A little bit about the Thai House...

In Thailand, many houses have two floors. The bottom is a shop to work or to sell goods. The first floor contains the bedrooms

 

In rural Thailand, many houses are built on poles in order that animals, creeping insects cannot enter inside.

Often many relatives are found living under one roof. Old parents don't go to retirement houses but stay with their children.

When building a new house, Thai architects start by the foundations , build poles in angles and then install the roof before finishing the walls. When building a house, Thai people often lay supplementary soil, which should lie during one year. As Thai people fear inundations, it is safer that the house is above the ground level. If the ground moves, fissures in the walls may appear as thin red bricks are used. So it is very important to dig deep ground foundations for the house.

 

In rural areas, water access can be a problem, especially during hot season. Water acess is often stopped due to water shortage. So many people built a well to get artesian water ("NAM BADAN" - น้ำบาดาล). Due to environment problems, such wells shall are forbidden.

Mosquitoes come when the rain comes. Thai houses are often opened to the exterior. Mosquitoes enter easily. Stagnant water shall be avoided. In public areas there are advertisement to tell Thai people how to get rid of mosquitoes. Thai traditional bathrooms with their water container are a place where mosquitoes are numerous.

In Thailand, due to monsoon, buildings are getting old faster. Permanent renovation is necessary.

In modern Thai houses, there is the air conditioning but no heating. In Thai northeast and northern areas, temperatures can be as low as 10 °C / 50 °F during winter

The house is an open space. Thai neighbours just enter to see what is going on. There is no privacy, no invitation. When Thai people enter in a Thai house, they shall remove their shoes at the entrance. In almost every Thai house, TV, fridge, radio can be found.

Thai people still like wooden houses but teak wood price is now too expensive. Sometimes Thai people get wood from old houses in order to build new home.

Rural Thai people think it is always safer to live close to a road and to have neighbours. This is due to the fear of robbers. Often a light is lit during all night to avoid dark areas around the house. A wall is also built around the house.

Some Thai-style wooden houses are made of old traditional teak houses brought in from various regions of Thailand as teak logging is now forbidden.

Teak wood is very popular for Thai traditional houses as it is long lasting and termite-resistant. Nowadays teak is more difficult to find due to the prohibition against teak logging.

Illegal timber can still be found in Thailand. It may come from Laos, Burma or from illegal encroachments in Thai forests.