Finished House Picture (Views and Gardens Welcome)

[villagefarang]

With over 15,000 page views there is interest in this topic but lately people have been reluctant to add their pictures. Anybody else out there willing to share.

[phutoie2]

I am currently supervising (funding!) one being built now for my wife's Mum, should be finished end of September.

This piccy was taken at the beginning of August, the old house is in the background.

Building and labour costs 90k Baht and hope to do all the materials for 350k Baht or less.

Warning to all, materials seem to be on the increase after sourcing at several builders merchants, especially cement/wood and roof tiles, but steel, you can get for a reasonable amount.

Will post the finished article later. Would I live in it ?, yes, yes, nice holiday home in the jungle!.

[villagefarang]

I am currently supervising (funding!) one being built now for my wife's Mum, should be finished end of September.

This piccy was taken at the beginning of August, the old house is in the background.

Building and labour costs 90k Baht and hope to do all the materials for 350k Baht or less.

Warning to all, materials seem to be on the increase after sourcing at several builders merchants, especially cement/wood and roof tiles, but steel, you can get for a reasonable amount.

Will post the finished article later. Would I live in it ?, yes, yes, nice holiday home in the jungle!.

I like your attitude and perspective on things. You should do just fine. Hope you end up with a nice jungle retreat.

[thaifever2007]

Please post the price and location of the house too. I enjoy seeing the pictures, but I'd like to get an idea of prices.

THANKS!

[keithlarge]

Here's our place that we have recently finished building.

Four bedrooms, three bathrooms, living room, computer room/study, tv room for wifey and her soaps, western and Thai kitchen.

In the process of finishing off the garden but the lawn will have to wait until we get a little more rain.

Hi

We love the house, I am just embarking on starting to build one similar but 3 bed, was going to base it on style of Government free plans No.10, or No.11, if you have seen them, with mods like add a bath in master bed etc:. Wondered what your approx costings were and how you approached it, did you source your own mat'ls, any costs as a guide any any other guides you may have on the labour side. We already have the land near Ubon Rachatani if that makes a cost difference. (Sorry if I am being too cheeky).

Would love to see more photo's of your house and maybe you can tell me if No. 10 & 11 plans have any similarity for costing.

Best regards Keith

Sorry Keith, no emails in posts.

[villagefarang]

General rule of thumb is that it will cost 50% more than you expect. That can easily grow to double. Costing for every house is different so focus on your own budget and down size if your quotes go over. It does no good to fixate on the prices, prices, prices, of other peoples homes. It just isn't that simple. It is also a bit gauche to publicize the cost of one's home. Perhaps you could send a personal message to whomever you wish more detailed information from. Personally I would not be forthcoming but others may be more open in a less public forum.

Please post the price and location of the house too. I enjoy seeing the pictures, but I'd like to get an idea of prices.

THANKS!

[Naam]

General rule of thumb is that it will cost 50% more than you expect. That can easily grow to double. Costing for every house is different so focus on your own budget and down size if your quotes go over. It does no good to fixate on the prices, prices, prices, of other peoples homes. It just isn't that simple. It is also a bit gauche to publicize the cost of one's home. Perhaps you could send a personal message to whomever you wish more detailed information from. Personally I would not be forthcoming but others may be more open in a less public forum.

Please post the price and location of the house too. I enjoy seeing the pictures, but I'd like to get an idea of prices.

THANKS!

i don't see a problem disclosing building cost. but these can't be used as a rule of thumb because land prices vary hugely depending on location and the actual cost of building depends on local labour cost, the "farang premium" a builder might add and of course the materials/furnishings one uses for the interior; e.g. flooring can be a couple of hundred Baht per m² till sky is the limit. the same applies to land prices. in a Jomtien posh village -even now with real estate prices shaky- one talang wah sells for 40k Baht = 16 million for one rai. i live (as the crow flies) 2km east of Jomtien and the two remaining plots in my village have an asking price of 28,000 Baht/talang wah.

[Naam]

General rule of thumb is that it will cost 50% more than you expect. That can easily grow to double.

i [not so] humbly beg to differ VF. i built four years ago, live in the house since three years and my cost overrun was a mere 11%. that i spent later an additional bundle to implement some fancy ideas of mine is a different story and not related to the initial building cost.

[villagefarang]

I don't see any disagreement. That is pretty much what I was talking about. The upgrades and add-ons pile up and by the time you're finished you have spent more than you planned. "Wouldn't this be nicer and it doesn't really cost that much more." Our contractor was great and stuck to the deal. It was all us, finding nicer stuff to make the decor more comfortable. Maybe some can stick to a budget but there is a tendency to indulge a bit.

Maybe semantically incorrect but I tend to look at total cost which may include things that others might itemize out and put in another pot. Oddly I even included the truck in my costs. My central local in Bangkok led me to get ride of my car for eight years. Moving to the Rai entailed the need for transport as well as the house and land and everything else. It seems like it never ends. Always a work in progress with only three of the five rai developed.

General rule of thumb is that it will cost 50% more than you expect. That can easily grow to double.

i [not so] humbly beg to differ VF. i built four years ago, live in the house since three years and my cost overrun was a mere 11%. that i spent later an additional bundle to implement some fancy ideas of mine is a different story and not related to the initial building cost.

[personchester]

How about some pictures of our finished houses. Give the others an idea of how farangs actually live over here. A shack or a mansion, don't be shy. Just one representative shot of your dwelling without details of price or location. As they say a picture is worth ...

Living in rural areas has both positive and negative aspects, it depends what one wants, being stuck in the sticks makes for a somewhat dull life, so this is altogether a matter of personal taste, moreover, if one wants to move on one day to try to resale a property out there "somewhere" wont be easy, one's money will be tight up and one is unable to move on, in other words one is hi-jacked, for this reason is is perhaps preferable to stay midway between urban and rural areas.

[personchester]

How about some pictures of our finished houses. Give the others an idea of how farangs actually live over here. A shack or a mansion, don't be shy. Just one representative shot of your dwelling without details of price or location. As they say a picture is worth ...

Well here are some, 5 km from Chiang Mai. (semi urban/semi rural.

[quiksilva]

You have a beautiful home personchester. I am still doing some work on mine, not half as grand as many here but will post some pics once we have finished our landscaping project ((almost too fancy a word for our tiny suburban garden!)

[villagefarang]

Personchester, thanks for welcoming us into your home. You are braver man than I. Taking some of these TV louts on a tour of my inner sanctum is more than I can bring myself to do.

You are ever so correct that one must consider carefully ones goals, needs and financial wherewithal before deciding what and where to build. In my blog I stated briefly but clearly that my home was and indulgence and not an investment. I am drawn to extremes. In Bangkok our central location made it possible to walk or take the Sky-Train to where we wanted to go. I did not want to move to the suburbs or a local that was neither this nor that. Thus my choice was a remote rural village with endless trails and unfettered access to nature.

Thanks again for your hospitality.

[skybluestu]

View from my kitchen table.

[villagefarang]

View from my kitchen table.

Isn't it wonderful to be surrounded by open space. I'm sure breakfast tastes better sitting there. I do have a thing about walls, however.

[skybluestu]

View from my kitchen table.

Isn't it wonderful to be surrounded by open space. I'm sure breakfast tastes better sitting there. I do have a thing about walls, however.

Sure is and sure does. That pic was taken the day after moving in and there are now plants along that wall so it will soon be hidden.

But wall or no wall, the view of Chiang Rai mountains is a mighty improvement over the view of grey, terraced houses I had a couple of years ago in the UK!

[villagefarang]

Personchester,

First impressions extend beyond the human form and I got an impression by viewing the interior of your home. I envisioned a gentleman who is a bit older than I, of a rather formal, conservative and traditional bent. At least when compared to me. Not a judgement or anything, just thought I would share a strangers first impression. I find such phenomenon interesting but you may not. Sorry if I over-step or offend.

[villagefarang]

I thought those mountains looked familiar.

View from my kitchen table.

Isn't it wonderful to be surrounded by open space. I'm sure breakfast tastes better sitting there. I do have a thing about walls, however.

Sure is and sure does. That pic was taken the day after moving in and there are now plants along that wall so it will soon be hidden.

But wall or no wall, the view of Chiang Rai mountains is a mighty improvement over the view of grey, terraced houses I had a couple of years ago in the UK!

[Naam]

a few pictures of the interior:

[Naam]

In my blog I stated briefly but clearly that my home was and indulgence and not an investment. I am drawn to extremes.

i am quite happy learning that there are others besides me who are "home extremists".

[flying]

a few pictures of the interior:

Good Night !

That is very nice indeed!

Congrats

[villagefarang]

It strikes me that your lovely home was perhaps built to accommodate and display your extensive collection of decorative furnishings. Makes my place look like an empty barn. Then again I do not posses such lovely things and built around our views. An excess of windows provides those views and excellent flow-through ventilation but not much wall space to display and do justice to such beautiful things. You are justifiably proud of your residence and internal decor. My wife was most impressed with your choice of furniture, particularly the Chinese items. Obviously you do not have a hoard of little children running around in there.

In my blog I stated briefly but clearly that my home was and indulgence and not an investment. I am drawn to extremes.

i am quite happy learning that there are others besides me who are "home extremists".

Edited August 26, 2009 by villagefarang

[Naam]

It strikes me that your lovely home was perhaps built to accommodate and display your extensive collection of decorative furnishings. Makes my place look like an empty barn. Then again I do not posses such lovely things and built around our views. An excess of windows provides those views and excellent flow-through ventilation but not much wall space to display and do justice to such beautiful things. You are justifiably proud of your residence and internal decor. My wife was most impressed with your choice of furniture, particularly the Chinese items. Obviously you do not have a hoard of little children running around in there.

In my blog I stated briefly but clearly that my home was and indulgence and not an investment. I am drawn to extremes.

i am quite happy learning that there are others besides me who are "home extremists".

we don't have children running around but these two little rascals (one of them is not fully yet housetrained)

[Naam]

You are justifiably proud of your residence and internal decor.

it is all a matter of individual perception and perspective. some of my friends think we are not living in a house but in a museum. others prefer a more contemporary/modern style. but the only thing that matters is that we like our chosen style which is not pure but a mixture of our personal demands and desire.

by the way, we built a near identical house before and lived in it happily many years before we moved to Thailand. all what we did was adjusting the house to the local needs. worthwhile to mention might be that each and every square centimeter and details were planned by the Mrs and my (not so) humble self, i.e. no bloody architect or interior decorator was involved. the contents is the result of nearly three decades spending a fortune buying things we highly value and appreciate them each and every day.

referring to my earlier post (no children but dogs) i'd like to add that we would quite happily accept once in a while half a dozen grandchildren to visit us, break vases, scratch furniture or topple a sculpture. unfortunately fate has denied us this joy

[steelepulse]

Here's a shot from the dining room/kitchen area to the room divider.

[esprit]

Here's a shot from the dining room/kitchen area to the room divider.

That looks a very large tank. Exactly how big is it and who did it for you pls ?

[villagefarang]

It strikes me that your lovely home was perhaps built to accommodate and display your extensive collection of decorative furnishings. Makes my place look like an empty barn. Then again I do not posses such lovely things and built around our views. An excess of windows provides those views and excellent flow-through ventilation but not much wall space to display and do justice to such beautiful things. You are justifiably proud of your residence and internal decor. My wife was most impressed with your choice of furniture, particularly the Chinese items. Obviously you do not have a hoard of little children running around in there.

In my blog I stated briefly but clearly that my home was and indulgence and not an investment. I am drawn to extremes.

i am quite happy learning that there are others besides me who are "home extremists".

we don't have children running around but these two little rascals (one of them is not fully yet housetrained)

I've got to say, anyone who would let his dogs run free in that "museum" definitely gets my vote of approval. Our Golden Retriever rules our home as well.

[Crossy]

I've got to say, anyone who would let his dogs run free in that "museum" definitely gets my vote of approval. Our Golden Retriever rules our home as well.

Agreed, Naam is made of stronger stuff than I. I wouldn't let my WIFE loose in his lovely home, my parents bought us a set of stainless-steel wine 'glasses' for our wedding, her reputation for breakages preceded her

[Naam]

I've got to say, anyone who would let his dogs run free in that "museum" definitely gets my vote of approval. Our Golden Retriever rules our home as well.

Agreed, Naam is made of stronger stuff than I. I wouldn't let my WIFE loose in his lovely home, my parents bought us a set of stainless-steel wine 'glasses' for our wedding, her reputation for breakages preceded her

:D

[donx]

we don't have children running around but these two little rascals (one of them is not fully yet housetrained)

Let me guess. The one that isn't fully housetrained prefers using your carpets as opposed to using the marble?