20 Things You Wish You Had Known Before Building A House In Thailand?

[kunash]

Is there such a list? Can someone point me in the direction of one please? Or add a few pointers here please.

Would be very helpful to know, thank you

[harrry]

1.. Relax.....the builder will finish the house eventually.

[A. BOOZER]

Just remember that builing practices will probably be totally different to those in your home country.

[mrbojangles]

Building terms and words in Thai. There is a very useful list in this forum. Learn them.

[kevjohn]

The first thing you need to do is tell your partner, that when you want something done a particular way, not to say "They don't do it that way in Thailand"

[dave111223]

Every building team requires at least:

2 Hammock layers

1 Bike pusher

2 Dog stone throwers

1 Dog stick hitter

1 Random plastic fire tender

As long as you have all those positions filled, you should be all set.

[DILLIGAD]

Remember good to a farang means ........... good

good to a Thai means...................................cheap

[bangsaenguy]

Discuss with the wife where she intends to install "built ins". She covered up half the electrical outlets. Put in double the outlets you think you need.

[chiang mai]

Builders do not follow plans or verbal instruction you give them unless you stay on-site every day, all day and watch everything they do.

If a builder says he's going to do it later, it wont get done.

Making payments to a builder in excess of the ammount and value of work completed ensures there will be problems at the end of the job.

[Crossy]

Take a pragmatic approach, trying to get everything done to exacting Western standards will cause excessive stress (and it won't happen anyway).

That said, don't just accept what your contractor wants to do, after all it's you who is paying.

Electrical safety is paramount, it's the one thing found in all homes with the potential to kill.

[Langsuan Man]

Don't pay for labor until the job is done

The only hold you have on the builder and sub contractors is the money that you owe them

Always negotiate that you will pay directly to the vendor for materials and labor will be charged seperately, since that is the only way to insure that not only will the job be done but be done correctly

There is nothing worse than having to pay someone else to finish, correct or re-do something that you have already paid for

[sscsamui]

Hire a constant or a project manager that speaks thai/english and has experience with thai builders.... And don't give much money up front and along the way. and always check that they are using the proper materials that have been pre approved.... Good Luck

[thrilled]

There are some good builders in Thailand.Some farang owners.

Take your time read alot of forums and you'll make out ok.

[johnnyk]

Keep your eyes open wide and be on site every day. Have the wife along, too. If she feels she has a stake in the project she will keep them in line. Thai women are gold-medal bollockers!

[Naam]

Discuss with the wife where she intends to install "built ins". She covered up half the electrical outlets. Put in double the outlets you think you need.

even without a wife who covers up outlets... triple the planned quantity but don't blame me in a couple of years that they are still not enough.

[electau]

Discuss with the wife where she intends to install "built ins". She covered up half the electrical outlets. Put in double the outlets you think you need.

All socket outlets must be visible and readily accessable for the purposes of maintainance and safety.

Electrical safety must never be compromised, the electrical installation should have a compliant earthing system and all circuits RCD protected.

[SantiSuk]

I wish I had known:

That most rural supplies give enough electricity to power only two aircon units at one time. Reinforcement of the power supply may be so expensive that it should be a key determinant of where you build.

That quality of internet coverage becomes crucial to most falangs. Again, should be a potential site choice factor.

That builders will come up with bullshit like, we dont do retentions in Thialand (find one that will let you hold back at least 5% of the purchase price until one month after completion). Even if that means it gets added to the price, you need the motivation of the builder to complete properly, as others have pointed out. Insisting on not paying for all the labour until the end, as suggested above, sounds a bit unrealistic

That builders will come up with bullshit like 'that can't be done' or 'very difficult' when they just want to take a route that is easy for them. Extra money usually unlocks the difficulty.

That Thais won't do mainstream cooking indoors. Do you fancy doing all the family cooking?

That the average small town builder has no experience of hot water systems and will 'have a go' without getting an experienced guy in. If you want more than just hot water power boxes under the sink and beside the shower then get a builder who can show you examples of his commercial work where this was a feature.

That Thai standard windows (the wooden framed ones) fit badly and let in insects and mossies until you give them some DIY attention. Get aluminium if you can afford it (but even some of these let the critters thru)

That your plot of land may actually be much smaller than you think it is when it comes to building a walled property. I diddn't understand government frontage and also the Thais here are very reluctant to build right up to the stone marker boundary

Things that I did get right and I realise now were very important:

Site positioning of the house - think hard about where the sun rises and goes down and avoid getting afternoon/evening sun burning into your living room and bedrooms

Wind positioning. Raising the house floor at least a metre off ground and having doors and windows strategically positioned to allow through flow of air is gong to save you lots of aircon

Buying all the fittings yourself. It's a pain to do it, but if you

[ignis]

If you have no idea about building then all will be much better....

If I could go back to 2003, then would have had the shell built only, Foundations, pillars, steel-work and roof tiled only and done the rest myself,,,,

I did drive to the site everyday for 6 months, things like tiles for all the bathrooms and floors I bought myself, design I laid out on the floor....

yep they did the design they wanted not what I had laid out.......... I did not get them to build the kitchen on the back... I built it myself........ within 1 year I had to replace all the water pipes..replace and re-rout the waste water from the upstairs sinks.... electric well that is another story, much of it I have re-wired myself from the [new] fuse box.

There are good and bad builder everywhere in the world. I am not saying Thai Builder are bad, there not, just they do things there own way + cut corners to save money. My Partners Sister has just moved into there new house, the builder was wonderful and did everything as asked and the finished job is 110%

[chiang mai]

Santisuk raise some very valid issues, as far as positioning of the house is concerned you should concult with the family in the early stages, it's regarded as bad karma or similar to have some rooms facing in a certain direction, we nearly had to knowck down and rebuild as a result.

Also, wood windows that you buy from most manufacturers are absolute rubbish, they look OK when they're sat in the yard but you wait 'till they're installed and/or they get wet.

Rainwater from your roof is not permitted to drain onto your neighbours land so if you're cramped for space and you're building up to the lot line, be careful.

Hire the builder and the electrician separately, don't let the builder have anything to do with electricity.

Build with heat in mind, a high peaked roof with plenty of LARGE vents, our builder didn't do large despite being told to do so everyday for three months, oh he said, I forget!

[SantiSuk]

I wish I had known:

That most rural supplies give enough electricity to power only two aircon units at one time. Reinforcement of the power supply may be so expensive that it should be a key determinant of where you build.

That quality of internet coverage becomes crucial to most falangs. Again, should be a potential site choice factor.

That builders will come up with bullshit like, we dont do retentions in Thialand (find one that will let you hold back at least 5% of the purchase price until one month after completion). Even if that means it gets added to the price, you need the motivation of the builder to complete properly, as others have pointed out. Insisting on not paying for all the labour until the end, as suggested above, sounds a bit unrealistic

That builders will come up with bullshit like 'that can't be done' or 'very difficult' when they just want to take a route that is easy for them. Extra money usually unlocks the difficulty.

That Thais won't do mainstream cooking indoors. Do you fancy doing all the family cooking?

That the average small town builder has no experience of hot water systems and will 'have a go' without getting an experienced guy in. If you want more than just hot water power boxes under the sink and beside the shower then get a builder who can show you examples of his commercial work where this was a feature.

That Thai standard windows (the wooden framed ones) fit badly and let in insects and mossies until you give them some DIY attention. Get aluminium if you can afford it (but even some of these let the critters thru)

That your plot of land may actually be much smaller than you think it is when it comes to building a walled property. I diddn't understand government frontage and also the Thais here are very reluctant to build right up to the stone marker boundary

Things that I did get right and I realise now were very important:

Site positioning of the house - think hard about where the sun rises and goes down and avoid getting afternoon/evening sun burning into your living room and bedrooms

Wind positioning. Raising the house floor at least a metre off ground and having doors and windows strategically positioned to allow through flow of air is gong to save you lots of aircon

Buying all the fixtures and fittings yourself. It's a pain to do it, but if you ....

....but if you leave it to the builder you will get cheap rubbish that you will want to replace in week 2 of your occupation. Talking of kitchens/bathrooms mostly here. [The big neon round lights that I let pass by in rooms other than main bedroom, kitchen and lounge offend me now - much prefer the sunken lights that I specified (but the builder put the sunken lights in fine in those three rooms ... and then added the big nasty round neon ones as well!!]

Wet room bathrooms are definitely the way to go, but a nice big shower enclosure gives that added bit of luxury and limits water spraying everywhere. Cheaper alternative to build half wall enclosures on at least one side are good too.

Bad connection - missed the last bit when I pressed 'Post'

Edit: yes I'd forgotten the room positioning point ChiangMai. I carefully planned bedrooms with obvious bed positionings in mind (sockets/second light switches). Wasted effort - most beds could not face in the direction I wanted them to. When you consult your wife she will probably say 'up to you'. Ignore that and insist she makes some decisions and walk her slowly room by room through the plans.

Edited August 8, 2012 by SantiSuk

[bangsaenguy]

Discuss with the wife where she intends to install "built ins". She covered up half the electrical outlets. Put in double the outlets you think you need.

even without a wife who covers up outlets... triple the planned quantity but don't blame me in a couple of years that they are still not enough.

Probably a better idea. I have power strips everywhere. Mai suay

[T_Dog]

kunash... If I had known those 20 things, I would never have built in Thailand! There are so many pitfalls here it boggles the mind. We were lucky in finding a crew that had a good reputation, were perfectionists in every way except painting, and were as honest as the day is long. Take your time to find a crew that has good references and has built houses like you are planning on building. Communicate every day and all day long. We actually had a good experience with it, but luck had a large role. Buy your own material so you can control those costs and quality. If you have ANY building experience, manage the project yourself rather than using a middle man of any kind.

[xen]

If you have no idea about building then all will be much better....

If I could go back to 2003, then would have had the shell built only, Foundations, pillars, steel-work and roof tiled only and done the rest myself,,,,

I did drive to the site everyday for 6 months, things like tiles for all the bathrooms and floors I bought myself, design I laid out on the floor....

yep they did the design they wanted not what I had laid out.......... I did not get them to build the kitchen on the back... I built it myself........ within 1 year I had to replace all the water pipes..replace and re-rout the waste water from the upstairs sinks.... electric well that is another story, much of it I have re-wired myself from the [new] fuse box.

There are good and bad builder everywhere in the world. I am not saying Thai Builder are bad, there not, just they do things there own way + cut corners to save money. My Partners Sister has just moved into there new house, the builder was wonderful and did everything as asked and the finished job is 110%

I have often entertained of doing a building ,when i build ,in stages like you mentioned by doing just the foundations,piers and beams and roofing and if it would be a better way of doing it giving much more control over the project , and the budget perhaps.Then i could then do the fit-out in the way i want it to be done - i have my own ideas on how it is to be done and the standard.

I wonder if it would act as as carrott to get better performance if the builder thought they had a chance of getting " stage 2" which would be more lucrative even tho as it would not be so straight forward .

Sometimes dealing with a prime contactor has its advantages of letting them contol the site but i am not to sure if that would be the way to go in Thailand , .

[mikecwm]

Go to coolthaihouse.com and all your questions can be answered - a gold mine of information.

[Fgis]

No halogen lighting, this is just stupid, its too hot in Thailand and they use too much electricity.

No aluminium windows, it looks shxt compared to PVC as aluminium all are localy cheap handmade by lo so workers...

[how241]

Just remember that builing practices will probably be totally different to those in your home country.

Not easy to relax- things will not go as you always want them to.

[khunPer]

To the OP:

A good beginning is to buy and read the book: "How to Buy Land and Build a House in Thailand" by Philip Bryce, Paiboon ISBN 1-887521-71-2. Can be found in most bookstores. It finished my house two years ago and found many useful comments in that book.

You do not mention, where you are going to build. There might be a great difference from building up Isaan or next to a beach. Do you use a building contractor for complete project or will you use several contractors for the various jobs? Some have already mentioned a number of things to be aware of.

One important thing I learned is, that you have to approve everything yourself – meaning, that you need to know a lot about details in various fields, you may have never worked in before. Do not always expect so called “specialists” actually know, what they are doing, even they say, that they can do it. Your alternative is a project manager you can rely on.

Rain and water

-is often a problem. Make sure rainwater runs off – fx. make a high base for the house – and that your foundation and footing (the flat plates under the posts) are deep enough to be on solid ground, so the house will not sink.

Roof

-is essential and the difference in choice of good materials, is not that big. Cement Thai Roof Center can undertake a complete enterprise, including the steel work in galvanized steel (will not rust and you will use less steel), and will give you a five-year guarantee. In my case, their labor costs was lower, than offered by my building constructer. Also, Cement Thai may still be around, if you ever gone use the guarantee – your building constructer may long be out of business.

Windows and Doors.

Wooden doors – and frames – work a lot in high density. Choose a hard wood – I know high quality costs more, but it is worth it – that may save from a lot of problems. For outdoor windows and doors you may consider aluminum or uPVC, the latter a fraction more expensive than aluminum. There are two Thai manufacturers of uPVC doors and windows, German originating Hoffen and Cement Thai Windsor Vinyl. I choose Hoffen, they have a fine product, but a bad service – especially after sale. To day I would choose Windsor Vinyl, which made my gutters and gave an excellent service.

Electric.

Make sure you find a good reliable electrician and have a proper earth installed. You may wish to install some UPS in separated circuits, for back-up light, when you have power-supply problems. I used normal 350W computer UPS’ and have mounted external batteries for longer service time and easy maintenance.

Plumbing.

Seems to be, that everyone can do the plumbing – but often you end of with a bad job. Do not save on materials – but good quality – a lot cheaper than banging up the cement floor or walls to change bad pipes. Especially your drains and sewer must have the right size – better oversized – and correct angle. Some good hints can be found Philip Bryce’s book.

Cement, lender or plaster

-seems to crack a lot. Using water-proof cement mix reduce the cracking. The cost is about 350 baht per cubic meter. When mixing cement for lender/plaster ad a bit of water-proof additive – TOA has actually one specially for lender/plaster – so you do not have to fight with bad looking filler in all the cracks.

Paint.

Let the cement dry for at least a month – better three – before painting. Use a good high quality primer (TOA has a good one). Do not save on paint quality – you just have to repaint after one or two years. Always use semi gloss for outdoors.

In general

-it is often worth doing the construction contract that way, so you choose and pay materials yourself. That gives you control over the quality, instead of ending up with cheap materials, so the building constructer can keep his budget and profit margin.

I prepared myself well – thanks to Phylip Bryce and the Internet – and had a good English speaking Thai contractor, so I am very happy with the result. However, I did learn something, that I would do different next time.

I wish you good luck with your project.

[davejones]

Take a pragmatic approach, trying to get everything done to exacting Western standards will cause excessive stress (and it won't happen anyway).

That said, don't just accept what your contractor wants to do, after all it's you who is paying.

Electrical safety is paramount, it's the one thing found in all homes with the potential to kill.

I have seen plenty of property in Thailand that is built to Western standards. If you hire quality workmen then you shouldn't have any problem.

[ignis]

Not sure if they were here late 2003, but yes go with uPVC doors and windows with frames...

​One house in the Village has been empty for 5 years, some of the windows and frames have been eaten away, last month the Patio doors upstairs fell off, the holes in the wood have been getting larger for the past 2 years.. on my house have a long and low windows not used and behind a cupboard, last year went to seal it with mastic in-case the floods came that high, much of the woods gone, had no idea as paint was fine.

[Morakot]

Builders do not follow plans or verbal instruction you give them unless you stay on-site every day, all day and watch everything they do.

If a builder says he's going to do it later, it wont get done.

Making payments to a builder in excess of the ammount and value of work completed ensures there will be problems at the end of the job.

Universal truth.

Edited August 22, 2012 by Morakot