Few Thais consider the shophouse a desirable home. Its rectangular form and squat, box-like appearance holds little appeal for the modern homebuyer unless it is to serve the purpose for which it was designed -  a multi-function space for both commercial and residential use.

Today, limited urban space and escalating building costs are taking their toll on city dwellers with free-standing houses and condos in downtown neighbourhoods carrying astronomical price tags.

Renovating an old shophouse for residential use is not only a good way of economising, it also saves precious resources. More importantly, say urban planners, it also preserves a sense of history.

A fully furnished apartment in town or a city home might be way over the budget for all but the super rich, says Praphan Prabhasavat, managing editor of Baan Lae Suan magazine, but making over an old shophouse is an alternative for people with more modern needs.

"If there are no other choices and you want to live downtown, you can turn it into a smaller but comfortable pad," he says.

To prove its point, the magazine has invited interior designers to take part in its "Living Unlimited" competition and turn a 4x12-metre, two-storey shophouse into a bookshop and a home for a family of four.

It's a tough job, but Praphan says the results will be useful for thousands of city dwellers.

Such renovations, he adds, also help improve the city's image, because most of the shophouses are located on main roads.

"Hide some of the eyesores like the air compressor, and your place will already look great."

With careful design, the blunt architecture turns into a hip structure suited to the modern lifestyle. For examples, check out how rundown shophouses have successfully been transformed into hip hotels.

There's the Luxx Hotel in Silom, the Train Inn near Hua Lampong train station, the Shanghai Inn in Chinatown and Old Bangkok Inn on Rattanakosin Island. Others are being turned into private residences.

There's no official record, but shophouses were first seen in the Chinese communities during the reign of King Rama V when it was encouraged to locate buildings along the main roads. The very first group was built in the Samphanthawong neighbourhood and along Bangkok's first roads, including Charoenkrung and Bamrungmaung.

Originally built as multi-functional spaces, shophouses were greatly favoured by Chinese merchants who wanted to save on living costs. In Bangkok, these hybrids have between two and four storeys, depending on the area. The ground floor is often used for commercial purposes such as a general store or coffee shop, while the upper floors serve as a living space for the family.

shophouses built in the mid-1800s were mainly made of timber and were either one- or two-storey. The arrival of concrete technology in the 20th century allowed the addition of extra floors, but it wasn't until 1982 when reinforced concrete became the norm in construction that five-storey terraces started to appear.

A river view or historical value can turn even the ugliest construction ducklings into beautiful swans, says senior architect Kittisak Aguru of Robert G Boughey and Associates Co Ltd, referring to Shanghai Inn in Chinatown, the new hotel created from a run-down department store.

"If the building had been demolished and replaced with a modern structure, the charm of the area would be lost."

"Thais are used to tearing down and rebuilding rather than fixing old structures, unlike in the Western world where historical structures are considered very important," says Duangrit Bunnag of Duangrit Bunnag Architect Ltd.

"It's a lot easier to start from zero."

High-rises are not suited to all areas, adds Duangrit. Chinatown is already too congested, so shophouses should be kept to maintain the present population density.

Both architects agree that renovation helps maintain the historical values of the buildings, but point out that not every old building is worth renovating.

Kittisak is all for redoing buildings but warns prospective buyers to be cautious.

"It takes a lot of study and understanding of an old building to turn it into a practical and stylish structure. Many old shophouses become eyesores when the old surface structure is replaced with glass.

"It's a lot more challenging and can work out more expensive than building a new home".

He suggests combining two stories with a low ceiling into one to allow better ventilation or putting up a skylight to allow better lighting.

Jirayu Tulyanond, who owns Old Bangkok Inn, is well aware of the high costs involved - his renovations cost him 20 per cent more than a new building - but he has no regrets.

When he started renovating his decades-old shophouse on Rattanakosin Island two years ago, he found it fun working on the rectangular building with extra high ceilings. "It saves the world resources too."

Living in a condo in downtown Bangkok Wongthanong Chainarongsingha, editor of a day magazine, recently fell for the shophouse charm and signed the lease on a two-storey hybrid in Phetchaburi province "It's like living with your old folks," he confides.

Decorating his shophouse is easy, says Wongthanong. "It's like playing with two boxes."

Turning a run-down shophouse into a modern home is not that difficult, insists Kittisak. "You just need to think outside the box."

 Sirinya Wattanasukchai

 The Nation