Built quality in Vietnam seems to be much higher

[Kf6vci]

Concrete,flooring, finishes.Don't get me started on utterly crappy "workmanship". Painting without masking...

The other day, I saw a gorgeous large 4 BR house in Vietnam. It cost $ 200,000. Seemed better built, too.

Would you share my opinion?

[inzman]

The Vietnamese have a good work ethic. Hard working focused people. None of that here.

[IMHO]

Who would you like me to share your opinion with?

[beachproperty]

Build quality is all dependant on if your there to supervise and see actually how everything is done. I have built in Thailand a few projects and I can say without reservation that they have been overbuilt (over engineered foundations, over engineered steel in post , beams and concrete slabs (#16 rebar vs #12), concrete 330 pre mix instead of 280, 12 mm double pane windows , double walls with insulation, etc

its the unseen what is usually the most important. So...you've seen a beautiful house in Vietnam but really don't know the bones of the structure, therefore can't comment on the comparison.

And just so you know ....to use these higher specs for materials the cost has been minimal....(total cost is 10,000 baht a sq meter finished with built in kitchens and bathrooms) ...

Edited December 25, 2014 by beachproperty

[Anthony5]

Build quality is all dependant on if your there to supervise and see actually how everything is done. I have built in Thailand a few projects and I can say without reservation that they have been overbuilt (over engineered foundations, over engineered steel in post , beams and concrete slabs (#16 rebar vs #12), concrete 330 pre mix instead of 280, 12 mm double pane windows , double walls with insulation, etc

its the unseen what is usually the most important. So...you've seen a beautiful house in Vietnam but really don't know the bones of the structure, therefore can't comment on the comparison.

And just so you know ....to use these higher specs for materials the cost has been minimal....(total cost is 10,000 baht a sq meter finished with built in kitchens and bathrooms) ...

Wow 330 Steng concrete. I thought that 210 Steng would be sufficient for columns and beams.

[beachproperty]

Build quality is all dependant on if your there to supervise and see actually how everything is done. I have built in Thailand a few projects and I can say without reservation that they have been overbuilt (over engineered foundations, over engineered steel in post , beams and concrete slabs (#16 rebar vs #12), concrete 330 pre mix instead of 280, 12 mm double pane windows , double walls with insulation, etc

its the unseen what is usually the most important. So...you've seen a beautiful house in Vietnam but really don't know the bones of the structure, therefore can't comment on the comparison.

And just so you know ....to use these higher specs for materials the cost has been minimal....(total cost is 10,000 baht a sq meter finished with built in kitchens and bathrooms) ...

Wow 330 Steng concrete. I thought that 210 Steng would be sufficient for columns and beams.

Yes, your right....as I said I overengineered it. I live on the beach and I see many concrete columns deteriorating from the sea air. And as said the cost was minimal in the overall picture so why not do it right the first time .....much more expensive and difficult to fix down the road.

[ezzra]

Badly lacking in supervisions and attention to details with skilled and semi skilled labourers

in Thailand, whereby no quality checks are made and no reprimand to a worker who didn't

do his job right, coming late to the job and generally non regimented and orderly work ethics,

all and mostly a motley crew blaze attitude to work that translates to a jerry job in most cases....

Edited December 26, 2014 by ezzra

[NanLaew]

I have lived and worked in Thailand Vietnam for a while now. Build quality varies from crap to decent, depends on level of supervision, quality of materials used and overall budget.

[Naam]

Build quality is all dependant on if your there to supervise and see actually how everything is done. I have built in Thailand a few projects and I can say without reservation that they have been overbuilt (over engineered foundations, over engineered steel in post , beams and concrete slabs (#16 rebar vs #12), concrete 330 pre mix instead of 280, 12 mm double pane windows , double walls with insulation, etc

its the unseen what is usually the most important. So...you've seen a beautiful house in Vietnam but really don't know the bones of the structure, therefore can't comment on the comparison.

And just so you know ....to use these higher specs for materials the cost has been minimal....(total cost is 10,000 baht a sq meter finished with built in kitchens and bathrooms) ...

basically i agree with you but during my conversations with an engineer of Pattaya's building department (excellent English) he revealed the department's trick to specify diameter of steel reinforcements, concrete quality/consistency, etc. much higher than required because it is assumed that the builder cheats anyway by "reducing" and not following the specifications.

personally, for my home in Thailand, i spent a considerable amount of adding steel, especially in the slab because of 60x60 marble tiles. the steel i added was not only in diameter size but in "square density" (see picture below).

all based on my experience of the first house i built in Florida where it was normal to use "chicken wire" in the slab and that not even with distance blocks. as the average American house is fully carpeted with additional padding under the carpet cracks never show except in tiled areas such as kitchen and bathrooms. but in my case it was a disaster!

[Naam]

The Vietnamese have a good work ethic. Hard working focused people. None of that here.

an unjustified statement. i say "you get what you pay for!"

[Robert24]

my initial thoughts are that $200k for a 4BR house in Vietnam is quite expensive. Especially because labour cost is a lot cheaper in Vietnam than Thailand (or China) What location are you looking at?

Not sure if quality of building is better in Vietnam. I'm not sure about this - I have no evidence to support that.

[beachproperty]

Build quality is all dependant on if your there to supervise and see actually how everything is done. I have built in Thailand a few projects and I can say without reservation that they have been overbuilt (over engineered foundations, over engineered steel in post , beams and concrete slabs (#16 rebar vs #12), concrete 330 pre mix instead of 280, 12 mm double pane windows , double walls with insulation, etc

its the unseen what is usually the most important. So...you've seen a beautiful house in Vietnam but really don't know the bones of the structure, therefore can't comment on the comparison.

And just so you know ....to use these higher specs for materials the cost has been minimal....(total cost is 10,000 baht a sq meter finished with built in kitchens and bathrooms) ...

basically i agree with you but during my conversations with an engineer of Pattaya's building department (excellent English) he revealed the department's trick to specify diameter of steel reinforcements, concrete quality/consistency, etc. much higher than required because it is assumed that the builder cheats anyway by "reducing" and not following the specifications.

personally, for my home in Thailand, i spent a considerable amount of adding steel, especially in the slab because of 60x60 marble tiles. the steel i added was not only in diameter size but in "square density" (see picture below).

all based on my experience of the first house i built in Florida where it was normal to use "chicken wire" in the slab and that not even with distance blocks. as the average American house is fully carpeted with additional padding under the carpet cracks never show except in tiled areas such as kitchen and bathrooms. but in my case it was a disaster!

Your home looks beautiful ...congratulations

But ....Maybe you mis-understood my post....

I was NOT required by the building dept. (not in Pattaya) to add/upgrade any of the items I mentioned ....I did this on my own knowing I wanted something that would last the test of time AND the elements....and the cost was minimal in the overall scheme of the projects done.

Edited December 27, 2014 by beachproperty

[Naam]

Your home looks beautiful ...congratulations

But ....Maybe you mis-understood my post....

I was NOT required by the building dept. (not in Pattaya) to add/upgrade any of the items I mentioned ....I did this on my own knowing I wanted something that would last the test of time AND the elements....and the cost was minimal in the overall scheme of the projects done.

i got it right and i fully agree with you. just wanted to add my two Satangs which i thought were relevant.

[Naam]

my initial thoughts are that $200k for a 4BR house in Vietnam is quite expensive. Especially because labour cost is a lot cheaper in Vietnam than Thailand (or China) What location are you looking at?

Not sure if quality of building is better in Vietnam. I'm not sure about this - I have no evidence to support that.

pardon me for being a pain in the àrse but the expression "$200k for a 4BR house" does not contain any tangible fact as the built-up area is not defined.

there are 4BR houses with living areas of 150-200m² but there are also "2BR houses" -as in my case- with a living area exceeding 600m² not to mention the fact that the "final" cost can be anything between 6,000 Baht per m² and "sky is the limit".

[KittenKong]

The Vietnamese have a good work ethic. Hard working focused people. None of that here.

an unjustified statement. i say "you get what you pay for!"

I say that what you pay doesn't necessarily have any bearing at all on the quality of what you are buying. There are at least as many good cheap things as there are expensive bad ones.

The trick is to ensure that what you are paying is actually being spent on the quality of the item and not on excess profit, kickbacks, advertising, packaging etc. And that isnt easy unless you can control the whole thing yourself from beginning to end, which may just about be possible in an individual house build but would surely not be possible in a condo development, or for an item bought in a shop, or a meal bought in a restaurant.