THAILAND HOUSE BUILDING BUDGET COST 1

David

I think some of the costs are either way out of date or not accurate. Seem very low to me having lived in Thailand for twenty years. Surely homes are different and cost different amounts. In Phuket costs can be easily 40,000 baht a sqm. soem 80,000 ! Top end is not 20,000 by any stretch. Low end is 10-15. Maybe a hut in Issan might cost 9000 but nothing comfortable. My tip is get a cost once you have construction drawings !
admin

Hi David,

First thank you for visiting the website and adding your comment. It’s great to get feedback and makes the website more interesting and useful for other visitors.

Are the prices shown for building houses in Thailand out of date and inaccurate?

Well, for one thing, I have not made them up. All the prices have been taken from other websites. The date is shown and yes, some are a few years old.

You mention 40 to 80,000 Baht for houses in Phucket and I can well believe that. I have in fact highlighted the cost of condominiums in Bagkok (Heading: A1Real.com) which are reaching up to over 100,000 Baht/m2.

I have also just added another batch of house prices which are around 12,000 Baht per square meter.

And, yes, my construction drawings are coming along nicely and we will be looking for a builder in October of this year. Should prove very interesting!
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David Todd

We built a single storey 152 M2 house in Korat in 2004 for Baht 6,500/M2 all in. The builder provided labour only at Baht 200,000. We supplied all materials and the house, whilst not a palace, is of a good standard with tiled roof and western internal fittings, but no AC.

We are just about to build a two storey 342M2 house and the labour only cost is Baht 1,800/M2 – same guy who built the first house. Some builders want Baht 2,500 – 3,500/M2 for labour only. Do not get ripped off. Work out how many man days to build the house (ours will be about 5 months) x Baht 400/day and add 20% overheads & profit and you will have a good idea what the labour SHOULD cost for the whole build. Best of luck.
admin

David,

Many thanks for the comment, that is very useful information on the cost of building a house in Thailand. In particular I found your unit rate (Baht/m2) figures very interesting and informative.

It seems that your unit rates (Baht per square meter) are much lower than the rates we have been quoted.

We have just been quoted around 2,500 Baht/m2 (two floors, ground floor very basic) for labour only for our Pakchong house which I hope should start constructing on site this very day!

However, and this is important for people to know who have not built a house in Thailand before, I can’t stay in Thailand to watch over the build. My wife will be here but she has no construction or materials purchasing experience. Hence we went for an all-in build+materials contract.

Another thing we have just discovered is that (apparently) if you do go for a labour only contract the builder will take you to the builders merchants to buy materials. I’m talking here of materials like wood etc. The main concern we had about my wife purchasing materials is things like reinforcement bar (re-bar) for concrete and the concrete itself. Who does the bending of the re-bar for example? I suppose the concrete is mixed on site so you just buy the raw materials 9sande, cement, gravel) as and when you are running out?

On applying Unit Rates to house construction in Thailand it can be very misleading if it is a two-storey construction where all the accommodation is on the second floor and the first floor (i.e. ground level) is just an open space like a car port or at most an empty shell like our house. Do you base the unit rates on just the second floor accommodation areas or on the floor area times 2 for both floors?

David, thanks again for the information, extremely interesting.

Best Regards

Alan Brown
David Todd

The thing about labour only is that it does not matter whether you are building a mansion or a simple house or garage or whatever. The labour rate per man day remains the same (although if you are carrying out specialist works the day rate for a skilled tradesman will be higher than a labourer). I used Baht 400/man day as a guide only and this is probably a little generous – Baht 350/man day would not be unreasonable. I would tend to work out a lump sum price for the labour only contract rather than express it as a rate/M2. The day rate and the length of the build are crucial here, not what that works out on a Baht/M2 basis. This gets around the problem of the simple two storey house that you describe.

There is no reason for the builder to accompany you to the builders merchant. You can get all the materials you need from Home Mart and other such places. My wife has a Home Pro card which gets you discounts etc. The purchase should be in your/wife’s name, not the builders!! The builder would have to tell you what quantities to order, and the size/type of re-bar etc and armed with that knowledge you can order it yourself. They will deliver to site.

Our first house plan was simply taken from a book and then given to an Architect known to the family. He produced all the detailed drawings requirerd by the builder for the princely sum of Baht 2,500!!! As the new build is two storey the process is a little more exacting. The Architect needs to have the drawings signed off by a senior Architect before sign off by the Government. The total cost (excluding the minor fees payable to the authorities) is going to be Baht 25,000. A separate Architect quoted exactly the same price. It seems to be Baht 10,000 for the drawings and then an extra Baht 15,000 for the senior guy to approve and sign off.

Hope that is helpful.
admin

David, thanks for the response.

I have to say that your comments represent just about the best statement I have seen to date about how a foreigner should get a house built in Thailand.

Unfortunately, for several reasons, I can’t do it that way. The reasons are that my Thai wife has no idea about building, or house design etc and there is no one in the family who does and I can’t afford the time to stay in Thailand other than for a week or so at a time. That means I had to find a Thai Architect whilst I was in UK (England), we needed a lump-sum build plus materials purchase builder rather than a labour only builder. My wife will look after the build with the help of her cousin when I go back to the UK in a few days time.
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Gary

Hi, this is all very fascinating, but still very confusing: what’s the length of a piece of string?
Most of the houses or house designs I’ve looked at to try to get an estimate for our house-building project seem to be fairly solid constructions with brick walls, lots of rooms inside and a fancy, high-pitched roof made from tiles (suitable for a snowy country, but surely not for Thailand?)
And therefore quite expensive.
The design I have in mind for our house is, I believe, quite basic:
- open plan ground floor, perhaps with interior partitions and exterior glass French
windows for walls – the floor to be concrete, maybe patterned and stained to give it a natural look;
- four identical bedrooms (6m x 6m) with ensuite shower/toilet and walk-in cupboard;
the interior walls could be gypsum and the exterior walls either glass or a large windows in concrete – all with a flat roof (probably of concrete) that could be used as a kind of roof garden or terrace;
- a steel frame supported on pier-type posts;
- a large but very simple carport style roof made of polycarbonate, gently pitched and covering the entire construction at a height of about 11-12m;
- a staircase to get to the upstairs rooms and then to the ‘roof’ terrace;
So, yes, the surface area for the two floors is huge (470 sqm), but surely such a simple construction wouldn’t cost as much as 4m baht?
- Does anyone have any idea how to calculate costs for pier-type posts for a simple two-floor house?
- And how to work out the cost for a steel structure? And then the cost of concrete (material + construction) for the floors and various walls?
- Also the cost of glass (probably double-glazed with one-way film) as a replacement for brick or concrete walls?
- Finally, the cost of a simple flat polycarbonate roof probably held up on relatively light-weight steel frame (compared with the heavier posts to hold the house up)?
I’m guessing it can all be done for around 1.5m – 2m baht, depending on how strong the steel and glass needs to be. But, so far as I know, no-one seems to think in terms of such a simple design: all the estimates are based on standard doors and door frames and brick walls and an expensive roof, not to mention a large square foundation and fairly solid support structures.
Any ideas or suggestions would be gratefully received!
Thanks
David Todd

Well, you can get the labour only contarct price right (which we did) but I was way off beam with the material costs. I was still thinking in line with 2004 prices when we built the first house. The second, two storey, build started in March, 2011 and is running well, but material costs are more than I had envisaged. I was simply unrealistic.

Building in Thailand is still cheap compared with say UK/USA but it is not the outright bargain that it once was. The Baht 1,000,000 cool Thai house (check out that web-site – very informative) is, I fear, a thing of the past.

Cheers,

David Todd
admin

David,

Thanks again for your additional insight into house build prices prices in Thailand.

If you start with material prices in 2004 and compound the price by 55 a year to allow for inflation the price in 2011 will be 1.4 times the 2004 price.

Any chance of some details of your new house build project started in March 2011 that i can put on the website?

For the benefit of our other readers when david refers to the first house he built in 2004, this was a 152 m2 single storey house built in Korat,Thailand. You can see details and photographs here:- David Todd’s Self-Built 152 m2 Retirement House in Korat,Thailand, 2004.

David also gives some very clear guidance on how to estimate the cost of building houses in Thailand by labour only contracts.
wwwbkkaptcom

Hello,
I would like to buid a house on a land i just bought, but for now i would like to build only a “box” that will be the bast of my future house.
Can you tell me how much it would cost to build only 1 room cement bungalow ? Just a square shape 40 sqm bungalow ? Only for wall and roof please.
If i wanted to build this bungalow with wood, would it be cheaper or more expensive ?

Thanks a lot for your help.
admin

Hi and thanks for your question about the cost of building a basic bungalow in Thailand.

I’ll look at the Bill of Quantities for house construction that I have and if I find the correct Unit Rates that match your specification, I’ll work out an approximate price for you.

Hope that helps.

Alan
Hey

Some of you guys are getting ripped off pretty badly. maybe you guys should start making Thai friends and ask for help.

Labor charges are 150 baht a day for basic workers 400 for the very experienced one.

Please do not get ripped off and spoil the market for foreigners, ideally you should pay for the materials labor and drawings only. You can do the calculation yourself, 2 bricks cost a baht now, cement blocks are cheaper. You should not be paying more than 500k for a simple single level house excluding rai of course.

I am mixed but grew up here, did up a house in pai sourcing builders and material from chiangmai, my house cost just under a million including one rai of land.

I really don’t understand why are there so many misinformation here.

Please stop spoiling the market and do a proper homework, some prices on the net are so way off. If you are lazy and wish to dump money to developers and agents, so be it.
sarita

i am a thai women ,,live in california use. i was from korat.basic..even i was born there i can’t even have my own house in my own country..i try to work hard here to have a better life in in thailand…so nice for all the estimate that you telling us…
sarita
Henry

Good site and very interesting but have to agree with David. Are any of the sites you quoted builders ? Or are they web guys and people who have no construction experience. You cannot build for 8000 baht per sqm in Thailand unless it is an upcountry hut structure only. Those days are long since gone. Also what does it include ? Does it include a project manager (essential), does it include doors and windows; this is the danger of the internet. Misinformation and wrong information where people make sweeeping statements about complex topics. Construction is not a simple job. There are so many variables and things to consider. I built 3 houses in Thaiand and all costs different on each home. First one cost us around 16,000 baht, second 21,000 and I think the third was about 30,000. That was finished homes. First two I tried to do myself. Disaster and would not wish that nightmare on anyone. I lost money and had big hassles.

Thrid I used a professional builder who was good. Saved me money and the home was constructed correctly. Beware of people quoting silly figures such as 8000 and 10,000…….that is trouble waiting to happen. Read the horror stroies on the net to see why you should nto do it. Court cases, murders over payments, builders leave job….it is terrible…be careful and be more realistic is my thoughts. If you are goingt o reture do it sensibly and safely. Use a proper builder as you woudl do in your own country. Why do people leave their brains at the airport in Thailand….you woudl not do it backk in USA or Europe…so why do it hear. Most of the builders at thsi silly figure end are either crooks, liars, farmers turned builders or are just goingt o build terrible quality…why risk your hard earnt savings…it makes no sense at all. …..I left Thailand now and it is gret place to live but be careful of reading rubbish on th sorts of sites you have listed there. They are incorrect and misleading.
Henry

Just read some of these posts. This is obviosuly the low end no money market. Interesting as most homes built in Thailand now are well into 20-40,000 baht per sqm. Even developers are charging that. On archuietcst draiwngs you pay an archietct to design and shoppinga round for one with only price in mind ia short cut to thinking. An archuitects charges according to skills, experience. I have seen the sort fo rubbish desigend by so called archietcts for 20,000 baht. Only an idiot woudl use them. I wonder why some archietcst are paid millions to design….is the worl so full of fools we forget waht a professional person is these days…..be sensible please.
http://none james

I am totally confused now i have bought a plot of land in the isaan district and was assured by my wifes uncle who claims to be a builder i could build a nice family home (we have 2 children) for less than 1m baht.

I am in construction myself but live in various countries whilst working. So i would not be able to project manage the construction. I would be able to work out what materials and quantities i need for the job,
could anyone help me with the following information

1) a realistic and reputable builder
2)where would be the best place to buy the main bulk of material,eg brick,cement,roof tiles etc.
3) what is a realistic figure for a 3 bed property of a reasonable standard of finishings

Maybe i had better postpone my plans for a year or 2,,,,,WORRIED NOW
admin

Hi James,

You seem to be in the same situation that I was when I wanted to build our retirement house in Pakchong (Pak Chong), Thailand.

That is:-

1) I was working outside of Thailand and couldn’t stay in Thailand to manage or oversee the construction.
2) I was (still am) in the construction industry.
3) I didn’t know any Thai builders let alone a reliable one.

That cost me dearly (I lost 355,401 Baht) when my wife, Kanyah, sacked our first Thai builder.

Anyway to go on to answer your question, I remember another website visitor, Micke, who managed to build a retirement house in Pakchong (Pak Chong), Thailand, for under a million Baht. If fact he sent some pictures of his house an his story, which you can see on the Small House Build Pakchong page on this website.

Since it was a while since I had been in touch with Micke, I sent him this email to see if he could give some more information about his low-cost house:-

_________________________________________________

Hi Micke,

How’s it going?

There’s a guy called James in Isaan asking if he can build a small house for under 1 million Baht?:-

I remember at one stage you said you hoped to get away with 800k Baht for your house in pakchong. Do you have any update of the final cost or any advice for James?

Best Regards

Alan

_________________________________________________

Micke, did respond immediately and his response is below.

Please read it.

Best Regards

Alan Brown

_________________________________________________
Hi Alan,
Nice to hear from you – I haven’t actually been there yet. Too much going round work wise… though the house was built approximately one year ago, or rather we signed the contract with the builder at that time. They had three months to complete it in the contract and it was finished after more or less nine weeks.

Regarding the question if it’s possible to build a house for under 1M THB I would say yes and no. It all depends how you count. If you include buying land, garden, fence etc. its more or less impossible unless you do a lot of work yourself. If you just talk about the construction part of the house; yes.

Here you have to remember; we had already:

A) Bought the land, ½ rai couple of years ago.
B) But ground material into the land. Aprox 30 trucks… with soil and stones. 1½ year ahead to let it set through all the seasons…

C) I found drawings on the Internet (Thai made by the government) that was used (you have it on your website). We made some changes to it. But all in all got a house with living room, two bedrooms, toilet with shower, small hallway and a carport. The additional build that we made was a place outside the house with roof, like a balcony.

Summing it all up the costs so far with electricians, paperwork etc. is aprox. 1 000 000 THB. (750K of this belonged to the house itself)

Remaining parts to do is:

A) Create an outdoor kitchen (small building)
B) Set the garden
C) Some kind of fence around the property.

I estimate the Kitchen part (talked to the builder when we build the house) to 150-200K. For the garden and the Fence I don’t have a clue, haven’t looked into it at all but it will probably be something like 100/100…

So all in all it will be something like 1 400 000 THB, which I think is a brilliant price. For a completely new home.

The only thing I would say is that, make sure to be involved in picking the constructing company/person (and be a pain in the ass in a good way – but it’s no time for being mr niceguy there if you understand what I mean). There is a lot of money to make from picking the right one.

We set in the contract a deadline where they wouldn’t have the final payment unless the construction was finished. We paid the builder in three different times: 30% before the start when signing the conctract, 40% when the roof was on place and the remaining 30% when it was all finished. But I guess there is many solutions for this as it is houses and I don’t know what the normal way is. It just felt ok, and that is a feeling that I trust and use to go with…

Best regards,
Micke

PS! I’m a bit stressed – if you post any of this (you are welcome to) please change it into proper English first, I don’t have time for proofreading and I guess you understand it anyway)

_________________________________________________

Well, I din’t have to change a word of Mickes email. (Micke comes from Sweden)

I hope that gives you a guide to getting a retirement house built in Thailand for under a million Baht.

Any more questions or comments, please don’t hesitate to ask.

Chok Dii

Alan
james

Hi Alan and Micke

Thankyou for your help it really had made the task less daunting,i will take what you have said on boared and as long as the house is habitable for the kids i will make the garden an ongoing project,

Once again i really do appreciate your time and help.and dont hesitate to contact me if you are in the roiet area
kind regards jim
admin

Hi Jim,

Thanks for the thanks. Always pleased to help if I can. I was grateful for help and advice from Steve who is building a retirement house in Si Khiu Korat (near Pakchong (Pak Chong)) when I was starting, so just passing it on.

It’s a good idea to treat the garden as an on-going project. That’s what we’re doing now following the disaster we had after agreeing a contract with a Thai Landscape Gardener and then terminating the Thai gardening contract on day 2.

Seems like we have a penchant for terminating contracts with Thais!

Please, please, keep us all informed of your progress – good or bad – and send some photos.

Best Regards

Alan Brown
fabthai

Dear James,

Yes, it’s possible at this price, it depend on quality! I just finish to built my house, 160 M2 with only high quality, and the cost is 1 600 000 bath only for house!!! So around 10 000 bath/m2

The price in Chiang mai today is about 12 to 16000 bath/m2 with a builder, i mean all finish, because all people talk about house only, but you have to talk with garden, and wall close the land, the floor outside etc!!!

in this link, can see my last house just finish in Chiang mai

http://www.housesalechiangmai.com/

Finally, James, if you built a house in Thailand, good advice, you must be present every day!Anybody need help can contact me at this email, im builder in Chiang mai and Phuket.fabriceabitbol@gmail.comThanks all
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Thanks James for this great post.

Item	Cost Baht	Baht/m2
Roof tile	22,000	250
All steel	57,000	648
Floor slab	22,000	250
Cement	36,000	409
Sand/stone	11,000	125
Brick	15,000	170
Windows	15,000	170
Wood trim	1,500	17
Front door	13,000	148
Other doors	8,000	91
Door frames	3,000	34
Paint	4,000	45
Electric	11,000	125
Plumbing	2,000	23
Tile	17,000	193
Sanitary ware	5,000	57
Labour	150,000	1,705
Water supply (well)	8,000	91
Ceiling	8,000	91

Total	408,500	4,642

Price Baht	3,600,000	2,644,000	3,600,000	2,055,000	2,145,000
Area m2	303	226	303	175	175
Rate Baht per m2	11,881	11,699	11,881	11,743	12,257

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