gejohesch

I lived there a few years. Pleasant enough when you know your ways around, but way too hot, I would say close to unbearable climate. Also, so-so architecture. Not much in terms of beautiful sites and streets where it is a pleasure to walk around - just compare with for example Lisbon or Mexico City.

Good comment. I thought about that too. However, if I could fill some of the gaps and reduce the water intake somewhat, maybe with several roller passes, that would already be a gain, would it not? As for the hydrostatic pressure membrane, it sounds a bit mysterious to me (as already said) but I will look it up to understand the concept. Thanks again!

Thanks!

It is a garden wall, and it's a pretty good idea indeed. Everything would be fixed within a few days and for a few 1000's baht. I would rather hesitate talking about it to the neighbour, though, we had some issues building stuff elsewhere close to his lot in the past.

"Can you get a galvanized steel guttering formed up to fit between the two walls and channel the water away ?" That could be the best idea! Collect the water right below the roofing, where it comes from, and evacuate it.... I will see if we can arrange that. If it can be done, there will be no need to improve the wall further below! "Or you could purchase a two part acrylic epoxy waterproofing membrane and apply it to the inside wall surface and 300/500 mm of the floor. Such a product is designed as a barrier to rising damp, from memory it can be painted within a day or two but not later. I’m a ceramic tiler and have used a product called Ardex WPM 300 for this purpose, give it a Google." It sounds interesting but, not being a professional at all, it also sounds a bit mysterious, and like the sort of thing I would not be able to do myself. And finding a worker in Isan who would understand the concept and be able to do the job properly..... our village is 10's of kms away from the nearest semi-important agglomeration, most people around here are not used to fancy work. Btw, the more I do work around my wife's 2 houses (quite a nice compound), the more respect I have for professional builders!

Well yes maybe, but that would require some work on the roof first, which I could not do myself. Of course, that would be a way to access the upper part of the wall, which is probably the one that soaks in water the most!

Yes, the roller idea is a good one. Remains finding the appropriate product to put on the roller. A probable issue here is that the blocks were poorly cemented, it was a sloppy job (not uncommon in Isan), which means that there are lots of small gaps or entry points for water. Not sure just rolling some stuff over the wall will be sufficient. Maybe I can try to put cement (a liquid enough formula) on a roller first to try to plug the gaps as much as possible, and then do a second pass with water proofing product.

That's interesting. Thanks!

Thanks for this. I take note.

"First thoughts are why with only a 20 cm gap it's getting that wet. Usually an overhang of the roof should give the wall some shelter." Good comment. I did not mention that the other wall gets to a neighbour. We would not want to extend the roof over that wall so as not to get all the rain water into the neighbours! I know, I know, it was very silly to build so close to the neighbour in the first place, but now it's done that way, we are not going to bring the building down! ".... never liked the idea of giving advice if I couldn't view the situation, so if possible find someone with some knowledge and let them view the issue" Good advice! "Finally is there any way to get a roller on a long pole down into the gap to 'treat' the area. If so Thai Watsadu have multiple products that can help with waterproofing. By the way waterproofing is all you will achieve, most buildings aren't watertight." Sounds like a good idea indeed. Interesting comment "waterproofing vs watertight". "Sorry I cant't be of more help than that. " You have helped a lot already, thanks!

As said, rendering the outside is a major issue due to limited access. I keep your suggestion of using a silicon sealant paint inside, however, thanks.

I thought of doing sthg like this, but I don't think it would be possible to do it well enough as there are some 4 metres to do along the wall and the gap to the other wall is only 20 to 30 cm, i.e. access to do the thing right is just not there.

Here is my problem: - A wall in a house owned by my wife (in Isan) is not watertight. When it rains heavily, water “sweats” inside of the house. Fortunately, not too much, but the resulting dampness does not feel good nor healthy, plus it gradually ruins the paint. - The wall was built with “blocks” which were not well cemented. Usually, I see such walls get “surfaced” with smooth cement on both sides, but in this case that was only done on the inside. As a result, water can easily penetrate the wall. - It would be straightforward to get a worker to do that cement “surfacing” on the outside, but here is the actual problem : the wall in question was built (regrettably) too close to another wall and it is not possible to get into the space in between (it’s only 20 cm wide). Therefore, I’m looking for a solution that would involve doing “something” on that wall from inside the house. - Could I for example cut openings at regular intervals in the wall, stick my arm out and “surface” the outside, then plug back the openings? That sounds like quite an effort but I would only have some 3 or 4 square metres to do. - I am vaguely aware of more sophisticated techniques such as injecting resin into the wall, but as I understand it, that is really something to leave to an expert (obviously, I’m not myself an expert), and that would likely be costly too. Any suggestions? Thanks in advance!

Let's imagine that one day (I hope not of course) a neighbouring country invades Thailand for no other reason that a phony theory - repeated at nauseam - states that Thailand historically belongs to it and that the Thai culture and identity does not exist, devastates large regions of Thailand etc etc. I wonder what then the reaction of Thailand would be, at the moment of voting against the aggressing country, dozens of countries around the world decided "to abstain because the vote “takes place during an extremely volatile and emotionally charged atmosphere and situation, and thus marginalizes the chance for crisis diplomacy to bring about a peaceful and practical negotiated resolution to the conflict". This complete and total BS on the part of Thailand and I hope it will be remembered.

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Indeed! Despicable <deleted> from Thailand: "In explaining Thailand’s stand on the latest vote, Suriya Chindawongse, Thailand’s Permanent Representative to UN, said in a statement that Thailand chose to abstain because the vote “takes place during an extremely volatile and emotionally charged atmosphere and situation, and thus marginalizes the chance for crisis diplomacy to bring about a peaceful and practical negotiated resolution to the conflict that may push the world towards the brink of nuclear war and global economic collapse.” But not surprising....

A 60 days TR visa I travelled twice with a 60 days TR visa and a return booking 90 days from the onward trip - each time with Emirates. Emirates did not raise any issue when checking in. But I cannot guarantee this will always be the case. As far as obtaining the 60 days TR visa, here is what my local Thailand embassy tell me (email exchanges): "Normally, to issue a TR visa we accept the return ticket with the validity of 90 days from the date of your entry into Thailand given that you can apply for an additional 30 day extension. Even for the multiple entry TR visa, we still need a return ticket for the second trip to Thailand." and "When the applicant applies for a multiple entry TR visa, we request all return tickets, at least the first and second visits" I did not prod any further as I'm not going to ask for a multiple entry visa. B Visa Exemption I travelled several times on that basis. At least twice, leaving from Europe, I was asked at the checkin desk to show an onward booking out of Thailand before the end of the exemption period. By chance, I had such a booking ready at hand. Clearly, the airlines were not going to accept me in otherwise.

Sitting on the fence has always been the approach of Thailand (and Siam before). If I'm not wrong, Thailand pretends to have been neutral during WW2 but : Thailand declares war on the United States and England - HISTORY Some call it "diplomatic", I call it cowardly and treacherous.

I am not Canadian, I do not live in Canada and I do not have any experience with the Thai embassy in Canada. Therefore my opinion must be taken with a grain of salt. However, reading through the text you quoted, received from the embassy, I can offer my interpretation: "a travel plan / itinerary" + "clearly" + "schedule" : that to me implies more than just a vague statement on "planning trips out of the country". They want dates and probably destinations. Quite possibly also proof of planned exits i.e. travel reservations. Why don't you ask the embassy for clarification? Someone said earlier in this discussion "this is not rocket science", which I found a bit disdainful. Sure, it is not in principle "rocket science" and once a given person has landed on his / hers personal solution, everything seems clear to him / her. But it is obvious here that many people feel uncertain about how to proceed and have questions given: A) one's plans + objectives + constraints; B) the various entry options (visas etc); C) the different approach of the Thai embassies in different countries.

That makes sense given your constraints. It's amazing how Thai consulates are different from place to place. Where I am (in the EU), I have done visas with the Thai consulate twice already. Easy, I send them a copy of the docs, they give me an appointment, I never wait more than 15-30 minutes and hand over the paper prints. 3 days later they send me an appointment to go and collect my passport with the visa, and pay (40 EUR if I remember correctly). It's easy, no fuss. Plus it's an easy and very cheap short ride on the bus from my place. Given that, you understand that I prefer to get a TR visa, and arrange a short border hop to get an extra 45 days on visa exemption, and so achieve my objective = a stay of 105 days. Note that may be different in other EU countries, especially where there is a lot of demand for visas. As said, everyone has his/hers constraints and objectives, hence different solutions.

I understand what you are saying, but you have not read me well, see just above. Allow me to repeat: "Btw, maybe I was not clear about that and caused some confusion (with other participants on this post), but I'm not interested in a stay exceeding 3 1/2 months." Basically, to achieve a stay of 3 1/2 months, i.e. 105 days, I will have to get out of Thailand once whatever combination of TR visa / visa exemption / extension I consider. I have made a simple decision tree to make that clear (to myself to start with!). See the jpeg attached. I have given new Option names (A, B, C and D) to the 4 combinations I can think of. Given my objective = 105 days, Option B (TR Visa + border hop) is the best one as I will not need to go to the local immigration bureau to apply for an extension. My second best option would be Option C (Visa exemption + extension + border hop), which would give me a total stay of 120 days. But, again, I do not need 120 days. Also, It is easier for me to get the visa where I am in Europe than to go to the immigration office in Thailand for an extension. At the end of the day, every one will have to find his/her good solution given his / hers own objectives and constraints. I hope this clarifies!

As I said just a few messages above, I have landed (!) on the following option: "Option 3 = Option 1 Modified: TR Visa 60 days + Visa exemption 45 days = total 105 days That beats "Option 1 = 90 days" with an additional benefit in doing so : I will not even have to bother about the TR visa extension! Also, I will then have a flight booked outside Thailand before the end of the initial 60 days TR Visa period, which I will be able to show when checking in when departing from Europe." So yes, I will get a tourist visa. From my local Thailand consulate, not online (I was not aware one could do it online). The return flights reservation is one of the docs required for the application. Let me quote, for the sake of completeness, what the Thailand consulate tells me in this regard: "Normally, to issue a TR visa we accept the return ticket with the validity of 90 days from the date of your entry into Thailand given that you can apply for an additional 30 day extension" Btw, maybe I was not clear about that and caused some confusion (with other participants on this post), but I'm not interested in a stay exceeding 3 1/2 months.

How can having doubts be wrong? If I had said renting onward flights are not an option, then yes, that would be wrong. Seems to me you are just a tad too quick to criticize.

I said Visa exempt + border hop (i.e. not an extension). As far as I understand, reentering after a border hop gives me a new 45 days exemption period. Or am I wrong? Which "others" are wrong, may I ask?

Where was that? That sounds excessive! Pictures? What pictures? The embassy I deal with (in the EU) issued me a TR visa twice already, and each time I had a return ticket with a return date way past the 60 days (initial) period. Then again, I did a bit of prior explanation to them about my plans.