Cost of building a house in Thailand?

hi 400,000 THB without the land, then Canadian reflective roof, Thai construction,

the issue in Thailand is skilled and reliable labor, good luck,

You should visit the construction sites in the area to check how serious they are and how they work...

And especially spend as much time as possible on your own site and have things redone...

and especially spend as much time as possible on the construction site and have it redone

not just as much time as possible but all your time, , , , , , 🤪

Hi,

It can easily exceed a million, but as Thuan said, you can get away with 400,000 baht if you already own the land (the land would cost around 200,000 baht, I think).

And I totally agree with Siammmarc’s advice—check, double-check, be on-site, and expect to have things redone when they don’t match what was planned... even if it’s a competent team working on it. Check out my recent post where I talk about construction work, among other things, for an example.

In the provinces, as Thuan mentioned: a base figure of 400 to 500,000 THB and 4 to 6 months of construction for a single-story house with 3 bedrooms, and "Thai" standard.

Thai standard means: minimum foundation (depends on the soil) concrete slab floor (no crawl space) and concrete pillars single-thickness concrete walls with no insulation, fibro or metal tile roof (with just an aluminum sheet under the tiles for thermal insulation) fibro false ceiling (no fiberglass insulation) single-glazed windows with wood or aluminum frames and mosquito screens Thai electrical standards (not recessed, no grounding, no phase balancing, no three-phase, overhead power supply) phone lines not recessed (often just 1 or 2 outlets for the whole house—or even useless since mobile phones) TV network not recessed (or not included since satellite is used) water/sanitary network installed under the slab (not accessible) and without intermediate shut-off valves Thai lighting (just one fluorescent ceiling light per room), no two-way switches, no grounding bathroom with wall-mounted water heater (no grounding) open Thai kitchen (reduced to the bare minimum)

As soon as you step outside the standard and what local workers can do, it gets harder—especially for finishes (e.g., it’s tough to get electrical outlets and switches at the same height!!) * *******************

One real piece of advice: like everywhere in the world, you’ll find good and not-so-good craftsmen. So take your time selecting the foreman (by checking out other projects they’re working on) and in all cases, be your own site inspector and do it daily.

Great detailed answer! You can really tell you’ve got experience!

But when you mention clay tiles as one of the options, I got the impression that they’d be way more expensive than corrugated metal or fibro roofing. I don’t know myself—I’m only doing a renovation without touching the existing roof—but when I ask out of curiosity about tiles (I’m thinking about it for the future because they look so much nicer and might be better for insulation), everyone just goes “phaaeng!”

If it's a renovation, you can't just switch from corrugated iron to fibro, let alone from fibro to tiles—you’d have to completely redo the framework because a tiled roof is *much* heavier.

For insulation, there’s almost no difference between a corrugated iron, fibro, or tiled roof unless you paint your roof a light color, like white—definitely not blue, red, or any dark shade! :) If you have a false ceiling, insulate with fiberglass up to the top of it.

If there’s no false ceiling, that probably means it’s a traditional, completely open house. In that case, you should maximize natural ventilation at the top (since heat rises) and create openings up high so the hot air can escape (and as it does, it pulls in cooler air from below...). That’s the principle behind all traditional tropical architecture (no air conditioning, obviously!!). That’s also why you see temples in Thailand with multiple roofs—for example. Even if there’s a religious or symbolic meaning behind the multiple roofs, practical common-sense rules often originated from religious guidelines.

Cheers,

If it's under renovation, you can't just switch from corrugated iron to fibro, let alone from fibro to tiles—since you'd then have to completely redo the framework. A tiled roof is significantly heavier.

- -- I completely agree, and that would considerably increase the costs. In my opinion, redoing the framework to install a tiled roof should easily exceed 100,000 baht for a relatively modest-sized house.

But my comment was about installing tiles for a new build. Wouldn’t a tiled roof be much more expensive than a corrugated iron or fibro roof, given the need for a stronger framework and the more costly roofing material?

The comments on insulation and ventilation are also interesting. In the (traditional) house I know, we installed a ceiling on the upper floor to insulate the "ห้องล่างค่ะ" (lower room). Actually, it was always very hot upstairs before, unless we opened all the windows—but that wasn’t always practical either. So, we put in a ceiling, and now we’ll need to add insulation (fiber) on top. You have to explain for a long time what you want because it’s really outside the usual approach. While people here understand ventilation, they don’t really grasp the concept of insulation!

For cement tiles, between 13 and 18 baht each, 11 tiles per m².

For fiber-cement sheets (120 cm long), 65 baht each, 2.2 sheets per m².

I’m finishing up a house on standard foundations (just like back home ;)) – 450 m² over two floors, for around 500,000 baht.

I came across your report on the renovation of the house near your Thai Macondo. Indeed, a simple Thai farmhouse with wooden posts, an elevated house, and a corrugated iron roof is a great example of tropical architecture with high ventilation. The roof gables aren’t sealed and let the hot air accumulated under the iron escape. In older traditional houses with small tiles, the hot air obviously passes between the tiles, which isn’t the case with corrugated iron or fibro.

Installing a false ceiling often has the effect of sealing off the space under the roof and trapping hot air in the ceiling-roof volume. As a result, the hot air rises to 50 or 60 degrees and inevitably radiates through the false ceiling into the room.

There are two solutions for this: - Redo openings in the upper part of the roof or at least in the triangle at both ends (you can see in traditional houses that the roof extends beyond the two walls at each end, creating a sort of ventilation skylight—it’s important that the roof is oriented in the direction of the prevailing winds). And, of course, create air inlets at the lower part of the roof.

- Depending on the budget, add glass wool insulation on the false ceiling. However, this solution isn’t well-suited for the countryside, where all sorts of animals (lizards, geckos, and night birds) will nest under the roof. So, in the case of Baan Nork’s house, it’s best to forget about this and focus on a ventilation solution.

The third solution is to set up a very fine water sprinkler system on the roof (you see some countryside restaurants using this). The water evaporates on the superheated iron, and the "refrigerator" effect means the inner side of the iron releases cold (actually absorbs heat). It’s super effective when the sprinkler flow is well-adjusted, and it’s a very efficient (and cheap) air conditioning system if you have a water source nearby.

In my case, I built a modern house with insulation (double walls—the masons were shocked when they saw the plans) and ceiling insulation. But with a modern approach to tropical architecture: very high ceilings, roofs extending well beyond the outer walls, and natural thermal ventilation for walls and ceilings. As a result, I hardly ever use air conditioning (except during the hottest part of April).

Nice to see forum members who catch literary nods ("Macondo")! Indeed, the roof extends more than a meter on each side, so it’ll be possible to add the openings you mentioned, which are needed to ensure ventilation—now compromised by the ceiling installation. These kinds of openings are well-known in traditional architecture, with grilles to keep birds out (exactly!). You mentioned "air inlets at the lower part of the roof"—what do you mean exactly?

I was thinking about the pest issue regarding the fiberglass we could install above the ceiling to better insulate the upper floor. But I’ll find a solution eventually. The goal is ultimately to minimize the need for air conditioning.

The idea is ultimately to minimize the need for air conditioning.

3000 bt

http://fr.ekopedia.org/Puits_canadien

Hi Bernard,

Back to the topic of the post: costs! Thanks for the info. Since I haven’t looked too closely at roofing (see above: renovation in my case, so keeping the original roof), I’m not entirely sure about the difference (if there is one) between the cement tiles you mentioned and the glazed tiles you see everywhere in all colors. Are they the same thing?

As for costs, based on your figures, the price per square meter works out to between 121 and 143 baht for cement tiles (which doesn’t seem expensive at all), while it’s 143 baht for fibro. So practically the same. I had the impression tiles would be pricier. Plus, you have to factor in the total cost of the framework, and if I understood correctly, you’ll need a sturdier frame to support the tiles, so it’ll still end up being more expensive in the end. Any thoughts on that?

Oh, and by the way, your avatar has gorgeous eyes!

Hey there, Thuan, it’s been ages since we last crossed paths on the forum! But you’re still being cryptic—what’s the 3,000 baht for? Oh, sorry! I see there’s a link about a thermal well. Awesome, thanks! We’ll be able to learn more now!

Avoid fiberglass—animals will always find a way to sneak in!

Ventilation or, as mentioned above, spraying the roof (I often saw this in floating restaurants when I lived near Phitsanulok: the corrugated iron roof was constantly sprayed with water).

Here are two examples of gables: one with an extended gable, the other completely closed with a beautiful carved wooden lattice panel.

Avoid fiberglass—animals will always find a way in! - -- Maybe the solution in the end will be to double the ceiling from below rather than above. With a ceiling height of 2.60 m, there’s plenty of room!

if you double your false ceiling without natural ventilation, it won’t change a thing since it’ll just be another trapped pocket of hot air! and it’s also ideal for critters

even if the space under the roof is well ventilated? And if the insulation is done properly, sealed tightly, what risk could there be with animals? It’d be a bit like the gap between two brick walls, right?

Thanks so much for all your super interesting info! 🙂 I just got back from work and I’m checking out your tips right now. My budget is 800,000 baht for 2 rai of land. I’m leaving Nice on October 17th for Bangkok with my wife and our four kids. I’ll take the opportunity to meet a builder and do as you suggested—check out what they’re currently working on or have already done to get an idea of the quality of their work. However, for the construction, it’s my father-in-law who’ll be supervising the work. If you know any builders in the Jaturat or Chaiyaphum area, I’d love to hear about them! Thanks again for your help! 🙂

my father-in-law will be supervising the work

😐😐😐😉

He’s Thai!? Mine didn’t notice they forgot the window in one of the bedrooms🤪😐🤪😠

Good point, Marc. It’s not like this is a one-off experience: walls built a good meter away from where they were supposed to be, and staircases that were unusable and had to be half-demolished to fix, for example (see my recent post on Bâan Nâawk).

The laid-back attitude of the people is nice, but the flip side is that there’s not much attention to detail. Following plans? Totally foreign concept!

And finding a good team of workers isn’t enough—don’t kid yourself. The simple truth is: you’ve got to be there in person.

Not sure if it's a coincidence, but "jaturat" in Thai means "square." If you're "square" and love straight lines, don't trust anyone to build your house—be on-site and check everything!

Being on-site won’t be possible since I’m only staying for 3 weeks, so I’ll have to trust the mason and my father-in-law who lives nearby. Initially, my wife and I wanted a two-story house, but to make the work less overwhelming, we’ve decided on a single-story home. I’ll keep you updated on the project’s progress for those who, like me, hesitated for a long time before taking the first step to build a house in Thailand. Thanks again for all your tips! 🙂

Best regards,

I’m not planning to build anything myself, but this discussion is fascinating! You learn so much, and a lot of the advice is really professional! Great job.

Listen to the great tips from the VF pros and locals... find a highly trustworthy person to oversee your construction, otherwise you’ll go from one surprise to another, and they won’t be the good kind. Just look at what happens here in France when you’re not on-site during construction. Good luck with this adventure—just a few tough months ahead!

I know you’ll only be there for three weeks, so expect some surprises. If you let your father-in-law handle the construction, just don’t get mad at him when you come back to see the result.

Your father-in-law will supervise the work *Thai-style* (and I assume it won’t be professional?), and he’ll build a house according to his own logic (even if you’ve explained your logic to him a thousand times).

But if your project is a small countryside house with a traditional wooden structure, corrugated metal roofing, and Thai-style kitchen and bathroom, then don’t worry— there won’t be any major issues because it’ll be built to the Thai standard your workers know well.

I’d even say that’s what I recommend: the simplest, most basic option, built to local standards.

* ***************************** If, however, you have a bigger project—and especially different standards or a different design—that’s when things get complicated! That was my case, but since architecture, project design, and supervision are kind of my thing, I spent six months on-site every day, and the result speaks for itself. Good luck!

Being there in person won’t be possible since I’m only staying for 3 weeks, so I’ll have to trust the builder and my father-in-law who lives nearby. Initially, my wife and I wanted a two-story house, but to make the work less intense, we’ve decided on a single-story home. I’ll keep you updated on the project’s progress for those who, like me, hesitated for a long time before taking the first step to build a house in Thailand. Thanks again for your info! :)

Best regards

Hello,

Building student rental rooms near KKU was a great experience—construction started at the end of March and finished by early July, just in time for rentals to begin. It’s already fully booked... One thing’s for sure, as Thuan said: it’s important to monitor the work daily. I was lucky to have my wife and father-in-law on-site, who sent me photos via the internet so we could discuss the progress together. There were many times we had to correct what the builders, electricians, drywallers, etc., were doing. Working with Thais is really rewarding (on a human level). As the "owner," don’t hesitate to bring a bottle of M150, green or red Fanta for the builders working for you. It doesn’t cost much and is greatly appreciated.

Moral of the story: to be stress-free, pay a deposit, never participate in or supervise the work yourself, and come back when it's all done. Move in your furniture, and voilà! 😉

Or buy something already built. 🙂

The issue here is that labor’s cheap, so…..

Small example: one bag of cement needs three bags of sand (to be correct). If no one’s around or doesn’t know the construction rules… (the father-in-law, for instance), you’ll see five bags of sand for one bag of cement. Result: a year later, you’re spending all your time patching cracks.

Another, more dramatic example: foundations. If the land’s damp or clay-heavy, the foundations need what they call "aiguilles" in Thailand—concrete or wooden piles. Their length and thickness depend on the weight. Who’s gonna check if one or two are missing? Once those piles are in, you pour a reinforced concrete slab to build the house. And then it’s too late. Two years later, you notice your glass of wine on the table isn’t level…

"If you know any masons in the Jaturat or Chaiyaphum area, I'm interested!" -- (Sorry for the accents, this damn English keyboard...)

I’m right in the middle of it myself at the moment—it’s a real nightmare! I’m also in Chaiyaphum, and honestly, I didn’t think it would be this painful. I’ve got four houses to renovate, and I’ve only just finished the first one after 15 days and a ton of difficulties.

I’ve come to the conclusion that Thais don’t know how to work! And you’ve got to be on their backs constantly, as nicely and calmly as possible (which isn’t always easy...).

I know it might sound harsh to say that, and there must be competent people who care about doing a good job, but after trying four different teams and seeing over twenty workers come and go, I still haven’t found a single decent one!

So if you leave the project to another Thai—even your father-in-law, even your wife—then I think it’s doomed. They simply don’t have the same quality standards as we do. And I’m not even in the trade; I’ve just seen real workers in action in other parts of the world. I ask for things that seem obvious to me, like making sure the window they just installed can actually close. Am I being too picky? Well, apparently, I’m now seen as a total pain in the neck by everyone here 🙁...

A foreman I’d just fired asked me why we farangs are so annoying. Despite his repeated mistakes, he still didn’t get it, and I don’t think he was being dishonest. But I could be wrong—I’m not sure about anything here anymore 🤪

Another time, I had to be away for a day last week, and when I came back (a bit surprised, I’ll admit...), the whole team was drunk, singing, and dancing in front of the house with Thai music blasting. After checking the work, the little they’d done was all crooked. My father-in-law, who’d stayed on-site, didn’t even understand why I was angry! He just stared at me with wide eyes.

I know it’s something you shouldn’t do because they literally shut down, and it can be dangerous with all those potential weapons around (pickaxes, hammers, iron bars...), but they’ve got a knack for driving me crazy with their ridiculous excuses.

I could tell you loads of things that seem insane to a farang—every day there was something to complain about and redo. But it’s pointless; you’ll see for yourself soon enough what I mean.

It’s true that it’s cheap (not counting materials, which aren’t very expensive either). A basic worker costs between 150 and 200 baht per day, a bit more if you want a so-called specialist in a particular field (400 baht max).

For my part, I’m putting all work on hold until further notice while I look for someone serious—and believe me, I’ve had to lower my standards.

I’m going to take a break in the south for a while.

Good luck to you.

@ +

A basic laborer costs between 150 and 200 baht per day, a bit more if you want a pseudo-specialist in a particular field (400 baht max).

Sorry, but wouldn’t you do the same for that price? The challenge in Thailand is finding the right team. Once you’ve got that sorted, with good explanations, you’re all set.

I really liked the idea of everyone getting drunk together. Funny story: I have a friend who’s been a contractor for 30 years (American) and has a great team. When asked why his workers stay so long, he said: My little trick: I show up at the construction site with my pickup truck on the 15th of every month, loaded with whisky, beer, lao khao, som tam, chicken, etc. Everyone gets wasted—women included. That’s my recipe.

We’re in Thailand—you just have to adapt, not show up with your own mindset thinking, "I’m paying, so it has to be done my way."

Little tip: It’s not easy to find a team of older workers (they’re the best). The problem is, all Thais know this, so they often only have 3 years of experience.

Hahaha! Thuan and Thaisoul’s latest posts had me cracking up! 😎😉

Sorry if I’m being a pain, but I wanted to follow up on your comment (you seem to know your stuff):

"if you double your false ceiling without natural ventilation, it won’t change a thing since it’ll just be another trapped pocket of hot air! and it’s ideal for critters"

Wouldn’t a solution be to add a layer of polystyrene panels or something similar to the ceiling, then finish it off with plywood? It’d take up a few centimeters of height, but like I mentioned earlier, that’s not an issue with 2.6m ceilings.

Or—maybe this is overcomplicating things—but injecting expandable foam between the walls (there’s currently a gap of several centimeters) to (1) improve insulation and (2) eliminate space for little pests (and other cobras).

What do you think?

True, 150 or 200 baht doesn’t exactly make you want to go the extra mile, I’ll admit, but that’s the rate they’re asking for.

For my part, I’d give them food (and plenty of it), and drinks (no alcohol but pretty much unlimited soft drinks). I even thought about doing what your American buddy does—and even more often, like at the end of the week, treating them to alcohol, karaoke with their wives, no problem, happy to do it—but unfortunately, I never got the chance. The work was just too poorly done, and in fact, no team ever finished the week.

I know I need to adapt—I tell myself that every day like a mantra—to stay calm and keep smiling, but I still haven’t managed to find the right balance here.

Hopefully, it’ll happen soon, with people who actually want to work. The cost of labor isn’t really the issue—I even talked to the last two site managers about it. To motivate the guys, I’d give them a bonus if the work wasn’t a total disaster. But nothing seemed to encourage them to put in a little effort.

Maybe I’m not realizing it, but I really don’t think I’m being too demanding. For example, at the start, the roof had holes, and the guys who fixed it swore on everything holy it would hold up in any storm, even though I could see their work was a total scam. And sure enough, it didn’t hold! Luckily, I saw a big downpour the next day—result: water dripping everywhere on the brand-new false ceiling!

Stuff like that, Thuan, I could tell you about all night, and it’s even kind of funny in hindsight. But I still have construction sites to finish. I haven’t given up hope of finding a solid team soon, a real one 😉

See you later

😉 This reminds me of the renovation of my house in the countryside back in 2007. Just with family, a mason, electrician, painter, tiler, carpenter—each, of course, handling their own specialty. About ten people a day, and me coordinating everything.

Every day from November 2nd to December 20th, except Sundays. Every day there were "out of service" moments for various reasons (the traditional *mai sabai* from whiskey or just exhaustion), and yeah, they simply couldn’t work six days in a row.

I handled the money, of course, and the purchases (let me tell you, that was a huge hassle—what to buy, how much per m², which tools, etc.). To get supplies, we always had to drive 40 km round trip. The hardest part? Keeping track of material prices—everything from a single nail to hammers, cement, sand. Everything’s written in Thai, right? 10,000 baht here, 20,000 baht there, 5,000 baht over there. You get the idea—always in cash.

Then there was tracking work hours: 8 hours a day. 😮 Yeah, but some couldn’t work 8 hours—sometimes 6, sometimes 5, sometimes overtime up to 11 hours.

And then all the unexpected issues: equipment breaking down, no electricity, the drill giving out, etc.… and everything stops. Buy new tools? Repair? Rent? Borrow from a neighbor? After a month, I needed a break from the site. A few days in Bangkok, and when I came back—well, everyone was on break. Without the *thaiboss*, they couldn’t work alone.

If I had to do it again, I’d do it the exact same way.

During the work, professionals would stop by, telling me they could do it better and faster. But the price was just double. They offered a fixed rate and a timeline.

For me, I swapped their timeline and fixed rate for my own coordination—saved 150,000 baht.

If I had to do it again? Absolutely, no problem. Just arm yourself with patience and excellent vigilance.

The idea is good since what you're looking for is to create an insulating layer between the overheated volume of the roof-ceiling triangle? And especially to prevent this overheated triangle from radiating heat into the house once night falls. It's the belief that you'll manage to keep critters from settling in that's utopian. So, effectively, going back to the idea of simply placing insulation above the false ceiling, but using fiberglass rolls with a sealed aluminum foil layer (or buying the rolls and wrapping them in foil yourself).

Polystyrene, even injectable foam, ages very poorly—it's flammable...

A rat, a mouse, a snake, a gecko, or a battalion of cockroaches will always find their way into a shaded, enclosed, warm, and protective spot. So, an open and ventilated corner won’t appeal to them—passive deterrence rather than fumigation bombs and rat poison!

* ********* First point: before looking for expensive insulation solutions, you should first find a way to prevent overheated areas from existing—so I’ll keep saying it—invest in ventilating the roof triangle.

Second: insulation should be designed as a whole (or as a set of parts), so there’s no point in insulating the ceiling if the rest isn’t (windows especially and walls). Even if you’ll tell me that preventing heat from the ceiling is already a gain.

Third point: in Thailand, it’s roughly very hot for 2 months a year, and for 2 months, AC is useful at night in the bedroom and during the day in the office. So, if you’re planning to install AC in the bedroom and office, it’s better to limit your insulation work to these two rooms, which are often small and well-sealed, and leave the rest of the house open and ventilated.

For the rest, adopt tropical architecture like in old movies (*Daktari*, *Out of Africa*), where you see those huge shaded verandas.

Instead of investing in three living room AC units, go for a beautiful veranda with wooden posts and a classic roof, plus some big trees (though that might be hard to sell to your Thai family!). But it’s also a lifestyle choice.

See the photo (even if you don’t have a prime minister’s budget!)

One of the buildings at the former Prime Minister Kukrit Pramoj’s house in central Bangkok: a large central square room with a big roof overhanging on all sides, and the main room’s roof very high and pointed to encourage upward ventilation. The bedroom area is smaller than the total surface, and the garden is even bigger than the house. A beautiful example of tropical architecture!

If you want more specific info or advice in person based on plans, you can contact me directly at my email info@thailande-culture.com and see my details and phone number on the website www.thailande-culture.com. I’m starting to get tired of typing!!

I’m chiming in as your average Farang. Have you ever witnessed a deal between Thais? The tone is firm. A smiling conversation (smile #337), but firm. But YOU are the one calling the shots. What do you think happens if you try to be "buddy-buddy" with the workers? They already mostly think you’re loaded... That’s the best way to come off as a pushover, which is perfectly human on both sides and true everywhere. Especially if you’re building on your in-laws’ land... YOU are the employer. Let everyone stay in their lane, and everything will go smoothly. After that, rewarding their craftsmanship at delivery is another matter: it’ll indeed be very appreciated, especially by local workers, and because—like a tip—it should first and foremost be a pleasure for both sides, without any ulterior motive. Plus, in the village, word travels fast—good manners too. 😉

For architecture/plans: the best thing is still to get out there, visit builders, housing developments, prefab houses, finished homes, take photos, and note what you like and what you don’t. In short: you’re building your house—it’s not a small thing! Then, you have to realize that traditional construction, like everywhere, is disappearing, especially due to raw material issues (traditional wood), costs, and know-how that’s no longer passed down. Or less and less. In my opinion (and this is just my take), either you opt for a traditional build that’s proven itself over centuries of trial and error (orientation, thermal exchange, materials, room layout, ceiling heights, wood protection—have you noticed, for example, how ceiling heights differ based on local vs. foreign average heights?), or you aim for European standards (thermal regulation through insulation and equipment, electrical layout, etc.) while trying to keep a pseudo-traditional look, and you end up with extra costs and disappointments, either during construction or when using the house (energy, for example). This is pretty much the rule in the country, for locals and foreigners alike. Anyone who’s slept on the second floor of a pretty house under a nice blue tin roof or bumped their head on the beams of village houses will get what I mean. Especially when your roommate isn’t sweating at 38°C. These are two very different things. For my part, I think there are choices to make, both in the position you hold and in your desires. In my view, thinking you can build a quality house—well-balanced in design, livability, energy efficiency, and durability—for 400,000 THB is wishful thinking. It’s probably better to spend a bit more upfront and amortize the cost over time.

And another shopkeeper, wow!...😎 (The photos are really lovely, by the way...)

Thanks! Got it, and what a beautiful site!

Thuan, it’s been a while since I last dropped by VF, and I see you’re still as reliable as ever. You’ll always be a goldmine of knowledge, tips and tricks, anecdotes, and great deals. 😉

A

In my opinion (and this is just my take), you either go for a traditional build that has proven itself over centuries of trial and error—think orientation, thermal exchange, materials, room layout, ceiling heights, wood protection, and even how ceiling heights vary based on local vs. foreign average heights—or you aim for European standards (thermal regulation through insulation and equipment, electrical distribution, etc.) while trying to keep a pseudo-traditional look, which often leads to extra costs and disappointments, either during construction or later (energy use, for example). This is pretty much the rule in the country, for locals and foreigners alike. Anyone who’s slept on the second floor of a pretty house under a nice blue tin roof or bumped their head on the beams of village houses will get what I mean—especially when your roommate isn’t sweating in 38°C weather. They’re two very different things. For me, it’s about making choices based on your position and what you really want. In my view, thinking you can build a quality house with a good balance of design, livability, energy efficiency, and durability for 400,000 THB is wishful thinking. It’s probably better to spend a bit more upfront and save in the long run.

+1 And don’t forget to budget for the finishing touches... 2,000 here and 3,000 there adds up fast. Make sure to set aside 100,000–200,000 THB for unexpected costs. I can confirm that 400,000 THB is wishful thinking—especially with rising material costs, and even more so if you want a house with Farang-style insulation. The foreman and boss is a friend of my father-in-law, which made a lot of tricky things easier. Just don’t get worked up or show stress over mistakes made by the workers. As for the doors, I swear they installed them backward... the longer carved part was supposed to be at the top for me, but nope—they put them in upside down : )

Hello

Personally, I’m on Samui and had to redo the interior decor of my shop (tiles, electricity, painting, installing fans, extending a water supply, straightening the walls a bit and covering up holes, etc.). Honestly, I first saw a team that was so bad... I mean, just getting a quote was complicated, and the final price they asked for was anything but realistic. By chance, a Thai friend recommended one of her buddies, and wow—what a difference! The guy and his three employees are punctual, work cleanly, and always ask if I prefer it this way or that when they’re unsure. The price was really fair, and we even became friends. During the project, every three evenings we’d sit cross-legged in front of the shop, and everyone brought drinks and food according to their budget.

To sum up, I can confirm that there *are* good workers who know their trade and do things to the "farang standard"—you just have to find them!

Good luck

By sheer chance, a Thai friend recommended one of her buddies to me, and what a surprise—it was like stepping into Mickey Mouse’s world! The guy and his three employees are punctual, work cleanly, and always ask if I prefer it this way or that whenever they’re unsure. The price was really reasonable, and we even became friends. During the construction, every three evenings, we’d sit cross-legged in front of the shop, and everyone would bring something to drink and eat, depending on their budget.

To sum up, I can confirm that there *are* good workers who know their craft and work to the "farang standard"—you just have to stumble upon them!!

Proof that you shouldn’t generalize about Thais. 🙂 [;]

Hey everyone! More good tips coming your way! So, I’ve got a pretty clear idea of what I’d like for our house. I’m not looking for some fancy villa like the ones you see in France. Instead, I’m thinking of a brick house with a solid, leak-proof roof—following your advice—and the rest as classic as it gets, with 3 bedrooms since I’ve got 4 kids 😊. As for the quality of the future construction, I know it won’t be perfect or anywhere close, because I think I understand the Thai work mentality 😉. The main thing is having a solid roof, and beyond that, I know I’ll have to keep my expectations in check. For me, just having my own house in this country I love—just like all of you—will be pure happiness!

Hey, if you want a personal opinion, in your case, buy a house to renovate—not too new—(older constructions were pretty good) because of the low price of cement (40 baht 10 years ago, 100 baht now).

There are plenty of great tips for renovations in this area. Just check your bank’s catalog of houses for sale—seized from clients who can no longer pay their mortgage.

Here’s a recent plan from an Australian friend: 2 million baht for a small building right in Bangkok (which he rushed to rent out to CP for a Seven Eleven). Shows that it’s not just Thais making good deals! 😉

Still, these doors seem to be the right way around...😉

Regarding the doors, I have a feeling they installed them upside down... the longer carved part was supposed to be at the top for me..... but no..... they installed them upside down : )

Good catch, 😉, the lock should be in the middle—it’s designed that way, , , , , , , , , 😉

and renovates great deals in this area isn't lacking, just go to your bank to see their house sale catalog, seized from clients who can no longer pay their mortgage

Yeah, that's great, the offers are on a board in the agencies. There's also THIS for auction sales which can be interesting. However, you need to understand Thai 😊 .... ask your wives... 🙂

plan from an Australian friend recently, 2 million baht for a small building right in Bangkok, which he rushed to rent out to CP for a Seven Eleven. Shows that it's not just Thais who make good deals. 😉

Those are really some great tips... 😎

There’s also THIS for auction sales, which might be interesting. But you’ll need to understand Thai 😊 ... ask your wives... 🙂

your husbands too ..........😉

hi thuan,

thanks for the info. My wife and I took a look at that site—it’s really interesting. We didn’t find any properties in Jaturat, but anyway, our land is in Ban Niou, about 10 km from Jaturat, and my father-in-law is giving us the plot next to his house. I’ve got a brother-in-law who does masonry now and then, and I’m counting on him to at least drop by and check things out from time to time 🙂 Sorry about the writing—I’m using a Thai keyboard 🙂