Tag Archives: soil survey

Soil Testing Thailand. Soil Surveys Provide vital information. Contact Us For Help

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Bangkok Builder has helped many people facilitate soil testing, soil tests and soil surveys in Thailand. We often get asked and are happy to help. The information the soil survey provides, is vital for the engineer to know how deep piles should be bored down into the ground, to support the weight of the structure. In any construction project you should have a soil test carried out, by the soil testing survey team. We inform all our clients to have a soil test done and have done many for them. In addition, we have also facilitated the soil tests for people with land in many parts of Thailand, even if we are not build their home. We are always happy to help.

The soil test report is a professional written report with calculations and vital information. It takes 1 to a few days on site for the test samples to be taken and then 2-3 weeks for the report to come back from the laboratory. Please contact Bangkok Builder if you require a soil test survey.

 

 

Construction and Building a House in Thailand: Important Tips and Useful Information by Bangkok Builder.

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Written By Bangkokbuilder.com  published in expatsinbangkok

Building a house in Thailand can be an exciting, fulfilling and rewarding experience. But it can also be most challenging. So it is very important to consider all aspects and take the right approach. The construction of any form of property is not easy and can have its fair share of pitfalls, especially if you have not done it before, or do not have construction experience. If you follow the rights steps and process, it can be made a lot easier. In addition you can help reduce the potential problems and costly mistakes that can and do occur, by doing it correctly.

Two of the most important parts in house construction in Thailand, are to have a professional Thai licenced architect and a professional construction contractor, with plenty of experience. Another is proper scheduling and project management, which the construction contractor should supply. There are of course others too, but these are some the main ones.

We have built homes for customers in various locations in Thailand and as a house builder ourselves; we have tried to give you some of the basic information and advice to help you on the right path. It is only basic and if you require more information it is best to contact us directly. We are happy to help.

For the article’s sake, we have assumed you have a piece of land to build on already, have done all the correct due diligence on it, had the boundary survey done and want to move forward to build a house. There are many aspects to consider and these are some of the main ones. If you have any questions relating to land, you should seek the advice of a professional licenced Thai lawyer. This article is regarding the building process only.

Boundary Survey

We always advise our customers to have a land boundary check survey done by the local government authority. It is not a full topographic survey, but a low cost way to have your land boundaries checked against your title deed. The officials will come out and check land posts and the boundary line against the title deed. This is a very good idea to have done, as it is inexpensive to do and gives you peace of mind. It can also help avoid any potential disputes with neighbors over construction on the boundary line. This can happen, so it is best to make sure you have your land boundary and markers checked. The last thing you need is to find out later, that the neighbor thinks you have built it on their land. So we strongly advise you have one carried out. Please discuss with your local authority for more details and information.

Architectural Stage

The most important stage other than the construction of the house is the architectural stage. The builder and construction contractor build from a set of professional architectural drawings. They are sometimes referred to as the construction drawings, or architects drawings.

The architects drawings are a detailed set of technical drawings completed by the professional architect, and engineers which among other aspects, include: master plans, floor plans, elevations, perspectives, architectural, structural (engineering), mechanical, electrical, sanitary (plumbing) and any technical construction drawings relating to the property.

In Thailand, they must be completed by the licenced Thai architect and licenced Thai engineer. It must be in the measurement system of Thailand and have Thai language. It can have some English of course, but it must have the Thai language. The drawings must follow and adhere to all the regulations and laws of Thailand, as well as the local management or juristic authority. If you are building on a development, golf resort, or a property within a community, there may be specific regulations that the drawings also have to adhere to, so all of this must be checked by the architect and the drawings must be correct in accordance with them.

In addition, when the owner of the land goes to apply for permissions to build the property, they must have the license details of both the Thai architect and Thai engineer. All drawings must be signed by both of them.

Architects drawings can take anywhere from 4- 6 months to complete, depending on the size and complexity of the project. If it is a large luxury home it could be 6 months plus. Much depends also on how quickly the client responds to drafts and what changes they make during the design development stages. So do give yourself plenty of time when considering time frames.

The first stage is often referred to as the preliminary design stage which includes the master plan, floor plans, elevations and perspectives. This also includes design development where you and the architect develop the layout and design. Once the preliminary design stage is completed and you as the client have confirmed it, then the architect, engineer and any other professionals involved, complete all the detailed construction drawings.

From years of experience, our architects have found it takes normally 8-14 weeks from confirmation of the preliminary design stage by the client. Preliminary design can take a few months.  Of course, every home is different and clients vary on how much they want to develop a design and how quickly they respond. So please take this information, as a basic guide to time frames only.

Once the drawings are fully completed and all signed by the licenced Thai architect and licenced Thai engineer, then the land owner can put in the application for permissions to build at the local government office. How long that takes varies, so ask when you apply. If you are looking for a Thai Architect to design your house in Thailand, why not contact us. Our architects speaks good English and helped many people design their property in many locations all over the country. We provide a comprehensive professional service at reasonable prices.

Soil Survey (Soil Tests)

When carrying out construction in Thailand, it is very important, as it is anywhere in the world, to know what is below the ground that you are going to build on; to know ground conditions and soil content. Soil content varies depending on location and also the specific piece of land. So when the engineer calculates all the structural detail and considers the foundations, he/she needs to know what is below the surface of the ground and the consistency of the soil.

It is from the soil survey, they calculate what type of pile and foundation your house or property requires. The civil engineer will advise the bearing capacity, which is is the ability of a soil to support a load from the foundation. They need to calculate, how far the piles need to go down, to safely and securely hold up the weight of your home. When they calculate the loads of the property they use all of this information. It is a vital part of the construction process.

The structure is a major part of the construction and you do not want any mistakes or miscalculations. The result of not doing it all correctly can be terrible, with unsafe structures, cracks, foundation issues, pile issues and subsidence. Our advice is always; make sure you have the soil survey completed. It must be done by the professional company.

It takes about 1-2 days on site for the team to go there with the machinery and take samples and do bore holes. Then maybe another 2-3 weeks in the laboratory for the tests result and report to be completed. You should have the soil survey done before the engineer requires them. Normally from our experience, the customer asks us to facilitate them, once they have land and are ready to go ahead with architectural drawings. So it’s one of the first things they do. If you need a soil test survey we can help facilitate this. Contact us and we can provide the quotation.

Topographic Survey

A topographic survey is a drawing of the land and are used to identify and map the contours of the ground and existing features on the surface of the earth or slightly above or below the earth’s surface. This could include trees, buildings, streets, walkways, manholes, utility poles, retaining walls, ponds, lakes, rivers, streams etc. The topographic survey is carried out by a professional surveyor.

If your land is not flat, has hills, contours, existing building, slopes, electrical installations, large rocks and trees you wish to keep, or streams, rivers, lakes, or any form of object or aspect to the land that effects the architectural and engineering drawings etc, then you may well require a topographic survey. If your land is flat, at road level and basically ready to build on, then you may not need the topographic survey. But you must ask the architect, who will advise on this.

The topographic survey may also required by the architect and engineer to enable them to design and do all the drawings correctly, based on your land. If the land is sloped they need to know and must use the topographic survey plan to help create their drawings correctly.

If your land is flat, at road level, has electricity and water close by and you have no existing buildings or contours, then you may not need one. But if not, then you must have one done.  Some of our customers do and some do not. Much depends on the specific land and the architect can tell you if you require it or not. Bangkok Builder has helped other clients with topographic surveys. Please contact us for further assistance. Please contact us and we can provide the quotation.

The Construction Contractor and Building the House

Once you have completed all the above stages and any pre build aspects you are required to do according to the regulations and laws of Thailand, then you can consider moving ahead on the build. A construction contractor builds what the architectural drawings guide him to do. So before starting the build, do make sure you have considered all of the above and have it all completed, professionally by the correct people. You do not want problems in the pre build stages, to then come to cause you problems in the build stage; because that is when a mistake can be very costly.  Do it once and do it correctly is our advice. Going down a path of trying to cut corners, or taking inexperienced advice, can potentially cause you terrible problems and enormous additional costs. The best way to avoid that is to do it correctly.

The first step towards the actual build is to have a quotation completed by a professional house builder and construction contractor. Bangkok Builder can help with this and are very happy to provide a quotation. For us, it normally takes 2-4 weeks depending on the size of construction project. It is very important to choose the right contractor. Get the wrong one and your house build can turn into a nightmare. So choose carefully and make sure they have experience.

Once you know the cost, then if you wish to go ahead, you sign contracts; a deposit payment is made to the contractor; and the builder starts building your house. Payments are in stages and according to the schedule of works.

What we do, when we build a house for a customer, is provide a comprehensive legal contract for us both to sign, which includes all that is agreed, the schedule of works, the stage payments, guarantee and both the customer and our responsibilities. We also take out a standard insurance policy on every construction project we do. You must verify with your chosen contractor what they do and what they provide, as it does vary.

A standard size home can take 8-12 months to build and larger, more luxurious homes can take 12-18 months. Much depends on the architectural drawings, size and complexity. But these are approximate guides. Give yourself plenty of time, as designing and building a home takes time. If you would like us to provide you a construction cost quotation for your house build, please do not hesitate to contact us and we will start to help you.

Construction Costs in Thailand

This is a question we get asked a lot and it is not an easy answer, any experienced construction person can easily give. The only way you can know the accurate cost to build your house, is to provide the construction contractor, or quantity surveyor with all the finished architectural drawings. Costs vary so much from the specific house that is being built, or what type of house, what is included in the costs, the materials used, the complexity, specifications and of course what is in the architectural drawings.

If you do not have finished professional architectural drawings, there is no accurate, exact answer. Any experienced construction person would only give you an approximate projected guide; as it is impossible to know without them. It is merely guess work to try and give accurate cost for building a home, before all architectural drawings are completed, all specifications and materials are known. Also what does it include within the cost ? Does it include project management, insurance, all the materials, air conditioning systems etc. So it is always best to wait to have final architect’s drawings to get an accurate cost.

However, the architect and contractor can give you an idea of construction costs based on industry standards and their experience. But it is important to be aware it is only an approximate guide. It is best discussed with the architect before working on the drawings, so they understand from your information you provide them, what sort of home it is, the sorts of standards you expect and the types of materials. They can then determine an approximate projected, guide cost for you.

We hope this helps you but do please treat it as a basic guide only for information purposes. Every project should be discussed on an individual basis with the specific architect, builder and in accordance with all laws and regulations of Thailand and the specific location. For all legal matters and questions regards the laws of ownership, you must seek the advice of a professional, licenced Thai lawyer and act in accordance within the laws of Thailand. Good luck with your project and if you have any questions relating to building a house in Thailand, you may contact us, via our web site.

 

Thailand Architect: The process of designing a house and working with a Thai architect. Bangkok Builder Offers Design and Build Service, or Only Build. The choices are yours to make.

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Bangkok Builder provides architectural drawings with our Thai licenced architects. We can help with only this, do design and build, or only build. The choices are all yours to make. We are very flexible and wish only to please the client. Below is some very useful information on the architectural process in Thailand. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact one of our Thai architects. They speak Thai and English.

Designing a house in Thailand can be a fun and highly enjoyable part of the construction of a home. Working with a professional architect is paramount. According to the laws and regulations of Thailand, for you to apply for permissions to build a home and then construct it, you must have a full, professional set of architectural construction drawings. They must have been completed by a licenced Thai architect and licenced Thai engineer. They must be signed off by both and their Thai licenses to practice, must be provided when you apply for permissions to build your home. If not, you will not get permissions to build it.

There are various stages in the architectural and design process. However the two main stages are the preliminary design stage (master plans, floor plans, elevations, perspectives. This is when design development takes place. And the other is the technical construction drawings; or detailed drawings stage. This is when the architect and engineers do all the technical detail based on the designs produced and confirmed by the client, during the preliminary stages. This stage includes, architectural, structural, engineering, mechanical, electrical, and sanitary/plumbing; and any other technical systems required for the construction drawings to be complete.

Rushing the architectural stage is never a good idea and do make sure you give yourself plenty of time to carry out the process. The house is built from the architectural drawings, so it is very important you take the required time to work with the architect on them. On average from experience of designing many homes, our architects normally take 4-6 months, depending on the size of project, the complexity, how quickly clients respond and how many changes are made during design development. But it is fairly normal for the architectural drawings of a home, in Thailand, to take many months and it is no different overseas.

The first step is for us to gather all the information regarding your project in Thailand. This we can do by meeting with you or by e-mail if you prefer. Some of our clients are very busy and work overseas. So we have helped many like this, dealing with it all via e-mail communication, Skype or telephone. E-mail is by far the best as it allows records to be kept which we can go back to and check as we progress. It also means both parties have information and can understand it more clearly. We work with you every step of the way.

Once we have all the details and information we will then send you the architectural job description and proposal fee. It takes about 5-7 days to complete. We have a questionnaire that we need to send you, so you can gather all the information we require. If you want us to send you that, please request it in the contact us form. This is free and without obligation. Contact us today for a free architectural job description and fee proposal.

Architectural Preliminary Design Stage

Once you have confirmed the architects job description and fee then a deposit is paid. Once the deposit is received, works begin. We can meet you at anytime and communicate easily by e-mail. Meetings are very helpful but are not essential. We leave this decision to you. If you are busy then we can communicate via e-mail, phone and Skype. We are most flexible and customer care is most important. We help you every step of the way.

The first stage is to create the design concepts, floor plans, elevations and perspectives. Bangkok Builder’s architects will work with you on these and take the time to make changes as requested. It is during this stage the design development takes place. You can amend them and there will be plenty of e-mails, numbers of drafts and communication. This preliminary design stage can take only 4 weeks or several months. Much depends on the choices, decisions, changes, size and complexity of the project.

Architectural Detailed Drawings Stage

Once you have confirmed the concepts, floor plans, elevations and perspectives are completed to your satisfaction; the architect will start the technical detailed construction drawings. This is the stage, when all the accurate details are put onto the plans: Details of windows, doors, materials, electrical installations, and plumbing, and security systems, mechanical, engineering and all structural drawings. The engineer calculates loads and structural information. The architect does all the technical detail required.

This can take normally 8-14 weeks; once again, depending on how big and complex the project is and how quickly confirmation is given. Some drawings will need to be sent to you for checking such as the electrical details. You can see how many sockets are in each room, how many light switches and where air conditioning units and fans are. You can add or reduce the number of units, make amendments and confirm any final details. It is not a stage to be changing the number of rooms, or shape of the home, as you have already confirmed that during the preliminary stages. Changing that at this stage would incur extra fees maybe, as it affects many other aspects and changes within the detailed drawings. Once all drawings are completed by the architect we will send you one copy to check and confirm you are happy. But normally clients do not, as they have already confirmed this during design development and are happy.

At the end of the architectural stages and all payments are made; you will have finished set copies of full architect’s drawings with all electrical, plumbing, mechanical and all details required within a professional set of architects plans. As per Thailand’s regulations, they will be signed by both licenced Thai architect and licenced Thai engineer. At the end of the project and once all payments are settled, if you require it, our architect can also provide an AutoCAD file. You will receive all you need from our architect to then apply for permissions to build and for us to provide a quotation to build, if the location is within our building area.

Below are three other important points in regards Land and also building a house in Thailand.

Boundary Survey
We always advise our customers to have a land boundary check survey done by the local government authority. It is not a full topographic survey, but a low cost way to have your land boundaries checked against your title deed. The officials will come out and check land posts and the boundary line against the title deed. This is a very good idea to have done, as it is inexpensive to do and gives you peace of mind. It can also help avoid any potential disputes with neighbors over construction on the boundary line. This can happen, so it is best to make sure you have your land boundary and markers checked. The last thing you need is to find out later, that the neighbor thinks you have built it on their land. So we strongly advise you have one carried out. Please discuss with your local authority for more details and information.

Soil Survey (Soil Tests)
When carrying out construction in Thailand, it is very important, as it is anywhere in the world, to know what is below the ground that you are going to build on; to know ground conditions and soil content. Soil content varies depending on location and also the specific piece of land. So when the engineer calculates all the structural detail and considers the foundations, he/she needs to know what is below the surface of the ground and the consistency of the soil.
It is from the soil survey, they calculate what type of pile and foundation your house or property requires. The civil engineer will advise the bearing capacity, which is is the ability of a soil to support a load from the foundation. They need to calculate, how far the piles need to go down, to safely and securely hold up the weight of your home. When they calculate the loads of the property they use all of this information. It is a vital part of the construction process.
The structure is a major part of the construction and you do not want any mistakes or miscalculations. The result of not doing it all correctly can be terrible, with unsafe structures, cracks, foundation issues, pile issues and subsidence. Our advice is always; make sure you have the soil survey completed. It must be done by the professional company.
It takes about 1-2 days on site for the team to go there with the machinery and take samples and do bore holes. Then maybe another 2-3 weeks in the laboratory for the tests result and report to be completed. You should have the soil survey done before the engineer requires them. Normally from our experience, the customer asks us to facilitate them, once they have land and are ready to go ahead with architectural drawings. So it’s one of the first things they do. Contact Bangkok Builder for a Soil Test Survey.

Buy Existing Drawings Off The Internet.

Our advice is never buying architectural drawings off the internet. The reason for this is they are often incomplete, they relate to other countries, measurement systems, climates and naturally are not created with your specific land in mind. A house being built in Europe or parts of the USA are not designed for Thailand’s climate, weather conditions or have any idea of soil conditions, land conditions and so forth. Also how will you apply for permissions when they have not been created by a licenced Thai architect or engineer ? It can lead to problems and your home never being built. So it is not something from our many years of experience we ever suggest you should do.

The only way to do it correctly is to employ a professional Thai architect to design your house. Our architects have successfully helped many people over the years carry our architectural design and are very happy to help you too. Please click contact us and they can start to assist you.

House Build Survey Completed For New Customers House Build, by Bangkok Builder

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Boundary checks completed. Workers camp completed with private washing and toilet facilities. Land site survey and the arrival of the piles. The construction work begins ! As a house builder and construction contractor, we are always excited by a new construction project. It is really gratifying to build a house for a client. When the piling starts it is all steam ahead. The depth of how far a pile goes down into the ground, is calculated by the engineer, based on the engineering drawings/calculations and also the information he receives from the soil survey report. A soil survey is an important survey to have done, on any construction project. The soil survey team will go to the land and bore down, taking samples at various depths. The samples they collect and are sent to the laboratory for testing and checks. From this information a professional written, soil survey report is provided which gives vital information to the structural engineer to know how far the piles need to go down into the earth, to support the house structure. This is vital so your home is not only safe, but will not suffer from subsidence or any form of structural issues. Bangkok Builder has helped many people wishing to build a house with soil test surveys. If you would like us to assist you with this, please ask us. It should be done, preferably early on in the architectural phase, so the engineer has the information to finalise his structural drawings. Please contact Bangkok Builder for a soil test survey.

This home our client also asked our English speaking Thai architect to do all the architectural drawings. Once completed after some months working closely with the client, they then applied for permissions to build and we provided the price to build. An agreed start date given and then contracts were signed.