Thai House of the northeast are built with due considerations for dryness, hot temperatures in the hot season and cool temperatures in the cool season. The geoeconomic conditions and believes also play their parts in the evolve of the house styles of the northeast.

Early northeastern villages are relatively small and widely scattered over the entire region. The passage of time sees rice farmer families numbering from 100 to 400 gradually gather to from bigger villages. The typical village is crisscrossed by walkways along the length and width of the village dividing it into groups or "koom". Each koom is given a name for the purpose of record and registration. There are to be found in a village, a school a rice mill and a village court of law and a reservoir.

The layout of the houses in each koom gives no hint of symmetry or systematic planning. The orientation of the roof of each house is invariably along the east west direction. The space between one house and the next is not fixed, but on the average about four meters. Most if not all houses are without fences. Each house is accompanied by a granary built close to the house either to the north or south of the house.

The average house is designed for a single family. The house plan is simple consisting of a bed room, corridor, a kitchen, and a shelf for shoring water. Some houses may have "ruan kong" added ti the main house. Ruan Kong is a hall room built opposite to the bedroom. Most houses have no partitions and assigned areas are not clearly marked off one another.

Houses of the northeast rice farmers maybe classified into four main styles :

1. Gable roofed house in the traditional style.
2. House with ruan Kong (walls on three side.)
3. House without ruan Kong
4. Temporary house

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Information from: "Rice and Thai Ways of Life" published by Office of the National Culture Commission.