Build Quality Of Condo

[eric1000]

some of these condo buildings look pretty lousy construction wise , how do you check on

quality of construction ? waste pipework /electrics/security/aircon system /lightning protection ?

How about maintenance of these at a later date if things should go awry ?

Who pays ?

How do you check on the quality of the company looking after maintenance and security , especially fire security . Thais are not to hot on fire security in condos .

And any idea of maintenance costs over the long term ?

[Pepe']

Here in the states you would hire a construction inspector to check out the building

and submit a report before you close.

I allways do my own since I was in the business before.

I found a couple of the most important things to look for when I was looking at homes in Bangkok last year was settling cracks in foundation/walls and floors.

Should be none or very minimal would be normal.

Also circuit test all swithces and recepticals for ground and current.

Last but not least always check for water damage/mildew problems around ceilings and bathrooms and other plumbing fixtures.

Fire hazards? There's not a lot that can burn in a poured concrete building, I'n not sure what you would inspect besides wiring and pvc condiut for that.

You canprobably find a sample inspection list on Google

Hope this helps.

[dr_Pat_Pong]

An inspection by a decent architect or civil engineer would do the trick,

[OldAsiaHand]

Although I know that the kind of careful and methodical approach to purchasing property you describe is routine in the US, frankly I have never heard of it being done here at all. Not once. And as far as I know, no one here holds himself out as available for such work.

Even if you did find someone you trusted and paid for a thorough engineering inspection of a property, and assuming your consultant's conclusions were both honest and sufficiently critical to mean anything, his report still probably wouldn't be of any real use to you. In my experience, it is generally accepted that all construction in Thailand is more or less equally slipshod, and if you insisted on repairs or corrections prior to making a purchase, I imagine any developer would just laugh at you.

Far better to follow the Thai approach of what-I-don't-know-won't-make-me-feel-bad. Do the obvious, superficial inspect yourself and don't worry about detailed engineering work.

I never thought I'd actually tell anyone something like that, but there you are.

[Pepe']

i pretty much agree completely with Oldasia.

I've had some experience with Contractors in Bangkok. To say I wasn't impressed would be putting it mildly.

However major structural defects are often obvious, patterened stress cracks in walls being something I saw alot of.

I would also look carefully for cracks that have been patched and painted.

They can tell an important story.

I think Doc has got the best advice for you considering you have no construction experience.

Take your time and look at alot of properties.

Check the foundation!!! Did I say that before?

God Luck...

[shopgurl]

Dealing with a lot of contractors myself in my profession i've learned that it never hurts to ask. You can possibly ask from the building owner/superindendent/real estate company for floor and building plans, aside from that they would have fire/electrical plans as well to see what facilities such as fire escapes or security are built in. All in all i would prepare yourself that in some cases these plans are probably in some dusty file cabinet for buildings older than maybe 5 years? It really depends on the property you're looking into. As Pepe recommended, take your time and look at lots of them or have a realtor do it for you. In the end, OldAsiaHand's Thai approach of what-I-don't-know-won't-make-me-feel-bad advice is the best-keep your valuables at a rented storage facility so if anything happens you're out of the building faster then they can say building!

Happy condo hunting!

[wamberal]

I would only consider buying in to a condominium at the very top (where the quality and, more importantly, the on-going maintenance, is likely to be an issue for the rich folks who live there) or at the very bottom, where I would not pay for or expect quality and therefore would not be disappointed. Even in the best regulated societies you can have trouble with the cost of maintenance....it is obviously going to be much worse in LOS. Rent, don't buy!!!

[Guest chingy]

hire an architect

[Goat Roper]

I might also add if you are buying a new townhouse or a single stand alone house ask for and get a full set of schematics(at time of purchase) for all water piping(both in and out)and electrical schematics. This may be useful in the future if one needs to have one of these items repaired, I ask and received this at time of purchase of our townhouse(at the suggestion of my Thai boss) and about one year down the road I needed it, water leak on the third floor. My immediate neighbor had a water leak as well and and the water leak finder guy absolutely wrecked the house trying to locate the pipe runs, finally found them though. I would have gladly given my Thai neighbor a copy of the schematics but as usual they didn't ask, they knew we had a water leak repaired successfully but for some "Thai Reason" did not see fit to ask.

All in all our townhouse is ok, quality not up to western standards but this in not the west.

[eric1000]

Dealing with a lot of contractors myself in my profession i've learned that it never hurts to ask. You can possibly ask from the building owner/superindendent/real estate company for floor and building plans, aside from that they would have fire/electrical plans as well to see what facilities such as fire escapes or security are built in. All in all i would prepare yourself that in some cases these plans are probably in some dusty file cabinet for buildings older than maybe 5 years? It really depends on the property you're looking into. As Pepe recommended, take your time and look at lots of them or have a realtor do it for you. In the end, OldAsiaHand's Thai approach of what-I-don't-know-won't-make-me-feel-bad advice is the best-keep your valuables at a rented storage facility so if anything happens you're out of the building faster then they can say building!

Happy condo hunting!

i dont really like the idea of this "dont worry about it stuff" , when pipework is cast into concrete its too late , i worry about fire in condos ,there have been several in the past where thick smoke is seen billowing from upper stories ,and they cant get out of the condo.

communial aircon needs smoke dampers so the smoke does not spread thru other appartments . High rise appartments need pumps to get the water up to the highest flats, and lifts need regular maintenance .

If there is another economic crash maybe these companies will vanish leaving no one to

carry on management of the condo .

things can go pearshaped very quickly in an economic crash , and there is sure to be another one sometime.

The best condos that have top quality management all seem to be 100% sold out right from the start .

[mbkudu]

I went for a small unit (40 sq. met.) in a low rise building (8 floors). The building is 7 years old but looks quite new. It has a good track record for keeping up on maintenance. I know I paid more than I should have but I think It will pay off in the long run. I think buying into unfinished buildings is a gamble; it might be cheap, and you could end up with a unit of high quality or you could end up with a nightmare that no one would want to buy in the future if you wanted to sell it.

[regpye]

My wife's condo in the "Impact" area, has major problems with the water supply.

It is on the 8th floor of a 16 story block.

Each floor has leakage that has effected the concrete ceilings above every floor, making the ceiling bulge and small pieces falling down all the time.

The bathroom area she has had to get re-tiled, all the floor had to be lifted to fix the poorly made drain system, stop the leaks etc.

She had to pay for everything, and as far as I know, so did everyone else in this condo block.

Only good outcome was that the labour is cheap there compared to AU, so it didn't cost and arm and leg to get it fixed, but the problem shouldn't have been there in the first place, and the builders should have been made to fix the problem.

Maybe this is just another thing that one has to deal with there...