In recent years, Chinese-made houses have come to be sold just about everywhere.

They are taken for the same "knock-down house", but they are not.

Chinese-made houses are called knock-down, and so are our unit houses. Both are bolted together and can be taken apart for transport, and they look alike. So most people assume they are the same thing and compare them on price alone.

Inside, they are different products. What they were built for, which parts are bolted and which are welded, and what materials are used. These differences show up as you use them. This article sets out the differences one by one, as facts. It is not about which is better. It comes down to whether you will move it or not.

1. Chinese-made houses are built to ship easily and cost little

Low-cost imported houses (mainly Chinese-made) mass-produce each part in separate factories and assemble them with bolts and nuts only. Taken apart, they pack tightly into containers, which keeps freight cost down. With no welding, no roofed factory is needed; they can be assembled anywhere.

If the house will stay in one place, this is a sensible approach, and a good one.

2. But the materials are minimal

The insulation is soft EPS (expanded polystyrene). The panel edges are taped; peel the tape and the foam crumbles.
The steel skin is under 0.3 mm and dents when pressed with a finger.
The floor steel is 1.2 mm.

3. Moving wears them out

Transport vibration loosens the bolts, and once the frame twists it does not come back. Every move takes it a step closer to falling apart.
Once assembled, it cannot be taken apart; taking it apart damages it.
The side panels cannot be removed, so replacing one panel means stripping down from the roof. Things get damaged, and it takes time.
The finish is baked-on paint, so scratches are hard to fill and repair; it ends in replacement.
Even moved carefully, it is used up after about 5 or 6 sites.

4. "Would welding make it the same?"

We are often asked. It helps a little. But 1.2 mm steel is not suited to welding (normally 1.6 mm or more is needed); it burns through. There are many weld points, and thin steel has to be welded slowly, so labour and cost mount up. Even then, the same strength is hard to reach.

5. Our houses were built for rental

Rental is the centre of what we make, so structure comes first.

The roof base and floor base are welded into single pieces. The frame does not twist however many times it is moved.
The frame (roof base, columns, floor base) bolts together, so after assembly it can be taken apart again without damage.
Wall panels, windows and doors slot in between the columns, so positions can be changed later and only the panel that needs replacing is swapped, right where it is. Strip the panels and only the steel frame remains (see how panels, windows and doors can be changed).
Insulation is injected polyurethane foam, rigid in itself and part of the panel strength. The skin is 0.3 mm embossed steel; the floor steel is 1.6 mm and 2 mm.
Ten years and more in rental service, then a second life as a used unit for another 10 to 20 years.
Good units kept in circulation bring the cost down, and nothing ends as scrap, which is recycling in itself.

6. Side by side

Point	Low-cost imported house (mainly Chinese-made)	Our unit house (Work House)
Assembly	Every part bolted with nuts and bolts	Frame bolted; roof and floor bases welded
Where it is made	No welding, so no factory needed; assembled anywhere	Roof and floor bases must be welded properly in a factory (equipment needed)
Transport	Taken apart and packed tightly into containers	Moved as a whole unit, or taken apart
Insulation	EPS; depends on grade but soft, the minimum grade; edges taped	Injected polyurethane foam, rigid in itself, adds panel strength
Steel skin	Under 0.3 mm; dents when pressed	0.3 mm, embossed
Floor steel	1.2 mm (not suited to welding)	1.6 mm and 2 mm
Taking apart after assembly	Not possible (it gets damaged)	Can be taken apart again; nothing gets damaged
Down to the bare frame	Not possible	Remove panels, doors and windows and only the steel frame remains
Replacing a panel	Strip from the roof down; damage and time	Swap only the panel you need, where it is
Window and door positions	Cannot be changed	Can be changed later
Repairing damage	Hard to fill; ends in replacement	Replace only the damaged panel
Moving	Bolts loosen; twist does not come back	Welded bases do not twist; move after move
Service life	About 5 to 6 sites	10+ years in rental, then 10 to 20 more as a used unit
Purchase price	Low	Higher than Chinese-made
Brought up to the same standard	Equal to ours or higher	—
Suited to	Staying in one place	Repeated moves, long use, rental

7. In short: a price is a price

A low price has its reasons. A higher price has its reasons too.

Chinese-made houses cost less because they skip welding, use minimal materials and are mass-produced and shipped to be assembled anywhere. If the house stays put, that is enough.

Our houses have the roof and floor bases welded in the factory. Welding needs factory equipment and adds cost; that is where the higher price comes from. In return, the frame does not twist however many times it is moved, repairs are a single panel, and the unit serves 10 years and more.

Chinese-made houses are sold cheaply all over the world today, but they cannot take all of the demand, because their structure does not suit the one thing a relocatable house is for: moving.

Suppose you took a Chinese-made house and reworked it until it could serve in our rental fleet: weld the bases, change the floor steel to 1.6 mm or more, replace the panels with polyurethane foam and 0.3 mm embossed steel. What happens? Cheap Chinese labour or not, the price does not come out below ours. It comes out the same, or higher.

A price is a price. Do not compare price tags alone; compare how many years, and how many moves, you get.

It is close to a 100,000-baht purchase. Come to the showroom, press the panel with your hand and look at the welds on the frame (showroom location and contact). Related: how panels, windows and doors can be changed / disadvantages of house-look knock-down houses / Construction cost per square metre