Buying & Refurbishing a House on the Darkside

[Petesie]

23 minutes ago, thai2try said:

I’m always curious as to how much work you can do on your own place (Bar or home) in Thailand. whether it’s frowned upon as it’s seen as taking away work from locals.i always see tradies (555) doing work in bars that’s could be easily done by the owners, homes on the other hand must be getting repaired by the owners for sure

I won't even set foot behind our bar, or even serve myself a beer from the fridge never mind work on it. I would say Homeowners are fairly safe as long it's an interior job. The guys we got in to do the work were very reasonable, yep they made the odd balls up but raised eyebrows rather than voices soon sorted that out. It also gave us plenty time to go fetch the materials we needed. 

[Petesie]

Next...

Windows, Patio Door, Main Door - I was concerned over the safety issue as Doris was on her own at first so I got Moda in for a quote; I did this via Line Video where they demonstrated the usual 4 point locking system, UV qualities etc. I decided to do the living area first; this consisted of a large 3x2m Patio Door, Rear Window 2x1.5m and Side Window the same; the quote was circa 49k thb. Installation, removal of old windows and associated debris.

Doris paid them 2k deposit and they told them it'd be a month before they would be ready, she rang them the following day to enquire when they wanted the balance paying and they were round the following morning to fit them. 

Edited May 22, 2020 by Petesie

[Petesie]

As Alex Harvey would say...Next.

Water Pressure & Tank - As said before direct mains water was going into the house, or should I say...trickling. 

A new 750 litre Innova tank was purchased from Homepro as they had a sale on 4,500 thb, most prices around the DIY places are very similar so if you can find one that has the discounts go there. We got the Hitachi pump from Baan & Beyond as they had an offer on there, 5,500thb.

I had my work fella build a platform for them, put an electrical connection in for the pump and replace all the pipes, 1000 thb. As you can see I've also had the side walkway stoned & flagged, 1500thb. I'll elaborate on that in a further post. 

 

[forcebwithu]

2 hours ago, Petesie said:

The painted PVC looks good. Should also help cut down the nasty effects UV has on PVC piping. Curious about the plumbing for the tank. Looks like the inlet for the mains water is going into the bottom of the tank. The setup for my house, and others I've seen is the mains water feeds into the top of the tank through a ball check valve, or is that plumbing on the opposite side of your tank?

[thegrogmonster]

20 hours ago, thai2try said:

I’m always curious as to how much work you can do on your own place (Bar or home) in Thailand.

whether it’s frowned upon as it’s seen as taking away work from locals.

i always see tradies (555) doing work in bars that’s could be easily done by the owners, homes on the other hand must be getting repaired by the owners for sure

Yes you need to be careful. I am an electrician by trade and replaced the switchboard inside our place. To be safe I had to isolate the supply at the meter outside the house.

Someone reported me saying I had bypassed the meter to avoid paying for our electricity. The missus was able to sort it out without me getting involved but just goes to show you need to be careful when doing work on your house in Thailand.

[Petesie]

5 hours ago, forcebwithu said:

The painted PVC looks good. Should also help cut down the nasty effects UV has on PVC piping. Curious about the plumbing for the tank. Looks like the inlet for the mains water is going into the bottom of the tank. The setup for my house, and others I've seen is the mains water feeds into the top of the tank through a ball check valve, or is that plumbing on the opposite side of your tank?

I'm guessing it fills through an internal chamber in the tank with a ball cock mechanism of sorts attached. 

[Jebb]

5 hours ago, forcebwithu said:

The painted PVC looks good. Should also help cut down the nasty effects UV has on PVC piping. Curious about the plumbing for the tank. Looks like the inlet for the mains water is going into the bottom of the tank. The setup for my house, and others I've seen is the mains water feeds into the top of the tank through a ball check valve, or is that plumbing on the opposite side of your tank?

That is exactly the system that I have.

[Garzan]

5 hours ago, forcebwithu said:

Looks like the inlet for the mains water is going into the bottom of the tank.

I have two of those tanks, one for the house and one for the outside kitchen. On our tanks, the bottom section of the tanks have three threaded labeled taps; an inlet, an outlet, and a drain. The piping to go from the bottom of the tank to the top of the tank with the ball valve at the top is all internal to the tank. I think it makes for a visually neater installation. 

To my mind, the most important part of the setup is the bypass line with the check valve. That way you still have water when the electricity is out for the pump. :-) You could do the same function with a couple of manual valves, but then when the power goes out, you'd have to go out and move the valves to the right configuration. With the check valve, that is all automatic when there is no pump pressure in the pipe.

We also put ours on top of a concrete ring to give it a bit more height. I'm not sure how much 20" or so is going to matter, but what the heck. 

[Petesie]

Seems to be working fine till the work fellas after doing some jobs forget to turn the water back on...

[Soda11111]

I recently purchased a condo in North Pattaya. I initially had some very minor work done, installing a deadbolt, replace ceiling fan. Stuff I could easily perform if I had the tools. Instead I relied on the condo technician. Never again. I will purchase the tools and perform myself. He did not use the provided template to drill the hole for the deadbolt. You can imagine the result. The fan was halfway installed, he looks at me and says finished. I made him remove the fan and install the parts he forgot to install. The door never closed or locked properly after technician finished adding to my frustration. I had to replace the door with a door professionally installed by Scorpion doors. Needless to say I now perform anything I am capable of doing by myself, painting, etc. Petesie are you happy with the workmanship?

Edited May 23, 2020 by Cheetos

[Petesie]

2 hours ago, Cheetos said:

Petesie are you happy with the workmanship?

Therein lies a tale...for the most...yes, especially with my current guy, he knows his stuff & has now dialled in to what I need to see. His workers are another story, ye have to keep an eye on them which I'll add in a bit later.

We had a guy who did some work on our bar, nice fella, no Engrish. We got him n for a few odd jobs like fitting a fan and replacing lights, dirt cheap but good job. I asked him if he does Painting, of course he replied. I bought a couple of small tins of the colour I wanted and he asked if I would like him to purchase the paint? Must've had my head up me arse as I said yes. 

Doris called me in Saudi...colour you choose no good...eh? When I returned I was witness to a sight to behold, my Autumn green was now fluorescent lime green, my spring cream was bright yellow, both hideous colours were also in Acrylic where I'd specified Matt...

I queried him...WTF? Turned out he'd lost the original colours and decided to guess, he was also colour blind; I said why didn't you ask now I have bright yellow...I like yellow he said. 

[brooksie]

^^^^ They have an answer for everything, enjoying the process though. ^^^^^^

[thai2try]

On 22/05/2020 at 19:47, Petesie said:

I won't even set foot behind Our bar, or even serve myself a beer from the fridge never mind work on it.

I have to admit, if I had the ability for girls to serve me drinks all day, I would hardly lift a finger.

555

14 hours ago, thegrogmonster said:

Yes you need to be careful. I am an electrician by trade

Same here, that’s why I was asking.

I’ve once had to actually stop a “possible” sparky working on a fridge while was drinking in a bar because I could see he was going to fry himself any minute.
He didn’t like it, but I don’t think I could live with myself if something happened.

Edited May 23, 2020 by thai2try

[Jebb]

I had an English guy called Paul from the Darkside do a lot of work for me. He has moved up country now so no issues for him about being caught working here. He did electrical, plumbing, masonry and carpentry and all at a reasonable price. Biggest plus was no communication problems and free advice, it was worth the little extra compared to a Thai worker. The painting I did myself, I believe that as long as I stayed on my property there are no problems for me doing the work, perhaps somebody can confirm this?

There is a place on Khao Noi between the BKK Bank and the railway line (same side) that does whirlybird roof exhaust fans and steel gates and fences. I found them very reasonable and fast and it makes a big difference sucking fresh and cooler air through the house and out of the roof space.

[Luv2Phuket]

Great thread - really enjoying this! Thanks for posting and for the contributions from others!

FWIW, I love home improvement shows, but, when it comes to the actual work, I am “as useless as tits on a boar hog” (to borrow one of my late Dad’s favorite phrases! 555)


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[LOTTELLEE WINNA]

@Petesie Thanks for starting this top thread. Really interested in hearing the story. That’s a nice place you got there mate.

We purchased a place new in Udon on a semi hiso estate. Reasonably happy with it - though it’s currently lying empty while we are in NZ for 24 months. Getting a ‘go to’ tradesman is a big plus - we have a guy who is pretty good and 100% reliable/honest.

I think you did the right thing not buying a brand new property - Thais love these and you end up paying an unnecessary premium. We bought a new build place, but my missus was pregnant with our son, so I gave in a bit too easily on that one. Although we paid the new build premium, the upside at least was my cash (GBP+AUD) bought a bit more then than it does today. Added a few pics of our place below.

I was interested in your comment about checking the state of neighboring properties and the estate as a whole. That’s important. In ours, the estate has a really good ‘Poo Yai Ban’ (headman) he makes sure the place is kept immaculate and that security is kept on their toes (it also helps that many of our neighbors are senior cops). However the couple next door neighbor have divorced and walked away from their place leaving the bank in control. My experience is that banks can sit on these properties for many years and just allow them to become an eyesore and rot away...my mother-in-law (she drops in to clean our place weekly while we are away) says next door’s garden is like a Jungle now.

Anyway @Petesie thanks again for starting the thread - if you have info on the costs of internal decorations (stripping walls, painting etc) I would be interested - as our gaff will be getting the full homes and gardens treatment when we return from NZ.....looking forward to the rest of your setting up house tale.

      

[grazza2468]

Hi petsie, just a question about your windows and sliding doors. I was wondering, is MODA a company or a contractor?  I had some silly quotes on my condo for sliding doors. Looking forward to getting back to pattaya. Thanks graz

[Petesie]

Just now, grazza2468 said:

Hi petsie, just a question about your windows and sliding doors. I was wondering, is MODA a company or a contractor?  I had some silly quotes on my condo for sliding doors. Looking forward to getting back to pattaya. Thanks graz

It's a company for sure but whether or not they all get their products from the same manufacturing outlet I'm not sure; I thought their prices were reasonable for the quality of the product. They were fairly responsive and oddly enough they'd quoted me 59k for the other 8 windows when they initially fitted the living area; I arrived back on March 1st and they rang in the afternoon with a lower quote...strange but true. 

They also fitted a new front door and special sized small windows for my Hong Nams, which was extra. 

[Petesie]

Just an afterthought; while I was impressed by the quality of the windows & door & that they clean up afterwards...they do a bit of cosmetic damage getting the old ones out. They fill the edges of the replacement with sealant but it pays to have some putty & paint handy after they're gone to get the finishing touches right. 

Thankfully we had the work fellas in at the same time doing the Hong Nams. 

Edited May 24, 2020 by Petesie

[Petesie]

While we're on the subject - Hong Nams. 

Another Faux Pas of my 20 minute viewing was whilst I acknowledged a makeover was required in the lavs was that there was no hot water and only mains temp water was supplied through a single tap. This was the standard fitment practice when the units were built around 12 years ago. 

The makeover was fairly straightforward from my perspective; I just bought the stuff & the guys fitted it.

Hong Nam 1 was procured from Homepro with a total cost of circa 16k with all the fittings, tiling extra. This included Toilet, Sink, Cabinet, shower screen, shower water heater, towel rails, bum gun etc., tiling extra.

Hong Nam 2 was from Baan & Beyond, similar pricing. Tiling was from Boontavorn, floor to ceiling, cost circa 16k for both. I chose Boontavorn as they had a sale on all tiling.

Each Hong Nam took 3 days; 1 to strip, 2 to tile, 3 to finish fitting and making sure I was happy with the work. I wasn't. They'd fitted the toilet bowl too near to the wash unit, they couldn't explain why they hadn't fitted it in the middle between the basin and the shower screen. Their gaffer made them sort it; I'd asked them for a blank tiled rear wall, I got the continued stripe running through...too late to change. Some fittings upside down...patience was my virtue.

Hong Nam 2 - All ok apart from most of the same mistakes from above were repeated, yup, ye read that right; they also fitted the basin unit without offering up the basin to check, yep, it didn't fit. Once they sorted out their gaffs the lavs looked great, they fitted ceiling extraction fans wired to the light switch, knocked out the 30cm window in the centre of the rear wall, filled it and made a hole for the new window.

My choice in the fittings was restricted by size of the rooms, there were some great units available but too large for our wee Hong Nams.

Before & after...

 

[SiamDreamer]

25 minutes ago, Petesie said:

Before & after...

Excellent job - very well done. Reminds me of that show "Flip This House".  If had the money I would buy one of your flips (condo only).

[Petesie]

7 minutes ago, SiamDreamer said:

Excellent job - very well done. Reminds me of that show "Flip This House".  If had the money I would buy one of your flips (condo only).

I'm actually in the market for a condo, not as a flip but for me...

[LOTTELLEE WINNA]

2 hours ago, Petesie said:

While we're on the subject - Hong Nams. 

Another Faux Pas of my 20 minute viewing was whilst I acknowledged a makeover was required in the lavs was that there was no hot water and only mains temp water was supplied through a single tap. This was the standard fitment practice when the units were built around 12 years ago. 

The makeover was fairly straightforward from my perspective; I just bought the stuff & the guys fitted it.

Hong Nam 1 was procured from Homepro with a total cost of circa 16k with all the fittings, tiling extra. This included Toilet, Sink, Cabinet, shower screen, shower water heater, towel rails, bum gun etc., tiling extra.

Hong Nam 2 was from Baan & Beyond, similar pricing. Tiling was from Boontavorn, floor to ceiling, cost circa 16k for both. I chose Boontavorn as they had a sale on all tiling.

Each Hong Nam took 3 days; 1 to strip, 2 to tile, 3 to finish fitting and making sure I was happy with the work. I wasn't. They'd fitted the toilet bowl too near to the wash unit, they couldn't explain why they hadn't fitted it in the middle between the basin and the shower screen. Their gaffer made them sort it; I'd asked them for a blank tiled rear wall, I got the continued stripe running through...too late to change. Some fittings upside down...patience was my virtue.

Hong Nam 2 - All ok apart from most of the same mistakes from above were repeated, yup, ye read that right; they also fitted the basin unit without offering up the basin to check, yep, it didn't fit. Once they sorted out their gaffs the lavs looked great, they fitted ceiling extraction fans wired to the light switch, knocked out the 30cm window in the centre of the rear wall, filled it and made a hole for the new window.

My choice in the fittings was restricted by size of the rooms, there were some great units available but too large for our wee Hong Nams.

Before & after...

 

A very nice job...great choice of fixtures and fittings. I really like Boonthavorn, top for style, a bit expensive but their tiles are often reduced in a sale.

Yes the blue stripe continued on the slate grey plain wall....I have had a few of those WTF moments with Thai tradesmen. They really don’t get western style and TBH don’t even see the need for it - they see it as a case of function first and foremost, does it work, not how it looks. Causes issues for me (and many westerners) as ‘look’ is just as important as functionality for me. Can be frustrating 

[Soda11111]

Just foolish not to be present when a Thai tradesman is applying their craft. Someone has to do the thinking. Hehe

[Petesie]

1 hour ago, Cheetos said:

Just foolish not to be present when a Thai tradesman is applying their craft. Someone has to do the thinking. Hehe

I was more or less present and instructions were fairly clear...as was their gaffers, however step away... 

I stopped them drilling holes as their drills were fucked or too large for the job, bought them new ones, yep still used the old ones as that's what they were used to. By & large they were fine but they did have their moments. From an earlier post...

Quote

Doris had a busy day today supervising the work fellas as she glanced up now & then from her phone.

Me..        "Teerak"

Doris...   'Yaas"

Me...       'They've hung yon door upside down'

Doris...   'Ok no problem" 

Me....     "Plus they've drilled the hole for the handle in the wrong place"

Doris...   'They know what they do"

 Me...       'No they fookin' don't'

True story....