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Home » Reader question » Can I build my own house in Thailand?
Can I build my own house in Thailand?
Dear readers,
I am a bricklayer and tiler. If I live in Thailand, can I build and tile my house myself? I know it's not wise with the temperature there and the hourly wage. But is it allowed?
Thanks in advance for all the answers.
Regards,
Henk
Editors: Do you have a question for the readers of Thailandblog? Use it contact form..
Officially, you are not allowed to do anything unless you have a work permit.
Not even if it concerns your own home, what you do / dare to do with it is entirely up to you.
Given what you already indicate hourly wage Thai and warm temperature, I would consider only managing the work, make sure you have good professionals because that can sometimes be disappointing.
Succes
Moderator: Reader questions must go through the editors.
I would check with immigration.
Probably every immigration service will have its own opinion on this.
And let's face it, cleaning the house or mowing the lawn is theoretically also work that can be done by a Thai.
That should not be the case.
It's not okay Hank.
But as a professional you can take out the professionals.
And if you are not yet satisfied with their craftsmanship, you can show (read: teach) how they should work in your opinion.
Try not to be the slave driver, but a co-client, then you will get a lot done.
But keep watch for envious eyes.
Building from scratch, Henk, is taking income from the Thai workers and that will cause problems, regardless of whether it is allowed or not. I don't read whether or not you have a work permit and for what.
Also, given the temperature and the low labor costs, do the work 'indoors'
yourself and leave the outside work to Thai people. In your neighborhood there must be a 'naai chaang' who has a plow. Keep an eye on them every day! Be on top of it because no matter how good, it can go completely wrong.
Your profession they happen to be fast and good at often.
Although sometimes something is wrong.
So no, [list 2 and 3]
Depending on your location, there are plenty who have done it fully or partially cooperate and think.
As soon as you make them breadless, you're wrong, of course.
Link
https://bit.ly/3b2LuGv
Moderator: Very generalizing and insulting. We don't post.
very short answer, NO and you can't even get a workpermit for that, this is one of the professions reserved for Thai…
I see that many people answer Henk's question with no, but in the link that William gave, I think it talks about practicing professions (gathering an income), not about developing activities.
If it were the case that a foreigner without a work permit who (as a hobby) develops an activity on those lists would be in violation, for example, that foreigner would never be allowed to drive a motor vehicle at all, cut his/her own hair, give a massage, or do other non-profit activities listed on the lists.
So in my opinion those lists are about making money with the activities mentioned, not about saving money or getting a better result by doing something (bricklaying, tiling) yourself.
For a foreigner to have a work permit to volunteer is, I think, to close the legal loophole that a foreigner works for an employer under the guise of volunteering and receives a full wage as volunteer compensation.
@Kees 2
I would like to see the court decision (preferably in English) of the lawsuit against the foreigner who built a wooden boat as a hobby. Or was that man intimidated by threats?
Other court rulings on this subject are also welcome.
I remember that François and Mieke built their (small) adobe house themselves, according to them, with great interest from the local population, and as far as I know they didn't get into any legal problems with it. Mixing mud and straw and smearing it against stacked bags of rice husks is also something Thai can do.
https://www.thailandblog.nl/lezers-inzending/huisjes-kijken-van-lezers-10/
The volunteer work also needs work visas because you need to be screened for where you will be volunteering. If you have to deal with children you must have a certificate of good conduct and such.
Building the boat may have something to do with where they did it. If they have made many people jealous, or caused a lot of nuisance, then that can of course happen.
Well there can be many reasons that can throw a spanner in the works. Often you only hear the stories for 50% and that from one hand. Difficult to judge.
regards
Stephen.
I would advise everyone to come and work in Thailand as a volunteer.
How simple can it be.
Success with it…
Maybe the first paragraph wasn't clear enough for you Ronny.
By “to close the legal loophole…” I meant closing the loophole on paid work by calling it volunteer work.
By also making a work permit mandatory for volunteer work, the authorities can check with an application whether it really concerns volunteer work with at most a small expense allowance.
No, it was not clear to me.
Those certain volunteers also get paid those expenses in Thailand. Not the actual wage.
Volunteering is also limited.
For example, you will not obtain a work permit as a bricklayer to work as a volunteer for a contractor.
On the other hand, you could possibly get that if you would work as a voluntary bricklayer for an NGO that would build a school, for example.
That is indeed what I thought I explained dear Ronny.
“to [prevent] a foreigner working for an employer under the guise of volunteering and receiving a full wage as volunteer compensation.”
My conclusion is therefore that there is no legal obstacle whatsoever for Henk to build his own house. It is of course wise to keep the neighbors on friendly terms.
I wouldn't be too quick to conclude whether or not it's a legal impediment.
Because a house has been or will be built that can generate money in the event of a sale. And since you make something that can generate money, you will need a work permit for that.
Whether that house was built with the intention of selling it later or not does not matter in itself.
With such accusations one will surely get rid of if anyone there is resentful.
But on the other hand, it is also possible that no one falls over and you can go about your business. All depends on the location where it will take place and how the community feels about you.
You may get unsolicited help with things you can't do alone.
Buitenlander made, purely as hoppby, a wooden boat.
Was seen as working–>heavily in trouble.
Small jobs around the house are no problem, building a house is something else!
The answer is no. But of course it is possible. It depends a bit on whether it's in the city or outside, whether there are people who can possibly report you or whether you work indoors or outdoors. We bought land outside the city with no neighbors and far from the road. Not a cock crows at it. So you can go ahead. But if you build something in a busy street in the city, there is more control and there are more people who pay attention to whether wrong things happen. For example, someone can indicate that you are working. As a rule, you have to find the golden mean and everything will be fine. You shouldn't be difficult about the temperature because if you can't handle it, you don't fit in Thailand. However, if you are not used to it here in Thailand, I would first rent for a year to see the cat out of the tree. If you happen to be building with a family who already has land and you are going to build and pay for a house, you don't know if it will all last when it's done! I've seen many leave after funding everything! The fact that you ask these questions is proof that you don't know enough about Thailand to invest! Anyway, wish you success in your business!
Goodbye
Stephan
In that link people talk about work with income and the exceptions to this in connection with knowledge transfer or the lack of it among the Thai.
In the case of Henk's question, people will surely laugh if he applies for a work permit with the excuse that he wants to build his own house and refuses it.
For the rest, almost every resident of Thailand knows that the 'grey zone' with doing things yourself is quite large.
Although building your own house is just a step too far, I suspect, but not if you live in the 'bush' and it does not deprive a person of his livelihood.
There have been quite a few examples over the years.
Make sure you have family and friends around you as help and especially don't act like the performer.
Many Thais can't stand it, by the way.
Officially, the answer is therefore 99.99% no
Exactly, William, just like in Holland we can of course go a bit too far with rules that fall into a kind of gray area.
Otherwise you would not even be allowed to clean your own car or maintain your garden yourself.
But I would first inquire whether it is all possible, especially since a resentful traitor never sleeps..
Much wisdom and success.
Correct Ralph,
The smiling 'neighbor' is regularly the snag.
That is why I usually play the benjamin or the contractor when renovating the building.
Maintenance such as painting, gardening, etc. may be called a hobby.
Just saw that the link I posted earlier has been further elaborated by RonnyLatYa, who also cites the point spitefully.
There is a list of professions that are only reserved for Thai people, but there is also a list of professions that can also be practiced by a foreigner under certain conditions.
For obtaining a work permit, it does not in itself matter whether that is paid work or not. Just think about volunteering. Do you normally need a work permit?
(Although I thought volunteering facilitations are on the way with certain visas or may already be in effect.)
But it doesn't just depend on that list. The visa can also determine whether a work permit can be obtained with it, even if that profession is on the list for which it could be done.
Someone who stays here as a tourist or Retired cannot obtain a work permit in this way.
Can you build your own house?
No, I don't think so.
There is officially a possibility, but then the contractor must cooperate as you can choose in the link.
https://thailand.acclime.com/guides/restricted-jobs/
List 3: Exceptions for skilled or semi-skilled workers
Prohibited occupations for foreigners with an exception that foreign workers are allowed to do skilled or semi-skilled work when working for an employer include:
.....
Bricklaying, carpentry or construction works
...
You could obtain a work permit for that and if that contractor wants to hire you of course. And that is something else because it also costs him money, but maybe something can be agreed on in that area.
Are you going to start yourself without looking at anything…. You can take that risk, but I would still be careful.
If contractors see that you are going to build your own house, they may regard this as a possible loss of income and may report you. Their defense will then mainly be that their company may be missing out on revenue and also their staff.
A lot also depends on where you are going to build it, of course. If you know some important people there, it won't be too bad and they can fend off such charges, but it might also cost you something.
But there is also a misunderstanding that you should not work in Thailand at all.
That's not true either. Regular maintenance of your home, gardening, etc. is not included. You will not be deported from Thailand because you are painting, mowing the grass, shaving the hedge or growing vegetables, etc…
Usually this is also used by some to avoid such chores and "you are not allowed to work in Thailand as a foreigner" is a perfect excuse for that of course 😉
Plenty of foreigners work in Thailand, at least what is work?
Kees 2 indicates boat building, problems.
Terra cotta house that I have seen pass by here, is purely made by the Dutch themselves.
If you go to the toilet for message no. 2, you are at work. 😉
I once asked Siam legal the definition of work. Of course never got an answer.
So it is a free interpretation of the Thai, if they want to be difficult, they will, otherwise they may leave you. A complaining Thai can be enough for trouble.
Should ever run into a Canadian in CM. His girlfriend wanted the flat screen moved. He said, I can't do that because then I'll work and I might lose my retirement visa.
I don't know if he meant it or was just plain lazy.
The fact remains that it depends on the Thai around you.
I can give you some good advice if you want to build a house.
I'm having a house built at the moment and you "must" be there as much as possible, because it can just happen that the Thai construction worker is more quickly and differently satisfied with the result than you.
Ask the contractor if he can show you some of the houses he has built.
Ask the pujai job if he knows a reliable contractor with good workers.
Not always a guarantee, but still worth asking.
Pay per job, you work in phases.
There are contractors who are already starting the next phase while the first phase has not yet been completed.
People often want a down payment for that.
I do the painting myself, because I have seen many times how not to do it.
I'm going to live in the countryside so I won't have much trouble with snoopers.
I can imagine that tiling can also be done yourself, which you don't know, which doesn't hurt.