Steering Clear Of The Cowboys

[Godders]

Can any Forum reader who has had a house built around Cha Am or Hua Hin recommend an architect, builder or both?

We have bought a piece of land (about two thirds of a rai) and are thinking in terms of a three bed bungalow, although we are open to other possibilities.

We have several children, so need a fair bit of living space.

Our budget is two million baht max.

[paddock]

Can any Forum reader who has had a house built around Cha Am or Hua Hin  recommend an architect, builder or both?

We have bought a piece of land (about two thirds of a rai) and are thinking in terms of a three bed bungalow, although we are open to other possibilities.

We have several children, so need a fair bit of living space.

Our budget is two million baht max.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

you should visit stuart park and speak to john stuart a british builder who has lived in hua hin for 12 years. his quality houses are beutiful and extremely well built. i bought the show house.100% satisfied.

good luck friend

[taxexile]

i am in the process of having a condo re- furbished and i can tell you the name of a construction and interior fitting company to avoid at all costs.

i dont know if i can post the name or not , maybe a moderator can advise first.

pm me and i will relate the difficulties and broken promises , delays , mistakes , damage and terrible work done by this expensive european company.

[tuktukmike]

You have to remember one important fact that is now commonplace in Hua Hin as well as many other parts of Thailand.

You are now just as likely to get ripped off by a Farang as you are with a Thai, many Farangs will take your money for nothing just to survive out here.

I have some really good thai builders who i would trust more than any Farang i have met out here.

There are some good Farang builders i am sure bue be carefull with your money.

Mike.

[udon]

Have a look at Cool Thai House

[JimmyGreaves]

Interesting site 'cool house'. Well worth reviewing if you are planning building a home.

Cheers Udon

[johnnyk]

I think its wise to be careful with builders from your own country as they can prey on the fact that you are not connected, don't know the language etc etc

When I renovated a ruin in France 15 years ago, the most expensive, over-the-top quotes were from Brits.

Went to a French company whose estimate was 60% of the Brit estimates.

Job was done on time and to the franc.

Remember, just because the builder is from your country and speaks your language does not mean he won't try to clean you out.

[PETERTHEEATER]

I think its wise to be careful with builders from your own country as they can prey on the fact that you are not connected, don't know the language etc etc

When I renovated a ruin in France 15 years ago, the most expensive, over-the-top quotes were from Brits.

Went to a French company whose estimate was 60% of the Brit estimates.

Job was done on time and to the franc.

Remember, just because the builder is from your country and speaks your language does not mean he won't try to clean you out.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Sound advice. Too many Farangs think that they can charge Farang prices. Uniformed expats, especially those who pick up sites over the web, and who have no idea of local prices, can be attracted. Go to a good agent and look at the options and prices. Remember, expats running local companies offering new build houses employ local builders. If, after taking your money they are greedy and dont's pay their 'builder' enough for each unit to maintain the builders profit margin, then the quality suffers.

[sierra01]

I have a friend in Lampang who employed a local builder to build a house for him. Firstly my friend had an architect draw up the plans, and then agreed a contract with the builder. The work was done in stages; I believe it was 5 stages. My friend bought all the materials as needed but the labour charge was paid at the end of each stage, provided everything was hunky dory and according to the plans. My friend had the architect pay occasional visits, during each stage, to check on the quality of the construction. Once the stage had been completed to the architect’s satisfaction the builder got paid.

It removed a lot of the dangers of cowboy builders, and if the builder decided to disappear then my friend wouldn’t have lost anything, he would simply have employed someone else to finish the job. He had the added bonus of a long time TG, a local girl, who watched everything like a hawk, watched every baht, even mucked in herself when and if required. My friend treated the men well, a constant supply of iced water, on site lunch every day, party when the roof went on, party on full completion, the whole nine yards. He even assisted a couple of the labourers with small loans. The result was a well built house, it wasn’t the fastest built house, but it was well built.

[udon]

It removed a lot of the dangers of cowboy builders, and if the builder decided to disappear then my friend wouldn’t have lost anything, he would simply have employed someone else to finish the job. He had the added bonus of a long time TG, a local girl, who watched everything like a hawk, watched every baht, even mucked in herself when and if required. My friend treated the men well, a constant supply of iced water, on site lunch every day, party when the roof went on, party on full completion, the whole nine yards. He even assisted a couple of the labourers with small loans. The result was a well built house, it wasn’t the fastest built house, but it was well built.

Your friend was smart and had a good attitude towards the workers and it paid off.

[sierra01]

He tried to have a completion date written into the contract, but that didn't work!

[Godders]

Thanks to all for valuable info and advice, but still lacking the name of a reliable Thai builder - if such a paragon exists.

[udon]

Surely someone has a name & number of a good Thai builder for Godders?

[tuktukmike]

I do have the contact number of a good builder and was sent a pm but lost it.

If anyone wants the number they can pm me again.

Mike.