Need Reliable Construction People

[shopgirl]

Can anyone who has built their own house please recommend a construction company? We found a good, reliable architect and have been happy with his service but his construction quotations are too high (we believe) and want to shop around and see who else is available and at what price.

Thanks. :-)

[CMDR]

The one we are using now is not reliable so I have no helpful suggestion

[Thakkar]

The one we are using now is not reliable so I have no helpful suggestion

Mrs T and I were once asked if we knew a construction contractor, we said yes because we'd once had some major work done, but couldn't remember his name as we'd been calling him "bastard" all these years.

Sorry, wish I could help.

[andersonat]

Can anyone who has built their own house please recommend a construction company? We found a good, reliable architect and have been happy with his service but his construction quotations are too high (we believe) and want to shop around and see who else is available and at what price.

Thanks. :-)

***

Hi,

I can recommend to you the services of my Thai brother-in-law, Ban.

He drew up the plans for our house in Chaing Mai, both the house-plans and also the interior-design, he arranged the work-force to build it, and he was on-site every day to ensure that things were being built properly and according to the plans.

The costs that he charged us for himself and his workers were very reasonable.

He also did the interior-design work in the house of a friend, and she was also very pleased with the quality of the work and the price.

The only downside of dealing with Ban is that his knowledge of English isn't very good, and so you would need to have a Thai-speaking friend/partner who could translate the finer details of your wishes.

Please tell me if you have any interest in contacting him, and I'll send you his telephone number and/or e-mail address.

Best wishes.

.

[roger1999]

I know a reliable contractor but he speaks no English. You would either need to speak Thai or have a reliable translator always available. I can't post his name or phone number without his permission. If you want me to ask him for permission just post here and I'll get back to you in a few days.

[john b good]

With all due respects to everything Thai, if you want a quality job done you have got to have (absolutley essential) to have an expat controlling the work.

I don't care whether it's someone's brother in law or the maid's boyfriend, you are doomed to failure if you go it alone with a Thai company.

Quality / reliabilty are not in the Thai dictionary.

They will arrive (if they arrive at all) anywhere between 09.00 - 10.00. - 11.00. You will fnd them sleeping under trees (on your $$$) They will mix concrete that is no better than soup.

The design (I think that you said that you have some drawings) will if it is double storey have stairs at a minimum rake of 45 degrees.

The only thing that I would ever recommend about Thailand (in respect of service industries) is the motor trade. I have dealt with Mitsubishihi and Mazda here in CM and they would give anything in the west a run for their money

"but their expertise in building is zilch, zero, nil" and do I have any competence to comment ? I believe yes after 25 years in the business in first world developed countries.

One reason that I have never built in the relam is it would almost certainly result in my having an extended stay in Suan Prung.

[wedders]

With all due respects to everything Thai, if you want a quality job done you have got to have (absolutley essential) to have an expat controlling the work.

I don't care whether it's someone's brother in law or the maid's boyfriend, you are doomed to failure if you go it alone with a Thai company.

Quality / reliabilty are not in the Thai dictionary.

They will arrive (if they arrive at all) anywhere between 09.00 - 10.00. - 11.00. You will fnd them sleeping under trees (on your $$) They will mix concrete that is no better than soup.

The design (I think that you said that you have some drawings) will if it is double storey have stairs at a minimum rake of 45 degrees.

I disagree to an extent. Having an influential Thai overseeing things certainly worked for two properties I have had the misfortune to find myself living next to during their construction. Neither site was anything to do with expats - land owned by Thais, houses built by Thais, houses sold to Thais.

I can tell you exactly what time they started work. 8am on the nail for one, 9 for the other. They worked through to 6 every day including Saturday, and usually Sunday too. Mostly workers imported from Surin. A couple of times 'slackers' were given just hours to leave if their work wasn't up to scratch... no notice in Thailand.

[uptoyoumyfriend]

With all due respects to everything Thai, if you want a quality job done you have got to have (absolutley essential) to have an expat controlling the work.

I don't care whether it's someone's brother in law or the maid's boyfriend, you are doomed to failure if you go it alone with a Thai company.

Quality / reliabilty are not in the Thai dictionary.

They will arrive (if they arrive at all) anywhere between 09.00 - 10.00. - 11.00. You will fnd them sleeping under trees (on your $) They will mix concrete that is no better than soup.

The design (I think that you said that you have some drawings) will if it is double storey have stairs at a minimum rake of 45 degrees.

I disagree to an extent. Having an influential Thai overseeing things certainly worked for two properties I have had the misfortune to find myself living next to during their construction. Neither site was anything to do with expats - land owned by Thais, houses built by Thais, houses sold to Thais.

I can tell you exactly what time they started work. 8am on the nail for one, 9 for the other. They worked through to 6 every day including Saturday, and usually Sunday too. Mostly workers imported from Surin. A couple of times 'slackers' were given just hours to leave if their work wasn't up to scratch... no notice in Thailand.

one thing has nothing to do with the other.

it doesn't matter if thai or falang but somebody must check the work.i build my own house in cm and we had to sit there and count the buckets of sand and stone that went into the mixer with one bag of cement.insist on the right steel and dimensions and so forth.everything that costs money will be held short,safety is not a concern and if they work for a falang cost isn't either.and no matter how much you try they will always find a way to <deleted> you unless you are there and rule with a strong hand with a smile and and with money.make sure never to pay upfront.who has the cash has the power.i cannot remember how many things needed to be done twice,and there is no planning for to morrow either.and no cleaning of the site.never.sorry.but that is how it is. good luck.

i am happy i am done. two storey 90 sqm each and a big porch and carpark for one milion total. can't beat the price.

and by the way ,it will be 90% burmese labor.

[Chunkton]

Often the fist time you use some contractor he will send half decent tradesmen, however next time he will pick up some unskilled cheap Burmese or hill tribe to assault and ruin your project. More profit. He will be stunned when you renegotiate the price and tell him you would rather have a suppurating herpes infestation than use him again.

They will leave and revel in a filthy mess and destroy anything surrounding and not care one iota about quality as it will be non existent. Agree you need be there every day and know what you are doing to stop all the mistakes, property devaluation and cheap substitutions. While you are there. do as I do, and do what ever you can do yourself, it will be tiring but better quality even if you have no idea what you are doing. Why? Because you actually care. All comes down to sweat and checking everything they do.

Tradesmen are non-existent, they are all "Changs", no not elephants although this would be more accurate, this sort of means tradesmen, ha ha ha.

Now some guys really do know what they are doing, but are expensive and elusive as in demand. Better put a contract in force outlining price reliant on expected quality and time frame, may help somewhat. Those that do work ongoing find the right people through trial and error, it is hard first time out though.

[roger1999]

These are good points. It is very true that you need to find someone who knows concrete. It is not always the case that you need to involve a non-Thai to get quality work done.

[andersonat]

There's quite some invective here in these replies (especially from John B Good, who informs us that he's never actually built a house in Thailand), but I don't want to rise to the bait.

To say that that there are no quality-tradesmen in Thailand is just utter nonsense.

Of course there are, it just that if you don't have the local knowledge, experience and contacts, you can't find them.

(I've been ripped off by incompetent builders/tradesmen in the UK and in Holland, because I didn't know the right people.)

But let me repeat a few words from my original post.

I know a guy ( - my brother-in-law), I've seen how he goes about his business, and I've seen some of the things that he's built (including my house).

And so if you're looking for an architect, an interior designer, or a builder in/around Chiang Mai with a good reputation, I invite you to contact me.

If on the other hand you just want to moan about Thai tradesmen (which doesn't help the Original Poster one jot), then perhaps you should open up your own thread on this subject instead of hijacking this one.

.

[rohitsuk]

Yes John, in general I would agree with you about Thai builders and it is so bad in the UK there was actually a TV series, Builders from hel_l. But there are always exceptions to disprove generalisations.

We did a major renovation of our present house which we bought last year and the Thai chap who organized it all, building, plumbing, electrics and extensions did it all with 90% reliability and 90% quality satisfaction. It was by far the easiest renovation of very many over the last forty years that I have ever done, despite our communication being entirely in Thai at which I am no more than passing fair. He always greeted my changes of plan, requests for extra jobs and correction of little niggles with an affable grin and just got on with it.

Yes, indeed I am describing not just an exceptional Thai builder but an exceptionally nice person with whom it was a pleasure to work. And no I am not giving out his phone number at this point, since we have just bought the house next door to renovate but only because our chap agreed to do it for us, despite being really busy with a new builds contract.

[john b good]

There's quite some invective here in these replies (especially from John B Good, who informs us that he's never actually built a house in Thailand), but I don't want to rise to the bait.

To say that that there are no quality-tradesmen in Thailand is just utter nonsense.

Of course there are, it just that if you don't have the local knowledge, experience and contacts, you can't find them.

(I've been ripped off by incompetent builders/tradesmen in the UK and in Holland, because I didn't know the right people.)

But let me repeat a few words from my original post.

I know a guy ( - my brother-in-law), I've seen how he goes about his business, and I've seen some of the things that he's built (including my house).

And so if you're looking for an architect, an interior designer, or a builder in/around Chiang Mai with a good reputation, I invite you to contact me.

If on the other hand you just want to moan about Thai tradesmen (which doesn't help the Original Poster one jot), then perhaps you should open up your own thread on this subject instead of hijacking this one.

.

I question the "invective" however everyone is entitled to their opinion (which also includes their choice of words)

It is perhaps noteworthy that of the 12 posts prior to this one and excluding the OP, five posts esentially agreed with me and the only thing that wedders commented on was that they (the workers) were punctual.

I appreciate and acknowldge that there are some artisans in the realm who do some good work (one only needs to like at some of the finer hotels in the realm) but will still stick with my original statement.

The fact that I have not built a house in the realm has very little bearing on my qualifications to speak on the matter.

I worked in the building industry in a variety of capacities all my working life. I have owned a condo in CM for almost 15 years. I have had supposed tradesmen do work here. Only one (a cabinet maker) could be said to have done an excellent job. The others have all at best been mediocre.

And this includes, work such as installation of new air-cons, security sceen doors, ceramic tiling, electrical work, plumbing work, and not one of the people doing the work could have got a job outside of a 4th world country.

Furthermore I have had close friends build houses here with varying degrees of success and loads of frustration.

And finally the only one that I know who finished up with a satisfactory outcome (a good / quality house) and no stomach ulcers was the one who used a caucasian to over see all the works.

I reiterate that the only "tradesmen" in general (with the exception of my cabinet maker) that I have never had cause to criticise the work that they have performed are the motor mechanics at the larger vehicle franchise dealers, Mazda, Mitsubishi and Suzuki.

I would expect that many of the back yard / back street auto repair shops are no better or worse than their house building countrymen.

Now if what I have written is considered invective "Laew teer khun"

Edited September 5, 2009 by john b good

[slapout]

Having watched over the construction of 4 houses myself and helped some people on others (in Chiang Mai), I agree with jbg. I was told by a experienced man decades ago and it has proved correct in the majority of cases I have observed, "never lend money to friends or have a business association with family" Having built homes in the real world via contractors and as the primary contractor myself, to even think about the similarity between labor/contractors would be like the best vs the worst memory. As noted above everyone has an opinion.

[Thakkar]

Been here six years, dealt with my fair share of tradesmen.

I'm sure there are good, honest, competent tradesmen in CM.

I sorely would like to meet one.