juehoe

My spouse always says "baeb nueng" for this situation

แป๊บหนึ่ง

My spouse was already a good driver in crazy Bangkok (where I have my problems...) but had problems driving fast and save at higher speed. As may Thais, she could not drive well long and fast turns. Meanwhile she is quite good and also learned to drive more economically and ecologically. Our mileage is now acceptable.

She also start now learning to drive manual-shifted pick-ups! But we didn't found a driving school for learning emergency braking and manoeuvring.

I just got this address of a driving school in BKK. Sorry I have it only in Thai and we didn't contact them, yet.

ส สะพานมอญ รร สอนขับรถยนต์

ที่อยู่ : 7 เจริญกรุง แขวงวังบูรพาภิรมย์ เขตพระนคร กทม 10200

โทรศัพท์ : 022217495, 022259977

เวลาทำงาน : ทำการทุกวัน 09:00-16:00

I have just started a project Site-Specific from Bangkok (http://asitespecific....wordpress.com/).

The advantage of a good architect that he can design a house which fulfils your needs and uses your plot as good as possible. Standard "mass production" plans often have the problem that they don't match well with your plot (e.g. views, orientation). I would recommend a standard plan if your plot is so big that you can place the house where you want (location and orientation).

A good architect can also help you finding a good contractor and managing and surveying quality and costs.

[...] That works out to THB 2.25M for a 150 sq. meter house, without land. A bit pricey. Does that cost include the architectural (design & construction phase) services you mention above? If not, how much extra are they charging for these services? The whole re-using shipping containers for prefab houses is the rage these days in architecture schools. If you're looking at using containers, just be sure you actually walk inside one, finished, to really get a feel for how compact the space is inside, as its quite limited.

The mention square meter is for a fully equipped house without furniture. What I know from the Internet is, that the construction of the structure in Thailand costs between THB 6'000 and 8'000 per square meter. An aunt of my wife plans to build a 140 sqm house for THB 1'000'000 (7'200 THB/sqm). It is always a balance between costs and quality.

I don't want to live in a house which is built with the common rural Thai quality. I have chosen this architects because of the design and building quality. I don't plan to use container (perhaps as sturdy storage rooms). The perfab system uses modules of the dimensions of a 20 feet container, but you can connect them without internal walls.

The service cost of "my" architect were not easy to figure because I have quite a "special" and complicated project. The best way is to send him a note with your wishes.

I had no problem with my update (macbook Pro 17" 2010) but an older problem that it didn't went to sleep.

The solution was to delete the Parameter-RAM. You have to restart your Mac while holding the CMD, ALT, P and R keys simultaneous until a second and louder start-up sound appears.

Sometimes a restart in the safe-mode (Shift key) or de-installing/de-activating all the start-up stuff.

Hoping it helps!

I had my Thai wedding last February in Roi-Et province. My wedding included all with a Buddhist "Thambun" in the morning, The engaging and marriage ceremony after. In the evening we had a big party in a hotel in Yasothon.

I cannot clearly identify the cost of the morning, but about the party in the evening. This party cost me THB 150'000 - but included was:

• Renting the room and the service
• Decoration
• Food and alcohol for 350 guests
• A show with Thai dancers, karaoke etc.
• A big 7-stage wedding tart

Pictures of the whole wedding are here: http://picasaweb.goo...tJurgOo2122010#

You can also expect some money from the guest. During the whole day, we collected some THB 170'000! This paid me the evening party - but not all the other "wedding stuff" of course...

You know any good companies from Bangkok, who will build for us in Chantaburi?

I will built my weekend house with Site-Specific (http://asitespecific....wordpress.com/) from Bangkok.

They have a very interesting prefab system which will be prefabricated in Bangkok and the transported to your site. I could see some of the modules for the Phuket offices and the playroom addition which is mentioned in their website. The quality looks impressive. The modules are well insulated, too.

A fully finished modules cost THB 15'000+ a square meter, depending want you want. The architectural and planning costs are quite high, but they will organize, control and survey the whole building process.

I cannot say a lot for the moment because we just started with the design process. But I plan to document our house here in this forum.

Renting is the way to go in Thailand.

Renting is a good way to start. It is flexible and you can test the location, the infrastructure and if its possible to live there. To my personal experience, houses for rent are often of cheap quality. But is was a good starting for building a house because I could learn what things I don't want to have...

As other mentioned, house prices are still (too) high in Hua Hin. On the other side, many contractors have built too many houses for the market and often you can get respectable promotion, like a car. The condo market is still hot because many Bangkok Thais want to buy a condo in Hua Hin.

Do you already have a house plan?

I am working on a (weekend) house in the Roi-Et province and will have an architect and his building from Bangkok (will make a post when more details are available). Even other people in the village use Bangkok builders because no good one are available in the province.

It seems that some members here are building with local craftsmen. But I think that you should have some knowledge in house construction (which I don't have...).

The German guys. Yeah their main office is in Pattaya. Sorry don't have contact details.

A.R.C. Thailand: http://www.arc-thailand.com/

South of Hua Hin, in the Khao Tao area, 1 Rai are offered for between 1.5 and 4 million Baht.

We have both the PCX (for me...) and a Scoopy for my spouse and the maid.

Both bikes are made of real good quality. They are not cheap and you can spend a lot of money in fancy accessories, especially for the Scoopy...

I like both bikes. Both have good brakes and a stable ride. I prefer the PCX because it is more powerfull and more "masculine". The Scoopy is lighter and fare more easier to ride for small persons and in tight traffic conditions.

Wooden windows are beautiful and would be theoretical the sustainable variant. But in Thailand their quality is very low.

PVC (and uPVC) windows are easy to clean. But they have massive frames and PVC is not a sustainable material. They also can degrade by UV radiation.

Aluminium frames seems to be the best solution for Thailand. They include a lot of embedded energy but they are fully recyclable. The frames can got hot in direct sunlight but it is strongly recommended to shade your windows anyway.

The contractor in our little resort in Hua Hin has chosen aluminium from Sunparadise http://www.sunparadise.co.th/). They seem to be expensive but of good quality, too. They close really tight (also against sound), are easy to operate (sliding doors) and the whole construction is very sturdy. I also like their mosquito screens.

New Honda PCX: less than 2.5 litres for 100 kilometres.

I bought the Mazda 3 with the 2 litre engine, because of the 6 airbags - a safety feature which is very seldom in Thailand.

Hi everybody

Does anybody know a mechanic in the greater Hua Hin area who can install and repair solar hot water installations?

My former craftsman, David Green from Solar Systems Asia, seems to be out of business...

Many thanks in advance!

-Jürg-

Repainting my house in Hua Hin:

• Facade, 2 coats TOA 7
• 320 Baht per square metre (plus VAT)

One of my neighbours used TOA 7 and is very satisfied with it.

Hi Paul

I can recommend Authentica in Cha-Am.

They made some built-in furniture and other stuff for me. They have their own designer(s). Its owner, Jeff Ravi Sachaskul, has worked for Häfele Thailand and has a very good technical knowledge which is very for non-standard situations. They also make kitchens, bathrooms, floors etc. They are not «cheap», of course...

You can reach Jeff at [email protected]

-Jürg-

I know what you mean about EDGE. Even here (central Texas), the iPhone occasionally drops to EDGE from 3G and you really notice it. I'll check out the other two apps as well. When all else fails, there is map and compass. Was a Boy Scout for too many years.

David

Thailand has no 3G network (yet) - except some very few and small areas in central Bangkok or some other cities. You have to live with EDGE. On the countryside this connection can even be slower.

There is a plan to install a county-wide and cheap 3G within the next two year. I assume that this will take longer...

The map app on the iPhone is the same as GoogleMaps. So you can check the quality from you computer.

A problem in Thailand is the slow mobile Internet (only EDGE) and that it can "eat" very fast your phone bill. I have the 50 hours subscription of AIS/12Call, for THB 200 a month.

An option could be the app called "CityMaps2Go" which gives you an offline map of different cities, also Chiang Mai. But generally, these maps (OpenSource) are less detailed than the one from Google. I also used "Offmaps" which saves Google Maps parts, but I don't like it so much.

It is "quiet" concerning foreign tourists. But Hua Hin is every weekend crowded by (rich) Bangkok Thais.

I would recommend Letic (Link) in the Market Place complex in Hua Hin.

It offers a good and modern range of fitness equipment and has several good group lessons. The daily fee is THB 400 but I would recommend an subscription.

Hi tommet

Some comments upon my experience:

2) Driving at night can be very stressful and tiring, indeed...! But I often drive at night around Hua Hin, where I live.

6) To my knowledge, there are only a few speeding radars or cameras around. The most common way "measuring" speeding is by watching if you drive a long distance on the right lane. So often change to the middle or left lane, when you are fast under way. I generally drive 120 to 140 km/h (depends on traffic, of course!) from Hua Hin to Bangkok and newer got a problem.

8) I would argue that the parking light are useless because they cannot be seen from a certain distance on. I always drive with the headlights on. Even my Thai wife get used to this, because it helps a lot when driving "faster".

Hi

I am not so impressed from the Hilton Hotel Restaurant.

But there a lot of good restaurants around, Thai and Farang food and at all prize levels. The Pier restaurants offers really good (sea) food for reasonable prizes. The best one is that with the highest pier - and which is always full of customers (Farang and Thai).

There are some (many?) gold shops in Hua Hin. But I cannot help you because I am not interested in such things.

Real estate agents are a real "pest" here. It seems that every 3rd shop is a real estate agent and the streets are full of bilboards for houses and condos.

Have a nice stay in Hua Hin!

• Aluminium frames are generally thinner (more pleasant) than UPVC frames.
• Aluminium is more environment-friendly (recyclable) than UPVC.
• UPVC is still "plastic" and wil degrade after several years, especially when exposed to sunlight.
• Aluminum frames get hot when exposed to sunlight. But a good house design should always have shaded walls and windows...
• UPVC seems to be easier to clean.
• In my house in Hua Hin, I installed aluminium windows from Sunparadise (Sunparadise), who also offers good mosquito screens.