Millennial Man Spent $600,000 Building Luxury Home in Thailand

Once this stay was over, he moved to Australia to take up a sales position. Although the salary was good, he was not satisfied with corporate life. He decided to quit his job to travel and ended up starting a blog to document his adventures.

“I was living a fun, cool life, and I just wanted to show other people from working-class backgrounds that you don’t have to be from a rich family to live a cool life,” Ward said. a travel blogger who also runs an online media company, told Business Insider.

But after traveling the world, Ward realized that Chiang Mai still had his heart.

“If you ever Google things like ’10 best places to live’, ‘Best place to be a digital nomad’, ‘Best place to retire’, Chiang Mai is often in the top 20 for all of these things” , Ward said. “That’s so nice.”

That’s why in 2019 he decided to come back and build a permanent home.

“I always wanted a James Bond villa – Miami style, Ibiza style. So I think that’s exactly what I did,” Ward said.

Two floors of luxury

In late 2020, Ward purchased a 13,000-square-foot plot of land with his wife, Jaa, a native of Thailand, for 6 million Thai baht, or about $160,000.

The land is located in a gated community about 15 minutes from downtown, he said. Chiang Mai is the largest city in northern Thailand and is surrounded by mountains.

Ward then found a local luxury developer to help him design his home. They started work in early 2021.

“The whole process went very well,” Ward said. “He’s like a one-stop shop. He’s done everything from architectural drawing to the design itself – he has a team of interior designers.”

In Thailand, there are strict criteria for taking out home loans as foreigners. Being self-employed, it was difficult for Ward to obtain financing, so he paid for the entire project in cash.

Ward said he spent 13 million Thai baht to build the house and another 3.5 million Thai baht to furnish it, or about $460,000 in total.

The two-story villa has a swimming pool and seven bedrooms, three of which have been converted into an office, home theater and man cave.

Growing up on welfare in Ireland, Ward always dreamed of owning a big house.

“When I was 12, I watched all these real estate shows in Ireland,” Ward said. “I said to myself: ‘I’m going to build myself the big house of my dreams one day.'”

It would have been difficult for him to have everything he wanted if he had bought an existing house in Chiang Mai, Ward said.

“And finally, and most importantly, I couldn’t afford to buy what I wanted,” Ward said. “It’s a lot cheaper to build. The final product I have here, I couldn’t have afforded to buy off the shelf.”

For example, a fully furnished seven-bedroom house on a similar-sized plot in Chiang Mai is listed for 85 million Thai baht, or about $2.35 million, on real estate platform Elite Homes Thailand. Six luxury homes with five or more bedrooms are also listed on James Edition, and their asking prices range from $600,000 to $11 million.

A dream come true

Building his own luxury home wouldn’t have been possible if he hadn’t started his blog all those years ago, Ward said.

“The key to happiness and a fulfilling life in 2024 and beyond is making money online, whether remotely for a business or, better yet, if you can make money online with your own business,” Ward said. “I know it’s a very lucky position, but anyone can have it.”

Since he paid for his house out of pocket, he no longer has any real estate debt, Ward said.

Although there are some exceptions, he says the cost of living in Thailand is generally lower than in Ireland.

“I’m from Ireland, so a pint of Guinness costs double here. And although something like a 90-inch TV can also be slightly more expensive in Thailand, during the day–Today, the costs are a fraction of what they cost back home,” Ward said.

According to data from the Numbeo user-provided database, the cost of living in Thailand is also, on average, 50.9%. lower than that of the United States.

However, Ward said he will still have to consider other, larger costs in the future, especially if he has children and they attend international schools in Thailand.

Ward is also building a house about a half-mile away for his mother.

“She has Parkinson’s disease,” Ward said. “In the future, if she needs a nurse or something, she will have the option of having a lovely, kind nurse who could live in the house with her and also be able to take care of her. “

Ward, now 40, says he is proud to have realized his dream of owning a home in his 30s.

“People want to say, ‘Oh, that’s not what you have. It’s all about your mentality.’ I’m a positive guy, I love my life despite everything, and what’s more, my life has improved in my nice house,” he added.

Have you recently built or renovated your dream home in Asia? If you have a story to share, contact me at agoh@businessinsider.com.