Why I would rather live in Thailand than America

[spidermike007]

I am from Massachusetts.

Last time I was in Boston in the winter was last this in February 2014.

I was there for 10 days for some financial stuff I had to do.

In that time the temperature averaged from zero to 15 below zero, and that was Fahrenheit.

In those 10 days there were three storms that closed the airport down for 24 to 48 hours each time.

They had at least a foot of snow during those 10 days in those 3 storms.

The trip including hotels and living expenses cost me $3500 for those 10 days.

Any other questions?

Yes, Why would anyone go to Boston in the winter and then act surprised that it was real winter?

Why would anyone be surprised that Boston is very expensive?

I am from Boston and for sure its cold in the winter but getting back to the OP California is the most expensive state in the country to live in. I don't know where in Cali you were but even in laid back Boston the nite clubs and bars are open till 2am and you can find some restaurants open all nite and in China Town till 4.AM. If you were in NYC and a few other east coast cites just like Bangkok they never close and transportation in Boston or NYC its easy to get around by train , bus, taxi or bike. And boston is somewhat expensive but not like California which you are correst is hard to get around without a car but California is not like all of USA.

California has completely lost its edge. It is not the state it used to be. Over taxation is driving out most wealthy people. Overpriced real estate. High priced rental market. Congestion is insane. Air quality is poor in all but the northern rural areas. Climate is boring. Air is too dry and it is horrendous for the health of anyone with sinus issues. People are sour and bitter. It has become a police state. I say all this after living there over a decade, and having seen where the state has gone in the past 40 years. Only downhill. Poor quality if life.

[camsouth]

I am back in the US for some months now and I am already tired of this place. I will admit that there are very nice areas of the country with incredible natural beauty. But you don't have to live here to visit those places. And by living here you would have to put up with all the other nonsense above.

agree i went back to us for 4 months was hard to stay there to thailand

and you do need a car in us to do anything and have some freedom. and yes things are more expensive than thailand . thai easier way of life

[CMHomeboy78]

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I grew up in Westchester County, north of New York City.

Now you can't even do minor repairs on your own home. You need a village permit and the work has to be done by a licenced contractor at grossly inflated prices.

That's just one of the many reasons that I like it better here.

In America you have a choice which state to live in. If nothing else, winters are too cold in New York for me.

New York is well-known as a nanny state. In most states you can do your own building. I could draw my own plans, get my permit, and do my own building including electrical and plumbing. I'd just have to meet the same codes and pass the same inspections that a tradesman would. The building department and inspectors would help me if I had questions.

It's Thailand where the electrical system is allowed to fry you in your own home due to no proper ground. This dangerous electrical system is done by the pros and government approved, or some such nonsense.

CMhomeboy you have to be taking the piss, i know Westchester County and have work in management with a construction / renovation company that often did jobs at the weekend for friends that were tax free. Come on a lot of the construction staff in NY were illegally working.

No, I'm not "taking the piss" I was just stating what the building codes are in Westchester County. They are similar to those in suburbs near big cities all over the country.

In rural areas you can build pretty much whatever you want with minimal interference from the authorities; but in the more prosperous places you are subjected to a bewildering array of nanny state laws and regulations that make life damn near intolerable for many people.

That's why I voted with my feet a long time ago.

[1BADDAT]

In America you have a choice which state to live in. If nothing else, winters are too cold in New York for me.

New York is well-known as a nanny state. In most states you can do your own building. I could draw my own plans, get my permit, and do my own building including electrical and plumbing. I'd just have to meet the same codes and pass the same inspections that a tradesman would. The building department and inspectors would help me if I had questions.

It's Thailand where the electrical system is allowed to fry you in your own home due to no proper ground. This dangerous electrical system is done by the pros and government approved, or some such nonsense.

Electrocution is the fifth leading cause of occupational injury death.

Conclusions: Electrocution continues to be a significant cause of occupational death. Workers need to be provided with safety training and employers, particularly smaller employers, persuaded of the need for safety training.

In Thailand? NO. In the USA.

http://injuryprevention.bmj.com/content/8/4/306.full

Neversure has never operated a business in Chicago. Building inspectors..... Professional...... Ya Professional thieves. Phase One of Operation Crooked Code led to the arrest and conviction of six people, including five City of Chicago employees and one private contractor. They were arrested on federal bribery charges for exchanging cash payments with an undercover cooperating witness relating to various zoning and building permit matters. http://chicagoinspectorgeneral.org/major-initiatives/crooked-code/

Somebody needs to revoke your google privileges. The statistics you provided are related to occupational deaths in the US only from 20 years ago. They have nothing to do with residential wiring in Thailand and they do not compare the two countries at all. What were you trying to prove with that statistic anyway?

[thailiketoo]

In America you have a choice which state to live in. If nothing else, winters are too cold in New York for me.

New York is well-known as a nanny state. In most states you can do your own building. I could draw my own plans, get my permit, and do my own building including electrical and plumbing. I'd just have to meet the same codes and pass the same inspections that a tradesman would. The building department and inspectors would help me if I had questions.

It's Thailand where the electrical system is allowed to fry you in your own home due to no proper ground. This dangerous electrical system is done by the pros and government approved, or some such nonsense.

Electrocution is the fifth leading cause of occupational injury death.

Conclusions: Electrocution continues to be a significant cause of occupational death. Workers need to be provided with safety training and employers, particularly smaller employers, persuaded of the need for safety training.

In Thailand? NO. In the USA.

http://injuryprevention.bmj.com/content/8/4/306.full

Neversure has never operated a business in Chicago. Building inspectors..... Professional...... Ya Professional thieves. Phase One of Operation Crooked Code led to the arrest and conviction of six people, including five City of Chicago employees and one private contractor. They were arrested on federal bribery charges for exchanging cash payments with an undercover cooperating witness relating to various zoning and building permit matters. http://chicagoinspectorgeneral.org/major-initiatives/crooked-code/

Somebody needs to revoke your google privileges. The statistics you provided are related to occupational deaths in the US only from 20 years ago. They have nothing to do with residential wiring in Thailand and they do not compare the two countries at all. What were you trying to prove with that statistic anyway?

The statement was, "It's Thailand where the electrical system is allowed to fry you in your own home due to no proper ground. This dangerous electrical system is done by the pros and government approved, or some such nonsense."

If an electrician can't do it right in an industrial setting with thousands of OSHA electrical inspectors one would be advised to be careful of home construction.

The statement was, "It's Thailand where the electrical system is allowed to fry you in your own home" An obvious overstatement made by a person with little knowledge of Thailand.

My information came from: Data from 1992 through 1999 were obtained from the Bureau of Labor Statistics Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries.

If you have better and/or more current feel free to list it.

The topic is, "Why I would rather live in Thailand than America." My statistics refer to unsafe conditions in the work place in the USA and it's one of the reasons I'd rather live in Thailand.

My point is not that Thailand is that safe but compared to other countries it is not that un safe either.

[belg]

i doubt the OP is american or even been there

[flyingsaucersarereal]

Housing is cheaper in America? Yeah maybe if you live in the middle of nowhere not a city and still that would be hard to find.

I am fine with not owning a house I can just rent or buy a apartment.

I have a house in Bangkok and one in Las Vegas. The Vegas house is much, much bigger and much better built than the Bangkok home, and the property is much larger. Both cost around the same. I also looked at homes in San Antonio, and they were cheaper than Vegas.

On the other hand, I was in Chiang Mai last month and went to a friend's house. it cost the same as my Bangkok house but was easily twice the size.

Both Thailand and the US have a wide variety of places to live and an equally large range of housing prices.

I like Vegas I have been there many times but you are comparing Vegas one of the cheapest places to live in the U.S with Bangkok one of the most expensive places to live in Thailand not the fairest of comparisons. I mean seriously I don't know what you are talking about you can get homes for 7000 baht a month in Bangkok 3 bedrooms your telling me America is cheaper than that please show me because I want to know where those homes are.

Edited September 9, 2014 by flyingsaucersarereal

[pkspeaker]

Really?! The houses in America 'are much better built', than the houses in Thailand? How did you reach this conclusion, what I have noticed from DAY1 in thailand is that the houses in this country ARE WAY BETTER built than the houses in America.. and I have never understood why they construct that cheap crap in the US..

In the places i lived in the US (CA and TX), all the houses are constructed on a concrete slab (some in CA are built with a crawl space underneath) and they use a cheap wooden frame (as in the 2x4s are built out of soft wood, maybe pine wood other cheap crap), which is then enclosed with a cardboard (drywall) to create all the rooms, between the cheap wood frame and the drywall panels is empty space so the walls of the house are hollow and the contain the electrical system.. THEY ARE ALSO EXTEMELY flamable as I learned the hard way when our house burned down and we almost died in it.. if there is a flood forget it, the cardboard house is a loss-better have some good insurance for that.. if there is a huricane or big storm, the house is literally blown away.. ALL the housing in CA amd TX are constructed this way, wether it be smaller houses, large houses in rich neighborhoods, or sprawling apartment complexes.. this type of constrction also invites criters, roaches can live in the many nooks are crannies in this cheap construction and you'll get termites.. at that point the entire shack has to be placed ina tent and maybe yu can stall the damage..

IN THALAND I have never seen this garbage construction.. EVERY house I have ever seen here is constructed with steel reinforced concrete.. if there's a fire, worst case it gets gutted, if theres a flood, once the water drains, you clean it up and your back to normal, heavy storm.. minimal damage to the roof but the frame of the house is solid as rock.. all the apartments and lowrise condos are also solid concrete.. so how do yo come to this conclusion that US housing is better.. the whole reason i stayed out here is the housing and affordability of it..

Housing is cheaper in America? Yeah maybe if you live in the middle of nowhere not a city and still that would be hard to find.

I am fine with not owning a house I can just rent or buy a apartment.

I have a house in Bangkok and one in Las Vegas. The Vegas house is much, much bigger and much better built than the Bangkok home, and the property is much larger. Both cost around the same. I also looked at homes in San Antonio, and they were cheaper than Vegas.

On the other hand, I was in Chiang Mai last month and went to a friend's house. it cost the same as my Bangkok house but was easily twice the size.

Both Thailand and the US have a wide variety of places to live and an equally large range of housing prices.

Edited September 10, 2014 by pkspeaker

[SpokaneAl]

Really?! The houses in America 'are much better built', than the houses in Thailand? How did you reach this conclusion, what I have noticed from DAY1 in thailand is that the houses in this country ARE WAY BETTER built than the houses in America.. and I have never understood why they construct that cheap crap in the US..

In the places i lived in the US (CA and TX), all the houses are constructed on a concrete slab (some in CA are built with a crawl space underneath) and they use a cheap wooden frame (as in the 2x4s are built out of soft wood, maybe pine wood other cheap crap), which is then enclosed with a cardboard (drywall) to create all the rooms, between the cheap wood frame and the drywall panels is empty space so the walls of the house are hollow and the contain the electrical system.. THEY ARE ALSO EXTEMELY flamable as I learned the hard way when our house burned down and we almost died in it.. if there is a flood forget it, the cardboard house is a loss-better have some good insurance for that.. if there is a huricane or big storm, the house is literally blown away.. ALL the housing in CA amd TX are constructed this way, wether it be smaller houses, large houses in rich neighborhoods, or sprawling apartment complexes.. this type of constrction also invites criters, roaches can live in the many nooks are crannies in this cheap construction and you'll get termites.. at that point the entire shack has to be placed ina tent and maybe yu can stall the damage..

IN THALAND I have never seen this garbage construction.. EVERY house I have ever seen here is constructed with steel reinforced concrete.. if there's a fire, worst case it gets gutted, if theres a flood, once the water drains, you clean it up and your back to normal, heavy storm.. minimal damage to the roof but the frame of the house is solid as rock.. all the apartments and lowrise condos are also solid concrete.. so how do yo come to this conclusion that US housing is better.. the whole reason i stayed out here is the housing and affordability of it..

Housing is cheaper in America? Yeah maybe if you live in the middle of nowhere not a city and still that would be hard to find.

I am fine with not owning a house I can just rent or buy a apartment.

I have a house in Bangkok and one in Las Vegas. The Vegas house is much, much bigger and much better built than the Bangkok home, and the property is much larger. Both cost around the same. I also looked at homes in San Antonio, and they were cheaper than Vegas.

On the other hand, I was in Chiang Mai last month and went to a friend's house. it cost the same as my Bangkok house but was easily twice the size.

Both Thailand and the US have a wide variety of places to live and an equally large range of housing prices.

Different countries, different climates, different construction. For example our home in Thailand is all cinder block. Its design is based on economical construction with a primary purpose of dissipating heat via fans and open doors and windows. Tile material is cheap and plentiful and also helps keep the house cool. While we have it installed, air conditioning is for the wealthier. Build like that in SoCal and the first minor earthquake will cause that house to come down and bury you. We see it all the time in poorer countries that experience earthquakes.

Our home in WA state, where we have four distinct seasons, is a stick home, well insulated, well designed and built to handle cold winters as well as hot summers. It is modern, and the options and choices of materials and design are endless. It is well insulated, including doors and multipaned windows. Both heating and cooling systems keep us comfortable during the respective seasons.

Both homes suit our needs and we thoroughly enjoy each one. We spend a portion of time in each and life is good.

Comparing the two countries, cultures and people seems like a bit of an endless loop exercise to me.

Edited September 10, 2014 by SpokaneAl

[thailiketoo]

Different countries, different climates, different construction. For example our home in Thailand is all cinder block. Its design is based on economical construction with a primary purpose of dissipating heat via fans and open doors and windows. Tile material is cheap and plentiful and also helps keep the house cool. While we have it installed, air conditioning is for the wealthier. Build like that in SoCal and the first minor earthquake will cause that house to come down and bury you. We see it all the time in poorer countries that experience earthquakes.

Our home in WA state, where we have four distinct seasons, is a stick home, well insulated, well designed and built to handle cold winters as well as hot summers. It is modern, and the options and choices of materials and design are endless. It is well insulated, including doors and multipaned windows. Both heating and cooling systems keep us comfortable during the respective seasons.

Both homes suit our needs and we thoroughly enjoy each one. We spend a portion of time in each and life is good.

Comparing the two countries, cultures and people seems like a bit of an endless loop exercise to me.

I really like Spokane. I don't know if anyone posting here realizes what an interesting town it is. I used to own an old mansion there; from the silver boom period. Formal dining room and ballroom. The ceiling heights were awesome and the place cost a fortune to heat in the winter. A bit like the homes below.

But different places for different people. I loved the weather in Spokane but it drove my wife crazy; 90 days with no sun is not that unusual; she was ready to kill herself. I've always thought the Spokane airport was closed more days due to fog than any other airport in the world but could never find the statistics; I think they hide em.

There used to be wide open prostitution and gambling close by in the mountains in Idaho. I imagine it's closed now but it used to be fun. Hunters would buy deer and elk from the locals and spend a week in the bars and go back home with the fresh out of the freezer game.

I also remember seeing Marylin Chambers there when Miss Kitty's opened.

But the cost of me living and having fun in Spokane although comparable to Thailand is not in the same cost league.

Edited September 10, 2014 by thailiketoo

[pkspeaker]

My post regarding US housing construction is a bit extreme, there are many nice houses in the US.. the reason for the wooden framing and drywall I suspect is the cold, I know a brick house will get VERY cold, but hot water radiators take care of the problem..

I used to live in an apartment building in Long Beach that was built like in 1920, it was 6 stories with an old type of elevator where you had to open and close a gate to go up and down, it was entirely constructed of brick and it had a central air shaft, in every apartments bathroom was a trap door so you could open the air shaft.. in hot weather you would just open that trap door and the place would cool, in cold weather you turn on the radiator.. and of course it had wooden floors, it was so much better than the modern constructed homes.. I don't understand why they can't build like that anymore.. I understand that most of the houses are going to be built the cheaper way, but the NEVER use brick and reinforced concrete anymore, thats what i dont understand.. i mean so many people there with money, wouldn't at least some of them want a nice brick house for a change? I did see in huntington harbor years ago a house that was under construction, they had bought the old house, torn it down, and were building a new one out of brick and concrete.. i guess that's what it would take and alot of extra expense to get ne like that over there..

[bonobo]

Housing is cheaper in America? Yeah maybe if you live in the middle of nowhere not a city and still that would be hard to find.

I am fine with not owning a house I can just rent or buy a apartment.

I have a house in Bangkok and one in Las Vegas. The Vegas house is much, much bigger and much better built than the Bangkok home, and the property is much larger. Both cost around the same. I also looked at homes in San Antonio, and they were cheaper than Vegas.

On the other hand, I was in Chiang Mai last month and went to a friend's house. it cost the same as my Bangkok house but was easily twice the size.

Both Thailand and the US have a wide variety of places to live and an equally large range of housing prices.

I like Vegas I have been there many times but you are comparing Vegas one of the cheapest places to live in the U.S with Bangkok one of the most expensive places to live in Thailand not the fairest of comparisons. I mean seriously I don't know what you are talking about you can get homes for 7000 baht a month in Bangkok 3 bedrooms your telling me America is cheaper than that please show me because I want to know where those homes are.

The cost of living in Las Vegas is almost exactly at the US average.

I am not sure where you can buy a house in Bangkok and have a 7,000 baht mortgage. In fact, I don't know where you can rent one. We have been looking for a home for the in-laws. In Nonthanburi and Thonburi, about the cheapest we have found so far is 9,000 baht for a two bedroom townhome. Be that as it may, I was referring to buying a home.

[thailiketoo]

The median home value in Las Vegas is $175,400. Las Vegas home values have gone up 17.2% over the past year and Zillow predicts they will rise 7.5% within the next year. The median list price per square foot in Las Vegas is $107, which is lower than the Las Vegas Metro average of $108. The median price of homes currently listed in Las Vegas is $180,000 while the median price of homes that sold is $178,750. The median rent price in Las Vegas is $1,175, which is lower than the Las Vegas Metro median of $1,195. Or 39,000 baht.

http://www.zillow.com/las-vegas-nv/home-values/

Edited September 10, 2014 by thailiketoo

[bonobo]

Really?! The houses in America 'are much better built', than the houses in Thailand? How did you reach this conclusion, what I have noticed from DAY1 in thailand is that the houses in this country ARE WAY BETTER built than the houses in America.. and I have never understood why they construct that cheap crap in the US..

In the places i lived in the US (CA and TX), all the houses are constructed on a concrete slab (some in CA are built with a crawl space underneath) and they use a cheap wooden frame (as in the 2x4s are built out of soft wood, maybe pine wood other cheap crap), which is then enclosed with a cardboard (drywall) to create all the rooms, between the cheap wood frame and the drywall panels is empty space so the walls of the house are hollow and the contain the electrical system.. THEY ARE ALSO EXTEMELY flamable as I learned the hard way when our house burned down and we almost died in it.. if there is a flood forget it, the cardboard house is a loss-better have some good insurance for that.. if there is a huricane or big storm, the house is literally blown away.. ALL the housing in CA amd TX are constructed this way, wether it be smaller houses, large houses in rich neighborhoods, or sprawling apartment complexes.. this type of constrction also invites criters, roaches can live in the many nooks are crannies in this cheap construction and you'll get termites.. at that point the entire shack has to be placed ina tent and maybe yu can stall the damage..

IN THALAND I have never seen this garbage construction.. EVERY house I have ever seen here is constructed with steel reinforced concrete.. if there's a fire, worst case it gets gutted, if theres a flood, once the water drains, you clean it up and your back to normal, heavy storm.. minimal damage to the roof but the frame of the house is solid as rock.. all the apartments and lowrise condos are also solid concrete.. so how do yo come to this conclusion that US housing is better.. the whole reason i stayed out here is the housing and affordability of it..

Housing is cheaper in America? Yeah maybe if you live in the middle of nowhere not a city and still that would be hard to find.

I am fine with not owning a house I can just rent or buy a apartment.

I have a house in Bangkok and one in Las Vegas. The Vegas house is much, much bigger and much better built than the Bangkok home, and the property is much larger. Both cost around the same. I also looked at homes in San Antonio, and they were cheaper than Vegas.

On the other hand, I was in Chiang Mai last month and went to a friend's house. it cost the same as my Bangkok house but was easily twice the size.

Both Thailand and the US have a wide variety of places to live and an equally large range of housing prices.

House in Vegas: sturdy, good materials, tile roof, central air, metal plumbing, top-notch electrical system, energy efficient, no settling.

House in Bangkok: windows don't fit. Plastic plumbing. Smell of wastewater in one bath. Settling. Cracking in the walls. One door cannot be opened during the rainy season. Roof leaks. And all of this is common amongst my friends. I have one friend, a Thai, who bought a 23,000,000 baht house. Within three years, half of the house settled more than 75 cm. He cannot even use his driveway. I looked at a used home that was a bank repo. The owners simply moved out when the part of the home settled. The back doors could not be opened. The master bedroom as at a decided slant. Read the news and see how many homeowners are trying to get repairs made by moobans or construction companies due to shoddy construction.

When I built a home in San Diego, the inspectors drove me crazy. But they forced me to build a good home. The codes either don't exist in Thailand or are not followed.

I love Thailand, and I will not say another country it better or worse, but in home quality, Thai homes, whether cheap or expensive, just are not the same as US homes.

[thailiketoo]

Average rent US home 40,000 baht. Average rent Thai home, 10,000 baht. For 300% I would expect some improvement.

I have a 3 year old home in Thailand no cracks in the wall. No floor or driveway problems. No roof problems. Knock wood.

[MJP]

Life's what happens when you're making all these plans. You might get there but then you just make more plans. And so on and so forth.

[farang000999]

which is why you should move to thailand asap and live on 20k a month!

[rgs2001uk]

Really?! The houses in America 'are much better built', than the houses in Thailand? How did you reach this conclusion, what I have noticed from DAY1 in thailand is that the houses in this country ARE WAY BETTER built than the houses in America.. and I have never understood why they construct that cheap crap in the US..

In the places i lived in the US (CA and TX), all the houses are constructed on a concrete slab (some in CA are built with a crawl space underneath) and they use a cheap wooden frame (as in the 2x4s are built out of soft wood, maybe pine wood other cheap crap), which is then enclosed with a cardboard (drywall) to create all the rooms, between the cheap wood frame and the drywall panels is empty space so the walls of the house are hollow and the contain the electrical system.. THEY ARE ALSO EXTEMELY flamable as I learned the hard way when our house burned down and we almost died in it.. if there is a flood forget it, the cardboard house is a loss-better have some good insurance for that.. if there is a huricane or big storm, the house is literally blown away.. ALL the housing in CA amd TX are constructed this way, wether it be smaller houses, large houses in rich neighborhoods, or sprawling apartment complexes.. this type of constrction also invites criters, roaches can live in the many nooks are crannies in this cheap construction and you'll get termites.. at that point the entire shack has to be placed ina tent and maybe yu can stall the damage..

IN THALAND I have never seen this garbage construction.. EVERY house I have ever seen here is constructed with steel reinforced concrete.. if there's a fire, worst case it gets gutted, if theres a flood, once the water drains, you clean it up and your back to normal, heavy storm.. minimal damage to the roof but the frame of the house is solid as rock.. all the apartments and lowrise condos are also solid concrete.. so how do yo come to this conclusion that US housing is better.. the whole reason i stayed out here is the housing and affordability of it..

Housing is cheaper in America? Yeah maybe if you live in the middle of nowhere not a city and still that would be hard to find.

I am fine with not owning a house I can just rent or buy a apartment.

I have a house in Bangkok and one in Las Vegas. The Vegas house is much, much bigger and much better built than the Bangkok home, and the property is much larger. Both cost around the same. I also looked at homes in San Antonio, and they were cheaper than Vegas.

On the other hand, I was in Chiang Mai last month and went to a friend's house. it cost the same as my Bangkok house but was easily twice the size.

Both Thailand and the US have a wide variety of places to live and an equally large range of housing prices.

House in Vegas: sturdy, good materials, tile roof, central air, metal plumbing, top-notch electrical system, energy efficient, no settling.

House in Bangkok: windows don't fit. Plastic plumbing. Smell of wastewater in one bath. Settling. Cracking in the walls. One door cannot be opened during the rainy season. Roof leaks. And all of this is common amongst my friends. I have one friend, a Thai, who bought a 23,000,000 baht house. Within three years, half of the house settled more than 75 cm. He cannot even use his driveway. I looked at a used home that was a bank repo. The owners simply moved out when the part of the home settled. The back doors could not be opened. The master bedroom as at a decided slant. Read the news and see how many homeowners are trying to get repairs made by moobans or construction companies due to shoddy construction.

When I built a home in San Diego, the inspectors drove me crazy. But they forced me to build a good home. The codes either don't exist in Thailand or are not followed.

I love Thailand, and I will not say another country it better or worse, but in home quality, Thai homes, whether cheap or expensive, just are not the same as US homes.

Correct me if I am wrong, one is a flood plain, the other isnt?

Check out prices for land in Dhaka Bangladesh, more psm than NY or London.

I know people who built a house in Bkk had a step up to enter the house, now it has a step down to enter.

Employ cheap ass builders the above is exactly what you will get, I assume you are talking west of the river in Bkk?

Plenty of quality homes available in Thailand, be aware your teerak and her farmer family wont be building them, best you source quality house builders in Thailand, in Bkk the cost of pilings will be more than the cost of an average Issan farang Mansion.

Windows dont fit, what materials were used, wood, aluminium of PVC?

Smell of wastewater, why werent S type pipes fitted?

Settling, this is Bkk, all houses settle.

Cracking in the walls, sounds more like poor rendering.

Roof leaks, why wasnt it leak tested?

The problem is, too many farang thing these people are able to build a house for 300 baht per day labour, you get what you pay for.

Stick with a quality tried and tested developer and you wont have these problems.

BTW, I know exactly what you talk of, I have seen the same in 200 million baht houses on the west side of the city, thats what happens when you build in Paddy fields.

How planning permission was ever granted in the first place is beyond me.

[rgs2001uk]

Average rent US home 40,000 baht. Average rent Thai home, 10,000 baht. For 300% I would expect some improvement.

I have a 3 year old home in Thailand no cracks in the wall. No floor or driveway problems. No roof problems. Knock wood.

Where is your house?

Is it located on a paddy field or flood plain?

[farang000999]

His house is close to the beach around 2000 ft2 and almost brand new. Wish he would post some photos to show us what 10k a month gets you.

[thailiketoo]

His house is close to the beach around 2000 ft2 and almost brand new. Wish he would post some photos to show us what 10k a month gets you.

With all the ad hominem posting here it would take a brave soul to post anything personal on Thai Visa. I'd suggest coming to Thailand and having a look around if you want to see what the home prices and quality are.

I lived in a number of cities including Chiang Mai, Pattaya and Bangkok before I found a place I liked. I've been in Thailand 10 years and my business contacts go back to the Vietnam War so your mileage may vary.

[rgs2001uk]

His house is close to the beach around 2000 ft2 and almost brand new. Wish he would post some photos to show us what 10k a month gets you.

In another thread in a previous life as another now long gone (banned) poster he told us he was living in Ban Chang in a condo that was 40 years old, the same one he was living in when he was a grunt in the USAF all those years ago.

Good ole Chiang Mai Kelly, or should that be, KerryK, Marky, or History prof, its hard to keep up these days.

[rgs2001uk]

His house is close to the beach around 2000 ft2 and almost brand new. Wish he would post some photos to show us what 10k a month gets you.

With all the ad hominem posting here it would take a brave soul to post anything personal on Thai Visa. I'd suggest coming to Thailand and having a look around if you want to see what the home prices and quality are.

I lived in a number of cities including Chiang Mai, Pattaya and Bangkok before I found a place I liked. I've been in Thailand 10 years and my business contacts go back to the Vietnam War so your mileage may vary.

Ok I must be a brave soul, I live in Bang Kapi in a 200+ sm house costs 10k per month.

How about telling us where you live, didnt you tell us not so long back you live 1 hour from Pattaya, that would mean Ban Chang?

Keep these posts coming Dana, love them.

[JAFO]

SpokaneAl was spot on at the bottom of post #131 when he stated " Comparing the two countries, cultures and people seems like a bit of an endless loop exercise to me"

There a poor quality homes built in both countries and this is primarily due to poor workmanship by the contractor and the labor he hires along with cutting corners to meet a deadline or improve gross margin. You couple that with where the house is being built adds another element. I have seen some utter nightmare homes here in Calif built on the sides of sand stones hills where they all shifted and caused serious damage. These were not cheapy homes either $1.5 Mil up to $10 Mil on a golf course in a gated community. There are still civil law suits open against the builder who has since filed bankruptcy and disappeared. Conversely I have seen an equal amount in Thailand where people fill a rice paddy and build on it in 6 months using low cost labor, friends and family that make the cement in wheelbarrows and pull off the molds in 2 days.

Bottomline neither place is better than the other, its all in what one wants to perceive it to be. It boils down to your builder, labor, location and materials. I have seen awesome homes in both places(Not big mansion deals) just nice well built homes.

[rgs2001uk]

^^^^^, on the TV here I watch programmes such as Flipping Detroit, Boston or LV.

SD in California, always the same, subsidence, houses sinking, pot holes appearing, woodworm eating into the supports etc etc.

[JAFO]

^^^^^, on the TV here I watch programmes such as Flipping Detroit, Boston or LV.

SD in California, always the same, subsidence, houses sinking, pot holes appearing, woodworm eating into the supports etc etc.

Ohhhh Man, I would never buy a flipped home in the US. Thankfully they have to disclose that on the disclosure statement. They are put back together poorly with lousy appliances and cheap materials. These guys find loop holes on how to keep certain walls in place not requiring inspections. Its all about making a buck off some poor sap, and they usually do.

I think in some ways that is why Thai's do not buy used homes....of course along with the ghosts. LOL

Edited September 10, 2014 by JAFO

[bikerlou47]

False Gods ? As opposed to a true God?

What a ignorant thing to say!

[flyingsaucersarereal]

Housing is cheaper in America? Yeah maybe if you live in the middle of nowhere not a city and still that would be hard to find.

I am fine with not owning a house I can just rent or buy a apartment.

I have a house in Bangkok and one in Las Vegas. The Vegas house is much, much bigger and much better built than the Bangkok home, and the property is much larger. Both cost around the same. I also looked at homes in San Antonio, and they were cheaper than Vegas.

On the other hand, I was in Chiang Mai last month and went to a friend's house. it cost the same as my Bangkok house but was easily twice the size.

Both Thailand and the US have a wide variety of places to live and an equally large range of housing prices.

I like Vegas I have been there many times but you are comparing Vegas one of the cheapest places to live in the U.S with Bangkok one of the most expensive places to live in Thailand not the fairest of comparisons. I mean seriously I don't know what you are talking about you can get homes for 7000 baht a month in Bangkok 3 bedrooms your telling me America is cheaper than that please show me because I want to know where those homes are.

The cost of living in Las Vegas is almost exactly at the US average.

I am not sure where you can buy a house in Bangkok and have a 7,000 baht mortgage. In fact, I don't know where you can rent one. We have been looking for a home for the in-laws. In Nonthanburi and Thonburi, about the cheapest we have found so far is 9,000 baht for a two bedroom townhome. Be that as it may, I was referring to buying a home.

I have friends with homes that are 7000 baht a month for there mortgage but even if it was 9000 which is about $300 what Vegas homes are that much monthly seems pretty low?

[pkspeaker]

First of all I have been living in in Thailand many years myself, have had many friend with houses and condos and what you are saying is bogus..I am in a condo now and t was built in 2010, sure there is a little cracking on the brick walls from the building slightly setting, but it would be easily patched up, one of the windows also leaks a little when it rains hard at an angle making the window look like a waterfall.. the only reason i havn't bothered to fix them is because it represents such a minor inconvenience, otherwise it would be done in 1 day..I have never had any problems with doors, except one on the bathrrom that needed to be replaced.. It's rare here for a house to fall apart by settling, it has happened and i have seen it on the news when the Thai people went after the developer, but it's certainly not the norm.. as with any purchase you have to check the reputation and resume of the developer.. most of the plastic pipeing here is good quality, just because it's plastic doesn't mean its poor quality and will start to leak.. thailand has the most advanced plastics manufacturing (extruding) in the world.. But it's true that in the US you have all these inspectors where as here not so much..

but anyone can drive by a housing construction site in the US and see what it's made of, cheap wood and cardboard.. thats just what it is, highly flamable, not waterproof, weak and a nice dwelling for roaches, and termites.. don't tell me that a house made of a cheap wood frame cardboard is somehow 'better quality' than one made of steel re-inforced concrete frame and bricks because it's minor parts are cheaper quality.. if the door or window is cheap, then you baught a cheap door or window, get a new one.

Really?! The houses in America 'are much better built', than the houses in Thailand? How did you reach this conclusion, what I have noticed from DAY1 in thailand is that the houses in this country ARE WAY BETTER built than the houses in America.. and I have never understood why they construct that cheap crap in the US..

In the places i lived in the US (CA and TX), all the houses are constructed on a concrete slab (some in CA are built with a crawl space underneath) and they use a cheap wooden frame (as in the 2x4s are built out of soft wood, maybe pine wood other cheap crap), which is then enclosed with a cardboard (drywall) to create all the rooms, between the cheap wood frame and the drywall panels is empty space so the walls of the house are hollow and the contain the electrical system.. THEY ARE ALSO EXTEMELY flamable as I learned the hard way when our house burned down and we almost died in it.. if there is a flood forget it, the cardboard house is a loss-better have some good insurance for that.. if there is a huricane or big storm, the house is literally blown away.. ALL the housing in CA amd TX are constructed this way, wether it be smaller houses, large houses in rich neighborhoods, or sprawling apartment complexes.. this type of constrction also invites criters, roaches can live in the many nooks are crannies in this cheap construction and you'll get termites.. at that point the entire shack has to be placed ina tent and maybe yu can stall the damage..

IN THALAND I have never seen this garbage construction.. EVERY house I have ever seen here is constructed with steel reinforced concrete.. if there's a fire, worst case it gets gutted, if theres a flood, once the water drains, you clean it up and your back to normal, heavy storm.. minimal damage to the roof but the frame of the house is solid as rock.. all the apartments and lowrise condos are also solid concrete.. so how do yo come to this conclusion that US housing is better.. the whole reason i stayed out here is the housing and affordability of it..

Housing is cheaper in America? Yeah maybe if you live in the middle of nowhere not a city and still that would be hard to find.

I am fine with not owning a house I can just rent or buy a apartment.

I have a house in Bangkok and one in Las Vegas. The Vegas house is much, much bigger and much better built than the Bangkok home, and the property is much larger. Both cost around the same. I also looked at homes in San Antonio, and they were cheaper than Vegas.

On the other hand, I was in Chiang Mai last month and went to a friend's house. it cost the same as my Bangkok house but was easily twice the size.

Both Thailand and the US have a wide variety of places to live and an equally large range of housing prices.

House in Vegas: sturdy, good materials, tile roof, central air, metal plumbing, top-notch electrical system, energy efficient, no settling.

House in Bangkok: windows don't fit. Plastic plumbing. Smell of wastewater in one bath. Settling. Cracking in the walls. One door cannot be opened during the rainy season. Roof leaks. And all of this is common amongst my friends. I have one friend, a Thai, who bought a 23,000,000 baht house. Within three years, half of the house settled more than 75 cm. He cannot even use his driveway. I looked at a used home that was a bank repo. The owners simply moved out when the part of the home settled. The back doors could not be opened. The master bedroom as at a decided slant. Read the news and see how many homeowners are trying to get repairs made by moobans or construction companies due to shoddy construction.

When I built a home in San Diego, the inspectors drove me crazy. But they forced me to build a good home. The codes either don't exist in Thailand or are not followed.

I love Thailand, and I will not say another country it better or worse, but in home quality, Thai homes, whether cheap or expensive, just are not the same as US homes.

[mesquite]

I've never seen a house in the US made of cardboard.