Hi All,

I just wanted to take a moment to bring you all up to date on our home building project.

I am happy to report that all is still going along very smoothe. The builder we have continues to impress me with his abilites and this has translated out to the construction of our home. They have now completed nearly all the walls (inside & out) and are assembling the steel roof supports.

The builder has framed out (in concrete) all the window openings and we are now in the process of ordering windows. We will be using Windsor Windows which are vinyl frames with internal steel reinforcement. It makes a very nice strurdy window which is maintenance free. The glass will be a combination of single pane tinted and double pane insulated (with an air gap between the panes) depending on the location.

He has also finalized the design of the pool and laid it out on the ground for us to see. We are also going to be looking at the typoe of A/C to be used in the house with the choices being the standard single compressor per room and a central system using ducts.

We continue to interact with the design engineer who has monitored construction to make sure all is going well.

Please give me a call at 04 955-9860 if you would like to take a look at the building site and meet the builder.

I'll continue to update you all on this project because I wanted everyone to know that there is at least one competent, reliable and very talented builder here in Udon Thani.

Regards
Mike

You are very lucky Mike.Most of the farang who i know who are disappointed with the result of a building project had some family involved somewhere.Every Thai wife has one relative who says he can build a house.He might only be a plumber but would lose face to say he could not put up a house.Also with such big extended families there is always a black sheep who can run the budget way over what it should be.

Businessman you are absolutely correct re: having family members build the house. I also had offers from relatives but managed to sidestep them all with the help of my wife. I think the 30 years she spent in the US had much to do with how this project is going.

However, in all sincerity I would absolutely have no reluctance whatsoever in recommending this builder to anyone looking to build a quality house.

Regards
Mike

Not sure if you have had other quotes, but how does his prices compare to the competition?

Good luck with the completion of the project

Bangkok Butcher I'm not able to answer your question because I did not attempt to get bids from anyone else. I located him through the recommendations of the engineer at Home Mart who did the design work for us. His price seems fair to us. We have built the house in stages with each stage being covered under a seperate contract. This seems to work best for all concerned. The builder handles the purchase and safeguarding of the building materials. However, we made it clear at the outset what type/quality of building materials we expected him to use. He has not deviated from this plan at all during the construction. When a mistake is discovered it is corrected without a fuss.

I have a fair amount of building experience behind me and what I see I like.

Regards
Mike

I will say this about Mike's building. I have had several houses constructed in the US. On all but the last I bid them out and basically took the least one of price with quality materials. Seems like it was always some hassel happening.

My sister and brother in law, who live in another state told me on the last house I built to find a builder whom I think will do a good job and just let him build it. Tell him you are bidding it out but don't. Very siimilar to Mike I had great success. The thought of just going by price is full of potholes. By the wya sister is in real estate and B-in-Law is builder to way to far away.

If I have to build anothe house I will use Mike's way and just find a builder I can work with. Basically if ( and I really doubt it on my last house) it cost a bit more I will survive.

That's fair comment mike, just glad it's going well for you

I guess what I am trying to say is that you have to determine just what kind, size and quality house you want. Then you have to find a builder who you feel comfortable with and put the project in his/her hands. We have done this successfully in the US and it appears to be working here as well. The big caveat to all of this is you the owner have to be ACTIVELY involved with the construction. This means visiting the work site every day sometimes twice a day. Get to know the foreman and workers. Don't be afraid to offer to buy them lunch/dinner/beer etc. It is a small price to pay for a great return. These workers make very little money so anything you do to help them out is greatly appreciated. The other day I spent 50 baht buying gloves for the female workers - they were thrilled.

We told the builder early on that we wanted to use insulated glass windows in this house because it is large with a number of big windows. The builder obtained a sample from the Thai-German Glass factory in Bangkok which turned out to be a much heavier product (suitable for a large building) than we invisioned along with some laminated glass (totally incorrect). We asked him to go back and locate something insulated glass (with an air gap between the two panes) more suitable for a house. The next day he came back to us with the product we were looking for. If we had not been actively involved with the project I'm not sure what would have been utilized.

My wife and I climb all around the building checking to make sure the work is being done correctly. So far the mistakes have been few and mostly minor. All were corrected without any hesitation once we pointed them out.

Regards
Mike

You are so right Mike. Exactly what I did. You would you be surprised what a bucket of fried chicken does to workers egos and efforts when it shows up on site about once a week.

So little money and so big return.

I always treat the labourers on site to lao khao and bottles of Red Bull at the END of the day as they sit down before going home.

businessman wrote:I always treat the labourers on site to lao khao and bottles of Red Bull at the END of the day as they sit down before going home.

Marcus,
We did the same when we build the "village" house five years ago. They also expect feeding as well.

Tony

Mike is right.It only takes a few Bahts worth of food and drink to ensure the work on the home is of a good standard.You cannot watch everthing and an unhappy worker will cut corners.

I don't know who your builder is; but I have a house going up, and so far very happy with the work.

I am fortunate that my brother in law is qualified as a Structural Engineer, although thats not what he does for a living now. So I get him on site most days.. and made very sure the builder knows. But he seems very competent anyway. Oh and feed the workers beer and food, or soft drinks for the ladies that prefer it, at least once a week..

I cannot believe thats 2 good builders in Udon! I really struggled to find one that seemed competent, at least to my limited experience in this area.

John, any chance of a few more details about your place?? And pics would be nice... Thanks.. Bob

BobHelm wrote:John, any chance of a few more details about your place?? And pics would be nice... Thanks.. Bob

Yes, its a 3 bedroom with an upstair study, 3 bath place, just outside the ring road. It's on about a rai of land in a small village. Fortunately it is close enough to get water (and I've monitered that thread very closely and I can do a well if I need to), power and communications. Maybe 10 - 15 minutes to Udon centre after you have dodged the manic drivers and Somlaw (sp?), but with a bit of rural peace! And no dogs or crowing roosters (unlike the current rental place in Romyen 3 )

Can I put pics here? ..or on a post ..and anyway I am not sure it's of general interest. PM me with an email address if you want some.

John