Why only new developments?

[Mack111]

i seen a wooden boat house for sale up on canal road not so long ago, mind you i guess its for a theme restruant of something like that

[PJG]

I have a older renovated property for sale under 2 mil Baht. PM me for details if anyone interested.

[buksida]

now we know the forum rules about trying to sell property on here.

Back to the developments, my question has been who the hell is buying them all? New developments are going up every week and yet many of them are still selling, albeit a little slower at the moment, I don't see prices coming down at all.

The majority must be holiday homes as the population of HH would be 50% farang by now if they were all here permanently.

[PeteC]

Caller wrote:

Surprised to hear there was a wooden house for sale - that would have interested me!

Over the last year someone has built a very nice wooden house on Soi 14, I imagine they must be Thais and it is beautifully finished. I should think it cost an awful lot to construct but I would do the same if I had the money to spare.

I love them also but there are two basic problems. First, you need to put some paneling on the inside walls to brighten them up. The natural wood on the inside is beautiful but a bit depressing and dark day after day. Without panels or some kind of double wall, also no place to hide wires and plumbing.

Second, I've talked to a few resort owners who use this style for their villas. They say they need to stain/paint every two years to keep the teak wood in shape. So, ongoing maintenance is a factor. Pete

PS: Third maybe, as termites evolve, they may grow bigger teeth that can chew teak...LOL.

[STEVE G]

i seen a wooden boat house for sale up on canal road not so long ago, mind you i guess its for a theme restruant of something like that

Those two boat house things on the canal road were built straight after the Tsunami!

[PeteC]

FYI, if you really like Thai traditional houses. there's a book entitled CLASSIC THAI
Design - Interiors- Architecture

It's distributed in Asia By Berkeley Books, Singapore but you probably can find it on the on-line book stores as well. ISBN 962-593-849-4

Pete

[STEVE G]

I’ll look out for that Pete; I think I’ve seen it for sale at Suvanabumi.

[Jaime]

From what I can deduce, Western 'style' developments are not driven by the influx of Westerners but rather by the aspirations of the Thai middle classes.

One only has to look at some of the larger developments in BKK, built in the so-called 'California-style' which are almost 100% Thai developed and owned to see that.

Many of those in HH seem to be scaled down versions of those type of developments.

Most new houses in rural villages are built from concrete - its cheaper and arguably requires a less skilled work force. Interestingly though, many Thais embellish these houses with moulded concrete or glazed balusters and fluted columns to effect what is known colloquially as the 'Roman Style' - or more usually; 'sa-tye lo-man!' If you have a 'Sa-tye loman' house then you have almost made it!

P.S. - I tried to upload an example of the 'Sa-tye loman' for those who don't know but it seems to have disappeared into the e-ther!

In the meantime, here's a link to a nice web-site:

http://www.thaiworldview.com/house.htm

[PeteC]

I know what you mean Jaime. I see them daily on Channel 7 and 3 soap operas here. They must have a collection of these type houses in Bangkok on contract to do their filming....LOL.

As a side note, isn't it interesting that most Thai soaps show Thai life at a level 90% will never be able to attain? Perhaps it's a government technique to get Thai's to aspire to higher things? Naaaah, just stay where you are and dream about it.

However, maybe once a year we see a good old down home Issan style country soap. Always good stuff. No fluffy houses in those shows. Pete

[redzonerocker]

yes pete , maybe they should be a bit more realistic like the american soaps like dallas & dynasty

[malcolminthemiddle]

Don't forget Eastenders

[STEVE G]

I haven’t a clue to what the style is called, but I see that many new developments are building very boxy looking modern houses. Personally I would prefer something a bit more traditionally styled. Building from hardwood is very expensive now, but something with some wood and aspects of Thai styling would suit me more.
In the link Jaime provided there is reference to rural Thais using timber from old houses to build new ones. This is how the main structure for our place in Nong Ki was obtained; we bought an old house very cheaply and dismantled it to get the teak beams which were in perfect condition once planed down. This has the advantage that if the timber hasn’t rotted or been eaten in fifty years it’s pretty much going to last for ever.

[Chas]

I was going to add to my observations on Thai tastes in houses that this is one aspect of Thai culture that I can relate to and understand. Coming from a very poor background myself, I can see how a girl from a poor family, raised in a village somewhere in a tin house with dirt floors would be thrilled with big "satie lo-man" house and happy as a lark to point out what every item in it costs because the comparison must make it feel like heaven to her.

The Thai soaps are no help as far as building Thai taste or appreciation of beautiful homes however. From what I have seen ( and I don't see them except in passing I must add) the "wealthy" homes shown in the soaps are ugly. big, garish, tasteless places. That is probably where a Thai from a poor background gets the idea of what a nice home should look like. On a personal note, I have been steadily resisting my extended family's intense desire for a "Sa-tie lo-man" ceramic balustrade on the porch of our new addition. The rest of the house is very very simple and Japanese in style, yet they feel that such a balustrade would be just the thing!

[PeteC]

I haven’t a clue to what the style is called, but I see that many new developments are building very boxy looking modern houses. Personally I would prefer something a bit more traditionally styled. Building from hardwood is very expensive now, but something with some wood and aspects of Thai styling would suit me more.
In the link Jaime provided there is reference to rural Thais using timber from old houses to build new ones. This is how the main structure for our place in Nong Ki was obtained; we bought an old house very cheaply and dismantled it to get the teak beams which were in perfect condition once planed down. This has the advantage that if the timber hasn’t rotted or been eaten in fifty years it’s pretty much going to last for ever.

Yes, yes. In a past life here we took apart a Thai teak pole house to make way for a newer dwelling. I was told by grandma the house was built right before the Japanese arrived, so that would have made it 56-57 years old. The biggest task was getting the poles out of the ground and they actually used a pressure washer to move the dirt away from around the poles until they could be pulled out gently with a chain from a forklift. I looked at the part that was below ground level all those years and there were indeed termite burrows, but only less than 1/2 inch into the wood. Pete

[PeteC]

yes pete , maybe they should be a bit more realistic like the american soaps like dallas & dynasty

HEY....that's real life!!!!..LOL., but you're dating yourself. They've been gone for 20 years. No clue what has replaced them. Probably something political or ehtnic, inspired by our current leadership, or lack thereof. Pete