A house for the Mrs

[sabang]

I can't help but notice that Cupid has been very busy with several of the Revealed crew recently- congratulations to all the Hitched, and I wish you the same happiness that Mrs sabang and I enjoy together. :roses:

Now, not wishing to rush you or anything, but at some stage you might just be thinking of putting up that special love nest for Mrs and yourself out there in the country- where she originates from. :pussywhipped:

Mrs sabang comes from a village 30km from Ubon Ratchathani, and we've just returned from visiting our newly completed country retreat up there. I have to say, we're delighted with the results.

Don't believe all those nightmare scenario's you hear- if you organise things right, and up front, you can get the job done on time, and on budget. In our case, the job was started on the 11th of March and completed on the 11th of May- not on time, but in fact almost one month early. Here's the finished product-

http://teakdoor.com/Gallery/albums/userpics/10494/normal_S6300847.JPG

Two bedrooms (could've been three but we wanted more living space), 2 bathrooms, A western kitchen and Thai kitchen & laundry on the back Porch. Total cost 900K Bht.

We could've spent a bit less.
http://teakdoor.com/Gallery/albums/userpics/10494/normal_S6300853.JPG

We could have spent a whole lot more.
http://teakdoor.com/Gallery/albums/userpics/10494/normal_S6300860.JPG

This expat mansion is going up a few kilometers away. It's gonna have a swimming pool, a fishing pond :MyEmoticons-com__fi and a sala on an island in the fishing pond. Cost so far- 5.7mm bht and counting. LDOP? Maybe- but the guys from London, you can pay more for a parking space there. :26_8_11:

[sabang]

So heres how we did it, and some more photoes. I would say theres two important things to getting the process right-

1- Get the right builder. Look around, don't sign one of those vague contracts that just stipulate a labour cost plus you pay for the materials- they always run over budget. Get the price stipulated up front, and pay for it in stages according to progress (not time).

2- Supply firm plans, stipulating everything down to where light switches will be located. I stole ours off the Internet :batman:, and made a few adjustments here and there to suit ourselves. Thailand does not reward uncertainty, rural Thailand even less so. :custardpie:

Heres a proud mother in law in the new Isaan patio/laundry/kitchen. A new washing machine has gone in since.

http://teakdoor.com/Gallery/albums/userpics/10494/normal_S6300842.JPG

She will live there, we will visit regularly- we're even thinking over moving up there one day. I love it up there actually- Pattaya it ain't, but theres falang pubs in Ubon, a handful of local falangs who drink at the village shop, and western style supermarkets on the Ubon Ring Rd.

Getting the right builder took a while- we spoke to five potential builders. Two from Ubon- one not interested, the other one would have cost 1.5-2 mm bht for the same job. Two from the village (monkeys). One quoted 3.4mm for the job originally, then came down to 2.5mm- I reckon he knew there was a farang involved :rolleyes1:. The other one quoted 350k for labour, plus we pay for all materials. When asked what that might be, he didn't know but said it was 'usually about twice the labour cost'. Yeh, right. :haha:

The succesful bidders were a husband and wife team from Khon Kaen, recommended by a friend. These guys were sharp- they have their own work force, have done falang houses before (we didn't let them know there was a falang involved til later though), and they just plain sounded more competent and proactive than the rest. We could've had the 'basic model' house done for 800K, but elected to pay a bit more for a few extras- well worth it imo.

http://teakdoor.com/Gallery/albums/userpics/10494/normal_S6300837.JPG

OK, so Buckingham Palace it ain't- but it's well big enough for us. A whole lot bigger actually than some of those dogboxes I used to pay outrageous rents for in HK.

[sabang]

The contract itself went as follows-

1- 200K on signing of contract

2- 200K when earth works, foundation and structural poles done. This happened so quick (2 weeks), I sent mrs up there for a look see. :rubhands:

http://teakdoor.com/Gallery/albums/userpics/10494/normal_S6300663.JPG

3- 200K when the roof structure (but not the tiling) was completed. Only 12 days later.

4- 200K when the walls & roof on, house painted and tiling being done. I went up to take a look at things at this stage.

http://teakdoor.com/Gallery/albums/userpics/10494/normal_S6300815.JPG

http://teakdoor.com/Gallery/albums/userpics/10494/normal_S6300812.JPG

5- Final 100K when job completed & inspected to our satisfaction. two months, pretty much to the day. :supporter3:

The guys were good- we were well satisfied with their work. Incidentally, if any of you go through a similar excercise in Isaan, I'd be happy to give you their contact details. Just PM me. You'll need your Tilaac though- the only English they know is "hello, how are you".

[old crust]

Great post. The house looks good. Did your wife already own the land or did you have to buy that as well?

[sabang]

Some more shots of our new rural love nest. We're well satisfied, and I reckon it goes to show that if you take the time and organise it right, theres no reason you can't get a good result here in Thailand.

http://teakdoor.com/Gallery/albums/userpics/10494/normal_S6300835.JPG

http://teakdoor.com/Gallery/albums/userpics/10494/normal_S6300838.JPG

http://teakdoor.com/Gallery/albums/userpics/10494/normal_S6300839.JPG

http://teakdoor.com/Gallery/albums/userpics/10494/normal_S6300840.JPG

http://teakdoor.com/Gallery/albums/userpics/10494/normal_S6300841.JPG

http://teakdoor.com/Gallery/albums/userpics/10494/normal_S6300845.JPG

http://teakdoor.com/Gallery/albums/userpics/10494/S6300831.JPG

H'mm, well it ain't quite ready to feature in 'Beautiful Homes and Gardens' but we'll get there. :dance:

[sabang]

Great post. The house looks good. Did your wife already own the land or did you have to buy that as well?

Thanks crusty- Mother in Law owns the land, all 13 rai of it. The house is in wifes name though. Land is cheap out there- the cost of raising the earth about three feet to 'flood proof' the house is probably about equal to what the land would cost- the clearing is about 2.5 rai, planted with sweet potatoes, and we want to keep the forest virgin.

I'm thinking of buying another 15 rai, and an old shack with it (see photo in my post #1) to basically have family control of the land in our little Hamlet. The old geezer wants 600K, I reckon I'll try him on 450K, maybe up to 500K bht.

Some shots of the area, for good measure-

http://teakdoor.com/Gallery/albums/userpics/10494/normal_S6300848.JPG

http://teakdoor.com/Gallery/albums/userpics/10494/normal_S6300859.JPG

http://teakdoor.com/Gallery/albums/userpics/10494/normal_S6300719.JPG

http://teakdoor.com/Gallery/albums/userpics/10494/normal_S6300697.JPG

Thems the neighbours.

[mack]

The trees and green vegetation all around the house makes it a great-looking setting sabang. Your house looks outstanding, you got a lot for your money! Thanks for posting the pictures. :cheers:

Looks like a fishing pond is close...:boat:

[sabang]

^ Might just do that mack. If we do move up there, I'm thinking of having a one bedroom place built on an island in a fishing pond, so I can be left alone in peace on the internet, or watch falang movies (and porn), fish off the verandah and so on.

[Figjam]

Do we have a "Fishermans Bar" nearby mate?:sailor:

[sabang]

Plenty of cold Leo, Yaa Dong and lots of fishy tales Fig.

[bouncer]

looks great sabang nice picks and it seems like a place you can relax and reload batterys.

[Dunghie]

Very informative post sabang. Even got the Aussie verandah!!
Look forward to seeing a few garden pics.

Thanks:thumbup1:

[Fork Handles]

Great work Banger. I really like the issan style...open space, low maintenance, plenty of ventilation.

I was waiting to see the pic of the 'Thai kitchen".....thought it might have been a gas ring on a bench!:party2:

[tom]

Thanks for posting that, Sabang. A good read and very informative.

[sabang]

Thanks all- Pic's will be back on soon, they've had a bluddy database crash at my pic hosting service. :tiphat2:

[Bilbobaggins]

I wondered what had happened!

[sabang]

Back on now lads.

[roamer]

Looks Lovely.:thumbsup:
Thanks sabang.
Incredible comparison to
rip-off/rat race UK.

[mack]

looks great, and fine value for under £14,000 in real money.

...yes, or $28,000 in U.S. dollars. It's amazing how much you got for the amount of money you spent sabang. :cheers:

[tom]

sabang,

How did you go about piping in utilities (water,electric, phone)? Were they major issues or did you already have feeds in place?

Tom

[sabang]

No phone Tom- we just use mobiles there.
Electricity- no problem, the line to the village runs close by.

Water- we tried a well, but after 3 test holes were dug with no success, gave up. They had to run a line just over half a kilometer as the local hamlet gets by on wells. It did not cost much actually. We use a combination of that (muddy in rainy season) and rainwater.

[Bilbobaggins]

Great post and great pics Sabang, hats off to you and your lady, looks great, and even more so at that price :thumbsup:

[mack]

Great post and great pics Sabang, hats off to you and your lady, looks great, and even more so at that price :thumbsup:

Quit kissing up Bilbo :upyours: you can't crash at sabang's place.

[bouncer]

horrible way to impose on good guys that but bilbo lost his manners a long time ago

[mack]

You might want to check out the cost of building a moat also sabang. It could keep the P-R freeloaders at bay... :boat: :canadian:

[Fork Handles]

just thought you blokes might like to see the place Figgy built for Tesco....

[Fork Handles]

Here is the place Bazzap built for his missus....around the time we first got electricity down unda.:wheelchair:

You can see where she parks the family Cessna after doing the shopping.:kisss:

[Fork Handles]

Whilst Miss Pun and Miss Rose are very excited about the connecting condos the :bag:man has promised them when they come to Abboland.:MyEmoticons-com__fi

[Fork Handles]

You might want to check out the cost of building a moat also sabang. It could keep the P-R freeloaders at bay... :boat: :canadian:

Or a big fence.

You could call it ''Adrians Wall".


:lol: :lol: :lol: :bahumbug:

[Figjam]

Your backyard looks good after the landscapers finished :victory:

[Fork Handles]

Yeh, I've got loom to swing a cat now.....




...why don't you bring Bobby over? :catplay:

[mack]

Here is the place Bazzap built for his missus....around the time we first got electricity down unda.:wheelchair:

You can see where she parks the family Cessna after doing the shopping.:kisss:

Look at the difference when you compare that house with the one Bazzap had built for The Babysitter up in her village...the one made outta gold...

http://img6.travelblog.org/Photos/48145/269189/f/2233431-The-House-made-Of-Gold-0.jpg

[Dunghie]

Hey Kinkakuji, torrenova's weekender in Kyoto. :goldtooth:

Even has a well-guarded pond to keep the balloon chasers out and an island retreat for those in the monkey house. :waltz:

[Mirkwood]

How much you reckon a gaff like that would cost?

That's a bit of me. I know I've only paid 3 payments on a studio in Naklua but now I've got my toe in the water on the property ladder I've got big plans.

[Fork Handles]

We could form a syndicate.....have it for the P-R holiday lodge.:welcome:

[nosehair]

Congratulations sabang:cheers:....yer home looks awesome!

[torrenova]

Nice place mate. Similar to one I know a westerner had built in Buriram which cost him over 2m and he thought a bargain !

What are you going to do about telly ? put in a dish or live with the Thai bollocks ? I suppose you could do internet over the satellite as well but I don't know the costs.

[sabang]

Good Q Andy. I've not even thought about it.

Maybe I'll just put up a pole and bring in a few girls. More reliable, and prolly cheaper. :jack:

[BigBadSi]

congrats Sabang

Tam and I are going to have a look around Uttaradit on our next trip for possible sites,she does have some land which is now hers as her father died,but its on lowland and Uttaradit does suffer heavy amounts of fl;ooding thus being the reason that its a rice plantation.

Ive had a good read thru the thread and its very imformative thanks its a few year down the line but we are in planning

[penetrator]

Nice looking place, my Bird is originally from near Ubon but she says she'd rather have a place up round Chiang Mai way as she doesn't like Isaan. Something to think about for the future.

Just hope your Wifes Brothers dont turn up for an extended stay whilst your away Sabang.

[sabang]

Wife hasn't got a brother pen, but her young cousin who lives in the nearby village seems to have adopted the place. With the blessing of the MIL it seems, so maybe he's givin it old roger, but he's kinda young for that sort of stuff at 14. TIT.

[mack]

congrats Sabang

Tam and I are going to have a look around Uttaradit on our next trip for possible sites,she does have some land which is now hers as her father died,but its on lowland and Uttaradit does suffer heavy amounts of fl;ooding thus being the reason that its a rice plantation.


Smullenpe and I have formed a partnership BadSi, providing quality homes at affordable prices in low-lyng areas throughout Southeast Asia. Smull provides the engineering/architectural expertise while I handle the promotional end. We could set you up in this quality-built home for around 1,000,000 baht (with the P-R discount, of course). Just give it some thought for now my friend, but you'll be hard-pressed to find a home of this quality anywhere else at this price. :cheers:

http://www.terragalleria.com//images/theravada/myan4769.jpeg

[sabang]

Well the house has been up for over six months now, and we went up there recently to see if it had fallen down yet. Amazingly, it hasn't, about the only things that went wrong were two water leaks- one in the second bathroom, one in the Isaan kitchen/Laundry. The builders came back and fixed these themselves, no ploblems. Jeez, we lucked out with those guys.

Looking more like a home now-

http://teakdoor.com/Gallery/albums/userpics/10494/normal_S6301291.JPG

http://teakdoor.com/Gallery/albums/userpics/10494/normal_S6301289.JPG

http://teakdoor.com/Gallery/albums/userpics/10494/normal_S6301292.JPG

This critter seems happy enough- we get some weird insects here, right next to the jungle. He's easily a foot long-

http://teakdoor.com/Gallery/albums/userpics/10494/normal_S6301282.JPG

The dogs are well pleased with the place too.

http://teakdoor.com/Gallery/albums/userpics/10494/normal_S6301345.JPG

Our household taro crop will be harvested in the new year. We'll make a poxy few thousand baht from it, and no doubt be eating taro for brekkie, dinner & tea for a while.

http://teakdoor.com/Gallery/albums/userpics/10494/normal_S6301285.JPG

[sabang]

We're moving to Ubon mid/late February- we can rent our place here for a tidy packet, and if the first couple of months living there doesn't drive me totally bonkers, we'll put a fishing pond, sala and carport up too.
Lets look at the exciting life of a village yokel. Heres the local KFC-

http://teakdoor.com/Gallery/albums/userpics/10494/normal_S6301283.JPG

The nearest town is ThaMuang. The edge of town-

http://teakdoor.com/Gallery/albums/userpics/10494/normal_S6301319.JPG

Mrs Santa here runs the main village shop- she's a lovely lady, and delights in giving me some weird food to try every time I drink there. It sure ain't the Ritz though.

http://teakdoor.com/Gallery/albums/userpics/10494/normal_S6301329.JPG

http://teakdoor.com/Gallery/albums/userpics/10494/normal_S6301301.JPG

Our nearest farang neighbour, 2.5km. He works in Singapore- yet to meet, but we're in contact.

http://teakdoor.com/Gallery/albums/userpics/10494/normal_S6301302.JPG

http://teakdoor.com/Gallery/albums/userpics/10494/normal_S6301343.JPG

This pleasant lake is about 5km away- I'll definitely try a spot of fishing here-

http://teakdoor.com/Gallery/albums/userpics/10494/normal_S6300858.JPG

Some of the locals grow their own tobaccy-

http://teakdoor.com/Gallery/albums/userpics/10494/normal_S6300660.JPG

Some apparently cultivate another weed too. Plenty of water buffaloes around, but these days they are just kept for status- and their dung is used for fertiliser-

http://teakdoor.com/Gallery/albums/userpics/10494/normal_S6300696.JPG

Meet the Meat-

http://teakdoor.com/Gallery/albums/userpics/10494/normal_S6300687.JPG

[sabang]

There are two market days per week, and round here this is the time to see and be seen. The market sort of sprawls in and around the Wat.

http://teakdoor.com/Gallery/albums/userpics/10494/normal_S6301320.JPG

http://teakdoor.com/Gallery/albums/userpics/10494/normal_S6301321.JPG

The local pork butcher- the fine art of butchery is done with a chainsaw and a machete around here, judging by the cuts of meat. mrs knows how to pick the decent cuts though- to the locals fat, skin, meat, gristle whatever, they don't care- it's all the same to them.

http://teakdoor.com/Gallery/albums/userpics/10494/normal_S6301322.JPG

Isaan pork sausages are nice- better than the pale imtitations we get around here. 3 for 10 bht.

http://teakdoor.com/Gallery/albums/userpics/10494/normal_S6301323~0.JPG

http://teakdoor.com/Gallery/albums/userpics/10494/normal_S6301324.JPG

Everything you need is to be found here. Isaan is said to be the poorest region of Thailand, but here in Ubon the locals eat pretty well- prolly better than us really, if freshness and nutrition are your parameters. Most things you eat are raised, grown, fished, hunted or foraged locally.

http://teakdoor.com/Gallery/albums/userpics/10494/normal_S6301327.JPG

No doubt lifes tougher in the drier parts of Isaan though.

http://teakdoor.com/Gallery/albums/userpics/10494/normal_S6301328.JPG

http://teakdoor.com/Gallery/albums/userpics/10494/normal_S6301330.JPG

http://teakdoor.com/Gallery/albums/userpics/10494/normal_S6301333.JPG

Second hand clothes from Korea. And if you don't have wellies round here in rainy season, you should probably buy a boat.

http://teakdoor.com/Gallery/albums/userpics/10494/normal_S6301334.JPG

http://teakdoor.com/Gallery/albums/userpics/10494/normal_S6301332.JPG

http://teakdoor.com/Gallery/albums/userpics/10494/normal_S6301338.JPG

[yusamile]

Good luck in the cuntry Sabang. I like the cuntry wery much. I like the food, i like the people, i like the wide open spaces and travelling down cuntry roads and seeing rice paddys etc. If the internet was available and it was close to the ocean, i would love to give it a shot,....but i do need to get to the ocean for periods of time, else i go all ting tong an shit.:victory:

[sabang]

No ocean within miles of us samiley, but we do have the Mekhong & Mun rivers nearby, & a big reservoir with a beach- good for a swim. Internet, theres a CDMA tower not far- apparently theres a pretty good chance I can connect through there which should be OK- faster than dial up, but not as good as ADSL. Otherwise it's Ipstar, which is bluddy expensive & unreliable- but better than nothing.

Yeh, the Isaan people, fresh air and open spaces are great- and Ubon city is 30km, so not too far for the odd night out in the big smoke. I reckon I'll like it up there but if it doesn't work out can always move back to civilisation.

[tommiecoughlin]

Thanks for the photos and text sabang....the house looks great:thumbsup:

Being just outside the jungle....how about yer cobra situation?:detective:...have heard larger poodles are great dogs for quelling the problem of cobras around the house. Been told best to have two poodles and that they root out the bastards like a pair of mongoose.

Looks like a great adventure is in store for you with the move.:cheers: m8.

[sabang]

Heres an Ubon style beach samile-

http://teakdoor.com/Gallery/albums/userpics/10494/normal_S6300974.jpg

http://teakdoor.com/Gallery/albums/userpics/10494/normal_S6300970.jpg

It's on the Siriporn reservoir- quite pleasant to have a meal or just a beer in those rafts too, theres dozens of them. The locals dub the area 'little Pattaya', apparently it parties hearty when the Uni students finish their semester.

This is the Mun River at a place called Phibun-

http://teakdoor.com/Gallery/albums/userpics/10494/normal_S6300963.jpg

http://teakdoor.com/Gallery/albums/userpics/10494/normal_S6300965.jpg

And the Mekhong, at Khong Chiam-

http://teakdoor.com/Gallery/albums/userpics/10494/normal_S6300984.jpg

http://teakdoor.com/Gallery/albums/userpics/10494/normal_S6300996.jpg

Where we go to have some nice big Mekhong shrimp-

http://teakdoor.com/Gallery/albums/userpics/10494/normal_S6300995.jpg

[roamer]

Thanks for the posts sabang.
The house and surroundings look fine.

Looks a fairly peaceful and tranquil life to me.
All the Best with the move.
:cheers:

[mack]

Just caught up with your latest posts and pictures sabang, very interesting and great pictures. Thanks a lot for taking the time. :cheers:

[bouncer]

[QUOTE=mack;132854]Just caught up with your latest posts and pictures sabang, very interesting and great pictures. Thanks a lot for taking the time. :cheers:[/QUOTE




O well if you had been on the board more often you wouldnt miss this kind of waluble posts........................ :birdshit:

[tommiecoughlin]

[QUOTE=mack;132854]Just caught up with your latest posts and pictures sabang, very interesting and great pictures. Thanks a lot for taking the time. :cheers:[/QUOTE




O well if you had been on the board more often you wouldnt miss this kind of waluble posts........................ :birdshit:

yer one of the best pal....have a great vacation with Axel m8:cheers:

[bouncer]

Thanks tommy looking forward to it.

[mossy]

Great looking place Sabang! Nice pond area for some fishing too.