Tips and warnings on building a house in Sis a Ket area

[StefanBBK]

Make sure that windows and door frames are varnished underneath and on top as well, or moisture creeps in.

[meatboy]

Make sure that windows and door frames are varnished underneath and on top as well, or moisture creeps in.

on our house[5bed] they used salvaged wood,no primer one coat of paint.

after 4yrs.the window latches came out,the frames went rotton,and all the paint peeled off.

so the moral of the story,make sure you check,check, check everything that they say they [builders] will get.

and when they paint the house TURN OFF THE WATER.

[prakhonchai nick]

Unless you are fluent in Thai, or your builder has a good undrstanding of English, this can be a recipe for disaster.

Your wife won't understand exactly what you want.and will tell the builder what she THINKS you want. Rows will develop! Serious ones!

Far better to have an established reputable builder who speaks English, and let him get on with it

Points to watch (some mentioned above). Completely obvious to us farangs, but not to Thai jerry builders!

Toilet next to the wall. Obvious you might think -but not to Thais. My toilet was 18" away from the wall

Painting of woodwork (if you are not using aluminium) needs a primer/undercoat and 2 top coats. Yes the builder will say, but most likely he will apply a top coat only.

Tiles need to follow the pattern (if there is one). Thai builders do not seem to understand this. Also make sure that in toilets/bathrooms the tiles slope towards the drain.

Don't let them put nails in every bit of woodwork for measuring purposes. Completely *************s up the wood! Best to ban nails!

Have a qualified electrician, and ensure there are many circuits. Ensure the correct sized cables are used!

If family are building, make sure you buy everything yourself and pay for it yourself. A friend paid over 170bt/bag of cement. some 6 years ago, by letting the family order and pay. And they produced inflated receipts too - also for the sand and stones!

[oneday]

First of all you need to get on a website called Cool Thai House. This website is all about falang building in Thailand with a ton of great stories as people build their homes. There is a thread on just about any subject you can think of.

We just finished our home and we were very lucky in the builder we got, which IS NOT the norm in Thailand. Many people end up having problems to one extent or another. We had our problems, but they were manageable, at least no more than you might run into in your own country.

My best advice is to go to all your local material supply shops and ask the owners if they know a local builder who they would want to build their house. This is how we found our builder. I would have been lucky to have had our builder in America. There were only a couple of areas in his construction ideas/thought I did not agree with, but as far as his knowledge in all other areas, his work ethic and quality of workers he hired...they were superb. We have a fantastic home.

[thaileader]

Thai builders will fit door& window frames by hammering the adjacent re-bar through both stiles and filling up the damaged frame.

They should be drilled plugged and screwed in place with 4 inch screws, 5 down each stile or vertical door frame, same with windows if they are wood.

The lot should be pumped with termite repellent before construction.

Most builders use a small drainage pipe, 1/2---3/4 inch for sinks and wash basins, upgrade to at least 2 inch.

Do not be tempted into fitted furniture, its mostly crap, buy loose then you can see the quality.

YOU NEED TO BE ON SITE IF YOU WANT THE HOUSE BUILT TO YOUR SPECS..................IT WILL NOT GET DONE AS YOU INSTRUCT IF YOUR NOT THERE WATCHING.

I have built four houses here in my 25 years.

[gemguy]

In my experience I found the contractors that talked about the lowest prices commonly did not show up for the job.

** I surmised after talking with their construction buddies, needed to do help do the project, the other workers refuse to do the job that cheap for a foreigner****

The ones that quoted higher prices always showed up of course.

That being the case you really have to take the time to shop around and ask around and talk to Thai people and ask them how much they paid for this aspect and for that aspect of their house or shop houses to be built.

All too often, when you want the contractors to come and get started ...they are now very busy.

When you ask them for a better price they tell you they are giving you the Thai price.....but some simple math will have you realize that the price they have quoted you is far more than it should be.

Go around to active construction sights that are on the go at present and talk to the workers and the construct boss...if he is there....and or the owner of the project and ask them to help you out.

The more contractors and workers and project owners you know the more you will learn.

Sometimes you will meet some of the construction contractors doing various aspects of a ongoing project and they will come over and have a look at your project and give you a reasonable price.

*** However, do not be surprised when you call them they do not answer their phones and or they are too busy at present...telling you next week, next week...or next month, next month.

In my experience I have met some of the owners of the projects at their project sites and asked them how much this aspect or that aspect was constructed for while the prices seemed cheap or reasonable enough.

Then, when the same Thai contractor comes over to look at the same or similar amount of work at my project they quote a price that is much higher....because you are a Farang.

You can not be in any big hurry to get your construction started or completed because so much of it will not be started and finished in any big hurry so you might as well use the time to shop around and buy as much of the materials as you can yourself and then again make sure you also shop around for materials, as you will find, often enough, some surprising differences in prices from one supplier to the next.

Do not give them any advances and tell them that in the very beginning.

If they do not want to start work without any advances then find another contractor.

However if you can not find another contractor then make your decision...but pay them as little advance as possible.

In the end.....some aspects will be completed for a reasonable and fair enough price while other aspects of the project will be expensive as sooner or later you have to make a decision about having a certain aspect of the construction started and finished in a timely manner while the cost of getting it started ( now ) is more than you know you should be paying...but ....how long can you delay that part of the project waiting or trying to find another contractor for a better price....and then...... the lower price contractor does not even show up anyhow and delays you all the more...or the other contractor is even higher price.

If you can not find a contractor with a cheap price and or the cheap price contractor does not show like he promised...then often enough you are more or less stuck with an available contractor at a higher price.

It is irritating while often enough they will change the price and ask for more money than originally agreed upon...even if you have a written contract....so best to have your wife or a trustworthy Thai friend straighten them out.

Do not be surprised if you have a dispute with them and then next day they simply do not show up to complete what they started...until you agree to pay the new price.

Meantime the mood of the other contractors is more or less sour because, you, the foreigner ( with loads of money , right?? ) are being a cheap Charlie.

If you can not speak Thai fluently then it is well advised that you get yourself a person who can understands English well and tells the Thai contractor and or the workers exactly what you want and what is not acceptable.

If you do not then there will a whole load of misunderstandings while they will say you told them to do this or that and use the misunderstandings as an excuse to do what they already did ( as in mistakes ..minor and or major ) or how they want to do it their Thai way.

Point being ...if you are not on top of it all the time you will end up with too many aspects of the house built in a shoddy manner with all kinds of obvious mistakes easily detected and always reminding you of the bad work and the high price you paid for the bad work.

You have to be there every day and be on top of them and let them know that you will expect their best work and or perform many aspects of what has to be done correctly and do not cut corners...so to speak.

Take lots of photos...everyday.

If building your house correctly is really important to you then make sure your wife or GF is on top of them all the time and watches them like a hawk to make sure they do what they are being paid to do..... correctly.

Sorry if I seem to be going on and on...but I am simply forewarning you about being diligent while having be hard ....but fair.

One more thing...best not to buy the workers alcohol and get them drunk thinking they will be grateful and be all friendly with them because they usually don't show up for work after getting drunk the day before....save that for the end of the project and tell them there will be a big party at the end of the job....with loads of Thai whiskey and Thai Beer and Som Tum..... by the truck load.

Cheers

[GoNavy]

"First of all you need to get on a website called Cool Thai House. This website is all about falang building in Thailand with a ton of great stories as people build their homes. There is a thread on just about any subject you can think of."

Thanks 'oneday' for your comments and the link. I will certainly look into that site. You do have a beautiful looking house. Great kitchen. I like the ceilings and will incorporate that design into my 'bedroom building.'

My builder, I think at this point in time, is the best friend to the father of my companion. He is a home builder and has built homes in the neighborhood for Farangs and their partners/girlfriends/ wives.

I have posted again the old fashion Thai-design wooden house that I am modeling after. The interior shot is for the center building....or open pole design building with long hanging ceiling fans. It is in Isan so the family can enjoy what is their fashion of sitting on the floors with mats or a large off the floor table that they use. i plan on Rattan furniture at one end for us westerners and myself. The kitchen will be in that slanted lean-to on the pole center building. Only what I call the bedroom building will be secure for A/C and one bath between the two bedrooms. It will have either sheetrocked walls and a ceilings such as yours, oneday. That will house the electronics etc.

I am being told through this blog and from some friends living in the area on what to watch for, such as 'de-worming' the wood for termites. Wood will be cut this summer and seasoned over the summer & fall. Construction is set to start this December. My friend is known in the area as his family, so him hoping, do I dare say trust but verify that work will be honorable. I have written above on other issues that I am aware of for myself. I have never built a new home, but this will be my 4th home that I have repaired, upgraded, etc myself. So, hopefully I will not be too dense. But always appreciate suggestions and warnings being that I am not in Kansas anymore.

Thanks, GoNavy

[gemguy]

"First of all you need to get on a website called Cool Thai House. This website is all about falang building in Thailand with a ton of great stories as people build their homes. There is a thread on just about any subject you can think of."

Thanks 'oneday' for your comments and the link. I will certainly look into that site. You do have a beautiful looking house. Great kitchen. I like the ceilings and will incorporate that design into my 'bedroom building.'

My builder, I think at this point in time, is the best friend to the father of my companion. He is a home builder and has built homes in the neighborhood for Farangs and their partners/girlfriends/ wives.

I have posted again the old fashion Thai-design wooden house that I am modeling after. The interior shot is for the center building....or open pole design building with long hanging ceiling fans. It is in Isan so the family can enjoy what is their fashion of sitting on the floors with mats or a large off the floor table that they use. i plan on Rattan furniture at one end for us westerners and myself. The kitchen will be in that slanted lean-to on the pole center building. Only what I call the bedroom building will be secure for A/C and one bath between the two bedrooms. It will have either sheetrocked walls and a ceilings such as yours, oneday. That will house the electronics etc.

I am being told through this blog and from some friends living in the area on what to watch for, such as 'de-worming' the wood for termites. Wood will be cut this summer and seasoned over the summer & fall. Construction is set to start this December. My friend is known in the area as his family, so him hoping, do I dare say trust but verify that work will be honorable. I have written above on other issues that I am aware of for myself. I have never built a new home, but this will be my 4th home that I have repaired, upgraded, etc myself. So, hopefully I will not be too dense. But always appreciate suggestions and warnings being that I am not in Kansas anymore.

Thanks, GoNavy

Excellent....if you can get the right contractor for a reasonable price while you can review and inspect the work he has done for others and comes with good references...... then you have saved yourself a whole lot of headaches and frustrations.

But still you have to be there everyday to make sure there are no mistakes and if you feel comfortable with them.... then...get in there and help them yourself to construct your home.

But still, best to shop around for materials to get the best prices as some items can be bought for lower prices....from supplier to supplier and even from town to town if the distances are not too far and convenient to do so.

Cheers and good luck

[kinmaew]

Here is a good tip that will save you loads of money and hassles. Don't build anything with Thais involved, RENT

[kannot]

Tips

1 expect an appalling standard of work

2 expect builder to do a runner at some point when you find it hard to accept his crap work

3 do your own plumbing, they even screw this up

4 really..do it yourself if you can

5 dont lend any tools..they often have none

6 NEVER EVER pay them in advance

7 buy your own materials they will buy crap and hike the price

8 ignore any hard luck stories....its their hard luck not yours

9 keep family out of the build if you can

10 half decent would be about 10-13k a metre square with a builder, less if you get a crew of your own

11 be on site ALL day

12 They will nick whatever they can so keep an eye on things

13 expect them to dump crap all over your land

14 make sure you use ready mix CPAC concrete and ask for a slump test, refuse it if it fails

15 make sure steel is under concrete at least an inch

16 expect them to use every shortcut/bodge they possibly can especially when burying stuff under concrete

17 get the electrics earthed and make sure the cables actually go to the earth rod, stick rod by septic tank where its damp

[samuibruno]

you mention that your trucking in loads of fill

you shouldn't build on top of fill as it takes time to settle properly [years]

your foundations should be on the solid ground level now

so you should excavate into your new fill down to old level so you get little [or no ] movement settling after construction

also your concrete foundations wont be worried by termites

good luck

[Travelman868]

Just one point, pay as the house is built. If possible pay so much after an agreed amount is built. For my house, I paid 20% after the foundations were in. I think 40% after the roof was on and 40% on completion. That way the builder won't take off with a bunch of cash in his pocket and no work done. I know three people who had this happen to them. For one it was his wife's family doing the work, so don't feel safe even if it's family or a friend doing the work. If the builder can't finance it in advance, buy the materials ahead of time, then when they are used, pay for the labour and buy new materials. Protect yourself. It's no different than in your home country, except most home countries, have laws that will protect you and are enforced, not so much here.

"most home countries have laws to protect us " Not in the UK, we have laws, they have limited companies. £1.9 BILLION in building ripoffs

every year. these companies just change names and carry on.

[minikev]

While I agree with some of the advise in these posts. It's hard to believe some of these posters will acheive anything here. Paying money up front for materials and getting staff to the job is totally normal here. You are not being ripped by paying this Thais pay deposits too and if you don't you will not get any staff. Get an agreement for stage payments. Do your homework and let he builders know during conversation that you know how much a length of 2 inch plasic pipe and a bag of red or green cement is.

Go to your nearest Cpac concrete depot tell them when they deliver to your address they should call you first and you are prepared to pay the higher rate for good concrete.

They all mix 3 grades from about 1,200 ro 2,700baht per metre.

When you see something blatantly wrong calmly ask to speak with the builder in private don't wave your arms about and shout because they will leave.

Buy a bottle of whisky and a crate of beer every now and again. Sat afternoon is good so they have time to sleep off the hangover.

Hugely important in your case make sure the wood is treated for turmites.

Explain to the wife that she should tell the builders often you would like the work to a high standard.

[BHW]

Hi

I built a Aussie style house near Prang Ku finished last June, my design but got a designer / engineer in Korat to put it all together. We had a builder lined up but he wanted to build it like a Thai house so we quickley got rid of him then appointed another local builder could not be happier with the outcome although a few things that are my doing could have been done different. Being a sparkie did the electrical Aussie style even using ussie cable.

Paid the builder in 5 progress payments had a written labour only contract with him, good as if not better than some Aussie I have used and worked for. The designer produced a bill of materials which worked out near right, some up some down.

I'll attach some photos.

If you want any other info let me know.

A word of warning, no offence meant, but be wary of advice from some locals

All the best

BHW

[ICECOOL]

Read a lot of good sound advice here

Filling the land and building up is a good idea BUT if you are not getting the land fill compacted you should let it settle for 1 year. I filled 1.5 metre and then it dropped about half a metre after the wet season then used concrete reinforced pylons rammed into the ground 1 metre to build my foundations on but that was on the advice of an engineer. I am only building a single level house. Do not skimp on your foundations as concrete and steal are cheap. I had my plans drawn and got the builder to quote then agreed on a staged payment plan. I am buying all major materials myself, paying the suppliers direct. I give builder cash advance to buy small items and gf checks of the invoices. So far so good

Good luck

[whaleboneman]

While on the toilet subject, make sure the toilet paper holder is within reach so that aerobic skills are not needed to reach it.

Forget the toilet paper holder and learn to use the bum gun. Your hole will thank you.

[Thunderbirds20]

I built a house on land owned by my Thai wife's family, ( I assume you are doing something similar or joint with a thai that has 51%) in Amphoe Sikhoraphum. The house was designed by me. The plans were drawn up by an architect and his wife and close friends of my wife's family. He spoke fairly good english and I enjoyed our exchanges of ideas. He projected the total cost to be 1.5 to 2 million baht and felt it would take 6 months to complete. As my wife and I were living in Bangkok Nui and Nooie, were going to oversee purchasing of materials and construction, .... in return for a monthly fee! Sounded great!

But, Nui proved to be a lazy Thai bastard that would disappears for days on end. The contractor could not get hold of him to get his questions answered, so he would make his best guess, ..always wrong, ... and waste his time and my materials. It got so bad, .... we went through three contractors. They all quit in frustration because of Nui.

After 9 months, and the house being nowhere near finsihed, I moved up there myself to oversee everything. This made absolutely, no difference!! They refused to do things the way I wanted and just went ahead as they pleased. Common sense and logic do not exist in Thailand. I wanted them to finish the ceiling first, then the walls and when that was all done and the scaffolding removed, to lay the tile floors. I had different tiles for different rooms and had the appropriate tiles in the corresponding rooms, waiting to be put down when all else was done.

One morning I went to the house to see them laying tile, ..... in the wrong bloody rooms! It had to be torn up and more supplies bought, but they ended up laying all the tile before finishing the rest of the work. So, scaffolding was being used and moved on the tile floor, plaster and paint drops everywhere and lots of tiles cracked. What a mess! Then they installed screens on the inside of the windows, which defeats the whole purpose of screens as you have to open the screens to open the windows.

It took more than two years, and cost me over 7 million baht! I would never recommend a person build anything here. Only buy something that already exists and you can see exactly what you get for your money!

[BHW]

Hi Again

In case you don't know Prang Ku is in Si Sa Ket province.

There is a lot of sound advice in replies to you, I know how very lucky we were in getting a great builder, as an earlier reply said do not skip on the foundations plus the reinforcing in the columns and the roof structure.

All the best in your venture.

BHW

[zyphodb]

With regards to the construction I would recommend one of 2 options:

A) hire all workers directly and you manage the construction yourself.

hire a construction manager or company to do the work

Either way buy all material yourself. Construction companies tend to make most money from the material and often use low quality material to optimize their profits. If you buy material yourself it's cheaper and better quality. Also option a) is usually a lot cheaper. The only downside is that you have to find workers yourself but really isn't a problem here in Thailand. Price difference between option a and b is usually a lot so if you have time managing it yourself definitely hire workers yourself.

Hope that helps.

Wise words, as a retired builder who has been through this & knows a lot of others who also have built homes here, Buy your own materials, whatever you do pay in at least 4 stages: eg 1. groundwork septic tank, pipes to foundations etc 2. posts & roof, 3.walls, windows & doors, 4. everything else. The main pitfalls are, If you manage it yourself :

1. Thai workers will tell you that they can do anything you ask them to, regardless of their ability or lack of it...

2. They will pretend to listen to you telling them how you want it done, & then completely ignore what you have told them & do it how they think it should be done, which is invariably wrong.

3. They will not turn up quite often & give you ridiculous excuses + if they get bored with the whole thing or you telling them what to do they will just stop coming to work altogether.

Using a construction manager or Company you will be charged way over they odds & they will cut every corner that they can, Agree on a total price before you start & buy your own materials & insist on STAGE PAYMENTS Often the company will get to stage 2 or 3, decide that they are not making enough money & pull out, leaving you having to find another set of builders.

The good side is that your design looks mostly Thai so theres a good chance you will find people who actually have the skills to build it. Another problem is most of the good builders go to work in Bangkok where they can charge a lot more money , you will be left with the rest...

And finally, good luck... Building here is usually a hugely frustrating process but rewarding in the end.....

[Issangeorge]

Always buy a box or two extra tile. When years later one or two get broken, you will be glad you did, I wish I had.

[GoNavy]

I am 'stumped'

Anyone have ideas on designing a 9 meter on each side, which would be a square building for 2 bedrooms and a bathroom? I've drawn out and can not come up with a design whereas I do not have a long narrow hall, or an exit that is not through the bathroom. Obviously the bedrooms can not be equal. My only thought would be to have an exit from the building from each bedroom with each having a door into the bath. Thoughts?

[ICECOOL]

Do not build square. L shaped better so you have outdoor area on the east side for relaxing in afternoon and night. Use the big 60x20x20 superblocks. Cheap and quick and good heat resistance. Insulate ceiling or roof. Less windows on west side.

[dav622]

How much would it cost approximately to construct a toilet with shower? A decent one but not high class.

[GoNavy]

How much would it cost approximately to construct a toilet with shower? A decent one but not high class.

Are you speaking about the one outside............the 'squat toilet' area? I haven't looked into that as of yet. Off the top of my head I would say about 20-30,000 Baht. It wouldn't be that hard to put in a shower head.....and a small corner sink to wash one's hands. The water has to be brought to the area in any event. It is being built more for the Thai family members. Though, it would come in handy for outside working.

[GoNavy]

My partner says he thinks more like 50,000 Baht for materials and labor. I have not thought specifically about it. Though, informed wanting more then just a squat toilet but a full one for showering and a sink to wash hands. So the size would have to be more then a 'port-a-pottie' size. Just doesn't want guests/others to use our private bathroom for some reason.

Though others have said when they have, they don't know how to use western style and see footprints on the toilet seat. Which I don't see as a big problem, it can be wiped down.

Or as the example shows, guess they have western toilets with footstools in front to use as a squat. Will have to see what is available. The size would have to accommodate a shower without it being over the squat toilet which increases the size of the small extension to the house.

[ICECOOL]

How much would it cost approximately to construct a toilet with shower? A decent one but not high class.

Are you speaking about the one outside............the 'squat toilet' area? I haven't looked into that as of yet. Off the top of my head I would say about 20-30,000 Baht. It wouldn't be that hard to put in a shower head.....and a small corner sink to wash one's hands. The water has to be brought to the area in any event. It is being built more for the Thai family members. Though, it would come in handy for outside working.

Why don't you just put in a western style toilet so you have a spare one for yourself when family not visiting..pretty much same cost. They can learn to use it ...I am sure

[GoNavy]

How much would it cost approximately to construct a toilet with shower? A decent one but not high class.

Are you speaking about the one outside............the 'squat toilet' area? I haven't looked into that as of yet. Off the top of my head I would say about 20-30,000 Baht. It wouldn't be that hard to put in a shower head.....and a small corner sink to wash one's hands. The water has to be brought to the area in any event. It is being built more for the Thai family members. Though, it would come in handy for outside working.

Why don't you just put in a western style toilet so you have a spare one for yourself when family not visiting..pretty much same cost. They can learn to use it ...I am sure

Of course you are correct. I was attempting to keep it as cultural for the Thai family as possible without interfering in my standard. As these photos show there is an option to have footrests which would accommodate both styles.

[lostinisaan]

A very useful tip is to make sure that your Thai wife really understands everything you're saying. I do not speak baby English with my wife, but finally figured out through our son, who's much better in English than my wife, that she sometimes says yes, without even knowing what I'd said.

You do need a Thai person you can trust doing such a project and I know a couple who divorced, because of so much bullshit that happened because of misunderstandings.

But to be perfectly honest and i hope that i can tell you my honest opinion, you're thinking way too much about toilets now.

The whole posts about a squat toilet are really wasted time, Thais do know how to use an ordinary toilet, without doing a damage to your toilet, or to their health.

Is it possible that the thread is a sort of" over toileted" now?

If you ever build your house in Sisaket area, I'll come to your party with a bottle of Jacky, I promise.

Edited April 19, 2015 by lostinisaan

[meatboy]

make sure that you dont put the bum gun toooooooooo close to the shower otherwise you might end up with crap between your toe's

when you go for a shower

[dav622]

I have also been told it is about 50,000 for a complete one with tiles and a shower and a western style toilet seat. I have never seen one with the foot rests before but it looks interesting if people are trying to squat on the toilet seat. I felt that 50,000 may be too high and hence thought I would ask the opinion and advice of the members here.