Our dreamhome Frangipani Villa on Koh Tao in Thailand

On this page we will try to tell you what it is to build houses in Thailand.
One thing that we have become very aware of are:
To build houses in Thailand is not a bed of roses!

Photos under the house construction.

We flew to Thailand septemnber 2009 where we decided to take the step and jump of the unknown. We signed a contract with the developer Narong, lawyer Nirut and our Swedish contact Lennart, he was also being our future neighbor because he and his wife Ann-Marie also built house in the same area. With us was another Swedish couple from Stockholm, Niklas and Nettan, who also dared to jump. They signed a contract at the same time as us and would thus be our future neighbors. We met Micke and Miriam who also was our future neighbors. Everyone was very nice and we are so glad for it today.
The house would be finished by the end of July 2010 under the contract. And the last step was taken to our own house in Thailand that we have helped designed. How fun is that!

Ground was broken November 21, 2009, then cast the first pillars. And then the construction was no moving at all until March 2010 when we got down to Koh Tao again. Then we were told that they had been waiting to build our house until they had made the roof of our nearest neighbor Paul’s house. So they could build our house higher and thus we would get a better seaview. The developer had promised that all the houses in the area would have a seaview, so it was a great anticipation. But this waiting was absolutely terrible, for we had no information about this during these 4 month. Sure, we called and asked what they were doing but they just said ”next week, next week”.

They promised us that they would start every week, but nothing happened.
Thai’s are not a people of communication, unfortunately.
In March, we also met our real construction engineer, PiOhn that would build our house. He had also redesigned some part of the house because the land is quite steep and the stone that we would have in the house was a little bigger than they thought, he could draw out the house so all of a sudden it was 20 m2 larger. Which we are really grateful for today. The new drawing was totally amazing. We would in particular have levels on the lower floor and high ceilings, this would be really nice, we saw it in front of us!

Then took the building real momentum until June, when it became quiet on the constructing front again. The house was only half built at this time and we began to realize that it would not be finished at the end of July. The blamed than in the one and than the other. Both us and Niklas and Nettan had been promised that they would build our house alternately until the two houses would be ready in July. Their house was completed almost on time but we were promised that our house would be completed by the end of August, which then became September, October, November. Then it was suddenly wet season and no construction work could be performed because of all the rain. Now we started to get really frustrated, we had booked our flight-tickets to Thailand on Christmas Eve and expect to finally get to stay in our newly built house on the paradise island of Koh Tao. They promised us that the house would be ready when we arrived on Boxing Day. But we were disappointed once again.

We arrived in Koh Tao, the sun was shining and we took the first best taxi up to our dream house. With us we had a whole load of things for the house we had purchased in Samui the day before. Cooking utensils, ornaments, table lamps, television, towels, sheets, etc. We had lot of things from Norway too, so we were really loaded up the taxi. When the taxi comes up to the turnaround and we look up at our house, it feels incredibly nice and funny. But when we come up on the terrace, we saw that no windows where installed, not everything was painted, no tiles was put up in the bathroom, it was really a lot to do inside the house. We met PiOhn on the first floor terrace and he was truly sorry that the house was not finished.

And what could we do.  So instead of a three-week wonderfully chill-vacation there was a three-week job-vacation to try to get Narong and PiOhn to complete our house as soon as possible, we had time constraints as well. Tomas could only be in Thailand until mid-January and then I Linda, would stay and have visits from my mom and her friend and husband. We would like to stay in the house before Tomas went home and then mom would also stay there. So we were really stressed and frustrated again.
And we also got to experience that if it rained in the morning there were no construction workers on the whole day on work. Thai’s are not a nation of speed.
But we struggled on, windows and doors were in place, things was painted, the bathroom was tiled, water was brought in, the kitchen was in place and last night, Tomas had on Koh Tao we finally got to sleep in our dream home. Me, my mom and her friend with her husband moved up to the house a few days later.

Ok, now you maybe thinks that everything is milk and honey, right?
But even though the house was habitable in the end it is still small things left, it will be painted and sanded a bit to the stairs and railings. The toilet will be fixed and cupboard to be replaced. Garden should be planted so it will be nice and green when we coming up to the house. Pots and plants has to be purchased for the terraces. Then hopefully in the near future there should be a swimming pool. For of course you have to have swimming pool in Thailand. We have an incredible pool area plans that we will soon be put into action!

Now when we were there in January we started up our Thai Co. Ltd., Frangipani Villa Koh Tao. This is to own the land which our house stands on, which was owned by Lennart and his Thai Co. Ltd. We transferred the land-paper when we where on Koh Tao in Juni this year. It has finally becomes ours. We also got the blue book for the house, which is a kind of a address-book for Frangipani Villa.

In retrospect, we learned that the developer Narong has a lot of money problems, he owes money here and there. This has obviously affected the construction of our house and all the other houses in the area. It has also affected our view of the Thai people, their are not to rely blindly on them, as we where naive at the beginning of our house-building. Now, we are pleased that we have a nearly finished house, where only some small things left to fix. But there are many fine details that failed to materialize due Narong which he promised to do for us, as we will probably never get to unless we pay again to someone else who can do it!
But as it looks in the current situation, we will never tie or build something with Narong again. He has totally consumed our confidence both he and for other Thai’s. Next time we build something, we will be extremely careful with everything. Especially whom we pay money for, and certainly do not pay large sums at a time to!

After all, we have an incredibly nice endresult, but that needs a little fine-tuning.
Although we believe that there are always things to fix no matter if you have property in Thailand or Sweden.
This is how our house looks like so far. Pictures Frangipani Villa.

We hope our thoughts and experience can help others. If you have questions, please do not hesitate to contact us.

And we long so much to get a ”cold” on our lovely terrace!