My life in a Thai village
Building and living in a Thailand village
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Our House
We are house number 179 in our village. So a population of less than 1,000 or so.
As you see it, essentially finished for about $25,000 US dollars. Free and clear. No mortgage, no liens, no nothing. Done, finished, complete.
Built on land donated by my partner's father. A not uncommon practice here.
What does land cost? Just down the hill from us is a place for sale. About 4 - 5 acres (2+/- rai) that was offered to us for 100,000 Baht (about $2,500). Fertile farm land. There are other places, large and small for sale throughout Thailand.
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This is our hand carved and painted solid wood front door.
This is the house that the front door is attached to. Notice the large roof overhangs. Plenty of shade on the surrounding deck and underneath.
This image was taken as the local villagers were setting up for the 'open house' party, May 25, 2008. It is still possible to build a home in Thailand for less than one might pay in annual mortgage payments in America.
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The septic system.
A soak, rather than leach field, system. Requires adequate soil porosity. Notice what was excavated from the dig.
We have a separate tank for the waste water systems and the solid waste system. The new, added toilet downstairs uses the solid waste system, but drains the liquid - shower, sink, floor drain - to the outside, where presumably it will help water the garden in the dry season.
The corn field in our front yard.
No need for irrigation. Corn, which likes a lot of water, is planted during the rainy season which provides it with all that it needs to grow well.
Banana trees are ubiquitous.
Nid, my partner, with our first bunch of bananas.
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The view from our front porch, looking somewhat West-South-West, rainy season clouds over the tops of the nearby hills.
Dry season
An unexpected visitor. Thailand, sometimes it leaves me speechless ...
Hi Mom. Can I keep it?
The kitchen.
The cooking counter is too high for Nid. Not much I could do about it as it was just barely tall enough to allow the gas bottle and the water bottle to fit underneath. Thus the iron steps on which she stands to stir her pots. She is an excellent country Thai cook.
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The bathroom.
The cost to lay tile is about $2 per square meter. Not per square foot, per square meter.
The front room with the Bedroom off to the right.
Look up. The ceiling is what happened to the trees after cutting and then trading for seasoned wood. Nid did the painting/shellacking.
I had wanted to keep the trees on the lot, but this is probably the better choice. The trees as they stood would have posed a nuisance and perhaps a real danger. Another solid wood door for the bedroom.
Concrete, wood, steel, and aluminum. It should last for years.
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Adding another bath underneath the house together with additional living and working space.
After about a week the floor, the new toilet, the exterior walls and the new interior walls are all in place. Finishing will take another week or so. The upstairs aluminum windows were made locally.
These guys were hired locally and will work all day for about 100 Baht, about $3. The guy in the background is a skilled contractor and gets a bit more for his expertise. About 300 Baht per day.
I am Tola.
This is Nid.
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This is our house.
Before starting the downstairs construction and as seen from the street side.
After completing the new rooms and toilet underneath. This view is from the corn field side. The small water tank, Nid's garden, and the new toilet addition are visible.
$25,000.
Update 5/09
We have added 4 large water storage tanks and a railing around the veranda.
The tanks collect rainwater runoff from the roof so we can use it during the dry season to maintain the garden. The water will be used to supplement the regular village water supply. That way we do not take excess water from the village system to support our garden.
The railing was Nid's idea and she was totally in charge of it. She worked very hard on it and I think it looks great and is a terrific addition to the house.
Costs? The railing was about 10,000 Baht and the water tanks about 20,000 Baht. Total about US $1,000.
And while we were at it, I put in a 'swimming' pool. It's very nice to have during the hot/dry season although difficult to do laps.
The ladder was made so we could paint the house. That is done now. At least the white primer coat. So we now live in the American white house.
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