Labour cost

**sbox23** · 18-02-2013, 12:02 PM

Just a quick question....

For labour cost excluding materials
Baht per square meter is the size of the roof or the size of the house plan?
Is there a standard view on this? Or it's between how the initial negotiations with the builders?

**adzt1** · 18-02-2013, 12:40 PM

standard is Eyeball to Eyeball Mano y Mano n see what figure you come up with!

**rickschoppers** · 18-02-2013, 12:49 PM

I paid all my builders on a per diem rate of 500 baht/day for experienced help and 300 baht/day for laborers. It was a lot less money to do it this way than agree to a flat rate for the entire house build. If you are dealing with a builder that will also be the project manager, he probably will not agree to any kind of per diem rate.

**sbox23** · 18-02-2013, 02:27 PM

Right now the builder is claiming that baht per sqm is considering the size of the roof not my house area....so I need to pay more for the labour....

**sbox23** · 18-02-2013, 02:29 PM

Originally Posted by rickschoppers

I paid all my builders on a per diem rate of 500 baht/day for experienced help and 300 baht/day for laborers. It was a lot less money to do it this way than agree to a flat rate for the entire house build. If you are dealing with a builder that will also be the project manager, he probably will not agree to any kind of per diem rate.

If u pay per day,then they will slowly do...so it's still disadvantage....

**hazz** · 18-02-2013, 02:42 PM

swings and roundabouts. flat rate, its in their interests to cut corners and do the job quickly, day rate its in their job interests to spend the time doing the job right.

10 years ago we painted the outside of the house, only the builders quoting a day rate had any interest in doing something that they all thought was unnecessary and stupid.... washing the walls before painting.

**andy bryant** · 18-02-2013, 06:29 PM

It's all ok day rate but unfortunately you have to be there to stand over them every day

**rickschoppers** · 19-02-2013, 05:00 AM

Originally Posted by sbox23

Originally Posted by rickschoppers

I paid all my builders on a per diem rate of 500 baht/day for experienced help and 300 baht/day for laborers. It was a lot less money to do it this way than agree to a flat rate for the entire house build. If you are dealing with a builder that will also be the project manager, he probably will not agree to any kind of per diem rate.

If u pay per day,then they will slowly do...so it's still disadvantage....

Not in my case. I was there every day and they had the structure up including the roof in 2 months. IMO, they worked at a quicker pace than the normal Thai build.

**DrAndy** · 19-02-2013, 07:00 AM

Originally Posted by sbox23

Right now the builder is claiming that baht per sqm is considering the size of the roof not my house area....so I need to pay more for the labour....

no problem, build a three storey house

**hillbilly** · 19-02-2013, 04:49 PM

Originally Posted by andy bryant

It's all ok day rate but unfortunately you have to be there to stand over them every day

Yes and no...

If the job is small only requiring a few workers this will often work. However, be prepared for some workers not to show up as they have a family emergency. Usually, this will end up delaying the project and costing more money. Here is an example. The plumber is gone so the other workers go ahead and pour the concrete. A few days later the plumber shows up and wants more money because he has to drill through concrete to lay the pipes.

If there are numerous workers, let's say up to 30 workers or more a day, this is nigh on impossible. Keep in mind that the Thai boss will deduct his workers wages while still charging the full amount of their wages to you. I have never seen one lower his cost while his workers were drunk on the work site.

Working on a get it completed by a certain date with a bonus can often be helpful. Once again be ready for the weather delays which are often legit.

In my experience the only way was is to find a trusted Thai boss to get the job done, helped along with the owner/falang manager on the site on a day by day basis. Yes, I know this is not always legal. Pay this person good but do not go overboard. Beforehand, agree on a price, but be prepared to negotiate as my time has shown that the homeowners will change their mind hence additional costs.

My advice is for the homeowner/on site manager to buy the building supplies (sometimes through the builder's contacts and then sometimes not) and be knowlegeable and on the site every day.

Most of the time my experience has proven to be true but not always. TIT.

Finally, as always have a Thai wife that is a bulldog...

**Necron99** · 19-02-2013, 05:22 PM

When Ive talked to builders about a per meter cost there have been two schedules, one for interior finished and one for exterior like overhang, garage, sala etc.
The overhang and slab extension still needs to be built..

**rickschoppers** · 19-02-2013, 11:26 PM

^^ If I had a worker not show up, he did not get paid for time missed. I was the one who tracked hours worked and paid everyone weekly and regularly. If you ever do have as many as 30 workers on the build at a time, then it would be harder but possible. Also, if you have that many workers, you must be building a five star hotel and not a house. Again, you can do it either way, but I have found it to be more expensive to ask for a job rate rather than pay for a good days work.

**hazz** · 20-02-2013, 01:41 AM

Originally Posted by hillbilly

My advice is for the homeowner/on site manager to buy the building supplies (sometimes through the builder's contacts and then sometimes not) and be knowlegeable and on the site every day.

I would say this is critically important , though we have found a lot of bangkok builders are not happy with this arrangement. you get all kinds of tricks played, after we painted the house the painters were very keen to take the empty pots away. apparently there is quite a market for top brand paint pots, people fill them with anything they can get, take it to site and charge the customer for the real stuff.
I also remember someone on TD talking about their false ceiling collapsing because the builder saved a few bhat not using galvanised steel to hold it up and in the sea air it rusted though very quickly

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