Wooden products and flooring manufacturer Prize of Wood Industry Co Ltd has shifted its focus to prefabricated, customisable wooden houses with the launch of 11 designs priced from 500,000 to 1.5 million baht.

The fully furnished 54-square-metre Bliss design carries a price tag of 1.38 million baht.

Managing director Khomwit Boonthamrongkit said the company needs to diversify to new innovations, as wooden products are facing a serious threat from cheaper fibre cement.

The company has spent 15 million baht on research and development to improve its prefabricated wooden houses after the first designs were introduced four years ago.

"Our first set of designs was not successful, as they were unable to be customised like customers wanted," said Mr Khomwit.

The company bought a five-axis computer numerical control machine from Italy that improves the quality of wooden products with precision-cutting.

Khomwit: Wooden products under threat

Its Wood Mood brand comprises modular homes that customers can design including room layout, unit size, materials, style, colour and tones. They can also try online at www.woodmoodexperience.com.

Target customers will include end-users and small and medium-sized resorts, as the prefabricated houses can be removed and reassembled.

Unit prices start from 17,000 baht a square metre for a bare-shell unit to 24,000 baht per sq m for a furnished unit with wooden products.

They will include a restroom imported from Japan.

The installation period for a unit of 60 sq m is about 15 days.

Unit prices do not cover foundation work, which customers need to do on their own, as each construction area is different. Wooden products have a 10-year guarantee for termite protection.

Prize of Wood will build sample houses in the 11 designs in Bangkok's Pin Klao area and have 11 flagship stores in Bangkok, Pattaya, Nakhon Ratchasima, Khon Kaen, Udon Thani, Ubon Ratchathani, Chiang Mai, Songkhla, Phuket and Surat Thani.

The new products will also tap destinations where the resort market booms including the Philippines, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar and Vietnam when the Asean market integrates in 2015.

The company expects 150 million baht in sales next year.

This year's sales figures are not yet available, although the company said sales will likely be marginal, as marketing activities have not been launched.