WHILE the price of super luxury condominiums in Bangkok hovers around 200,000 baht a square meter, at the other end of the spectrum is a man in Chiang Mai who has built an annex to his small house for less than this sum.
In sharing his experience on the popular Pantip.com website and discussion forum, Mr Harnsuk (surname not provided) has encouraged those who feel that owning their own home is something almost out of reach with prices soaring as they are particularly in Bangkok.
While some foreigners called his home a doll’s house, he himself referred to it as a dog house. He then decided to expand his home by building a new section with a tiny budget.
It took two to three construction workers seven weeks to build the annex which has two bedrooms but no bathroom or kitchen with this period including waiting for custom-designed tiles.
This extension has a metal structure, faux wood exterior, tiled floor and roof but was built without piles because Mr Harnsuk believes that a single-story house in Chiang Mai does not need deep foundation with this proven by the original house having survived an earthquake in Chiang Mai on May 5, 2014 when a tremor of 6.0 magnitude rocked northern Thailand.
CAPTION:
TOP: The new annex sits in front of the original small 10-year-old house.
INSET: A sketch of the old house at the back and the new extension up front which has now become a reality.
By Panu Sangdeeching
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