kamalabob2

Two Buriram schools worth checking out in person would be the Catholic School, and down the road a piece and turn left onto the bypass road is a brightly painted private school. Parents from our town send children each day on buses to either of those schools. Also in Buriram Province in Satuk is a Government "Princess" school, which many students live on the campus in dorms. The "Princess" school in Satuk and the Catholic School in Buriram have reasonable tuition and both seem focused on academics more than sports.

Some Light bulbs sold in Thailand come with a written in English 1 year GUARANTEE, such as the OSRAM DULUXSTAR mini twist spiral, DULUXSTAR Compact T3, and DULUXSTAR (T4) . I've had these OSRAM mini twists on 12 to 13 hours each night for over one year and zero burn outs. The Panasonic Inverter florescent lights are on the same amount of hours and zero bulb burn outs. The ONLY bulbs I've had go out were the CFL we put into a dimming socket in a ceiling fan light. Nice dimming, but it shortened the life of the bulbs. We could buy the GE CFL light bulbs that allow for dimming or just not dim the bulbs. Does not answer your Sylvania question directly, but Osram which is owned by Siemens, actually owns the rights to Sylvania in NORTH AMERICA. But in much of the World, SYLVANIA trademark is owned and products marketed by HAVELL's of INDIA, according to Wikipedia.

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

You can contact Havells Sylvania in Bangkok at: 02-656-9039 Many "International" and "Local" brands will stand by products if you contact them direct and/or will help you solve problems.

http://www.havells-sylvania.com/content/view/89/

Can someone please explain the deal with "Monks gamble on rockets". Sounds like an O.I.T. thing.

I am not sure who SydneyPete is, but I have shopped at several large building materials stores in Korat. When I first parked in the empty parking lot and walked in the building I was not sure about Neo House since they did not seem to have many customers, they did not have everything I wanted on display. On first glance they appear to be aiming at the higher end of the market, but they actually have a WIDE selection of goods and were less expensive than Home Pro.

For the items I purchased, especially the wood furniture, even custom designed, (all via e-mail back and forth) it has been a GREAT experience. At least one of the owners of this establishment speaks and understands English, at least one saleswoman was fluent in English. Written price quotes in person or via e-mail went well. Neo House kept to delivery schedule on furniture and building materials purchases. We did not follow their recommendation on one furniture item, it developed a defect, and one upholstered sofa had a minor manufacturing flaw.

No run around, we e-mailed a photo (We live two hours away from Neo House) and they sent a brand new replacements at no charge!! This in the Nation where many modern trade stores, local or chain often work very hard to NOT exchange a defective item. Neo House in our experience is top notch in customer service. They will quote prices on special order items and in stock items.

The interior furnishings design department in fact quite impressive. This store offered us the lowest price, but with premium service to buy good quality paving blocks and have a reputable sub contractor install the blocks. The written price quote from Neo House for this project labor was 1/3 the price we were quoted by another well known paving block company. It was 1/2 the price of a Buriram building contractor's "garden design man".

A major paving block company sent out two salesmen to "measure our driveway" and they wrote down the size. I had given these dimensions to Neo House for their price quote. Once the job started I added more square meters to install the blocks. At the end of the job an English speaking supervisor of the sub contractor did measurements and they to our pleasant surprise were less than the major paving block company had stated. Neo House took back for full credit any scratched blocks and the extra blocks delivered due to the incorrect dimensions of the other company. The total job was then priced under the original price bid and Neo House graciously adjusted the price LOWER. There was no "funny business" on the transaction and one of the owners of Neo House kept in phone and e-mail contact every day, and sent a REAL supervisor to inspect the job. The same sub contractor just finished building an attractive learning/retail? complex near the largest hotel in Buriram.

In my opinion it is a store worth giving you a bid if you are within two hours of Korat. Delivery was free with both of our orders and this was last year with high fuel prices.

A yellow House book is one of two possible items to prove your place of residence when obtaining a "permit to build House" in Thailand. A yellow house book seems to satisfy some Government offices, certainly utility offices when setting up original or even temporary service. A Thai citizen must produce the blue house book if the utility in it the Thai person's name, but a foreign person need only be in a yellow house book to obtain utility service in their name.

Welcome to "land office" in rural Thailand. Not exactly my favorite office.

This link can help answer some of your questions and there are real estate professionals on this forum (I am NOT) who can clarify.

http://www.siam-legal.com/Properties-Servi...roperty-tax.php

If you do a search on this forum search function you will see many answers.

Your girl friend can get a "breakdown" or itemized receipt at the land office, probably in Thai. It really might be worth your time to scan and e-mail any written ESTIMATES from the land office to a legal advisor in your area or in Bangkok to make sure your girl friend is not being cheated. Maybe one of the forum sponsors or a different attorney you hire can look at your paperwork and make a call/visit to the land office when the transfer takes place so that her rights are protected and the fee is "straight". Or e-mail back to you the correct amount and explanation in Thai and English to save "face" at the land office. Good luck.

My Thai building contractor used many shipments of a mortar products from

http://www.netweber.co.uk/construction-mortar-products.html

On the back of the bags in Thai are instructions and this company has telephone and e-mail contacts in Thailand for technical advise. We used two different mortar products from Weber, one was under granite, one under ceramic tiles. One was more suitable in "wet areas" such as showers as I recall.

Suraya: My name is NOT Greg, but I have on rare occasion bought a few tacos near a BTS station in Bangkok. I've enjoyed less expensive delicious Mexican food at different locations also.

Many of your posts sound exactly like my friends who paid the attorney fees in a US Divorce case.

More to the point: I really think in the "big picture" you should read and consider post #28 from Thai Wanderer and post #30 from Quiksilva.

You might also seriously spend some time and do a "search" for "ATTORNEY" at the bottom of the page where all the various TOPICS are listed in the Thai Visa Forum section

"Real Estate, Housing, House and Land Ownership". You will see other members individual experiences with different lawyers, many based in Bangkok. In my humble opinion you should at least do an initial consultation with A DIFFERENT ATTORNEY in Bangkok, not just to draft a "fair" lease agreement, but on the "long term" effect of this particular lease. Another attorney might be less expensive, might be more (and lawyers will quote prices in advance via e-mail in Bangkok), but as Post #28 and Post #30 are politely pointing out the whole project you are undertaking needs a serious legal review. Not just in Thailand, but all over the World, leases on commercial space can be considered "unfair" to the tenant, especially if that tenant did not hire a good attorney with real estate lease experience. You are "at the mercy of the landlord" the moment a term of your lease runs out. I know from personal experience in Marin County,CA how it can go, and it was not an enjoyable experience. I did NOT hire a reputable attorney for my first office lase back in the 1980's. Education comes with a price. Quiksilva and Thai Wanderer gave you their experienced opinions at no charge and you someday should thank them.

Perhaps you could phone them. I live Up Country and we used a local dealer who ordered them from this Kacee Company in Bangkok. It seems to me they have showrooms in Bangkok set up as a home where you can see them mounted in a realistic situation. Maybe on Sukhumvit 26 is one of the Bangkok locations. Best to call and speak with them directly. Something is on the web site about four houses, four styles of showrooms. They and other curtain companies might be at the very large Architect Expo at Challenger hall of Impact this week until Sunday.

I had this procedure done in 2005 at Bangkok Christian Hospital. The price including the anastegialogist fee at that time was less than BNH, Bangkok Hospital, and Bumrungrad. The service was professional. I am not anxious to repeat this test but if you are at "that age" consider a quote from

http://www.bkkchristianhosp.th.com/main.asp?lang=E

They are not kidding about the extra strength laxative you take the night prior to that morning test.

You can compare this hospitals health check up fees to other bangkok hospitals at

http://www.bkkchristianhosp.th.com/main_se...n=34〈=E

Prices including installation: I paid 1019 baht to 1185 baht for the smaller windows, and 1710 to 2265 for larger window curtains from the Kacee curtain dealer. There are five items on the invoice in Thai for each curtain including the mounting hardware and labor.

The #1 manufacturer of curtains and blinds in Thailand is

http://www.kaceecurtain.com/KC/eng/default.asp

They are sold direct, through some larger building materials stores all over Thailand and often through independent sales representatives, even local window glass companies. We bought this brand of black out curtains form a Buriram "dealer" who does windows, screens, doors, etc.. Last year at the Architect Expo in Bangkok Kacee Curtain had a huge booth.

In our case the local dealer came to our home, did measurements, got a 30% deposit, and in about one week the curtains arrived. It took real time to properly install the curtains, and two out of fifty had some sort of defect. He sent those back and in about a week returned to install the replacement curtains.

The blackout "sewn" onto the back of the curtain (could be cloth, bamboo, etc.) worked better to cut light than having a separate black out curtain. We selected the "silver" black out curtain, not black, and it seems to work fine.

I had already been to Home Pro and Home Works, so the pricing from the Kacee Curtain dealer was refreshing and affordable.

There are other curtain companies advertised in the 90 baht Thai magazines such as "Room" and "Home & Decor".

Kacee Curtain has some very slick company showrooms where you can see the products in a home situation.

http://www.kaceecurtain.com/KC/eng/company_profile.asp

Some Home Pro "free standing" branches have better selection than other branches inside a multistory Mall. Some Home Works have limited selections, some a decent selection. But a smaller chain with a serious wide selection of building items is

http://www.boonthavorn.com/

I was told by a lighting fixture vendor they have a wider selection of items on display at this chain, than they display at Home Pro and Home Works since this chain did not demand "slotting fees".

I initially had no written lease, no utilities in my name when I bought a Toyota in Buriram. I had no clue at that time how to obtain a letter free from Immigration. "Family" drove me to the border, not the immigration office. In the end I paid the 1200 baht in Bangkok at the US Embassy for the letter confirming my residence. I then used that letter for the purchase and REGISTRATION of the Toyota. This does not answer your question about obtaining the letter from a Bangkok Immigration office, but a letter is possible to purchase without any difficulty from various Embassies and Consulates in Bangkok.

Have you mailed a REGISTERED letter in Thai, that explains what your concerns are with some sort of deadline? Was there a particular builders merchant such as Best Home, Modern IQ or one of the Home Marts you/he bought the majority of the building materials? Do you have a "relationship" and lines of communication with the owner of the builders merchant? Perhaps they can act as a liaison to help you resolve your situation. Especially if the builder is still in debt to a particular builders merchant. It has to be

"Win Win" for the Thai contractor to finish in the manner you deserve. My wife warned me that many Thai "tradesmen" will "walk away" rather than confront a difficult situation.

I'll go on record as saying that EVERY Expat I ever met in Thailand who had a home built, even by the so called "major builders" had "issues of concern" towards the "finish work". Maybe Thai building contracts do not "budget" construction funds properly, maybe we are more aware of "finish work" than basic early steps of the construction, but the "pace" sure seems to slow down towards the final stages.

I am not sure where you are with your builder in relationship to what you have paid and what he has not yet done, but it might be worth your time to meet in person with Khun Muk who UNDERSTANDS and speaks English at Surin Home Mart "over the tracks" leaving Surin heading towards ChomPhra. She has always treated me fairly and has helped several times when I had a "misunderstanding" about why certain things were being done in a particular manner when building our home. The same Thai general contractor we hired to build our home in Buriram province is now building near the original "Department Store" in downtown Surin. It could give you a point of reference on how her finish work is compared to your builder's finish work.

I think a "general contractor" is only as good as the "sub contractors" they hire. Most of the sub contractors who built our home I could recommend, but not all the subs were professional in my opinion. At least you are not in Hau Hin where contractors can take a "different" approach to disgruntled clients.

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/Sarah-Oxley-t253626.html

I hope your home is finished in a proper manner and at least your roof is on prior to the rainy season.

If you do a google search on T5 lighting you will see this is a great light. We have them in our attics and hidden in "two step" ceilings. They are a great value to buy, and even better value to keep. I've been very happy with those Philips Easy for Life all in one fixtures.

SarahPJ: Two roof tiles that in my opinion are in the Central Thai style and might attach properly to a roof with the type of pitch you specified might be CERIS "Biber Round Shape" sold and backed by Siam Cement in Thailand.

http://www.cerisrooftile.com/zBiberProduct.htm information in English

http://www.cerisrooftile.com/zFAQ.htm with contacts and information in English

Another traditional looking tile is Ceris "KITE TILE" not on the web site, but brochures at better Home Mart stores.

It takes about five days for a BOQ once you give Ceris your roof plans.

http://www.cerisrooftile.com/zBOQ.htm

I hope this is of help. You can compare these products and see other major roofing companies products at the Architect Expo this week in Challenger Hall of Impact.

This New York Times article could help explain why youtube is not always in top shape in Thailand.

www.nytimes.com/2009/04/27/technology/start-ups/27global.html?pagewanted=1&_r=1&th&emc=th

I paid one year in advance and received a 15% discount. But they still mail a bill every month to show it is paid up.

I have two suggestions. A) If you are in Thailand go this week or weekend to the Architect Expo at Challenger hall to see all sorts of roofs and make contacts with the technical representatives for the roof companies that interest you. I have a different CPAC type of roof, but I have seen very similar (but with a longer lasting glaze than "typical" terra cotta") roof tiles at the "CPAC ROOF CENTER" inside a Surin Home Mart.

I strongly suggest BEFORE you do your home roof design and plan you go meet in person with a CPAC ENGINEER such as "Worachat Neaungchamnong" who works at the Siam Cement building near the Bangsue Train and MRT Stations in Bangkok.

CPAC might have other roof tile experts at an office closer to where you live.

There are other reputable roof tile companies in Thailand including Diamond Brand. Perhaps it is the same with other brands of roof tiles, but I do know with CPAC you have some important features. They will look at the roof plan from your architect and give you an EXACT list of the items you should buy from your CPAC retailer AND they can give you a price quote for CPAC ROOFING SERVICES to do a professional (not cheap) installation. They will tell you if your plan is correct in terms of supporting the weight of the roof tiles with the materials you have in your plan.

In my case I did NOT spend the money for a CPAC ROOFING SERVICE INSTALLATION. I will not bore you, but due to installer ignorance and a different Home Mart selling our builder a metal valley the size DIFFERENT from what CPAC designated we have had roof leak problems.

What I also know is that you decide to purchase CPAC ROOF MATERIALS you can get REAL TRAINING FOR YOUR ROOF BUILDING STAFF (sure the contractor says his staff have done it many times before!!!) either at your job site OR at a Home Mart roof building seminar. If you can't afford CPAC ROOFING SERVICES to do the installation at least pay each workers one days wages to do a training seminar. I did not realize this important FREE training was available until too late for our home.

My wife is a champ, she was in our attic at 2a.m. this morning during a rain storm looking where we have a leak. Our builder did a 99% fantastic job on building our home, but her workers ignorance on the roof installation and Dry Tech installation has been the source of discomfort.

I have a friend in a near by village with a similar style roof to your plans and he has had leaks every year as the "traditional" tiles do not last and they get blown off in heavy winds. He has a pallet load of new terra cotta tiles to install each year. Some of the CPAC tiles that look like traditional "temple" tiles are mounted on your roof in a better fashion and do not blow off in heavy winds.

In my opinion it really would be worth your time and effort in the planning stages of your home to go and visit in person with the Engineers of CPAC roofing. Better that, than have them come three times in one year to show you where new problems are in your roof that cause leaks. If you do have the budget for CPAC roof services they have a written (and honored) guarantee to fix problems.

That is a beautiful design, but please take the time to meet in person with technical staff who speak and understand English so you avoid roof troubles. You do NOT want to have to call technicians to come all the way from Bangkok to tell you why you have leaks like in the photo attached. We loaned the CPAC technician the farmer hat.

I have no connection with this trade show, I've only attended it in 2008, but it really is the BEST one stop source to pick up brochures in Thai and English on ANY sort of building product, either for a new home or remodel. It is being held this week April 28 to Sunday May 3rd at the large Challenger Halls of Impact in Bangkok. The admission really is free, but parking is not. They MIGHT have a shuttle van service for a nominal cost from the last BTS Station as was the case last year.

There are so many products to make for a safe, comfortable home in any price range that you do not often SEE displayed at your local Home Mart, Home Pro or builders merchant in Thailand, that in fact are available direct from the manufacturer or on special order from your local shop. This is the once a year show that you can see and handle so many different products, from steel, windows, roof tiles, drain vents, pipes, sanitary ware, electrical and plumbing fixtures, locks, hardware, flooring, EVERYTHING for a home, not all of it high end. Many of the booths have the "technical advisors" for those firms that speak and UNDERSTAND English and they will take the time to answer questions and give you business cards with e-mail and phone numbers for future questions.

I would have done things different for my rural home had I visited this show in 2007, but even towards the end of construction it was worthwhile for me to visit in 2008. Just one example is to compare rain gutters, PVC or Aluminum or Wood windows and doors from many suppliers.

This show is far superior in my opinion than the "captive" EXPO shows that the two major retailers sponsor in the same hall and/or at BITEC twice a year.

Here is a link to the web site for Architect Expo

http://www.architectexpo.com/arc/gallery.html

When I attended last year often I thought to myself "Heck I never knew this (pick a product) was readily available in Thailand, I never saw it before at Home Mart or in the Bangkok Post!!!"

Crossy hit the mark. Do NOT under any circumstances look for any new holes in your roof!! We have septic tank vent pipes going up the side of our home and a garage. The blue PVC pipe is painted the same color as the building and it works. You can meet in person with very good technical advisors of many plumbing supply firms, pipe manufactures, a slick drain company or two all at the Architect Expo later this month in Bangkok at Impact Center. SLOPE on drainage pipes is possible in Thailand as is P or U traps under each sink. But as Crossy warned any real "complex" ideas or concepts will be met with a blank look. Do a PRESSURE test on your pipes BEFORE they install the tile over the pipes. Stop Valves on every inlet is advisable.

Longstebe: Be sure to have the "location" of your septic tank indicated. With the DOS septic tanks under some grass we placed a plant pot on top of each tank so we knew where they are. The location of water pipes under our lawn was NOT indicated and that was a problem for our first gardener.

GerryBScot: Longball53098 and Lopburi3 are 100% correct in paying the 400 to 500 baht for a professional technician from a air conditioning shop to come to your home and clean the unit both inside and outside of your home. My word of caution is to not allow them to place a metal "trough" under your interior unit and spray liquid into the wall mounted unit. A better more professional solution is when they dismantle the interior unit and clean it in a better manner outside. The shop in Buriram we purchased our air conditioning units include the first two cleanings per unit free and then charge 500 baht per unit after the first year.

The type of electric fence we have in Buriram province is on TOP of existing concrete and/or stainless steel fencing. Kids tall enough to climb a concrete or steel fence might be able to read Thai. It would not kill a person, but the jolt and sound of the siren would scare them and having to speak with a Policeman would be a real reason to not climb our fence.