House building cost

[mpdkorat]

I have some land in the center of Korat and I'm just in the planning stage to build a house. What I need to know is what is the average cost per Talag Waa (TW) or SQM cost. I have searched and found:

 

9000 TW  Basic

15000 TW Average

25000+ TW Top end

 

I do not need advice on the dangers of buying property, as I have lived here 25 years, and the property is being built for my children (Thai Citizens)

 

Anyone got any up to date information.

 

Cheers.

[upside]

If you've lived there for 25 years wouldn't you have a better idea than most? 

[mpdkorat]

1 hour ago, upside said:

If you've lived there for 25 years wouldn't you have a better idea than most? 

Yes I do have some idea, but as you can see from my original post I put Talang Waa (TW) not SQM as the build cost. I'm not experienced as some in house construction, and would welcome up to date advice.

[AJBangkok]

I'm sure living in the back of nowhere probably equals lower costs but I doubt they are as low as you have suggested. In a relatively populated area those prices should be for square meters not talang wah if you are using a contractor and not just playing labour. 

 

My wife built a couple of townhouses in Phrae and the cost using a contractor was about 8000-9000 per square meter. The government suggested price for building a basic house using the free government plans was 6000 per square meter in that area.

[Cyclone88]

The prices quoted in the OP must be a very long time ago. 

From what I know, a middle of the road european house build with decent fittings, kitchen,  bathroom etc will cost you around 15k a square Mt.  

[ikwiljou]

Usefull information found here

http://www.thaiappraisal.org/english/the2001/default.php

[cosmosis]

Hi

 

If it helps, I built my own Dome in Koh Samui 3 years ago at a cost of ThB20,000 per sqm, (78sqm internal living space) however I employed the labour directly, supervising them myself, to obtain as good a quality build as possible; bought all the materials myself, all high quality hard wood, stone floor tiles, jacuzzi etc with a concrete driveway, separate shed over a 16cum water tank... Materials and labour in Samui tend to be 10% to 20% above the cost of the same in Suratthani... From lessons learned during the build I could probably do the same today for 2/3 the cost, plus 10% for material and labour inflation.  Chok dee. with the build

[vogie]

4 minutes ago, cosmosis said:

Hi

 

If it helps, I built my own Dome in Koh Samui 3 years ago at a cost of ThB20,000 per sqm, (78sqm internal living space) however I employed the labour directly, supervising them myself, to obtain as good a quality build as possible; bought all the materials myself, all high quality hard wood, stone floor tiles, jacuzzi etc with a concrete driveway, separate shed over a 16cum water tank... Materials and labour in Samui tend to be 10% to 20% above the cost of the same in Suratthani... From lessons learned during the build I could probably do the same today for 2/3 the cost, plus 10% for material and labour inflation.  Chok dee. with the build

How could you build for 2/3 of the cost if you built it today, I am curious as I may build my own house and I am looking out for pitfalls?

[cosmosis]

1 minute ago, vogie said:

How could you build for 2/3 of the cost if you built it today, I am curious as I may build my own house and I am looking out for pitfalls?

1. The building technique involved... ie poured concrete 2.2 metre circular wall inside a form, would now do with breeze blocks filled with concrete... 2. Interruptions to construction, when the first team had to go and bail out their compatriots on another job, ditto 2nd team who had to return to their country because their leader's passport expired... 3. Building the Dome roof itself was a much delayed nightmare with continual experimentation to get it right, next time would use a Chinese made pvc half inflatable dome as the scaffold... 4. Ensure the Electrician/Plumber/Engineer everything, actually was capable of doing the job required...   just some of the problems of building something no one knew how to do locally...

[jesimps]

26 minutes ago, vogie said:

How could you build for 2/3 of the cost if you built it today, I am curious as I may build my own house and I am looking out for pitfalls?

If I built again I'd ensure we agreed sq/cu metre cost for EVERY job including rendering, tiling, balcony rails, fencing, painting, turfing etc etc. It's difficult to work out cost for the whole job but if you can get a sq metre quote from the builder then it's easier to estimate your final cost.

You ask the cost once he's started and he'll bump the price up because he knows you don't want to faf about changing builders.

 

[vogie]

5 minutes ago, jesimps said:

If I built again I'd ensure we agreed sq/cu metre cost for EVERY job including rendering, tiling, balcony rails, fencing, painting, turfing etc etc. It's difficult to work out cost for the whole job but if you can get a sq metre quote from the builder then it's easier to estimate your final cost.

You ask the cost once he's started and he'll bump the price up because he knows you don't want to faf about changing builders.

 

Do you have to pay extra for things like toilet and wiring etc, or is this included in the price, do you pay the builder before the build or on completion, or even in increments?

[vogie]

31 minutes ago, cosmosis said:

1. The building technique involved... ie poured concrete 2.2 metre circular wall inside a form, would now do with breeze blocks filled with concrete... 2. Interruptions to construction, when the first team had to go and bail out their compatriots on another job, ditto 2nd team who had to return to their country because their leader's passport expired... 3. Building the Dome roof itself was a much delayed nightmare with continual experimentation to get it right, next time would use a Chinese made pvc half inflatable dome as the scaffold... 4. Ensure the Electrician/Plumber/Engineer everything, actually was capable of doing the job required...   just some of the problems of building something no one knew how to do locally...

Wow, very futuristic, did they use shuttering for the concrete wall.

[TEFLKrabi]

We recently had a house built by a local company in Buriram. Message me if you'd like their contact details for a quote. 

[Stevemercer]

When we built our house we got three quotes from builders for 'A quality'. The quote had a basic build per square metre, plus cost per square metre for tiles, roofing materials etc. Items like light fittings, toilets, bath tub, showers etc. had a specified fixed price. For example, granite floors were quoted at 750 Baht per installed square metre. If we wanted something more expensive we would have to make up the difference in the cost of the materials. Doors ('A quality') were quoted at 5,000 Baht per door installed. We ended up using 3,000 Baht doors so there were some savings there.etc. 

 

At the end of the day, our builder was honest and we made up some money when he had specified higher grade items (but they ended up being cheaper), but sometimes selected higher priced items (toilets) and had to make up the extra. It all sort of evened out at the end. 

 

Even though it was a turn key contract we still had to select most items such as light fittings, window frames, internal tap fittings. We used the price in the contract as a guide, but could sometimes source the item cheaper and put the money towards some other item.

 

Our house cost 2.1 million Baht two years ago. The house is single storey, 200 square metres, including 100 square metres covered verandah, two car covered garage, 200 m concrete wall (2 m high), driveways and basic landscaping.

[Grubster]

I think a lot depends on how you build it. A bit at a time or a contract. I wouldn't build here with a contract as they will cut corners whenever and wherever possible. First you need to find or make a good drawing of exactly what you want. Have your local Ampher redraw this to show all the building materials and layout so the contractor can understand.

      Get a price to put in the foundation, columns if used, and the roof steel. If not using Columns than walls also, You buy all materials. If he does a nice job on that then get price to finish the roof. Then the concrete, walls and any plumbing or electrical rough in under the floors, usually only plumbing but I put all my electric feed pipes in the ground so there are no wires hanging on my house [ optional ].  I found my local contractor to really like this as he didn't have to worry about the whole scope of the project at once. You will also be able to make decisions as you go, I am very seasoned about all phases of construction though so maybe I'm leading you astray but I have been amazed that I have had to correct very few mistakes by him and I think this method will ensure quality of products used. They really like to work with the good stuff anyway but they wouldn't use it if it was coming out of their contract.

         Some recommendations I have are,  Single story if enough land, The new roller formed metal roof panels with insulation on them, At least one meter overhangs [ soffits], All porch concrete floors two inches lower than inside floor, all floors inside the same level, use the new aerated cement blocks for all outside walls. Don't try to save money on paint, buy the best. If you are going to have hard ceilings then don't allow any electrical connections above the ceiling. Your electrician will have to work longer and use a lot more wire but if anything fails it will be easy to fix. Try to make sure all indoor AC units are on out side walls so the lines don't have to run above the ceiling. Also try to keep the outside unit close to the inside unit for better operation, some times they will have to run the lines on the outside around a corner or something and thats OK if needed for looks or something. I did my own plumbing as Thais are not usually very good at this, so ask a bunch of your friends if they know of a good plumber.  

 

      My 300 sq meter house is under two million baht all in, but I do live up here in the jungle where labor is cheap.

   Good luck

[Anthony5]

On 10/4/2016 at 9:05 AM, mpdkorat said:

25000+ TW Top end

 

That is 6250 Baht per square meter for top end?

 

I guess your understanding of top end differs from mine

[cosmosis]

3 hours ago, vogie said:

Wow, very futuristic, did they use shuttering for the concrete wall.

That was part of the problem we used purpose built 6mm steel ties hooked onto the 12mm steel uprights/9mm steel circumference ties holding the plywood panelling sandwich in place as the form.  The pressure of the volume of concrete was so great that some of the panels bulged.  BTW if using a builder, I would advise obtaining an all inclusive quote for the whole build with detailed specs for everything, have the architect/engineer who did the plans sign off on the quality of the work on each step payment... needless to say this involves having a separate architect/engineer to the building company, but in the long run if the architect/engineer has produced detailed plans, which the local tessabaan has approved, it should prevent shoddy work and save you money in the long run.  I was lucky I had a really good (properly qualified) engineer help me, but I had the advantage of having had a small building company in Samui for several years prior to the build.

[cheeryble]

5 hours ago, Grubster said:

I think a lot depends on how you build it. A bit at a time or a contract. I wouldn't build here with a contract as they will cut corners whenever and wherever possible. First you need to find or make a good drawing of exactly what you want. Have your local Ampher redraw this to show all the building materials and layout so the contractor can understand.

      Get a price to put in the foundation, columns if used, and the roof steel. If not using Columns than walls also, You buy all materials. If he does a nice job on that then get price to finish the roof. Then the concrete, walls and any plumbing or electrical rough in under the floors, usually only plumbing but I put all my electric feed pipes in the ground so there are no wires hanging on my house [ optional ].  I found my local contractor to really like this as he didn't have to worry about the whole scope of the project at once. You will also be able to make decisions as you go, I am very seasoned about all phases of construction though so maybe I'm leading you astray but I have been amazed that I have had to correct very few mistakes by him and I think this method will ensure quality of products used. They really like to work with the good stuff anyway but they wouldn't use it if it was coming out of their contract.

         Some recommendations I have are,  Single story if enough land, The new roller formed metal roof panels with insulation on them, At least one meter overhangs [ soffits], All porch concrete floors two inches lower than inside floor, all floors inside the same level, use the new aerated cement blocks for all outside walls. Don't try to save money on paint, buy the best. If you are going to have hard ceilings then don't allow any electrical connections above the ceiling. Your electrician will have to work longer and use a lot more wire but if anything fails it will be easy to fix. Try to make sure all indoor AC units are on out side walls so the lines don't have to run above the ceiling. Also try to keep the outside unit close to the inside unit for better operation, some times they will have to run the lines on the outside around a corner or something and thats OK if needed for looks or something. I did my own plumbing as Thais are not usually very good at this, so ask a bunch of your friends if they know of a good plumber.  

 

      My 300 sq meter house is under two million baht all in, but I do live up here in the jungle where labor is cheap.

   Good luck

 

Great post.

Pictures?

[cheeryble]

6 hours ago, Stevemercer said:

When we built our house we got three quotes from builders for 'A quality'. The quote had a basic build per square metre, plus cost per square metre for tiles, roofing materials etc. Items like light fittings, toilets, bath tub, showers etc. had a specified fixed price. For example, granite floors were quoted at 750 Baht per installed square metre. If we wanted something more expensive we would have to make up the difference in the cost of the materials. Doors ('A quality') were quoted at 5,000 Baht per door installed. We ended up using 3,000 Baht doors so there were some savings there.etc. 

 

At the end of the day, our builder was honest and we made up some money when he had specified higher grade items (but they ended up being cheaper), but sometimes selected higher priced items (toilets) and had to make up the extra. It all sort of evened out at the end. 

 

Even though it was a turn key contract we still had to select most items such as light fittings, window frames, internal tap fittings. We used the price in the contract as a guide, but could sometimes source the item cheaper and put the money towards some other item.

 

Our house cost 2.1 million Baht two years ago. The house is single storey, 200 square metres, including 100 square metres covered verandah, two car covered garage, 200 m concrete wall (2 m high), driveways and basic landscaping.

 

Picture please Steve?

[mpdkorat]

23 hours ago, ikwiljou said:

Usefull information found here

http://www.thaiappraisal.org/english/the2001/default.php

Thanks for the link.

[mpdkorat]

Thanks for all the input. I'm starting to get a better picture of costs. Its looking to be around 15,000 per sqm to build and get a decent house. Hopefully I will be able to better like some of the above posters, but now at least I have a benchmark.

[Stevemercer]

I endorse Grubster's comments. In particular, go for a single story. My mates with double story houses have had no end of problems with leaking pipes in upstairs bathrooms. 

 

Photos below

[Grubster]

20 hours ago, cheeryble said:

 

Great post.

Pictures?

Sorry don't know how.

[cheeryble]

3 hours ago, Grubster said:

Sorry don't know how.

 

Click "Reply to this topic" then choose files and find photos and choose.

Give it time to load.

Submit Reply.

[Stevemercer]

A few more photos taken today.

[Groodman]

On 07/10/2016 at 6:15 PM, cheeryble said:

 

Click "Reply to this topic" then choose files and find photos and choose.

Give it time to load.

Submit Reply.

 

[buddhadug]

On 10/6/2016 at 4:24 AM, Grubster said:

I think a lot depends on how you build it. A bit at a time or a contract. I wouldn't build here with a contract as they will cut corners whenever and wherever possible. First you need to find or make a good drawing of exactly what you want. Have your local Ampher redraw this to show all the building materials and layout so the contractor can understand.

      Get a price to put in the foundation, columns if used, and the roof steel. If not using Columns than walls also, You buy all materials. If he does a nice job on that then get price to finish the roof. Then the concrete, walls and any plumbing or electrical rough in under the floors, usually only plumbing but I put all my electric feed pipes in the ground so there are no wires hanging on my house [ optional ].  I found my local contractor to really like this as he didn't have to worry about the whole scope of the project at once. You will also be able to make decisions as you go, I am very seasoned about all phases of construction though so maybe I'm leading you astray but I have been amazed that I have had to correct very few mistakes by him and I think this method will ensure quality of products used. They really like to work with the good stuff anyway but they wouldn't use it if it was coming out of their contract.

         Some recommendations I have are,  Single story if enough land, The new roller formed metal roof panels with insulation on them, At least one meter overhangs [ soffits], All porch concrete floors two inches lower than inside floor, all floors inside the same level, use the new aerated cement blocks for all outside walls. Don't try to save money on paint, buy the best. If you are going to have hard ceilings then don't allow any electrical connections above the ceiling. Your electrician will have to work longer and use a lot more wire but if anything fails it will be easy to fix. Try to make sure all indoor AC units are on out side walls so the lines don't have to run above the ceiling. Also try to keep the outside unit close to the inside unit for better operation, some times they will have to run the lines on the outside around a corner or something and thats OK if needed for looks or something. I did my own plumbing as Thais are not usually very good at this, so ask a bunch of your friends if they know of a good plumber.  

 

      My 300 sq meter house is under two million baht all in, but I do live up here in the jungle where labor is cheap.

   Good luck

Grubster,

Outstanding info, I really appreciate your sharing of this experience. I also will choose the buried electrical access and the most efficient roof system. I plan to also build next year but I have not been able to source the pics of interior and exterior details I imagine. Can you, or anyone, direct me to a source for expansive "great rooms", pitched open ceilings, stately exposed wood post and beam with smooth plasterstyle walls.In other words, not European style, but more Indonesian, Bali, Lanna with upgrade fixtures.