kamalabob2

For six months in our five bedroom, six bathroom house with a pool and medium garden we paid zero for "Provincial Water Authority" www.pwa.co.th water since we used LESS than 30,000 liters each month. However our current bill period we went OVER 30,000 liters so you pay the full amount from the FIRST liter.

632.30 baht for the 49,000 liters of water

50.00 baht for the "service charge"

47.76 baht tax

730.06 baht one month for a house with a green garden, pool, six bathrooms and four to seven people on any given night. We have seen a neighbor have a bill where the meter reader wrote the wrong number down and a bakery shop with a water pipe leak and 2000 baht monthly bill. Since for previous six months we did not do much watering of the garden so we were below the 30,000 liter threshold and did not have a figure to pay.

The replies have been spot on but I'll add that you should NOT purchase the insurance offered at the Motorcycle dealer. Shop with Thai Visa Insurance Broker or Insurance in Thailand .com and deal with a native English speaking broker who will offer you more than one possible policy. While you need to have at least the very cheap (price set by the Government) mandatory insurance, really you should consider ALSO the a second policy of the better class of insurance, but you WANT TO PURCHASE BOTH with the same Insurance company through the same broker so if there was an accident you do not have conflicting insurance companies. It is hel_l to attempt to deal directly with a Thai insurance company, but easy to work with a native English speaking broker and it DOES NOT COST A SATANG MORE in premiums.

I pay for the Thai SRI insurance on two Yamaha motorcycles through our broker in Phuket via e-mail and the telephone and it goes smooth every year. But paying for auto insurance direct with the insurance company is a comedy of errors each premium renewal. You might already be aware, but I'll say it that often a policy will cover ANY driver on the motorcycle of auto but they MUST HAVE A VALID DRIVERS LICENSE. A good English speaking broker will e-mail you a copy of the English version of any possible Insurance policy you should consider. To register a motorcycle or auto/truck you need a "letter of residency" which is often free at a Thai Immigration office and often about 1200 baht at your Embassy or Consulate. Remember if you purchase insurance at the motorcycle dealer then you are "on your own" when contacting a Thai insurance company in the event of a possible claim, but if you do business with a native English speaking Insurance broker you have someone who will do all the legwork in the event of a claim. For fun call a Thai Insurance Company direct and ask some simple questions and you'll understand my posting.

LED strip lighting is available at any Independent Philips Lighting dealer. I bought the LED Strip BLUE 0.8 W 50-60Hz 1CT/20 ordering code: 550207 05 upc code 8727900550207

from a Philips Independent Dealer in Korat down the street from The Mall heading towards Buriram. I've seen the same all in one kit which has 4 LED strips, 1 main adaptor, one color controller, all the hardware at other Philips dealers. I did NOT check to see other colors of lighting, but a motivated Philips dealer can look up this item or you can call the office in Philips office Bangkok. I've seen other "no name" LED lighting with questionable controllers in most every lighting store. Philips also sells in Thailand LED bulbs which fit into "normal" sockets. Those LED bulbs are not real bright. Thailand also sells T5 lighting fixtures which use very little electricity such as the:

Philips "Easy For Life" TCH065 1X21W No need to buy a ballast or starter with that very inexpensive, but very bright model T5 fixture. That model is widely available in Thailand, even at most all Modern Trade stores such as Tesco or Big C, often on a Buy 1 get 1 free promotion.

I have been 100% satisfied with the excellent service and ability to be shown different policy options from various reputable Insurance firms by the Phuket Office of Insurance in Thailand .com They have an office with Native English speaking bi-lingual staff in Pattaya at:

PATTAYA Office:

373/23 Moo 9, Pattaya 3rd Road,

Nongprue, Banglamung, Chonburi,

Thailand 20260.

Telephone: + 66 38 422 825

Facsimile: + 66 38 374 196

Do a google search for insurance - in - thailand . com They are licensed brokers and it is worth your time to see what they can offer you.

Magic jack is NOT perfect, but it does have one very interesting feature for people who might have formerly lived in Canada or the USA. If you buy a magicjack (I bought mine over one year ago on line in USA) and a friend mails it to you in Thailand or perhaps you can buy it from the new local distributor in Bangkok, you can easily set it up on line while you are in Thailand. You can set it up to have a phone number in your former area code, in or close to the pre fix of the city you previously lived. So due to the not awesome Internet of Thailand it does not always work when you PLACE a call from your computer in Thailand to the USA or Canada (but the price is right) and you can be right by your computer with a magicjack plugged in and it does not ring your dedicated magicjack phone. BUT it has a great VOICEMAIL feature which you set up with your own voice. In my experience the voice mail notification was promptly forwarded to the e-mail address you set up. People can place a call to your "local number" you could be sleeping in Thailand and the magic jack picks it up and takes a good message.

It is an excellent way for you to maintain a "local" phone number for friends, banking and financial / insurance contact FROM USA and they do not realize you are not on American or Canadian soil. When magicjack works the voice quality is superior to deedial or skype in my experience, but it is frustrating to have calls cut off due to either the Internet connection in Thailand or a design flaw with magic jack. If I lived in California I would NOT give up my ATT land line phone to rely ONLY on magicjack. It can be a real money saver in long distance calls, it is a VALUABLE and effective way to keep a "local" USA or Canadian phone presence at a marginal cost.

It is not my favorite electronics shop in Thailand, but the "radio shack" of Thailand called "Amorn" which has many locations in Bangkok do stock several models of this type of item. Not really very expensive, but you might look at some independent shops to compare capacity, quality and price to what Amorn sells.

Jerry Martin perhaps paid a fair price. It is not JUST a 3 phase transformer, there should be many additional parts installed up near the transformer by a qualified electrical contractor to deliver proper electrical supply. After reading GDHM troubles with obtaining safe, steady electricity I count my blessings we had two good electrical contractors "up Country".

WilliamCave: All of the previous replies have given you straight and honest answers. I'll agree that you should sell your corded 110v electric tools in America prior to your move and want to add: If you have a particular model of cordless drills you MIGHT have a true dual voltage charger for the batteries. Much the same as a cell phone charger or a Nikon battery charger. Even if you do not bring the 110 electric corded tools, do seriously consider all of the blades, drill bits and quality used hand tools you ALREADY own and can include in a free to nominal cost luggage situation. I can add that Home Pro, Home Works, HomeMart all charge a high price for power tools in Thailand. You can research via ConsumerReports.org and see unbiased tool ratings and MANY of the same exact model power tools are in fact sold in Thailand. If you shop around with the high volume Independent Tool shops you can buy Makita, DeWalt, Hitachi, Bosch, Panasonic, Ryobi, for less money than USA prices and way less than the three heavily advertised "modern trade" hardware stores in Thailand. You do not have to buy a bottom rated Black and Decker electric drill when you live in Thailand. I shop twice a month at Makro, but it took only one time of an "off brand" electric blower that lasted 10 seconds to see the value of only buying "name brand" highly rated electric tools in Thailand. It is NOT the Costco experience when you return a defective item in Thailand to a Modern Trade store. It is the Fry's Electronics return experience here.

I have favored Makita Tools since the tool shop I patronize has shown me examples of the spare parts for Makita (and Maktec) costing the consumer considerably less than other quality brands. Tool repairs can be very inexpensive even after the warranty period is over and in my experience in Thailand to have a good business relationship with the owner of an Independent tool shop is way better situation than attempting to return something to Home Pro or Home Works. I own DeWalt, Bosch, Makita, Maktec and Talon power tools and I have never seen those models priced less in the USA or at Home Pro, Home Mart or Home Works than what I paid at a Buriram Independent shop.

If you have a good luggage allowance then take a good look at any dual voltage home HiFi gear you might already own. Av cables, even 110 power cords (not power strips) that you already own. I had some Hubbell HBL8215C Hospital grade plugs and Daniel Woodhead Super Safeway 1447 plugs to replace CEE 7/7 hybrid Schuko/French plugs that come standard on many electric items in Thailand. Do not loan money, vehicles or TOOLS to "family" if you expect to be repaid on time, have no accidents, or have no damaged tools / drill bits / blades. Of course no one in the village knows how the drill became broken, but I learned quickly how inexpensive tool repairs can be at the right shop.

Both Fortuner models are a good value in Thailand. I was in a hurry and bought a gasoline Fortuner in 2005 ASSUMING that diesel engines in 2005 were similar to the 1980 Mercedes 240D I owned. Boy was I wrong!! I kicked myself for that hasty decision when I had the opportunity to drive a loaner Fortuner from the Toyota dealership. My next door neighbor has a very nice TRD diesel Fortuner and it is NOT noisy, but it certainly has given him more 200 baht speeding tickets as it can move much quicker than my gasoline model. The next Toyota I purchase will be a Diesel. You can PASS slow vehicles with better safety in a Diesel Fortuner in my experience.

Tigs are you paying the same "project manager" in your earlier post: "359 000 baht by the project manager for my house, for the wood to use for forming the concrete, using as scaffolding etc"

What did you end up doing and paying for that wood? Farang or Thai "project manager" for your home?

I believe a good source in any area of Thailand for worthwhile advise is to ask your fellow expats who have built a home in YOUR area. They can tell you the "good", the "bad" and the "skipped town" stories. It can be easy sit down with the English speaking owners (or English speaking offspring of the owners) of the reputable building materials store you patronize. They know which builders "pay the bill on time", which builders "only buy the cheapest grade", etc.. If YOU are paying for the materials from that store and have a good relationship, then perhaps that owner will give you some valid names.

Yes there are in fact "tradesmen", such as some excellent wood working crews for interior custom furniture or some men who have a real skill at granite installation or some men who have a small team and seem to do good plumbing / kitchen / bathroom counters. It was my experience that the Thai building contractor had a series of "teams" to do the tasks her main construction team was not qualified for. Separate firms and/or separate teams did the 1) termite piping from Bangkok, 2) window firm from Bangkok, 3) screen doors from Buriram, 4) normal electrical work including all lighting fixture installation and ceiling fan installation from Buriram. 5) main power supply and transformer installation from Buriram, 6) rain gutters from a village, 7) interior custom furniture and wood cabinets, crew who travel and live on site, 8) kitchen counter and bathroom counter tops from a village near Buriram, 9) granite installation from a village, 10) CCTV and alarm from Bangkok, 11) Electric fence from Bangkok, 12) gypsum ceilings 13) curtain crew, 14) pile driver subcontractor 15) roof tile staff from a village, 16) property wall was built by in-laws, 17) driveway construction and brick layers from a village, 18) pool company from Bangkok, 19) pump shop from Buriram for water tanks, pumps and connections, 20) Stainless steel company from Buriram, 21) Painters from a village, 22) local shop for Thai satellite TV installation, 23) Buriram shop for English language moving satellite TV instalation, 24) Buriram shop for air conditioning installation, 25) in-laws to plant a garden, 26) a laminate floor firm from Surin. The attached photos are "local" counter crew and "traveling "wood staff". Tradesmen with experience and skill do exist in Thailand so please do not be discouraged.

I admire the attorney I pay in Bangkok, but I sure do not think he is a person to "vet" the various sub contractors where I live "up country". Simple rule as you have perhaps already discovered: The more money in a down payment, the less happy you will be with the task performed by the tradesman.

Good luck with finishing your home and I really want to know how that "wood forms and scaffold" situation was resolved. I think you best source of "generic Thai contacts" is from the owners of the building materials stores and/or fellow expats who have built a home.

We are very happy with the Panasonic Inverter a/c unit in our daughter's room. The price varied GREATLY from shop to shop in our province. One place wanted more than full pop list, others only a small discount but in the end it came down to two independent shops lowering prices twice from original written estimates. The price printed in the glossy catalog is only a starting point, except for one dealer when I was shopping in 2008.

Craig: The above replies are correct and I want to add that when you find what appears to be a good "air condition shop", which in our area is also an authorized Siemens / LG / Electrolux appliance shop, insist that you see EXAMPLES of the actual installation done by that shop's staff of the cassette type (or other type you are considering). Look at how "clean" it looks and look at where the drainage pipes enter a water drain and most important see if they used 3 wires or only 2 wires to hook up the unit. The quality of the INSTALLATION is crucial in Thailand. You can spend serious money on top grade equipment, but if the staff that come to install your expensive items have the wrong tools, little experience and no actual manufactures training it can go South real fast. I will voice my complete satisfaction with both Daikin and Panasonic INVERTER "split type" air conditioners. Quiet and our electric meter does not "spin". Before we had a/c units installed in our newly built home we had been to job sites with the air conditioning being installed and another home where it was already in use. Good luck.

Tokay: There are many brands of tile grout sealer sold all over Thailand: I priced imported Aqua Mix from USA sold at Home Pro, HG (Hagesan) from the Netherlands, sold at many "modern trade" stores plus two local and less expensive brands "PSK" DIAMOND STONE and locally made WEBER "UPC code 8855401006715 "Liquid to reinforce protection of cementitious grouts against stain and grease". My wife and a sister in law applied it on the grout in the bathrooms and kitchens with very small paint brushes. You do NOT want this applied to any ceramic tile, ONLY the grout, I know from a "lost in translation" small error.

In 17 months of use there has been zero mold even trying to form on any tile grout in the kitchens or bathrooms. The Weber and Diamond Stone are easy to purchase, even "Up Country" since both of those brands have a very wide dealer network. No import duties, no importer mark up on PSK Diamond Stone or Weber products. In fact both companies have brochures at most dealers in English and they both have staff in Bangkok who understand and speak English. The Weber and Diamond stone are very inexpensive, easy to use and I can recommend them both. We used the Weber primarily for grout and we used a Diamond Stone product to coat and seal the granite counters in our home. We coated the Kera Pool tile and grout (I do not recommend coating shower tile) prior to filling the pool with water.

I built a home in 2008 on a private road four poles lengths away from the municipal road. On the municipal road were wires with both single phase and three phase electricity that you can hook up to for a fee from the PEA. My next door neighbor has a sensible size home and he needed 30 amp single phase meter and service. So at his expense he paid a local electrical contractor to run his cement poles, wires, etc.. I "assumed" I could do with similar wires and use his poles when I built my home. WRONG. The PEA was very clear that with the electrical maximum potential CONSUMPTION of our home based on the approved "electric plan" (how many plugs, breakers, a/c, light fixtures, etc...) that I MUST have 50 amp THREE phase service. They would not allow electrical hook up with single phase. Fair enough, safety is a primary concern in Thailand.

So they made a written price quote on PEA staff to install the five, 12 meter poles necessary, 3 phase transformer and HOST OF OTHER ITEMS ACTUALLY NECESSARY to safely obtain 3 phase power. This is NOT a job for a "somchia electric man" from the village. The PEA quote was over 350,000 baht for the parts and installation.

I had my builder phone the actual manufacturer of the transformer and get a price on just the transformer. It was not 50,000 baht. Not close. So we obtained written bids from two large electrical contractors from the provincial capital. One of the firms BCE is owned in part by a supervisor with the PEA office in the Provincial capital. The BCE trucks are former PEA trucks with the sign painted BCE. The same firm installs electric service to large retail, institutional, manufacturing, hospitality locations in our province. The price for the OVER 100 PARTS and labor with a written guarantee was 300,000 baht. Not cheap, but less than the PEA. My neighbor now has his wires installed on my poles, but those large poles can only take one more set of single phase wires.

The 45 page document request for 3 phase electric service from the BCE contractor to the PEA is VERY specific on what parts are used in the installation. IN ANY area of Thailand there must be larger electrical contractors who MIGHT quote a lower price than the PEA, but proper licensing, etc.. is crucial. Copies of various Thailand licenses and government documents were included in the application.

I have an older Expat friend who went to the same PEA office and they demanded he have 50 amp THREE phase transformer installed for his home. He paid over 300,000 baht and his cable was underground. They made him take out the original electric cable that his building contractor had charged him to install, since the PEA said that cable did not meet the PEA standards. However they kept the same 15 amp meter he had at the pole on the road when he first lived in a much smaller home on the property while his new house was being built. The PEA charged my friend last year for a "maintenance / servicing fee" of his transformer. The BCE boss looked at the letter we received from the PEA for that same "fee" and stated our particular model of transformer did not need that "servicing". Last month his 15 amp meter shorted out, there was a fire, most all his plugged in electrical items "fried" and the PEA is attempting to "blow him off". He now has repair/replacement bills of hundreds of thousands of baht due to an undersized meter. They did however immediately install for him the same model Mitsubishi 4 wire three phase MH 96 model 30 (100) amp electric meter that I have had installed by the PEA the same day BCE finished the three day installation the cables, poles, transformer, and a host of other items. On our transformer pole are Alstom surge arrestors, "U-Tah" Drop Fuse Cutout, "U-tah fuse switch" and a host of items that my expat friend did not have installed by the PEA near his transformer.

So for those who must have a larger capacity electric service it pays in the long run to look at ALL the items a contractor or the PEA is bidding to install. It is much more than a transformer in my experience. We never have power brown outs or surges in our home. Look at the price of buying several MONSTER or Panamax or Furman power conditioners / power centers in Thailand and the 300,000 will seem like a bargain. It really is not a bargain I was upset at having to spend that sort of money, but if you live "off the government road" you PAY for privacy. I don't regret it now, but it was a major strain at the time. I have met two other expats in Buriram province who were forced by the PEA to "take away" expensive electric service cable they had installed PRIOR to submitting an application to the PEA for PERMANENT electric service. Hard to believe by much of what we "see", but the PEA does have written regulations and standards they can enforce, often at your expense if you do not proceed "step by step" with the PEA.

Perhaps different PEA offices will have a different "policy" than our local PEA office T.I.T.

If you select a licensed electrical contractor for your 3 phase installation you still must pay the refundable deposit and POSTED installation hook up fees to the PEA. The major transformer brands sold in Thailand all have web sites with phone numbers and you can phone them for a price on the actual transformer.

Richard_smith237 you might want to read the English version of the proposed Condo Insurance Policy. The following is part of a letter from my Insurance broker

A list of items that are not covered is the same for all insurance companies; it is a list put out by the Office of Insurance Commission that controls all insurance companies:

1. Cash money, Cheques, coins, bonds, securities, accounting books.

2. Credit cards, Bank cards.

3. Gold bullion, ornamental gold or precious metals and precious stones.

4. Bonds, Certificates, Title deeds.

5. Important documents, contracts, obligations, stamps, duty stamps.

6. Manuscripts, plans, drawings, designs, patterns, moulds or models.

7. Goods held in trust or on commission.

8. Any antique or works of art.

9. Personal effects, watches, glasses, jewelry, Palm/Pocket PCs.

10. Explosives.

11. Notebook computers, cameras, video cameras (With some insurance companies, this is the only category that you can purchase additional cover against burglary).

So in light of the above you might read the policy conditions before thinking you'll have a new watch. A bank safety box is around 650 baht a year in our town and a safe place for land papers and jewelry.

In Thailand there are at least two major ceiling fan manufacturers. In December 2007 after comparing what was available at the time in my price range I selected to purchase fifteen ceiling fans for inside our home and outside under the veranda ceiling from the Culminate Airy Co in Bangkok. I went with my wife and our builder to the three story showroom near BangNa and it was an educational shopping experience with the sales manager who understood and spoke English. It was easy to have questions answered and obtain firm price quotes via e-mail in advance of our showroom visit. There were no "sales tricks" at the showroom and we placed our order after seeing the actual fans in operation. C.E.I. has three "local" brands that are widely distributed in Thailand that are in fact manufactured in Thailand. They have also in the past done contract work for Hunter Fan and whoever is marketing Honeywell fans in Europe and North America. In the showroom I also spotted an attractive Emerson Odyssey CF2455

http://www.hansenwholesale.com/ceilingfans...;ModelNo=CF2455 in white.

The last quality fan I had for twenty years in California was a

http://www.casablancafanco.com/product/spe...malibustar.html and this fan is in that league. In my experience a good quality fan is worth the money upfront as it will last much longer and be far more quiet.

The problem I encountered in Thailand was our building contractor had included "fan installation" in the house building contract. CEI offered to ship the fans to Buriram Province free, but installation would be an extra fee. I took a gamble and took the "free" installation in March 2008 (which was not really free, the builder had to be paying a piece rate to the moon lighting electricians she had do our house electric installation) with the thought I could get it fixed later if the "experienced" electricians did poorly.

So far after the one year guarantee on the fans (motors have a much longer guarantee) we noticed some wobbling and noise in three fans. It took two e-mails to "Nico" at C.E.I. fan headquarters and two phone calls to "Sorn Pechpa" the regional sales manager to confirm a date for a service technician to fix any of our fans. A flat fee was agreed upon with satisfaction guaranteed. I realize I had waited until after the warranty period but the fee quoted was fair given the cost of the one Emerson fan and the scope of the job.

This morning on time a polite technician and Sorn the sales manager arrived with tools, spare parts and a great attitude. In the next three hours they fixed the problems (incorrect installation by the original local electricians and poor balancing by that original staff) swapped out a defective remote (damaged by incorrect wiring) and adjusted all the fans to perfection. The CEI staff had the same high level of skill as I have seen from Siemens, Cotto/Toto and American Standard Bangkok based repair staff.

It was well worth the money, there was no "trick -sorry bill higher lost in translation type of run around" and it made me think that a person who was purchasing new quality fans should consider the options for installation and if they already own CEI fans with any problems to contact the company for a professional repair.

Here are some photos of the staff solving a problem at a fair price.

The type of Electric Security Fence that I had installed 14 months ago and the type of animal fence with a

http://www.parmakusa.com/Fencers/110.htm will not KILL a person.

A professional electric fence charger is LEGAL in Thailand with proper signs posted in Thai language. It is NOT legal to connect to direct current like some farmers have done in Thailand to protect livestock and crops. Neither the fence that BPRAIM1 is going to install, or the fence I have already had installed will not KILL anyone. It will shock them and I suspect they will NOT continue to attempt to enter our yard. In our case the fence is connected to two sirens and a home alarm system that connects to the local police station. Alarm monitoring in our town is a fraction of the cost I paid in California on that $205 installed Brinks home alarm system. In Thailand all the major alarm companies will install a home alarm, but the upfront cost is considerable higher than California. The long term cost of an intruder alarm in Thailand is actually lower due to a lower monitoring cost in my experience. Chubb, ADT and Bosch all install home alarms that you can easily have a WASP Security electric fence connected to the home alarm.

The bottom line is that any home owner in Thailand can compare costs of various fence toppings and make their own decision based on cost and aesthetics. Each head of household has to consider where to spend resources and if the system they select will PREVENT an evil person from attempting to enter their home. Thieves are not industrious people, they will go where they consider a "soft and easy" target. In my case I also did NOT spend money on roll up garage doors, I did NOT spend money on any window bars, I did NOT spend money on any security metal doors due to the fact I had a professional electric fence installed. I paid less money to have a professional electric fence installed than the cost of a decent grade MANUAL roll up garage door.

Perhaps some of the other Thai Visa Forum members can post photos of any security fences they have. There certainly are some great looking fences that were posted recently "The Nicest Fence Contest" but I can't recall seeing any security fence photos in other posts. I just attached a photo of the barbed wire that was previously on a wall between our property and a neighbor. In my opinion the electric fence is more attractive and that barbed wire has been put to good use elsewhere by a hard working Thai man.

Svenn there are at least four companies who install professional electric security fences (as opposed to cattle fences) with offices in Bangkok. I've looked at the electric security fence (and other types of security fence toppings) booths at the annual Architect Expo held at Impact Center in early May and you can see a difference in the price, aesthetics, quality of fit and finish of various vendors. The winning quote I saved two years ago was from www.wasp-security.com and it was for a complete package of many more meters of fence length than ROBERTSONMARTIN mentioned. The quote I accepted from Wasp Security did not "break down" the cost of each item and the energizer is from Brazil. It is very simple to operate and the entire family has enjoyed knowing that we can leave our home empty, go places and are not forced to keep someone home 24/7 unlike a home in the village with more than four beers inside the house.

Maybe BPRAIM1 is a handy person with great electrical knowledge, I am not. It took three trained staff from Bangkok three full days to install our system including the four grounding poles. The owner of this company and his Foreman came to our property to view all the "tricky" corners and places where special fittings were needed two weeks in advance of the installation. This company has a small LPG powered truck so there was no "fuel surcharge" for our Isaan location.

In our situation Mike Rust the owner of Wasp Security matched the color of his well made posts to our fence color scheme and provided stainless steel poles for our front fence area. The cost of the electric fence per meter is FAR LESS than the three quotes we have for sharp decent grade stainless steel pointed topping. Any Thai criminal knows the easy way to circumvent the pointed topping with a piece of bamboo or scrap wood. Barbed wire serves no real purpose if you viewed the photo recently in the Bangkok Post of the seven meter high wall being breeched in the Middle East.

We have only had our electric security fence installed for fourteen months, but it has made a significant difference in our perception of security and family safety. We live in a "safe" quiet small town in a good neighborhood but foliage blocks the neighbors from keeping an eye on our property. I'm not so sure a 1500 baht energizer will actually perform a shocking experience but everyone makes their own choices. I had the opportunity to bring over some Medeco

http://www.medeco.com/products/products_se...hp?section_ID=2

locks which are good enough for 1600 Pennsylvania Ave Washington DC 20500 or 95 Wireless Road in Bangkok, but an Electric fence installation is way out of my skill set. It is not as simple as ordering a set of home theater speakers from Bangkok to be shipped up by a transport company and I connect them in a few minutes.

The bi-lingual signs installed by Wasp Security seem to be read by the organized "gang members" who drive, usually two to a motorbike, three times each day as they "case" our home for 500 baht a month. We have a camera focused right where the police sign the book on each visit. Here are some current photos of our fence plus two photos of the installation in June 2008. In my opinion the electric posts and wires do not hinder wind flow or views. The electric fence topping will keep you on your toes about trimming bushes but that has set in motion keeping a firebreak space for our home. Even with eight air conditioners and too many electrical items our home electric bill was under 3400 baht last month. I do not feel it has impacted our utility bill any more than a 2nd TV, but it has improved our experience of family comfort. Perhaps SVENN could consider a quote from Wasp Security.

Perhaps any forum members who have self-installed a "custom" electric fence can post photos. In Thailand everyone has the opportunity to make choices, I went for Medeco and not "Solo" or Iseo" locks. The cost of the professional electric fence was a small fraction of the cost to install decent grade roll up doors for our garage let alone the cost of decent quality steel security doors which we have decided we do not need since we have the electric fence.

You might want to switch this posting to the Insurance forum of Thai Visa. There is a very sad tale of a Australian who rented a house in Phuket where a fire happened. It is worth searching on the news or Phuket forum about how he ended up in jail due to a landlord demanding payment for the damages to a house he RENTED. There is a lot to the tale, but it makes obtaining renters insurance seem sensible in Thailand.

Perhaps you were referring to Chery from a Chinese based firm who have a least one dealership in Bangkok

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chery_Automobile

http://www.cheryinternational.com/

http://www.chinacarforums.com/chery_automobile.html

Here is some information on this brand in Thailand

http://www.nationmultimedia.com/2009/03/17...ss_30098061.php

http://www.bangkokpost.com/breakingnews/13...ter-thai-market

http://www.thaichery.com/dealer.html official web site in Thailand of Chery, but sensibly only in Thai language

I think the previous post on the Honda or Toyota products might be worth considering. Chery MIGHT continue to be sold and serviced in Bangkok, but there have already been several Chinese small truck brands who departed the Thailand market. The ability to obtain parts, quality of the build, SAFETY, and resale value might swing a vote to Honda or Toyota in Thailand. The tax is based on local content, place of assembly and engine displacement to some extent.

Have any of the Forum members seen on sale a "Portable Fire Escape Ladder" similar to the ladders typically sold along side smoke alarms and fire extinguishers at Home Improvement Stores in America:

http://www.firstalert.com/safety_products_item.php?pid=55

http://www.kidde.com/utcfs/Templates/Pages...d%3D384,00.html

http://www.x-itproducts.com/index.php?id=3

If you have seen them in a retail store or a "fire safety supplier store" (one is near President Park Serviced Apartments in Bangkok, but I do not recall seeing the portable ladders in that shop) please post the name and/or location.

Or perhaps some of the Forum members who live in a two story home have had a local shop build a PORTABLE ESCAPE LADDER ladder in the event of a fire escape situation. What were your experiences and what sort of materials did you ask the local shop to use in fabrication?

Thanks for your input.

Gift, it is not the default box that initially pops up when you send someone money from your Paypal account.

Alan the builder has a web site and would seem easy to contact.

http://www.alanthebuilder.com/

I have a suggestion for a person thinking about building a home in Surin. Go sit down and communicate in English with the HONEST, well educated daughter of the owner of the large Surin Home Mart that is "over the tracks" heading North out of Surin at a "bend in the road". Still 5 minutes from the Farang Connection. Khun "Muk" is usually in the office of her parent's Home Mart. She has given me the lowest price and top notch service on many items that Home Mart carries, such as CPAC products, VRH products, COTTO products and Toto products. She might not have the lowest prices on power tools or electrical fixtures. She knows which Thai building contractors "cut corners", who pays the bill on time, who demands a "commission", and she can give you the address of actual building sites (her Home Mart trucks make deliveries, she knows where all the houses are being built) of VARIOUS Thai builders so YOU can look and see the quality level. EVERY decent Thai builder knows the phone number and price of the firms that drive building piles into the earth. I see signs in Thai for well drillers with some sort of pricing on the billboards. Remember that private water wells are NOT legal in some areas, best to check in person at the proper Government office.

If you meet with Khun Muk and you think she is a good resource for you, she will give you her e-mail address and her cell phone. She has phoned back to me from Bangkok and solved issues relating to items delivered to a job site, etc.. She has the clout and relationship with various vendors to have a company service representative come from near or far, to FIX and solve a problem the very next day at no charge. No "run around" when dealing with her. I had a completely different experience with a different Home Mart closer to our home. Higher prices on the exact same items, a complete "blow off" on a problem, and a "switch in materials" which caused me and my Thai builder great grief.

Sorry I can't help you on the other items.

I had a minor "misunderstanding" once at a major Bangkok Hospital with "Thai Health Insurance" and it took one phone call to my insurance BROKER to straighten out the situation. That same broker arranged for BUPA policies for our family after Thai Health Insurance was not a good value. Ray 23 did you purchase BUPA direct from the company or through a Broker? Did you phone BUPA PRIOR to going to the Hospital so they could start the billing process? Sorry to hear about your experience in that hospital and it gives us all reason to be careful.

While Piyanas is a decent shop, unlike MANY or MOST in any high end mall or even in FortuneTown, I found a lower price at HiFi Center (which is a very strange mall with few tenants remaining) on a well reviewed, excellent sounding 5.1 system from Jamo. The shop shipped it at no extra change via a transport company to Buriram Province. That shipping cost was 200 baht and I paid under 20,000 baht for that 5.1 system.

http://www.piyanas.com/productdetail.php?c...=en〈=en

Worth a listen and similar in price here as America, unlike JBL, etc... Magnet in HiFi Center is the importer, but a smaller shop on the ground floor gave me a lower price the same day.

Ninetech is an interesting operation and they seem to have the lowest prices on some very high end brands, as well as the lowest prices on several lines of Polk Audio speakers. The owner speaks and understands English, has two nice demo rooms at his headquarters, and will tell you his experience with the major chains when he attempted to sell some a low priced line of products at Makro, Big C, Tesco, Power Buy, and Emporium. www.ninetech.co.th is worth the trip if you are interested in Polk Audio speakers. The web site http://www.ninetech.co.th/product.php?cat=84〈=en is weak but the experience of comparing and buying in the store was excellent for me. Again shipping a purchase to "up country" was no hassle.

The importer of many brands of speakers in Thailand is http://www.bosswood.com/index_eng.php?brand=30 I've listen at their headquarters showroom, but I could not justify paying triple for Cerwin Vega as you see on Amazon.com The price difference here and USA on the made in China Sherwood products is just shocking. They have a once a year clearance sale in Bangkok at that showroom.