Houses in Thailand

First of all, let’s say that there are a lot of house types in Thailand.
And here are the main of them:

• House in Thailand is basically a house on a separated land plot, built for the family living purpose.
  
  
• Few houses attached to each other by the sidewalls are townhouses.
  
  
• If ground floor in the townhouse is designed as the commercial space, this is shophouse.
  
  
• Villa is the suburb house, usually single-story. 
  
  
• Bali-style villa is the villa with Bali influenced concept.
  
  

What does Bali style mean? Separating the functional parts of the house into the different premises: kitchen, bedrooms, living room are not even covered with the single roof. Quite an easy solution in a climate with no cold season. 

Considering its simplicity, let us remind you that Bali is not a Thailand. The climate is much hotter in Thailand. Foreigners do not get along with the heat and humidity as well as local people do, thus the things that look fantastic on the photos might be different while actually living in this type of property. And don’t forget about mosquitos. 

In fact, you can easily find or build any type of house you like. From classic to high-tech modern style.
Let us give you few pieces of advice.
There is no reason to bring any innovative ideas and reinvent the bicycle. It works pretty much same with the houses. There is the format that is proved by the centuries – the colonial style. This is the house type most of the European people built in the hot climate. The great example is the British colonial architecture in India. Take these ideas as the basics and twist them to your own preferences. What would we recommend to pay attention at:

• Walls thickness. Yes, there is no winter in Thailand, but thick walls are designed not to let cool air out of the house and warm air from outside into the house accordingly.
• Roof visors. This is the simplest way to leave as much of the walls and windows as possible in the shade and do not let them warm up.
• Roofs. Asian roofs are the whole different thing. Pay attention to the Thai roofs.
That’s right! They are tall! When there is no thermal insulation, you have to build high roofs, so the hot air rises, and cool air comes to its place. Why aren’t they flat? Because of the tropical rain. 20 minutes or longer of the massive downpour. The flat roof must be specifically designed to hold all this volume of water.

Therefore, a smart compromise is what we need. One more thing - the attic floor is not the best decision in this climate. No matter how much you insulate it, the internal surface will be hot, and, consequently, your air conditioner will be dissatisfied with this situation. Which will clearly affect the electricity bills. And how much does electricity cost in Thailand? Government rate is about 3.5-4 baht per kilowatt/hour. Usually, depending on the intensity of use, each working air-con will cost 1000-1500 Baht per month.
• Water supply. The main thing that you should keep in mind is that you should not drink water from the tap. Dishwashing, taking a shower – there is no problem with that. However, you can drink water only after installing the filter or simply buy the water from the nearest store.
• Green area and lawns. The idea of living in a house with a huge piece of land implies constant care of the lawn. Watering and cutting. Without water - you get a stunted and dried up the lawn. With watering - a green and bright carpet, requiring a weekly cut. 
• Pool. Very, very pleasant and necessary thing in the house of your dreams. When the temperature hits + 28-32 - there is little that can compare with the pleasure to dive into the cool water ... at midnight ... turnover on your back and watch the stars ... But it also requires cleaning and care.
How much does pool maintenance cost? On average, the gardener's services and pool maintenance - from 2000 Baht per month. 
• One important addition. Wooden furniture and decoration require special attention. Termites destroy wooden material very quickly. If you plan to build a wooden house, consider only teak or seringa. There are rumors that it is possible to somehow deeply treat the tree with chemicals so termites will not eat it ... but ... I personally do not like this idea.