Sales for floating 'hobbit homes' in Thailand are soaring with foreigners buying the lake rafts.

The miniature houses come in different styles and are built by Thai company 'Subsiri' at a four-acre warehouse in Khon Kaen province in the northeast of the country.

Company owner Phong Hinkok said he initially had no knowledge about building floating houses but decided to venture into the business due to the high number of requests. He hired engineers and architects to design the raft houses, with sales taking off before the pandemic - and surging again since worldwide lockdowns ended.

Phong said: 'The Covid-19 pandemic did not affect the company much since the construction materials remained affordable, allowing us to continue building floating houses until today. We have a resilient supply chain.

'The company has received orders for hobbit-style floating houses from Norway and Europe, as well as a significant number of orders from customers in Laos and Vietnam.

'As a result, the company is under pressure to complete these orders on time.'

Phong has also coordinated with Thailand's Marine Department to ensure the safety of the structures. He said the quality and sturdiness were crucial factors in building the hobbit homes.

He said: 'One customer in the Bang Pakong area in Chachoengsao ordered a large raft for 300 people. We said we needed to carefully calculate the weight distribution of the occupants.'

Phong said that his company was producing 10 floating houses for a customer in Kalasin, as well as a restaurant raft with a pool that can accommodate 200 people, which will be placed in the Lam Pao Dam.

Once completed, the houses will be delivered to the customer, who will bear the cost of shipping.

Phong said that customers could also discuss their preferred house types and budget with the company directly for bespoke quotes.

The boss said that remand for the rafts is surging as orders continue to come both locally and abroad. Still in the construction queue were more than 100 floating houses destined for Chiang Rai province, with 10 other rafts to be placed in a dam in Laos.

While Phong was grateful for every order, he emphasised that customers must wait for their turn as his company prioritises quality and safety.

The hobbit homes cost from 390,000 baht (11,500 USD) to a staggering 25 million baht (737,245 USD), depending on the specifications.