Cost per sq m of a custom-built new home

[properjob]

We are going to have a house built to our own design. A builder we like quotes a cost of 12,700 Baht/sq m as the average price for quotation purposes. Apparently quoting per square metre is 'normal' in Thailand, and as a system is often used in the UK, too.

So if the house is (for example) two storeys and has, say, 120 sq m on each floor, that means 240 x 12,700 = 3.048 million Baht. Of course, extra fancy features such as special lighting and bathroom furnishings will be on top of that.

Simple question: is 12,700 Baht per square metre a fair market price in the Chiang Mai area?

[LivinLOS]

How long is a piece of string.. Breeze block and rough can be 4k.. Marble and gold taps 30 plus..

Without defining precisely whats being quoted, the materials used, the finish quality.. Its just a vague guestimate.

A common practice is to price and underspec.. Be clear what your agreeing to.

[fang37]

Recently, I made a post on this topic in -

Price per Square Metre for High Cost House Construction

[steven100]

12,700 b/sqm for block & tile standard finish. As mentioned, it really depends of the material used and the quality of fixtures and fittings.

Some doors are cheaper than others, some taps are cheaper than others.

At a estimate, I would say the 12,700 baht / sqm is standard finish with the cheaper fittings & fixtures, which is fine if your ok with that finish. Again, as mentioned by LivinLOS, as long as you know exactly what you will get so there's no disagreement on a product or finish or roof tile or sink used or aircon brand or toilet size or bench top color.

Make sure you are clear with everything.

[properjob]

Recently, I made a post on this topic in -

Price per Square Metre for High Cost House Construction

Thanks for that pointer, F37. There's a ton of good information in that thread.

pj

[fang37]

Any other questions, feel free to PM me or via either thread.

I only recently completed our house construction.

[bangmai]

Sounds a bit high to me...especially for a two level. Just shop around some. Perhaps a stop by the main office at Ban Wangtan and have a word with the nice ladies in there. They will be able to show you current stuff, with different quality levels.

[fang37]

Sounds a bit high to me...especially for a two level. Just shop around some. Perhaps a stop by the main office at Ban Wangtan and have a word with the nice ladies in there. They will be able to show you current stuff, with different quality levels.

It is not as simple as that.

More levels equal higher costs eg condos

Materials vary enormously in costs.

Add to that the greater the quantity/better quality, up goes the costs.

We had a lot of recessed spot lighting, ceilings were quite beautiful, electrical points - about 30.

Design - superb.

As we bought larger quantities, we had superior negotiability.

Many contractors wish to buy the mats. They add a markup.

Recently, material costs have risen.

But, whatever you say.

[bangmai]

2 story is cheaper per sm, because you save on roofing/plumbing/foundation/wiring.

[TheCruncher]

2 story is cheaper per sm, because you save on roofing/plumbing/foundation/wiring.

2 floor require bigger foundation, stronger reinforcement in beams, floor base and columns.

[bangmai]

and gold fixtures are about as outdated as avocado appliances.

[bangmai]

2 story is cheaper per sm, because you save on roofing/plumbing/foundation/wiring.

2 floor require bigger foundation, stronger reinforcement in beams, floor base and columns.

in a well made house, they wouldn't be using the minimums, even on a single story. A split foyer may have been the cheapest house psf, ever built. But, land costs play big into what is being built.

[kaptainrob]

My next build (in Ban Wangtan) will be with one of 2 builders we now know very well. 12 to 15k will form a base price.

Most important is the quality of construction and interaction with architect or builder.

[TheCruncher]

2 story is cheaper per sm, because you save on roofing/plumbing/foundation/wiring.

2 floor require bigger foundation, stronger reinforcement in beams, floor base and columns.

in a well made house, they wouldn't be using the minimums, even on a single story. A split foyer may have been the cheapest house psf, ever built. But, land costs play big into what is being built.

The minimums for a double story are different from the minimum of a single story, so if you don't use the minimum for a single story you will also not use it for a double story.

What has the price of the land to do with this, we're talking about building costs.

[properjob]

I'm not a regular here, so can someone tell me what Ban Wangtan is or point me to a website?

<pj heads off to Google>

[properjob]

I'm not a regular here, so can someone tell me what Ban Wangtan is or point me to a website?

<pj heads off to Google>

Found a long and acrimonious thread on 'BWT'. Sounds like somewhere I'd rather not be. Fortunately we've already bought our plot of land, in a very unusual moo-ban that is ideal.

[Bredbury Blue]

There's a lot of local websites wih advice on house building costs...this one is quite informative

buildinginthailand.com/building-costs

The rate per m2 doesn't sound high end. You don't say how many m2 your house will be but I assume it's the 240m2 you mention in your example (plus cost of land not included in the m2...I assume landscaping, carparking, external areas are NOT included also in the m2).

My advice to you is to find out exactly what is included for each room. Should be easy enough to request from your builder. Tell them you want a spreadsheet showing each room on each floor, its floor area m2, and a list of the the finishings, fitting and fixtures included in each room:

Example

Kitchen, x m2, includes

Floor - exact brand name of floor tiles, wall finish, ceiling finish, list of sizes of kitchen units and brand name, etc, etc.

If you're really worried you're not getting bang for your bucks, then advertise either for a local expat quantity surveyor or a firm of quantity surveyors. They'll advise you properly on house costs and alternatives.

[bangmai]

Here is a chart from the Thai Appraisal Foundation...I wish that I had found it earlier....it is for BKK Metro.....compare lines 5 and 6....line 5 is concrete house, single story...line 6 is concrete house 2 or 3 stories.....they use low, medium, and high for three different time periods...June 14, June 15, and September 15..so there are 9 PSM readings....NOT ONE IS LESS FOR A SINGLE STORY HOUSE...in fact, 6 are higher, and they only equal at the limit of the appraisal...otherwise 8-9% more for single story construction costs...http://www.thaiappraisal.org/english/the2001/default.php

Also, notice it shows a 3%+ DECREASE in construction costs...between June and September.

Edited November 8, 2015 by bangmai

[fang37]

Post #18

"Unusual" - specifically for the gay community?

Congratulations.

[properjob]

Post #18

"Unusual" - specifically for the gay community?

Congratulations.

Emmmmm, no.

An older, but beautifully maintained moo ban with mostly large (200+ talang wah) plots, where no two houses are the same and no two plots are the same shape or area, so no lines of identical houses stretching towards the horizon on identical plots on both sides of the road. No roaming packs of dogs. No aircraft or road traffic noise. That kind of unusual ;-)

Edited November 8, 2015 by properjob

[kaptainrob]

I'm not a regular here, so can someone tell me what Ban Wangtan is or point me to a website?

<pj heads off to Google>

Found a long and acrimonious thread on 'BWT'. Sounds like somewhere I'd rather not be. Fortunately we've already bought our plot of land, in a very unusual moo-ban that is ideal.

Probably by a long time banned BM by name of Thighlander ...

Fortunately for the 100's of of BWT farang owners and residents Mr Thighlander left this quiet green enclave many years ago.

[bangmai]

Post #18

"Unusual" - specifically for the gay community?

Congratulations.

Emmmmm, no.

An older, but beautifully maintained moo ban with mostly large (200+ talang wah) plots, where no two houses are the same and no two plots are the same shape or area, so no lines of identical houses stretching towards the horizon on identical plots on both sides of the road. No roaming packs of dogs. No aircraft or road traffic noise. That kind of unusual ;-)

but a townhouse in the Old City will resell in 1/10th the time it takes to sell in the exurbs. I actually highly recommend BWT...for the deaf and disabled.

[properjob]

Probably by a long time banned BM by name of Thighlander ...

Fortunately for the 100's of of BWT farang owners and residents Mr Thighlander left this quiet green enclave many years ago.

Having read a lot of the guff he wrote, for your sakes, I'm delighted to hear it.

[metisdead]

An off topic post has been removed as well as a reply.

[thairay]

have him show you what else he has built at this price and see what you think of fit and finish..

[THAIJAMES]

have him show you what else he has built at this price and see what you think of fit and finish..

This is the best advice yet. Go a step further and have him give you a list of all the houses that he has recently built. Then later, alone approach the homeowners and ask them their opinion of the builder and the build quality.

Many will tell you their horror stories and all the problems they had.

If you are lucky they will have only good things to say about the builder and the quality of the work. This is the builder that you should use -- no one else!

[maoro2013]

I paid the builder 800,000 for the work and tools and paid for the materials myself. 300 sq mtr house split level on 4 levels. Builder 2,666 per sq mtr materials 14,000 sq mtr.

[rawhod]

This is the building cost data from our house build last year. It is a medium sized house,2 story, 3/4 bedrooms, 4 bathrooms, total floor area 192sq. m. in Amphur Muang district of Chiang Mai.

We bought all the best quality materials at the best price. The builder provided the labour and tools. The cost of the land is not included in the data.

Data.pdf

Edited November 9, 2015 by rawhod

[metisdead]

An off topic post has been removed.

[devaxprem]

bangmai, on 08 Nov 2015 - 17:44, said:

2 story is cheaper per sm, because you save on roofing/plumbing/foundation/wiring.

The price for the 2 story level is more expensive than one story , I did my one story house on a 80 cm sanitery Under house and I had big discussion bargain because the foreman was considerind as a 2 levels house, because they were considering a one level house if it was built on the ground directly , 90 square meters with laka see (zinc) all beam in iron big fondation , big pillards 950'000 THB architech plan 30'000 THB (I highly recommend ) and 3 month of nigtmare and stresss, good luck