BUILD A HOUSE

[AZZZEY68 0]

 

This is a friend of mines house total cost 20.400 stirling including the land Routte up north.

Edited August 20, 2007 by AZZZEY68

[Fireman Sam 336]

Looks ok AZZEY68, how many bedrooms and where about up North, looks like it's in the sticks a bit.

 

1 Million 400 thousand baht approx @ 68.5 to the pound.

[AZZZEY68 0]

Its Royette i think up north total cost 20.400 strerling 4 bed i believe he said no pool though massive piece of land 1500 to put wall round it.

[bangkapiboy 5]

Very very nice house and land. Looks like a peaceful quiet place.

[jacko 8,813]

Its Royette i think up north total cost 20.400 strerling 4 bed i believe he said no pool though massive piece of land 1500 to put wall round it.

Sometimes written as Roi-Et, central Issan? Just south of Kalasin, or about 150 KM south-east of Khon Kaen. Yes I expect it could be 'rural' there Far from the city? Edited August 21, 2007 by jacko

[turboman 0]

Land prices up north are going up all the time, I was lucky when I got mine 4/5 years ago and put a big 3 bedroom bungalow on it and I mean big....cost was 1.3 million in total, probably in the region of 3 million now as lakeside also.

 

In Khon Kaen there is so many houses being built at present and existing estates are now developing like phase 4 and such

[Route 33 0]

Just been up to see one in Buriram on 4 rai (1600sqm). Cost about 2m or so with land but 3 bed 2 bath, walled, landscaped but with western kitchen and full furniture, aircons, tvs, satellite dishes (2) etc. Still reckon he was robbed.

 

Build quality at that end is often shite. They have a "fuck it" mentality and as they live in tin huts (or little better) they don't know the difference between good and crap. Some of the windows in that house I saw last week would shock a 12 year old woodwork pupil in the UK. Just elementary things like measurements which they see as unnecessary.

[nidnoyham 30]

Nice house, looks like the one a bloke I know had built.

 

As he says " Nice house, it is just in the wrong place " He has just spent 2 months there. For something to do, he built a pidgeon loft with four birds in, but that was not enough to occupy him. he was terribly bored.

 

I have the greatest respect for any Ferang who can live in rural Thailand- it would drive me nuts ! If I had a palace there, with Kylie Mynogue for company, 4 weeks would have me howling at the moon.

 

I just don't get the attraction of living in a place where no one speaks your language, eats the same food, miles from a cityand the dodgey Government, may chuck you out at a moments notice. Most of the locals probably think you are crazy to give up your life in the West, to live there.

 

Great for a holiday, lovely people, but live there ? Nah

 

Another Englishman I know lives 6 months here, 6 months on LOS. He, like me, reckons the time here flies by, but it drags in Thailand. He has just spent a lot of money on a new house in Pattaya. Loves the cheap booze, food and good weather, but time seems hangs heavy.

 

Go on now you expats, give me a good telling off for being so negative.

[Gary 4,119]

I have a nice condo in Jomtien. Even with my live in girlfriend, I was bored shitless. Same old bars, same old beach and the same old drunks. My now wife has a modest two bedroom western style house in scenic Loei province. We went back and forth for about a year before I decided to move up there. I left the condo empty for about another year until I was sure I wasn't moving back. Now it is rented to a friend of mine. I have an eight by eight meter garage and workshop and all the toys to make tinkering fun. I have a great dog, a tractor and enough farm land to play gentleman farmer. I rarely watch UBC TV but I read a lot and spend TOO much time on the Internet. I have a hundred little projects started that never get done. I'm never bored. For the first time in my life I am content. I enjoy my own company and my wife is great. I get up whenever I feel like it and go to bed when I get tired. My wife is not the jealous type and about every three months or so, I make a road trip to wherever I want to go. My wife has the gardens, ducks, turkeys and the dog to take care of so she is happy to stay home. After three or four days, I'm anxious to get back home.

 

Living out in the boonies is certainly not for everyone but it suits me very well. Good clean air and living here is incredibly cheap. I probably spend about 30 percent of my disposable income. Not that I save that much because I do like expensive toys so I buy them. I'd hate for my kids to inherit too much.

[nidnoyham 30]

Well done GARY, i can see whwere you are coming from- err you 'aint on the run are you ?

[Gary 4,119]

Well done GARY, i can see whwere you are coming from- err you 'aint on the run are you ?

 

 

Actually I was on the run. I ran away from the rat race. I ran away from responsibility and I ran away from people wanting me to do things I didn't want to do. I wear shorts, sandals and a T shirt everyday. My wife regularly throws my favorite clothes in her rag bag and that irritates me. They only have a few holes in them. I have scars on the tops of my feet because I'm too lazy to put shoes on when I weld something. I do have a toilet in my workshop but I piss in the yard if I want to and I do it all behind my 2 meter high block wall. Putting that wall around two rai wasn't cheap but it WAS money well spent. I could probably be a hermit but then who would cook, clean and keep my hormones balanced?

 

[Greg_B 306]

I'd set aside about 15%, as the costs seem to exceed original estimates. I'm learning that while building a store. It seems the Baht exchange rate has not helped from the original estimate.

 

Then, you get the little problems, like AC, toilets and water. Windows weren't as issue, as I got a good deal on those.

 

Translation problems are also a concern, if you think he understood, what you said

[AZZZEY68 0]

Yes but your living the dream all of you who manage to live in LOS.

[nidnoyham 30]

It may be a dream for many, bit it can sooooo easily become a nightmare too. Pattaya has more jumpers than M&S

 

When I read posts by BM's itching to retire to LOS, I can't help thinking that some are living not 'the dream', but in 'a dream'. If you are not happy in your'e home environment, with freinds, family and workmates etc. How do you expect to be happy the other side of the world, in a foreign country with an unstable Government, anti -Ferang attitude that stops you buying land, plus visa conditions that change with the weather ? Pussey isn't everything.

 

It is just something I have had on my mind for some time now.

Edited August 22, 2007 by nidnoyham

[friendlyric6411 0]

Could not have put it better nidnoyham. Just been in Thailand for 17 weeks, been a lot of places. spoke to a lot of people, both farang and Thai.the Thai,s are getting attitude, o k its there country and they dont let you forget that ,a lot of farang who have been there a few years are all saying the same . some thing is on the change,I got bored belive it or not, you cannot sit on a beach or party every day and night.It becomes the same same. old thing . So you may as well be in a place that offers you some security. Yes sorry to say like the U. k . And just go and visit , party and sit on the beach then come home and look forward to going a gain..

[Gary 4,119]

It may be a dream for many, bit it can sooooo easily become a nightmare too. Pattaya has more jumpers than M&S

 

When I read posts by BM's itching to retire to LOS, I can't help thinking that some are living not 'the dream', but in 'a dream'. If you are not happy in your'e home environment, with freinds, family and workmates etc. How do you expect to be happy the other side of the world, in a foreign country with an unstable Government, anti -Ferang attitude that stops you buying land, plus visa conditions that change with the weather ? Pussey isn't everything.

 

It is just something I have had on my mind for some time now.

 

Let's take a look at the jumpers. Most come over here with a pocket full of money. They meet some young sweet thing, fall in love and decide to go into the bar business with her. Things turn to shit, their money is gone, they have no income and no pension. They decide to take the BIG dive rather than tuck their tail between their legs and go home.

 

Guys who follow the golden rule do NOT become jumpers. The golden rule is to NOT spend more than you can afford to walk away from. I have spent quite a bit of money providing for my wife's future. She has a couple small farms in addition to another small lot suitable for building or resale. I don't expect things to turn to shit but I'll remain a cynic for the rest of my life. My wife will be fine financially if things go pear shaped and I would be able to leave and not look back. I assure you that I wouldn't miss any meals.

[nidnoyham 30]

Well Gary, with my oppinion and your advice, perhaps between us, we have given someone food for thought.

It doesn't hurt to accentuate the negative on the odd occasion.

[papillon 695]

Guys who follow the golden rule do NOT become jumpers. The golden rule is to NOT spend more than you can afford to walk away from.

 

Gary, I've seen you say the same thing so many times.

 

MOST guys have to take a chance.

 

Guys that can afford to build a house and walk away from it are not the norm.

 

Whilst I agree it's good advice, it's not an option for most Blokes.

 

If things go pear, their best option is to go take a long walk off a short cliff.

[jacko 8,813]

Gary, I've seen you say the same thing so many times.

 

MOST guys have to take a chance.

 

Guys that can afford to build a house and walk away from it are not the norm.

 

Whilst I agree it's good advice, it's not an option for most Blokes.

 

If things go pear, their best option is to go take a long walk off a short cliff.

Hmm, I think I will go along with Gary's advice on this one. Yours is a bit final. Edited August 25, 2007 by jacko

[Gary 4,119]

Gary, I've seen you say the same thing so many times.

 

MOST guys have to take a chance.

 

Guys that can afford to build a house and walk away from it are not the norm.

 

Whilst I agree it's good advice, it's not an option for most Blokes.

 

If things go pear, their best option is to go take a long walk off a short cliff.

 

I say the same thing MANY times because I think it is important. I AM a cynic and will always be a cynic. I didn't build a 3 million baht house because I couldn't afford to walk away from that. Guys who build those huge expensive mansions are crazy. That just invites her family members to move in BECAUSE they have a big house. When the old farang dies or gets thrown out that mansion becomes a millstone around her neck. She can't keep it up and she can't sell it because there is no market in the boonies for expensive houses. Over the past few years I have bought land for my wife. She can make a living off that land after I am dead or just gone.

[nidnoyham 30]

I have bought 8 rai of land for the GF to make some money from too. Her sister sowed the first rice crop 2 days ago, only for heavy rain to wash it all down the drainage ditches.

 

Si told her to watch the T.V for the bloody weather forcast next time- 2500bht wasted.

 

I was looking foreward to being a farmer too !

 

Now Gary what is the best return on crop you have had ? Mangoes- Lemons- Gunja ?

Edited August 25, 2007 by nidnoyham

[Gary 4,119]

I have bought 8 rai of land for the GF to make some money from too. Her sister sowed the first rice crop 2 days ago, only for heavy rain to wash it all down the drainage ditches.

 

Si told her to watch the T.V for the bloody weather forcast next time- 2500bht wasted.

 

I was looking foreward to being a farmer too !

 

Now Gary what is the best return on crop you have had ? Mangoes- Lemons- Gunja ?

 

 

We probably have more than a hundred fruit trees of several different kinds. This year the lumyai were good. The selling price was 5 baht per kilo. Not worth picking. LOL! We normally give the fruit away. This year the wife is taking care of the somoh trees and if she gets a decent crop she CAN sell them. The staple crop is rice and you sure won't get rich on that either.

 

Ganja is a good crop but the police are getting pretty good at spotting it. The neighbor had a few plants growing and one day he told his wife he was going to the farm. She wanted to know what time he was coming home and he told her that he was sleeping there. Late that afternoon the police came and took his wife to jail. LOL! He knew or suspected something.

 

We have rice, peanuts. soybeans and corn planted along with a lot of different kinds of vegetables. My brother in law and my wife pretty much take care of the farming. I play with the tractor from time to time but would hate for anyone to expect me to actually work. I'm retired.

[nidnoyham 30]

Did you ever get those big tomatoes to grow ? My GF desperately wants to find a way of growing apples in LOS. All that fruit and she still wants apples !

[Gary 4,119]

Did you ever get those big tomatoes to grow ? My GF desperately wants to find a way of growing apples in LOS. All that fruit and she still wants apples !

 

I don't know what the deal is with tomatoes. I have tried every combination I could think of. The plants grow great, blossom and fruit. When the fruit is about marble sized the plant just withers and dies. I guess that is why the tomatoes we get here are the tasteless rubber ball variety. I still have five different varieties of seeds from the US. If I ever get really ambitious, I will research hydroponic and give that a try. I DO miss big juicy tomatoes. One good thing is that cherry tomatoes do quite well here and taste great.

 

The apples around here come down from China. Once in a while I buy a box of them. They are very tasty big apples and cost 650 baht for a 20 kilo box.

[nidnoyham 30]

Try adjusting the feed from a high N content to a high K when fruits form. have just re- read that the green plant dies back- hmmm. It must be the Tom's need a few hours of coolness, to keep them doing what they do to stay healthy- no answer to that, apart from moving a few hundred miles north.

 

Well if you do go buying Hydro' gear, the BIB might be popping in to see how you are getting on.

 

Our rice didn't all wash away, the little blighters hung in there and are a few inches high- exiting isn't it ?

Edited August 31, 2007 by nidnoyham