Do you want to see what a real modern Thai house looks like? Do you want to try to live like a room but do not know exactly what to expect in terms of accommodation? Are you just a curious person who likes to sneak into the houses of others to see how they live?
If you adapt one of the above descriptions, you are in the right place! Today, Tomas And I open our “magnificent villa” just for you! I will show you all the rooms and give you an overview of the costs and opportunities to rent a house while traveling slowly.
Look at the brilliant photos, laugh if you wish (I don’t mind!) And enjoy this virtual visit of my daily life in Thailand.
Non-liability clause: I cleaned the house before taking the photos. On average, the rooms are so messy that I have to call 911 to find my boyfriend. No jokes! So let’s start!
Entry
Each entrance to the house in the village is more like this:
At first, I was perplexed. I just said: “It looks great! Let’s see the main entrance now!” Uhmm… no. This is the main entranceAnd there is a reason for this: many people use the spacious area in front of the door to install a small business.
It is a common practice in relatively poor villages like this. Another reason is to use this area as a parking lot. In Western countries, we are not familiar to have a car parked in the kitchen / living room. This is why I travel, to see things that I never thought I would do it! 🙂
Exterior
If I look outside, that’s what I see. These are the typical sidecars of the village. They are mainly used to move goods or as a cheap alternative to the car. They are also a great way to transport their large families to the village.
You can see how The Thai people are used to leaving their shoes outside to avoid bringing dirt in the house (it doesn’t matter that they park their car inside without removing the wheels). Upsss! Tiny detail!
The front area
It is a multifunctional open space with many uses, including a parking lot, a dining room, a prayer area, a store, a playground and a meeting area.
We just left the table and 2 benches for dinner. I put a big carpet and bought a small piece of furniture with a mirror and a chair for my “beauty routine” (translated: trying desperately to look like a decent human before leaving the house). From my lucky days, it usually takes me between 5 and 15 minutes.
I hung my sarong on the wall, as well as a photo of the Buddha, a memory that I bought in Bali and one of Tomas’ drawings. A touch of color is everything we need to feel at home!
The corridor
He was renamed “Indiana Jones Corridor” Because I have to walk in the dark to go to the toilet at night, Try to avoid scorpions, huge spiders, cockroaches and butterflies. The door at the end gives access to the backyard; The one on the right is our room.
The room
The arrangement is quite basic: two mattresses on the ground, two fans to prevent them from melting at 40 degrees and two small tables (one on the left side of the beds and one in front). There are no windows, but the light comes from the holes open around the perimeter on top.
The wardrobe / bathroom
It is a versatile area. We have just put a small wardrobe and a plastic chest to organize our clothes.
Near the entrance to the bathroom is the refrigerator (we borrowed it from the school) and a closet with unpertified use. This means that we throw everything that we cannot adapt elsewhere. A kettle is above. We use it for coffee or hot water to wash dishes.
The most precious article in the house is above the refrigerator: a bottle of extra virgin olive oil. Finding it was almost impossible, but it’s worth more than gold for me!
The bathroom
What can I say? The images speak more than a thousand words. It’s Thailand: get used to it!
Private Court
A good and slightly dirty courtyard with a protective roof (useful during the rainy season). Hanging clothes are the neighbors. When they realized that we did not use it, they decided to get the most out of it. I want them to be washing and hanging on our clothes too 🙂
The washing area
In these small villages in Thailand, people generally do not have appropriate “western” cuisine. Forget to have a kitchen plan, a sink and a kitchen space. It is the alternative to the sink to wash the dishes: two buckets, one to wash and one to rinse. That’s it.
This is the only thing I still can’t get used to. I hate washing dishes like that. It seemed that they were still dirty even if I rinsed them 1 million times (so I abandoned, and we have always ended up eating at Noom’s, our friend Thai who had a “restaurant” at the end of our street).
The kitchen plan
If you rent a house in Thailand and plan to prepare your meals, be ready to buy one. These luxury items are not provided in the house.
Fortunately, it’s relatively cheap and easy to find, $ 50, and this spectacular cuisine can be yours! As you can see, I hate making dishes (because I don’t have sink) so much that I have cleaned everything except them for the photo shoot. I will repair the mess as soon as I finished the post. The next meal will be broccoli and cabbage for dinner!
The common courtyard
In addition to the covered backyard, we also have this one, which we shared with the neighbors. We have abandoned this because we do not even use our private. It’s always nice to have that hard. Sometimes I look around, listening to a distant Thai song on the radio.
As you can see, the house measures around 20 mx 6. It is a long basic rectangle with an integrated room.
Some Thai houses have two rooms, and generally, the family sleeps together in the same room. They do not have our sense of intimacy and are comfortable to share most spaces.
This is a basic version of what a local Thai house looks like here in the Amarit card. I saw endless variations on the theme. Our neighbors use their front area to park the car, and they have installed a small altar where they put incense and offer the Buddha.
You can see this practice in almost all houses here in Thailand). Others have put sofas, televisions or even beds if they are too crowded to adapt to everyone in the room.
There are also typical Thai wooden houses, like this:
They are not common in this area, but they are quite popular throughout Thailand. The structure makes the house more secure during the rainy season.
The interior is quite basic and consists of a large open space with mattresses on the floor. During the dry season, the cooking area is generally at the back or below.
How much does it cost?
The monthly rent is 3,500 baht (around $ 112), so if you share the house with a friend, it’s only $ 56.
Expenses, water and electricity are ridiculously low: about $ 15 per month. These costs apply if you rent a house in a small isolated village in Thailand, which is sometimes even cheaper. If you want to move to a larger city, prepare to pay a little more or have a smaller house.
How to find a house for rent?
We found this one through the director of the English school where we teach, so it was very easy.
I suggest asking residents as soon as you arrive in a place. Enter a store and see if they know someone renting a house. Remember that, in small isolated villages, 90% of the population does not speak English, so you better Learn Thai!
You may have to ask several people before finding the agreement you are looking for. The search for a local English school is also a good idea. They will give you all the information you need.
Overall, it is a good bloody opportunity to move slowly, appreciate life like a room and save a lot of money on accommodation!
What do you think? Would you like to rent a house like this? Have you had a similar experience? Give me your comments or tell me about your own experiences to rent houses on a trip.