ThailandTony

Just to say I fully endorse the comments made by ThailandTony. His comments make a lot of sense and the key to success is being on-site to control and direct the build sequence, specification and quality of the project.

Thailand Tony takes a low but dignified bow.......or is he hungover and calling Huey down the porcelain telephone....lol

Sawasdee pii mai everyone!

I forgot to mention.....of course I am in construction which helps alot!....for those of you who aren't....you probably have a mate or 2 who's a drinking buddy who has a lifetimes experience in construction and alot of time on his hands during the daylight hours. Cook for him, feed him beer and stand the occassional night out for him and he will gladly rock-up on site for a few hours each day and avert said disasters. I did this for a couple of friends in Pattaya who were doing small scale developing and were great at their other business interests but knew nothing of construction techniques and sequencing. It was refreshing to put the old grey matter to work and whilst I respected the builder I gave him a programme of construction every week with clear marks where I should be present during construction. It took a bit of getting used to but he would call me before every concrete poor, after shuttering was struck, before finishes were laid or applied and so on. I marked out cable runs, plumbing routes etc so that he could see what I wanted and supervised the start of every new element of construction. That way if anything was done wrong then I could always refer back to the initial instruction. Also, never yak yak at the workers. Always have your conversation with the same supervisor and build your relationship with him. By talking to his guys direct he is losing face and after you are gone he will countermand your instructions to regain face and only confrontation will ensue.

Finally, every Saturday I would come at the end of the day with a box of beer and a couple of Khao Loas and wish them all a great day off on Sunday. Sanook mak mak!

....time to nip down the pub and find a blocke with hands like shovels and a face with a texture like your favourite old leather coat and ask him if he fancys a beer!

Chok dee khrap!

Just registering agreement with earlier members on an interesting thread with sensible responses (for a very pleasant change).

I have lived in the tourist mecca of Pattaya for a couple of years before moving full time to "the village". In the 2 years I spent there we progressively renovated mama's house so that it was a comfortable for our regular monthly visits. I relocated to the village a couple of years ago and as I mentioned in my earlier post, we have gone to defcon 4 since mama & papa started waking up with a bottle of Laos Khao in both hands. In that time I have engineered drawings for a "large" house, prepared the land, organised power and water so that we are ready to go. Just one thing is missing from the equation, ME! Every member of this and other forums will tell you that the more time YOU are on the site, the more dsasters you avert. A simple acknowledgement. My house is designed to deal with all of the environmental impacts, poor substrate (piling), poor insulation (double skinned walls, double glazed windows and every single south facing surface naturally shaded by an architectural feature from sun up to sun down), water shortages (big water tank 10,000l), power outages (generator with 16 hours stand-by capability). So do I want to put all of this in the hands of someone I don't know....errrrrr, no.

When I finish here in Bahrain I will go back to my village, employ 4 guys I know who have all worked in construction overseas (and received there instructions from a non-Thai boss) and then I will build the house myself with sub-contractors for roofing only. I will be there from dusk to dawn and nothing permanant will be done without inspection and approval from me. It was another key decision to build the small house I refer to in the earlier post. It is on the same plot so supervision should be a doddle, I can keep an eye on all of the materials and nip "home" for a beer at lunch times!

Coming back to the original theme of this thread I think 10-12 months and 9-10,000 per m2 with some additional lump sums for kitchen, a/c and appliances plus the pool should do it. The house is about 300m2 and will be about Bt3,000,000.

Sawasdee pee mai to one and all!

Why does the article mention that the initial repair time was estimated at 3-5 days, yet these "breaking news" emails I've been getting from thaivisa put the time at 2-3 weeks?

Crisis management! No comms = banking meltdown and we all know what happens when the markets get jumpy. Right now the only improvements you are experiencing is due to re-routed comms. Now they have dropped a diver or 2 onto the location they can give an accurate assessment and all of the commercial comms have been re-routed in the interim so its mainly the domestic users who will suffer for the 3-4 weeks (weather permitting) it will take to fix this. We had exactly the same issue in Dubai last year after the Pakistan earthquake. Same same but different.

Sawasdee pee mai!

I live in Chaiyaphum but visit Korat quite regularly, can you pm me a location map or directions from The Mall....plus a contact number for when I get lost...lol...thanks.

I sure know where to post my electrical concept when I have it....you guys give excellent advice selflessly....expext a pm from me when my electrical concept is finalised.

Chok Dee

I'm in the middle of constructing a smallish house in Chaiyaphum. Due to a thermo-nuclear meltdown between the long-haired General in my life and her mother, my wife has had to rent a place and move the 600k worth of furniture and possessions we recently shipped back from Dubai. Now I am in Bahrain and the family will be coming here in April. We own a fair bit of land in the village and I had prepared a 2200m2 plt for construction a couple of years ago before I went back to work in the middle east. Rtaher than lock-up our stuff in a rented house I decided to build a "small" house on this land. Basically 620k gets me a Thai village house of 112.5m2 internal and 7.5m2 (porch)external, 120m2 total. As I am not there and my wife is not a builder we will get what we are given. 90 days is the construction time and looks to be on programme, we started on 22/11/06 (a good Buddah Day). I already have a kitchen and a/c plus appliances so this price is exclusive of that but inclusive of sanitaryware in identical en-suite and family "western" bathrooms. I am in construction and you should all know that all major construction materials, cement, steel, aluminium & timber have increased by over 20% in the last year, worldwide. So this will impact on cement bags, blocks, re-bar, roof structure, roof tiles, aluminium windows and timber doors.....pretty much all of the major material requirements of your new home.

I employed a recognised house-builder rather than a herd of uncles and cousins as they could not even build the wall around the land without 30m of it collapsing and having to be re-built. If I have one pearl of wisdom it is this....visit the builders house before employing him. If he lives in a timber shack on stilts with corrugated steel and matting for walls and holes for windows, turn around and go somewhere else. If he is living in something closer to what you want to live in then agree a specification, insist on engineered drawings and agree EXACTLY at which point money changes hands i.e. at what stage of the construction. I have split mine into 4 staged payments where the builder has the most comfort in the beginning but the shoe moves onto my foot at the end.

Chok dee to all self-builders out there.

Like other Falangs earning a crust for their Thai families at home I have been "nutmegged" since Boxing Day. I work in Bahrain and have a home (under-construction) in Chaiyaphum. Transferred money to pay builder (under $20k for all you snipers out there) on 24/12 and still not in the account by yesterday and banks don't open til Wednesday now so construction on hold for a week.....sweet. It's a holiday in all arab countries since Thursday til Wednesday so good time to catch up with whats going on at home but again cannot make any mobile calls to Thailand since 26th....and the long-haired General gets a bit "jai lon" when she can't track down her fella 24/7.....yeah so how to keep the Mrs happy.....dadada....she doesn't get the money she's expecting and can't speak to the perp' on the dog'n'bone (thats phone to all you non-Eastenders watchers...we know who we are guys...right?).....so that rambling must give you an insight into my state of mind during this festive season. I was cheered to hear that every country in Asia seems to be sending a small flotilla of ships....to join the other ships that can't work coz of bad weather and that the cynics in LOS have found another reason to bad mouth the short-haired Generals.

Deck the halls everyone.....Merry Christmas and roll on 2007 x

Eyewitness News brought to you by Thai Visa ........

The use of agents to obtain visas has always been illegal. The authorities are just applying the law.

The fact that you are using an agent is suspicious in the first place.

If you are staying in Thailand legally you have nothing to worry about. If you are working and have the requisite work permit the visa is automatic. If you are married to a Thai you can get a Thai wife visa. For this you need to have 400k thai baht in a thai bank account. If you don't have that, then tough luck.

I get sick and tired of reading about expats trying to buck the system and then complaining when they get caught.

You are living in a foreign country so abide by the rules and the law. If you do not like it get out and do not spoil it for those of us who stay within the law.

See earlier post...Robert, does it evade you that some of us are more sick and tired of people telling us what to do and repeatedly stating the obvious!.....btw....your "suspicions" are spurious, your suggestion that the OP is "bucking the system" is naive and your monologue about "living in a foreign country" is immature. If you have no similar experience to relate or nothing positive to add, keep it to yourself eh!

I agree with earlier posts....why does an innocent account of a troubling event shared with other expats turn into a name calling, micro-managing, condescending character assassination? Anyone who says they have never withheld the truth from an official of any kind if they thought it would get them in trouble are not being honest with themselves. For my sixpenthworth I believe the OP is brave to post his experience on here only in the knowledge that our forum consists of a few people only willing to pull their post apart and suggest how they should run the rest of their lives. Good informative post and I will take my own lessons from it as others might to.

Keep building the houses on stilts guys.....hoist 'em high, keep 'em dry!

I am also resident in Chaiyaphum, about 10 klicks down road to Si Khu, chuck a right at the Esso garage and about 5 villages down that road. I am making plans to build my own house so if you come up with any decent builders let me know. I have been stopping at various construction sites in our area and speaking with the builders and watching what they do and how they do it differently to western systems. The best people I have seen so far ate a developer in Chaiyaphum city who will build a house to spec relatively cheaply (less than a mil) and you then use local people for your fancy bits, kitchen, landscaping etc. I bought a kitchen from HomeMart in Ko Rat for my mother-in-laws house and they did a fantastic job of fitting it. Bit pericey but you do pay for what you get. Keep in touch and lets share info......by the way i'm a pommie......I thought you guys all worked behind the bar in Earls Court or Coven Garden?

OK....I just looked up human detritus in the dictionary and it had a picture of a self made man, minding his own business, not hurting anyone, in fact often known to be philanthropic, in a minibus with 5 other detriti (?) at the Laos border, paying their way, contributing to society, still paying taxes back home and stopping to smell the flowers.....hmmmmm....nope sorry wrong page.....its actually a fat old balding git with crooked teeth tuppence-ha'penny in their pocket doing the balloon bar crawl getting free chicken wings and cold french fries whilst raising the free beer they just got from the birthday boy before making a sheepish exit onto their next bar, all the time coveting that retirement visa....my goodness there are some funny people in this forum.

I must be missing something.....I am not working or running a business, I am not married to a Thai, I am not over 50, I do not want to deposit 3 million Baht in a Thai bank account, I am also not on the run from anyone or in hiding, I spend over 100,000 Baht per month in Thailand......I am 36 and financially stable, to my knowledge the only non-tourist visa available to me is an Elite card which I have to pay $25,000 up front to get a 5-year visa....even if I don't want to stay 5 years.....whats that all about?

Don’t worry, whatever, if any, changes will be implemented it will not affect you. A rich man like you will always be welcome in Thailand. If you are doing perennial 30-day border runs now, things may even get easier for you.

As for me, if I were 36 and rich enough not to have to work for the rest of my life, I doubt I would chose to live permanently in Thailand. I would soon get bored. But to everyone his own.

---------------

Maestro

Thanks for the words of encouragement Maestro.....lol....I never get bored of meeting people and listening to their story, hey if their not stoned, blotto, crazed or confrontational I might even buy them a beer with my vast wealth!....however far-fetched they sometimes get....as for retiring to Thailand....the culture is rich, the people are friendly, the country is vast and the flowers smell beautiful....something I never really got a chance to experience until 1993. I would like something inbetween the 30-days and the non-imm options....and hey, I'm also willing to pay for it....go figure?

"remember many of the types on the BOI promotion list only need ONE million baht of invested capital per foreigner"

GAZ....you got any links to the BOI promotion list you can share?

Where to find some correct information about the 3 million baht investment visa as mentioned in earlier posts.I am not married and stay now on a multiple entry non-b visa for which I still have to do the 3 month border runs.But since I invested that 3 million bath already it would be offcourse more convenient for me if I could have a 1 year visa for which i not have to do border runs.Can anyone give me the right information or give me a link where i can find it.

If you live in or near Bangkok, Pattaya, Chang Mai or Phuket, just go along to the immigration office, they are very helpful and will give you all the correct documentation. If you have already deposited the money, ask your bank for a statement of account letter and take this plus your passbook, passport and accomodation details, they may process it there and then....but you need to have a valid non-imm visa in your passport. They cannot do it on a tourist visa.....Good Luck.

Thaks for the information Tony however I have an additional question regarding.

Does this mean that,if I show the deposit and the valid non-b visa,I will get a new entry stamp at the immigration office or will they issue a new 1 year visa.Do you know also about the fees.

They will extend your existing visa to the equivalent of 12 months....ie, if you arrived 2 months ago on a 3 month visa, it will be extended by 10 months and then renewed for 12 months on expiry. I can't be certain about fees but I believe the standard 1900 Baht is applicable when applying for any non-imm visas (investment, retirement, business and thai wife)........plus read the post from Gaz Chiangmai, there are other options he refers to there that require less of an investment, but I believe may necessitate the set-up of a company, this is more involved and expensive but ultimately a darn site better than the exit/re-entry alternatives......Again good luck!

PS...............GREAT POST GAZ

Where to find some correct information about the 3 million baht investment visa as mentioned in earlier posts.I am not married and stay now on a multiple entry non-b visa for which I still have to do the 3 month border runs.But since I invested that 3 million bath already it would be offcourse more convenient for me if I could have a 1 year visa for which i not have to do border runs.Can anyone give me the right information or give me a link where i can find it.

If you live in or near Bangkok, Pattaya, Chang Mai or Phuket, just go along to the immigration office, they are very helpful and will give you all the correct documentation. If you have already deposited the money, ask your bank for a statement of account letter and take this plus your passbook, passport and accomodation details, they may process it there and then....but you need to have a valid non-imm visa in your passport. They cannot do it on a tourist visa.....Good Luck.

I must be missing something.....I am not working or running a business, I am not married to a Thai, I am not over 50, I do not want to deposit 3 million Baht in a Thai bank account, I am also not on the run from anyone or in hiding, I spend over 100,000 Baht per month in Thailand......I am 36 and financially stable, to my knowledge the only non-tourist visa available to me is an Elite card which I have to pay $25,000 up front to get a 5-year visa....even if I don't want to stay 5 years.....whats that all about?

Well said Tony. You are not welcomed here, because you are totally free (which is utterly unacceptable nowadays) and because thai officials can't not put you into the proper box.

Sorry.

Why not have a visa that you walk into immigration, pay 2500 Baht and walk back out again only to return 30 days later, or 5000 and 60 days or 7500 and 90 days....you get my drift?....the "legal" people would jump at it and the illegals will keep doing what they are doing.....they need computers at all 55 checkpoints in Thailand, not 20% of them as at present, and this would fund them.....I am happy to give up the white knuckle ride every 30 days or flight out of Thailand every 90 days....or am I Ting Tong Tony?

If you are married to a Thai lady you can apply for a visa regardless of age. You have to lodge 400,000 Baht in a Thai bank account or show a monthly income in excess of 12,000 Baht (I might have monthly figure wrong?). You apply in the region you were married and it takes 4 weeks to process. You have to arrive on a non-immigrant visa which is issued at any consular office on production of your marriage certificate and confirmation of residence (usually wifes blue book and accompanying letter saying she invites you to stay there) This operates very similar to retirement visa where you check-in every 90 days and is renewable every 12 months....hope that helps.

VISA ON ARRIVAL

- According to the Interior Ministerial Announcements, passport holders from 20 countries may apply for visas at the immigration checkpoints for the purpose of tourism for the period of not exceeding 15 days.

- The applicant must possess means of living expenses at the amount of 10,000 Baht per person and 20,000 Baht per family accordingly.

- The applicant must present full paid ticket which is usable within 15 days since the date of entry

- Visa on arrival is provided at 23 designated international checkpoints and applicants should submit the application form duly filled out and to which his/her recent photograph (2 ½ inches) is attached. The application fee is 1,000 Baht.

- Visitors who enter the Kingdom with Visa on Arrival generally cannot file an application for extension of stay except in special cases such as illness which prevents them from travelling, etc. They can submit an application at the Office of Immigration Bureau , Immigration Division 1, Soi Suan Plu, South Sathorn Road, Bangkok 10120. Tel. 02 287-3127 or 02 287-3101-10 ext. 2264-5 or at website http://www.immigration.go.th

List of 20 countries is as follows :

1. Bhutan : Kingdom of Bhutan

2. China : People’s Republic of China (including Taiwan)

3. Cyprus : Republic of Cyprus

4. Czech : Czech Republic

5. Estonia : Republic of Estonia

6. Hungary : Republic of Hungary

7. India : Republic of India

8. Kazakhstan : Republic of Kazakhstan

9. Latvia : Republic of Latvia

10. Liechtenstein : Principality of Liechtenstein

11. Lithuania : Republic of Lithuania

12. Maldives : Republic of Maldives

13. Mauritius : Republic of Mauritius

14. Oman : Sultanate of Oman

15. Poland : Republic of Poland

16. Russian Federation

17. Saudi Arabia : Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

18. Slovakia : Slovak Republic

19. Slovenia : Republic of Slovenia

20. Ukraine

TOURIST VISA EXEMPTION

- According to the Interior Ministerial Announcements dated 1 October B.E. 2545 (2002), 20 December B.E. 2545 (2002) ,18 October B.E. 2547 (2004) and 6 May B.E. 2548 (2005) , passport holders from 40 countries and Hong Kong SAR do not require a visa when entering Thailand for tourism purposes and will be permitted to stay in the Kingdom for 30 days.

- Please note that Tourist Visa Exemption does not apply to foreigners holding Travel Document for Aliens issued by these 40 countries.

- Foreigners entering Thailand under Tourist Visa Exemption must possess means of living expenses at the amount of 10,000 Baht per person and 20,000 Baht per family accordingly.

1. Australia : Commonwealth of Australia

2. Austria : Republic of Austria

3. Belgium : Kingdom of Belgium

4. Brazil : Federative Republic of Brazil (****)

5. Bahrain : State of Bahrain

6. Brunei Darussalam : Negara Brunei Darussalam

7. Canada

8. Denmark : Kingdom of Denmark

9. Finland : Republic of Finland

10. France : French Republic

11. Germany : Federal Republic of Germany

12. Greece : Hellenic Republic

13. Hong Kong : Hong Kong Special Administrative Region

14. Iceland : Republic of Iceland

15. Indonesia : Republic of Indonesia

16. Ireland : Republic of Ireland

17. Israel : State of Israel

18. Italy : Republic of Italy

19. Japan

20. Korea : Republic of Korea (****)

21. Kuwait : State of Kuwait

22. Luxembourg : Grand Duchy of Luxembourg

23. Malaysia

24. Netherlands : Kingdom of the Netherlands

25. New Zealand

26. Norway : Kingdom of Norway

27. Oman : Sultanate of Oman

28. Peru : Republic of Peru (****)

29. Philippines : Republic of the Philippines

30. Portugal : Republic of Portugal

31. Qatar : State of Qatar

32. Singapore : Republic of Singapore

33. Spain : Kingdom of Spain

34. South Africa : Republic of South Africa

35. Sweden : Kingdom of Sweden

36. Switzerland : Swiss Confederation

37. Turkey : Republic of Turkey

38. United Arab Emirates

39. United Kingdom : United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland

40. United States of America

41. Vietnam : Socialist Republic of Vietnam

I must be missing something.....I am not working or running a business, I am not married to a Thai, I am not over 50, I do not want to deposit 3 million Baht in a Thai bank account, I am also not on the run from anyone or in hiding, I spend over 100,000 Baht per month in Thailand......I am 36 and financially stable, to my knowledge the only non-tourist visa available to me is an Elite card which I have to pay $25,000 up front to get a 5-year visa....even if I don't want to stay 5 years.....whats that all about?

Hi, I went to Vientiane last year to renew my visa, they would only give a single entry visa and you have to stay overnight in probably the most boring capital city on the planet. If you can get a multiple in Malaysia I suggest you go there. Chok Dee!

I too have had a wall built around my property. Typically the wall is 2.4m wide, to suit the block size, and 1.8m high with columns to 2.2m for ironwork on top. The wall is rendered on both sides ready for paint or tile finish. You buy the materials so that costs what it costs and you should pay about 600 Baht per 2.4m section. I also had about 2.6m high sides to the rear and sides awy from the road. These were 900 each but an earlier suggestion to buttress 1 in 4 is a wise one as I found out when 9 panels collapsed into my neighbours paddy field.....haha! You live and learn here for sure. Additional info....painted steel fencing and gates run at about 2500Bht sqm and stainless steel at 6000-7000 Baht sqm (all fitted prices). I like the posts about hedges and bamboos and the links to coolthaihouse are a must see. Good luck....Moron from Isaan ?;-)