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  1. #1
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    Buying New House - Anything to look out for?

    Since there are a lot of very knowledgeable people here it was recommended that I make an account and ask if there is anything I should keep in mind when it comes to the structure or build of a new house. Anything to lookout for.

    From the info I’ve gathered so far, here is what I have:
    - Qcon is what the exterior walls should be built with
    - Check floor angles to confirm proper drainage
    - Check attic for air flow
    - Make sure water pump and storage are enough for house size
    - Confirm electric is earthed
    - Confirm fuse box is big enough for house size
    - Look for gaps in windows/doors
    - Be prepared to ensure some stress while going through the process.

    Any additional tips are massively appreciated.

    For reference, the house is pre-built and they are putting the finishing touches on everything and it should be completed by the end of the month.

    Thanks!

  2. #2
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    reinvented's Avatar
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    buying isnt stressful, building is.
    if you are in bangkok visit the area at different times of day/ week to get a feel of traffic, noise, etc.

    also get a good reading on the other inmates is its a village.
    type of car isnt always an indicator but state of garden usually is.
    dont believe any claims about future BTS etc.
    we won it at wemberlee
    we on it in gay paree...

  3. #3
    RIP pseudolus's Avatar
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    Visit at night time to see what the neighbours are really like and not just a Friday or Saturday.

  4. #4
    CCBW Stumpy's Avatar
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    Hello Nick, welcome

    My 2 baht worth.

    If you are here do a complete walk through. I would check for the following:


    • Check each and every outlet with a lighted power source
    • Run the water in all sinks and showers ( And I recommend you do this all at once). Check for leaks and flow pressure
    • If there are AC's pre installed, turn all of them on at once and let them cycle
    • Bring a marble with you to check the level of each room, while not a big deal you at least know
    • Flush the toilets at least a few times each. Just to make sure no back up.
    • While one cannot expect perfection in door and door opening, be good to check each door. If all cement framing its not a big deal, but if wood its a living entity and it will swell and contract over time and during the seasonal changes making doors free or sticky
    • Again with all the internal lighting, I recommend you turn it all on at once.


    As for your "Mooban" or neighborhood. Those are always an unknown. If its a gated type community they are a bit better but over time they wither away in regards to security and controls. Example, I have a few friends in BKK that bought a nice place in a community. After a few years the HOA (Home Owners Association) fees dropped off as no one paid. Next came the family that opened up a noodle shop or a little mini mart and added an ugly carpark cover. Soon people blocked their driveways and left garbage all over.

    Hope these help and good luck on the new place.

  5. #5
    . Neverna's Avatar
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    Check the area/road/soi/development isn't prone to flooding.

  6. #6
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    Quote Originally Posted by Neverna View Post
    Check the area/road/soi/development isn't prone to flooding.
    as above NOW is the time for checking.rain,rain and more rain.
    who's name are the title deeds goner be in.thailand is rife with parasites,so you have to know what your doing.get a lawyer you can trust to oversee the purchase.make sure you understand you CANT own land in thailand,so be wary of useing a nominee,THAI.

  7. #7
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    Try going to the house around midnight as that's when the soi dogs usually get started.
    I found out the hard why at our old house.
    As said above the little communities seem to degrade after 8-10 years.

    Good luck with your purchase.

  8. #8
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    make sure that the developer is not a chav farang from dagenham, liverpool or manchester called darren, kev or stu with more promises than brains and a penchant for big wristwatches who drives a big fxck off black ford raptor pick up.

  9. #9
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    And don't get desperate of all those kind advices - unless you didn't heed them before the house was bought
    (the neighbours cannot be exchanged, neither the karaoke shop nearby, the flood cannot get stopped, the soi dogs cannot be euthanised unless you want stay alive, etc etc)

  10. #10
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    Get on the ground, and rent for a year or so. The best advice you will hear, that you will probably ignore.

  11. #11
    Thailand Expat Pragmatic's Avatar
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    Fit UPvC windows and doors. Available from 'Homepro' for DiY. You won't regret it. They also do sliding security grills to match.



  12. #12
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    All above is sound advice. As alluded to by Klondyke in his unique way, fault-finding is one thing, getting the faults fixed is another.

    Get at least a head into the loft space and look around to see if electric cables are in conduits, whether or not there is any isulation above your ceilings and also whether or not you can see light through the roofing.

  13. #13
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    My 10Cents, for what its worth...

    As already mentioned, the flooding potential, the neighbourhood potential (animals, unruly neighbours, disco next door, etc) and the good insulation all very important.

    All points mentioned are spot on, especially the electrics. Some members on TD advised me of problems with supply meaning they could only run 1 or 2 AC units simultaneously or the supply would drop out. For reference, we ended up installing our own 30/100 transformer to give us the power we needed.


    If you are taking delivery, did you make sure the builders clear up after they finish? Otherwise you will have a concrete bombsite with everything left for YOU to deal with!

    Going on from that, try to work in a retention of at least some of the money for 4-6 weeks until you have actually lived in the place - its really the only way to check for those inevitable building defects and then the builder will rectify, because YOU still have some of HIS money.

    Although less of an issue these days, check on the availability of TV and internet services. you know you need it.. we all do!!! We are using 3BB with a 700/700 service and its more than sufficient to provide blistering internet AND TV (all for less than 1300 THB / month)
    Last edited by Thai Dhupp; 18-10-2020 at 01:07 PM.

  14. #14
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    My builder was repeatedly told to clear his sh*t up and take it off site and promised to do it. In the end they brought in a backhoe to scrape the land somewhat flat and I caught them having dug a pit and filling it with rubble and waste. The one time I actually lost it and shouted. They still ignored me. In the end the gf reminded the builder of the agreement and more importantly the final payment. They had to come back with the backhoe and a truck. I estimated maybe 1 to 2 tons of rubble and scrap metal and every type of waste known to man got dug out and loaded on the truck. Then I spent 3 months doing a litter bag, one bag most days, broken bottles and small lumps of concrete, wire, razor sharp cuttings from the steel roof.
    Much of the rubbish had already beenspread about the property. I can still find it if I dig anywhere.

  15. #15
    Thailand Expat Airportwo's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Shutree View Post
    Get at least a head into the loft space and look around to see if electric cables are in conduits, whether or not there is any insulation above your ceilings and also whether or not you can see light through the roofing
    Good point, check to make sure you have insulation and what it consists off as when the Summer arrives!
    For me, given the heat, noise & pollution in Thailand at different times of the year, good windows and doors are essential, the dream of utopia living with cooling cross breezes is quickly replaced with hot humid days, barking dogs, no breeze & swarms of mossies and flies, burning fields and noisy motor vehicles also add to the delight

  16. #16
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    Quote Originally Posted by sabang View Post
    Get on the ground, and rent for a year or so.
    Yes, rent a place in the area for a year first.

  17. #17
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    Always check to see how far away the pig and chicken farms are. Go at night to see how loud the karokes are. If you can't hear one, you are likely not in Thailand.

  18. #18
    Thailand Expat AntRobertson's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by sabang View Post
    Get on the ground, and rent for a year or so. The best advice you will hear, that you will probably ignore.
    This.

    It's probably the best and only sure-fire way. After a year you'll know all there is to know about the area you are intending to buy.

  19. #19
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    Quote Originally Posted by thailazer View Post
    Always check to see how far away the pig and chicken farms are. Go at night to see how loud the karokes are. If you can't hear one, you are likely not in Thailand.
    Where I live now the neighbours on both sides have chickens and opposite he has geese. This is a rural area and the animals are for food, they bother me not at all. My last three homes were in towns and every time I had neighbours with fighting chickens, lots of. As most here know, those things make an unholy racket at all times of the day and night. I feel quite lucky here, at least for now.

  20. #20
    CCBW Stumpy's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Shutree View Post
    Where I live now the neighbours on both sides have chickens and opposite he has geese. This is a rural area and the animals are for food, they bother me not at all. My last three homes were in towns and every time I had neighbours with fighting chickens, lots of. As most here know, those things make an unholy racket at all times of the day and night. I feel quite lucky here, at least for now.
    As many long time TD'ers remember a long time back I was looking to buy a nice little place in Cha Am right near the beach. I was renting it at the time. About 5 months in the neighbor behind us decided to raise chickens, not 5 or 10, like 100+. While the noise was loud the smell of chicken shit was terrible and of course all the flies that go along with the crap. I could not leave the windows open for the ocean breeze anymore. I packed up and moved. One thing we all learn here is there are no zoning rules. People can do whatever they want on their property even in moobans with HOA's. Its just life here and you adapt.

    Sounds like the OP has purchased the house in a developed neighborhood. I think now its more about the final walk through. He hasn't returned since posting so maybe he is lurking.

  21. #21
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    Quote Originally Posted by AntRobertson View Post
    After a year you'll know all
    Even if the next month the neighbour(s) will start new "project"?

  22. #22
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    Quote Originally Posted by Shutree View Post
    Where I live now the neighbours on both sides have chickens and opposite he has geese. This is a rural area and the animals are for food, they bother me not at all. My last three homes were in towns and every time I had neighbours with fighting chickens, lots of. As most here know, those things make an unholy racket at all times of the day and night. I feel quite lucky here, at least for now.

    I was thinking more of the massive pig and chicken farms. Those have a stench that is impossible to get used to.

  23. #23
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    7-11 self service kiosk being set up NEAR YOU.that will be HANDY for thieves.

  24. #24
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    Termites. Make sure you have a termite protection system built in to your house.

  25. #25
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    Quote Originally Posted by aging one View Post
    Termites. Make sure you have a termite protection system built in to your house.
    if the house has already been built,look around the house for the pipework for the pest control gang to conect to,if no taps to connect too pull out of the purchase.

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