Be Very Very Careful When Getting A Building Contractor.

[barrybankruad]

Another thing ALWAYS shop around when buying building materials, prices for the same item can vary enormously. Collect materials yourself, always check invoices, make sure you are not being overcharged. I've known of many cases where contractors collude with the supplier to overcharge and they split the extra earned. Even known wiives do it on a couple of occasions. Caveat emptor.

[klikster]

Another thing ALWAYS shop around when buying building materials, prices for the same item can vary enormously. Collect materials yourself, always check invoices, make sure you are not being overcharged. I've known of many cases where contractors collude with the supplier to overcharge and they split the extra earned. Even known wiives do it on a couple of occasions. Caveat emptor.

I'm sure that the collusion between suppliers and wives happens, but an honest and savvy Thai wife will get better prices than farangs.

Edited February 7, 2013 by klikster

[David006]

Got to love the place, builder and his 2 guys doing some tiling, not been paid yet. They disappear, ask where have they gone. Farang about 40 km away needs his roof fixed and is paying 5 times what I pay.

Ask how did they get there, builder has no pickup truck, he hired FIL to drive them there in our pickup.

After 3 days work they are back, but not to work.

Builder, who can not drive is off to buy his own secondhand pickup truck. Ask how he can afford a car.

No problem, have rice, cassava and building work, If things slow will come here and work, been working on your house for over 3 years, maybe another 3 or 4 years to finish.

He is right, have a bridge on one of the rubber plantations, a new hot air rubber shed to build and more as we expand. He may work for us, more off than on for the rest of his life. Jim

55555 makes me think of all the pending work that I thought we had contracted to be done and is still pending ( "he very busy")

- clearing a few rai jungle to plant more rubber or...12 months +

- brush cutting in an overgrown approx 5 rai of mature rubber trees so we can actually tap 'em...12 months +

- grade and improve with road bed material our access road......3 years

- fit welded steel railings to our veranda....3 months

- dig out and dam our gully to make fish pond and swimming hole......5 years

- concrete deck area...6 month..........did it myself in the end

amazing how often that you get a whole frickin family to come look first..sit talk for an hour or so and then disappear.

"How much dear?".....

"slowly dear they very busy"..

.."how much?"

"I not ask...they come back later"

"when?"

"later...they go to dead people party"

"<deleted> did you talk about for the last hour?"

"many thing"

"and?"

silence...

phone rings.....

15 minutes later...

"I go to library and market now, what you want to eat for dinner deaah, ?"

no wonder I drink!

[jamescollister]

Got to love the place, builder and his 2 guys doing some tiling, not been paid yet. They disappear, ask where have they gone. Farang about 40 km away needs his roof fixed and is paying 5 times what I pay.

Ask how did they get there, builder has no pickup truck, he hired FIL to drive them there in our pickup.

After 3 days work they are back, but not to work.

Builder, who can not drive is off to buy his own secondhand pickup truck. Ask how he can afford a car.

No problem, have rice, cassava and building work, If things slow will come here and work, been working on your house for over 3 years, maybe another 3 or 4 years to finish.

He is right, have a bridge on one of the rubber plantations, a new hot air rubber shed to build and more as we expand. He may work for us, more off than on for the rest of his life. Jim

Big day for the builder, gives wife money to drive him to town 140 km away. Takes FIL with him, builder doesn't know how to drive.

I had got the impression he was getting a used pickup, no, brand new red plate Toyota Hilux, silver of course.

May actually get more work out of him, repayments won't be cheap.

Ah well car warming party to attend. Jim.

[StevenHeidbriderSr]

I suppose i should have been more clear. The Contractor I hired signed and said he understood a contract that we both agreed was a fair and equitable price for the work to be done.

He then came back again and again crying about not enough cash to continue job so i would advance him more thinking that ok i have a signed and agreed upon contract for work to be done and if he spent the money i gave on another project that was fine as long as he finished what we agreed on. But it seems a written contract and a hand shake dont mean much here.

The final beg for money was near completion but just not quite..... I paid him off thinking that he would finally take responsibility and get things done right. Naive is the best description for myself and the Family saying how he could be trusted didnt help at all.

I love my Thai wife of 26 years and love thailand but the way they seem to see farangs as Targets has kinded jaded my feelings toward some people.

[jamescollister]

I suppose i should have been more clear. The Contractor I hired signed and said he understood a contract that we both agreed was a fair and equitable price for the work to be done.

He then came back again and again crying about not enough cash to continue job so i would advance him more thinking that ok i have a signed and agreed upon contract for work to be done and if he spent the money i gave on another project that was fine as long as he finished what we agreed on. But it seems a written contract and a hand shake dont mean much here.

The final beg for money was near completion but just not quite..... I paid him off thinking that he would finally take responsibility and get things done right. Naive is the best description for myself and the Family saying how he could be trusted didnt help at all.

I love my Thai wife of 26 years and love thailand but the way they seem to see farangs as Targets has kinded jaded my feelings toward some people.

It's not just farangs that get taken, Thai on Thai same same. Once the money has left your pocket and into his, it's gone.

Bought a new rubber kneading machine from a local hard ware store, one hour of use and electric motor burns out. I take out the motor and find it's an old one. Shop had sold the new motor and replaced it with an old used one.

Went back to the shop to complain, may as well have complained to our dog. All they wanted to do, is sell me a new motor. Needless to say told them where to put it, crossed the road to another local hardware shop and bought a new motor.

Everyday occurrence be it Thai or farang, pay for something or some work to be done, then the money is gone. Jim

[rgs2001uk]

I suppose i should have been more clear. The Contractor I hired signed and said he understood a contract that we both agreed was a fair and equitable price for the work to be done.

He then came back again and again crying about not enough cash to continue job so i would advance him more thinking that ok i have a signed and agreed upon contract for work to be done and if he spent the money i gave on another project that was fine as long as he finished what we agreed on. But it seems a written contract and a hand shake dont mean much here.

The final beg for money was near completion but just not quite..... I paid him off thinking that he would finally take responsibility and get things done right. Naive is the best description for myself and the Family saying how he could be trusted didnt help at all.

I love my Thai wife of 26 years and love thailand but the way they seem to see farangs as Targets has kinded jaded my feelings toward some people.

The biggest problem for farangs is the girls family, and the Thai reluctance to spend money.

You want a decent house built it will cost, if you want Somchai the rice farmer to knock you up some place in between rice harvesting, well you get what you pay for.

I have seen some of these 'house of horror" projects.

Get yourself a reputable company, with a staged payment system and a proper contract.

Suggest you try something like Landy.

Another option is ATB, I have seen some of his builds, if I was building up that way I would use him.

Yes many say he is expensive, expensive compared to what?

How many have ever had problems using the guy?

I learned a long time ago in this country, if you want something done, do it yourself, one of the reasons for me learning Thai was the frustrations of not getting what I wanted.

Yes to many up that way 500k is a lot of money, 5 years wages for some, but to try and build a house on the cheap is false economy.

To anyone reading this, cheap dont work, if you want a hassle free experience do it yourself, otherwise you will end up with useless family members reinventing themselves as plumbers and electricians.

[55Jay]

Man o Man, I appreciate threads like this, useful to bend the learning curve. My eye/brain not yet working on the level of skepticism and constant awareness of being scammed, but it's coming around. Needs to run in the background all the time, like an antivirus program.

[rgs2001uk]

Man o Man, I appreciate threads like this, useful to bend the learning curve. My eye/brain not yet working on the level of skepticism and constant awareness of being scammed, but it's coming around. Needs to run in the background all the time, like an antivirus program.

I learned a long time ago, I will not change Thailand, but Thailand will change me.

Both my (Thai) wife and I operate and think the same, everyone (Thai & Farang) is out to rip us off until proven otherwise.

If we want something done its by personal introduction or recommendation.

I learned that by taking this approach I wont end up dissapointed.

[55Jay]

Man o Man, I appreciate threads like this, useful to bend the learning curve. My eye/brain not yet working on the level of skepticism and constant awareness of being scammed, but it's coming around. Needs to run in the background all the time, like an antivirus program.

I learned a long time ago, I will not change Thailand, but Thailand will change me.

Both my (Thai) wife and I operate and think the same, everyone (Thai & Farang) is out to rip us off until proven otherwise.

If we want something done its by personal introduction or recommendation.

I learned that by taking this approach I wont end up dissapointed.

Agreed.

Reading here has helped me gather info and form plans on something I want or need to do. Sometimes have to wade through, but thar often be gold nuggets in the mud.