Small House for BF's family

[PattayaMale]

Building a house in Korat, part 1

I was asked in a PM about what I did to build a house for my BF's family up by Korat. Since it has been several years ago, prices have changed. But if you and your friend can be the contractor and do supervisory work, you should be able to do it from between 350,000 and 600,000 baht depending on the size and not including upgraded tile or fixtures.

 

There are certain to be people that can advise you better than I can, so remember this is what WE did.

 

My friend’s family had a very small piece of land that was in a low lying area. Any time it rained their dirt floor became wet. The family stood in ankle deep water. The thought of this just kept eating at me. My friend nor his family ever complained and never asked for me to build a house. After my friend and I had been together for a few years, I told him that I did not like to see his mother standing in water every time it rained and I thought he and I should build a small house. I could tell something in our relationship changed; I believe when I said I wanted to help his mother, it meant a great deal to him since I was the one to suggest it. Anyway…..

 

Our first step was to find a piece of land. The current piece was to low and behind 2 other sheds away from the road. If we filled in dirt or put it on stilts they still would have had to wade in mud to get to the street to go to the nearest market. The price for the land is NOT included in my cost for the house. I mention it because if you decide to build for a friend, I suggest you consider if the piece of land is appropriate.

 

After we found a piece of land we decided to raise the land by buying trucks of dirt. This was easy to find since the government was widening the highway that goes over the mountain into Korat. We used I think a little over 50 six wheel trucks full at 150 baht a truck load. The dirt had to be packed done so we paid someone to that had a big truck to load it with barrels full of water and run back and forth over the dirt for 2 days. I heard that some villagers thought I was crazy for having it done that way, but no mater it packed the dirt.

 

I then had an “architect” draw up simple plans. He did a nice job but I learned this was not so necessary. I FORGOT that I had to leave an access road for the people that lived behind us. So I ended up just doing a floor plan by hand. The house would have 2 small bedrooms a small living room a bath with western toilet and shower, a kitchen and a front porch. I also included where the windows and doors would be located and where the electric plugs and switches would be placed.

 

Then my friend was tasked with finding “skilled labor” in his village. I have no idea where he found them, (friend of a friend’s friend). A few weeks later he told me we had to go to Korat because the workers arrived. We drove up to Korat. Sure enough a small encampment of lean-tos was set up. I was surprised and simply asked, “Now what?” He said “let me talk to them.” He showed them the plan that I had hand drawn and the one the ‘architect’ drew. The ‘architect’ plan was quickly discarded! Theere was a lot of talking in Thai which I did not understand. After maybe 30 minutes I asked “what did they say?” The reply I got was “How big.” I questioned this. I wanted to know more. But nope all it was is “How big?”

 

The next step was me thinking, “Holy shit, what have I gotten into!!” He and I stayed 45 minutes away in a hotel for 3 days, running back and forth to the construction site. I knew by the end of the 1st day that this was not going to be what I thought of as house construction. The workers didn’t even have proper tools I thought. Anyway, I wrote down the size of the rooms and one worker said something and the next I knew sticks were in the ground marking the rooms. My friend and I went to the hotel for the night.

 

Next morning we went to the construction site. There had been some holes dug in the ground. I was told the rooms as I told them weren’t the right size. Rooms had to be a little bigger because of the thickness of the walls. I was impressed. Then my friend said we had to go buy material. I said I thought the workers would do that. He said, “No, we need to buy it so it will be the better material and we won’t be over charged.” So the head worker gave a list of materials and off we went to order it.

 

A truck showed up at the work site an hour later with all the material we ordered; sand, cement, stones, wood, and then 9 premade cement pilings. This was the first I knew that the house was also going to be raised by a meter above the ground. The plan was to dig down about a meter, make cement footers and place the 9 big round posts into the ground on the footers.

End part one

[Guest anonone]

Thank you for taking the time to post this. Very interesting. Seems a delightfully "Thai" way of getting a house built.

Looking forward to hearing the rest of the story.

[Rogie]

Are there that many people in our community or even on this board that want to build their boyfriends a house?

I believe they are out there! There is a chap called Alan the Builder who sometimes posts on another forum. He is obviously using it to advertise his services but he appears to be kept pretty busy building houses for farangs and their wives or boyfriends.

 

I look forward to Part 2.

Ditto

[kokopelli]

It was Koko who sent a PM to PM regarding house construction. Koko's one and only lover boy owns property in Issan and dreams of a house of his own. He, the bf, has been gradually adding fill to his property to raise the level of the land. I look forward to this continuing sage of house construction and hopefully a photo and a floor plan.

[Guest]

I guess Thailand has hardly any building regulations, certainly not to the level that would be found in some European countries.

Well, that's my assumption from seeing rural Thai property.

 

When you have such freedom, building something to your own specification must be quite liberating.

[Bob]

This was the first I knew that the house was also going to be raised by a meter above the ground. The plan was to dig down about a meter, make cement footers and place the 9 big round posts into the ground on the footers.

End part one

 

Lol. Many of the rural houses are built on stilts (often concrete columns) due of course to their knowing that floods can come every year to most parts of Thailand. I suspect that elevating houses might also have something to do with controlling bug infestation and/or ventilation/cooling during the hot season.

 

Your story is actually pretty funny - not how they're building the house but how you as a falang are reacting to how they do it in the boonies. It may not be pretty but they do get it done! I'm guessing that you slowly learned to skip the occasional shocked looks at some things and the urge to advise them how to do it "right" (they'll politely listen to you, actually act like they understand you, and then totally ignore you anyway....hehe).

 

Looking forward to reading the continuing saga (time to adjust the seatbelt as the ride might get a little bumpy....).

[PattayaMale]

Here is the picture of the house with the exterior almost finished. You can see the lean-tos in the foreground.

This should help some visualize the almost completed exterior. The house was started in late 2003 and finished early 2004.

 

[PattayaMale]

I guess Thailand has hardly any building regulations, certainly not to the level that would be found in some European countries.

Well, that's my assumption from seeing rural Thai property.

 

When you have such freedom, building something to your own specification must be quite liberating.

 

I think in parts of Thailand there are building codes for large structures. They are just ignored.

I don't know if I would call building a small house liberating though. Due to lack of code and inspectors you need to constantly check what is going on.

[PattayaMale]

PART 2 of Building a house in Korat

 

After the first two days I realized that I just had to rely on faith (luck) and put the

[Bob]

Glad to see it was finished with a minimum of heart attacks to yourself.

 

Yea, the extended family, usually always there (or will show up soon). I'm at least happy you didn't mention that a buffalo or two didn't show up in the yard.

 

All's well that sorta ends well ("sorta" is about the best that can be hoped for in many of these situations).

[Moses]

Oh, how known sounds this story for me

 

We (me and BF) have the same impressions from "extended family" and almost all other "habits" in time when we made some help to our Thai friend in his house in very rural village Isaan, location of village is so "nowhere": even mobile phones don't work there - no signal.

 

Our task was much more shorter: to install "western" toilet, shower room with hot water, and electric system with lamps, switches and outlets...

[kokopelli]

What about the water supply and sewage disposal? Well? Septic system? City sewage?

 

I appreciate your post; most informative. Thanks, Koko

[Bob]

What about the water supply and sewage disposal? Well? Septic system? City sewage?

 

Good questions and ones I've wondered about too. If/when I ever get crazy enough to build a house up here around Chiangmai, one of my main concerns is that the house will meet reasonable ("reasonable" in the sense of nothing like I've seen in most of Thailand) plumbing, electrical, water, and sewage systems. If you know, PM, how was the septic set up? Was there a vent system set up for the waste pipes in the house? Grounded electrical system? Just curious.

[KhorTose]

Thanks for the great story. I think you have done yourself proud by your boyfriend and his family. My hat is off to you.

[Moses]

Grounded electrical system?

 

Safety switches have wide using in villages instead of grounding...

[PattayaMale]

What about the water supply and sewage disposal? Well? Septic system? City sewage?

 

I appreciate your post; most informative. Thanks, Koko

 

The sewage disposal was a large black container that was buried in the ground. I understand that the solids drop to the bottom and the liquid drains off. I am not sure how it works. I do know it is pumped out into a truck once every year or so.

 

The water is a small diameter pipe from the local school.Several years ago the Thai army drilled a well at the school and laid some pipe to the land. I have no idea how it is metered or if it is, but the school is paid each month. We later bought a pump and above ground water storage tank since water does not always come to the property. It just comes at night.

[TotallyOz]

I appreciate this so much as this has been on my mind for along time. Ever thought of visiting Korat with me for 6 months?

[PattayaMale]

HA HA..my maximum stay is 3 days!

But we did build a guest house about 100m from my friend's Mother's small house we built for her. You are welcome to stay there.

It has a bedroom, large 'family' room, bathroom with a shower for 6, and is completely air conditioned.............but not internet, so you can just relax!!

Here is a picture of the outside.