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Home » Reader question » Reader question: Are these construction costs (wages) realistic?
Dear readers,
I plan to put up a building in my garden 5,5 meters by 3 meters floor space. Yesterday a Thai came by to take a look. Construction would take a month. He went to take a good look at the plan and then agree on a price for the work. The three of them work, he with his wife and son.
I had thought of 30.000 thb for the three of them for a month. I buy materials myself, preferably at Thai Watsadu. There will also be a toilet and shower in fully tiled and preferably a tiled roof.
What do you think of the cost of their labor? Live darkside pattaya.
Thank you for your responses.
Rudy
Hi Rudi,
Usually the formula of between 2000 and 2500 baht per m2 is used.
In your case between 33.000 and 40.000 baht. I think you're a little too low.
Tip: down payment maximum 10 to 15% of the contract price.
Create contract when payment is due. I'm just giving an example of how this can be done.
1/3rd when the foundation and half walls are there.
1/3 when the rest of the walls and roof are ready.
1/3 when everything is ready, etc.
Good luck building your building.
PS; built a house on my own.
It seems like a lot of money if it only concerns building. If it is in Udonthani, it can be complete in 2 weeks and then you have lost 20.000 excluding materials. You have to give them a good meal at lunchtime, you will win time , and don't pay in advance because then they usually fool you and don't come back the next day (cause Law Kaw) Always pay after they've worked and never before. And first take a look at what they've built before, that usually says enough .
We had a house built 27x 7 Meter complete incl materials in Udonthani for 400.000 tb incur costs incl materials.
Janus
Hi Janus,
I myself plan to live in Udan Thani or the region soon.
I want to live in a quiet place where it is quiet.
My girlfriend now lives in Udan Thani and I think it would be nice to live there myself for a large part.
I now live permanently in Mallaga Spain.
I myself have had a construction company in the renovation of window frames for 25 years.
Would you be so kind as to contact me?
Do you have any pictures of what your house will look like after construction?
Am really curious.
Best regards,
Andrew Spiring
[email protected]
slype name : andrepiering
tel: 0031623474409
Dear Janus, we also want to build a house. What material do you use.
And what roof do you have, and where is the place in udonthani.
And would send you a picture of your house.
Gr. rudy.
ls. For private reasons you can not put a PM address here. So if you want to know more about building at a favorable price and high quality, you can email me. Put your email address here and I will email you back
kind regards Janus
as far as I know, the price per square meter is about 10.000 baht maximum (including the materials and labor costs)
Do you mean 1 times 30.000, or 3 times 30.000?
The minimum wage, if I am not out of date, is now 300 Baht per day. (per person)
But in Pattaya, one probably wants more, because life there is expensive.
Self-employed builders also want more than 300 Baht per day.
A month for a building of 5,5 meters by 3 meters seems excessively long, unless it is 10 stories high.
300 baht is the minimum starvation wage….We pay good workers 400 to 500 baht, which is really the minimum to live a decent life. Can you get by in the Netherlands on 800 euros a month? Don't suck people out and pay a decent wage. And respect the people.
Rudy writes: “I had thought of 30.000 thb for the three of them for a month.” That seems clear to me.
You cannot expect experienced construction workers to work for a minimum wage of 300 THB per day. All value for money, right? Would a construction worker work 300THB per day, then you should assume that the quality will be corresponding and therefore not complain afterwards.
I am a former contractor myself. I assume two experienced construction workers with an assistant (upperman). They can complete a structure of these dimensions, including earthworks, foundations, construction and finishing (including water, drainage and electrical pipes and tiling) in three to four weeks. Assuming there is no stagnation. So assume four weeks and a labor wage of 500 THB per day per “man” including profit compensation materials. Then I come to 30.000 THB. So I think it is a very reasonable offer from which quality can be expected.
A lot is said (also on this blog) about the (in my opinion far too) low incomes of the working population in Thailand. Then I think: “let your heart speak”. I wouldn't get out of bed for 300 THB a day.
Husband, wife and son = 3×300 is Baht 900-p/day x 30 is Baht 27000= a month, so Baht 30000- is just normal wages. Since you are not Thai, I understand that for Baht 300- p/day you your bed doesn't get out. A Thai gets out of bed for much less if necessary and then also works 12 hours a day for that.
Dear Theo,
300 THB per working day is the official minimum wage. Too little to live on, too much to die. A month normally has 21,66 (rounded off 22) working days and not 30. For an average month, the minimum wage is therefore THB 6.500. For three employees that is 19.500 THB together and not 27.000 THB.
Many simple, low-skilled workers earn around THB 10.000. Several in-laws work at a chicken farm and earn that too. Construction workers with professional knowledge and experience (we want them, don't we?) don't work for that, and rightly so, let alone experienced independent construction workers. The minimum wage is therefore really not a normal wage.
Even if I were Thai I wouldn't get out of bed for the minimum wage. I would really rent myself for more. But yes, I have also been independent for almost my entire working life and therefore kept my own pants up all that time. I will not be exploited. But should someone do that? We don't live in a slavery age, do we? My slogan is "what you don't want to be done to you, don't do it to someone else." Just because others exploit each other doesn't mean you should do the same.
I've thought about this for a long time and want to warn you about how you're doing now. Wait and see what the costs will be according to them and only then start thinking about whether this is too expensive. Don't give a contractor a finger because before you know it you've lost your whole hand. This applies just as well here in Thailand as in the Netherlands.
I'm not a structural engineer so this is advice from a layman but I know how or if it works. So let him come up with a price and then say yes or no.
Ruud, you can do all of that yourself if you're a bit handy, except for the "pile driving" which still goes into the clay with the "earth auger", you can also do the foundation and formwork yourself or hire someone for that, that's how I would do it do, I don't have a high hat of the Thai working method, all a bit sloppy, it's good quickly, pay attention to that. Good luck R./ Pakkred
If that really has to take a month, ThB30000 is just above minimum wage for 3 people, and not bad.
However, one month for 3*5,5M floor space….
In NL it would take 2 weeks, unless you want everything covered with a handmade mosaic.
Day 1 + 2: Foundation
Day 3 + 4: Drying
Day 5 + 6: Brick walls
Day 7: Masonry Drying
Day 8: Roof on it
Day 9: Laying roof tiles
Day 10: Doors + windows
Day 11: Laying pipes
Day 12: Plaster
Day 13: Tiling
Day 14: Finishing + sanitary.
With such a schedule, all materials must of course be present.
Have done this often enough with 3 men.
In NL we call 3*5.5 with tiled roof a summer house in the backyard, and it is quite common in the coastal towns.
I am waiting for their quote, I am now thinking of 35000 thb and if they do their best they will get a good bonus when the house is finished. They also get good food in the afternoon, my wife is a good cook, and the occasional bottle of beer. I also think that a month is too long for a house of 17 square meters, but we'll see. Thank you for your responses.
Here in Thailand, the roof is installed before the walls are laid. Probably because of the heat and the rain. Because the roof is positioned earlier, the sun does not shine as much on the masonry. And if it were to rain, the cement would not be washed away…
I think the price is fair. 300 bath pp per day is normal.
Can be built in two weeks. But you will not easily succeed in Thailand.
The people want to make some money. Tempo is not that high in the heat.
Stay with it while building. Making good agreements also on paper.
Please note that everything we do not have on paper is extra work and that costs you money.
2 people x 25 days x 350THB/day = 17.500 THB
(helper= cement maker is definitely minimum wage: 300THB/day)
chef: 25 days x 450-500THB/day = 12.500 THB
Total 30.000 THB. I think you're pretty close with your 30.000 THB.
You can play a bit with the mutual amounts.
I think you're on the right track.
Only the number of days remains. Is that right??
Ask for a written open calculation: the various activities with the relevant number of hours.
Hat must be all-in and turn-key, so no hassle about (expensive) additional work later on.
Discuss beforehand if in doubt.
Take control of your own finances. You don't have to buy any material, so it's only about labor.
Pay afterwards per week. Confirm this in the planning/final contract as well.
And if you provide food (lunch) it will be appreciated.
Hi Rudi,
Last year I had very good experiences with a contractor from Pattaya who came to Ubon to build my house with a construction team of 5 people and rented a house for them here. We worked according to the method you describe. We paid an agreed amount per week and bought everything on his instructions,
For a complete house 13 by 20 m excluding verandas, only ground floor living room 3 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms we paid 440000 in wages. No cracks after a year and everything else works properly, including the total LAN internet in all rooms. The work lasted 4 months, demolishing the old house, earthworks and the rest.
Maybe an idea to have a 2nd prize. Call Contractor AE 0876000731 and tell him you have the phone number of the house he built in Ubon last year.
greeting.
For that amount we built a house of 27 × 7 meters with 3 bedrooms and 3 bathrooms and good roofing including all materials that we bought ourselves. And a kitchen and everything well tiled for only 400.000 th baht. Don't be fooled and come and have a look in UdonThani. We don't send pictures, but everyone is welcome and those who know us are full of praise for our self-supotting house construction company.
kind regards Janus
Dear Janus,
I accept your invitation. Next winter I will be back in Thailand. I would like to make an appointment with you. You can reach me at [email protected].
Yours faithfully,
French Nico.
The minimum wage is 300 Baht, and many assume that you don't have to pay a Thai more. Even more, if you pay more than you have been scammed according to them.
Then you sometimes read how sorry people think it is that many Thais only earn 300 Baht a day.
That suddenly changes when they have to pay something themselves, because then the 300 Baht turns out to be more than enough.
You pay for quality and that is not only the case for materials. You also pay for craftsmanship.
Go look at this man's earlier works.
He will come up with a price that includes a negotiating margin.
If it is below the price of what you already had in mind, you have always won.
Otherwise you can still negotiate.
Emptying the can to the bottom to get that last Bath advantage can sometimes work against you during the works.
A good contractor/owner relationship during the works is often worth more than the few Baht profit you made during the negotiations.
I think you shouldn't look so much at the daily price per man.
The quality of the work delivered also counts.
As Alex mentioned earlier, 2000 and 2500 baht per m2 seems like a good reference to me.
Slightly higher than the 30 Baht you had in mind.
Also want to put up a building in rayong how did you get this contractor
Dear Janus,
I would like to visit Udon Tani.
My email is [email protected]
Hans
Would I need a building permit? We went to the municipality and after asking 3 people a woman gave us a paper with which documents we have to give them. Including a plan drawn by an architect. We would then have to wait a month for that building permit. I have asked around and they say it is not necessary, only costs money (plan architect).
Thanks.
Moderator: Your comment is off topic.
rudy,
look on the internet there are those that have all in packages shower everything and cheap.
order and delivered ready to use.
Kind regards Luc