Build Your House in Chiang Mai

Building a house in Chiang Mai is a popular option favoured by quite a few property buyers in this city. Construction and material costs are relatively cheap and there are a number of experienced companies to achieve a quality result with your new Thai home.

Land is quite affordable in Chiang Mai, so many foreigners prefer to acquire land and then build their own house rather than live in a condominium or an existing house that might match their personal needs. The luxury of a garden and space is a very attractive option in Chiang Mai and buying a rai or more will allow for some privacy between them and their neighbours.

However finding a reliable, quality builder is the first major challenge. Companies don’t tend to advertise in the English language media, nor do they have an English speaking representative. In fact their operations are often quite unsophisticated, using basic tools. But they do get the job done at good value for money and the outcome can be very satisfactory. Spending more doesn’t necessary guarantee quality, as many builders have become familiar with charging more when foreigners are involved but are unable to deliver up to expectations.
Finding a good builder for a Chiang Mai house often comes through friends and word of mouth. Architects and designers will also recommend builders, and it is wise to work with a builder and architect who are familiar with each other. But it is always wise to check other examples of their work and to shop around and compare prices before you decide. Construction prices can vary dramatically depending on materials you use, the design and the grade or quality. Basic construction prices for Chiang Mai house building are usually between 10,000 and 15,000 baht per square meter. It’s probably best to aim for the higher end of the scale as quality in Chiang Mai is perceived differently from western standards.

There are a few hazards to be aware of when building a house in Chiang Mai. If you’ve bargained too hard, shortcuts can occur and regular inspection of the work is critical. Many companies favour using cheap Burmese migrant labour, often illegal migrants. The property owner can be liable for the fine, if the builder is caught and there are also moral implications. Another frequent complaint is delays on completion. The initial development often occurs quite fast but the installations take time due to poor co-ordination with sub-contractors.

One of the the biggest problems you will face with local builders is attention to detail, or lack thereof. It’s the smaller details which can suffer, such as wood finishing, spirit level use, and placement of fixtures and fittings which can often be quite shabbily installed without any direction from you, the owner. Post-build clean up will also often be left to you and you’ll be left to remove rubble and leftovers, clean up paint speckles (sheets and taping are seldom used in the paint job), and wipe everything down.

Most of the existing houses in and around Chiang Mai were built with Thai preferences in mind, such as small dark rooms, grand entrances but poor use of space, exterior kitchens and too many bathrooms, so it’s advisable to build something more suited to your own tastes. While the construction costs may be cheap, the headaches and potential loss through mistakes adds a higher risk that many foreigners would rather avoid. Still, if you persist and watch the construction closely, you should be able to end up with a property that has a market value of approximately 20 per cent or more of it’s development cost.

If you have the time, the energy and a good dose of patience, building your own house can certainly be fun and rewarding. You’ll find an abundant supply of materials and fittings available at numerous specialist homewares suppliers throughout the city, with an astonishing range of local and imported tiles, flooring, built in kitchens, bathroom fixtures, lighting, garden accessories and more.

Gardening and landscaping needs are well covered in Chiang Mai too, when you reach the finishing phase of your house-build project. There is a fabulous plant nursery at Khamtien, just off the Super Highway behind Tesco Lotus, as well as with several mature tree markets found alongside highways, and all sorts of tropical garden accessories made and sold at Baan Tawai crafts centre in Hang Dong, south of the city. So it won’t be hard for you to create a beautiful, lush garden environment for your new home.