Building a house in Isaan, for Dummies.
I'm well qualified to write this guide because when it comes to construction, I'm a Dummy. I also speak next to no Thai, and have the healthy mistrust of Isaan standards of craftmanship and forthrightness that only a resident expat can have. My sole qualifications to embark on this project were a Thai wife, whom I trust, and a certain knowledge of how business should be done- combined with a healthy cynicism as above, and a functioning 'Bullshit meter'.
The mandate- put up a decent but basic bungalow in a village about 30 km outside of Ubon Ratchathani, to serve as both my mother in laws residence, and our upcountry retreat (the house is in my wifes name). The original budget- 800K baht, plus sundries. The end result- it cost 900K, plus sundries. Say a million baht- but the end product surpassed my expectations, and was in fact completed not on schedule, but three weeks early.
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There it stands- 2 bedroom (actually adjusted from a 3 BR plan that I stole- more on that later), two bathrooms, a Thai and western kitchen. More photoes to follow of course, but lets start at the beginning.
Any feedback welcome- fair price, did I pay too much, did I get a good deal?
I'm a Dummy, remember. :bunny3:
Falang mansion and haunted house
This place is going to be quite something. He's having not just this huge pile built, but a 12m swimming pool, and a biggish fishing pond in the back yard (with an island and sala in the middle, a bridge leading to). Cost so far, 5.7mm Bht and counting- easy to scoff, but the guys from London. You can pay more than that for a carpark there.
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It's running late, the story is he hired an Ubon firm to do the work- but they just contracted everything to local village people, and they turn up every now and again to see how it's going. We walked around the site (family connections) - it's big. Fair play to him- realise your dream, for less than a tenement in London. Methinks, once immersed in Isaan, he'll be wondering why he made it so big. No matter- he Could. It's about 4km from our humble joint, and locally renowned. The view-
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I like ours better, but rice paddies are cool too. Word is, once his Palazzio is complete, he's putting up another place for his MIL next door. :rolleyes:
Our Family Hamlet was once adulterated by foreign blood. Tragedy is part of village life, and one person that lived there died in hospital, the wife of that person died there in the house soon afterwards. The ultimate owner will not go there anymore, nobody wants to know the place because it is cursed or haunted. My wifes cousin farms the attached land (15 rai) on a deal with the owner. The owner is willing to sell for 600K, my wifes family describes him as a greedy old man. One to keep an eye on- I wouldn't mind securing family control of the Hamlet and surrounds (including some virgin forest). No one else will buy- maybe 450K might be the go, and the haunted house has some charm really.
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Theres quite a nice lake nearby too. Some chancer (prolly Chinese) has put the lakeside land up for sale at 300k per rai. Obviously, no takers. Still, what does he care? Next life, next generation, there will be takers.
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