Building A House

[sunholidaysun1]

Are you building a house or have had one built recently in Chiang Rai ? What are the Labour Costs per metre as the local rates seem to vary ?

[villagefarang]

The first part of the question is rather easy. We built a house about three years ago. Whether or not that is recent in the OP’s mind is another matter.

I guess one could give the per metre cost on the pre-build quote or calculate the final cost with all the upgrades and overruns included. Anyway the question seems to answer itself when it states that local rates vary, depending on what and where you build.

While we are at it, lets answer a few other simple questions. “How long is a piece of string?” “How much does a holiday cost?” Anyone capable of answering the OP’s question can surely answer these as well.

While houses and holidays have a cost associated with them and a piece of string has a length that can be measured, answering such questions requires specifics.

Just three years later and I can’t even guess at how much it would cost to build the same house today.

[jim1563]

It also depends on fixtures and fittings that can change the cost alot

[sceadugenga]

Probably add 20% for labour and materials.

Five or six years ago I built a smallish, fairly basic two story house, 144m2 down stairs, the same up with half of it open balcony for about 800,000B to move in.

The entire job was sub-contracted using local labour.

[kandahar]

OP, stop and think about the varied materials and style used to build houses. Do you want Smartwood coverings or accents? Is it to be just concrete walls, finished with a coat of paint? Is the entire house to be tiled floors or some or all of it finished in colored concrete floors? If it is tiled, are the tiles small and intricate, medium sized or huge? What kind of roof and what materials? Labor per meter cannot be calculated or even estimated, without all of the materials and plans being set out specifically. Are you building a shack or a mansion or something in between? Are you using lots of recycled teak that has to be reworked and refinished?

Labor costs- 200 baht per day is the norm in my area. For a skilled laborer in a certain trade, the cost may be higher, depending on how hard you bargain.

When you bring in a man or woman who will provide all the laborers and tradesmen you need and will supervise them, the cost goes up dramatically. He/she will raise the price enough that he can pay the proper wage and still put a nice sum in his pocket for each person on the crew. So, up to you how you want to approach the project. If you and your wife have the patience, the skills and knowledge to seek out, employ and supervise a crew, then you can pretty much build a house of a certain style and material list a lot cheaper than others do. If, on the other hand, you expect an unknown individual to run the project for you, then the costs will be quite a bit higher for the same project. If that unknown is a good guy, you may come out at about what you expect. If he isn't, costs will continually go up, based on how much he thinks he can get away with ( workers that don't show up but he "pays" them anyway {no production}, workers that work all day for a bottle of whiskey {almost no production or things botched so bad that they have to be redone}, etc.).

There isn't an honest, intelligent answer to your question, as you have posed it.

There is however, an honest, intelligent way of going about acquiring a new, or almost new, house. I have noticed that almost everyone wants to build a new house, instead of buying what is already on the market. If you look at the housing market on the outskirts of CR and in the nearby townships, you will discover many of the dream homes that people have built recently and you find that they have been on the market long enough that the purchase price is well below what was actually spent to build the place. There are bargains galore. There are four million baht homes for half price. There are lots of broken dreams and broken relationships out there, many of them on offer at a price low enough to just close the deal and be done with it.

Now, in the city proper of CR, prices are higher. Things are not selling, for the most part, but the prices remain high anyway. The sellers are dreamers. If you're determined to stay within the city, there are bargains but they aren't as prolific as they are in the surrounding countryside. And if you're determined to build a new house, be prepared to accept the fact that when you are ready to part with it, most likely you will end up letting it go for a song, just to be rid of it.

[kandahar]

Probably add 20% for labour and materials.

Five or six years ago I built a smallish, fairly basic two story house, 144m2 down stairs, the same up with half of it open balcony for about 800,000B to move in.

The entire job was sub-contracted using local labour.

What!?!?!? Are you going to make me post the pic again of what your place looks like five years on?

[chang35baht]

Probably add 20% for labour and materials.

Five or six years ago I built a smallish, fairly basic two story house, 144m2 down stairs, the same up with half of it open balcony for about 800,000B to move in.

The entire job was sub-contracted using local labour.

What!?!?!? Are you going to make me post the pic again of what your place looks like five years on?

PLLEEEEEZZZ!!!!

[villagefarang]

Scea is just being modest. After a few recent upgrades his place now looks more like this.

[AjarnP]

Scea is just being modest. After a few recent upgrades his place now looks more like this.

I like the cleverly concealed AC condenser units outside the bedrooms

[harrry]

Scea is just being modest. After a few recent upgrades his place now looks more like this.

I like the cleverly concealed AC condenser units outside the bedrooms

Not to mention the outlets at the top to let the hot air out when VF visits.....sorry VF just counn't resist it....must be catching it off jubby.

[kandahar]

Scea is just being modest. After a few recent upgrades his place now looks more like this.

nice!!!!

[sceadugenga]

If you guys are suggesting I never miss an opportunity to post my house photos you're possibly right.

How ever Sunholidaysun1 may not have seen it before and it presents a reasonable example of what can be done in that price range.

He obviously has a budget in mind or he wouldn't be asking for prices, if my post helps him then well and good, if not then I care not.

[villagefarang]

Scea is just being modest. After a few recent upgrades his place now looks more like this.

I like the cleverly concealed AC condenser units outside the bedrooms

Not to mention the outlets at the top to let the hot air out when VF visits.....sorry VF just counn't resist it....must be catching it off jubby.

Yes, Jubby is a virtual hotbed of contagions. Once acquired there seems to be no cure, either. Fortunately I have developed immunities.

[kandahar]

And to keep everyone fully informed, I just ran across a photo of Scea's new houseboat.  All of that houseboat talk in another thread got him fired up and now he has a nice weekend place to spend his time.<div><br></div><div><br></div><div>

</div>

Edited December 9, 2010 by kandahar

[sceadugenga]

Engineer joke....

In some foreign country a priest, a lawyer and an engineer are about to be guillotined.

The priest puts his head on the block, they pull the rope and nothing happens - he declares that he's been saved by divine intervention - so he's let go. The lawyer is put on the block, and again the rope doesn't release the blade, he claims he can't be executed twice for the same crime and he is set free too.

They grab the engineer and shove his head into the guillotine, he looks up at the release mechanism and says:

"Wait a minute, I see your problem......"

[kandahar]

Sex education.

[scorpio1945]

Engineer joke....

In some foreign country a priest, a lawyer and an engineer are about to be guillotined.

The priest puts his head on the block, they pull the rope and nothing happens - he declares that he's been saved by divine intervention - so he's let go. The lawyer is put on the block, and again the rope doesn't release the blade, he claims he can't be executed twice for the same crime and he is set free too.

They grab the engineer and shove his head into the guillotine, he looks up at the release mechanism and says:

"Wait a minute, I see your problem......"

That hurt. Too close to the truth.

[Paul888]

I don't know about labour specifically, but if you base full construction (including materials and labour) on between 8,000 and 10,000 baht a square metre constructed you shouldn't be too far off.

[sunholidaysun1]

I don't know about labour specifically, but if you base full construction (including materials and labour) on between 8,000 and 10,000 baht a square metre constructed you shouldn't be too far off.

You have got to be off your trolley, one plank short of a pier !! Either that or you've never built a thing here

[klikster]

I don't know about labour specifically, but if you base full construction (including materials and labour) on between 8,000 and 10,000 baht a square metre constructed you shouldn't be too far off.

You have got to be off your trolley, one plank short of a pier !! Either that or you've never built a thing here

Paul888 gives you some useful information, but instead of saying "thanks" you insult him.

[sunholidaysun1]

I don't know about labour specifically, but if you base full construction (including materials and labour) on between 8,000 and 10,000 baht a square metre constructed you shouldn't be too far off.

You have got to be off your trolley, one plank short of a pier !! Either that or you've never built a thing here

Paul888 gives you some useful information, but instead of saying "thanks" you insult him.

Sorry Paul888 I forgot to say thanks also

It is a bit expensive at 8-10k , but I suppose it depends on the size of the house and what building materials you use, basic house or palace etc .

Happy Now ?

[skybluestu]

I don't know about labour specifically, but if you base full construction (including materials and labour) on between 8,000 and 10,000 baht a square metre constructed you shouldn't be too far off.

You have got to be off your trolley, one plank short of a pier !! Either that or you've never built a thing here

I was quoted 8000baht per sq mtr for single storey and 10,000baht per sq mtr for a two-storey on numerous ocassions and that's what I eventually paid last year for a 191 sq mtr single storey house so I guess I'm also off my trolley!

[cardholder]

I don't know about labour specifically, but if you base full construction (including materials and labour) on between 8,000 and 10,000 baht a square metre constructed you shouldn't be too far off.

You have got to be off your trolley, one plank short of a pier !! Either that or you've never built a thing here

In my area I saw a house last week that was approx 144 sqm (my missus described as one and a half storey. 3 bed, 2 bath under-house parking. Total price 1m Baht, the lady said 300k for labour and 700k for materials.

The standard looked aceeptable.

[kandahar]

Maybe not the correct place to make the announcement but here it is anyway:

COMING SOON TO CHIANG RAI!!!

Trolley passenger recovery service and pier plank sales! We will recover people who have fallen from trolleys in any location within the CR province and place them back on their trolleys. In addition to this service, we will do a quick assessment of each person to make certain that they have enough planks to make a pier. If anyone is found to be short a plank or two, replacement planks will be offered FREE!! to those individuals.

Other customers requiring or desiring more planks need only stop by for a quick survey of our products. We are sure you'll find our inventory of planks to be satisfactory and priced reasonably. We will stock new planks and used planks.

(Note: Some of these second-hand planks have been graded with the condition noted as "questionable". You will have ample time to sample them before submitting payment. The reason we also have this lower grade of planks available is that they are taken from other people who have WAY too many planks. Their excess quantity of planks, many damaged, rotted by time, lack of use and/or substances, or made from questionable material, have been removed from them in order to try to bring their social skills and manners into line with the norms. In fact, it has been proven that an excess on-hand quantity of bad planks in disarray or saturated in liquids is NOT necessarily an advantage over having too few quality planks nicely placed and arranged orderly throughout.)

Also on offer will be a free service that includes the removal of damaged planks from one's inventory. While we don't expect many clients for this service, we do have many other clients that have professed the desire to "help" us with this aspect of our business. The "help" offered thus far includes nominating candidates for the removal service, cleaning the cages of the individuals nominated and selected, flipping the switch on the electric plank remover after the candidate has been wired and lastly, several have offered to help with water-boarding. Oddly enough, most of these "helpers" have insisted they won't need any water for this process, but instead, just a good stout board. I have no idea what that means but we will see how it goes as the business progresses.

If anyone falls from their trolley, please contact us immediately via e-mail here: [email protected]

If anyone wishes to purchase a new plank, please contact us immediately via e-mail here: 1plank1swing@thiswon'thurta.bit

If anyone wants to nominate an individual for excess or rotten plank removal, please contact us immediately via e-mail here: [email protected]

Edited December 11, 2010 by kandahar

[klikster]

I don't know about labour specifically, but if you base full construction (including materials and labour) on between 8,000 and 10,000 baht a square metre constructed you shouldn't be too far off.

You have got to be off your trolley, one plank short of a pier !! Either that or you've never built a thing here

Paul888 gives you some useful information, but instead of saying "thanks" you insult him.

Sorry Paul888 I forgot to say thanks also

It is a bit expensive at 8-10k , but I suppose it depends on the size of the house and what building materials you use, basic house or palace etc .

Happy Now ?

Such a joy to have someone of your ilk in the forum.

[rijb]

In this area, one can build anything from a bamboo hut to a cement fortress. Skilled labor, building codes and inspections are few and far between. And if you don't do your homework, you can really get screwed on materials (inferior quality, dual pricing, and theft). So, it shouldn't be a surprise as to why local rates seem to vary!

There's a lot of good advice on this thread. If you're flexible and willing to do the footwork, you might find the home of your dreams - already built. And somebody else took the screwing for you!

In the interest of full disclosure. We are in the process of building our second house here. We already own the prime real estate. And we're gluttons for punishment.

Good luck!

Edited December 11, 2010 by rijb

[sunholidaysun1]

Kandahar-Ha-Ha Your one sandwich short of a Picnic !!

[svenivan]

I don't know about labour specifically, but if you base full construction (including materials and labour) on between 8,000 and 10,000 baht a square metre constructed you shouldn't be too far off.

You have got to be off your trolley, one plank short of a pier !! Either that or you've never built a thing here

I must say that maybe mr shds1 is not too wrong.

I have a very good friend here in Chiang Rai that is doing a lot of business here and for the moment he is building/rebuilding a place. He is also planning some new buildings in his land and when I asked him the other day he said " 3.500 baht is a normal price for Thais and 5.000 baht for Farangs".

Of course in the end it comes to what material you choose in walls, roof, ceilings, floors, bahtrooms and kitchen.

The problem is to find a good builder that knows what he is doing.

So 5.000 baht is a good startingpoint!

[sunholidaysun1]

I don't know about labour specifically, but if you base full construction (including materials and labour) on between 8,000 and 10,000 baht a square metre constructed you shouldn't be too far off.

You have got to be off your trolley, one plank short of a pier !! Either that or you've never built a thing here

I must say that maybe mr shds1 is not too wrong.

I have a very good friend here in Chiang Rai that is doing a lot of business here and for the moment he is building/rebuilding a place. He is also planning some new buildings in his land and when I asked him the other day he said " 3.500 baht is a normal price for Thais and 5.000 baht for Farangs".

Of course in the end it comes to what material you choose in walls, roof, ceilings, floors, bahtrooms and kitchen.

The problem is to find a good builder that knows what he is doing.

So 5.000 baht is a good startingpoint!

Thanks Sven, looks like there are 2 smart people here and the rest have too much money to hand out

[kandahar]

Kandahar-Ha-Ha Your one sandwich short of a Picnic !!

Possibly. But the comments I am used to hearing from the opposite sex is that I am a feast for the eyes. That is probably more true than your statement. Don't be envious. It is quite the burden that I silently bear.

Edited December 11, 2010 by kandahar