Thinking of building house in issaan with plan Banpatan 30

I looked lots of plans and like this one. Plan says budget from 1.5mil, is that realistic? There is lots of village builders around here who worked for me earlier building a extension on wife family house where we currently stay and a simple garage but im not shure if this project need a engineer or foreman to manage the built. Im staying at same place i will build so i can daily follow up and take part of the building. So the big question is to hire local workers per day, or get a team or company on contract?
https://teakdoor.com/images/imported/2017/01/891.jpg


Pink

I don't get it in the promotion picture, it's a Farang couple with blond kids smiling and enjoying living in Isaan.

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Originally Posted by Pink

Plan says budget from 1.5mil, is that realistic?

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I live in Isaan. Looking at my house, which cost 1.5 million+ 10 years ago, I say you can now double your budget. That's just for the house without he landscaping and the compulsory wall around.

Pink is that the price you've been quoted by these people.

Looks more like 4 million to me.

???????????????? ???????? ?????????? - ???????????????? Univesal Design BP30

We built about 1 year ago. Modern style, 2 level - 375sqm (excl car accommodation). Best quality materials - CPAC tiles, Q-Con bricks & built-ins. B5.5m & excludes land & electrical appliances.
Materials were sourced in CNX.

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Originally Posted by Pink

So the big question is to hire local workers per day, or get a team or company on contract?

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We first looked at houses within the area. Picked one we liked. The builder gave us a choice, labour incl materials or Labour only, I pay materials direct to the building supplier. We chose all in at a fixed price. You need to sign a contract with the builder regarding the price and a finish date.
With our builder he was juggling jobs at other locations so there were days where the was no work done cuz men were at other sites. To get the house finished we had to have a lawyer phone him to issue warnings.
If we did it again I'd do the same, and get as fixed price for all in labour and materials.

We chose NOT to hire a large company to build. It is very expensive & is it worth it? Have a good look in your local area & see the quality of workmanship. The local gangs tend to have more consistency versus the city. Do not be concerned about the Burmese. They were diligent & the quality of workmanship superior to the Thais.
Do not be seduced into paying earlier than the terms of the contract state. Do your best to check the financial stability of the contractor.

Ceilings - HIGH. Insulation - PLENTY & QUALITY.

Alcohol - be careful!

Get in a witchdoctor or whatever the local term is. LUCK is the #1 ingredient for a successful outcome.

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Originally Posted by Pink

Plan says budget from 1.5mil, is that realistic?

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160 sqm, 3br, 3bath will be closer to 2.5 mil at todays costs.

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Originally Posted by Pink

So the big question is to hire local workers per day, or get a team or company on contract?

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Get a known local company who have built something you can see meets your quality expectations. Get a contract detailing what you get, how long to build and schedule of payments. I had a fairly large final payment paid upon completion as incentive to finish as per the contract date. Recall it was 20% of total price.

Norton had a big input into design and general advice for my wife's home. I would be guided by his recommendations.

I'm with Norton and a few others. I'd double that estimate, likely more like 3m bht.

I budgeted 3.5m bht for mine even though the original quoted price by the general contractor was 2.8m bht. regardless I still exceeded my budget by 1.1m bht due to additions which you almost have to do, like driveway, outside kitchen and car park.

If you intend living there for the medium to long term, I would go for bigger dimensions, superior materials & appliances. As previously mentioned, with ceiling height/insulation be more generous - unless you enjoy suffering.
We rarely use the A/C.
By using a local contractor, the saving will pay for the above.

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Originally Posted by Pink

I looked lots of plans and like this one. Plan says budget from1.5mil, is that realistic?
https://teakdoor.com/images/imported/2017/01/891.jpg
Pink

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From 1.5 million reads as the low end...with construction you'll usually get what you pay for (possibly less particularly in Thailand).

The cost of labor is ridiculously low in Isaan (other than one's wife).
Understand you're paying a daily rate of USD 8.oo (THB 300) per day for each manual laborer.
Keep well in mind a decent electrician will become paramount.

ps: Can anyone else see the face in the cloud ?

In a previous post, I alluded to the wife's home. The USUFRUCT RIGHTS system was a contentious issue when my WIFE'S home was to be built.
I opted for none. If the shit hits the fan, I would walk quietly. (I had been with her 12 years at the time but that means SFA.)

^^
Yes. Central to the house and up.

Thanks for all info and for sharing your opinions and experiences. This is a village built near wife family so i will go for a more budget friendly solution and i guess local worker on daily rate. My backup plan is a extended version of Free Houseplan7, making it longer ( for example 12m long) And higher.. I like high seiling.. I can not see this place to ever be something to sell, so im thinking of using light and cheaper roofing, not cement tiles..

Pink

https://teakdoor.com/images/imported/2017/01/913.jpg

https://teakdoor.com/images/imported/2017/01/891.jpg

Car in this picture costs 2 million so doubt the house is 1.5?

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Originally Posted by Pink

Thanks for all info and for sharing your opinions and experiences. This is a village built near wife family so i will go for a more budget friendly solution and i guess local worker on daily rate. My backup plan is a extended version of Free Houseplan7, making it longer ( for example 12m long) And higher.. I like high seiling.. I can not see this place to ever be something to sell, so im thinking of using light and cheaper roofing, not cement tiles..

Pink

https://teakdoor.com/images/imported/2017/01/913.jpg

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If you're interested, my small house was built based on that Plan but we turned the car port area into an extra room inside the house.

There's a thread here
https://teakdoor.com/construction-in-...am-having.html

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Originally Posted by Pink

This is a village built near wife family

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Look around amphur your wife's village is located. Find something simular in size and quality to what you want and find out who built it. Modify the plan as you want and ask the builder for a quote. Best way to get an idea of cost.

^ Again to Norton's post. That's what we did. We did some research online around our area, asked to go see some houses they built. Asked to speak with the owners offline to get opinions. Yes we paid a bit more versus using the local laborers and family but in the end you really do get what you pay for. The key thing to think about is your long term plans. If long term you want a quality build with good roofing and ventilation for those incredibly warm times of the year. Last thing you want to do is have to run the AC 24/7 and have an outrageous AC bill. Also a small foot print home and price might sound good to start but like many you will start to feel cramped and will likely wish you had built it a bit larger. Do not be in a rush. Take your time and really think about it.

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Originally Posted by JPPR2

Yes we paid a bit more versus using the local laborers and family but in the end you really do get what you pay for.

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Indeed. Hire a builder aka a general contractor in the US. Let him worry about getting his team and building materials on site when needed. In my case, I bought the roofing tiles and flooring only. All other material was included in the contract price.

I did the design myself and did a detailed material and labor cost. The price I contracted was about 15% higher. Considering my time and energy to source and make sure material got to site when needed it was a bargin.

The OP is a darn fine looking home.

I especially liked the wheelchair ramp ...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KJiWmlzwRzU

But something less auspicious might be in order.

BTW, looking around the area where you would have built the OP, are there many other building like that ... or would it have stuck out like https://teakdoor.com/images/imported/2017/01/919.jpg
.

Insulation is # 1.
Eaves of good dimensions.
Window tinting.

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Originally Posted by Pragmatic

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Originally Posted by Pink

Plan says budget from 1.5mil, is that realistic?

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I live in Isaan. Looking at my house, which cost 1.5 million+ 10 years ago, I say you can now double your budget. That's just for the house without he landscaping and the compulsory wall around.

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Yeah..
Those homes/properties look to be in the 2.5 - 3 mill range.