Basic simple functioning condominium architecture and design?

[OneMoreFarang]

5 hours ago, seajae said:

mate, you need to work out what colours you are going to use on the walls then match tiles etc to it, then you need to look at what you want the inside to look like, be good if you can get someone from the west that has worked in the building industry to help you design the interior, last thing you want is a thai designing it or picking out colours. You will need to know where all the structural supports/load bearing walls are as well as that will also determine what you can do, suggest you look for a colour you like that is relaxing for your eyes then get tiles etc to match, dont go for the glossy tiles either, open areas are easy to work with but you need to make it so it is comfortable for you.

The only favorite "color" which I have is black, like a shiny black car. That won't be a good choice for the walls and floor. ???? Probably I will go for anything between white and black, some kind of grey for walls and floor. That is neutral and I can add some color with a sofa, etc. 

 

I know about the load bearing walls and I won't touch them. And obviously whatever "I" do has to be approved by the building management. They won't approve it if it's unsafe etc..

 

No glossy tiles form me, at least not on the floor. I hate slippery tiles.

[OneMoreFarang]

4 hours ago, Dan O said:

Actually putting in floor drains now could be more difficult than you think in a condo. You don't own the floor slab in a condo and depending on building design and construction it may be a pre\ post tension floor slab which may have cables running thru it as part of the main building structure and support.  You would need to contact the building engineer for approval as long (and info) and have the floor x rayed to ensure you don't cut a cable and blow out the side of the building.  (Ask me how I know this) Also if you do add floor drains, use a p trap rather than an adisn stay drain to eliminate odor blowback from the sewer line.

Thanks, I am aware of these things. The drains are fixed for the reason you mention. I have the original construction drawings with the exact locations. The kitchen is on the other side of the bathroom wall with the bathroom drain.

 

And yes, some kind of trap to make sure no smell from the drains comes up is essential. I have that in my mind but I hope the professional plumbers know this without me telling them. If they don't know it then they are not professional and I won't hire them anyhow.

[DrJack54]

What is this thread about.

Condo design??.

For heaven's sake most are just rectangular boxes.

Not much involved in design.

 

Critical in design is lighting and sadly that is a set feature in the condo and your stuck with it.

 

Couple of people have asked about size of the condo.

So what's the size? 

 

Today going to sign the contract on a 60sm one bedroom condo.

Fortunately corner room so that's a bonus lighting wise.

The key is furniture along with smick kitchen. 

 

Have only done one make over in Thailand (3 story townhouse) and found the trades that did the work excellent. 

 

 

 

[Dan O]

4 hours ago, OneMoreFarang said:

Thanks, I am aware of these things. The 

 

And yes, some kind of trap to make sure no smell from the drains comes up is essential. I have that in my mind but I hope the professional plumbers know this without me telling them. If they don't know it then they are not professional and I won't hire them anyhow.

If you don't mention the type of drain trap they typically install the common asian style which really don't work well

[NancyL]

Be sure to check that the drains actually work before starting the project.  We assumed that one of the drains in the bathroom could service a washing machine, especially since there was a water tap suitable for a washer in that corner.  Wrong.  Apparently no previous resident had ever installed a washing machine there.  

 

After the new bathroom was complete the clothes washer was installed, the drain hose stuck in the hole and the water ran under the wall into the hallway.  We had a plumber come with a snake and he pronounced that the drain hole existed for about 20 cm and stopped.  It wasn't connected to anything.  

 

The solution was to install an ugly blue PVC pipe along one wall in the bathroom so the clothes washer could drain into the shower stall drain.  Had we known this ahead of tiling the bathroom all this could have been made much prettier.

[NancyL]

8 hours ago, DrJack54 said:

What is this thread about.

Condo design??.

For heaven's sake most are just rectangular boxes.

Not much involved in design.

 

Critical in design is lighting and sadly that is a set feature in the condo and your stuck with it.

 

Couple of people have asked about size of the condo.

So what's the size? 

 

Today going to sign the contract on a 60sm one bedroom condo.

Fortunately corner room so that's a bonus lighting wise.

The key is furniture along with smick kitchen. 

 

Have only done one make over in Thailand (3 story townhouse) and found the trades that did the work excellent. 

 

 

 

No, many condos are not square boxes, esp older ones.  Our corner unit has "artistic" rounded corners and wall projections that change with every column.  And 30 years of mild earthquakes means that nothing in a 15th floor unit is true and square.  For example, the contractor hung the towel bars using a spirit level, but they don't look level because the wall tile in the bathroom was placed using the edge of a wall as a guide.

[DrJack54]

1 hour ago, NancyL said:

.  Had we known this ahead of tiling the bathroom all this could have been made much prettier

Pretty foolish not to have checked the drain first. 

[OneMoreFarang]

3 hours ago, DrJack54 said:

5 hours ago, NancyL said:

.  Had we known this ahead of tiling the bathroom all this could have been made much prettier

Pretty foolish not to have checked the drain first. 

We all make mistakes from time to time. I think the comment was a good reminder for us all that we better think twice and don't take things for granted. 

[tjo o tjim]

The only way you can do it, even if you hire a designer, is to live in the space yourself (in your brain, 3D model, or whatever) to develop an understanding of what exactly you want.  In a small space, planning out storage is essential.  In a larger space, flow might be more important than storage.

 

Some things end up being purely functional for how you live.  These are generally established by developing a “Program” for the place.  How many bedrooms?  What size beds?  How many people at the dining table?  How many in the living room?  Do you want a big shower or a little one?  Is storage or counter space more important in the kitchen?  Do you cook big meals or just heat stuff up in the microwave?  You need to write up every thing you can think of, and as you find out about other things it becomes important to add that to your Program.

 

The other approach, which doesn’t really work, is to hire someone to design and build the place and hope for the best.  The more information you give them the better chance you have of success though, so you are back at the Program.

 

This is a random link to a programming guideline; maybe it will help.

[OneMoreFarang]

5 minutes ago, tjo o tjim said:

The only way you can do it, even if you hire a designer, is to live in the space yourself (in your brain, 3D model, or whatever) to develop an understanding of what exactly you want.  In a small space, planning out storage is essential.  In a larger space, flow might be more important than storage.

 

Some things end up being purely functional for how you live.  These are generally established by developing a “Program” for the place.  How many bedrooms?  What size beds?  How many people at the dining table?  How many in the living room?  Do you want a big shower or a little one?  Is storage or counter space more important in the kitchen?  Do you cook big meals or just heat stuff up in the microwave?  You need to write up every thing you can think of, and as you find out about other things it becomes important to add that to your Program.

 

The other approach, which doesn’t really work, is to hire someone to design and build the place and hope for the best.  The more information you give them the better chance you have of success though, so you are back at the Program.

 

This is a random link to a programming guideline; maybe it will help.

Thanks, I thought about some of these things already. But the name Architectural Programming is new to me. I just had a first look at that link and it looks interesting. I will look at it in detail. Thanks.

[LarrySR]

Go to ThongLor and make an appointment to view a few units at condo Khun Yoo, then copy what they did. Awesome. 

[gamb00ler]

On 2/20/2022 at 3:20 PM, OneMoreFarang said:

I also thought about that problem of getting older and getting out of that bathtub and things like that. I will definitely add some handles to be prepared for old age.

I also read about toilets with are a little higher than usual. Good idea.

I checked quite a few retailers in CM for a taller toilet.  The highest I found was only 17".  Almost all are about 16".   I only found 2 models at 17".  Karat has a siphonic model and the other was the washdown type.

 

If you're especially "flush", you can go for a wall mounted toilet.  You can probably mount those at your preferred height.

[gamb00ler]

On 2/20/2022 at 3:25 PM, RAZZELL said:

Pocket doors are a brilliant invention.

 

RAZZ

 

On 2/20/2022 at 3:36 PM, OneMoreFarang said:

I thought about such doors, i.e. for the kitchen.

But then I though it will be difficult to open such a door with both hands full, i.e. carrying a tray.

Do you use those doors? What is your experience? 

 

On 2/20/2022 at 3:50 PM, RAZZELL said:

Have to make sure you get a good sliding mechanism and decent handle you can get your fingers in.

 

RAZZ

Make sure you get good quality hardware for pocket doors and check the installation thoroughly before signing off on it.   Maintenance can be a real pain otherwise. 

 

I would recommend sliding doors that are not enclosed so that access to the mechanisms doesn't require any removal of walls.

 

Sugatsune (Japanese hardware) make some really nice($$$) sliding door products.  There is a supplier in BKK.

 

Just for fun here is a YTube video of a nice Sugatsune sliding door.  Probably unrealistic to get a successful installation in Thailand.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IkPYAx3tUgI

 

[RAZZELL]

35 minutes ago, gamb00ler said:

 

 

Make sure you get good quality hardware for pocket doors and check the installation thoroughly before signing off on it.   Maintenance can be a real pain otherwise. 

 

I would recommend sliding doors that are not enclosed so that access to the mechanisms doesn't require any removal of walls.

 

Sugatsune (Japanese hardware) make some really nice($$$) sliding door products.  There is a supplier in BKK.

 

Just for fun here is a YTube video of a nice Sugatsune sliding door.  Probably unrealistic to get a successful installation in Thailand.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IkPYAx3tUgI

 

I sort of agree, but I have seen plenty of pocket doors here in higher end hotels and condos.

 

RAZZ

[Silencer]

I used free online software to design my house....and I suppose they have the same for apartments/condos. If you won't be moving walls and doorways, just input your current condo dimensions. You can put a door here/there, place tables, sofas, outlets, lighting, paint/tile colors, etc as many come with a variety of furniture, texture, color options to "see" what it would look like in your condo.....then go to the store and get what best matches what you want.

[Yellowtail]

Yeah. you might want to spend some time renting Air B & B in some different condos to see what you like. 

 

Unless it is uninhabitable when you get it, I would live in it for a month before I did anything.

 

I've done  lot of industrial layout, and we'd typically spend ten hours watching the line for every hour spent working on the layout. 

 

My favorite tool is a scale cad drawing in with scale fixtures & furniture. Have it printed on large paper, once with the fixtures and furniture and once without. Tape the blank layout to a table and start moving stuff around until you get what you want. Have others look at the layout and talk about it. 

 

You can put the table in the living room oriented the same as the room.  It makes it much easier to to visualize than on a screen.