Starting the building journey

[newnative]

7 hours ago, Woof999 said:

 

As I stated earlier, I'm into this eyes wide open. I fell in love with a country that looks after its own but that doesn't mean I have zero rights. I'm about as legally safe here as I can possibly be, but there are still risks. Those risks are not unique to Thailand, and whether the property is or is not legally mine makes not one ounce of difference to how I will feel.

 

A very good friend of mine was recently turfed out of a house he had just completed building in the UK. He is set to lose more than £500k. In reality he ended up with no more rights there than I have here (property wise at least). If everything went tits-up and I lost everything, then the total amount of money involved would be the equivalent of a 3 bed semi in Shepton Mallet. It's not something I'd regret. I'm not saying that it's peanuts, but once the risks are analysed and understood there is nothing to be gained by constantly focussing on them.

 

Most people that I meet in life who dwell on the negatives (are glass half empty types) typically never really amount to much. All they see are the hurdles. Most really successful people that I meet have taken risks, have enjoyed the process as much as the outcome even when things go wrong and, if they do, they pick themselves up and go again. Much respect for those.

 

I fully understand that there are risks involved. For me, they pale into insignificance compared to the rewards. For that reason, I will no longer comment on the matter. I appreciate the heads up from people, but there I will draw a line. If there is ever a need for a fire sale in the future, I'll let people here know and they can happily mumble "I told you so" while I get on with the next chapter in my life.

Well said, both you and Sirineau.

[mania]

16 hours ago, Woof999 said:

 

As I stated earlier, I'm into this eyes wide open. I fell in love with a country that looks after its own but that doesn't mean I have zero rights. I'm about as legally safe here as I can possibly be, but there are still risks. Those risks are not unique to Thailand, and whether the property is or is not legally mine makes not one ounce of difference to how I will feel.

 

A very good friend of mine was recently turfed out of a house he had just completed building in the UK. He is set to lose more than £500k. In reality he ended up with no more rights there than I have here (property wise at least). If everything went tits-up and I lost everything, then the total amount of money involved would be the equivalent of a 3 bed semi in Shepton Mallet. It's not something I'd regret. I'm not saying that it's peanuts, but once the risks are analysed and understood there is nothing to be gained by constantly focussing on them.

 

Most people that I meet in life who dwell on the negatives (are glass half empty types) typically never really amount to much. All they see are the hurdles. Most really successful people that I meet have taken risks, have enjoyed the process as much as the outcome even when things go wrong and, if they do, they pick themselves up and go again. Much respect for those.

 

I fully understand that there are risks involved. For me, they pale into insignificance compared to the rewards. For that reason, I will no longer comment on the matter. I appreciate the heads up from people, but there I will draw a line. If there is ever a need for a fire sale in the future, I'll let people here know and they can happily mumble "I told you so" while I get on with the next chapter in my life.

 

Hear Hear ! 👏👏

[rattlesnake]

20 hours ago, sirineou said:

Half of it. since Thailand is a Community property  country, and any property .  

 

Exactly.

[Hummin]

19 hours ago, Woof999 said:

 

As I stated earlier, I'm into this eyes wide open. I fell in love with a country that looks after its own but that doesn't mean I have zero rights. I'm about as legally safe here as I can possibly be, but there are still risks. Those risks are not unique to Thailand, and whether the property is or is not legally mine makes not one ounce of difference to how I will feel.

 

A very good friend of mine was recently turfed out of a house he had just completed building in the UK. He is set to lose more than £500k. In reality he ended up with no more rights there than I have here (property wise at least). If everything went tits-up and I lost everything, then the total amount of money involved would be the equivalent of a 3 bed semi in Shepton Mallet. It's not something I'd regret. I'm not saying that it's peanuts, but once the risks are analysed and understood there is nothing to be gained by constantly focussing on them.

 

Most people that I meet in life who dwell on the negatives (are glass half empty types) typically never really amount to much. All they see are the hurdles. Most really successful people that I meet have taken risks, have enjoyed the process as much as the outcome even when things go wrong and, if they do, they pick themselves up and go again. Much respect for those.

 

I fully understand that there are risks involved. For me, they pale into insignificance compared to the rewards. For that reason, I will no longer comment on the matter. I appreciate the heads up from people, but there I will draw a line. If there is ever a need for a fire sale in the future, I'll let people here know and they can happily mumble "I told you so" while I get on with the next chapter in my life.

A great base for new adventures, where you can create a life, without worrying about neighbors, and have space and room for everything you want. 

 

We have a big garage, workshop, watersystem, animals, 36m2 complete gym with treadmill, rowing machine, free weights and machines, a bungalow, big indoor kitchen, big outdoor kitchen, bbq area, sala, trees giving shadow, and no as said, no neighbours

[sungod]

On 3/16/2024 at 6:46 AM, OneMoreFarang said:

And then there are all those topics like: All my money is gone because she threw me out of my house. What can I do?

I am sure some of those guys would have been happy if they would have realized earlier that their house and their land isn't exactly theirs.

 

Good luck to all the others in all those happy ever after relationships. 

 

If you are that concerned then there are ways of saying things rather than sarcasm and trying to look clever at the expense of others.

[recom273]

On 3/11/2024 at 8:31 AM, stupidfarang said:

Good price for 700 meters, if using a tractor the cost is 800 baht an hour in the south, so the cost soon adds up. 

 

I would ask around, there is a "tractor mafia" all controlled by this local earth contractor - even though they are just farmers with machinery to do the job - we have to pay 500B per hour, which I find over the top, so 800 is a little too much - as you say, it all adds up.

 

If you want a "macro" a mini-digger, it's 3500B per day. 

 

If I had as much land as the op, I would buy a second hand macro from fb marketplace and / or a kobota - it can be sold on after and will pay for itself in the long run, there are so many times I wish I had a macro on site and I would just do something small, stuff like breaking up some clay soil or whatever.

Edited March 17 by recom273

[stupidfarang]

1 minute ago, recom273 said:

 

I would ask around, there is a "tractor mafia" all controlled by this local earth contractor - even though they are just farmers with machinery to do the job - we have to pay 500B per hour, which I find over the top, so 800 is a little too much - as you say, it all adds up.

 

If you want a "macro" a mini-digger, it's 3500B per day. 

 

If I had as much land as the op, I would buy a second hand macro from fb marketplace and / or a macro - it will pay for itself in the long run.

800 baht an hour is in the south of Ranong, am sure price is differant in Isan where land price is also so cheap compared to the south. Agree about the tractor/digger

[recom273]

Just now, stupidfarang said:

800 baht an hour is in the south of Ranong, am sure price is differant in Isan where land price is also so cheap compared to the south. Agree about the tractor/digger

 

Yes .. sorry, just falling into the old expat "I dont pay that much" trap - that's one reason we moved from the South, I think you have better labour, with Burmese workers but other than that its quite expensive. Everyone has a tractor around here, The prices here should be lower due to competition, but they all fear the local politician guy.

[Woof999]

43 minutes ago, recom273 said:

 

I would ask around, there is a "tractor mafia" all controlled by this local earth contractor - even though they are just farmers with machinery to do the job - we have to pay 500B per hour, which I find over the top, so 800 is a little too much - as you say, it all adds up.

 

If you want a "macro" a mini-digger, it's 3500B per day. 

 

If I had as much land as the op, I would buy a second hand macro from fb marketplace and / or a kobota - it can be sold on after and will pay for itself in the long run, there are so many times I wish I had a macro on site and I would just do something small, stuff like breaking up some clay soil or whatever.

 

Fortunately enough my brother-in-law has a tractor (Kubota3xxx series) and lives just a few km away. Over the last few days he's been building a rake attachment

 

 

 

 

Something like this but with MUCH stronger legs (half inch thick rebar) at my expense. He can keep it afterwards to make more money. We'll use that initially to pick up all the crop / tree debris. If it works, it cost about 4k baht in metal, paint, weld rods etc. If it doesn't, it was a fun little project anyway. I have doubts about the welds.... we'll see.

 

About the excavator, funnily enough I've been scouring all the auctions / marketplaces recently for a bargain. The guy doing the land clearing has his own Kobelco SK200 but it's too worn and tatty for my liking. Occasionally a good Komatsu PC200-7or8 comes up for about 500k, sometimes a lot more. Ideally I want something around the 10-12 ton mark. 20 ton is just a little too big (and we can use the Kobelco anyway), and a mini digger just a little too small. Even 8 ton might do, but the smaller (8-15 ton) machines often seem to fetch the same money as the 20 ton ones. Got to be careful what you buy, very easy to buy something that needs a lot of heavy, expensive work (swivel bearing, traction motors etc).

 

We'll need some heavy machinery to build the lake, but a bulldozer does the bulk of that. I don't really want to buy one of those, so a few days rental is on the horizon in the not too distant future. Those that know the land here say there is decent, water holding clay a few metres below ground level. That will be ideal and keep the costs down. Might increase the foundation costs though, but that is beyond my pay grade.

 

The owners of the land behind us have asked if we want to buy it... not given a price yet and I'm not about to make an offer. We don't really need an additional 13 rai, but if it's cheap....

 

 

Edited March 17 by Woof999
Removed dupe image

[recom273]

@Woof999 I think that's a nice piece of land, nice and straight, good fertile soil, near the river - looks amazing.

 

Good luck!

[brianthainess]

On 3/15/2024 at 9:08 PM, G Rex said:

I don't waste any money on cards or lotteries. It is swings and roundabouts!

So you waste money on swings and roundabouts.      

[sirineou]

On 3/16/2024 at 9:00 AM, Woof999 said:

There is 3 phase power pretty much right outside. I'm not sure if the cable gauge is big enough for the power I'll need, but if not, the run to the main 3 phase poles at the T-junction is less than 300m.

but the house and wiring will be designed to support at least hybrid electricity.

Our play farm. (We mostly do gardening and playing with dirt there) was 500 m from the main line, 

PEA wanted 300k to bring power to our farm where we have a small two room structure, and have a house book for. 

So I said you got to be kidding,  for 300k I can have the best solar cell system and never pay a bill. 

  Have you heard the saying " the squeaky wheel gets greased"?  

we kept bothering the supervisor responsible to the point where he got tired of seeing our faces. And called up back after a while ,saying that he got a grand, and now he could do it for 90K

So we had a meeting with all the neighbors in the area, Initially they were resistant. to the idea , but finally understood that for a small investment their value of their property would double. 

The final cost for each was about 15,000 baht. 

The Project is just finished last week. and we should be getting out meter installed tomorrow or tuesday 

On 3/16/2024 at 9:00 AM, Woof999 said:

Yes we do plan on going solar. Whether that will be sooner rather than later we'll have to see, but the house and wiring will be designed to support at least hybrid electricity.

That's the best option. I have a small solar system for running the well. and a couple of things . and cloudy days like now, I have issues. Today, I had to bring my generator with me, to water. We dont live there and I am afraid to leave the generator at the farm. 

   I am jealous of your 15 Rai and proximity to the river.  My "farm" is 1,5 rai.  I am trying to get our neighbor to sell be a rai ( they have so much) next to our property , I want to fig a pond. 

 

PS: don't listen to all the negative advice, about not building. 

   First of all you know your wife. If you did not trustee her you would not had married her. To me you don't sound like you were born yesterday. 

   Second, Thailand is a Community property country, anything obtained while married , half belongs to the wife and half belongs to you. In the event you got divorced , your wife would have to buy wour half, or sell the property and you both split the proceeds . In the event of a death(god forbid) You have a year to sell your interest. (There ways of getting around that.)

   Third, you are not investing in your wife as some want to suggest. You are investing in your lifestyle. You only live once, you cant play defence and compromise your life. If you lost it, So what? 

you lived your life in you on terms, and there is much more value in that than a few thousand dollars.  

 

 

 

Edited March 17 by sirineou

[mania]

19 hours ago, sungod said:

If you are that concerned then there are ways of saying things rather than sarcasm and trying to look clever at the expense of others.

Does make you wonder why someone who feels that way even reads the "Real Estate, Housing, House and Land Ownership" section of this forum right? 🙄

[stupidfarang]

20 hours ago, Woof999 said:

 

Fortunately enough my brother-in-law has a tractor (Kubota3xxx series) and lives just a few km away. Over the last few days he's been building a rake attachment

 

 

 

 

Something like this but with MUCH stronger legs (half inch thick rebar) at my expense. He can keep it afterwards to make more money. We'll use that initially to pick up all the crop / tree debris. If it works, it cost about 4k baht in metal, paint, weld rods etc. If it doesn't, it was a fun little project anyway. I have doubts about the welds.... we'll see.

 

About the excavator, funnily enough I've been scouring all the auctions / marketplaces recently for a bargain. The guy doing the land clearing has his own Kobelco SK200 but it's too worn and tatty for my liking. Occasionally a good Komatsu PC200-7or8 comes up for about 500k, sometimes a lot more. Ideally I want something around the 10-12 ton mark. 20 ton is just a little too big (and we can use the Kobelco anyway), and a mini digger just a little too small. Even 8 ton might do, but the smaller (8-15 ton) machines often seem to fetch the same money as the 20 ton ones. Got to be careful what you buy, very easy to buy something that needs a lot of heavy, expensive work (swivel bearing, traction motors etc).

 

We'll need some heavy machinery to build the lake, but a bulldozer does the bulk of that. I don't really want to buy one of those, so a few days rental is on the horizon in the not too distant future. Those that know the land here say there is decent, water holding clay a few metres below ground level. That will be ideal and keep the costs down. Might increase the foundation costs though, but that is beyond my pay grade.

 

The owners of the land behind us have asked if we want to buy it... not given a price yet and I'm not about to make an offer. We don't really need an additional 13 rai, but if it's cheap....

 

 

Out of interest what is the cost of land in your area, plus where are you? We are in the south, Chumphon and land is easily one million up and if next to the sea 5 million up. Even in Ranong the land is one million up. 

[EVENKEEL]

On 3/15/2024 at 7:04 PM, OneMoreFarang said:

Good that you know what you are doing.

And good that you have enough money.

 

But I am sure you are also aware of the many farangs who "invest" everything, all in the name of their Thai darling, and then they discover one day that they own nothing. 

 

I made my comment above just as a general comment about land and building in Thailand. I obviously don't know you and your situation. It seems you thought about possible not so perfect outcomes, and you accept that. Great. Enjoy! 

I made my mistake while working overseas and making good money. House was paid for with 5 months of me working. But, while in Isaan one day at a local bar I sat with one very sad looking foreigner who was stuck because he used his savings and was all in and he regretted it.

[sungod]

3 hours ago, mania said:

Does make you wonder why someone who feels that way even reads the "Real Estate, Housing, House and Land Ownership" section of this forum right? 🙄

 

I think its called boredom....

[Rampant Rabbit]

On 3/11/2024 at 8:01 AM, Woof999 said:

 

Thanks

 

 

Thanks

 

 

Zero. Eyes wide open.

 

 

Indeed. I might be asking you for advice then by the sounds of it. I'm expecting lots of ups and downs. The journey is the fun bit, even with all the stress / issues etc. The end product, hopefully, is an added bonus.

 

 

Always dreamed of having more land than was absolutely necessary. Early plans are for a ~2 acre lake and a par 3 golf hole in addition to the main house, a large workshop for me and a separate games room. Will see how that actually pans out with funds available. It might just end up with a small hut in the middle of a large field.

 

The land was mostly used for sweet potatoes and the last crop was harvested this week. There is still a lot of debris to clear and we want to further clear the land back to the boundaries, which are mostly just inside the tree line. We've been quoted 36k baht for the boundary work. This is literally just removing the trees / scrub so that we can build a decent wall at the front and a barbed wire type fence around the rest, initially. At first I thought this sounded a little expensive, but with a perimeter of about 700 metres and quite a few large trees to remove, perhaps it's not.

 

Many thanks.

 

Aside from the construction work, where youll wish you could  have done it  yourself like I had to, who is  going to  maintain all that land? Because if you think you can get decent  staff easily my advice is to save yourself a big headache and walk away now, I too had a similar  dream 12 years  ago 15 rai almost  all done by me , often alone. The lakes 1  rai

Edited March 18 by Rampant Rabbit

[Woof999]

2 hours ago, stupidfarang said:

Out of interest what is the cost of land in your area, plus where are you? We are in the south, Chumphon and land is easily one million up and if next to the sea 5 million up. Even in Ranong the land is one million up. 

 

Far north east. Land cost varies dramatically. There is 6 rai just up the road from us (after the concrete road, power and water ends) that is on the market for 1.2M. Probably available for < 1M. We paid around 300k per rai. Land close by but on the riverfront attracts in the region on 1.5M per rai. Close to town (12km away) it rises dramatically. We were originally looking at a 3.5 rai plot that has an old (but saveable) sizeable house on it. Owners were in two minds whether to sell at 5M, not that I would pay so much.

[Woof999]

1 hour ago, Rampant Rabbit said:

Aside from the construction work, where youll wish you could  have done it  yourself like I had to, who is  going to  maintain all that land? Because if you think you can get decent  staff easily my advice is to save yourself a big headache and walk away now, I too had a similar  dream 12 years  ago 15 rai almost  all done by me , often alone. The lakes 1  rai

 

Nice land.

 

I'll be heavily involved in the construction work. Once the workshop is built, during which I plan to be onsite as much as possible, I'll be physically living on the land and will be there 24x7. No hurry for the house to be built. If it takes 2 or 3 years then so be it.

 

As for upkeep, we'll cross that bridge at the time. Yes good help is difficult to find but not impossible. Already found one decent bunch of workers (and seen many others that I wouldn't touch). Roughly a third of the land will become a lake. I'm not expecting it all to be beautifully landscaped. Further away from the house, apart from a well maintained pathway, an occasional trim by a tractor will be fine.

 

This is all part of the journey. I often find the journey, the problem solving, the head scratching, the ups and downs, to be more rewarding than the end product. That of course may change as I age and am unable to do the physical things I used to do (and the bloody heat).

 

[couchpotato]

7 minutes ago, Woof999 said:

 

Nice land.

 

I'll be heavily involved in the construction work. Once the workshop is built, during which I plan to be onsite as much as possible, I'll be physically living on the land and will be there 24x7. No hurry for the house to be built. If it takes 2 or 3 years then so be it.

 

As for upkeep, we'll cross that bridge at the time. Yes good help is difficult to find but not impossible. Already found one decent bunch of workers (and seen many others that I wouldn't touch). Roughly a third of the land will become a lake. I'm not expecting it all to be beautifully landscaped. Further away from the house, apart from a well maintained pathway, an occasional trim by a tractor will be fine.

 

This is all part of the journey. I often find the journey, the problem solving, the head scratching, the ups and downs, to be more rewarding than the end product. That of course may change as I age and am unable to do the physical things I used to do (and the bloody heat).

 

I like your plan and your attitude to the whole adventure. I'm sure in 3-4 years you'll have a property envied by many. Wish you luck.

[KayDeeDee]

Quote

 

  Hello , Does any one know the current Cost for building a House per square Meter  ?   Thanks