Renovation costs town house Bangkok

We bought this house roughly 12 years ago, never really lived there beside a couple of years at the beginning. Now I'm moving here to stay and I realize a major renovation is long overdue. I need a budget, just a rough budget, to know how much we should put aside before starting this project.

To give you an idea of what we need to do, from top to bottom :
- The roof is leaking, I think it is mostly a matter of cleaning the gutters but we never know.
- As a result the ceiling in at least 5 rooms needs some major repair.
- Painting inside and outside, probably change the old wooden windows for new plastic one (plastic is not the real term but that the best I can think of)
- Changing / fixing the floor in a number of rooms
- Plumbing will need to be checked and probably fixed
- Electricity seems to be ok, but again we never know

I think I cover all the basic stuff ? Or do I forget something ?

After that we will go through all the cosmetic things but my priority is to make sure that all the major things are fixed first.

As usual, all your advises are most welcomed.

Impossible to tell...

the best way forward would be to make a list of the works and get three different builders to come and make an estimate of the costs

you can do a labour only route, and supply your own materials, or an all-in-one

we usually do the former, with the builder doing the ordering from approved suppliers, and handing us the invoices for deliveries

Quote:

---

The roof is leaking, I think it is mostly a matter of cleaning the gutters but we never know.

---

What kind of roof is it? At my last job I was working for a contractor, on the after sales department. We had a lot of people with leaking roofs, especially flat roofs. Sometimes it's extremely difficult to find the leak as the hole in the roofing might not be where the water comes through the ceiling.

I've seen a few folks around us, Bangmod, buying the old mooban properties then moving in some workers for 3-6 months who gut and rebuild the place. I'd reckoned they were buying the properties for under 1 million (2 up 2 down style properties that were around 1 million when new, but are now about 2 million new) and spending 200,000 to 400,000 to do them up. Look at Dr.A's thread in the building section - should give you some nice guidelines.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Koetjeka

Quote:

---

The roof is leaking, I think it is mostly a matter of cleaning the gutters but we never know.

---

What kind of roof is it? At my last job I was working for a contractor, on the after sales department. We had a lot of people with leaking roofs, especially flat roofs. Sometimes it's extremely difficult to find the leak as the hole in the roofing might not be where the water comes through the ceiling.

---

It's a standard "V" roof, I'm not specialist so I don't know what other details I can give you. When the flooding in the ceiling happen someone went to have a look (it's quite high) and said the gutter were blocked by dead leaves and other foreign object and caused the water to over flow under the roof. He cleaned the gutters and did some repair work to stop the water to overflow again under the roof.

So far it seems to be ok but a number of ceilings haven been damaged in the process so before fixing the ceilings I would prefer to be sure that the roof has been fixed properly

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Bettyboo

I've seen a few folks around us, Bangmod, buying the old mooban properties then moving in some workers for 3-6 months who gut and rebuild the place. I'd reckoned they were buying the properties for under 1 million (2 up 2 down style properties that were around 1 million when new, but are now about 2 million new) and spending 200,000 to 400,000 to do them up. Look at Dr.A's thread in the building section - should give you some nice guidelines.

---

That what some of our neighbors did. But first we should have done that before we moved in. Then I don't really want to go through some extensive work, just fixing existing problems. Because my wife is already talking about hiring some interior designer she knows, knocking down this wall , moving these windows ... :spin:

If possible I would like to keep it simple and under (my) control.

I'm now going to look at Dr A's thread, thanks. As I said all advises are most welcomed.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Perota

If possible I would like to keep it simple and under (my) control.

---

Not easy in Thailand with a Thai wife! (I've given up, what will be will be...).

dear folks

the reasons why the roofs are leaking are because the primary roof, ex rooftiles etc are not 100% waterproof due too many different factors. I dont bother to look for the english translations but I hope you get the drift.

In North europe, and i guess in the US as well, the construction standards requires a waterproof 2.roof.
This secondary waterproof roof is non existing in Thailand etc.
They way they used to live in open structures ad the pleasent climat dries everything in hours anyway. When they now make modern style houses with gypolum ceilings it is very easy to see this becoming an issue. After only a year or so we can see water damaged ceiling in theese houses becase gypslum(cardboards?) dont repond well to water.
As a carpenter we do many roofs and the materials used or the metods are many, but the waterprooof secondary roof is the key, and its protected by the primary roof made of metal, rooftiles, wood, etc. In our climates noting ever dries so its very important to have this roofing construction divided into a primary and secondary roof.
If you want to have a waterproof roof there are no easy fix, this is the way to go, unless you exept this is thailand and changes your ceiling now and then.

^ That's not very good news. If you're right all our neighbours should have the same problem, we're living in a village that was built by a single contractor. We will see the solution they found. In Rome ...
The only reason I have to be still optimistic is since our local contractor fixed the gutters, the flooding has stopped. But I don't want to put new ceilings everywhere to see them ruined at the first heavy rain

Painting from a general contractor is about 30,000-35,000. That's about all I know as the unit next door to me was just painted.
Up to you with the wooden windows but sometimes the do warp if they have been left unsecured. I drilled a hole in the frame put a 1/4 in coach bolt through and a bracket on the frame and gave the nut a 1/4 to 1/2 a turn every other day or when I remembered. After a while the windows open and shut just fine. But it is an office and rented.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by capitane

dear folks

the reasons why the roofs are leaking are because the primary roof, ex rooftiles etc are not 100% waterproof due too many different factors. I dont bother to look for the english translations but I hope you get the drift.

In North europe, and i guess in the US as well, the construction standards requires a waterproof 2.roof.
This secondary waterproof roof is non existing in Thailand etc.
They way they used to live in open structures ad the pleasent climat dries everything in hours anyway. When they now make modern style houses with gypolum ceilings it is very easy to see this becoming an issue. After only a year or so we can see water damaged ceiling in theese houses becase gypslum(cardboards?) dont repond well to water.
As a carpenter we do many roofs and the materials used or the metods are many, but the waterprooof secondary roof is the key, and its protected by the primary roof made of metal, rooftiles, wood, etc. In our climates noting ever dries so its very important to have this roofing construction divided into a primary and secondary roof.
If you want to have a waterproof roof there are no easy fix, this is the way to go, unless you exept this is thailand and changes your ceiling now and then.

---

Very true, for some stupid reason Thai roofs have only 1 waterproof layer: the roofing tiles.
What happens if your tile get blown away by the wind? What happens if the wind blows the rain under your tiles into your home (especially with those nice cool ventilated roofs)? Of course the roof will leak. That's why in Thailand (or anywhere in the world) you should use a waterproofing foil, or whatever the English name is, under the roof tiles.

Total cost: more than 1 million, but maybe a lot more...

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by stickmansucks

Total cost: more than 1 million, but maybe a lot more...

---

If my wife is in charge, you're probably right.

That's why my strategie is a pre-emptive strike with a nice renovation project that will cost us no more than half of that amount. Actually the total budget is around 200K HK, which is about 800K TBH, but we need to leave room for all the things that will come up and that wasn't forecast.

800k seems impossible.

^you don't even know what work's to be done, the house, size of, etc... :(

he doesn't care

^ I'm building a 3 bed 120sqM house for under 700,000 baht...

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Koetjeka

Very true, for some stupid reason Thai roofs have only 1 waterproof layer

---

maybe because the tiles are just hooked over welded steel batons

in the UK, where wood is used, the roofing felt is laid direct on the rafters, then the batons are put on top

you can't do that with a steel roof

I did lay foil insulation as a secondary roof, hoping that it would also act as a waterproof layer, but too many holes negated that hope

I plan on the underside sealed with sprayed on PU foam.
Mak

If you send pictures it will help a lot in giving you some idea of cost. you can post here or send me a PM