Cost per sq m of a custom-built new home

[sandyf]

About 6 years ago I was 900K for our 120 sq m 2 bed bungalow, both en suite. I specified the main fittings and materials, in particular the bricks, roof and floor tiles. It is cavity wall construction withe brick externally and Q block internal. The price did not include air con or anything in the kitchen, did the kitchen myself for about 50K, part of the granite worktop is lying by the door.

[Mark Dietrich]

There is a property inspector from the states that has an inspection company for 11 years in Phuket. Total of 35 Years as an inspector.

Goggle Property inspections phuket.

He can perform inspections at any time during the build.

[LivinLOS]

Indeed, you are a very unlucky man.

Why is that?

As stated.. thai build quality on large western homes..

Once you start having >500 sqm builds.. 18 x 6 x 2.20 m pools which weight a huge amount... houses 4 stories going up a hillside.. etc etc etc.. Doing it Thai style and skipping on the rebar or just sticking some blue pipe in a hot water line just doesnt cut it..

You want a western build.. Then yeah 'western standards' save you lots of problems down the road. Pretending they dont matter just shows a lack of how much it can lose you long term.

[TheCruncher]

Western standards are not applicable in thailand unless you want to spend thousands importing. And even western spec has cracking over years. Sorry but living in thailand I can't see the point of all these so called western standards

Western spec also has cracking in the west.

Cracks are a normal thing with a construction, but there are cracks and there are cracks.

[fang37]

Surface cracks - normal. A little cosmetic surgery & all is fine.

Deep cracks=big problem. Ground movement?

[Sutty]

Oh dear one up man's hip has started personally I'm happy with my little Thai built house will last me out.

[bangmai]

About 6 years ago I was 900K for our 120 sq m 2 bed bungalow, both en suite. I specified the main fittings and materials, in particular the bricks, roof and floor tiles. It is cavity wall construction withe brick externally and Q block internal. The price did not include air con or anything in the kitchen, did the kitchen myself for about 50K, part of the granite worktop is lying by the door.

day78_3.JPG

Not a single expansion joint in the concrete...that's another concept they fail to understand here. Bet it now has more crack than a bus stop in Detroit.

[sandyf]

About 6 years ago I was 900K for our 120 sq m 2 bed bungalow, both en suite. I specified the main fittings and materials, in particular the bricks, roof and floor tiles. It is cavity wall construction withe brick externally and Q block internal. The price did not include air con or anything in the kitchen, did the kitchen myself for about 50K, part of the granite worktop is lying by the door.

day78_3.JPG

Not a single expansion joint in the concrete...that's another concept they fail to understand here. Bet it now has more crack than a bus stop in Detroit.

Yes there are some, about half a dozen hairline cracks. They are down the sides and round the back, none on the front. Not a lot of concrete was used on the sides and back, mainly builders rubble with a top coat of concrete.

Can't complain, there were some things not on the plans that the builder threw in for free, the concrete round the outside being one of them.

[Bill97]

About 6 years ago I was 900K for our 120 sq m 2 bed bungalow, both en suite. I specified the main fittings and materials, in particular the bricks, roof and floor tiles. It is cavity wall construction withe brick externally and Q block internal. The price did not include air con or anything in the kitchen, did the kitchen myself for about 50K, part of the granite worktop is lying by the door.

day78_3.JPG

Not a single expansion joint in the concrete...that's another concept they fail to understand here. Bet it now has more crack than a bus stop in Detroit.

I'll be sure to add that to my list of "things they fail to understand here".

[eyecatcher]

As others have mentioned, the best way to ensure you get the get the quality you're looking for at the best price is to engage a builder on a labor-only basis, with you selecting and providing all of the materials.

You'll need to be sure that the plans you give the builder for a quote are as detailed as possible in order to avoid any misunderstanding or "extra" charges. (For example - flat, stepped, or sloped ceilings. Kitchen and Bath base cabinets, or Thai-style cement and tile, single or double block walls, and so on).

Sometimes you'll need to be able to procure required materials at a moment's notice.

There's a lot of information regarding the cost of various construction materials and quantities required on the CoolThaiHouse website.

Unless you have good building experience then setting on someone labour only is like the blind leading the blind.

everyone thinks builders here are useless (oh yes including myself) and can simply sort everything out themselves.

think again; i thought i could pick up the Thai language easy; horses for courses; if you dont have the experience in construction then I suggest you find someone reputable with an English speaking project coordinator to hold your hand. you will pay more, but it will be stress free.

I have my building story currently running on CTH, give it a glance over and see what its really like for someone who knows a thing or two about building............let me see how many i have sacked....a good few!

[fang37]

Building your dream home in LOS can become a living nightmare.

Go for it! Feel the pain.

[Sutty]

As others have mentioned, the best way to ensure you get the get the quality you're looking for at the best price is to engage a builder on a labor-only basis, with you selecting and providing all of the materials.

You'll need to be sure that the plans you give the builder for a quote are as detailed as possible in order to avoid any misunderstanding or "extra" charges. (For example - flat, stepped, or sloped ceilings. Kitchen and Bath base cabinets, or Thai-style cement and tile, single or double block walls, and so on).

Sometimes you'll need to be able to procure required materials at a moment's notice.

There's a lot of information regarding the cost of various construction materials and quantities required on the CoolThaiHouse website.

Unless you have good building experience then setting on someone labour only is like the blind leading the blind.

everyone thinks builders here are useless (oh yes including myself) and can simply sort everything out themselves.

think again; i thought i could pick up the Thai language easy; horses for courses; if you dont have the experience in construction then I suggest you find someone reputable with an English speaking project coordinator to hold your hand. you will pay more, but it will be stress free.

I have my building story currently running on CTH, give it a glance over and see what its really like for someone who knows a thing or two about building............let me see how many i have sacked....a good few!

Been lucky here then no problems with communication even though I know little Thai had a great relationship with builder who is top notch as I said before I sourced all materials ect ect

[kaptainrob]

As others have mentioned, the best way to ensure you get the get the quality you're looking for at the best price is to engage a builder on a labor-only basis, with you selecting and providing all of the materials.

You'll need to be sure that the plans you give the builder for a quote are as detailed as possible in order to avoid any misunderstanding or "extra" charges. (For example - flat, stepped, or sloped ceilings. Kitchen and Bath base cabinets, or Thai-style cement and tile, single or double block walls, and so on).

Sometimes you'll need to be able to procure required materials at a moment's notice.

There's a lot of information regarding the cost of various construction materials and quantities required on the CoolThaiHouse website.

Unless you have good building experience then setting on someone labour only is like the blind leading the blind.

everyone thinks builders here are useless (oh yes including myself) and can simply sort everything out themselves.

think again; i thought i could pick up the Thai language easy; horses for courses; if you dont have the experience in construction then I suggest you find someone reputable with an English speaking project coordinator to hold your hand. you will pay more, but it will be stress free.

I have my building story currently running on CTH, give it a glance over and see what its really like for someone who knows a thing or two about building............let me see how many i have sacked....a good few!

CTH?

I supervised our house construction but fortunately had been in the trade before. Was a good learning curve (with masonry) and also sacked many trades incl. the principal builder's supervisor. Saved a lot of headaches in long run but not for the faint hearted.

Examples: Took 4 goes to get internal staircase formed correctly otherwise we'd have been missing one step. Electrician hadn't been paid by builder for rough-in and would complete final fit-off and mains connect despite guaranteed payment (for final) from me. We got another crew and deducted original total from builder. Many trades arrived onsite without copy of plans, tape measure, square, level and other essential tools... I supplied them.

As mentioned earlier, our next builder will be one of 2 we now know to be highly professional and with rates between 12 and 16k all up.

One can build for less, ~ 9k if supervising and hiring labour only.

[DrDave]

CTH?

I supervised our house construction but fortunately had been in the trade before. Was a good learning curve (with masonry) and also sacked many trades incl. the principal builder's supervisor. Saved a lot of headaches in long run but not for the faint hearted.

Examples: Took 4 goes to get internal staircase formed correctly otherwise we'd have been missing one step. Electrician hadn't been paid by builder for rough-in and would complete final fit-off and mains connect despite guaranteed payment (for final) from me. We got another crew and deducted original total from builder. Many trades arrived onsite without copy of plans, tape measure, square, level and other essential tools... I supplied them.

As mentioned earlier, our next builder will be one of 2 we now know to be highly professional and with rates between 12 and 16k all up.

One can build for less, ~ 9k if supervising and hiring labour only.

CTH: CoolThaiHouse dot com.

I also have my build story out there with a complete bill of materials and cost. House was a simple 2 bed/1 bath, kitchen and lounge at 68 m2 of living area that we built for my wife's family. This was completed about 7 years ago, and there have been zero issues with the build quality; remarkable since the people living there do absolutely no maintenance on the house.

Total construction cost (labor and materials, fixtures, etc) was 6,300 baht/m2, which included a labor component of about 1,900 baht/m2. The house includes a 12 m2 covered porch not included in the living area, so actually the cost per m2 was about 15% less that what I listed.

The labor price included a foreman who provided and supervised all of the labor at every stage of construction. My wife did all the procurement of materials, and is fairly knowledgeable regarding construction materials.

[fang37]

That's not a house - that's a mansion.

Edited November 13, 2015 by fang37

[kaptainrob]

As others have mentioned, the best way to ensure you get the get the quality you're looking for at the best price is to engage a builder on a labor-only basis, with you selecting and providing all of the materials.

You'll need to be sure that the plans you give the builder for a quote are as detailed as possible in order to avoid any misunderstanding or "extra" charges. (For example - flat, stepped, or sloped ceilings. Kitchen and Bath base cabinets, or Thai-style cement and tile, single or double block walls, and so on).

Sometimes you'll need to be able to procure required materials at a moment's notice.

There's a lot of information regarding the cost of various construction materials and quantities required on the CoolThaiHouse website.

Unless you have good building experience then setting on someone labour only is like the blind leading the blind.

everyone thinks builders here are useless (oh yes including myself) and can simply sort everything out themselves.

think again; i thought i could pick up the Thai language easy; horses for courses; if you dont have the experience in construction then I suggest you find someone reputable with an English speaking project coordinator to hold your hand. you will pay more, but it will be stress free.

I have my building story currently running on CTH, give it a glance over and see what its really like for someone who knows a thing or two about building............let me see how many i have sacked....a good few!

Caught up with you on CTH.

Looks like you've still a way to go mate ...

[fang37]

"Mate" - sounds like an Aussie or a Kiwi.

[eyecatcher]

"Mate" - sounds like an Aussie or a Kiwi.

He worked on a ship/yacht as well; so could be one or t'other, neither or both.

Both is my bet!

[zeekgarcia]

On 11/12/2015 at 9:04 PM, kaptainrob said:

CTH?

I supervised our house construction but fortunately had been in the trade before. Was a good learning curve (with masonry) and also sacked many trades incl. the principal builder's supervisor. Saved a lot of headaches in long run but not for the faint hearted.

Examples: Took 4 goes to get internal staircase formed correctly otherwise we'd have been missing one step. Electrician hadn't been paid by builder for rough-in and would complete final fit-off and mains connect despite guaranteed payment (for final) from me. We got another crew and deducted original total from builder. Many trades arrived onsite without copy of plans, tape measure, square, level and other essential tools... I supplied them.

As mentioned earlier, our next builder will be one of 2 we now know to be highly professional and with rates between 12 and 16k all up.

One can build for less, ~ 9k if supervising and hiring labour only.

Can you give me the contact info of the 2 highly professional builders you know and their websites or facebook pages. Thanks