Would You Live In A Trailer Home ?

[KRS1]

Seems to me trailer homes would be the perfect solution to the dilemma of foreign property ownership in Thailand. Put land in wifes name or just rent the land, trailer home in your name of course. Ive been in really nice trailer homes that were much bigger than a small 2-3 bedroom Thai style house, plus they're usually elevated to evade flooding issues. Only problem is they're tornado magnets, but i think they'd be safe in Thailand. Just think.. you could pack up and get away from the inlaws or literally move house to a whole other city.

Would you yourself consider living in a trailer home/modular housing. Take the poll !... (this isnt for you millionaires)

[transam]

No, I couldn't go there as they have a life. Must replace at some time. Don't want the hassle.

[Semper]

I voted yes. But considering the costs of a "trailer home" + a vehicle to move it around.... I think buying/renting a house would be much cheaper. But, I like the idea though.

[MAJIC]

No, I couldn't go there as they have a life. Must replace at some time. Don't want the hassle.

Good quality trailers,can have a twenty five year life span.

I have never seen one in Thailand,has anyone else?I suspect not,due to the climate,you wouldn't want to be stuck in a roasting tin? insulation from the heat,would be a problem.

Most of them are fitted out with built in furniture,and all Mod Cons,seems ideal when the teerak,wants to rip you off,just tow it away.

[ARISTIDE]

I'd go for yes but then what about the heat and the air con?

[WinnieTheKhwai]

Hard to say; it would not have the same stigma as it has in the US of A.. So it would just come down to price/space/convenience.

If real estate ownership is the issue then you could easily live in a nice wooden Thai style house; these can be moved as well without too much expense. Trailers would likely cost more here, actually.

[BarnicaleBob]

Yes, I would consider it if quality ones could be purchased here and I (wife) didn't already own a home. By the way I owned one in the past located in Florida which is just as hot as it is in Chiang Mai and had no problems with keeping it cool. We call them mobile homes in America, the one I had was a triple wide. Meaning it was made up by joining three trailer units into one large mobile home 2,700 square feet of living space and the price was under $100,000.00 new and set up on my property. That's a lot more house than you can get here for the same price. So I would imagine that if they manufactured mobile homes in Thailand using inexpensive Thai labor you could get a pretty good deal on them here.

[heybruce]

Are they're manufactured in Thailand, or anywhere else in ASEAN? If not, one would have to be shipped from far away at considerable expense, and you'd have to pay all the fees, duties, taxes, and anything else the government can think of charging when it enters the country. It's probably cheaper to just build a house.

[elektrified]

How about this?

You can buy shipping containers and put them together; the possibilities are endless. I saw some photos of one made from like 4 X 40' containers in Isaan and it was very beautiful with different levels, stairways from one to the other, beautiful garden, etc. Can't find the photos at the moment.

[WarpSpeed]

No, I couldn't go there as they have a life. Must replace at some time. Don't want the hassle.

Good quality trailers,can have a twenty five year life span.

I have never seen one in Thailand,has anyone else?I suspect not,due to the climate,you wouldn't want to be stuck in a roasting tin? insulation from the heat,would be a problem.

Most of them are fitted out with built in furniture,and all Mod Cons,seems ideal when the teerak,wants to rip you off,just tow it away.

There are literally tens of thousands of manufactured homes in Florida which is as hot or hotter then it is here most summer days. There are many ways to beat the heat like building a sala style roof over them for one example and because the air circulates under them they stay very comfortable as most are better insulated then the average house here anyways. It is undoubtedly a great idea, I mentioned years ago it is the perfect thing for Thailand as all you need is a slab, a water source, an electrical hook up and a sewer/septic tank set up and you're good for decades and most last well beyond what your land lease or personal life expectancy probably is anyways...

I'd even consider raising it even high enough off the ground to create a parking/washing/sitting area underneath not so difficult to do..

[WarpSpeed]

How about this?

You can buy shipping containers and put them together; the possibilities are endless. I saw some photos of one made from like 4 X 40' containers in Isaan and it was very beautiful with different levels, stairways from one to the other, beautiful garden, etc. Can't find the photos at the moment.

Ironically another idea I had and just saw a great article in Yahoo news about this, is this picture from that article? I didn't see this particular one but I didn't go through the entire article.

[WarpSpeed]

Hard to say; it would not have the same stigma as it has in the US of A.. So it would just come down to price/space/convenience.

If real estate ownership is the issue then you could easily live in a nice wooden Thai style house; these can be moved as well without too much expense. Trailers would likely cost more here, actually.

You're right it wouldn't have that stigma attached they are actually quite nice in comparison and would definitely not be looked upon in the same way..

[WarpSpeed]

I'd go for yes but then what about the heat and the air con?

As posted, not a problem... Fully self contained and well insulated..

[xen]

When i voted i was thinking of what we Aussies and the Brits call a caravan but reading the other comments it sounds like a "trailer home "means what we call a" mobile home " which is a relocatable unit that can be either in kit form or can be easily disassembled for transportation but is not on wheels unless being transported.

Therefore my vote should be disqualified on the basis of misunderstanding definition of Trailer Home.

[bristolgeoff]

don,t think it would work in thailand so i vote no

[BlackArtemis]

No, there are no tornadoes in Chiang Mai that I know of and I don't want to attract their attention.

[David006]

You know you're Trailer Trash When....

1. The Halloween pumpkin on your porch has more teeth than your

spouse.

2. You let your twelve-year-old daughter smoke at the dinner table in

front of her kids.

3. You've been married three times and still have the same in-laws.

4. You think a woman who is "out of your league" bowls on a different

night.

5. Jack Daniel's makes your list of "most admired people."

6. You wonder how service stations keep their restrooms so clean.

7. Anyone in your family ever died right after saying, "Hey watch

this!"

8. You think Dom Perignon is a Mafia leader.

9. Your wife's hairdo was once ruined by a ceiling fan.

10. Your junior prom had a daycare.

11. You think the last words of the Star Spangled Banner are:

"Gentlemen start your engines."

12. You lit a match in the bathroom and your house exploded right off

it's wheels.

13. The bluebook value of your truck goes up and down, depending on

how much gas is in it.

14. You have to go outside to get something from the fridge.

15. One of your kids was born on a pool table.

16. You need one more hole punched in your card to get a freebie at

the House of Tattoos.

17. You can't get married to your sweetheart because there's a law

against it.

18. You think "loaded dishwasher" means your wife is drunk.

19. Your toilet paper has page numbers on it.

20. Your front porch collapses and kills more than five dogs.

21. At some point in your life you've been too drunk to fish.

[WinnieTheKhwai]

Yes, I would consider it if quality ones could be purchased here and I (wife) didn't already own a home. By the way I owned one in the past located in Florida which is just as hot as it is in Chiang Mai and had no problems with keeping it cool. We call them mobile homes in America, the one I had was a triple wide. Meaning it was made up by joining three trailer units into one large mobile home 2,700 square feet of living space and the price was under $100,000.00 new and set up on my property. That's a lot more house than you can get here for the same price.

You sure about that? 100K US is close to 3 million baht for the house alone. That buys a very nice house here. (2 floors, 4-5 bedrooms, etc.)

[T_Dog]

KRS1.... recently saw a portable house up here in Mae Taeng. It was set on I-beams and on axles and it was quite nice. Not sure where it was headed as it seemed to be parked waiting for disposition. I'll check around to see if they might be being built around here somewhere.

I have several friends that live in mobile homes back in the USA. Definitely not in the red neck category and one has to realize that sometimes people have to make choices based on their economic situation.

[LivinLOS]

As we (extended family) are in the process of putting non permanent dwellings and storage containers onto some land in the UK, I cant say I have anything at all against them. Would I live in one that was well appointed, airy, insulated enough ?? Sure !! I dont see the stigma in it (hell i spent large parts of my youth in caravans and converted horse trailers etc)..

But does it really stack up economically.. Its lack of use here would mean all services like moving it around fitting it in place would be unusual and maybe less well catered to. And seeing what thais can build for 1 mil baht in the way of decent bungalow, which would have more lasting appeal and resale, I have a hard time seeing that stacking up as a good economic choice.

[KRS1]

Yep i shouldve said mobile instead of trailer.

Thai houses are only insulated at the roof i believe, since the walls are usually those little red bricks, but possibly better than framed walls ?

As far as transport you could just load it up on an 18 wheeler, but it would have to be an accessible location, plus you could keep adding units and even get a crane to lift it like mentioned above, like a beach house and would be immune to earthquakes. Since the frame and under carriage would be made from steel, would also be easier to modify than concrete would be.

But i think it would cost more than a traditional concrete house to build for sure, although three times as fast so it may even out labor wise. I've seen little thai modular bungalows on wheels - but they were way off the mark on pricing, probably twice as much as they should have been.

[WinnieTheKhwai]

Some ideas are below. Especially check out the final link below, I'm highly impressed with that person's creativity.

http://www.tajland.se/HH/house.html

http://www.luckybuilding.com/en/doc.php?doc=project_reference&pid=5

http://safewayasia.com/accommodation.html

http://www.lifesbox.com/custom-prefab-modular-buildings/custom-prefab-modular-homes

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/index.php?app=core&module=attach&section=attach&attach_rel_module=post&attach_id=79747

http://asitespecificexperiment.wordpress.com/tag/architecture/

^ that last one you just got to see.

[WarpSpeed]

That last idea comes from Holland, they build similar houses on pilings with pontoons that rise and fall with the water levels when they are in flood zones. Normally they sit on dry standards and then float vertically when the water rises while remaining attached at four respective corners..

Something similar.

http://www.homedit.com/floating-eco-homes-in-the-netherlands/

Here ya go..

[damo]

I showed my wife a caravan here in Australia and she was amazed. Theyre good these days, I would'nt live in one coz I have lived in dongas before and after a while I felt claustrophobic but the level of appoiintment these days is first class. I like the idea of ISO containers arranged, cut n shut to make homes. I would definitly consider that.

[brit1984]

Living in a caravan sounds horrid, but better than a tent

Living in one of those kit-houses like they have in Sweden sounds cool

However, I think houses made with bricks and mortar are the best

[WarpSpeed]

Living in a caravan sounds horrid, but better than a tent

Living in one of those kit-houses like they have in Sweden sounds cool

However, I think houses made with bricks and mortar are the best

Not caravans folks...

One of these....

But actually I'd prefer one of these..

The wheels are only temporary for moving them.. Here's another more detailed illustration..

[brit1984]

Living in a caravan sounds horrid, but better than a tent

Living in one of those kit-houses like they have in Sweden sounds cool

However, I think houses made with bricks and mortar are the best

Not caravans folks...

One of these....

But actually I'd prefer one of these..

The wheels are only temporary for moving them.. Here's another more detailed illustration..

Land, labour and materials are all very cheap here so you may as well just build a real house

PS: those photos show caravans

[WarpSpeed]

Living in a caravan sounds horrid, but better than a tent

Living in one of those kit-houses like they have in Sweden sounds cool

However, I think houses made with bricks and mortar are the best

Not caravans folks...

One of these....

But actually I'd prefer one of these..

The wheels are only temporary for moving them.. Here's another more detailed illustration..

Land, labour and materials are all very cheap here so you may as well just build a real house

PS: those photos show caravans

These are REAL houses including proper grounds, the ones built here are the substandard ones on every level which is why they are affordable and BTW also not portable which is the idea if a problem with wife or land lord just move your house which isn't possible with a concrete block and substandard brick shack....

[brit1984]

These are REAL houses including proper grounds, the ones built here are the substandard ones on every level which is why they are affordable and BTW also not portable which is the idea if a problem with wife or land lord just move your house which isn't possible with a concrete block and substandard brick shack....

Ok sorry for being slow; now I understand... you want to live in a caravan so you can stay living in the same place, but in a different place, in case you have an argument with your wife, and you want to move out, but not move out, just move the place you live, but still live in the same place, somewhere else, without her but in her house with her stuff... sorry I still don't get it... what does your wife think about this plan?

[stoneyboy]

I got taken on holiday to Skegness once and was forced to sleep in a caravan for a week,never again do I want to rent,live or become involved with a caravan,static home,fold out camper or tent,I like concrete homes I do.