some with everything or nearly everything you want. Need a pool? Buy a house with a large yard and start digging. 

As has been said avoid any new developments. Perimeter walls crack, house walls crack, drains/roofs leak et al. Lots of horror stories out there. 

At least 30% of the guys I have a beer with on a frequent basis complain about local workers/workmanship. It all sound exhausting to me. 

 

 

 

 

Edited March 16, 2021 by VocalNeal

[bwpage3]

12 hours ago, khunPer said:

You can count average 25,000 baht per square meter for a decent quality house, plus up to one million extra for a pool, i.e. 5.5 million baht for the 180 square meter house.

The land under the house might be the major difference, as land is often little, and sometimes much, cheaper in a rural village, than in a developed tourist area.

Furthermore, a property inside a project might include some ongoing community fees for guard and other services, which you will not have in a single independant land plot, village or not. The developer will also have a small profit, of which part might comes from the land, and others from discount when being a major building constructor.

At last you need to include location, and location, and location, which are said to be the three major factors in real estate pricing. I.e. where do you prefer to live...☺️

Good thing my father in law is a builder.

25,000 square meter is for people that have no idea how building a house works.

[marc26]

7 hours ago, khunPer said:

That sounds like going price for farmland up Isaan, not in a developed tourist area, where you more likely shall count from about 2-3 million baht a rai and up, depending of location.

That would be in my wife's village in Suphan Buri province, 2hrs or a bit less from BKK

But as I said before, finding just 3-5 rai plots for sale is hard to come by.

They all want to sell in large 10/15/20 rai plots

If building a house in the village, I do want some room and not be too close to anyone

I think 3 rai is the perfect size

Now just to find that......

[marc26]

6 hours ago, VocalNeal said:

Ah village life. Where does your wife wish to live? Happy wife, happy life? Sure land will be cheaper in a remote village but ...

I'm not a house proud person or interested much in capital gains nor do I need a project.

-How far is Tesco/Makro/BigC/Tops/Villa/Global etc? (Do you or your wife wish to drive 20+ kms each way simply to go shopping?) I know people who do but ...

-How far is immigration office? (OK only once a year but...) 15kms or 115kms or further

-How far is the nearest farang regular get together? (Some people are happy to be/drink alone but...)  Do you wish to drive 20+kms each way just for a pint? I know a guy who does. 

Same applies to getting car serviced and all the other minutia around life in a village.

-Hobbies? How far?

So the old adage still applies location/location/location.

Pick a smaller province, well away from relatives, and live in or around the centre of government? There will be many already constructed houses on offer. Some with everything or nearly everything you want. Need a pool? Buy a house with a large yard and start digging. 

As has been said avoid any new developments. Perimeter walls crack, house walls crack, drains/roofs leak et al. Lots of horror stories out there. 

At least 30% of the guys I have a beer with on a frequent basis complain about local workers/workmanship. It all sound exhausting to me. 

 

 

 

 

All the big stores are 15-20mins away in Singburi

I lived in Thailand before moving to Canada and have many expat friends in all the tourist/expat areas

And I like to get away

So having farang entertainment near the village isn't a must.

I would go visit friends on trips 

And then chill when in the village the 4-5 months that I would be there

 

My wife's enclave in the village has about 5-6 family houses

And I told I will not live that close to family

I want to be a 10-15min drive away

And she agrees with that

I told her I wouldn't live right next to my sister or brother either...

 

Although I like and get along with her family very well

Still don't want to be right next to them 

[marc26]

1 hour ago, bwpage3 said:

Good thing my father in law is a builder.

25,000 square meter is for people that have no idea how building a house works.

I think he was talking about with top notch furnishings

Which I am interested in. I don't need a huge house 

200sq meters with another small guesthouse is appealing to me

 

But I do want nice doors, windows, floors, etc.....

[chilly07]

The biggest motivator for buying  houses in an elderly moobahn was that they had stood without any problems for many years, that it was an established community, and because Thais prefer new properties the prices were low. Only drawback has been lack of rear garden space and parking difficulties plus developer didn't maintain the communal pool but we do have enough space to put one in front of the house. Even though my brothers in law are builders I know they would not deliver what I would want in a house (retired architect) but I do like older style Thai homes

[Airalee]

2 hours ago, marc26 said:

I think he was talking about with top notch furnishings

Which I am interested in. I don't need a huge house 

200sq meters with another small guesthouse is appealing to me

 

But I do want nice doors, windows, floors, etc.....

฿25,000 per square meter won’t get you close to top notch furnishings no matter where you live.

[khunPer]

2 hours ago, marc26 said:

I think he was talking about with top notch furnishings

Which I am interested in. I don't need a huge house 

200sq meters with another small guesthouse is appealing to me

But I do want nice doors, windows, floors, etc.....

If you are referring to my 25,000 baht comment, then it's for an average acceptable Western-like quality of a house, all inclusive, but not furniture.

Top notch will cost you from 50,000 and way up to a range, most folks don't like to think about.

It's not so much the basic cement construction that is the difference, apart from using double walls of aerated blocks for better heath insulation, and quality of roof construction including heat protection, and prime quality plaster. The major difference is the finishing; i.e. outdoor decoration tiles; and using 3,000+ baht a square meter sandstone, slate, granite or marble floor tiles instead of 300 baht a square meter tiles; marble bathrooms instead of 150-300 baht a square meter wall tiles; teak wood floors in some areas instead of tile-floor; teak wood doors and windows instead aluminum or uPVC; hardwood indoor doors instead af affordable standard doors; type of build-in wardrobes; etc. etc.

You can build a relative nice home for 10,000 baht a square meter, all depending of the quality and finishing, but don't expect Western-like outfit and prime construction for that kind of money.

My house costed in the area 25,000 baht a square meter to build 10-12 years ago (construction took almost 1½ year), when the daily minimum wage was around 200 baht a day – now it's up around 350 baht a day – and that was with aerated concrete blocks; high end paint (that still lasts); 300 baht a square meter floor tiles, but more for the spa-room; mainly 200 baht a square meter wall tiles, however much for for decoration tiles and boards; uPVC doors/windows; standard indoor wooden doors; a top end roof construction with Neustyle-tiles (don't save of roof, might later cost a fortune in water problems and repairs); brand-name fittings in bathrooms; indoor Jacuzzi and sauna/aroma terapi; outdoor Jacuzzi; fully European kitchen with equipment; fairly advanced electric layout and inverter aircons. It's not luxury, but it's Okay acceptable standard for what might be considered as "normal Western people".

My neighbor had a "top notch" luxury house build at the same time for more than 50,000 baht a square meter; apart from the roof construction, so later lots of expensive water damages (they finally had to put a new roof-plates on top of the old), and outdoor paint, which looked old after a couple of years.

If you want quality, don't count less than 25,000 baht in your budget, and rather get happily surprised if it's little cheaper, instead depressed from blowing a too small budget...☺️

[khunPer]

5 hours ago, bwpage3 said:

Good thing my father in law is a builder.

25,000 square meter is for people that have no idea how building a house works.

It's depending of the quality you are building, and the finishing. I had a good idea of what I was having build, and "how building a house works" , and I actually got my quality very cheap after Thai price level, because I had reasonable good knowledge about "how building a house works"; but you of course don't know what I got build...????????

[bwpage3]

3 hours ago, khunPer said:

It's depending of the quality you are building, and the finishing. I had a good idea of what I was having build, and "how building a house works" , and I actually got my quality very cheap after Thai price level, because I had reasonable good knowledge about "how building a house works"; but you of course don't know what I got build...????????

Like I said, everyone in Thailand thinks they have gotten the best deal. 

Everyone is a building expert. You might have known what you wanted, but that is about it. 

Quality and finishing at any cost per square in Thailand is still poor compared to building quality in the first world.

I am sure you will find that out as the years go by.

 

[marc26]

5 hours ago, khunPer said:

If you are referring to my 25,000 baht comment, then it's for an average acceptable Western-like quality of a house, all inclusive, but not furniture.

Top notch will cost you from 50,000 and way up to a range, most folks don't like to think about.

It's not so much the basic cement construction that is the difference, apart from using double walls of aerated blocks for better heath insulation, and quality of roof construction including heat protection, and prime quality plaster. The major difference is the finishing; i.e. outdoor decoration tiles; and using 3,000+ baht a square meter sandstone, slate, granite or marble floor tiles instead of 300 baht a square meter tiles; marble bathrooms instead of 150-300 baht a square meter wall tiles; teak wood floors in some areas instead of tile-floor; teak wood doors and windows instead aluminum or uPVC; hardwood indoor doors instead af affordable standard doors; type of build-in wardrobes; etc. etc.

You can build a relative nice home for 10,000 baht a square meter, all depending of the quality and finishing, but don't expect Western-like outfit and prime construction for that kind of money.

My house costed in the area 25,000 baht a square meter to build 10-12 years ago (construction took almost 1½ year), when the daily minimum wage was around 200 baht a day – now it's up around 350 baht a day – and that was with aerated concrete blocks; high end paint (that still lasts); 300 baht a square meter floor tiles, but more for the spa-room; mainly 200 baht a square meter wall tiles, however much for for decoration tiles and boards; uPVC doors/windows; standard indoor wooden doors; a top end roof construction with Neustyle-tiles (don't save of roof, might later cost a fortune in water problems and repairs); brand-name fittings in bathrooms; indoor Jacuzzi and sauna/aroma terapi; outdoor Jacuzzi; fully European kitchen with equipment; fairly advanced electric layout and inverter aircons. It's not luxury, but it's Okay acceptable standard for what might be considered as "normal Western people".

My neighbor had a "top notch" luxury house build at the same time for more than 50,000 baht a square meter; apart from the roof construction, so later lots of expensive water damages (they finally had to put a new roof-plates on top of the old), and outdoor paint, which looked old after a couple of years.

If you want quality, don't count less than 25,000 baht in your budget, and rather get happily surprised if it's little cheaper, instead depressed from blowing a too small budget...☺️

Can you be my foreman please??  ????

 

My dilemma is we likely won't live there full-time for quite some time. I have a large and very close family in the US and spend a lot of time there.

And most likely my MIL would live there and keep things up(and she will, she's a freak) I struggle between what type of build in that situation.

My wife would be happy with a 2mil block house, but I wouldn't want to spend time there

 

So have to find where I am comfortable $$$ wise taking into account the time we will spend there

Sitting down with builders and an architect, with this advice in others, in my head.............will give me an idea

 

Thanks again

[marc26]

5 hours ago, khunPer said:

If you are referring to my 25,000 baht comment, then it's for an average acceptable Western-like quality of a house, all inclusive, but not furniture.

Top notch will cost you from 50,000 and way up to a range, most folks don't like to think about.

It's not so much the basic cement construction that is the difference, apart from using double walls of aerated blocks for better heath insulation, and quality of roof construction including heat protection, and prime quality plaster. The major difference is the finishing; i.e. outdoor decoration tiles; and using 3,000+ baht a square meter sandstone, slate, granite or marble floor tiles instead of 300 baht a square meter tiles; marble bathrooms instead of 150-300 baht a square meter wall tiles; teak wood floors in some areas instead of tile-floor; teak wood doors and windows instead aluminum or uPVC; hardwood indoor doors instead af affordable standard doors; type of build-in wardrobes; etc. etc.

You can build a relative nice home for 10,000 baht a square meter, all depending of the quality and finishing, but don't expect Western-like outfit and prime construction for that kind of money.

My house costed in the area 25,000 baht a square meter to build 10-12 years ago (construction took almost 1½ year), when the daily minimum wage was around 200 baht a day – now it's up around 350 baht a day – and that was with aerated concrete blocks; high end paint (that still lasts); 300 baht a square meter floor tiles, but more for the spa-room; mainly 200 baht a square meter wall tiles, however much for for decoration tiles and boards; uPVC doors/windows; standard indoor wooden doors; a top end roof construction with Neustyle-tiles (don't save of roof, might later cost a fortune in water problems and repairs); brand-name fittings in bathrooms; indoor Jacuzzi and sauna/aroma terapi; outdoor Jacuzzi; fully European kitchen with equipment; fairly advanced electric layout and inverter aircons. It's not luxury, but it's Okay acceptable standard for what might be considered as "normal Western people".

My neighbor had a "top notch" luxury house build at the same time for more than 50,000 baht a square meter; apart from the roof construction, so later lots of expensive water damages (they finally had to put a new roof-plates on top of the old), and outdoor paint, which looked old after a couple of years.

If you want quality, don't count less than 25,000 baht in your budget, and rather get happily surprised if it's little cheaper, instead depressed from blowing a too small budget...☺️

25k/sqm falls right into what I was thinking with the size of house I would want

As I said, I know absolutely nothing about building..........you won't see me on here telling people I can build it for cheaper, because I know <deleted> all 5555

But in my rudimentary thinking, I've seen houses in her village built for 3-4mil that I liked and thought adding 2mil to that to for a better build/furnishings will do the trick

 

I wish I could get over there in 2021 to talk to people on the ground, but will need to wait until 2022

[marc26]

By the way

Thanks for all the replies, they  have been helpful

[khunPer]

3 hours ago, bwpage3 said:

Like I said, everyone in Thailand thinks they have gotten the best deal. 

Everyone is a building expert. You might have known what you wanted, but that is about it. 

Quality and finishing at any cost per square in Thailand is still poor compared to building quality in the first world.

I am sure you will find that out as the years go by.

You would be surprised then of what one can get in Thailand...????

[donx]

OP, you say you can't find any land in the area you are looking that is between 3 and 5 rai. Almost everything you see is 10 rai and up. If the sellers aren't willing to divide the land into smaller lots, why don't you buy a 10 to 15 rai plot and subdivide it yourself? For example, buy a 10 or 16 rai plot and divide it into 2, 3, or 4 lots. Keep one lot and sell the other lots to someone else.

[khunPer]

2 hours ago, marc26 said:

25k/sqm falls right into what I was thinking with the size of house I would want

As I said, I know absolutely nothing about building..........you won't see me on here telling people I can build it for cheaper, because I know <deleted> all 5555

But in my rudimentary thinking, I've seen houses in her village built for 3-4mil that I liked and thought adding 2mil to that to for a better build/furnishings will do the trick

I wish I could get over there in 2021 to talk to people on the ground, but will need to wait until 2022

I can highly recommend to be on the construction site regularly, if not daily, and to find a building constructor that speaks your language well enough to understand you. Furthermore, a good co-operative feeling with the building constructor is more important than price. Also having a good relationship with both foreman – who is the most important person on the construction site – and work crew can improve the final quality.

A little trick about roof is to get a separate quote for that from SCG's "Roof Expert"-team (Home Mart). They can do a complete construction in galvanized steel, and with roof tiles placed correctly with proper water protection and heat reflection. They make free detailed computer drawings, and gives you quote of different choice of roof tiles, and a 5-year warranty on the roof. It might even be cheaper than having a building constructor to sub-contract a standard welded steel construction, and place the same type SCG-roof tiles on top...☺️

[NCC1701A]

On 3/16/2021 at 2:21 AM, marc26 said:

Thanks for any replies, I have always wondered that.............

8 mil baht houses selling for 4 mil now in Hua Hin. 

for sale signs everywhere. 

what ever they are asking just subtract 30%

 

[marc26]

50 minutes ago, donx said:

OP, you say you can't find any land in the area you are looking that is between 3 and 5 rai. Almost everything you see is 10 rai and up. If the sellers aren't willing to divide the land into smaller lots, why don't you buy a 10 to 15 rai plot and subdivide it yourself? For example, buy a 10 or 16 rai plot and divide it into 2, 3, or 4 lots. Keep one lot and sell the other lots to someone else.

Good thought

I have always thought of it in terms of having 15-20rai of land I don't want and worried about any drama/headaches that would come from renting it out for rice farming

I never thought of buying and selling it in plots