Pescator Posted May 10, 2002 Report Share Posted May 10, 2002 I wasn`t involved in the buying proces that is probably why my wife could get it at that price. And the owner "needed" to sell it fast - gambling, debts or whatever, the usual stuff. Not that I am ever going to benefit from this purchase since I`ve spent all the time I intend to spend "Bahnawk" to last a lifetime. Especially since I spent all this time living together with my in-laws, 10-14 people living together at any given time. Not that I don`t like them it is just that I need my privacy once in a while. And privacy is not exactly a familiar concept in rural Isarn. Hua Nguu Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
New Petchburi Pete Posted May 28, 2002 Author Report Share Posted May 28, 2002 BanWan Muang in Chaiyphum Province ... very remote! The land has some nice views of hills in a national park. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
New Petchburi Pete Posted May 28, 2002 Author Report Share Posted May 28, 2002 I have heard many prices for houses depending upon what one really wants. My wife keeps telling me that we could have a decent house for about 2 million Baht. This would have a windows (screens), doors, some A/C (in bedroom at least), a western toilet, etc., etc. There is satellite reception avaiolable, so, we could conceivably have UBC and the internet (i would need this!). She is in her village now planting fruit trees, etc. on the land. The prices for coconut, mangoe and banana trees is extremely cheap. They are delivered from Chum Phae, which is well over an hour away by truck or car. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
New Petchburi Pete Posted May 28, 2002 Author Report Share Posted May 28, 2002 In Chum Phae, one can buy all of these things for a fraction of what they cost in BKK. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
New Petchburi Pete Posted May 28, 2002 Author Report Share Posted May 28, 2002 I have been to my wife's village several times. I love the people; and, they make me feel very well accepted. Each time I go there we visit the village school, the money for which was donated by the king many years ago. There is a swimming hole there. Also, most of the boys (and fathers) fish for small, but edible freshwater species. Most of the villagers sell something, usually food, but also many other essentials (bottled water, etc.). I like to go in the cooler months, October through January. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
khunsanuk Posted May 28, 2002 Report Share Posted May 28, 2002 Hi, "My wife keeps telling me that we could have a decent house for about 2 million Baht." Upcountry 2M Baht would buy you quite a sizeable house. Possibly something like a very nice 2 stories, 5 bedroom, 4 bathroom house. Sanuk! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted May 29, 2002 Report Share Posted May 29, 2002 Agree..the type of house that NPP is describing is closer to 400,000 in most upcountry locales. J22J Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted May 29, 2002 Report Share Posted May 29, 2002 Two million baht would get you more than a decent house upcountry, in the boonies. For that price you could have a pool and or a guest house also. UBC satellite TV is no problem, Internet via satellite if not available now will be soon. One of the biggest obstacles to building a ?decent? place is to find a good contractor you can trust and does quality work. There are plenty of workers available with basic building skills but you need a good conscientious foreman to control them. Time spent checking out a potential contractor, or a foreman at least, and examples of other houses they?ve completed can save you time, money and major headaches in the long run. Building in a village setting can test your capacity for maintaining a jai yen attitude. A test I?m afraid I have failed on more than one occasion. bahnawk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted May 29, 2002 Report Share Posted May 29, 2002 Banhawk is hitting it right on the spot. It is difficult to find a trust worst contractor who can deliver a quality job. I'm currently near the completion of the construction of our new house just a few kilometer outside of Chiang Mai. The house is a 2-story 4 bedroom / 5 bathroom, a small office and a large garage. Cost for the house (excluding land purchase) is budgeted around 2.5 Mil. Bath, including fencing, landscaping and utility connections. My wife and I spend lots of time with talking to several contractors and verified some works delivered by them. We finally selected one contractor who agreed on a basis of providing only the labour and supervision on a lump sump basis and all materials and construction drawings will be will be issued to them. This saved a pretty amount of money as contractors easily mark-up 20 to 25% on materials, while they will not supply the best quality. Another advice is to have very close supervision once the finishing works starts. It takes a hell of a time to watch these contractors, but its the only way to ensure that they deliver quality work. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted May 29, 2002 Report Share Posted May 29, 2002 We finally selected one contractor who agreed on a basis of providing only the labour and supervision on a lump sump basis and all materials and construction drawings will be will be issued to them. This saved a pretty amount of money as contractors easily mark-up 20 to 25% on materials, while they will not supply the best quality. Another advice is to have very close supervision once the finishing works starts. I agree, this is the proper approach. Provide plans, negotiate with the local suppliers for materials, and supervise all major phases of construction especially those applying to structural integrity; foundation, footings, roof system, etc. The final finish work you must supervise very close as this is what you will be looking at for years. If you leave it to the contractor they will cut corners to increase profit, same as anywhere. Congratulations on your nearly complete home. Hope it didn?t place too much stress on you and your wife. I lived in Chiang Mai several years ago and always thought of building a home nearby. I went for a visit a few months ago and felt some regret that I had not. Fate took me elsewhere. bahnawk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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