Can i literally build my own house

[DavidRai]

if i buy or lease land and get planning permission, (or it already has it) can i literally build the house myself?? as i am an experienced house builder please help

[dirtydog]

Legally no you would be working in a restricted occupation without a work permit, realistically probably, but depends on what area of Thailand, the local immigration and police and how strictly they enforce the labour laws, obviously if you are caught working illegally say on a late Friday afternoon and can't bribe your way out, you will be locked up for the weekend in jail, Monday you will get a chance to pay like say 300,000baht bail, eventually it will go to court and you will receive a small fine, you will then be taken to jail again till you can arrange a flight out to your home country, once your flight and all that is sorted they will take you to Bangkok IDC where you will be incarcerated till your flight, you will then have to pay the police to escort you to the airport to get you on your plane.

[jizzybloke]

i did wonder this myself and then remembered i can't build anything for toffee!

[DavidRai]

are the local police also the local immigration?? if so , would ahem...a little sweetner to them allow me to work ? lol
the area would be out in the sticks/farmland area

[DavidRai]

can i work on a farm??

[jizzybloke]

There is a list of jobs foreigners can't do, i can't find it but i'm sure some nice person on here can find it for you!

[peterpan]

Legally no you would be working in a restricted occupation without a work permit, .

Its a big risk, there is a danish guy over the road buiding an extension on his house himself, he has also pissed off his Thai neighbor in a big way by buiding the ugliest 3.5 mtre high block wall around his property.
They are well pissed because it blocks much of the light into their houses. Besides even the Thai's think its ugly, so you can imagine what its like.
A quick phone call when he's out working would see him in the crap I would think.

[Dalton]

Its a big risk, there is a danish guy over the road buiding an extension on his house himself, he has also pissed off his Thai neighbor in a big way by buiding the ugliest 3.5 mtre high block wall around his property.

There's a german cnut here there are building a house, simular wall style, but he has put broken bottles on top of the wall, just like in Libanon.....What a twat...

[Dalton]

A quick phone call when he's out working would see him in the crap I would think.

Have you called yet....

[Marmite the Dog]

but he has put broken bottles on top of the wall, just like in Libanon

I think you mean, just like in Bangkok. Loads of houses do that here.

[Dalton]

I think you mean, just like in Bangkok. Loads of houses do that here.

Really....It looks like crap, and what does it help ?? If people really want to breake in, they will..

[GooMaiRoo]

Legally no you would be working in a restricted occupation without a work permit, realistically probably, but depends on what area of Thailand, the local immigration and police and how strictly they enforce the labour laws, obviously if you are caught working illegally ...

You're more knowledgeable about Thai laws than I am, but most countries distinguish between activity that derives an income and that which doesn't. If one builds houses and sells them, it is an occupation, a self-employment that can generate taxable income in the USA as one example. But in this case, it's for personal use. I don't see how building one's residence is employment or occupational any more than working on your car or putting up a fence around your house. Maybe Thailand is just different.

[Spin]

but he has put broken bottles on top of the wall

Well, the best advice I can offer is to chain his gate up from the outside while he sleeps. The broken bottles on the top of the walls will help keep him detained, to the benefit of all neighbours

[Spin]

a little sweetner to them allow me to work ?

It will help but its better to hire local workers to do the actual labour. you can just waft around with your plans and designs trying your hardest to get the staff you hired to follow instructions that a 5 year old could master but not apparently the average Thai construction worker

[tsicar]

Legally no you would be working in a restricted occupation without a work permit, .

Its a big risk, there is a danish guy over the road buiding an extension on his house himself, he has also pissed off his Thai neighbor in a big way by buiding the ugliest 3.5 mtre high block wall around his property.
They are well pissed because it blocks much of the light into their houses. Besides even the Thai's think its ugly, so you can imagine what its like.
A quick phone call when he's out working would see him in the crap I would think.

i built my own house. i pissed off the whole village, plus the police-including the police chief, who took being told to fuck off very personally . i was harrassed by the cops and they regularly came to the building site but did not seem to notice i was doing anything illegal. there was no thai labour employed and it was plain to see i was doing it myself.
i am sure that they would have had me deported if there was anything they could legally do, since i had REALLY caused a lot of shit.
i would speak to the thais and ask them if they even bother with "planning permission" in the area you wish to build, then go ahead and build it yourself.
avoid using thai labour at all costs. they will not listen to you, even if you are an experienced builder, and they will deliberately do it the thai way since they all have genius I.Q. and all farang are stupid and need to be shown how to do it the thai way coz this is the only way to build a house in thailand i am talking about issaan anyway and that is the reason i chased them all off site and did it myself.
good luck!

[Driventowin]

^ Score another one!! I agree that I don't see how they can prevent you from building your own house not for profit, at least until you sell it at some point in your future..
Yessss... I know this is Thailand and the laws are generally nonsensical but is utterly ridiculous and due to the fact that they haven't called the cops on the German guy mentioned here maybe that's because they know they have no recourse either..

There is obviously a need for some clarification here on a higher level and a distinguishing between personal use and resale...

It is moronic that foreigners are limited to work anyway since if done legally, they pay taxes like everyone else and most make more than the average Thai by a large margin and therefore would pay much higher taxes. As well they spend more of their income back into circulation buying beer and nookie and an occasional dinner, and they certainly aren't draining the country of monetary resources sending their money overseas to family like Immigrants from say...... Thailand, do from other countries..It's a stereotypically Thai economic planning oversight to state it politely...

[dirtydog]

that's because they know they have no recourse either..

They do have recourse, it is called Thai legislation.

It is moronic that foreigners are limited to work anyway since if done legally, they pay taxes like everyone else

The Thais have no problem with foreigners working legally with a work permit, oviously they do not give out work permits for menial tasks, ie brick laying, cement mixing etc.

[Spin]

if there was anything they could legally do

In Isaan its different, laws mean less than elsewhere here dont they? try the same action on Samui or Phuket and the outcome would probably be arrest etc etc etc

[CharleyFarley]

Aah, now I understand why the workers on my house stopped me doing anything to help, they were obviously very concerned I would get deported and not because I was just fekkin useless.

[lom]

^^You can build your own house in Samui without getting any problems from police or labour department.
You can also repair your own car.
Just don't try to help your neighbour with any repairs or jobs.
And be very careful what you do in your business premises if you don't have a work permit.

[tsicar]

if there was anything they could legally do

In Isaan its different, laws mean less than elsewhere here dont they? try the same action on Samui or Phuket and the outcome would probably be arrest etc etc etc

agreed. isaan cops get really confused when they try their luck and you just shout them down and tell them to call your lawyer if they have a problem with you. i think it is because their training doesn't go much farther than dealing with the odd domestic disturbance or traffic "violation" and when the shit hits the fan,the thais never argue, they just pay up out of their fear of the coips
i carry a thai lawyer's business card wherever i go and it has proven to be a "get out of jail free" card on many occasions.
in a more "civilised" area, where the cops are used to dealing with farang, i suppose they may call my bluff.

[Dalton]

Seems to me that we have been down this road before. Pointless arguement. IMO.

[Ratchaburi]

Why not employ 10 to 15 people from the village for around 200 baht per each day the house will be finished 7-8 week

[Dalton]

^ That would be the correct thing to do....But then there is no arguement for the boys.

[hillbilly]

I agree, we have been down this road before. The best bet, hire some local people and 'supervise' the work.

Already bought the t-shirt.