Unfinished Houses Around Phuket?

[minefield]

We are moving to Phuket in the new year so we have been hunting up all photos of Phuket and the surrounding areas we can find as a possible area to live.

One thing we have noticed is there seems to be a lot of unfinished houses and apartment buildings, I know from what we have read that a lot of developers have gone broke in economic down turn and walked away leaving half finished property's.

Question; As I am a builder "Retired" How hard would it be for me to buy a partly finished house and finish it off my self,[with a bit of Thai help] ?? and possible save a bit of cash?

[Atmos]

welcome to Phuket and best wishes for your time here; sorry can't help you re the unfinished apartments - yes there are plenty of them on my cycle route southern part of the island, to be honest a lot of them look as though they may be too far gone for restoration having been abandoned early on in the construction process, a couple of monsoon seasons and the concrete seemms to grow a sort of fungus . . .

Picton? I spent time with my brother there on a visit back to NZ in July, wasn't aware how b cold it could get there, was in one of the new apartments (where the pub was pulled down) on the waterfront. Anyway enough ramblings, once again hope all goes well with your relocation

cheers G61

[minefield]

welcome to Phuket and best wishes for your time here; sorry can't help you re the unfinished apartments - yes there are plenty of them on my cycle route southern part of the island, to be honest a lot of them look as though they may be too far gone for restoration having been abandoned early on in the construction process, a couple of monsoon seasons and the concrete seemms to grow a sort of fungus . . .

Picton? I spent time with my brother there on a visit back to NZ in July, wasn't aware how b cold it could get there, was in one of the new apartments (where the pub was pulled down) on the waterfront. Anyway enough ramblings, once again hope all goes well with your relocation

cheers G61

Your right about it being cold, here we are in december and it's only 10deg I'll look forward to the day i step off the plane in phuket

The ones you are refuring to are they houses or apartments?

[keeniau96]

Yes, there are many, and not just in the southern part but all over the island. If you can find the owner you could make an offer, but be aware that the money value of such property is in very large part in the land, particularly if it is in an attractive location. The construction cost of the structure (foundation, columns, beams, roof) a 100 sq-meter house will be less than 3 mn baht. A 1/2 rai plot in reasonably attractive location will be just about the same (but much less in less desirable place). Completing such a structure will cost the builder about 2 mn baht (medium-upper quality).

The availability of such an uncompleted structure+land will be mostly determined by the cash needs of the owner. If he is financing then he might be in a bind. If he is the land owner then can probably wait it out, expecting to finish off the house and double his investment.

Give it a try, but it will not be easy to find the owner. Your best chance is to get a native Phuket person to do the front work for you: you find possible place and he/she does the owner search. The latter part will require much jai dee and just knowing Phuket.

[LivinLOS]

I know someone who bought an unfinished house.. Continued with it. Spent proper money to really decorate and put in the pool etc, farang quality finish.

Turns out the initial builder hadnt put in DPC and properly done the base.. Now the nice finish is flaking off the walls as fast as you can paint it on, the house smells musty no matter what you do, multiple problems with damp and fungus growing everywhere.

The thing with Thailand is you can never assume that what should have been done, really was done.. My last villa crashed to rubble because the retaining wall wasnt good enough, my current one the pool has slipped as they did footings not pilings, basically if there a way to cut a corner or save money, and then cover it in dirt or hide it with the finish, its safe to assume they will have.

Unless I was involved in every stage from putting in the foundation, I wouldnt touch any with a bargepole for ownership.

[steelepulse]

Then of course there are ownership issues, such as how can a foreigner own the land the house is on.

[minefield]

Interesting,, But after you have been building for 40 yaers you get to know what to look for, Still worth looking at

[LivinLOS]

Interesting,, But after you have been building for 40 yaers you get to know what to look for, Still worth looking at

How would you know that a DPC one way permeable layer had been put under a concrete base back to front ??

X-Ray vision ??

[minefield]

How would you know that a DOC one way permeable layer had been put under a concrete base back to front ??

X-Ray vision ??

I know checking the DPM and the DPC layers is not easy, But I have over the years I have had to add renavations to a lot of very old buildings well over 40 years old and it all comes down to a lot of investagative work drilling and taking core samples, nothing is easy, BUT if what I looked at was the bit suss i would walk away

Remember I am no novice I have been in this game for over 40 years

[billythehat]

How would you know that a DPC one way permeable layer had been put under a concrete base back to front ??

X-Ray vision ??

Permeable DPC? A 'damp proof course' is what it is. Polythene may be used under a slab to stop the concrete fines leeching into the sub-base elements. Perhaps you meant Geotextile Membrane, the various types of which fulfil different functions depending on ground conditions. General observations of the superstructure (above ground works) should reveal any deficient practices within the sub-structure elements. Inspection of concrete condition, spalling, sufficient cover to reinforcement, etc, will also reveal the standard of construction. Do this before embarking on costly ground investigation. Personally, I would start with (should they even exist) the drawings to see what was specified for the form of construction and that the drawings are of 'As Built' status. Thai site supervision takes the form of instructions from the blind delivered to the deaf, so good luck to anybody embarking on such a venture. Finally, rent, don't buy.

[LivinLOS]

You get one way DPC's also Billy..

I doubt there are much used here but seen them used in the west.

[billythehat]

You get one way DPC's also Billy..

I doubt there are much used here but seen them used in the west.

Maybe there is such a product and I would be interested to know how it functions, given that damp proof course products are designed for the purpose of barring moisture from one structural element to another – typically in brick/block walls above finished ground level. The stated geotextile membrane layers are designed to be permeable (unwoven types) and this is to allow moisture to pass through, but not the fines to be found in sand and concrete blinding layers – Note; these are not DPC’s. As a consequence these may be applied at differing formation layers and not necessarily directly under a slab. Should you be referring to vapour control or gas membranes, these have an explicit use and are used within the superstructure and not in foundations. As a side note, I don’t think the standard of building in Lalaland is any worse than in any other 3^rd world country so basically, Caveat Emptor...

[seaeagle]

Guy I know is pretty keen to get out of 3 partially built villas, for which he's run out of cash to complete. He's got rid of one already, but I'm sure he'd take offers on either of the other two.

The builder is very good, and you can visit examples of ones he's built to set your mind at rest.

PM me if you want his contact details whenever you arrive, and I'll ask him if he wants to be put in contact with you. He's not a TV member, so won;t see this.

[neverdie]

Work permit....?

[LivinLOS]

Maybe there is such a product and I would be interested to know how it functions, given that damp proof course products are designed for the purpose of barring moisture from one structural element to another – typically in brick/block walls above finished ground level. The stated geotextile membrane layers are designed to be permeable (unwoven types) and this is to allow moisture to pass through, but not the fines to be found in sand and concrete blinding layers – Note; these are not DPC’s. As a consequence these may be applied at differing formation layers and not necessarily directly under a slab. Should you be referring to vapour control or gas membranes, these have an explicit use and are used within the superstructure and not in foundations. As a side note, I don’t think the standard of building in Lalaland is any worse than in any other 3^rd world country so basically, Caveat Emptor...

It definately was a DPM used under a slab... I dont know the product name but remember it because it was a new thing to me seeing it in use in Holland, at the time I was getting a lot of surprises as many of the building systems there were totally different than what I had known (a form of tunnel formwork adapted to pour sides and floor at once, using injection foams to seal windows in place, lots of new tricks to me).

[minefield]

Guy I know is pretty keen to get out of 3 partially built villas, for which he's run out of cash to complete. He's got rid of one already, but I'm sure he'd take offers on either of the other two.

The builder is very good, and you can visit examples of ones he's built to set your mind at rest.

PM me if you want his contact details whenever you arrive, and I'll ask him if he wants to be put in contact with you. He's not a TV member, so won;t see this.

That is the Type of thing I would be looking for, I dont retire until the end of Jan so will not be over there until possible Feb-March next year, So even though I would be very keen to have a look at these partly finished propertys, There's nothing like being there with the money in your pocket

[minefield]

Maybe there is such a product and I would be interested to know how it functions, given that damp proof course products are designed for the purpose of barring moisture from one structural element to another – typically in brick/block walls above finished ground level. The stated geotextile membrane layers are designed to be permeable (unwoven types) and this is to allow moisture to pass through, but not the fines to be found in sand and concrete blinding layers – Note; these are not DPC's. As a consequence these may be applied at differing formation layers and not necessarily directly under a slab. Should you be referring to vapour control or gas membranes, these have an explicit use and are used within the superstructure and not in foundations. As a side note, I don't think the standard of building in Lalaland is any worse than in any other 3^rd world country so basically, Caveat Emptor...

When I started my apprenticeship in 1962 we put nothing under floor slabs and the buildings are still standing , the plasitic we use now is to stop dampness in low lying areas and to slow the drying prosess

Myself I dont like the use of plasitic under floor slabs because now it has to come up the side of the boxing before the slab is poured [NEW RULES], My reason is ......last year we had a insurance job where a pipe had burst in the slab because the slab was not properly compacted, Water was laying between the plasitic and the slab and they had carpets going mouldy, We had to drill holes through the slab to let the water drain out, So that stuffs up the DPC course

but then again when the steel is laid, Rearly have I ever seen a slab where the DPC course is never free of holes

[commie]

Question; As I am a builder "Retired" How hard would it be for me to buy a partly finished house and finish it off my self,[with a bit of Thai help] ?? and possible save a bit of cash?

Don't even think about it unless you want to find yourself in big trouble one day.

[LivinginKata]

Don't know if you are aware of the very strict labour laws in Thailand. Foreigners must have a work permit, and many trades, such as builders, are not permitted. Even light DIY in your own home can be considered 'working', and working on a big project like house building is a big no-no.

You could get a work permit as General Manager, but you need to form a registered limited company, employ at least 4 Thai nationals, and a whole host of other hurdles. Even then you would only be allowed to 'manage'.

[katabeachbum]

Yes, there are many, and not just in the southern part but all over the island. If you can find the owner you could make an offer, but be aware that the money value of such property is in very large part in the land, particularly if it is in an attractive location. The construction cost of the structure (foundation, columns, beams, roof) a 100 sq-meter house will be less than 3 mn baht. A 1/2 rai plot in reasonably attractive location will be just about the same (but much less in less desirable place). Completing such a structure will cost the builder about 2 mn baht (medium-upper quality).

The availability of such an uncompleted structure+land will be mostly determined by the cash needs of the owner. If he is financing then he might be in a bind. If he is the land owner then can probably wait it out, expecting to finish off the house and double his investment.

Give it a try, but it will not be easy to find the owner. Your best chance is to get a native Phuket person to do the front work for you: you find possible place and he/she does the owner search. The latter part will require much jai dee and just knowing Phuket.

good quality structure and roof of a 100 sqm one story building is less than 600k baht. completing high quality but not fancy is one million.

OP welcome to LOS. Living here is telling others what you want build. Doing it yourself is illegal. As an experienced builder you dont need to hire a builder, just hire staff and have them build to your spec. Be aware of terrible quality structures and lack of foundation.

[eljeque]

Although you have been watching building in your homeland for many years, here you would make a lot of assumptions that would make perfect sense in your home country. You would never think to check something that there is no question about, but years down the road, after you have found a problem, you would think "How on earth would someone actually do or not do that?"

A half built structure is difficult to survey, especially one which has been 1/2 built here. Then, once you add to it the locals who will perform the second 1/2 of the building, and their not being bothered by any work that the first builders performed, then you see what problems will be covered over.

I built a house and made 40% on it in one year. I would never do it again. It is an incredible amount of work watching everything being done.

Look for someland which is bare and the owner needs to sell it. Or, simply find a house that is completed that the owner needs to sell quickly due to financial problems overseas. That would be a lot better than buying a partially built house.

Best of luck to you.