Life in UK saw me work 80 hours a WEEK for no money so we packed up and moved to Thailand to build a house from scratch

FORCED to close their restaurants in the UK in the middle of the pandemic, Ben and his wife Anna moved to Thailand.

They have been building an off grid farmstead on 5 acres of land since 2021.  

The 2,900-square-foot property spans two floors and comes with three bedrooms, only costing the couple £74,000.

"We were both working about 80 hours a week, but we were doing it for no money — we were doing it just so we could maybe break even at the end of each month," Ben, a former chef, told Business Insider. "We both thought that we really enjoyed what we did, but we very quickly realized that wasn't true."

Anna is originally from Thailand and the couple anticipated retiring there. But, after considering the property market in the UK, they said it made more sense to move immediately.

Flying in the pandemic, with their dogs following shortly after, the couple moved to the province of Nong Bua Lam Phu.

The expansive plot of land cost around £14,450. They are 30 minutes from the nearest city and their water comes from a well, while solar panels supply their electricity.

The picturesque scenes of the couple’s home are surrounded by trees and a river. The expansive views, mountains and sunsets are documented through Ben’s YouTube channel. But, alongside those, he has documented the monsoon floods that delayed construction for the past two years.

Ben welcomed the lower living costs in Thailand, making his work in chef recruitment in the UK, far less stressful.

"If we were really to tighten our belts, we could manage on maybe $500 a month for the both of us, and that would be for food, fuel, and car insurance," Ben said of the necessities.

By living remotely and off-grid the couple were not bound by the restrictions of location and the "perfect spot" for their house in Thailand became a possibility.