Got a house quote, what do you think?

[Naam]

I wil be considering the outside terrace as living space most of the year.

you mean you are not living in Thailand but in a country with a moderate and acceptable comfortable climate Martyn? which country... if i may ask?

The UK, currently in a heatwave of over 25° for more than a week!

And yes i can guess what your going to say... We have planted trees already for shade etc and plan for a pool. And appreciate the need for good design to maximise the use of the space outside.

Thanks Martyn

if you really want to use your terrace as an alternative living room consider to have it roofed. having lived in tropical countries for 20 years we decided to built our retirement home in Florida with a roofed pool surrounded on three sides by a u-shaped home, one side of the pool area towards the back garden screened.

during construction period our American neighbours were smiling and must have been thinking (later confirmed by one of our friends) "we knew the Germans are crazy, but we had no idea how crazy they are." then, 4th july 1994 having moved in only a couple of weeks earlier we invited our neighbours for a house warming party, outside temperature 37ºC / 99ºF, sun burning down, drinks and food served in the pool area and neighbours realising "German neighbours not as crazy as we thought"

15 years later we moved to Thailand, built a near identical home with a fully integrated pool by replacing the screen with glass, added airconditioning and really use it as an alternative living room several months a year.

unfortunately the million dollar view is missing in Thailand

Edited July 15, 2015 by Naam

[coulson]

1.The small (?) central living space is supposed to light and airy and have good flow through for ventilation. There is one big wall I require for the projector set up. I wil be considering the outside terrace as living space most of the year. The size is bigger than most 1 bedroom condo and Iv` seen many houses with vast unused and unfilled areas, I did n`t want this... I wanted more a large open apartment feel, open to the garden....

2. yes exactly that....I have all en suite for that reason, I have a daughter and husband and many family and friends who would want to stay medium /long term. Also posibility of holiday lets in high season. Any outside entry is a security issue? I want each room to hae its own patio aera with french doors overlooking the pool.

3. 100% agree! stupid a much simpler arrangement would be cheaper and better. I also want more over hang on outside kitchen, master bedroom and main terrace.

4. I will be proposing a less biased set up for payment when I have a settled design and price.

design is personal preference based on your priorities and budget, I appreciate the advice....

thanks for the input.... Martyn

Didn't see your later post stating this was a draft for estimate.........comments are mainly redundant so........

My point about the 'central' living space was more about it being transient, sometimes doesn't matter how big or small a room is, it can lose some of it's purpose, design is indeed subjective.

Also putting a pool outside justifies your aspect, good luck with the project, I hope you find a more reasonable builder.

[Naam]

The bedrooms all having en-suite is not necessary

a room without an en-suite bathroom should not be called "bedroom"

I'm delighted you have your own definition

that's not my own definition but the definition in many countries including the U.S. of A. where an additional requirement must be met, namely a built-in wardrobe.

[Naam]

IMHO

On this I have to disagree - in my latest house we gave all bedrooms an ensuite, and we, our children and our guests have certainly never regretted it. If you keep them small (4-6sqm is enough, depending on shape) the overall cost added to the build really isn't that much.

i agree. my bathroom is 7m² but the bathroom of the Mrs. is a multiple because we all know that wives consider their bathrooms to be alternate living rooms

however, an architect who designs bathrooms measuring 380 x 130 (~5m²) with doors opening to the inside is an arch criminal should be sentenced to 5 years hard labour in a Siberian coal mine

[steven100]

IMHO

On this I have to disagree - in my latest house we gave all bedrooms an ensuite, and we, our children and our guests have certainly never regretted it. If you keep them small (4-6sqm is enough, depending on shape) the overall cost added to the build really isn't that much.

i agree. my bathroom is 7m² but the bathroom of the Mrs. is a multiple because we all know that wives consider their bathrooms to be alternate living rooms

however, an architect who designs bathrooms measuring 380 x 130 (~5m²) with doors opening to the inside is an arch criminal should be sentenced to 5 years hard labour in a Siberian coal mine

arch crime.JPG

agree, the 1500mm width is fine and the length is sufficient ... however I would have slide doors for those bathrooms as the arch door opening impedes the space too much.

I built a bungalow with similar bathroom size and I will install french doors or possibly bi fold doors to safe space.

[coulson]

The bedrooms all having en-suite is not necessary

a room without an en-suite bathroom should not be called "bedroom"

I'm delighted you have your own definition

that's not my own definition but the definition in many countries including the U.S. of A. where an additional requirement must be met, namely a built-in wardrobe.

I think you're getting your words mixed up. requirement and preference are two completely different things. What Countries are you referring?

[beachproperty]

I think you're getting your words mixed up. requirement and preference are two completely different things. What Countries are you referring?

With regard to the US ....Naam is right...legally you cannot call a room with no closet (built-in wardrobe) a bedroom. When listing a home for sale Realtors will describe a room without a closet (wardrobe) as a "den"

Doesn't mean you can't use it as a bedroom ....just can't describe it as one (or at least in California)

Edited July 15, 2015 by beachproperty

[coulson]

I think you're getting your words mixed up. requirement and preference are two completely different things. What Countries are you referring?

With regard to the US ....Naam is right...legally you cannot call a room with no closet (built-in wardrobe) a bedroom. When listing a home for sale Realtors will describe a room without a closet (wardrobe) as a "den"

Doesn't mean you can't use it as a bedroom ....just can't describe it as one (or at least in California)

Thanks, I never knew that - so it's just the USA?

OP hope you're getting this, be sure to install wardrobe's into ALL your bedrooms, otherwise your guests (if they are American) may call them 'dens' and you could lose face!

[dank04]

I have built a house in Surin and l would strongly recommend you be around as much as you can or have someone there who knows exactly what you want built.

I was working back in Australia coming back every month for a week and everytime l found

something changed from the plans.

Over the duration of the contruction of the house l changed builders 3 times.

I purchased 75% of the material from 2 stores in the weeks l was back which l found a lot cheaper than quoted prices from builders. ( nearly 18000 baht cheaper for white aluminum window frames with fly wire screens ).

I could go on and on about the headaches l suffered while my house was being built.

Something that l would do is stipulate no payment even at stages if your not 100% happy with work up to that point

[Naam]

IMHO

On this I have to disagree - in my latest house we gave all bedrooms an ensuite, and we, our children and our guests have certainly never regretted it. If you keep them small (4-6sqm is enough, depending on shape) the overall cost added to the build really isn't that much.

i agree. my bathroom is 7m² but the bathroom of the Mrs. is a multiple because we all know that wives consider their bathrooms to be alternate living rooms

however, an architect who designs bathrooms measuring 380 x 130 (~5m²) with doors opening to the inside is an arch criminal should be sentenced to 5 years hard labour in a Siberian coal mine

arch crime.JPG

agree, the 1500mm width is fine and the length is sufficient ... however I would have slide doors for those bathrooms as the arch door opening impedes the space too much.

I built a bungalow with similar bathroom size and I will install french doors or possibly bi fold doors to safe space.

you have to look closer and realise that the 150cm measurement includes an outside and an inside wall taking ~20cm from the inside.

edited for addendum: i just realised the typical Thai nonsense using center distance measurements. that means my "minus 20cm" are not correct. net width after plastering and tiling ~140cm

Edited July 15, 2015 by Naam

[Naam]

a room without an en-suite bathroom should not be called "bedroom"

I'm delighted you have your own definition

that's not my own definition but the definition in many countries including the U.S. of A. where an additional requirement must be met, namely a built-in wardrobe.

I think you're getting your words mixed up. requirement and preference are two completely different things. What Countries are you referring?

if you want to split hairs please argue with your wife, i consider my time too precious.

the countries i am referring to are countries where i have lived, worked and you have never been. that's why it does not make sense to list them.

[coulson]

that's not my own definition but the definition in many countries including the U.S. of A. where an additional requirement must be met, namely a built-in wardrobe.

I think you're getting your words mixed up. requirement and preference are two completely different things. What Countries are you referring?

if you want to split hairs please argue with your wife, i consider my time too precious.

the countries i am referring to are countries where i have lived, worked and you have never been. that's why it does not make sense to list them.

Not splitting hairs, you made an assertion I just was curious which Countries had that requirement as I work in the business. Thaibeachlovers cleared it up about the USA.......

Doesn't matter if you've lived and worked there, or if I have never been (which you have no idea) I just asked a question.......

[inzman]

The most important part of building a house is buying the materials yourself. If you don't the contractor will double the prices. I can't stress this enough.

[kamalabob2]

I've seen a few house building contractor bids in Buriram. 10 staged payments will work out better than 5. Credit or limited credit is always an issue to any Thai Builder. They might not tell you in English they do not have the funds to front certain aspects of the construction. That last payment in the OP price quote was a "dispute waiting to happen". I've seen certain Thai contractors obtain higher credit lines from a reputable building merchant if the Farang guarantees the payments by the Thai Builder. The "busy" Thai builder who has two or more houses might be in the "Rob Peter to pay Paul" mode with staff and suppliers. The paint lines on that bid are near the very bottom of the paint scale. "Contractor Grade" which in Thailand means least expensive of a reputable brand. My wife is doing a 300,000 baht family build project and I've seen how the lack of materials list plays out first hand. She is not using 4 seasons or SuperMatex paint as other paint brands cost similar but are a better long term value in our experience in Khoeng Dong.

[dank04]

Www.alanthebuilder.com l talked with him to do my house in surin but was talked into using another builder if l could turn back time l would use him he has a lot of good reports and is reasonably priced but work is a high standard

[chiang mai]

Edited July 16, 2015 by chiang mai

[rawhod]

The most important part of building a house is buying the materials yourself. If you don't the contractor will double the prices. I can't stress this enough.

Not so much double the price, more like charge you the full price for poor quality...

..and woe betide that you want him to install better quality.

[PattayaPhom]

This basic style construction could be built for half the cost and the payment plan sucks. Don't even give it a 2nd thought. There are villas in Bang Saray with pools far better quality and sell for just over 4 Mil fully furnished.

[Robert24]

in addition to buying all materials yourself, I would also recommend to agree the pricing for labour with your constructor by the work that is required to do:

Let me give you an example:

- so to do tiles, agree a fix rate per sqm. I've agreed for instance 70 baht per sqm for normal tiles and for more complex work, i.e. bathroom with walls, I paid 150 baht per sqm.

- do the same for walls, painting etc.

From my experience, this is by far the best way to manage cost.

Some things you cannot do that way, so you estimate the amount of work (i.e. how many man days labour) and agree the price with the constructor. Don't pay more than 400 baht per day for one man day.

hope this helps. Obviously total cost depends on what material you use, but in my opinion, you can use top quality material for a small place like this and not pay more than 1.5m.

[donx]

I have lived in the United States all my life. My current home has 3 and a half bathrooms. Only one of them is within the confines of a bedroom - the master bedroom. And two of the bathroom doors swing into the bathroom while the other two swing out. This house was built in 1972 and has 5 bedrooms. The requirement of having closets in rooms called a bedroom is legally correct. Bedrooms don't legally have to have bathrooms in them to be called bathrooms. I've lived and seen many houses in my 50+ years. Designs are definitely changing with new construction but even then I see new homes with bathroom doors swinging inside.

Edited July 18, 2015 by donx

[MROLL320]

Hi all... thanks for all the input. But don`t get to hung on the design detail (eg... if a door opens in or out...) The simple drawing and specs have been put together to get a quote to compare prices. Basically this much building aprox 160sqm and so much terrace and so much concrete (probably stamped pattern). The quote seems to be unversally condemned as expensive, though the only other quote I have is 2.6mil so not that far away but going the right way!

Many advise a labour only quote? How do I actually go about this? Do I need proper architect plans?This is difficult because if it`s to much money I may need to change it? Hence my idea of simple drawing of concept with specs.....Also where do I buy the gear in aera? Would I be better with a pick up to collect stuff myself (thinking of buying one anyway) ......

Does anybody have a recommended builder on labour only in the Bang Saray area?

Martyn

Edited July 19, 2015 by MROLL320

[MROLL320]

This basic style construction could be built for half the cost and the payment plan sucks. Don't even give it a 2nd thought. There are villas in Bang Saray with pools far better quality and sell for just over 4 Mil fully furnished.

I appreciate that it could be built cheaper, but with the same specs on the quote? As for the 4 mil villas I would appreciate any links to houses similar that are 300m to the beach and I will consider rethinking my plan to build myself. I have contacted 3 real estate agents and they all say the land price in land bang saray for land less than 500m to the sea is currently aprox 3500 to 4000 baht per sqm.

Maybe the houses you mention are over the sukhumvit on the darkside?

[donx]

Many advise a labour only quote? How do I actually go about this? Do I need proper architect plans?This is difficult because if it`s to much money I may need to change it? Hence my idea of simple drawing of concept with specs.....Also where do I buy the gear in aera? Would I be better with a pick up to collect stuff myself (thinking of buying one anyway) ......

Martyn

You should be able to get a labor-only daily quote for each of the major construction features (e.g. plumbing, electric, foundation, etc.) Without a detailed plan you can't expect a firm-fixed price for the overall labor costs. A rough estimate is all you could expect.

[WorkingTourist]

I highly recommend you give this a read: http://tonyinthailand.com/category/building-my-house/

Tony documents his experience building a house from scratch in Thailand with all that it involves.

[Naam]

This basic style construction could be built for half the cost and the payment plan sucks. Don't even give it a 2nd thought. There are villas in Bang Saray with pools far better quality and sell for just over 4 Mil fully furnished.

I appreciate that it could be built cheaper, but with the same specs on the quote? As for the 4 mil villas I would appreciate any links to houses similar that are 300m to the beach and I will consider rethinking my plan to build myself. I have contacted 3 real estate agents and they all say the land price in land bang saray for land less than 500m to the sea is currently aprox 3500 to 4000 baht per sqm.

Maybe the houses you mention are over the sukhumvit on the darkside?

you asked the agents for land MRoll, PattayaPhom mentioned existing homes. in most countries the land price becomes secondary when it's built-on.

are you sure the agents quoted per square meter and not square wah?

[Naam]

Hi all... thanks for all the input. But don`t get to hung on the design detail (eg... if a door opens in or out...) The simple drawing and specs have been put together to get a quote to compare prices. Basically this much building aprox 160sqm and so much terrace and so much concrete (probably stamped pattern). The quote seems to be unversally condemned as expensive, though the only other quote I have is 2.6mil so not that far away but going the right way!

Many advise a labour only quote? How do I actually go about this? Do I need proper architect plans?This is difficult because if it`s to much money I may need to change it? Hence my idea of simple drawing of concept with specs.....Also where do I buy the gear in aera? Would I be better with a pick up to collect stuff myself (thinking of buying one anyway) ......

Does anybody have a recommended builder on labour only in the Bang Saray area?

Martyn

you need proper architect plans for the building permit except somewhere in the wilderness where the village headman issues the permit for a few bottles of booze.

once you have the permit nobody cares what you actually build as long as you don't exceed the outside measurements or number of stories. when i saw the plans necessary for the permit i nearly had a hard attack but then calmed down that we don't need a zillion windows for "energy saving" cross ventilation.

for a layman detailed plans are also helpful to get correct steel reinforcements instead of the builder burying chickenwire in concrete.

[rawhod]

Have a look at Crossy's house plans, these give you an idea of what is required.

These plans are pre-approved but still need Tessabaan certificate for the location on your land.

We used plans for House 10 but modified them to our requirements, for example, we included the garage area into the living area as we had room for an external garage.

We used a builder for "build only" with eight phased payments and enjoyed sourcing best quality materials at the best price. We were on site every day to "advise" during the six month build.

[Crossy]

Have a look at Crossy's house plans, these give you an idea of what is required.

The plans being referred to are here http://www.crossy.co.uk/Thai_House_Plans/index.html they are also available at most village planning offices.

[rawhod]

Thanks Crossy...I forgot to add the link...

[StefanBBK]

For what I see and read it is probably double the price then it should be.

Do some more research.