Thread: Building a house extention

hi kaviar, could you get the pics bigger please

OK! I think I cocked that up. The pics are to small. I'll try again.

Very nice. Looks like a retirement paradise.

Originally Posted by Perota

From your drawings, it's going to be a very nice place. I understand you want it to be ready when you move there but but my advise is to wait to be there full time before starting any work. Constant supervision is the most important thing. Also buy the material by yourself, so you're sure to get what you want. For the wood house, the best is to go to the country side and buy an old house, just for the wood, cheaper than to buy new wood.

What are you doing in China ? Where ? We had a big argument with my wife because she said I can't handle the workers in Thailand the same way than in China (I'm doing production follow up in China), but at the end she gave up, too much trouble, and my opinion, it's the same. Everything I learned in China is working in Thailand the same way. Any opinion about that ?

Perota,
Thanks for your advice, I have been thinking about whether I should wait till I get here more permanently, also maybe wait for a better GBP/Baht exchange rate.
Your right Chinese contractors will cheat as much if not more than their thai counterparts. But after nine years in China, I am well aware of all their scams especially were building contracts are concerned.

From my experience the Chinese and Thai workers are very much the same.

I am British off course but I work for a USA company in filtration. I'm based in a city called Wuxi (pronounced Wushi) which is about 100km west of Shanghai

Originally Posted by mooncake

So far that I know....."for the thai standard, and for the thais"

The thai house - will cost you around 6800 bths/sq.meter
+ a bit extra -- for the wrap around porch and bottom deck by the pond.
Don't have the pool price here

The addition to the main home - will cost around 6500 bths/sq. meter
Since this is a remodeling and attaching to the existing structure, it will cost you a bit more for the construction works and engineering fee.

Those prices are for building using the acceptible "thai standard" and "fittings"
Anything beyond that will be extra to bring them up to "western std"

Just give you a rough idea here---for central region

Someone else might have diff figures, from their own experiences and region.

Mooncake
Thanks for your input. This at least gives me a ballpark figure to start with.

Half the land were the house is has a wall all around it. I'm at present having a wall built around the jungle part, It isn't finished yet but I will post some pics of the progress. Having this wall built is like a tester for the building contractor.

how lovely to have this am certain you worked very hard for this home. I am a disabled US vet. living in Bangkok.

Good luck

Hi Rascal,
Thanks! working hard is just a small part of it. I have also had a great amount of Good luck, like being in the right place at the right time and being lucky enough to get offered a good job.
I don't even rate myself as being clever, certainly not as clever as some of the guys who write on this website.

Looks very nice but you need to get a professional architect to do the plans so you can get permission. Also if you don't and they find out your home insurance is null and void. Once you got those then you can get a good builder to help you. Make sure you only use professional builders. Enough already of these so called experts, ex taxi drivers turned building experts, UK shop owner now a know it all builder or the local contractor. Only found maybe two in years of being here. The rest you can drop down a big hole. Useless, inexperienced and just take ya money and do nothing. My advice is: Do they have a web site ? Do they have an office ? Are they a registered company with 5-10 years of business activity ? Is there a professional English speaking person with atleast 10-15 years behind them in construction ? Etc etc.... If not don't go near them. And don't listen to the so called experts here who build rubbish low grade homes. No offence to anyone but heard it all before in Thailand. Makes me laugh. Good luck with the home.

Originally Posted by BangkokBill

Looks very nice but you need to get a professional architect to do the plans so you can get permission. Also if you don't and they find out your home insurance is null and void. Once you got those then you can get a good builder to help you. Make sure you only use professional builders. Enough already of these so called experts, ex taxi drivers turned building experts, UK shop owner now a know it all builder or the local contractor. Only found maybe two in years of being here. The rest you can drop down a big hole. Useless, inexperienced and just take ya money and do nothing. My advice is: Do they have a web site ? Do they have an office ? Are they a registered company with 5-10 years of business activity ? Is there a professional English speaking person with atleast 10-15 years behind them in construction ? Etc etc.... If not don't go near them. And don't listen to the so called experts here who build rubbish low grade homes. No offence to anyone but heard it all before in Thailand. Makes me laugh. Good luck with the home.

Thank! BB. Good advice. I have the Thai plans drawn and passed.
I've had some wild, weird and wonderful quotes for the project, but by far the best comedians are the thai builders. Once they give you a price for the job, no matter any changes the price goes up. Here's just one negotiation I had with a Thai builder.
Me: The price is reasonable, how can you guarantee good quality work?
Thai builder: I've done lots of jobs for Farang with no complaints.
Me: Can you give me an address for one of your jobs.
Thai builder: Can't! It's confidential.
Me: How about if I want changes made during construction.
Thai Builder: The price will go up.
Me: What if I want the swimming pool smaller?
Thai Builder: The price will still be the same.
Me: Why? it means doing less work and less materials.
Thai builder: I won't get as much discount for less materials.
Me: ?????? Confused! No response.
Me : Thank you! Goodbye!

I agree sometime you just have to laugh!

I've been in Asia for ten years so I know a little about whats coming.

Cheers

It looks excellent Kav- good luck with it.
Do keep us up to date with the progress, trials, tribulations & so on.

Originally Posted by Kaviar

Me: What if I want the swimming pool smaller? Thai Builder: The price will still be the same. Me: Why? it means doing less work and less materials. Thai builder: I won't get as much discount for less materials.

what if I don't want a pool at all?

Price the same, no discount for no materials

Thanks! globin.
I,m back in Thailand in a couple of weeks, so I'm going to (interview) some more hopefulls. I think it will come down to which one will rip me off the least.
I heard about these fibreglass pools but don't know anybody who has one and I don't know much about them. So I think I'll go for the traditional concrete and tile.
I've not finalised the design of the thai house yet, I may also build it in concrete and block and then clad it.

I have a question, I hope you experts out there can answer!

The building contractor want to fit piles under the house extention and the swimming pool.
The original house doesnt have piles and after three years there is no subsidence or any settlement cracks.

I had a wall built by the same contractor, which he finish last month. He used piles on some parts of the wall because it was near the pond. Even then he said the ground was so hard he couldn't get the piles all the way in.

So! my question is do I really need the foundations for the house extention and the swimming pool piling?. Or is he creating more work.
Cheers.

I am no expert but under a concrete swimmingpool depending of it`s depth you might need pilling. You defently don`t want a swimmingpool to crack and there is a lot weight in them. Under the extention of the house, only after testing the soil you will know if it`s needed.

Cheers johpam

How deep will be your pool ?
Lot of water in the ground ? how deep is the water ? composition of the ground ?

Lest year I build one pool two meters deep for a customer with a lot of in ground water, so nearly impossible to have normal foundation. Instead of pilling we choose to make a very heavy 35 cm slab larger than the pool and build the wall on the slab.

There is not one solution, but many different one. The problem is to find which one is the best for you. Meet 2 or 3 pool contractor/builder and choose the solution that seems logical. You can also ask some assistance from the local city hall to know how people are building in the area. In bangkok : many small pillings, in pattaya : standard foundation or big pilling if lot of water...