Don’t apologise! I found it very informative and interesting. I bought land (through a LTD Thai company) in 2006 in Hua Hin when you could get 80 BHT to the pound! But I sold it in 2013 after doing nothing with it for 7 years while I was still in the UK and paying taxes for the company every year. I am heading back with my Thai wife and two kids later this year, so very interesting to see how things have changed. Your idea for finding a builder was worth watching it alone. Thanks for posting.
Thank you for your informative video, it helped incredibly. it was not boring. don’t be so hard on yourself man you’re a good guy. I appreciate the information tremendously. happy days to you and your wife and family
This is by far the most informative video I came up with here on YT in building a house in Thailand. By the way, your house is beautiful and impressive, I love it!!❤️ My husband and I were in Thailand in October of '23. We contacted a realtor in Hua Hin LAZUDI who took us around to look at five existing houses in the area as well as new homes in subdivisions that are being built. We look forward to going back in 2025 but we would first have to sell our house in the US, being able to relocate into a smaller house, and then start planning to build our vacation villa though it might not be in Hua Hin but Pattaya. The realtor has agreed to assist us should we pursue our plan, and we're happy about that.😃
I recommend getting developers to do stages. For example, get them to quote for skeleton plus roof. Then you are not committed to them too long if they are useless. Make sure you go and look at other projects they have done. Everyone, including the Thais make the biggest mistake with too many, too big windows. Thermalite blocks are better than glass for keeping the heat out and keeping the inside cool with the air conditioning or even just fans. Watch where the sun travels during the day to decide where the windows and type of rooms should be positioned. Your house drawing design is a nice simple layout for the skeleton and roof structure. However all the different floor levels inside is very impractical. Wood, as you have learned is so impractical in Thailand. Concrete and ceramic/granito tiles are much cooler and longer wearing.
Great tips and yes would go for a granite/granito floor if I could do it again. I like the different dimensions to the rooms which different floor levels give. A matter of taste I suppose. Thanks a lot for sharing.🙏🍻
@@breadgarlichouse2265 I would go for granito tiles every time. If faux wood flooring gets wet (highly likely in Thailand) they are f*cked. Granito tiles are solid and last for ever. There are lots of nice granito tiles with a wood finish in Do Home, Thai Watsadu, Global House etc.
We built one 8 years ago I can relate to everything you said , even the water issues . Our builder was honest and did a great job start to finish was 90 days , but with every build there are always issues .... Buying the land , we found it, went to the land office to see who owned it . The people at the land office tried to act as brokers and collect 3 % from the seller ..... Thats didnt fly ..... One thing we learned when word gets out your wanting to buy or build a house , everyone becomes a realitor ... Great video !
Thanks mate, appreciate the nice comment. Yes, we had a similar experience where when we'd decided to bulid, suddenly everyone was an architect or could build for us. As long as you do your homework and check things out as much as possible, it can be a very rewarding experience. All the best. 🙏🍻
@@jamesabroad8589 Oh we enjoyed it . But I knew I had to be there everyday with the plans and we measured every inch ourselves . Only mess up was wife told him move the house left 1 meter from the plans , he moved it to the right ...... I guess its all a matter of perception whos right hahaha.
Thanks for all the information. We are building a house in Pattaya. The concrete floor is done and pillars are being done. Your information is pot on. Many of the things you say I am seeing occur.
Hey great vid, living in Chiang Rai. Beautiful home, I can only smile when you talk about family and friends knowing someone who can do this and that and yes things do get a lil heated when you feel they're not listening.
Hi, useful tips that I will definitely need in the future. Thanks for all the info. I enjoy all your videos. Especially those about houses. In the future I hope to be able to get my own place somewhere with my Thai wife.
Absolutely spot on! Great advice. I built a house in Phu Pha Man in 2019 and had exactly the same experiences. Happy times, frustrating times and a constant battle to get quality out of the builder. Ended up with a great house but would never deal with the builder again.
Good video there James, I was very very lucky I suppose, the house we built was built by my wife's brother in law. Luckily he was a very talented lad. He had builders in, roofers,window installers etc etc. He had loads of mates who live locally and do a great job. I only sent money as they needed it,over a 6 or 7 month period. In 2015 it was completed, I have my own room with en suite but we don't live there. It's a thai house now so I only stay there max 3 weeks. My wife's parents and family live there. They love it, it's a lot bigger and more modern than they used to have !!! I was very lucky but I don't live in it. It is very modern for them but they have got used to it now. It has been blessed by about 8 or 9 monks and they said to my wife's family it is a beautiful house....as it is ! Bri and frei east Yorkshire.
I hadn't thought about having monks bless the house but is a great idea. My wife and i are both Buddhists so i am sure she will appreciate having it done.
Hi James, brilliant vlog! Just moved into our newly built home in Mae Rim having watched remotely from England the build.. thanks for taking the time to share
Sorry for the late reply Steve. Thanks mate. It can be quite a daunting proposition building here, so glad if it can help someone out. Hope the house build is going well. All the best.
As I'm about to take the plunge myself, I found your video really useful and full of common sense. As you say, we have had umpteen recommendations from friends, locals and acquaintances. It can get a little confusing at times! I'm meeting someone from the Land office in a few weeks who will survey and place the Chanote markers on the land. Then I will go ahead with the land purchase when I've seen the paperwork af the Land Office. Finding the builder, engineer, architect etc is a little daunting though! Thanks for your useful advice.
Thanks Chris. When meeting with the land office you can ask if there is someone available to draw up plans. This can be a cheaper option especially if you have rough house plans made by yourself. These can be passed onto your builder. I would investigate builders and go on customer recommendations rather than recommendations from people who haven't had a house built (family, friends etc.) Good luck mate.
Good suggestions! I am currently having a house built north of Chiang Rai. After purchasing 9.6 rai of farmland we found a licensed architect/engineer who is building several homes near us. He is well trained, experienced and understand real engineering standards. Every phase of the build is discussed and plans updated. We are about 35% complete and waiting for roof tiles to be manufactured and delivered.
Cheers mate. Investigating and finding a good builder relieves stress by 75 % or more. Sounds like you've done your homework and you will have a great house soon. Will be doing a 17 years on update video at some point soon too. All the best.👍🙏
Hi Mr Eye4get. I'm hoping to start my own small build shortly after I purchase a small plot of land. I live in Mae Chan and the land is between Mae Chan and Chiang Saen. Do you know the area? What I would like to ask is 1) How is your project progressing and are you pleased with your builder/project manager so far? And 2) Would you be willing to pass on their details to me please?
Great video and tips, thanks James. I will be starting my house build this year near Maha Sarakham after having the land raised already. I have chosen to project manage everything, buy all the materials, and I have done all the plans. I am really looking forward to it.
Hope it all goes well. Take the rough with the smooth ,check everything as much as you can , have a bit of lao kao with the guys at the end of the day & you will be fine. Good luck.
I found my dream home in the states and bought it. I am still making improvements i want but the value just keeps going up so am very happy about that. I plan to sell it next year and move back to Thailand with my Thai wife. She wants a traditional Thai house biut has always liked amenities on American homes i have incorporated into her home in Thailand which she owned when i met her. I have my ideas about what i want and we have to do some compromising there. She wants a traditional Thai home with it being a two story. I do not want a two story but agreed but would not budge on the idea of having the master bedroom downstairs. Something i think she will appreciate as she gets older. We can have the two bedrooms upstairs to use when we have someone visiting. I also want all rooms to be over sized as i hate small rooms. I also want a full bathroom upstairs and one with the master bedroom downstairs. I want hot water for showers and sinks thru out so want a hot water heater for the house. I also want the water lines ran outside in case of breaks so they will not leak in the house if one should break and have shutoff valves in each room so if something breaks we do not have to shut off all water while one area is being repaired. Having the lines ran outside they will need to be put in concrete so the water will not be totally hot all the time . I also want plugs ins installed higher on the walls for easier access and also for safety reasons if house should ever flood. I also want the house built on a concrete slab at least one foot above ground in case of flooding. I want a two car carport but prefer the sides be covered to at least keep the rain and intruders out. I would also like to have an electric door on the garage. I want a hook up for washing machine and dryer in the carport. I also want security bars on all doors and windows. i want a large living room with room for a 65 inch screen tv with all the channels i want with surround sound and a hook up for dvd's and surround sound stereo system. I like carpet on floors but do not think it would be practical in Thailand. I want electrical lines in the walls ran in conduit so if there is a problem at some time will be easy to replace. Here in the states we have a central A/C system that cools the whole house. I like the systems in Thailand for separate A/C systems in each room so not wasting electricity to cool all the rooms when not in use. I want tinted windows with tint in the glass to keep the sunlight not so bright coming in the house. I want walk in closet for the master bedroom and smaller built in closets in the other two bedrooms. I want a large kitchen with a walk in pantry for food storage. I want a wall around the yard which will require drainage holes for rain water but i want a screen on each hole to keep snakes out of the yard. I want the wall 8 foot tall and an electric grid at the top to keep out predators, animals as well as people. I want an electric gate on the wall with a concrete driveway to the carport/garage. I want a yard big enough so wife can plant plants and a garden. I want a large kitchen with a built in chopping block on an island and room for two large refrigerators, an electric oven for baking and a water purification system for drinking water. I want a large dining room as well. I want this to be a dream home for and problem free as i am older than her and expect i will pass long before her. With a new home she shouldn't have things break down for many years. I don't care what location the house is located in. Currently my wife likes where her house is located because her friends live near so i am thinking she will want to stay in this area.
Thanks for your insights.. about 10 years ago we extended our house a bit... luckily all went ok.. Spoke Thai fluently and Thai wife was on the mission.
I'm not building a house now right , but I've been here long time and done it before. I must agree with everything you said and your advice can be super valuable if you've not been thru this before!
Great video James, you are a Brave Hombre, or as Zorba the Greek would intone "....you went for the whole catastrophe!" Worth a read. Good Lordy, wifey, kids and a house! Nice job, beautiful house. I've been a builder in USA for 45 years and Thailand is my vacation place, NOT domicile. I would recommend one tip: Once you have the drawings of your dream house in the 90% range, ask around to local hobby shops for a model maker and have a kid build a model of your house with removable roof. A 3-Dmodel goes a long way to settling differences before they get expensive. This model can be spun about your land to take in sun, wind and temps.
It was interesting to me I went down the exact same route as you well done my house isn't as big as yours but big or small the objectives are the same to get the end product
Thanks for the tips, suggestions, and advice! I am considering building in Thailand and this is exactly the information I am looking for. I am currently studying Thai so I'm already taking your advice!
Well done my friend.Am not into all these internet things but,i just wanted to thank you for your knowledge and experience. Very strong and very interesting .Thanks for adding the stories went bad.Planning to go your route in being there and see it through from start to finish..You helped cleared my trust issue.You and your builder got it together very well.Very beautiful home.guessing your grass growing good by now..hope you can if you see it ok to recomend builders..Perhaps the builder you used.BUT A VERY VERY BEAUTIFUL HOME.
Thanks Edmund for the kind words. Just Hoping to helps guys out Who are thinking of doing the same thing. My builder is now in his eighties and retired. I would go on customer recommendations and checking previous builds of any builder you are thinking of using. Hope everything goes well and you can contact me here If you want any advice. All the best.👍🙏
In Thailand, they put the waste tank underground and punch some holes so the waste goes into the soil. My house is about 30 years old and never empty the tank too but for a house, with wood build-in, you need to watch out for pests like termites.
@@breadgarlichouse2265 as far as I know, there is no issue at all. And I live in Bangkok so I use tap water. As you said, it could be troublesome in the countryside where groundwater is the only option.
Thanks. The building drawings in particular were something I haven’t seen from others and told a lot about how they are built in Thailand. You can prepare to order a suction truck in the near future to empty the fibers you mention😂👍
Glad it helped Peter. Exciting time and it can be done. I would suggest Just finding a reputable builder who can do the entire build (take a look at his work first if poss.) All the best.
Just some food for thought. Hope all goes well when you start the build. My only advice would be investigate as much as you can, communicate with your partner and enjoy !!! Take care 🙏
@@jamesabroad8589 I am always looking for a better way to do things. We are building homes in Canada and Thailand over the next 2 years so I am doing as much research as possible. I understand construction in Canada but it is a different beast here. I will be documenting both builds on my channel.
Great vlog, sound advice, we completed a second house build a couple of years ago.. on the second house I had to sign a disclaimer at the land office confirming I understood I had no rights to the land..
BBKBound: ....whether it is a 48k baht Honda Wave or pricey house, ALL falangs have to ask themselves: "...can I leave the Kingdom leaving all my kit and possessions behind? Yes or no?" If no, then do not proceed. Too many horror stories are out there.
Best tip of all. DO NOT pay 100% for the house until the one year warranty has passed. Hold back 10% of the total cost and wait until the one year warranty has been satisfied and the contractor has fixed any problems that have occurred in the past year. If you don't withhold money and you have problems you will never see the contractor again.
You better tell them that up front because they are going to want their money's when it's finished. I know Thai people well and I wouldn't fell safe tell that local contractor had all of his money.
Hi James, Thanks for the video found it really interesting. I am in the uk with our Daughters but my Isaan wife is in Krabi where we are building a house. I could do with being there really but due to the covid 19 situation it isn't possible at the moment. Having video calls every couple of days when my wife is on site and only paying for each job individually ie concrete footings, roof, brick work etc I have just subscribed to your channel so will check out your other video's. Thanks again. Kind regards, Mike
Thanks a lot Mike. Not the best of situations. I think foreigners with spouses can enter but with tests and certificates not easily accessible in the UK. As long as you keep communicating well with your wife and pay as you go, things should be ok. Thanks for subscribing and good luck with everything.👍🙏
Very good video....thank you for the upload. My wife built a new home in her village back in 2019.....we are leaving in Europe only occasionally visiting Thailand. I designed it and a local architect draw the final detailed plans. It was a fixed price for the labor (about 30% of the total cost) and wife buy and pay materials. It was a good experience and we were very lucky to found a good local construction builder that had a good team. My advice is to built a home within the experience and the abilities your construction team has already done in previous projects. I mean that you shouldn't go outside their comfort zone. If you ask them to built you something they never had built before or you have a western way of doing it and you ask them if they can do.......they will always say....Yes can do but the reality is that they just don't want to loose face and simply can't answer to you.... I don't know....i can't do it....i don't have experience with this exc. If you will go this road then the pain and frustration will be big. Know what you want to do and what it is possible to do with your assets and your building team method and experience. Overall it was a great experience and If I get a second chance to be able to do it again there is a lot of room of improvements and different approaches.
@@jamesabroad8589 this is the home I told you I designed and wife built.....about 115sqm 3 bedroom 2 bathroom 2 kitchen... Total cost +900.000 baht includes everything except land that already was wife's. th-cam.com/video/t7dBXKuYkOI/w-d-xo.html
It is a low budget construction and it was built in 2 1/2 months. Only wife there to overlook and manage everything.....she didn't have any before experience. I personally have some concerns especially in how they build walls but so far so good. Practice make better..... 5555
Wow, amazing video - incredibly useful in showing the ‘fun’ of building a house in Thailand. I wish we’d decided to build - or even buy - around that time too as FX was decent and things still cheap (in comparison). Fab video though 👍🏻
Very informative James and well presented. We are in the process of relocating to my partners village and will be building a house on 2 rai and I will be sure to heed your advice re family members and friends. I am inclined to go down the same path as you and will find a reputable local builder who can project manage the entire build. Best regards for the future and will look forward to sharing your experiences in Thailand.
Glad it was useful. You will find your own way and as long as you investigate everything as much as you can, it should be a fun & exciting time. Good luck with your new house.
That 70 baht for £1 only lasted for a few months before it dropped over a period to 50 baht for £1 and floated about, It was all due to the Asia crisis and would not have happened but for that. Even with the baht at 46 today it is still cheap to build a house provided you get a good honest builder or have a kit house built.
James, you are pretty spot on. Main problems with building a house is: 1) roof designs are usually too complicated and end up having structural problems or leak when it rains and it is windy. 2) Thais seem to find it very difficult to build staircases where the steps are all the same height and length. 3) Thais do not seem to understand that water or crap flows downhill; sewage and waste often doesn't work properly I like the style of your house, however, not practical long term; not sure if wooden floors will wear well without maintenance (something most Thais do not know about).
Very interesting vlog and gives me many things to think about it. My wife wants to build a house for us to retire to on some land her sister owns. I really did not have to many questions until I watched this video.
built my house about 20 years ago but went down a different route, got a morgage from the bank and they did the money transfer to the builder. every stage the builder would inform the bank. then the bank would come to the house and check. the bank would talk to us and make sure we were happy and then if everything was ok they would give the builder the next payment. the builder had a price list of all the materials toilets, sinks, tiles, taps ,doors etc. so we could shop for what we wanted if it was cheaper it would be taken off the price. we did change the floor tiles and put granit down. which makes the house a lot cooler.
@@jamesabroad8589 we used krung thai bank. paid the house off last year but borrowed against it for a few things. namely, one of my daughters at uni in bangkok.
James, Educational video with a good deal of tips and solid information. I think the best option is do your research and get a reputable architect/construction company to build your home. You will pay more and get better long term results. Ron
Thanks Ron. Yes, that seems the best option. Doing it in stages with different teams will only increase stress levels and if mistakes are made, can be costlier in the long run. All the best.
You are absolutely right about stress over building a house in Thailand and your relationship with your wife to. So I back down is her house I want to built for her. Less stress for me. Lol. But I want her to have a nice things and not to take advantage of. In a few months we start building in kalasin I bought a small land from her family .
James great video fella with some proper good advise. I’m just having some builders work around my house - extension to the side and a sundeck at the back. They seem to be doing a great job and I’m really pleased with the work they are getting on with. I am videoing everything and I’m just about the launch my own TH-cam channel. I’ve only put a couple of videos online so far but I have absolutely loads coming up, I just need some time to sit down and edit them. Things are really hectic at the moment with the builders and we’ve just set up and chilli farm with 6,000 chilli trees! Maybe when things calm down a bit we could get together as I’m sure we’d have a lot in common. I could give your channel a shout out and visa versa.
@@skyfarmorganics Thanks mate. Put your build on TH-cam ! I bought a yi lite camera from lazada which does the job (3-4000 baht). I'm always interested how other guys approach this and good to look back on for yourself. Subscribed back.
@@jamesabroad8589 yes I will be doing some videos covering the build over a couple of years as what I'm doing is a little unconventional and quite a large project with several structures. I've already been filming the work on raising the land.
Make sure you like the area, that you intend to build, mostly guys pay / build a house in their wifes province, and later realise they do not like the area, and her family's interference, seen / heard of many guys that have gone down that track, I rent a house, that was built for me, as an investment property, so I have quite a bit of imput in the building of it, been here close to 6 years total, over 4 years in this house. I watched it being built, went there daily to see progress, there were 2 husband and wife teams from Mayanmar / Burma, and a Thai Boss, very happy with the work from the married couples. My landlord paid in stages, never pay all up front, and never make final payment, until you are 100% happy with the finished product
Great advice mate. Your first point is very important. Guys don't realize how much their partners family will get involved with everything. Some guys are okay with it, but some can't handle it after a few years. Good luck.
Absolutely educational to learn about building a house and buying land in Thailand but what I understand is if you are a foreigner you cannot buy land in Thailand that is including me no longer a Thai citizen.
Yes, didn't have the camera with me when it was flooding, more concerned with what to do. Didn't think I'd have a YT channel 15 years later. 😁 All the best Dubon.
Great information and nice build. Planning on building a house in Phuket at the moment. Nice touches on railings and details on support posts as well as other features that make a house attractive which you don't see too often in a Thai built house. Did you plan these nice touches yourself or did the architect? Also how many sq. meter is your house?
Thanks Steven. I designed the basic floor plan of the house myself and the builder added touches like the roman posts and other features that looked great. He was a class above other builders in the area and had some great suggestions throughout the build. The house is just over 280 sq.m. Hope the build goes well in Phuket. I Will be doing a couple more building/design videos. 👍🙏
Your advice, thought processes, thoroughness and planning are excellent! Though I can't yet speak from experience, I imagine a build without problems must be virtually non-existent. I hope to do exactly as you've done, with my wife owning a plot of 0.5 acre (approx. 2000sqm). I hope my planning will be as meticulous. I would like to ask: - is the water table high in most of Thailand? Is this why soil is used to raise land height nearly everywhere? - Why are western building techniques not commonly used (e.g. concrete slab floors, electrical cabling run through conduit in the cavity of a wall)? Is it purely down to cost? - regarding cooling and renewable energy and the environment, are more environmentally considerate alternatives to A/C now being used (e.g. ground source cooling (like a reversed heat pump) , solar water heating and PV panels, rainwater conservation tank for non-potable use. (Just seen you've a video covering this so I'll go there now!). I like the thought given to wind direction and the openness of your living area)? Sorry about the questions, I've subscribed so perhaps I won't have to ask as many in the future! Best Wishes.
Thanks mate. Soil is usually put down if the land is lower than the road or if the area is prone to flooding. I think it is purely down to cost on how they build here. Bryan's Thailand channel has good info. on alternative methods If you check his building playlist. I don't have that much knowledge on renewable energy etc. The FB group in my other video( link in the description) is worth joining. It has people with great info.on the subject. Duncan who I mention in that video is a member and I'm sure he'd be happy to answer any questions. Thanks for subscribing and feel free to ask more questions.👍🍺
The electric post and 3 phase system cost 16k thb (20 years ago). We used a water tank at first but had waterpipes under ground to the road for if or when the government water came. Cost about 3k THB to connect to the government water when it eventually came a few years later. All the best.👍🙏
I'd appreciate your thoughts on this mate. I have a close friend of almost 30 years who has built up a great little holiday bungalow business in Koh Chang where I have visited several times. I do plan to move from UK to Thailand in approx 2 years & my friend is now building 3 houses (1 for him & possibly 1 for me) His wife owns the land & he would oversee the building work while I'm stuck in UK. Obviously this is just the bare bones of the story & it's still in the planning stages however I'd like your thoughts on this as opposed to buying a condo or indeed renting a condo for the first 2 years or so... Thanks for reading👍
Hi Nigel, the red flag I see is that your friend's wife owns the land. If they divorce, u might run into some issues. I would advise to rent, see the country for 2-3 years until you're sure of where you want to be. I personally try to stay away from doing business with friends etc. but that's just me. If after a couple of years you want to stay near your friend, you could possibly do a lease agreement for the land (30 years I believe but can be renewed twice taking to 90 years) with your friends wife. Hope this was useful and good luck.🙏👍
@@jamesabroad8589 Thanks James, you have confirmed what I was actually thinking, it seems a cracking deal what my friend is proposing but there will always be a doubt in my mind if...... & again you are indeed correct in saying about being sure where u want to live. I've visited a dozen or so times (mainly for a month at least) but there are places I visited 12 years ago that I'd like to go back & try those places once more. Thanks for the advice & I think what u have suggested is the correct route. U speak great Thai by the way👍
Oh hey, sorry, quick question - you didn't touch on getting services to the home. I've got a lifestyle property in New Zealand which was off grid until I eventually paid for grid power to come up my road. And I still run rainwater and a septic tank. What did you for power, water and human waste?
Yes will touch on this in a future episode but we had to pay about 500 us dollars for an electric post and 3 phase electric box. Initially didn't have government water, used to have water delivered to our water tank but eventually got government water for about $100. I talked about waste disposal a bit near the end of this video. It was a 3 concrete ringed system that works well (no issues to date). 👍🙏
Hey I made it to Thailand - the last 6 months have been awesome without any tourists! Spent a month in Hua Hin. I've got a few tips of my own now I've been 'in country' for a while 😅
When we bought the land, the land agency organized a tractor to clear the land as part of the deal. Once the land is cleared your builder should know what to do.👍
Hi James. We bought the land and have it in the wife’s name So I am learning as much as I can so o don’t get burnt like last time. Long story. Anyway I want to learn how to prepare the land for a build so when I hire someone I know it’s being done right. Also seeing as this will be done from scratch it might be possible to film it and you could use the video i shoot and place your narrative over it for your channel. I have no need for my own channel but would be happy to do this as progress is happening
@@scottattrill1228 Hi Scott. The builder you hire should have knowledge on how to prepare the land in terms of amount of soil needed etc. Would love to see your build on YT. Starting a channel is easy and fun to do. Might be difficult to use your footage as I don't know the day to day goings on with the build. Investigate builders, check things as much as you can and you should be fine.👍🙏
It depends on a few factors Keith. The builder you choose, materials/specs. Single/double storey and where you're building. Can be anything from 8k to over 20k. Between 10k -15k for a medium spec house is about average.🍺👍
Thanks James My spec is regular stuff A single storey dwelling house about 160 m2 ish internally With a reasonable insulated valued envelope No swimming pool But granite worktops in the kitchen & ceramic tiled floors With a solar powered water heating system ( I installed panels from Australia in my house in Kandy SRI Lanka 12 years ago& been worthwhile & low maintenance ) Cheers thanks for the reply
Hi James your video was very helpful I am looking at build a house in Ban Dung-Na Mai Area how to find some one that is a architect to design the house and what price do you think a two bedroom house would be
You can draw a design u like and ask in the land office or orbator if anyone can draw up the plans. This is the cheapest option. Our builder drew up the plans for us. Cost all depends on the materials you use. Anything from 500k to 3mill. Baht. Another option would be to ask in local expat groups on FB. Most rural builds don't employ an architect. Good luck Dennis.🙏👍
James are you a builder in Thailand. I do not think, from what I was told. I could buy property in Thailand. I can buy property if I had a Thai wife. Am I right. What I went through in my marriage for 27 years. It was hell. I love Thailand very much, and Thailand has a special place in my heart. 20 years ago, I looked at a property in Phuket. It had a 2 storey house with a swimming pool and 5 acres of land with a lot of coconut trees, Papaya, and Mango trees. That would be my ideal way of living. I live on a 21/2 acre property now with a 5 bedroom home on it. The price on that property 20 years ago, was $120,000 Aussie dollars. The agent said, I could buy the property, but when I saw a lawyer. He said I could buy a Condo but not a property. I did not know who to believe. I know one of my friends was taken for a ride. Now he cannot even sell his TIME SHARE.
Yes foreigners can't own land. You can lease land or own land/property through a company set up, but I would advise renting for now. If you meet someone special down the line and remarry you could buy a place if you feel the need. All the best.👍🍺
What happend to your front doors happend to mine too I work as a joiner myself but within 12 months the doors had shrunk by about 12mm in the width and all the joints opened up so now I've got aluminium as I had to take the others out as for building a house in Thailand it's bad for your health lol.
Yes mate it can be stressful. They put my front doors in a make shift oven for a day or 2 to dry them out but they still cracked a bit. The weather here isn't really wood friendly, I would use granite and a good alternative to wood if I could do it again. Thanks for sharing your experiences Derek 👍
About 60k GBP 20 years ago. More than double that now I think. Join the building in Thailand face book group mate, great up to date info. There. Good luck 👍🍺
Hi I have a Thai wife from north east Thailand. We are currently in Singapore and considering moving to Thailand near her family. We have some options on land but I’m unsure as to cost to build. What would a similar property to yours cost (if that’s not too cheeky)
No problem Paul. Just for the house with a lot of teak, roof top garage and 230 m concrete wall about 3.2 million Baht. Bear in mind this was nearly 20 years ago. Petrol was half the price which made costs very low. If I had to take a wild guess, I would put it at 5-6 million bht. to build now without land. Take away the teak wood maybe 4.5 - 5. This is a wild guess however. Good luck with your future plans and drop me a line if you want any more advice. Will help if I can. All the best.
Nice house I like the pillers and the wood the good thing about wood is it won't ever go out of style were as tile does after 15ys....I want to build on my wife's farm in ubon they don't have any paperwork on the land its been in the family for 4 generations or more we cleared the 10 rai and planted rubber 9 years ago...I want to spend 2 to 3mil I want find a contractor show him pics of the quality I'm after then get a bid by the sqm paying 10 or 20% increments I know cheap builds start at 4k sqm and 20k high end. Or I'm thinking my father inlaw likes building he's an amateur hes honest he can get labor and tradesmen and I'm a finish carpenter we could do it for nice for 1 to 1.5mil ....any ideas or advice
I would investigate a builder who's built good houses in your area. personally I wouldn't use family as things can turn ugly when money is envolved. 2-3 million is quite a lot here. Good luck with everything.🙏👍
Nice one James. We are planing to build down in Koh Phangan next year if we survive this crisis . Just a tip someone gave me go to the land office and employ one of the engineers to draw up plans as he will know whats allowed and not allowed. But I am sure like you it won't be plain sailing as you found out...Thanks for your upload I enjoyed.
Thanks Ronan, that sounds like a good idea. There might be more laws and building regulations on Koh Phangan. Just investigate as much as you can and you will be fine. Contact me if you need any advice. All the best 👍
@@jamesabroad8589 Thank you so much James. We had planned 2 months this summer to start the planning of the build. But working in health care sort of busy at the moment so leave is up in the air. But thanks for the advice about talking to your spouse before as my Missus can lose it bit so have to be carful lol.
Yes mate I had the same problem. Thai ladies definitely have a fiery side. If you both communicate and do some homework, any future in project you take on will be less stressful.😁👍
Appreciate the tips. Your ability to speak some of the language helps a lot, along with patience. I've built two houses in the U.S. and talked to countless other people who have built houses. Seems the builders fall into two groups here. 1) Want to build a good product and will work with you within reason. 2) Just want the money and will throw things together with a tap dance of we will fix later. Obviously, later never comes. You mentioned paying in installments, which is wise. Did I hear you correctly, that you paid the installment after the work was done?
I built in Bangkok and YES, I paid in installments too. It is the only way to go. It works better that way. The house was built, (They did Not follow the plans and the finished house is OK but the house in the drawing is better.) To this day I am still not happy with some of the mistakes they made.
Hey great video. I'm looking at building in Hua Hin with my Thai GF. I really appreciated the tip about buying in the wet season. Great advice. My GF is your more typical Thai woman who has low level emotional filters so the relationship advice was... Illuminating lol.
Cheers David. Yep try to get an idea of how the weather is in the area you intend to build, flooding etc. Wet season and dry season here are like living in two different countries. Relationship with the missus can get strained so be ready for a few deep breaths and maybe a bottle of vodka or 3 😎. Let me know how the build goes. 👍🙏
I'm not from that area and you'd need a local person. The 'isaan farang' and 'building in Thailand group' facebook groups would be the place to ask. Lots of great members willing to help out. Good luck Glen. 👍🙏
Basically you own the house for 30 years and the 'land owner' will offer you little money for the house, which isn't cool. $150k USD investment for that isn't fun.
French drains are really good and cheap way to get rid of water.You can buy the pipes on massive rolls saving a foutune and are really easy to fit, worth a look online
Very good video, I am in the process of buying 4rai of land in Krabi(with Chinot) in conjunction with my wife's sister(both university educated, intelligent and honest), and I have decided not to hand over the money, but to make a legal loan to her, then she will lease our half of the land back to me, this way I have control over the land, and the money is still mine. What do you think of this method?
Thanks John, yes I know guys that are doing this to feel more secure with their investment. If you don't have kids to leave the property too, I think it's a wise move. It all depends on personal circumstances. I discuss building a house in my 1.95 million baht house video. A few guys in the comments are planning on doing similar things. Hope it all works out.🙏👍
Here's my take on things: don't expect a parochial builder to understand fake chimneys and elaborate window designs. If you want Western design, you're going to have to pony up for expat builders who get what you're attempting to do.
@@jamesabroad8589 I asked Somchai what he thought about my homage to DaVinci, a huge fresco of Jesus and Buddha eating som tum while drinking wine, and he said no problem. Looking forward to the final result.
Yo James, came across your Vlogs a couple of days ago and watched a few episodes. Been here myself since 2006 with house, wife, daughter in BKK. On a personal note and please excuse...you don't have to answer. Sounds like in this video that your marriage fell apart with all the stress you explained about building a house, etc. So, you guys have been apart a long time and you raised your daughter by yourself? Maybe, I misinterpreted but if not I can totally understand how it could have happened. Greetings!
Yep it was hard on the relationship and we separated but we have a relationship now that works ok. I will be doing a video on how difficulties can arise for guys living here some time in the future. All the best Viktor.👍🙏
Don't forget to Subscribe (it's free) 😎👍. More info. and resources in the description. Thanks for watching😎🙏 Time stamp below.👇👇 0.00 - 1.44 - Intro & house build time lapse. 1.44 - 2.57 - Things to think about before starting. 2.57 - 3.42 - Middlemen, family & friends. 3.42 - 4.46 - Finding a builder. 4.46 - 5.56 - How to approach the build. 5.56 - 8.40 - Land discussion. 8.40 - 9.41 - Learn the language. 9.41 - 10.42 - Relationship & culture difference 10.43 - 11.45 - Pay in instalments. 11.45 - 14.41 - Climate. 14.41 - 15.53 - Enjoy the process. 15.53 - end - House plan & land discussion.
ex licenced aus builder, was a piece of piss building in thailand, if you know what you are doing, after 9 years our house is fabulous, even the electrical is good, you just have to know how things are done correctely, first time ,thais have no training, so how can you expect them to do a good job !
This has been the most useful twenty minutes I have seen on TH-cam regarding building in Thailand , thank you .
Thanks. just my experiences, so glad it was useful.👍😭
Don’t apologise! I found it very informative and interesting. I bought land (through a LTD Thai company) in 2006 in Hua Hin when you could get 80 BHT to the pound! But I sold it in 2013 after doing nothing with it for 7 years while I was still in the UK and paying taxes for the company every year. I am heading back with my Thai wife and two kids later this year, so very interesting to see how things have changed. Your idea for finding a builder was worth watching it alone. Thanks for posting.
Right on. Been over a year and we are building in Cha Am. Any builders you know of? Krap
Thank you for your informative video, it helped incredibly. it was not boring. don’t be so hard on yourself man you’re a good guy. I appreciate the information tremendously. happy days to you and your wife and family
Thanks Robert. Glad the info. Was useful to you. Appreciate the kind words. All the best.👍🙏
This is by far the most informative video I came up with here on YT in building a house in Thailand. By the way, your house is beautiful and impressive, I love it!!❤️ My husband and I were in Thailand in October of '23. We contacted a realtor in Hua Hin LAZUDI who took us around to look at five existing houses in the area as well as new homes in subdivisions that are being built. We look forward to going back in 2025 but we would first have to sell our house in the US, being able to relocate into a smaller house, and then start planning to build our vacation villa though it might not be in Hua Hin but Pattaya. The realtor has agreed to assist us should we pursue our plan, and we're happy about that.😃
Cheers glad u liked the video. Good luck with your future plans.👍🍺
I recommend getting developers to do stages.
For example, get them to quote for skeleton plus roof.
Then you are not committed to them too long if they are useless.
Make sure you go and look at other projects they have done.
Everyone, including the Thais make the biggest mistake with too many, too big windows.
Thermalite blocks are better than glass for keeping the heat out and keeping the inside cool with the air conditioning or even just fans.
Watch where the sun travels during the day to decide where the windows and type of rooms should be positioned.
Your house drawing design is a nice simple layout for the skeleton and roof structure.
However all the different floor levels inside is very impractical.
Wood, as you have learned is so impractical in Thailand. Concrete and ceramic/granito tiles are much cooler and longer wearing.
Great tips and yes would go for a granite/granito floor if I could do it again. I like the different dimensions to the rooms which different floor levels give. A matter of taste I suppose. Thanks a lot for sharing.🙏🍻
@@breadgarlichouse2265 I would go for granito tiles every time. If faux wood flooring gets wet (highly likely in Thailand) they are f*cked. Granito tiles are solid and last for ever. There are lots of nice granito tiles with a wood finish in Do Home, Thai Watsadu, Global House etc.
We built one 8 years ago I can relate to everything you said , even the water issues . Our builder was honest and did a great job start to finish was 90 days , but with every build there are always issues .... Buying the land , we found it, went to the land office to see who owned it . The people at the land office tried to act as brokers and collect 3 % from the seller ..... Thats didnt fly ..... One thing we learned when word gets out your wanting to buy or build a house , everyone becomes a realitor ... Great video !
Thanks mate, appreciate the nice comment. Yes, we had a similar experience where when we'd decided to bulid, suddenly everyone was an architect or could build for us. As long as you do your homework and check things out as much as possible, it can be a very rewarding experience. All the best. 🙏🍻
@@jamesabroad8589 Oh we enjoyed it . But I knew I had to be there everyday with the plans and we measured every inch ourselves . Only mess up was wife told him move the house left 1 meter from the plans , he moved it to the right ...... I guess its all a matter of perception whos right hahaha.
Good advice, I'll be taking it on board... Thanks
We can all see that your house is an excellent design and it has a very good quality to it all.. 👍
Cheers Peter, glad it was useful.🙏
just searched building a house in Thailand on youtube as we are looking into doing it and your video came up first haha
I ramble on a bit mate. Really strong anti inflammatories.😎😁
Thanks for all the information. We are building a house in Pattaya. The concrete floor is done and pillars are being done. Your information is pot on. Many of the things you say I am seeing occur.
Cheers mate. Glad you found the video useful. Good luck with your build. 👍
Hey great vid, living in Chiang Rai. Beautiful home, I can only smile when you talk about family and friends knowing someone who can do this and that and yes things do get a lil heated when you feel they're not listening.
Thanks mate, Sounds like you had some similar experiences .Hope you're well up in Chiang Rai. 👍🙏
Hi, useful tips that I will definitely need in the future. Thanks for all the info. I enjoy all your videos. Especially those about houses. In the future I hope to be able to get my own place somewhere with my Thai wife.
Glad u found it useful. Getting as much info. Before you go ahead is key. Do your homework and you can have a nice place here in Thailand.🙏👍
Absolutely spot on! Great advice. I built a house in Phu Pha Man in 2019 and had exactly the same experiences. Happy times, frustrating times and a constant battle to get quality out of the builder. Ended up with a great house but would never deal with the builder again.
True, certainly some rough patches along the way, but glad I did it. Cheers Steven.👍🍺
James thanks for the video. I'm going down this journey for the next 18 months as we prepare to build a home for my wife's parents in Isaan
No problem mate. Everyone's experience is different, but hopefully some useful info.👍🙏
Good video there James, I was very very lucky I suppose, the house we built was built by my wife's brother in law. Luckily he was a very talented lad. He had builders in, roofers,window installers etc etc. He had loads of mates who live locally and do a great job. I only sent money as they needed it,over a 6 or 7 month period. In 2015 it was completed, I have my own room with en suite but we don't live there. It's a thai house now so I only stay there max 3 weeks. My wife's parents and family live there. They love it, it's a lot bigger and more modern than they used to have !!! I was very lucky but I don't live in it. It is very modern for them but they have got used to it now. It has been blessed by about 8 or 9 monks and they said to my wife's family it is a beautiful house....as it is ! Bri and frei east Yorkshire.
Thanks Brian. Yes, finding the right guys and paying in installments is the best way to go. Glad it worked out well for you both.👍🙏
I hadn't thought about having monks bless the house but is a great idea. My wife and i are both Buddhists so i am sure she will appreciate having it done.
Hi James, brilliant vlog! Just moved into our newly built home in Mae Rim having watched remotely from England the build.. thanks for taking the time to share
Sorry for the late reply Steve. Thanks mate. It can be quite a daunting proposition building here, so glad if it can help someone out. Hope the house build is going well. All the best.
As I'm about to take the plunge myself, I found your video really useful and full of common sense. As you say, we have had umpteen recommendations from friends, locals and acquaintances. It can get a little confusing at times!
I'm meeting someone from the Land office in a few weeks who will survey and place the Chanote markers on the land. Then I will go ahead with the land purchase when I've seen the paperwork af the Land Office. Finding the builder, engineer, architect etc is a little daunting though! Thanks for your useful advice.
Thanks Chris. When meeting with the land office you can ask if there is someone available to draw up plans. This can be a cheaper option especially if you have rough house plans made by yourself. These can be passed onto your builder. I would investigate builders and go on customer recommendations rather than recommendations from people who haven't had a house built (family, friends etc.) Good luck mate.
Thanks for your reply James. I'll take your advice and approach the guy from the Land Office for recommendations. Cheers.
Good suggestions! I am currently having a house built north of Chiang Rai. After purchasing 9.6 rai of farmland we found a licensed architect/engineer who is building several homes near us. He is well trained, experienced and understand real engineering standards. Every phase of the build is discussed and plans updated. We are about 35% complete and waiting for roof tiles to be manufactured and delivered.
Cheers mate. Investigating and finding a good builder relieves stress by 75 % or more. Sounds like you've done your homework and you will have a great house soon. Will be doing a 17 years on update video at some point soon too. All the best.👍🙏
Hi Mr Eye4get.
I'm hoping to start my own small build shortly after I purchase a small plot of land. I live in Mae Chan and the land is between Mae Chan and Chiang Saen. Do you know the area?
What I would like to ask is 1) How is your project progressing and are you pleased with your builder/project manager so far? And 2) Would you be willing to pass on their details to me please?
Some great advice and tips.....thanks taking time to share James.....much appreciated 🙏
Thanks Chris. Glad you liked it. All the best.
Great video and tips, thanks James. I will be starting my house build this year near Maha Sarakham after having the land raised already. I have chosen to project manage everything, buy all the materials, and I have done all the plans. I am really looking forward to it.
Hope it all goes well. Take the rough with the smooth ,check everything as much as you can , have a bit of lao kao with the guys at the end of the day & you will be fine. Good luck.
I found my dream home in the states and bought it. I am still making improvements i want but the value just keeps going up so am very happy about that. I plan to sell it next year and move back to Thailand with my Thai wife. She wants a traditional Thai house biut has always liked amenities on American homes i have incorporated into her home in Thailand which she owned when i met her. I have my ideas about what i want and we have to do some compromising there. She wants a traditional Thai home with it being a two story. I do not want a two story but agreed but would not budge on the idea of having the master bedroom downstairs. Something i think she will appreciate as she gets older. We can have the two bedrooms upstairs to use when we have someone visiting. I also want all rooms to be over sized as i hate small rooms. I also want a full bathroom upstairs and one with the master bedroom downstairs. I want hot water for showers and sinks thru out so want a hot water heater for the house. I also want the water lines ran outside in case of breaks so they will not leak in the house if one should break and have shutoff valves in each room so if something breaks we do not have to shut off all water while one area is being repaired. Having the lines ran outside they will need to be put in concrete so the water will not be totally hot all the time . I also want plugs ins installed higher on the walls for easier access and also for safety reasons if house should ever flood. I also want the house built on a concrete slab at least one foot above ground in case of flooding. I want a two car carport but prefer the sides be covered to at least keep the rain and intruders out. I would also like to have an electric door on the garage. I want a hook up for washing machine and dryer in the carport. I also want security bars on all doors and windows.
i want a large living room with room for a 65 inch screen tv with all the channels i want with surround sound and a hook up for dvd's and surround sound stereo system. I like carpet on floors but do not think it would be practical in Thailand. I want electrical lines in the walls ran in conduit so if there is a problem at some time will be easy to replace. Here in the states we have a central A/C system that cools the whole house. I like the systems in Thailand for separate A/C systems in each room so not wasting electricity to cool all the rooms when not in use. I want tinted windows with tint in the glass to keep the sunlight not so bright coming in the house. I want walk in closet for the master bedroom and smaller built in closets in the other two bedrooms. I want a large kitchen with a walk in pantry for food storage. I want a wall around the yard which will require drainage holes for rain water but i want a screen on each hole to keep snakes out of the yard. I want the wall 8 foot tall and an electric grid at the top to keep out predators, animals as well as people. I want an electric gate on the wall with a concrete driveway to the carport/garage. I want a yard big enough so wife can plant plants and a garden. I want a large kitchen with a built in chopping block on an island and room for two large refrigerators, an electric oven for baking and a water purification system for drinking water. I want a large dining room as well. I want this to be a dream home for and problem free as i am older than her and expect i will pass long before her. With a new home she shouldn't have things break down for many years. I don't care what location the house is located in. Currently my wife likes where her house is located because her friends live near so i am thinking she will want to stay in this area.
Thanks for your insights.. about 10 years ago we extended our house a bit... luckily all went ok.. Spoke Thai fluently and Thai wife was on the mission.
Yes if you speak good Thai and both yourself and your wife are on the same page it makes things a lot easier. Take care Robert.👍🙏
I'm not building a house now right , but I've been here long time and done it before. I must agree with everything you said and your advice can be super valuable if you've not been thru this before!
Thanks Bjorn. Just things I experienced so hopefully others can gain something from it. All the best.👍🙏
Great video James, you are a Brave Hombre, or as Zorba the Greek would intone "....you went for the whole catastrophe!" Worth a read. Good Lordy, wifey, kids and a house!
Nice job, beautiful house. I've been a builder in USA for 45 years and Thailand is my vacation place, NOT domicile. I would recommend one tip:
Once you have the drawings of your dream house in the 90% range, ask around to local hobby shops for a model maker and have a kid build a model of your house with removable roof. A 3-Dmodel goes a long way to settling differences before they get expensive. This model can be spun about your land to take in sun, wind and temps.
Great advice mate especially for those with language barrier problems. Anything that illustrates exactly what you want is a bonus.🙏👍
It was interesting to me I went down the exact same route as you well done my house isn't as big as yours but big or small the objectives are the same to get the end product
True mate. Doing your homework before the build helps prevent problems. All the best.👍🍺
This is brilliant information and I thank you for this 🙏 great videos
Thanks. Appreciate the kind words.👍🍺
Thanks for the tips, suggestions, and advice! I am considering building in Thailand and this is exactly the information I am looking for. I am currently studying Thai so I'm already taking your advice!
Yes learning the language really helps. Little bit every day is the best way. Good luck with the build and your plans. 🙏👍
Thank you for you time I thought this video was very interesting I've learnt a lot. CHEERS lovely house by the way 👍
Thanks David. Glad it was useful to you. All the best👍🙏
Well done my friend.Am not into all these internet things but,i just wanted to thank you for your knowledge and experience. Very strong and very interesting .Thanks for adding the stories went bad.Planning to go your route in being there and see it through from start to finish..You helped cleared my trust issue.You and your builder got it together very well.Very beautiful home.guessing your grass growing good by now..hope you can if you see it ok to recomend builders..Perhaps the builder you used.BUT A VERY VERY BEAUTIFUL HOME.
Thanks Edmund for the kind words. Just Hoping to helps guys out Who are thinking of doing the same thing. My builder is now in his eighties and retired. I would go on customer recommendations and checking previous builds of any builder you are thinking of using. Hope everything goes well and you can contact me here If you want any advice. All the best.👍🙏
In Thailand, they put the waste tank underground and punch some holes so the waste goes into the soil. My house is about 30 years old and never empty the tank too but for a house, with wood build-in, you need to watch out for pests like termites.
Yes I must have the same system as you because no problems in 17 years. No issues with termites so far but always checking. All the best Kisuke.👍🙏
@@breadgarlichouse2265 as far as I know, there is no issue at all. And I live in Bangkok so I use tap water. As you said, it could be troublesome in the countryside where groundwater is the only option.
Nice Job James!!
Cheers Jimmy.🍺👍
100% spot on with every point i done mine exactly the same way went like a dream
Cheers Raymond, glad everything worked out for you.👍🙏
Thanks. The building drawings in particular were something I haven’t seen from others and told a lot about how they are built in Thailand. You can prepare to order a suction truck in the near future to empty the fibers you mention😂👍
Haven't done anything in 20 years suction wise and I eat a lot of fibre😁. Whatever was put in works lol.
James: Excellent video and such great advice. I am looking now for a reputable builder in Buriram and I'll ask around at the pubs. Thanks so much.
Glad it helped Peter. Exciting time and it can be done. I would suggest Just finding a reputable builder who can do the entire build (take a look at his work first if poss.) All the best.
@@jamesabroad8589 I will heed your advice. Thanks.
I just discovered your vids today. Thanks. Really informative and a few chuckles. Cheers, man.
Cheers Geoff. Glad you like them. All the best 👍🙏
Very good information. It took us 5 years to find our land and we have not started building yet. Thanks for this.
Just some food for thought. Hope all goes well when you start the build. My only advice would be investigate as much as you can, communicate with your partner and enjoy !!! Take care 🙏
@@jamesabroad8589 I am always looking for a better way to do things. We are building homes in Canada and Thailand over the next 2 years so I am doing as much research as possible. I understand construction in Canada but it is a different beast here. I will be documenting both builds on my channel.
@@livingin2worlds137 I will subscribe and look forward to seeing how it goes.👍🙏
Great vlog, sound advice, we completed a second house build a couple of years ago.. on the second house I had to sign a disclaimer at the land office confirming I understood I had no rights to the land..
Thanks mate. Yes, I remember signing something like that showing the funds for the land were from my wife etc. Long time ago lol. All the best.
BBKBound: ....whether it is a 48k baht Honda Wave or pricey house, ALL falangs have to ask themselves: "...can I leave the Kingdom leaving all my kit and possessions behind? Yes or no?" If no, then do not proceed. Too many horror stories are out there.
Nice house James, good job
Thanks Joe. It took a bit of work but was worth it. All the best 👍🙏
Best tip of all. DO NOT pay 100% for the house until the one year warranty has passed. Hold back 10% of the total cost and wait until the one year warranty has been satisfied and the contractor has fixed any problems that have occurred in the past year. If you don't withhold money and you have problems you will never see the contractor again.
Thanks Thomas. Good idea. My builder came around to check after a year without asking, which was nice but doesn't happen often.🙏👍
You better tell them that up front because they are going to want their money's when it's finished. I know Thai people well and I wouldn't fell safe tell that local contractor had all of his money.
@@davesmith2150 Of course tell them. Have that language in the contract.
Hi James,
Thanks for the video found it really interesting. I am in the uk with our Daughters but my Isaan wife is in Krabi where we are building a house.
I could do with being there really but due to the covid 19 situation it isn't possible at the moment.
Having video calls every couple of days when my wife is on site and only paying for each job individually ie concrete footings, roof, brick work etc
I have just subscribed to your channel so will check out your other video's.
Thanks again. Kind regards, Mike
Thanks a lot Mike. Not the best of situations. I think foreigners with spouses can enter but with tests and certificates not easily accessible in the UK. As long as you keep communicating well with your wife and pay as you go, things should be ok. Thanks for subscribing and good luck with everything.👍🙏
Very good video....thank you for the upload.
My wife built a new home in her village back in 2019.....we are leaving in Europe only occasionally visiting Thailand.
I designed it and a local architect draw the final detailed plans.
It was a fixed price for the labor (about 30% of the total cost) and wife buy and pay materials.
It was a good experience and we were very lucky to found a good local construction builder that had a good team.
My advice is to built a home within the experience and the abilities your construction team has already done in previous projects.
I mean that you shouldn't go outside their comfort zone.
If you ask them to built you something they never had built before or you have a western way of doing it and you ask them if they can do.......they will always say....Yes can do but the reality is that they just don't want to loose face and simply can't answer to you.... I don't know....i can't do it....i don't have experience with this exc.
If you will go this road then the pain and frustration will be big.
Know what you want to do and what it is possible to do with your assets and your building team method and experience.
Overall it was a great experience and If I get a second chance to be able to do it again there is a lot of room of improvements and different approaches.
Cheers, an completely agree about designing something within your builders capabilities, especially in rural areas.🙏👍
@@jamesabroad8589 this is the home I told you I designed and wife built.....about 115sqm 3 bedroom 2 bathroom 2 kitchen... Total cost +900.000 baht includes everything except land that already was wife's.
th-cam.com/video/t7dBXKuYkOI/w-d-xo.html
It is a low budget construction and it was built in 2 1/2 months.
Only wife there to overlook and manage everything.....she didn't have any before experience.
I personally have some concerns especially in how they build walls but so far so good.
Practice make better..... 5555
Thanks……I really appreciated this video
welcome Brian, I hope it was useful in some way.
Very interesting. Love your house!
Thank you Jenny 👍🙏
Wow, amazing video - incredibly useful in showing the ‘fun’ of building a house in Thailand. I wish we’d decided to build - or even buy - around that time too as FX was decent and things still cheap (in comparison). Fab video though 👍🏻
Thanks mate. Yes very lucky with the rate. Would be half the size if I built now. Take care Simo.🙏👍
Very informative James and well presented. We are in the process of relocating to my partners village and will be building a house on 2 rai and I will be sure to heed your advice re family members and friends. I am inclined to go down the same path as you and will find a reputable local builder who can project manage the entire build. Best regards for the future and will look forward to sharing your experiences in Thailand.
Glad it was useful. You will find your own way and as long as you investigate everything as much as you can, it should be a fun & exciting time. Good luck with your new house.
That 70 baht for £1 only lasted for a few months before it dropped over a period to 50 baht for £1 and floated about, It was all due to the Asia crisis and would not have happened but for that. Even with the baht at 46 today it is still cheap to build a house provided you get a good honest builder or have a kit house built.
James, you are pretty spot on.
Main problems with building a house is:
1) roof designs are usually too complicated and end up having structural problems or leak when it rains and it is windy.
2) Thais seem to find it very difficult to build staircases where the steps are all the same height and length.
3) Thais do not seem to understand that water or crap flows downhill; sewage and waste often doesn't work properly
I like the style of your house, however, not practical long term; not sure if wooden floors will wear well without maintenance (something most Thais do not know about).
Thanks John. Yes good points. If I could do it again I would have gone with granite floors ( same price ). 🙏👍
Very interesting vlog and gives me many things to think about it. My wife wants to build a house for us to retire to on some land her sister owns. I really did not have to many questions until I watched this video.
Thank you. Yes, good to check a few things before you start. Sure everything will be fine and hope the build goes well 🙏👍
Please keep making videos. You can make update videos on your older ones.
Yes will be making more videos in the cool season. Lots of rain here at the moment. Hope you're well mate.🙏👍
HI James, just starting a catch up on all you videos buddy !
Hope you're still awake lol. All the best mate.
@@jamesabroad8589 yes will do it over a few days,
built my house about 20 years ago but went down a different route, got a morgage from the bank and they did the money transfer to the builder. every stage the builder would inform the bank. then the bank would come to the house and check. the bank would talk to us and make sure we were happy and then if everything was ok they would give the builder the next payment. the builder had a price list of all the materials toilets, sinks, tiles, taps ,doors etc. so we could shop for what we wanted if it was cheaper it would be taken off the price. we did change the floor tiles and put granit down. which makes the house a lot cooler.
Wow Jason, sounds a good way of doing it. I wouldn't think the bank would care that much how the money was spent. What bank did you use?
@@jamesabroad8589 we used krung thai bank. paid the house off last year but borrowed against it for a few things. namely, one of my daughters at uni in bangkok.
James, Educational video with a good deal of tips and solid information. I think the best option is do your research and get a reputable architect/construction company to build your home. You will pay more and get better long term results. Ron
Thanks Ron. Yes, that seems the best option. Doing it in stages with different teams will only increase stress levels and if mistakes are made, can be costlier in the long run. All the best.
You are absolutely right about stress over building a house in Thailand and your relationship with your wife to. So I back down is her house I want to built for her. Less stress for me. Lol. But I want her to have a nice things and not to take advantage of. In a few months we start building in kalasin I bought a small land from her family .
Yes, try to communicate as much as you can and there'll be less stress. Good luck with the build in Kalasin mate.🙏🏻👍
James great video fella with some proper good advise. I’m just having some builders work around my house - extension to the side and a sundeck at the back. They seem to be doing a great job and I’m really pleased with the work they are getting on with.
I am videoing everything and I’m just about the launch my own TH-cam channel. I’ve only put a couple of videos online so far but I have absolutely loads coming up, I just need some time to sit down and edit them. Things are really hectic at the moment with the builders and we’ve just set up and chilli farm with 6,000 chilli trees!
Maybe when things calm down a bit we could get together as I’m sure we’d have a lot in common. I could give your channel a shout out and visa versa.
Just subscribed to your channel also
Hope the build is going well. Yep will always support your channel mate. Keep it up!
@@skyfarmorganics Thanks mate. Put your build on TH-cam ! I bought a yi lite camera from lazada which does the job (3-4000 baht). I'm always interested how other guys approach this and good to look back on for yourself. Subscribed back.
@@jamesabroad8589 yes I will be doing some videos covering the build over a couple of years as what I'm doing is a little unconventional and quite a large project with several structures. I've already been filming the work on raising the land.
Make sure you like the area, that you intend to build, mostly guys pay / build a house in their wifes province, and later realise they do not like the area, and her family's interference, seen / heard of many guys that have gone down that track, I rent a house, that was built for me, as an investment property, so I have quite a bit of imput in the building of it, been here close to 6 years total, over 4 years in this house. I watched it being built, went there daily to see progress, there were 2 husband and wife teams from Mayanmar / Burma, and a Thai Boss, very happy with the work from the married couples. My landlord paid in stages, never pay all up front, and never make final payment, until you are 100% happy with the finished product
Great advice mate. Your first point is very important. Guys don't realize how much their partners family will get involved with everything. Some guys are okay with it, but some can't handle it after a few years. Good luck.
Absolutely educational to learn about building a house and buying land in Thailand but what I understand is if you are a foreigner you cannot buy land in Thailand that is including me no longer a Thai citizen.
Yep, most buy with Thai partners. Leasing is also an option.👍🍺
My gf lives in Tak , very interesting tips as I am interested in housing there .
Glad they were useful jason. All the best.👍🍻
Helpful information 🤙, thank you
Thank you, glad it was useful.🙏👍
Really solid advice!! Especially with the family/face saving aspect of things.
Thanks Jake. Can cause frustrations and arguments so good to be aware. All the best. 🍺👍🙏
One thing is missing. A picture of the land in dry season and another one in the rainy one .
Yes, didn't have the camera with me when it was flooding, more concerned with what to do. Didn't think I'd have a YT channel 15 years later. 😁 All the best Dubon.
Great information and nice build. Planning on building a house in Phuket at the moment. Nice touches on railings and details on support posts as well as other features that make a house attractive which you don't see too often in a Thai built house. Did you plan these nice touches yourself or did the architect? Also how many sq. meter is your house?
Thanks Steven. I designed the basic floor plan of the house myself and the builder added touches like the roman posts and other features that looked great. He was a class above other builders in the area and had some great suggestions throughout the build. The house is just over 280 sq.m. Hope the build goes well in Phuket. I Will be doing a couple more building/design videos. 👍🙏
Your advice, thought processes, thoroughness and planning are excellent!
Though I can't yet speak from experience, I imagine a build without problems must be virtually non-existent.
I hope to do exactly as you've done, with my wife owning a plot of 0.5 acre (approx. 2000sqm). I hope my planning will be as meticulous.
I would like to ask:
- is the water table high in most of Thailand? Is this why soil is used to raise land height nearly everywhere?
- Why are western building techniques not commonly used (e.g. concrete slab floors, electrical cabling run through conduit in the cavity of a wall)? Is it purely down to cost?
- regarding cooling and renewable energy and the environment, are more environmentally considerate alternatives to A/C now being used (e.g. ground source cooling (like a reversed heat pump) , solar water heating and PV panels, rainwater conservation tank for non-potable use. (Just seen you've a video covering this so I'll go there now!). I like the thought given to wind direction and the openness of your living area)?
Sorry about the questions, I've subscribed so perhaps I won't have to ask as many in the future!
Best Wishes.
Thanks mate. Soil is usually put down if the land is lower than the road or if the area is prone to flooding. I think it is purely down to cost on how they build here. Bryan's Thailand channel has good info. on alternative methods If you check his building playlist. I don't have that much knowledge on renewable energy etc. The FB group in my other video( link in the description) is worth joining. It has people with great info.on the subject. Duncan who I mention in that video is a member and I'm sure he'd be happy to answer any questions. Thanks for subscribing and feel free to ask more questions.👍🍺
Lovely home James, you certainly had your head screwed on. 👍🍻
Thanks mate. A few screws fell out along the way but it's all good and still standing. 👍
Drainage of the video was clear. What did it cost to join the water and electricity networks, was there anything special?
The electric post and 3 phase system cost 16k thb (20 years ago). We used a water tank at first but had waterpipes under ground to the road for if or when the government water came. Cost about 3k THB to connect to the government water when it eventually came a few years later. All the best.👍🙏
I'd appreciate your thoughts on this mate.
I have a close friend of almost 30 years who has built up a great little holiday bungalow business in Koh Chang where I have visited several times.
I do plan to move from UK to Thailand in approx 2 years & my friend is now building 3 houses (1 for him & possibly 1 for me)
His wife owns the land & he would oversee the building work while I'm stuck in UK.
Obviously this is just the bare bones of the story & it's still in the planning stages however I'd like your thoughts on this as opposed to buying a condo or indeed renting a condo for the first 2 years or so...
Thanks for reading👍
Hi Nigel, the red flag I see is that your friend's wife owns the land. If they divorce, u might run into some issues. I would advise to rent, see the country for 2-3 years until you're sure of where you want to be. I personally try to stay away from doing business with friends etc. but that's just me. If after a couple of years you want to stay near your friend, you could possibly do a lease agreement for the land (30 years I believe but can be renewed twice taking to 90 years) with your friends wife. Hope this was useful and good luck.🙏👍
@@jamesabroad8589 Thanks James, you have confirmed what I was actually thinking, it seems a cracking deal what my friend is proposing but there will always be a doubt in my mind if......
& again you are indeed correct in saying about being sure where u want to live.
I've visited a dozen or so times (mainly for a month at least) but there are places I visited 12 years ago that I'd like to go back & try those places once more.
Thanks for the advice & I think what u have suggested is the correct route.
U speak great Thai by the way👍
Oh hey, sorry, quick question - you didn't touch on getting services to the home. I've got a lifestyle property in New Zealand which was off grid until I eventually paid for grid power to come up my road. And I still run rainwater and a septic tank. What did you for power, water and human waste?
Yes will touch on this in a future episode but we had to pay about 500 us dollars for an electric post and 3 phase electric box. Initially didn't have government water, used to have water delivered to our water tank but eventually got government water for about $100. I talked about waste disposal a bit near the end of this video. It was a 3 concrete ringed system that works well (no issues to date). 👍🙏
Hey I made it to Thailand - the last 6 months have been awesome without any tourists! Spent a month in Hua Hin. I've got a few tips of my own now I've been 'in country' for a while 😅
I plan to build this year coming. I would like to see how to clear and prepare the land to build.
When we bought the land, the land agency organized a tractor to clear the land as part of the deal. Once the land is cleared your builder should know what to do.👍
Hi James. We bought the land and have it in the wife’s name So I am learning as much as I can so o don’t get burnt like last time. Long story. Anyway I want to learn how to prepare the land for a build so when I hire someone I know it’s being done right. Also seeing as this will be done from scratch it might be possible to film it and you could use the video i shoot and place your narrative over it for your channel. I have no need for my own channel but would be happy to do this as progress is happening
@@scottattrill1228 Hi Scott. The builder you hire should have knowledge on how to prepare the land in terms of amount of soil needed etc. Would love to see your build on YT. Starting a channel is easy and fun to do. Might be difficult to use your footage as I don't know the day to day goings on with the build. Investigate builders, check things as much as you can and you should be fine.👍🙏
great advice thanks!
Cheers Kani, hope it was useful. 👍🙏
Can you advise a cost per m2
For the complete house & drainage etc.
It depends on a few factors Keith. The builder you choose, materials/specs. Single/double storey and where you're building. Can be anything from 8k to over 20k. Between 10k -15k for a medium spec house is about average.🍺👍
Thanks James
My spec is regular stuff
A single storey dwelling house about 160 m2 ish internally
With a reasonable insulated valued envelope
No swimming pool
But granite worktops in the kitchen
& ceramic tiled floors
With a solar powered water heating system
( I installed panels from Australia in my house in Kandy SRI Lanka 12 years ago& been worthwhile & low maintenance )
Cheers thanks for the reply
Exactly the same problems in the Philippines. (Oooooo all the locals so friendly)🤣😂😅
Hi James your video was very helpful I am looking at build a house in Ban Dung-Na Mai Area how to find some one that is a architect to design the house and what price do you think a two bedroom house would be
You can draw a design u like and ask in the land office or orbator if anyone can draw up the plans. This is the cheapest option. Our builder drew up the plans for us. Cost all depends on the materials you use. Anything from 500k to 3mill. Baht. Another option would be to ask in local expat groups on FB. Most rural builds don't employ an architect. Good luck Dennis.🙏👍
James Abroad thank very much for giving me the advice 👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍
James are you a builder in Thailand. I do not think, from what I was told. I could buy property in Thailand. I can buy property if I had a Thai wife. Am I right. What I went through in my marriage for 27 years. It was hell. I love Thailand very much, and Thailand has a special place in my heart. 20 years ago, I looked at a property in Phuket. It had a 2 storey house with a swimming pool and 5 acres of land with a lot of coconut trees, Papaya, and Mango trees. That would be my ideal way of living. I live on a 21/2 acre property now with a 5 bedroom home on it. The price on that property 20 years ago, was $120,000 Aussie dollars. The agent said, I could buy the property, but when I saw a lawyer. He said I could buy a Condo but not a property. I did not know who to believe. I know one of my friends was taken for a ride. Now he cannot even sell his TIME SHARE.
Yes foreigners can't own land. You can lease land or own land/property through a company set up, but I would advise renting for now. If you meet someone special down the line and remarry you could buy a place if you feel the need. All the best.👍🍺
What happend to your front doors happend to mine too I work as a joiner myself but within 12 months the doors had shrunk by about 12mm in the width and all the joints opened up so now I've got aluminium as I had to take the others out as for building a house in Thailand it's bad for your health lol.
Yes mate it can be stressful. They put my front doors in a make shift oven for a day or 2 to dry them out but they still cracked a bit. The weather here isn't really wood friendly, I would use granite and a good alternative to wood if I could do it again. Thanks for sharing your experiences Derek 👍
Going to start a build soon in Cha Am. Any builders? Oh what was the final cost krap
About 60k GBP 20 years ago. More than double that now I think. Join the building in Thailand face book group mate, great up to date info. There. Good luck 👍🍺
It would be great to have a link for us to contact your builder 👍
He only builds in the Tak town area. 84 now but still going strong.
I would build my own, cavity walls only
Hi I have a Thai wife from north east Thailand. We are currently in Singapore and considering moving to Thailand near her family. We have some options on land but I’m unsure as to cost to build. What would a similar property to yours cost (if that’s not too cheeky)
No problem Paul. Just for the house with a lot of teak, roof top garage and 230 m concrete wall about 3.2 million Baht. Bear in mind this was nearly 20 years ago. Petrol was half the price which made costs very low. If I had to take a wild guess, I would put it at 5-6 million bht. to build now without land. Take away the teak wood maybe 4.5 - 5. This is a wild guess however. Good luck with your future plans and drop me a line if you want any more advice. Will help if I can. All the best.
James Abroad great thanks for all the help. Will definitely keep in touch etc
James Abroad great thanks for all the help. Will definitely keep in touch etc
44 degrees.......that is nuts!
Yes it hit 44.7 two months ago lol. All the best 🙏👍
Great content, what about getting a house build and you or your partner is not Thai! Thanks for posting
Nice house I like the pillers and the wood the good thing about wood is it won't ever go out of style were as tile does after 15ys....I want to build on my wife's farm in ubon they don't have any paperwork on the land its been in the family for 4 generations or more we cleared the 10 rai and planted rubber 9 years ago...I want to spend 2 to 3mil I want find a contractor show him pics of the quality I'm after then get a bid by the sqm paying 10 or 20% increments I know cheap builds start at 4k sqm and 20k high end. Or I'm thinking my father inlaw likes building he's an amateur hes honest he can get labor and tradesmen and I'm a finish carpenter we could do it for nice for 1 to 1.5mil ....any ideas or advice
I would investigate a builder who's built good houses in your area. personally I wouldn't use family as things can turn ugly when money is envolved. 2-3 million is quite a lot here. Good luck with everything.🙏👍
Nice one James. We are planing to build down in Koh Phangan next year if we survive this crisis . Just a tip someone gave me go to the land office and employ one of the engineers to draw up plans as he will know whats allowed and not allowed. But I am sure like you it won't be plain sailing as you found out...Thanks for your upload I enjoyed.
Thanks Ronan, that sounds like a good idea. There might be more laws and building regulations on Koh Phangan. Just investigate as much as you can and you will be fine. Contact me if you need any advice. All the best 👍
@@jamesabroad8589 Thank you so much James. We had planned 2 months this summer to start the planning of the build. But working in health care sort of busy at the moment so leave is up in the air. But thanks for the advice about talking to your spouse before as my Missus can lose it bit so have to be carful lol.
Yes mate I had the same problem. Thai ladies definitely have a fiery side. If you both communicate and do some homework, any future in project you take on will be less stressful.😁👍
Appreciate the tips. Your ability to speak some of the language helps a lot, along with patience. I've built two houses in the U.S. and talked to countless other people who have built houses. Seems the builders fall into two groups here. 1) Want to build a good product and will work with you within reason. 2) Just want the money and will throw things together with a tap dance of we will fix later. Obviously, later never comes.
You mentioned paying in installments, which is wise. Did I hear you correctly, that you paid the installment after the work was done?
I agree with you totally Ronin. Yes, we paid an initial instalment then 4 more before each section of the build. 🙏👍
I built in Bangkok and YES, I paid in installments too. It is the only way to go. It works better that way. The house was built, (They did Not follow the plans and the finished house is OK but the house in the drawing is better.) To this day I am still not happy with some of the mistakes they made.
Beautiful house! Love the woodwork. You look young enough to easily outlive the lease... hopefully the wife won't charge too much after that .🤣
Cheers, everything is in my daughter's name.👍🙏
Hey great video. I'm looking at building in Hua Hin with my Thai GF. I really appreciated the tip about buying in the wet season. Great advice. My GF is your more typical Thai woman who has low level emotional filters so the relationship advice was... Illuminating lol.
Cheers David. Yep try to get an idea of how the weather is in the area you intend to build, flooding etc. Wet season and dry season here are like living in two different countries. Relationship with the missus can get strained so be ready for a few deep breaths and maybe a bottle of vodka or 3 😎. Let me know how the build goes. 👍🙏
@@jamesabroad8589 haha we already had a small argument last night on video chat about single story vs double story LOL
Hello I need someone that can build a inside bathroom in a house already constructed? In Bur Ram Thailand . Do you know a (trusted person)?
I'm not from that area and you'd need a local person. The 'isaan farang' and 'building in Thailand group' facebook groups would be the place to ask. Lots of great members willing to help out. Good luck Glen. 👍🙏
Basically you own the house for 30 years and the 'land owner' will offer you little money for the house, which isn't cool. $150k USD investment for that isn't fun.
French drains are really good and cheap way to get rid of water.You can buy the pipes on massive rolls saving a foutune and are really easy to fit, worth a look online
Very good video, I am in the process of buying 4rai of land in Krabi(with Chinot) in conjunction with my wife's sister(both university educated, intelligent and honest), and I have decided not to hand over the money, but to make a legal loan to her, then she will lease our half of the land back to me, this way I have control over the land, and the money is still mine. What do you think of this method?
Thanks John, yes I know guys that are doing this to feel more secure with their investment. If you don't have kids to leave the property too, I think it's a wise move. It all depends on personal circumstances. I discuss building a house in my 1.95 million baht house video. A few guys in the comments are planning on doing similar things. Hope it all works out.🙏👍
How much were your plans?
No price really, Included in the price of the build. My builder drew up the plans.👍
Why a lot of Thailand peoples built Wooden house than concrete house?
Interesting
You forgot the main thing, pay the builder in 10 equal parts, the you should not lose, larry
I did say pay in installments.
Here's my take on things: don't expect a parochial builder to understand fake chimneys and elaborate window designs. If you want Western design, you're going to have to pony up for expat builders who get what you're attempting to do.
True, I think I touched on that in another video. See what your builder has built and can do, then design accordingly.👍🍺
@@jamesabroad8589 I asked Somchai what he thought about my homage to DaVinci, a huge fresco of Jesus and Buddha eating som tum while drinking wine, and he said no problem. Looking forward to the final result.
@@nkenchington6575 😂 send me the final results.
Yo James, came across your Vlogs a couple of days ago and watched a few episodes. Been here myself since 2006 with house, wife, daughter in BKK. On a personal note and please excuse...you don't have to answer. Sounds like in this video that your marriage fell apart with all the stress you explained about building a house, etc. So, you guys have been apart a long time and you raised your daughter by yourself? Maybe, I misinterpreted but if not I can totally understand how it could have happened. Greetings!
Yep it was hard on the relationship and we separated but we have a relationship now that works ok. I will be doing a video on how difficulties can arise for guys living here some time in the future. All the best Viktor.👍🙏
time to remodel already? modern maybe?
Needs some repair now, but not a fan of modern. 👍🍺
👍
A wise man once told me , land is always half price .
👍😎
Don't forget to Subscribe (it's free) 😎👍. More info. and resources in the description. Thanks for watching😎🙏 Time stamp below.👇👇
0.00 - 1.44 - Intro & house build time lapse.
1.44 - 2.57 - Things to think about before starting.
2.57 - 3.42 - Middlemen, family & friends.
3.42 - 4.46 - Finding a builder.
4.46 - 5.56 - How to approach the build.
5.56 - 8.40 - Land discussion.
8.40 - 9.41 - Learn the language.
9.41 - 10.42 - Relationship & culture difference
10.43 - 11.45 - Pay in instalments.
11.45 - 14.41 - Climate.
14.41 - 15.53 - Enjoy the process.
15.53 - end - House plan & land discussion.
ex licenced aus builder, was a piece of piss building in thailand, if you know what you are doing, after 9 years our house is fabulous, even the electrical is good, you just have to know how things are done correctely, first time ,thais have no training, so how can you expect them to do a good job !
No building knowledge myself, so not a simple process for me.👍
What was the total cost?
About 3.4 million baht. Just under 50k pounds (exchange rate 69).