newnative

American, starting my 15th year living in Pattaya.

Probably the same as it's always been. Some condos will have some noise, the majority won't of any major note. When you get a thread like this, it's more likely those getting some noise will respond--more people take the time to complain than to praise. Maybe a couple dozen or so have complained--out of the many forum members living in condos. With also a few saying they haven't had any problems. Spouse and I have lived in about a dozen different condo projects in Pattaya, plus two in Bangkok and one in Rayong. Excessive noise was not a problem in any of them. Did the occasional door slam? Yes. Did we now and then hear somebody walking by in the hallway in some of the projects? Yes. Was any of the occasional noise a problem for us? No.

Some good advice and information has been given, and I am certainly learning some new things. We finished our second house build late last year. Even though we were essentially building the same plan as our first house but with an extra bedroom and bath and an expanded master bedroom and bigger Thai kitchen, we still had a few things not go exactly as planned. My one piece of advice would be to plan ahead as much as possible, and with as much detail as possible, before the build starts. Pay special attention to the electrical plan, including lighting, which is super important. It should be both detailed and specific. Some pointers on that: Think carefully about where you will need plug-ins. Are you planning to have an electric reclining sofa floating in the living room? If so, make sure you have a floor outlet where the sofa will be so you don't end up with an ugly electrical cord snaking across the floor to a wall outlet. If you are floating furniture, you could have a floor outlet under an end table so you could hide the cord of a floor or table lamp. Pay special attention to plug-in locations in the kitchen and baths but good planning needs to be done for each room, based on functions that you will need a plug-in for. Make sure you have plug-ins in the right locations for all the built-in kitchen appliances planned. Think about your daily routine and also the furniture you will have. For example, if you will have a home office with a desk, make sure you will have a wall plug-in where the desk will be. With our latest build we knew there would be a built-in desk with a cord hider on top so we made sure to have a wall plug-in in the right position. We also knew we would need electric in a built-in bookcase next to the desk for a printer so that wall area also needed a plug-in--at the right height. You should have a furniture plan in place in advance with at least the major items in place: sofa, beds, dining table, wall-hung tvs, major art work, etc., so you can plan your electric and lighting needs around where they will be. Don't just put a mark on a floorplan indicating a plug-in is needed. Be specific as to exactly where it is needed--distance from the nearest wall, height up from the floor. The same goes for wall switches. Plan ahead and think about exactly where you want them, and what they will control. Pay special attention to 2-way switches. If you want a switch by your bed to turn off and on overhead lights, make sure you get it in the right location--don't just guess or be vague about it--you don't want it to end up inaccessible right behind your headboard. Also, don't be vague about air con and ceiling fan locations, especially air cons. Make sure both are exactly where you want them for all the rooms. Ditto for ceiling lights. You should have a ceiling lighting plan with measured locations for the lights so they are wired and installed in exactly the right places you want them. Plan for general lighting, task lighting, and decorative, such as highlighting artwork. You need to do all of this room by room for every room, including the garage and terrace areas. It's a lot of work but it will pay off down the road when you go to plug something in or turn on a light and the plug and light switch are exactly where they should be. You likely won't get every single thing correct with the electrical and lighting plan but the object is to get as much correct as possible. Finally, I can second the very good advice to be on site as much as possible supervising and observing the work. Thai spouse and I were on site almost every day work was being done on our latest house and it paid off when we were able to catch errors about to be done--or if questions came up about something--and lots did. We had a contractor who was supposed to be supervising the build but he was also doing other houses and was usually around only at the start of the work in the morning to give instructions and back in the evening--and sometimes not even then. We ended up with a better build by being their ourselves. Good luck!

Doubtful you've been to Pattaya in the past few years--or if you did visit you didn't see much. Pattaya is attracting both 'elite' tourists and also residents.

Just noticed a typo. DOW should be $39.40, not $391.40.

Well, it took a big dip, didn't it? But, then it came back, didn't it? Dips also happen with stocks, from time to time. With both, though, the average long-term trajectory has been up, over time. Just one example. My late Dad no longer has his stock portfolio but I kept a list of his stocks on Yahoo Portfolio Manager, which I still have. In 2009, when he died, the portfolio, held in a family trust, was worth about $600,000. No stocks were bought or sold after his death, with the portfolio kept intact. In April 2011, for some reason I can't remember, I did a printout of his stocks at that time, which I kept. The portfolio was then worth about $747,000. MSFT at $25.63! LLY at $35.68. DOW, on the other hand, a subject of several posts on this thread, was $36.70 then--and not much different today--$39I.40. In December 2019, when my Mom passed away, the portfolio was worth $1.88 million--I still have the Merrill Lynch printout. Then, in 2020, covid hit and the portfolio took a huge dip--I think at one point it was down to around $1.2 or 1.3 million. By the time probate was finally finished and the portfolio distributed, it was back up to a little over $1.8 million. Today, had it not been liquidated, it would be worth $2.3 million. So, dips, but a rising trajectory over time. Same, with housing. Just one example. One of the last condos I owned in the US, in Reston, VA, I bought in 2008 for $216,500. Fixed it up and a year later sold it for $244,250. Zillow tells me it is now worth $325,700. The original owner, by the way, bought the condo for $93,580 in 1993. One of the things I like about owning property is not only do you put a roof over your head but you also have the potential to make some money--on that rising trajectory.

No, different developer.

Ban the bus driver from driving a commercial vehicle for life. To start.

Boo hoo. Next time stay at a hotel. Condo rentals of less than a month are illegal. You were breaking the law, bud.

And, also take into consideration that 2024 saw 35 million foreign tourists visit Thailand. With that many interacting with the Thai population, there are bound to be some incidents. 35 million is a lot. The incidents mentioned, not a lot at all.

Most of the new projects on the Darkside are also pool villas. Unlike, say, large projects like Siam Royal View, I would say the majority of the new projects are smaller developments of around 30 houses or less. I think this is partly because very large tracts in good locations are getting more expensive and harder to find and smaller projects can be less risky, cheaper, easier, and quicker to develop and finish. The current project where I live, 28 pool villas, is a good example. The developer has done at least 10 projects on the Darkside in the last few years, with 4 or 5 more currently building or in the ground clearing stage. Most of her projects are between 15 and 30 units in size. Although only begun in 2023, all the land plots and houses have been sold, with the last 4 houses now under construction. It's a real United Nations, with buyers from China, Russia, Ireland, Dubai, Holland, Israel, America, India, Britain, and Thailand, of those I know of. China, Russia, India, and the US have multiple buyers. Many earlier Darkside projects were inexpensive bungalow types on land plots of 50 to 60 sq. wah, with under 5MB price tags. Lots of the newer developments are on larger plots of 100 or more sq. wah, with bigger houses sporting pools. And, bigger price tags in the 10MB and over range. More than a few of the new developments are in the 20 to 50MB range. Although one project of 28 homes, or one condo project, may not have much impact, when you multiply that by hundreds of new projects, it definitely does. The housing industry is hugely important to an economy, employing large numbers of workers in so many fields and industries way too numerous to list. Collectively, these projects are vital to keeping the housing industry healthy.

Agree. And, the majority of the property sales lately have been to Chinese and Russian buyers. The last house my spouse and I sold, this past year, was to a Russian buyer. Most of the potential buyers we had were either Russian or Chinese, as well. If Pattaya is any indication, there doesn't seem to be any decline in sales. Several large, new condo projects have been recently announced, these in addition to some large projects just completed or under construction. Here on the Darkside, a number of new housing projects have been sold out fairly quickly, including the new one we are in. I know this because my spouse and I have been looking for a new house, either a recent build or one about to start, and we have been looking at lots of new projects around Lake Mabprachan and adjoining areas. In some cases the projects were sold out or nearly sold out by the time we heard about them and got around to checking them out. Construction is booming here on the Darkside.

From what I've read, the berm covered the concrete wall. I don't really care what terminology is used in referring to the obstacle. The reality is the plane landed intact. Many experts are saying it is likely that most if not all of the passengers would have survived had the barrier not been there. I'm in agreement with the official who stated that it verged on criminal to have it at the end of the runway.

Yes, very different. Doesn't mean I can't like both. One of the reasons I like granite is the wide variety of colors and patterns available here, at a reasonable cost for many of the choices. It can sometimes be a hard choice picking one over another one.

Looks terrific. Love the color and pattern.

It wasn't a case of being told anything. Our previous house came with the product I described in my earlier post. As I said, it would not have been my choice. Of course, the product they used was not Corian, Caesarstone, or any other name brand manufactured stone. I know these products are durable. The previous house was our first experience with this type of product and we found it to be unsatisfactory in comparison to granite. Again, not a name brand, quality western product. I prefer the variety and natural look of granite and we have used granite in our numerous renovations here, including the house we just finished. We also like to give work to independent granite companies rather than the chains. We have found there is a good choice of granite here and, surprisingly, the granite we used on our current house wasn't much different in price to the manufactured product on our previous house. I suspect the builder used the manufactured stone in the project for a uniform, neutral look and, perhaps, it was easier to get a lot of it that looked the same at a reasonable price for the houses as it was used in all the kitchens, the bath vanities, and some other countertops. Attached, a photo of a kitchen we did using natural stone. This particular pattern I think is my personal favorite of all the ones we have done. Getting this one-of-a-kind and very interesting look is where granite shines, for me. In this case, it's almost like looking at a painting. Of course, that's just my taste and others may prefer a different look.

At 73, I still enjoy fireworks. But, I don't enjoy the hassle of getting there to see them and then fighting the crowds coming home afterwards. As I said in another thread, spouse and I were spoiled when we lived at Northshore condo and we could just ride the elevator down to the 6th floor and watch fireworks events from a great vantage point on the pool deck. Now on the Darkside, we will be avoiding the Pattaya fireworks this year and will be spending New Years with family visiting.

Throw him in jail and let him make license plates to earn some money towards the money he owes to his victims.

I would put money on this being the biggest crowd the US has ever seen . . . in Trump's mind.

Spouse and I were among the 'idiots' who owned at Northshore. Our condo faced north and I don't remember the noise from events being bad--and the sliding doors were good quality. Perhaps it's more of a problem with units facing south towards where the event stages are usually set up. I think if you choose a location like Northshore's you know going in there will be some noise. In any case, It was a fun place to live and we still miss riding down on the elevator New Year's Eve to watch the fireworks from deck chairs on the 6th floor pool deck. And, also the International Fireworks. It doesn't get much easier than that. Also fun to walk across the street to the beach for events and not have to drive and worry about finding a parking place. We'd probably still be there but we decided we wanted a lot more space for both ourselves and family visits so we relocated to the Darkside.

Very much liked all 5 of yours and I will try to do all 5 myself, with the goal of appreciating and enjoying every day.

Yes, but not a normal landing.

Agree. Hard to watch the video because the plane landed ok--it did not break up on impact. Likely far more would have survived, since the fuselage was intact after landing, had the runway not had the concrete wall at the end. Which seems like madness to me since the runway was short to begin with and there could be the possibility that sometime a plane might overshoot the end of the short runway. That sometime happened.

The foundation need not worry. All they ever do is talk, talk, talk--which they have been doing for years--with likely more ahead. But, I for one, would like the planned 'entertainment' to be more than 'luxury hotels and shopping centres'.

Our experience with granite is just the opposite. The real granite we have used, at least 15 or more times, has not had a problem with staining or discoloring. Our last house, however, came with a man-made product, which we would not have chosen. It stained fairly easily. It didn't help that it was mostly creamy-white with a bit of gray veining. We prefer granite with a darker shade and more interesting pattern. If it ever did stain it would likely not show or be hard to spot.