Building a house in Thailand - Interview

Last week I posted a picture of an amazing view out of my friends kitchen. The house in which the photo was taken was recently built by Richard Rhodes. I thought I’d send him some questions regarding building a house in Thailand as hopefully one day I’ll get the opportunity to do the same. He kindly replied with some great answers, so here I present you an interview on building a house in Thailand.

Let’s start by asking about your background: who are you and how did you end up in Chiang Mai?

My name is Richard Rhodes. I used to work for an investment bank in London up until 2.5 years ago. My wife is originally from Thailand so I persuaded her to come and live here following the birth of our two sons. I was struggling on 5 hours sleep a night and the prospect of hired help, sunny winters and a chance to learn a foreign language was all too enticing.

What were your reasons for building a house in the middle of the Chiang Mai jungle?

It is not quite the middle of the Jungle! I have traveled to and seen some of the most scenic places in the world. The plot we built our house on, is one of the most amazing locations I have ever seen. How could I resist!

How did you start the project? Did you have connections with property developers or did you just start researching from scratch?

I knew nothing about property development. However, my wife happened to know one of Thailand’s top architects. He volunteered to design our house as a late wedding present (although he still charged us!). We gave him the concept, he did the rest. We then contacted builders to give us quotes (the “BOQ” process) based on a detailed cost listing provided by the architect. We selected the builder who was most diligent and trustworthy. Not the cheapest.

What good resources have you come across about building a house in Thailand?

To be honest we didn’t use any. Prior to starting, I just heard negative stories about building your own house. We decided to ignore them and trust our own judgment.

How did you go about finding the land?

We used “land agents”. In this case a semi retired Thai couple who go around looking for land. It is rarely advertised in Thailand. They had no idea what we were looking for, so it was hit or miss. We looked at 20 or so plots before finding our dream land. The agents had no clue of the lands merit!

How did you source contractors and building materials?

Our potential contractors were all sourced through word of mouth or by asking owners of quality houses who did their work. Another good source is looking at various home and interior magazines. The contractor is often mentioned. It is very important that you see what work potential contractors have done before committing.

Contractors will source all materials themselves, unless you say otherwise. To ensure you get the quality right, you really need to look at everything yourself before it is purchased. Most builders will charge a mark-up for any materials they buy on your behalf.

Who was the biggest helping hand in the house building project?

My wife! We hired a local architect to oversee the project. He was helpful, but you’ll find that most Thais are just less fussy than foreigners so you really need check everything yourself.

What was the most painful memory?

Two days before we moved in, we were given the final bill. This was substantially more than we had anticipated.

What would have you done differently if you started again?

I would have been more rigorous with the accounting. We had asked the builder to bill us for additional expenses if and when they occurred. This never happened until the project was complete.

How did you find a designer that shared the same vision as you?

As mentioned it was a family friend of my wife. The first design more or less ignored what we had requested. The second time it was almost perfect. Very often designers will try and impose their own ideas. You need to be forceful in making sure they understand what you want.

How did you know what design to go for?

We wanted something that was traditional, would compliment the local landscape and would be practical. This led to a design that shares both colonial and Lanna qualities: Teak wood, thick walls, shutters and plenty of balconies to name but a few.

From the photo’s, it looks like you have invested heavily in good quality Furniture, how did you find? Did you hire an interior designer? If so, how did you find them?

Thanks! Nearly all of our furniture was hand made from teak. We are lucky to be near a village called Banti which is famous for its furniture. It is a rather innocuous place, only known by top hotels and the odd individual. Some of the furniture was designed by us, some we borrowed from designs on the web, and the rest was ready made.

I’m sure with building a house in Thailand, you come across many problems… tell me about some of the problems you faced.

Apart from our accounting nightmare, the whole process was relatively smooth because our builder was so accommodating (I would recommend him to anyone).

However, we struggled to find water and ended up having to drill down to 152 metres!. The biggest headache was quality control. We visited the site every other day for a year. Each time we visited I found a problem (usually to do with quality). This resulted in work having to be re-done.

What top 5 tips would you give to someone building a house in Thailand?

1. Make sure you are either doing it with a Thai partner (wife / husband) or you have a trusted Thai friend. There will always be language problems otherwise.

2. Keep on top of the billing. Insist on signing for any cost that is not in the original quote.

3. Hire a builder based on quality not cost. Always get third party recommendations, particularly from foreigners. Make sure the builder can speak some English.

4. Make sure the land is titled doesn’t prohibit building (there are very few restrictions)

5. Always look for problems and insist on the highest work standards. Even if they are small things that don’t particularly bother you, mention them to the builder. That way they’ll learn to deliver a higher quality build.

Did you experience any Language problems? I know you speak Thai, did this help? Do you think it’s easier if you can speak Thai vs. someone that can’t?

See top tips above

What’s the deal with property taxes in Thailand?

Good question! You have to pay a land tax (which is nominal) but apart from that we haven’t come across any other taxes.

What do you make of the Thai property laws that allow you (a foreigner) to own the house, but not the land on which it is built on?

I understand them. Thais still tend to take a short term view on things. If foreigners owned land out right you would probably open the flood gates to every farmer and his dog selling their land. This would not be good for the long term prospects of the country.

Do you think foreigners should be allowed to freely buy/sell property in Thailand and why?

Personally I would like this to be the case, but I understand why it isn’t. There really is a risk of less educated Thais being exploited by lots of foreign money flooding the market. I for one would create a property fund using money from overseas to invest in choice cuts of land. This would be go for me and my foreign investors, but might break up local communities and not necessarily be positive for Thailand.

Richard will be moving back to the UK later this year and has decided to offer the house up for short term rentals. Check out Lanna Hill House for heaps of information on the house, facilities and stuff to do in the Chiang Mai area.