coolthaihouse.com blog
Submitted by David S. I am now in a position to update you on the developments since my last report back in October 2005, where we had acquired our land in Naklua (just outside of Pattaya, Thailand) and were trying to get a building permit and bank finance.
Firstly, at City Hall we met one of the planning department officials who said he could arrange to get everything done in three weeks for a sum of 40,000 Baht. (more…)
David S project continued The house is going to be a 2 storey, 4 bedroom, 3 bathroom house, the enclosed area is 11.0M x11.0M with integral car port/garage.
We are still awaiting the building permit from Pattaya City hall, this has taken 6 weeks so far, however the man keeps saying “nearly ready can have next week”, but which next week is unclear. We have cleared the site, and it is ready for backfilling, but first I need to get a soils report to determine the allowable ground bearing pressure (for foundation design). Do you know of any geological or engineering consultants that could handle such an investigation?.
On the subject of budget, (more…)
From David S
We have finally bought some land in Naklua (Pattaya, Thailand area), approximately 200TW, just off Soi xx in Naklua, After contacting several real estate agents and not finding what we wanted we eventually, or rather my wife asked a few of her friends to see what they could come up with. We went to see 4 pieces of land and decided on the one we have bought.
It is slightly on a slope and will need some infill before building, and also three large trees will have to be removed. (more…)
Here is the house that Laurence had a narrative about the building experience which is here Laurence Mai Sai project It is a good read since it illustrates things sometimes don’t flow so smoothly in the LOS. Laurence mentions “I have lots more stories about the place – including the one where I almost ended up with a spiral staircase, much against my wishes!!” Will look forward to hearing.
from ThomasJust thought I’d share a project of a type that you dont see often on your site which seems to me limited almost entirely to inland homes either around Pattaya or in the North.
While the structure is essentially a very basic thai style shophouse construction the house design and finishing will be Tropical Modern, terrazzo, wood window frames and doors, brushed nickel fittings, painted steel railings on patios etc. the house will be built on no more than a 3-4 colour/3-4material pallette.
The house is being constructed with a canopied roof terrace to provide partial shade throughout the day. To provide insulation, the terrace part of the roof will be covered with concrete pavers separated by a bed of loose gravel to act as “grout” between the the paving blocks. (more…)
Peter M – the project continuesI like the new site look…very clean and contemporary! Member base seems to grow.
Anyways, a quick update on my housing project.
After my big confrontation with my lazy contractor two weeks ago about completing the project and doing a good job or else…he put on a good show for about four days. Actually had more than 3 people on site, visited everyday and work seemed to be progressing. (more…)
from Anthony Love the site, lots of great information. I’m buying a house at the moment from a reputable developer, and we are going to transfer ownership (pay the money) when the house is completed at the end of this month. (more…)
originally a comment here: Reader: Construction Cost Estimation and Plans
Very good breakdown of costs. I wish my property in Mae Sai could have been completed for the same money. We decided to employ sub contractors and supply all the materials ourselves. Here are the rough costs I paid for approx. 250 sq m living area/1200 sq m of land:
Land Purchase – 500,000 plus some “taxes” Backfill for the land – 125,000 (Raised land 1m above the road) Walls around land – 60,000 Construction of temporary 2 bed bungalow – 280,000 (Somewhere to live during construction) Basic structure of house – 2,000,000 Wood work to exterior (roof etc) – 120,000 Hand carved hard wood Doors/Windows – 130,000 – A total of 36 windows and 18 doors (more…)
from Grahame L Very informative site and have found what you wrote about planning Czars completely true. I would like some pointers in prepaying/deposits. I’ll give you some background. I lived in Bangkok for 8 years, married a Thai, had a family and then moved back to Scotland where we are now. My wife already has land and a house in the area of Bangkok near Don Muang but the house is “tired” and certainly needs rebuilt.
The plan is to knock down the existing structure and put up a new build. Probably a daunting enough task but even more so when you are based in Scotland and relying on in-laws to over see everything.
The drawings have been done and approval been given. The in-laws have sourced a contractor who they believe is trustworthy and skilful as he has done various other new builds in the immediate area.
He has quoted 1,100,000 baht and is wanting 369,000 baht up front payment which makes me nervous. (more…)
from Boon Mee My wife & I are planning to build on her 3 rai piece of property out in Suphanburi. The land was former rice paddy but the previous owner had brought in some fill dirt to maybe raise the level of the lot in some places three to four feet above the road grade. (more…)
from Peter M On the homefront, I’m getting frustrated with my workers. I’ve set a very decent deadline for the work at Mar.30 and they seem to be coming up with all these jobs outside the contract that doesn’t have priority…like painting and handrails. As with most jobs, the contractor quotes a ridiculous price and than after I haggle it gets reduce to half the price. (more…)
latest from Peter M (see link about his project following) My wife and I are planning to do a modern floor on ground level which would imply simply having bare concrete with a urethane layer. You see this often now in trendy urban cafes.
My questions are do you think there is a way to add color to the concrete floor either during the mix or after?
Second, to do a basic concrete floor pour (over an existing foundation) any idea how much would be the cost (85 sqm. approx). (more…)
Here is a progress shot of the very stylish and modern California Spanish Style Villa being constructed near the Pattaya area by Cruzing and Mr. Cruzing. I first reported on the house here California Spanish Style House. The project is on track and moving rapidly to completion.
From the previous article there were some questions on the method being used to build the house without foundation columns. The wall in this case is extremely strong, as the larger higher quality cinderblocks are used, and filled with concrete over rebar strands. As far as the foundation, large cement pads were poured about 4 meters apart. Then and heavy concrete footing was poured, supported on the large concrete pads. The size, dimension, exact placement of the pads and footing is all exactly laid out in the plans, done by the architect owner/builder himself, Mr. Cruzing. (more…)
From Peter M last posts here: second story remodel follow up second story remodel questions
editor: this post has questions from Peter M and feedback from Robin T
Peter M – Question: The engineer recommended not to use cement (BLOCKS?)for the second floor for structural reasons but suggested I go with the original construction style which is grc with a wood or steel frame. A little ugly, (more…)
From Robin T: Trouble with Termites
I believe I have expounded on this subject before so here are some more specifics.
Firstly our village house was built (badly) in the Spanish Villa style which became popular some 10 years ago. We only occupy it intermittently, so for many months at a time it’s virtually empty. Termites seem to thrive on peace and quiet.
It uses the nasty construction technique of pre-cast columns which I thoroughly dislike (only to be used for industrial sheds) The columns were drilled and a few masonry nails were hammered into the holes. This is the only keying that the infill block walling has to hold it in place. Over time, foundation settlement and shrinkage the walls part company with the columns by some 5mm or so. This allows an ideal secret passageway for your local hungry termite colony. (more…)
from James B I’m enjoying this site tremendously, especially since I have for the past year been working on the drawings for my own house which I intend to build on a plot of land my wife and I have already bought in the north of Thailand. I should add that I am an engineer and have had direct experience supervising Thai construction workers on quite complex projects.
I thought I might share some of the ideas I have and that I am encorporating into the drawings. My base design follows that of the Tiptus House, (more…)
From Peter M follow up on original post–> second story remodel questions Just a follow up note. The structural consultant came to look at my house. He’s an old engineering classmate of my good thai friend and he specializes in assessing structural frameworks for factories and huge buildings. (more…)
Image: Living right on the water in beautiful Ko Chang. This inexpensive bungalow sits right on the water. Convenient access to all ocean side activities.
Just back from a viewing of a rather unique construction project in progress, that of Cruzing & Mr. Cruzing. They are building a California Spanish style villa. Mr. Cruzing, a Thai national and his American wife, lived many years in the states where Mr. Cruzing worked as an architect. Cruzing comments that We are building as close to U.S. standards as possible; but you know how that goes, sometimes you can find what you need and sometimes you can’t. (more…)
Here is a really neat photo Journal from John’s Cool Thai Style House Project (previous article here -> John’s Thai Style House ).
Link to the photos here: John’s Thai Style House Photo Album
The photos are a step by step chronology of the building of the house. I liked seeing how a wood panel ceiling is installed. John’s comments regarding the wood ceiling:
*Re the wood ceiling, be careful. (more…)
Thai construction workers don’t make a heck of a lot of money, but normally they stay on site in a worker hut, usually bring supplies with them, and often food is either partially or totally supplied by the general contractor or client. Most of the workers come from Northeast Thailand (Isan) where they are farmers during the rainy season and construction workers during the dry season. (more…)
from John G Great documentation of your house building. Like you I am going through the same process and it is only just finished. I still have landscaping and the perimeter wall to do, but will wait until April to start that.
I could also email you about 150 pics of the construction in progress of our home in Buri Ram province, via yahoo photos link. I did most of it from afar, as I do not yet live in Thailand.
Reading your site pages, I ran across many of the same problems, and had less trouble in other areas. Of course I spent way too much, but it is a nice home. I really got the feeling I was building a home ala carte, as no one builder/contractor could do everything or would know what a problem was if it was not in their specific expertise. I think final costs will run me about 5 million baht, I have a weakness for wood floors, ceramic tile roofs, and teak siding, otherwise it would have been less than half that. (more…)
from Peter M
The close up represents one wall of the house. There are four poles like this. For the rest of the house the hollow steel beams have been married too the original wood pillars with about one meter of depth in the interlock. Apparently, they are going to put bolts through this part which seems okay. But for the side of the house representing the close up shots they speak of putting cement around the existing placement which to me seems a bit bogus as it would be simply cosmetic. No support strength with that. (more…)
from Peter M To answer some of your questions. I found the NPL (non-performing loan) on line through the Thai Farmers website which has an English version. You just type in what area of bangkok you’d like to buy in and your price range and whamm….it comes up. It’s a bid process and once you submit your bid they send you a letter in a couple weeks to inform you if you were successful.
But after recent investigations I found that the NPL’s listed represent only a tip of the ice berg. The bank’s postings are pretty slow moving. And, to actually get them to meet you for an appointment to inspect the property is a great task. Pretty lazy actually…I suspect no commissions for them so this hampers their vitality to close deals. (more…)
There is a beauty in the way some people work; whether it be a graceful ballerina dancing or an unscrupulous Thai developer figuring out a scheme to stuff just a little more dough in his/her pocket. This story is just one simple example of one graceful move on the part of the Thai developer, let’s call her Tip, that caught my eye and even I had to admire the beauty of it all. (more…)