Thread: Building.... a "Teak House"in 20 days!

Originally Posted by Roger Ramjet

That wood looks real nice .

Knockdowns don't come cheap but you do get a quick build. Looks like they've done pretty good job.

Roger Ramjet

Are you the guy with the candy factory over at CTH

Originally Posted by Roger Ramjet

That house looks a tad small to me. Like a small 1 roomed bungalow on legs. Never tohught of making it larger, 3 bedrooms [even if you're not going to use the rooms]

How are the main support beams anchored to the concrete slab?

Regarding the "total Project Cost"....I think Marmite might be in a time warp!
We paid on average about 500bt per day for a good days work...The labourers who came to do the cement work from about 40km away...turned up and camped overnight each day.....with new hike tents to sleep in.. and were more concerned that the wifi on their phones would work than anything else!! Times are a changing in Isaan!

I failed to mention that my total project cost included a lot more than this wooden visitors "dolls House" built primarily as a long term "old fashioned Thai Style" family visitors accomodation.

The total cost amount also included about 180 large truck loads of fill including supply, transport to site, compacting and levelling for our main house site....at an average cost per truck of about 600bt (ie, about $15 US!per truck load)....Plus a week of excavator work including transport to and from site.


Also included was a late model SH Honda automatic motor bike for those esential market and Tesco Lotus shopping trips up the main street..
Also included was 75 meters of very heavy duty 100 amp XLPE mains underground cable $380.....still very cheap by all standards with copper at $8/kilo...buried underground not just for the good looks but to make the power cable much harder to steal..... and to supply the main house 75 metres further back from the road when constructed, without voltage drop.
Two 6.8kw top quality Hot Water units, two Western style sliding glass door shower cubicles with fancy fittings (not in your standard Isaan pad!).
The bore pump is a quality stainless steel pump with automatic level controls, ideal for pumping silently to the 8 bar head, and much more difficult to steal than the standard Thai above ground pumps which regularly "get legs" in our area. The pressure pump is also a large Japanese made quality unit with good pressure regulator, and sized to feed both houses and all garden taps long term.

Also included was 350 meters of new 5 strand barbed wire fence with 2.5 meter cement posts every two metres (wifey's little project to keep the neighbours annoying buffallo's from flattening the fence each time they wanted to swim in our fish filled dam ....whilst eating all the leaves off our new fruit trees each time they returned home!!!) The end result is a fence that would keep Elephants in.... and which any gaol would be proud of!
Additionally also 30 metres of 2 meter high cement wall at the front to separate us from the closest neighbours fighting cocks...dogs...little kids...plastic bags and general farm rubish!..and to give them some privacy at the back of their house.

Regarding tying the house down.... The main structure is very heavy, as all 16 vertical posts and all the frames and first floor are high density hardwood, the main vertical beams are dynabolted to the slab and tied into the brickwork on all outside walls, which has stiffened the structure and strengthened it substantially.

Originally Posted by Roger Ramjet

Regarding the "total Project Cost"....I think Marmite might be in a time warp!

Or you can add loads of stuff onto it to save face.

Up to you...

The big picture for our little wooden "Dolls HOuse" is for the bricked section to become the back wall of a lock up garage, with a timber Front Kitchen and outside cooking area in front.... which we will build at our leisure..... The reason we bricked in the bottom, is that it greatly reduces the risk of the house being accidentally burnt down due to the close proximity of many dry rice paddies with the local yokels ready to light them up any time they have had a few drinks! As we are not yet able to reside here permanently due to work commitments and quality schooling requirements (which are just not available here)..everything has a tight time scale and that costs a bit extra.....and we met our objective which was to have a very pleasant habitable and comfortable usable residence .......which we achieved for what by my standards is a pitance. In Australia to build this would take one year, and would cost at least $120,000 !
Regarding the Timber House Factory, it is on Route 22 about 40km East of Udon Thani near the turn off to BanDung, on the Left Hand Side. They will make what you want!.....Obviously not all the timber is Teak, but it is all old well seasoned hardwood, that has already been deserted by termites and the like so in some ways even better than plantation Teak. You will see these houses under construction from Highway 22.

Marmite is an English product...... Perhaps you have a chip on your shoulder and a serious drinking problem like many Thai Pom's !....You discourage sensible people from posting on this site.....I feel sorry for you!
I went to the trouble to post as acurate a post as possible, to help other prospective builders make decisions that suit their plans. Some will build more "up market" and some on the bones of their bum will build cheap.....but as I spent a great deal of time researching the many great build posts on Teak Door before I started...I felt a duty to post my results warts and all. I don't need to "save face" as you suggest I am an Aussie not a Pom!

Can you tell us how much the house costs without the slab or any services connected.
How much did you pay for the bare house ?

Regarding the "total Project Cost"....

If you're happy with your house and how much you paid for it, then that's all that counts. Anyway, looks nice. Well done.

Originally Posted by Thetyim

Can you tell us how much the house costs without the slab or any services connected.
How much did you pay for the bare house ?

See post 20. Around 9000 dollars US. or 270,000 baht ( 30 to dollar )

If this is correct then the price for the knockdown itself was very reasonable. If I remember correctly we were quoted 270,000 for the one below on the road to Petchaboon. Way too much.

Yes knockdown price was around $9,000.....which included about $300 extra for the elevated poles...The only mistake I made was not seeking longer uprights, even if it had meant waiting as the ceiling downstairs is on the low side...I am a six.footer and it needs at least another foot or so in height to be ideal.

By the way Marmite...Thank you for resizing some of my pics! It was appreciated, and I apologise for casting aspersions on your character...If I meet you one day I will definately buy you a beer! (proper cold beer that is!)

I don't think the price is out of line for old teak. I looked at quite a few knock downs of similar size in that price range, and they weren't teak.

good thread

For those interested in knockdowns here are some links I have looked at :

Professional Wooden House Design | The knock down system for the Thai Modern Style house

ThaiLanna Home, buy your own (TEAK-wooden) house in Thailand!

ชัยพรรณบ้านไม้ ขายบ้านไม้สำเร็จภ£à¸¹à¸› ราคาถูà¸� สวย - สุพรรณบุรี - บ้าน-à¸[at]พาร์ทเมนต์ขาย

Originally Posted by Marmite the Dog

Originally Posted by Roger Ramjet

Regarding the "total Project Cost"....I think Marmite might be in a time warp!

Or you can add loads of stuff onto it to save face.

Up to you...

I think old Roger has called your bluff Marmers...

Originally Posted by Bangyai

Around 9000 dollars US. or 270,000 baht ( 30 to dollar ) If this is correct then the price for the knockdown itself was very reasonable.

Agreed, but that wasn't how the post read.

I am building a rice barn guesthouse with wood that is very rare, mai payong. The total cost will be 400,000. It will have steps, terrace and main building 6x7.5 m teak on wall. This expensive because we are having concrete tiles, and western electricals. It will have 12 posts 10 of which have a resale value of about 100,000. Dont worry about money, it what its worth to yourselves.

Originally Posted by benlovesnuk

I am building a rice barn guesthouse with wood that is very rare, mai payong.

Mai payong is siamese rosewood, Dalbergia cochinchinense.

Originally Posted by Marmite the Dog

Agreed, but that wasn't how the post read.

I agree, but now that he has included a lot more items the cost of the "guest house" seems a reasonable price given that it was "completed" in 20 days - if his overall price includes all the extras and was completed in the same time period.

Originally Posted by benlovesnuk

I have learnt that buying a house is normally only cheaper if you get good posts, otherwise the cost with wood is better to buy separate components not a knockdown house.

It will have 12 posts 10 of which have a resale value of about 100,000.

More good points illustrated by benlovesnuk, thanks. More reasons to build a wooden house as opposed to a concrete and brick one.

I agree with all the posters regarding costs. For us the criteria was different to most Thai house builders on a rural Thai income, or retirement pension budget.....
We would not have built this small guests house except for one thing ...the 20 days construction!
The more important issue for us was that we are presently "time poor" .....You can certainly build much more cheaply, and even more exactly to perfection..... when you have months to complete the work not days, and you are not paying for accomodation the whole time that you build!

I also wish to clarify that the whole house is not "TEAK" and perhaps calling it a "Teak House" is strictly not correct, and calling it a "Wooden House" would be more correct,( I guess all" TEAK DOOR" house builds have some element of TEAK!) although a large proportion of the timber is Teak, there is also a lot of quality recycled hardwood that is resistant to termites, borers and other wood bothering little mites, used in the construction. The reason for staining...(and you have a choice of stain color, which will fade quickly!)....is to provide a consistent pleasant appearance when completed. On the "down side" the other thing you need to consider if building a wooden house is the long term maintenance issues......
Look about you... and you will see lots of very "drab" wooden houses in every village! So plan to restain/varnish probably every three years if you want it to continue looking nice! For us we just love the look of natural wood, and the warmth of wood inside the house is a personal feeling which you may have, or not have. The majority of people love spotless plastered walls , cement and concrete, and man made fibres surrounding them inside and out....I think you either like wood or you can't be bothered with the on-going forever maintenance issues......The very reason that most of these old farm houses are for sale, is that the new generation wants concrete and cement houses, everything man made and spic and span.....with minimal maintenance and in the current style!

BELIEVE THE GOOD ADVICE!
Prior to building I read every detail of almost every post on the construction forum for the last couple of years.......and if there is one common thread it is " You must supervise every detail of your building work" I could not agree more!......and also be personally savy with building! .....the only other alternative unless you have family builder members you can rely on?......you must pay more for a good recommended buiding company at going market price", or buy something already constructed.(for most a better and cheaper option) CONSIDER IT SERIOUSLY unless you have built houses before.

At present with a strong rural economy building is booming throughout rural Thailand...even in the most remote areas every good tradesman is in demand!

We could not get "bricklayers" and the end result is poorly laid bricks..straight and square, but with insufficient mortar in the joints...The price of using cheap semi-skilled labor, and not being there to supervise!