In the remote villages, houses are made of teak or bamboo and are usually on stilts, the space underneath being used for animals (buffalo, pigs, chickens). There is no electricity in these villages. Toilets are minimal, and situated in a separate outbuilding with no septic tanks. Water is available from the river for washing the body and clothes.
The Karen people have few possessions, and usually sleep on mats on the floor. Cooking is over an open fire on earth or the wooden floors of the house. Occasionally, a wooden frame is built to store equipment. There is generally no furniture.
Some villages closer to the towns have access to running water and electricity, and some houses in these villages are built from more modern materials.