House Build In Isaan

[nokna]

i thought admin policy was to hunt me down and ban me,hhhmmmmm.

oh well

[dr_Pat_Pong]

ok time for me to be banned but i realy feel i should comment on this.

thai contractors building prices for a euro style home tiled etc with a proper roof not the big thin tiles is 5000baht a sq met for a bungalow...thats finished,,includes hidden wiring etc,this is in pattayas surrounding areas,2 storey house 8000 baht a sq met finished,, these both include gypsum cielings lights of normal price etc etc etc.ie finished.

in issan it should be cheaper cos the labour is cheaper.

how do i know all this??i am a uk guy in jomtien who builds houses,i have 13 years here building houses successfully...

=www.  waiting for his ban but this i had to comment on cos so many ppl get up stitched up..

hmmm wot nik next???  

Mind you, you do claim to be an English teacher on another thread. Multiple personalities or multiple skills ?

No answer was the stern reply from Mr Troller

[camel_jockey]

Is anyone interested in buying a kit home, say one that comes from a central location, half of it prefabricated(like most thai houses used to be!) and then put together at where ever the site maybe, with most of the costs pre-determained, so there are no supprises, just a thought

[nokna]

dr_Pat_Pong

Mind you, you do claim to be an English teacher on another thread. Multiple personalities or multiple skills ?

did i tell u about my crocodile hunting???lol

[Khutan]

Going through the same thing - Biulding a home in Issan, one tip I have is to look at the previous work of the builder / contractor. Try if at all possible to look at a few examples after a year or 2.

One example I can think of in the wife's village was the work of a builder doing the "Country Chalet". We went and looked at some homes, some were nice but a few had certainly suffered the ravages of time and the elements more than one would normally expect. One thing I noticed particularly was the shrinkage and warping of the planks covering the outside.

Something to also look for, particularly if you are considering a 2 level home is where water is going. You want to make sure the builder makes good provision to get rid of rainwater and other "occasional" water you may get staying put around the home.

Just some thoughts

[NedKelly]

Has anyone built or seen a mud brick home in Thailand ? I dont meean the hill tribe ones up in the mountains ..... I mean a real fair dinkum mud brick house built ina sort of professional way.

I knew of a guy building them in Oz. He would make a 1 metre deep trench for footings in concrete and then build up a stone and concrete wall to one meter above ground. On top of this he would make a mud wall anothe rmetre in height so the actuall walls were two metres high fromground level. Then he would make a timber frame for the roofing etc. I am no builder but the description goes something like that. But it sounded to me like a cheap way of building a house.

the good thing about this also was that the walls were quite thick so warm in winter and cool in summer. The mud part was a mix of soil, sand, cement and straw. All these are available anywhwere in Thailand. The nud was mixed on the ground and the walls froemd by hand.....sounds like fun. The guy said he would then use second hand stuff to finish off the house.......things like car windscreens for making a fixed window for light. Get the idea.

I guess this would require a bit of creativity and some time on your behalf but worth considering. You could easily plan to put in all the plumbing and electricals wherever you wanted them. You could also put in leads for speakers and have your music piped around the hosue to wherever you want.

But would Thai people consider it livable if it was made of earth !! I think they would have to see the finished product.

I amsure if you look up mud houses on the internet there will be loads of links. There are also books on the subject.

[brubo1]

We organised a local "engineer" to build our house. Saw some previous work, showed him a house similar to what we want, showed him pictures from magazines and books and drawings of our own.

His fee was agreed upon before he started - 130000 Baht for a 2 bedroom 125 sq metre house. Buying all the materials from the local building supply shop. His fee has now gone up to 150'000 because GF wanted a few extras. She has been on site the entire time supervising.

I'm going back next week to see the 95% finished product. Am very excited to see it. Being told that it looks very good and the that the builder has done a very fine job.

I'll keep you posted.

[Jeff1]

Great thread.

I too will be building a house . Alot of great info here.

What im getting is most people are happy with their house and try to stay hidden

when getting a price. My wife assures me that they will not charge me more , because her family is well known. But I have seen first hand the two price system.

Its a scray thing for me , but if it all goes well. I will be very happy.

Jeff

[plachon]

Has anyone built or seen a mud brick home in Thailand ? I dont meean the hill tribe ones up in the mountains ..... I mean a real fair dinkum mud brick house built ina sort of professional way.

I knew of a guy building them in Oz. He would make a 1 metre deep trench for footings in concrete and then build up a stone and concrete wall to one meter above ground. On top of this he would make a mud wall anothe rmetre in height so the actuall walls were two metres high fromground level. Then he would make a timber frame for the roofing etc. I am no builder but the description goes something like that. But it sounded to me like a cheap way of building a house.

the good thing about this also was that the walls were quite thick so warm in winter and cool in summer. The mud part was a mix of soil, sand, cement and straw. All these are available anywhwere in Thailand. The nud was mixed on the ground and the walls froemd by hand.....sounds like fun. The guy said he would then use second hand stuff to finish off the house.......things like car windscreens for making a fixed window for light. Get the idea.

I guess this would require a bit of creativity and some time on your behalf but worth considering. You could easily plan to put in all the plumbing and electricals wherever you wanted them. You could also put in leads for speakers and have your music piped around the hosue to wherever you want.

But would Thai people consider it livable if it was made of earth !! I think they would have to see the finished product.

I amsure if you look up mud houses on the internet there will be loads of links. There are also books on the subject.

Yep, I've seen a small mud brick house in Chaiyaphum being lived in by a Thai family, and learned from them that there are several others scattered round Isaan. Beautifully cool in the hot season, when every concrete house is like an oven inside. However, very time consuming business in mixing up the muck and straw/rice husks for the bricks. Can be fun though, if you can persuade half the village to come round for a mud fight and beers while their mixing! There's also another example with good DIY instructions next to Chiang Mai University's gallery carpark for anyone up north.

[pnustedt]

Great thread.

I too will be building a house . Alot of great info here.

Me too. Have you seen the photos in the photo gallery below that someone has posted? Very interesting - they show quite clearly the different building processes used in Thailand, in particular the setting of foundations.

Tks a lot whoever posted them. Anyone else got some photos?

[Jeff1]

Yes, very nice photo's.

Thank's for sharing. They do have a bit of a different way of doing thing's, but it get's done. It is funny that you have to ask to have the electric put IN the walls.

So much to remember

Jeff

[pnustedt]

It is funny that you have to ask to have the electric put IN the walls.

What? . . . next you'll be asking for an indoor toilet that you can sit on!!

[dutch]

House (bungalow type) ready since 2 years.1100/700 sq.mtrs

Hired a architect to translate my drawings into Thai regulations and very detailed.

(I am not an architect myself,but I just supervised the construction of a factory and that gave me a lot of knowledge.)

Made a detailed contract by Thai lawyer( my brother in law).

Family supervised the architect,who supervised the job.(family lives across)

House is a beauty situated in Nakorn Ratchasima

[dr_Pat_Pong]

It is funny that you have to ask to have the electric put IN the walls.

What? . . . next you'll be asking for an indoor toilet that you can sit on!!

You can't aim and squat ?

[pnustedt]

It is funny that you have to ask to have the electric put IN the walls.

What? . . . next you'll be asking for an indoor toilet that you can sit on!!

You can't aim and squat ?

Yeah . . . but I can't use my laptop at the same time!

[jayenram]

So much to remember

It is obvious in hindsight and should have been obvious prior to start of building. I am 1.92 m tall and my foreman is vertically challenged. Luckily, I realised this early on when buying the door frames.

Anyone in the same situation should watch out for:

Door heights, particularly for the bathrooms.

Work top heights in the kitchen (I built a 75 mm upstand in the floor tiles as a compromise).

The height of any wall lights.

The height of the shower head.

The clearance of ceiling fans.

The position of door handles.

The height of the stoop rail.

Lots to think about.

[Jeff1]

Thanks again gentlemen,

Jayenram , im writing down everything that you mentioned. Low shower heads

are bad, low ceiling fan's are worse.

Dutch, I too will be building in Korat. If you dont mind me asking what was the TOTAL for your house , any details would help . Or a few names and numbers of builders in the area that are good. Please feel free to email me at [email protected]

And yes , I do want a toilet that I can sit on ...and one of those nice ( maybe crome ) kitchen sink sprayers

Jeff

[Beckers]

I was amazed how low door frames in Thailand actually get, I consider myself not tall at a couple of inches less than 6ft but I have hit my head so many times on door frames that it hurts (quite literally). I am sure Thai members of my family were putting bets on whether I would come out of the Hong Nam holding my heads and swearing in Anguit. I think the post above is something that should be taken seriously. I have never been decapitated by a ceiling fan (no Pee here), but I can imagine it happening!

I think the build quality in Thailand will be far superior to that in the UK if you hire professionals (ie get references) and they will be proud to do a good job for you for further recommendations.

As in a lot of houses that you see advertised a major factor will be the amount of bathrooms you have. Get as many as possible and try and arrange a central "Thai" style and US/UK style one that can be used by visitors of different nationalities. Nothing worse than seeing the seat down with 2 footprints on it!

Aircon is an essential for us farangs, make sure you get a good unit and ensure you make the neccessary mosquito traps if you want to have a relaxed and happy time!

Remember a lot of visitors will be Thai so get a bathroom for them.

Thai's do not like indoor kitchens, why smell the house out when you can cook outside. Have a Western Kitchen, nothing I miss more than a sink in the kitchen, but also have space for a Thai one outside.