Dean1953

I'll be back at my house in Bosang for 8 days, starting next Monday.  At the top of my bucket list is to find an agency that can rent my house in a reasonable amount of time.  I don't want to list it with an agency that takes the listing and then "sits" on it.  I would prefer that they send someone to look at house while I'm there next week.  I'd prefer to rent it out, as I'll be back for good in no more than 10 years.  If it doesn't rent, however, I'll sell it.  Thanks in advance for any recommendations.

I arrive back next Monday for 8 days of fulfilling a "bucket list" of projects to be done at my house near Bosang.  Near the top of the list is finding a gardener to take care of the trees and cut, and hopefully fertilize the lawn in my absence.   I have a Thai friend that lives next door that keeps her eye on the house while I'm gone.  For the last 6 months, she has also hired locals to cut and dispose of the grass about every 6 months for 3,500 baht.  The house sits on 1 rai of land.  That seems pretty high.  I' need a gardener to come 1-2 times a month to take care of trees and flowers, and cut the grass when necessary.  I have a self propelled husqvarna mower fairly new and a husqvarna string weed whacker, if needed.  Does anyone know of a gardener that they could recommend?  On completion of work, they would be paid by my Thai friend.  Thanks in advance.

Just to clarify post #2, the whole post, except for the last sentence, was copied from a 2011 post.  I live in the U.S. and won't be back in CM until December.  I would like to get seat and back cushions for 6 teak chairs that I have at my U.S. House and would like to take them back with me in my luggage.  Could he have them ready 7 days after ordering them?  If not, I'll mail them.  

On August 2, 2011 at 1:54 AM, miltonbentley said:

We recently used a little guy on the river road. Shortly after you pass under Mahidol road he has a little shop on the right about 50 yards before 7-11. The shop front is open and from the chairs and stuff it is quite obvious.

We had all the padding and upholstery replaced on a sofa bed and were very impressed by the quality of the work and the price.

Thanks for the directions, I just had a sofa recushioned and recovered by this shop. The owner's name is Nopi and he couldn't have done a better job. He comes to your home for a consultation, he will pick up and drop off, his prices are very reasonable and he completed the work in less than the quoted time! My old ratty sofa looks catlogue fashionable. He did a superb job! PM me for his #.                                  Anyone know if this guy is still in business at the same location.  A phone number would also be helpful.  Thanks!

I've got quite a few teak chairs, both at my house in Bosang and in the U.S.  Before. I over to the U.S., I had seat and back cushions made for all of them.  They were a basic canvas off white.  I'll be in C.M. In December for 8 days and would like to get new cushions made, but in a fabric and color that would go better with the color of teak.  Anyplace in the area is fine, but closer to Bosang would be better.  If 8 days isn't enough time to get the cushions made, I'll contact them in advance and have a Thai friend go by to choose the fabric and give measurements.  Thanks!

When I originally built the house, my Thai wife at the last minute wanted an underground sprinkler system.  We were in the process of sodding but stopped.  The builder of the house recommended his friend to do the job.  We went to Global House to buy the hose and the sprinkler heads and the sprinkler was to be turned on manually.  Once done, there were as many leaks in the hose as there were sprinkler heads (16).  He tried to fix them but couldn't, so I paid him to go away.  I dug new trenches myself, one foot down, that took me the better part of a week to finish.  I then hired a plumber that had worked for me and I had him set up the 4 zones, with 4 sprinklers per zone.  I had my sister send from the U.S. Rainbird sprinkler heads, which he installed (too high above ground, as it turned out).  As I come over about every 2 years, I have since had installed a Hunter controller, so the sprinklers could be automatic.  Later, I hired two persons who worked at a sprinkler system next to the Tesco on the superhighway to put in new sprinklers.  The sprinklers that they put in were not the right ones and, to make them shoot water further, they made adjustments to the heads which made most of them leak.  I paid them to go away.  Ideally, it would have been nice to have gotten recommendations at the start on ThaiVisa, but that was not possible.  I have been PM with a recommendation that I'll go with.  If I can find a Grundfos at 230V/50Hz, I'll buy it before going to LOS.  If not, I'll explain the situation to the recommended installer and go with their choice.  I've gone through 2 pumps (a Chinese and Japanese) already on recommendations, so I don't think that I've been too hard on Thai workers, unless they demonstrate that they don't have the expertise.  Both times that happened, they got paid anyway.

If the Grundfos MQ3-45 costs about $730 in Thailand, and between $430 and $575.0 new in the U.S., would it be advisable to buy one that's 230V/60Hz here and bring it over?  I've had several people here, going from calling their headquarters to calling distributors and irrigation shops, tell me that the Hz difference is enough to eventually fry the motor or else really didn't know what would happen to the motor.  I wouldn't mind saving $200-300 over what I would be paying for one in Thailand.  I did see several MQ3-45 230V/50Hz on EBay U.K. But the shipping charges negated any savings.  Between now and December, I'll continue to look on various sites and maybe, I'll get lucky.

My house sits on one rai of land, so that would take a lot of sand and pavers to cover it.  Gully gully, if you don't mind me asking, how much did you pay for the Grundfos pump (MG3-45?).  I have looked at them in the US but they run on 60 hz.   I could buy one from a shop in Canada if there is several hundred dollars difference between Canada's price and the price in Thailand.  Being there 8 days, I won't have time to do the work myself but will hire a competent (hopefully) sprinkler installer.

I'll be back in Thailand 5-13 December on my every other year quest to fix everything at my house in Bosang and try to rent it out.  First on my list is fixing my underground sprinkler system.  It is a 4 zone, 4 sprinkler heads per zone.  Several of the old Rainbird heads leak.  The other problem is when the old Rainbirds were installed, the heads stick out of the ground far enough that a lawn mower would hit them, so I installed red flags around them. I bought Hunter heads that aren't as long, so installation shouldn't be a problem.  My main concern is finding a knowledgable plumber that is trustworthy and won't try to sell me a crap water pump that lasts a year.  I've gone through 3 water pumps in 8 years.  We dug a well and put up a water container the same size as the one for the house.  I need a pump that will handle two 20 minute sprinkler setting per day.  The pump also has to be reliable, as no one is living at the house now and the person that takes care of it comes by 1-2 times per week.  Ideally, I can get some recommendations here and have a recommended plumber install it, then fix the sprinkler heads.  I'm less excited about trusting a plumber to buy the pump, as I've been burned several times over a Thai worker's "can do" attitude.  I would like to find someone that I can trust and can be available to call if a plumbing issue arises.    In the coming months, you will probably see posts from me about gardeners and real estate rental companies, among others.  Thanks in advance. 

It was working up until June, 2015, when I had to go over to have my leaning perimeter wall torn down.  The controls for the sprinkler system were on that wall and I wasn't there to see the new wall completed and the sprinkler system not put back.  I tried to get the caretaker to hire someone to fix it but she suddenly never communicated with me after that, instead talking to my Thai wife, who was her friend and had hired her.  My wife had no desire to hire someone to fix it last month.  Besides the sprinklers, I'd like to finally find a gardener to take care of the grounds.  A Thai friend has been taking care of it, hiring several persons to cut it every 6 weeks for 3,500 baht.  I'm hoping that for 3.500 baht a month, I can find a gardener that can come by twice a month and cut the grass, trim the trees and fertilize the grass.  I also have a garden patio that I installed with sand and street pavers, neglecting to put a barrier under the sand to keep grass and weeds from growing.  I'll take out the pavers and sand and put a proper sheeting down and the sand and hire someone to put the pavers back in.  I have a cement pond in front of the patio and have looked into keeping fish in it like I did when living there but will leave that for the renters (hopefully).  Concerning flight delays, I'm not worried about Southwest but China Eastern, particularly the return portion.  I can cancel the Southwest return if it looks like I won't make the connection and try to reschedule it a day or two later (midweek tickets LAX-MCI never get that expensive except around the holidays).   I have a brother that lives in San Diego and can visit him for a few days

Besides the LAX to CNX portion, I fly Southwest MCI to LAX.  My China Eastern flight leaves just after midnight December 4.  I fly to LAX the day before around 7 PM.  After arriving on China Eastern on December 14 at 9 AM, my Southwest flight leaves around 6 PM.  I had a credit on Southwest that had to be used by December 20 and that credit paid for the round trip ticket.  The China Eastern ticket only cost $537, which is at least $300 cheaper than Cathy Pacific.  My wife and son flew Korean air last month from MCI and it costs them around $1,550 per ticket.  The only purpose of this trip is to do some work on my house in Bosang, particularly getting the underground sprinkler system working, in order to rent it out.  I wouldn't go if the cost had been $800 and over for the plane tickets.  I appreciate the hotel recommendations but am probably more concerned about flight delays on the Southwest flight on December 3 and particularly a flight delay on the return on China Eastern (CNX-Kunming-Shianghai-LAX), as it seems that China Eastern is known for flight delays.  

In December, I'm flying LAX to CNX on China Eastern airlines.  It's an 8 day trip and I didn't want to waste any time going through BKK.  Outbound is good, with a 4 hour layover in Shanghai.  The return is horrible, with an 11 hour layover in Kunming and a 3 hour layover in Shanghai.  A couple of questions for those that have flown China Eastern, particularly through Kunming.  Is China Eastern generally an on time airline?  I read in several places that the airport at Kunming isn't heated at night.  I would consider staying at the airport but having no heat and the average temperature in December being 3 C degrees at night, that could be a deal breaker.  Has anyone booked a hotel that they could recommend?   Is there free wifi that is accessible to foreigners at the airport?    Any information about Kunming and the airport would be appreciated.

I have a Hunter sprinkler control and hunter sprinkler heads that I brought over from the U.S. 7 years ago, except for the heads, which were sent over last July. The rest of the parts were bought in Thailand and worked up to last June, when I had a perimeter wall torn out and replaced. While the Huner Controller is on the back of the garage, everything for the 6 zones were attached to the perimeter wall. I live in the U.S. But was over last June for 3 weeks and saw the start of the wall but not the completion. A friend of my Thai wife acts as caretaker. No one told me until yesterday that the sprinkler system didn't work. I'm going to assume that the Controller and heads work and that the problem is in the part that should be attached to the new perimeter wall. Does anyone know someone in Thailand that has worked on sprinkler systems and can fix mine (hopefully) and probably install the 16 new hunter heads (I'm assuming that they were never installed)? Thanks in advance!

I have a house in Chiang Mai but live in the U.S. We have a friend of my Thai wife living at the house but she is gone from 10 AM to 10 PM most days. I was over in late May for 3 weeks and while there had internet service started, for at least a year. I also left the caretaker an IPad, so she can take pictures of the house and land and send them to my IPad in the U.S. I would like a 3 camera set up, with one for the driveway/gate area, one for the downstairs and one for the upstairs. I could send the cameras from the U.S. If need be, but I do need someone or a company to set it up. Any suggestions of individuals or businesses in the Chiang Mai area that could handle this would be appreciated.

-snip-

He has anger management problems, like kicking several doors in, including one on my car. We have had 2 fist fights; the second one, he opened a cut next to my left eye, leaving me with a very visible black eye.

No WAY would a kid like that be back in my house even if my house was suddenly somewhere else. NO way.

Cheers

. When we moved to U.S, I promised to support each child through the end of their formal education. I never had any illusions about the boy and his he would do in school here. Just hope for the best and prepare for the worst. The youngest graduated from high school last May and, while I will support her through her goal of Dental school over the next 8 years, my obligation to the other two is over. I told them that, if they want to go back to school, do it this year or next or expect no help from me. The boy has talked about going to a college about 150 miles away, where a couple of friends are going. I'm looking forward to the day that he moves out next month. The oldest daughter better find a rich Chinese American to marry.

And you mean that in a positive way, right?

Not exactly the same situation but I brought an 18 year old step daughter, a 14 year old step son and a 12 year old step daughter to the U.S. for the better school system. Almost 8 years later, the step daughter dropped out of college because it was too hard to go to school and work. The step son was never a good student and it took quite a bit of effort to get him to graduate from High School 2 years ago. He works a couple of months at a fast food restaurant, until he is fired for not showing up or screwing around while at work. The eldest one does some household chores but the step son does nothing. He leaves the house at 10 at night and comes back around 2 or 3 and goes to bed around 4. He has anger management problems, like kicking several doors in, including one on my car. We have had 2 fist fights; the second one, he opened a cut next to my left eye, leaving me with a very visible black eye. He's been in court 4 times and has been arrested twice. It's my wife's and the rest of the family's belief that he should be left alone. It's my belief that he needs to have certain expectations imposed on him or he won't change his behavior. At this point, I just want him out of the house, if for no other reason to keep him from being a role model for my 7 year old son. The youngest step daughter and I have a good relationship. She works around the house and works part time, along with her studies. She will be starting college next month and eventually become a Dentist. I will give her all the support that I can. The only advise that I can give you is to make certain that your step son knows that you and your wife are on the same page. If not, he will go behind your back to his mother for "support" and you will have no chance to get him on the right path. Good luck!

Beautiful. Something to check in advance with your insurance agent. And to get the response in writing. Are these carvings listed as a separate rider on your policy? We have a couple of household items of value that are specifically listed on our policy.

. No, the two teak carvings are not listed separately but will be, along with several other items, when the house rents.

I haven't rented my furnished house out as of yet but, among somewhat expensive furnishings, there are 2 large teak carvings built into wall. At the time that they were installed ( when the house was built), they were worth 120,000 baht. They can't be moved out of house. If a disgruntled tenant decided to take a hammer to either, two or three month's deposit wouldn't come close to covering their cost. If the house (teak) was burned down, I assume replacement insurance would cover that but I can't think of any insurance that would cover destruction done by a tenant.

I have a set of 18 volt cordless DeWalt tools at my house, with at least 10 batteries. I had two chargers that I brought years ago to my house; one I used a step down transformer with that no longer works and the other a Thai electrician converted to 220 V and it quit working last week when I was at my house. I checked at Homepro and they don't sell a DeWalt charger that works with U.S. 18 volt batteries. When I got back to the U.S., I saw that DeWalt Thailand does make a charger that does work on U.S. Batteries. I can buy it on Amazon for around $70 but I also found a DeWalt dealer in Buriam that has it in stock for 1,900 baht and will ship it. If anyone knows of a store in Chiangmai Mai that is a dealer (or would order it for me), I would appreciate it. Otherwise, I'll contact the store in Buriam and have it shipped to a friend in Chiangmai Mai (that lives next to my house). Thanks in advance.

Come to think of it, I could use another one for my house in Kansas City. Cleanliness was never my thai wife's strong suit, and that's stating it mildly.

Thanks, I remember the post and will look it up. The Customer Rep asked if the fan had gotten wet and if it had, to replace it. I may have one more go at it but take it by the shop that you recommend by Monday or Tuesday and give him a week before I leave. If he needs a new fan, I can ship it. Maybe, I can have it shipped from China, since all the parts for the Robitic are made there. Thanks!

I brought with me 2 Neato XV signature Pro Robotic floor cleaners from the U.S. One works fine but the other one keeps flashing the message "fan struck" and will not work. Using live chat, I talked with Neato's Customer Rep and did what he told me; clean fan but did not replace seals. It still doesn't work. I don't want to take it back to U.S. Can anyone recommend a person/shop that can work on this and possibly repair fan, if fixable? If it's not fixable, I will ship new fan from U.S. and have repairman put it in. The Customer Rep said that there are videos on Utube that show how to install them, so it can't be that hard. Thanks in advance.

I'm in the first of 2.5 weeks in Chiang Mai, working on my house to hopefully get ready to rent. Two years ago, a real estate agent came out to my house in Bosang to see house and make recommendations for monthly rent. My wife, who does not want to rent, and I were present when the agent came and I'm sure that the agent realized that the wife did not want to rent and, while she listed it, I never heard back from her. I am having one side of the perimeter wall replaced and some old trees cut down and the others trimmed back. I replaced the three shower heaters with Stiebon Eltron heaters and am putting awnings on the windows on the south side, that takes the worst of the weather. I am looking for real estate agents with proven track records to come out to my house and give me an honest appraisal of what it is worth to rent out (since I am paying for all of the improvements this trip, my wife understands that keeping house without rental income is not an option). I've listed it here in classified and on Craigslist Thailand for the last 5 years and get responses about every 6 months but I haven't budged from my rental price of 20,000 baht. it is a teak house on 1 rai of land with 4 bedrooms and 3 baths in good shape. From what I've read hers and elsewhere, the price of rentals has gone up in the last couple of years but it hasn't translated to renting my house. If any real estate agents reply to this posting or PM me with their phone number, I would like to set up a time for them to look at my house. If any TV members with real estate experience want to give their advise on my asking price of 20,000 baht (with me paying a gardener to take care of grounds), I would appreciate that also.

Thanks, I'll look in the 450-500 baht range. I just rounded a fare of 320 baht from BKK to Sukhumvit soi 39 up to 400 baht, so I'm not trying to be a cheap tipper over a $16.00 fare. I just hope that the caretaker for the house remembered to put the key to the gate and house in our agreed location.