Approx cost of renovating empty 30/40sqm condo?

[Happy Grumpy]

Mrs. HG travels to Chiang Mai on business regularly (a few days twice/trice a month), so she is planning to buy a small studio condo. 30-40sqm.

She would rather buy a bare one and spend a month doing it up herself.

Anybody have experience of doing such? And the approx. cost? Budget isn’t exactly tight.

Bed and mattress: 20k

Fridge and microwave: 10k

2 seater sofa (non-pleather) : 10k

40in flatscreen and sound system: 15k

Coffee table and TV cabinet: 10k

Small dinner table and chairs: 10k.

Computer desk and basic computer: 15k.

Higher/lower, doesn't really matter. No help needed with those.

After this is where I need help with approx. costs.

Painting all inside walls and ceiling. No idea of the cost. Any experience for a 30-40sqm studio?

Shower cubicle. Getting either a glass partition or full shower cubicle put in, so the shower isn’t spraying all over the rest of the small bathroom. Shower curtains aren’t of interest. Example:

Approx cost?

Possibly re-tiling the entire small bathroom? Something like:

Approx cost?

And the most important and probably most expensive part, a small, decent looking kitchenette. Something like this with tiles between the overhead cupboards and counter top.

Any ideas of approx. cost?

Also something to divide the bed area from the rest of the area. Either a wooden bookcase thing, or a thin dividing wall. Something like:

Any ideas of approx. cost?

So to quickly recap, any experiences on the approx cost for:

1) paint walls and ceiling of 30-40sqm studio?

2) Glass shower cubicle?

3) Very small bathroom being re-tiled?

4) Kitchenette, as per above photo?

5) A thin dividing wall, as per above photo?

Thanks very much.

Edited May 31, 2015 by Happy Grumpy

[hhgz]

It depends upon if you intend on doing any of the work yourself. Regardless. many condos have a manager, who can direct you to various vendors. Before you make a selection, you should take a good look at what some vendors consider to be acceptable work. I'm guessing your standards will be a lot higher than theirs. Too, you'll probably get a lot of feedback how the vendors will pad their bills. I had Australian friends use an architect from Australia to design and refurbish the interior. Even though my friends had no idea of what they wanter, the architect quoted 10K THB/meter. I wondered how the architect could even begin to estimate what a renovation would cost if the owners couldn't define what the renovation would cover.

Home Pro provides sale and installation of many products, and you could start there. As for furniture, a trip to IKEA would provide you with some guidance.

[technologybytes]

It sounds like none of the work you describe would be expensive. Best way forward is to buy the materials yourself and just pay the workers for labour.

You can buy a nice complete 1.64m kitchen unit for between 10k- 45k depending on quality, add appliances and you are done with the kitchen.

The glass screen is available at Home Pro or Home Sukapan (next to Payup University on the ring road)

Retiling is cheap for the labour, full cost depends on the tiles you choose. Any decent tile shop can recommend a man to fit them, but tiles are the one area where it pays to use a top quality fitter, so you will want to see evidence of previous high quality work.

We used to employ builders to do refits, and they in turn employed the actual workers. Recently we have been skipping the builders and just dealing with the workers/tradesman ourselves (well, 99% of interaction is via my wife) and the cost savings are enormous. Most builders want to cream 50% of the cost as profit.

Edited June 1, 2015 by technologybytes

[awayego]

The kitchen unit set you show in pic3 is usally available in Winner at Index Living Mall, Chiang Mai (and one or two other places).

The set is often on promotion at 9,990bt which is cheap! That is why you see the same set in so many condo ads.

Winner delivered assembled and fixed ours - all for nothing, although I did tip the guys.

[Happy Grumpy]

Thanks very much.

[awayego]

As far as the partition is concerned, my personal choice would be to have the living area next to the front door rather than the bedroom,

Condo corridors can often be pretty noisy, depending on the neighbours, frequently at night time,

Of course there may well be constraints such as plumbing which would prevent that option.

Just a thought.

[mikiea]

i do not want to sound harsh....and no unearned disrespect intended.... but huh , why cant you do this yourself ? just take this post to home pro ,they will sell you all you need . and money is not a issue with you so much as you slacker way of life is . YOU must research this , i do not understand why you want other people to do personal taste things for you .hmmmm.... maybe you are looking for a back door outta this re-hab ? high cost to justify a no go ? and it would not be you that said no . the money did .

[mike324]

1) paint walls and ceiling of 30-40sqm studio?

It can be around 3000 baht for labor only all the way up to 20k depending on the contractor.

2) Glass shower cubicle?

Check out Boonthavorn, Homepro, they have custom built section. Should cost around 50k for foreign branded fitting, 30k-40k for Thai branded. Can be slightly less if you are able to find a contractor.

3) Very small bathroom being re-tiled?

4) Kitchenette, as per above photo?

Like others have said anywhere from 20k to 50k, check out Boonthavorn and Homepro. Nice ones from SB / Index can run up to 100k.

5) A thin dividing wall, as per above photo?

Perhaps a 3 piece sliding partition would be better in terms of looks? It can be opened up making the space look bigger or closed for more privacy in the bed.

[awayego]

i do not want to sound harsh....and no unearned disrespect intended.... but huh , why cant you do this yourself ? just take this post to home pro ,they will sell you all you need . and money is not a issue with you so much as you slacker way of life is . YOU must research this , i do not understand why you want other people to do personal taste things for you .hmmmm.... maybe you are looking for a back door outta this re-hab ? high cost to justify a no go ? and it would not be you that said no . the money did .

A bit harsh nevertheless! And some dodgy assumptions too! Could be many sound reasons for not being a DIY job.

But, I agree, it is a pretty straightforward DIY job and one that would not be too challenging for someone with basic skills.

Just the sort of job I would like to get my teeth into (if it was my place!) but, personally, I draw the line at tiling - done it but not professionally enough!

Also, the research isn't difficult - part of the 'fun' for me!

Good luck anyway.

[Happy Grumpy]

As far as the partition is concerned, my personal choice would be to have the living area next to the front door rather than the bedroom,

Condo corridors can often be pretty noisy, depending on the neighbours, frequently at night time,

Of course there may well be constraints such as plumbing which would prevent that option.

Just a thought.

That's true, also the position of the aircon would be a factor.

[Happy Grumpy]

1) paint walls and ceiling of 30-40sqm studio?

It can be around 3000 baht for labor only all the way up to 20k depending on the contractor.

Would 5k for labor and 5k for paint be a fair estimate?

No idea how much paint would be needed and how much it would cost.

[Happy Grumpy]

5) A thin dividing wall, as per above photo?

Perhaps a 3 piece sliding partition would be better in terms of looks? It can be opened up making the space look bigger or closed for more privacy in the bed.

I agree.

Something like these Chinese style wall dividers could be nice, instead of building a dividing wall.

No idea of the cost.

Estimate 10k for one that isn't made of plastic of metal.

Another option is a dividing bookshelf, which would be the most practical of options.

Edited June 1, 2015 by Happy Grumpy

[Happy Grumpy]

If future posters are interested in the same.

Kitchen info is here from Index.

Only 9,990 baht. Which is a steal, but no sink.

Getting a sink put in mightn't be that hard. Probably under 10k for sink and labor.

This one also seems alright, at 35k baht.

[thailandforumaddict]

You are funny guys with your dream labor prices...

The truth is that nobody will do good job for cheap and even expensive you won't be sure that job will be good...

[mike324]

1) paint walls and ceiling of 30-40sqm studio?

It can be around 3000 baht for labor only all the way up to 20k depending on the contractor.

Would 5k for labor and 5k for paint be a fair estimate?

No idea how much paint would be needed and how much it would cost.

5K should be more than enough for labor for a small room like yours. If you are able to find a person who can do it as a side job, price should be closer to 3k. If its a contractor, he will most likely outsource the job and ask for 5k and up. I honestly don't know how much paint would run there are different types and quality too, take the dimension of your room to HomePro and they will be able to help you out.

Kitchen counter 9,990 is a steal but won't last long. The countertop is crap, its worth spending a little more here. I would steer away from Winner and go with Index as the quality is generally a little better. Winner is the lower end line for Index, and the laminate covering for panels are usually thinner.

Edited June 1, 2015 by mike324

[mike324]

5) A thin dividing wall, as per above photo?

Perhaps a 3 piece sliding partition would be better in terms of looks? It can be opened up making the space look bigger or closed for more privacy in the bed.

I agree.

Something like these Chinese style wall dividers could be nice, instead of building a dividing wall.

No idea of the cost.

Estimate 10k for one that isn't made of plastic of metal.

Another option is a dividing bookshelf, which would be the most practical of options.

Do you plan on renting the place out? If so don't use the Chinese partition, its butt ugly and so outdated. Go with the shelf partition which is a cheaper route.

If you have a budget or space is limited something like this will look better

https://www.pinterest.com/pin/307441112033140816/

http://www.bizar-media.com/unique-design-of-fidalga-727-interior/stunning-white-wooden-sliding-partition-for-tv-room-and-wooden-white-kitchen-island-plus-airvent-also-table-and-wooden-flooring/

[Happy Grumpy]

Thanks, but it's Mrs. HG's condo for her to stay in for 2-3 days in a row, twice/trice a month. She has no plan to rent it out until she changes position (not in the foreseeable future).

[WorkingTourist]

Here is a great article series about building a house in Isaan.

They go over most expenses/material tradeoffs and even publishes spreadsheets for the total cost of everything.

A recommended read for anyone planning to do a bigger building/renovation job in Thailand.

[jcnbkk]

i do not want to sound harsh....and no unearned disrespect intended.... but huh , why cant you do this yourself ? just take this post to home pro ,they will sell you all you need . and money is not a issue with you so much as you slacker way of life is . YOU must research this , i do not understand why you want other people to do personal taste things for you .hmmmm.... maybe you are looking for a back door outta this re-hab ? high cost to justify a no go ? and it would not be you that said no . the money did .

Eeeasy. This is part of the research. When you go in someplace for services asking questions, the more answers you already have, the better..

[awayego]

Just an after thought.

You and your wife should try to visit Ban Tawai artisan village - well worth a trip (turn left at Hang Dong crossroads/traffic lights).

They have an amazing range of hardwood furniture (and much more besides) and have a large choice of partition type shelf units and folding screens.

We fully furnished a three bedroom house in Phuket with all teak furniture from Ban Tawai at a fraction of the cost of buying in Phuket.

[hhgz]

Ikea, and other retailers, will design a kitchen - any room, really - for free without obligation. Bring photos, and accurate measurements. When you get a final design and placement, do the hard stuff first: be sure that the electrical wiring and outlets and plumbing are in place. Following that, the walls, floors, and cabinets can get installed. It's not too hard to find instances where Thai workmen have ignored something, only necessitating the removal of flooring ("Sorry, I forgot the drain"), and cutting into the wall ("Opps, I forgot the wiring for the range").

[davido1944]

hi ,i have 84 metre condo i have just done up so half would be about your size,as far as paint gos easy get 6ft steps about 1000 baht anywhere home pro for instance or big c .paint juton or majestic homepro or any paint store masking tape about 4 rolls blue in colour low/ medium tack 1 inch wide acrilic filler largish tub ceiling paint supermatex white matt one roller for colour on walls one large for ceiling1 foot wide small roller for odd areas where big is to much broom stick or similar for ceiling roller. mask off everthing with tape news paper or similar cover floors doors ect take you time as care now pays dividends before painting fill all blemishises with filler and sand start with coarse finish fine again take your time as final fiish depends on hoe good you do this,Paint ceiling FIRST! MASKING ALL LIGHTS SMOKE DETECTORS !! USE MATT PAINT ONLY AS WILL NOT SHOW UP ANY FLAWS EXCEPT MAYBEE CEILING WHICH CAN BE SEMI MATT OR SILK .I would not recommend using thais to do this unless you want paint on floor doors and just about everything that should not be painted but if know DECENT ONE OK BUT FINDING ? DO YOURSELF ITS EASY JUST TIME CONSUMING OK? I HAVE DONE LOT OF WORK MYSELF AS TOOK COURSES IN UK ON TILING /PLASTERING/ PLUMBING JUST CONTACT ME ON E MAIL EMAIL REMOVED PLEASE PM if have questions i cannot send photos here as do not know how yet but if want to see pics can send as attachments i would think about 5000 baht for everything to paint at most a thai will probably charge you 4000/5000 baht just for labour

Edited October 26, 2015 by Crossy
email removed per forum rules