Renovation Issues

[Yellowtail]

30 minutes ago, Cake Monster said:

OP

You have to remember several things when dealing with Thai Contractors of any kind.

You have to remember several things when dealing with Thai Contractors of any kind.

 

Make sure all of your expectations are outlined clearly in the order documents. 

 

If this is going to be your home, cut your losses and get a new contractor. 

[AustinRacing]

I used to give specific instructions to my massage ladies to concentrate on problem areas such as lower back or upper neck. Soon I realized that I got the same massage irrespective of my specific instructions. Your contractors will do what THEY think needs to be done not what YOU think should be done. 

[Elkski]

Yes SLC is smooth but thinset bonds perfectly to it.  It's designed that way.   

If your substrate is close to flat maybe it's not needed?  A diamond floor grinder is amazing but does require some skill to operate.  I've seen advertisements for new grinders that use a laser guide line.  Probably not available or really needed.   Remember that the substrate should be pre wetted to dampness prior to spreading thinset.  And SLC requires 2 coats of primer sealer prior. 

 

 

[OneMoreFarang]

On 1/12/2022 at 9:46 PM, Don Chance said:

Concrete sub-floors are damp

In (high rise) condominiums? Why are they damp?

As far as I know concrete can be damp if it is new but not after years.

But please correct me if I am wrong.

[OneMoreFarang]

Before I make the same mistakes than others let me ask you what you think about this. I plan to renovate a condominium from scratch. I plan to hire and pay people/contractors job by job. I.e. one job is removing old tiles. Another job is to remove a wall, etc. 

And after one job, like removing the old floor is done, then examine the situation and hire maybe the same people or maybe others for the next job like i.e. laying tiles. Obviously this will take longer but I think it should guarantee that jobs are done better and people only get paid for each job. Worst case if one job is done wrong then I have to hire someone else to fix it or do it new.

Is that realistic? And does it make sense to have i.e. one group of workers to remove an old floor and then one or more specialists to do the new tiling? 

Do good companies and specialist work like that? Or do many only agree to do the whole renovation job?

What is the best way to make sure if something goes not according to plan it can be stopped?

Sorry if I am a little naive, I am new to this in Thailand.

[Don Chance]

1 hour ago, OneMoreFarang said:

In (high rise) condominiums? Why are they damp?

As far as I know concrete can be damp if it is new but not after years.

But please correct me if I am wrong.

New concrete it self can take many years to completely dry out could be decades. Concrete is always a bit damp, it absorbs moisture from the air. This is why you should never have wood attached directly to concrete. Because the wood will rot.

To make things worse Thai building often have no exterior siding or roofing!  You can have wings that are part of the subfloor extending to the outside. Including your balcony if you have one.  Water will penetrate outdoor tiles on your balcony and then leach through the subfloor and into your living room. During the monsoon it is common that the sub floor will get even wetter.

The thin set can have a hard time drying out too and mold will grow under the tiles regardless. Most building in Thailand have mold problems from underneath the tiles.

Another thing to watch out for is thin set the Thai's use could be outdoor, high VOC chemicals that will take many years to gas off. This will cause irritation. There is a few new guesthouses i have encounters like this.

A simple solution is just use carpet or vinyl flooring that can be easily lifted up and wash the concrete subfloor 1-2 a year.

 

 

[Yellowtail]

49 minutes ago, OneMoreFarang said:

Before I make the same mistakes than others let me ask you what you think about this. I plan to renovate a condominium from scratch. I plan to hire and pay people/contractors job by job. I.e. one job is removing old tiles. Another job is to remove a wall, etc. 

And after one job, like removing the old floor is done, then examine the situation and hire maybe the same people or maybe others for the next job like i.e. laying tiles. Obviously this will take longer but I think it should guarantee that jobs are done better and people only get paid for each job. Worst case if one job is done wrong then I have to hire someone else to fix it or do it new.

Is that realistic? And does it make sense to have i.e. one group of workers to remove an old floor and then one or more specialists to do the new tiling? 

Do good companies and specialist work like that? Or do many only agree to do the whole renovation job?

What is the best way to make sure if something goes not according to plan it can be stopped?

Sorry if I am a little naive, I am new to this in Thailand.

1. Make sure all of your expectations are outlined clearly in the order documents. 

 

Have you worked as a general contractor before? 

 

Do you speak fluent Thai?  

[seajae]

On 1/13/2022 at 8:20 AM, Tropposurfer said:

I agree with Elkski, Khun Don has a great alternative for tiles too (if you can re-sell or return what you've already bought that is?) ... as an Aussie ex-builder I'd say they're both pretty spot on in their advice.

Forget the 50% deposit and put it down to a learning experience and go get yourself a tiling-specialist. If you have no clue where to go maybe  look around for high end villa developers and ask them who does their tiling.

The concrete polishing idea is a good one as you've got to remove the previous thin-set anyways to do anything at all and a polisher is way easier and quicker. No need to project and set levels from room to room, no need for any expansion jointing, no checking levels of lay as you go, no grouting either. Its a hell of a lot tougher than tiles and you never have to ever worry about a broken or cracked tile either ????

and you can also do a colour/pattern in the polished cement floors as well, it looks brilliant and way better than tiles to look at, sounds like they are trying to do what is easiest for them not what you want them to do, this has to be done right the first time or you will be having troubles forever. We built last year and as I had been in the building industry in Australia for many years I was on top of it from the start, was pleased they did a great job but I still had to pull them up at times to get what I wanted. I did all the painting and it totally confused them watching me use drop sheets, remove fittings etc so it was done right, they also were confused as to  why I wasnt adding heaps of water to the paint and why I was  patching all the dings in the walls(after I had blocked them to remove all the loose  cement/dust etc as well as brooming down all the ceilings)and woodwork. Thai building is nothing like western building standards and you need to be on top of it all the time if you want it done right

[Elkski]

Thinset is a cementatious product with no organics to mold or VOC's . Mastic has VOCs and organics.  There are some very nicely laid tile jobs in high traffic public or mall areas in Thailand.   Some companies know how to do it correctly.  There is actually more use if the newish metal trims and joints than I see in USA.  There are modified and unmodified thinsets.  One must learn about the correct use for each and then make sure his installer uses the best thinset for the job. Most grouts and thinsets are permeable but that's not a problem unless there is freezing or some organics under.  

[OneMoreFarang]

25 minutes ago, Yellowtail said:

1. Make sure all of your expectations are outlined clearly in the order documents. 

 

Have you worked as a general contractor before? 

 

Do you speak fluent Thai?  

Thanks

No, I have not worked as a general contractor.

My Thai is limited.

 

Maybe I should have added the following to my comment: I think about what I want and that is what I described. I have some construction and DIY experience from back home and I like to inform myself about how things are done. That doesn't mean I do it myself. But I want to have al least some knowledge how I would do it myself.

I have an experienced Thai person who will handle most of the the renovation and contact to the construction people. Obviously I will ask this person for advice and let her handle this. But I also like to hear advice from others here.

Because I think we can agree on one thing which was already mentioned above. Thais, and not only Thais, do things the way they always did it. Even if a construction experienced  farang tells them how it should be done doesn't mean they will do it that way. If the Thai way works then I don't want to try to disturb a working system. But if I think there are some farang ideas which should be done, especially if the farang pays, then I want to know about these things and (try to) make them work.

[Yellowtail]

35 minutes ago, OneMoreFarang said:

Thanks

No, I have not worked as a general contractor.

My Thai is limited.

 

Maybe I should have added the following to my comment: I think about what I want and that is what I described. I have some construction and DIY experience from back home and I like to inform myself about how things are done. That doesn't mean I do it myself. But I want to have al least some knowledge how I would do it myself.

The first thing you need to do is figure out exactly what you want, and know what the materials you want will cost. This takes time. Were it me, I would live or at least stay in the unit a good bit to be sure what I wanted was going to work. It took me a year to figure out how I want my place, but it's a shophouse, not a condo. Condo should be easier. 

 

Write down everything you want, and how you want it. 

 

 

35 minutes ago, OneMoreFarang said:

I have an experienced Thai person who will handle most of the the renovation and contact to the construction people. Obviously I will ask this person for advice and let her handle this. But I also like to hear advice from others here.

So she will be working as your general, correct? She needs to know exactly what you want, and how you want it, and she needs to transcribe it to Thai. Once it done, you need to determine what stages you want it done in, What you're going to do, and which  contractors are going to do what.

 

35 minutes ago, OneMoreFarang said:

Because I think we can agree on one thing which was already mentioned above. Thais, and not only Thais, do things the way they always did it. Even if a construction experienced  farang tells them how it should be done doesn't mean they will do it that way. If the Thai way works then I don't want to try to disturb a working system. But if I think there are some farang ideas which should be done, especially if the farang pays, then I want to know about these things and (try to) make them work.

People have homes built base on a one page quote they can't read, and because the contractor nods his head every time they talk they think the contractor knows what they are saying, and agreeing to whatever it is.

 

You have to have everything you want in writing, and it has to be understood by everyone BEFORE you ask them to quote. How much $$ should be almost the last question you ask. 

 

When you review the quotes, they should match what you want. If they don't, they need to be revised such that they do match what you want. The price means nothing unless  whomever is quoting the work understands what you want, and is agreeing to do what you want. 

 

If you want things done is stages, you just need to have progress payments outlined in the order documents that reflect that. 

 

 

[OneMoreFarang]

32 minutes ago, Yellowtail said:

The first thing you need to do is figure out exactly what you want, and know what the materials you want will cost. This takes time. Were it me, I would live or at least stay in the unit a good bit to be sure what I wanted was going to work. It took me a year to figure out how I want my place, but it's a shophouse, not a condo. Condo should be easier. 

 

Write down everything you want, and how you want it. 

 

 

So she will be working as your general, correct? She needs to know exactly what you want, and how you want it, and she needs to transcribe it to Thai. Once it done, you need to determine what stages you want it done in, What you're going to do, and which  contractors are going to do what.

 

People have homes built base on a one page quote they can't read, and because the contractor nods his head every time they talk they think the contractor knows what they are saying, and agreeing to whatever it is.

 

You have to have everything you want in writing, and it has to be understood by everyone BEFORE you ask them to quote. How much $$ should be almost the last question you ask. 

 

When you review the quotes, they should match what you want. If they don't, they need to be revised such that they do match what you want. The price means nothing unless  whomever is quoting the work understands what you want, and is agreeing to do what you want. 

 

If you want things done is stages, you just need to have progress payments outlined in the order documents that reflect that. 

 

 

Thanks! That describes in part what I am doing already with some additional tips which I will keep in mind.

Some people in this forum might have noticed that I asked already lots of questions since a couple of months. And up to now I didn't start with my project. I want to make sure I know enough before I start. And for some/many issues and decisions I think it's a good idea to just take time. Do I still want to do it the same way a month after I had that idea? If yes, then probably that is really what I want.

One other thing I did was that I bought home designer software so that I am able to create/change/see my new condominium in virtual reality on the computer. Obviously that is never the same like the real thing, but modern computer technology is pretty good in virtual reality.

(this is just a sample and not my design)

 

[Yellowtail]

29 minutes ago, OneMoreFarang said:

Thanks! That describes in part what I am doing already with some additional tips which I will keep in mind.

Some people in this forum might have noticed that I asked already lots of questions since a couple of months. And up to now I didn't start with my project. I want to make sure I know enough before I start. And for some/many issues and decisions I think it's a good idea to just take time. Do I still want to do it the same way a month after I had that idea? If yes, then probably that is really what I want.

One other thing I did was that I bought home designer software so that I am able to create/change/see my new condominium in virtual reality on the computer. Obviously that is never the same like the real thing, but modern computer technology is pretty good in virtual reality.

(this is just a sample and not my design)

Software is great, but (IMO)  nothing really beats paper-dolling a layout. 

 

Do your layout to scale, and print out it out on large paper, a couple times with all the furniture and fixtures, and once with just a bare floor-plan. Lay the bare drawing on a table, cut out all the furniture and fixtures from the other drawings, then move everything around in different ways. Every time you get a layout you think you like, make a copy with the software and save it. 

 

This works great, and it works even better with a few people sitting around it. It is also easy to have your contractors make suggestions moving the stuff around. I know it's hard to believe, but many of them are smart, know what works, know what's available, and want you to be happy. 

 

Remember, if it's not in the order documents, it's not in the order. You may get it, but if you do not, it's your own fault. 

 

I knew an electrical contractor that had a Hatteras in Huntington Harbor names "Change Order" 

[Elkski]

From what I understand  the price to get your plans drawn up in virtual reality is very reasonable in Thailand. Maybe a good way to meet some uni students who want to make some extra cash.  

Also if designing a kitchen research the  triangle design rule.   Some of these modern kitchens are to big to be convenient.  

Back to tile and flooring.   Using polished stone with no grout lines is the hardest to lay and you do see many mirror flat floors in Thailand so the tradesman do exist.   I met a gal who was the lead at a very big commercial flooring company in BKK.  She showed me lots of pictures and they looked like a first class company. She was working like a dog and sometimes slept at a room at work.   She actually told me what she was seeking.  A farang husband to have a condo or house in Hua hin where she could come stay 1-2 nights a week. I moved on but she was an example of a go getter for sure.   Making her company owners rich.  Had plans to buy or start her own flooring company. 

[LarrySR]

Go to any construction site and you will hear the jackhammers ripping out the work they just did and doing it over again and again with YOU paying for the shoddy work and finally accepting it when they get it 80% correct...months and months or years after the original deadline.

 

 

[OneMoreFarang]

3 hours ago, LarrySR said:

Go to any construction site and you will hear the jackhammers ripping out the work they just did and doing it over again and again with YOU paying for the shoddy work and finally accepting it when they get it 80% correct...months and months or years after the original deadline.

That obviously happens. But I think what we should also keep in mind is that many people are not willing to pay for professionals. Looking at malls and hotels, etc. there are people out there who do good jobs.

[Yellowtail]

3 hours ago, LarrySR said:

Go to any construction site and you will hear the jackhammers ripping out the work they just did and doing it over again and again with YOU paying for the shoddy work and finally accepting it when they get it 80% correct...months and months or years after the original deadline.

You seem to know less about the construction industry than you do the petroleum industry. 

 

I have visited hundreds of commercial, industrial & residential jobsites in Thailand and my experience simply does not match yours. 

[Yellowtail]

Just now, OneMoreFarang said:

That obviously happens. But I think what we should also keep in mind is that many people are not willing to pay for professionals. Looking at malls and hotels, etc. there are people out there who do good jobs.

Even when people do spend the money, they generally fail to make sure that that the contractor understands what they want. 

 

The same people might ask the staff if the tum-yum is cooked with organic, gluten-free, low-fat coconut milk. And then, because the staff nods, smiles and say "yes, tum-yum have coconut"  (in Thai)  they think that's what they're getting. Then when they find out that's not what they're getting, they claim they've been cheated.

 

If it is not clear in the order documents, it is not clear. 

 

 

[LarrySR]

3 hours ago, Yellowtail said:

You seem to know less about the construction industry than you do the petroleum industry. 

 

I have visited hundreds of commercial, industrial & residential jobsites in Thailand and my experience simply does not match yours. 

Ah, we’ve just heard more advice from the smartest man in the internet again. 
 

 

 

[Elkski]

The construction trades have really been evolving in many areas. Air infiltration, low VOC, ductless mini split heat Aircon ( same look in Thailand but can heat).  Some of the products, sticky house wrap, sticky, stretchable window flashings, membrane showers, linear shower drains, curbless showers, etc.   When I was redoing the rear of my house for the 2nd time in 20 years due to water leaking.  I researched and wanted to use the most modern house wrap and window flashing method as well as using Hardie cement boards rather than stucco.   I am on a bluff and get hurricane force winds and sometimes with rain. I found a crew to set up 2.5 stories of scaffolding and demo the old stucco and leave and return later when I had finished the window pulling and new waterproofing.    I was lucky and found a window crew that agreed to follow my flashing schedule for the 17 windows and 2 slider doors.  I have a demo on one window and off the 6 guys went only needing a bit of advice a few times.  All finished in 1 long day.   Basically a double window flashing using vycor plastic corners and vycor envy sticky house wrap which has no Staples like tyvex and a much lower air permability.  Although there is a newer even lower perm sticky wrap now.   The window guys seemed eager to learn a new method.  

On the tile front.  I started using ditra decoupling membrane and metal expansion joints 16 years ago.  There are several brands.  2 years ago I attended a 2 day schluter shower class and hands on event.   I'm now a shower membrane guy. No painted on water proofing for me. 

If I was doing a condo in Thailand I would want a decoupling membraneon my floor. You can actually use some tape and go up the walls 3-4" and do the seams and make the room  basically waterproof.   But mainly the membrane is for separation to allow expansion and movement between the slab and tile mass. What happens when the Tennant below is gone for 2 years with Aircon off.  His side of the slab is 35c, if your not always cranking Aircon the swing can go from 22-35c.  

I also believe tile should go down before any cabinets.   Can't wait to hear the outcome of this.  I'm the type of guy  to tell the crew to stop and to hire my own workers and get down on my knees  with them and chip the floor down to substrate and then tell the crew they can come do it right.  If they claim it wasn't in the work order? But you have written correspondence.   I'm sure 4 guys could finish in 3 days or so. That's what 10,000 baht at 800 day each

 

[dia1]

On 1/14/2022 at 3:36 PM, OneMoreFarang said:

Before I make the same mistakes than others let me ask you what you think about this. I plan to renovate a condominium from scratch. I plan to hire and pay people/contractors job by job. I.e. one job is removing old tiles. Another job is to remove a wall, etc. 

And after one job, like removing the old floor is done, then examine the situation and hire maybe the same people or maybe others for the next job like i.e. laying tiles. Obviously this will take longer but I think it should guarantee that jobs are done better and people only get paid for each job. Worst case if one job is done wrong then I have to hire someone else to fix it or do it new.

Is that realistic? And does it make sense to have i.e. one group of workers to remove an old floor and then one or more specialists to do the new tiling? 

Do good companies and specialist work like that? Or do many only agree to do the whole renovation job?

What is the best way to make sure if something goes not according to plan it can be stopped?

Sorry if I am a little naive, I am new to this in Thailand.

You sound exactly like me when I first started the project. I wanted to remove walls and such and hire different contractors for different projects... One for flooring, one for bathrooms, one for this and that. In theory, this is the best idea, but when you actually get to starting the project, you will see how difficult it actually is.

 

1. 8 out of 10 renovation teams with great reviews online I contacted were uninterested in doing 'just flooring' and insisted that they only whole condo renovation. Some gave astronomical rates, and some said they were booked months in advance. Some simply didn't reply as soon as spoke a word of English. You will be frustrated and eventually cave to bringing a contractor in to assess the whole situation and when they give you a quote they will quote the whole project and likely format it in a way that you get a perceived discount by doing it all with them and pay more as you remove different jobs from the project.

 

2. Stuff like removing walls are in some cases a fantasy. My condo isn't that old but it was like pulling teeth trying to get a building plan. The best I could get was the type of building plan that you see on purchase websites that show the rooms. It may be a guess to know where exactly plumbing and electricity is hidden and which walls are support walls. The juristic people and the on site maintenance guys barely have a clue. You will probably cave to fear that you'll remove something that will cause a cave in... And as a foreigner, you do not want something to come crashing down during your renovation with reckless contractors.

 

3. Referrals..... I personally contacted a flooring specialist who referred me to their 'partner' because they were unable to communicate in detail about the job. I thought this was a good thing, but that partner turned out to be a totally different company that was not a specialist and had nothing to do with what I wanted. That partner pretended to be boss of the original company but ended up hiring random unskilled workers to do my work and lied to me about them being part of the company I originally tried to hire. Basically, it is very possible you could have a friend of someone who works for the company you are trying to hire managing the project for you and hiring randoms from somewhere instead of the actual team you think you're getting. They can and will mislead you to get a big payday. This is how my disaster started.

 

 

Anyway, I'll give a more update about this as the project continues. But basically the the contractors I hired totally tore up the floor and walls with power hammers and were about to pour cheap sand and cement on my floors rather than the self leveling cement that I specified during our consultation, my quotation, and in every discussion afterwards. They were going to lay the tile planks without any spacers (literally touching each other). Basically, they thought I was a stupid foreigner who didn't know any better and would just be happy if they laid tile any way they wanted to get the job done quickly and move to the next one. It has a been an absolute nightmare and I fired the team yesterday. They'll be pulling out the heaps of sand they dumped on the floor next week and I hope I never see them again afterwards. Total money down the drain and more cost to fix the problems they caused.

 

If you value your property at all, do not cheap out. Force them to sign a contract that favors you and specifies every single detail of the job... Literally every single detail down to the brand of cement they will use and the method of tiling, yada yada. Even if you put it in writing, they will ignore it unless you have a contract. As a matter of fact, I would recommend putting a clause in the contract that the contactors must state they have experience with all aspects of the project. Otherwise you will be their guinea pig.

[OneMoreFarang]

4 hours ago, Elkski said:

 I'm sure 4 guys could finish in 3 days or so. That's what 10,000 baht at 800 day each

Thanks for all your info. I know many jobs are quoted for the job, not how much money for each person each day.

When you write "800B each day" what is that in your opinion?

Is that how much the actual worker goes home with at the end of the day (or week or whatever)?

Is that what the contractor charges per worker per day?

Is that in the middle of Bangkok?

Is that the average price or for a (very) qualified person or what?

Thanks!

 

I know there will always be differences. But it seems you know what you are talking about and what kind of workers you hire for the jobs. Personally I am willing to pay a decent wage for qualified workers.

[OneMoreFarang]

5 hours ago, Elkski said:

If I was doing a condo in Thailand I would want a decoupling membrane on my floor. You can actually use some tape and go up the walls 3-4" and do the seams and make the room  basically waterproof.   But mainly the membrane is for separation to allow expansion and movement between the slab and tile mass. What happens when the Tennant below is gone for 2 years with Aircon off.  His side of the slab is 35c, if your not always cranking Aircon the swing can go from 22-35c.  

That is interesting.

I just searched for "membrane" on a couple of Thai construction supplier sites but they all came up with nothing. Do you know which brands are common in Thailand? Is there a Thai name for that? Thanks

[OneMoreFarang]

I just found this channel and especially this video about tiles on concrete floor. To me, with my limited knowledge, that seems like a good job.

 

[Yellowtail]

7 hours ago, OneMoreFarang said:

I just found this channel and especially this video about tiles on concrete floor. To me, with my limited knowledge, that seems like a good job.

Yes, making videos for YouTube that generate revenue is a good job...

[OneMoreFarang]

21 minutes ago, Yellowtail said:

Yes, making videos for YouTube that generate revenue is a good job...

In my experience there are mostly two kinds of videos on YouTube.

Those about crazy influencers and cute cats and similar which have millions of subscribers.

And then there are videos from experts who know what they are doing and most of them have few subscribers.

Obviously for someone with initially little knowledge like me it takes some time to be able to judge who knows their job and who talks a lot without much knowledge. But in general I think it is obvious in many videos if the person who made them spends more time on providing information or making themselves look good and editing the videos for hours, etc.

 

I.e. in this video the guy from above explains why and when to use tile leveling system, and when they are not needed. It sounds informative to me.

 

[Yellowtail]

1 minute ago, OneMoreFarang said:

In my experience there are mostly two kinds of videos on YouTube.

Those about crazy influencers and cute cats and similar which have millions of subscribers.

And then there are videos from experts who know what they are doing and most of them have few subscribers.

Obviously for someone with initially little knowledge like me it takes some time to be able to judge who knows their job and who talks a lot without much knowledge. But in general I think it is obvious in many videos if the person who made them spends more time on providing information or making themselves look good and editing the videos for hours, etc.

 

I.e. in this video the guy from above explains why and when to use tile leveling system, and when they are not needed. It sounds informative to me.

It was a joke. 

 

I think DIY videos are great, but what's common and readily available here, is not the same as what's common and available where the videos are made. 

 

Always keep in mind, once you start telling the contractor what to do, everything bad that happens is your fault. 

 

Figure out how you want it done, and find someone that wants to do it like that. Do not try to get someone that wants to do it differently to do it like you want.

 

I'm in a twenty year old shop-house that was originally a vet clinic. The first floor is all tile on the walls and floor as do the tree bathrooms, the other four floors all have tile floors. None of the tiles have come loose. There is generally nothing wrong with the methods and materials they use here. Most of the "advancements" used in the US are to reduce labor costs. 

 

I liked that big floor-grinder with the carbide inserts dude had, next time I'm in the US I might buy a set of the inserts and convert my buffer....

[OneMoreFarang]

2 hours ago, Yellowtail said:

Always keep in mind, once you start telling the contractor what to do, everything bad that happens is your fault. 

 

Figure out how you want it done, and find someone that wants to do it like that. Do not try to get someone that wants to do it differently to do it like you want.

That makes a lot of sense!

 

I guess one way to find (in modern technology) experienced contractors is by looking at suppliers in Thailand.

I found i.e. this one: 

Tile level quick - RUBI Thailand

That tells me that it is likely that there are professionals in Thailand who use this system.

That doesn't mean this is what I will buy but I think it helps in making up what we (in this case I) want.

 

I guess an alternative is not using large tiles. Because according to the video above some problems like the leveling between tiles only happens with large tiles. Maybe it is a good idea to use not so large tiles to avoid certain problems. 

[Yellowtail]

1 hour ago, OneMoreFarang said:

That makes a lot of sense!

 

I guess one way to find (in modern technology) experienced contractors is by looking at suppliers in Thailand.

I found i.e. this one: 

Tile level quick - RUBI Thailand

That tells me that it is likely that there are professionals in Thailand who use this system.

That doesn't mean this is what I will buy but I think it helps in making up what we (in this case I) want.

 

I guess an alternative is not using large tiles. Because according to the video above some problems like the leveling between tiles only happens with large tiles. Maybe it is a good idea to use not so large tiles to avoid certain problems. 

 

I think Boonthavorn reps them, I know they sell and use the products. 

[Golden Triangle]

A most interesting read, thanks. I know diddly squat about anything building wise, and I have no intention whatsoever to build anything here, but I have enjoyed the thread very much and learnt something along the way, thank you ????