Settling In Chiang Mai

[st11x]

G'day,

Come Nov, my wife & I are finally settling down in Chiang Mai; yay! We have been thinking about doing that for a long time. After coming to know of this forum, I feel good to know that there is at least a place where I can get some opinion and help.

We are currently living in California, and got used to certain things that I cannot seem to locate (in Thailand) on the web. I am thinking it's not something Google can help, but you mates know better. I am the sole breadwinner, and going to Thailand = giving up my job and not working for a while. Not sure if that is a smart thing to do, and that has been a constant fear.

Looking for a house is foremost (we probably need a car too). We like to live in a little quiet area away from the city but still have the modern comforts and do not have to pay an arm and leg for things like Broadband Internet (I'm now on Comcast at 16Mpbs, that I think is going to be a dream?). We have checked areas like San Kampang and San Sai, but we can't really tell if they are nice and developed areas, or if they are proned to flooding.

The houses we found we don't like (at least within our budget and not those big $ ones). We are thinking of building our own, more like Western styled one storey houses (using primarily wood and dry walls) with large floor to ceiling windows. With a budget of around 3 million THB for a simple house + land (.25-.5 rai)+ furnishings, is that doable?

We have little 2 dogs and upon landing in Chiang Mai, we need to find a rental place that will allow dogs. I know it's not like the States where dogs enjoy a higher social status, so it's a worry too.

I have so many other questions, hopefully some of you guys who have walked this road can help me.

I am Chinese (from Singapore), so I may get away from "farang tax" in some places? On the flip side, I can never be an English teacher I guess ;-p My wife is Thai (from BKK), but it has been a long while since she has been living in Thailand too. But with a Thai speaking person, I suppose it should be better?

Any links to major retailers like HomePro where we get can a rough idea of the prices of white goods is appreciated. BTW, I like those french door fridges but they seem so expensive in Thailand!

Thanks

Matt

[Tywais]

Links to a couple of the big stores for home items:

Globalhouse

Homepro

PS: Welcome to Chiangmai and to Thaivisa.

[K2K]

Nice intro and good luck with your move ...

Suggest forgetting about wood and dry wall - the termites will devour it and in any case brinks/cinder blocks are so cheap in any case.

Your budget should be ok - let your wife do the hard bargaining in Thai.

16Mps internet - LOL - not in this lifelife in CM - you'll lucky to get 10% of that on a good day.

[lannarebirth]

Nice intro and good luck with your move ...

Suggest forgetting about wood and dry wall - the termites will devour it and in any case brinks/cinder blocks are so cheap in any case.

Your budget should be ok - let your wife do the hard bargaining in Thai.

16Mps internet - LOL - not in this lifelife in CM - you'll lucky to get 10% of that on a good day.

I get 1% of that on a good day. Welcome.

[Dustoff]

You may wish to check out the "Moving to Chiang Mai, need to find a house" thread or perhaps have these threads combined?

Forget wood and drywall. Too wet, quality wood is very difficult to find and when you do, it will be extremely expensive or illegal.

Best of luck!

Edited August 26, 2008 by Dustoff

[Bill97]

Do not build or contract your own house unless you feel veryveryvery lucky or want a lot of problems you never imagined could come your way. Rent for a year or more.

[Mapguy]

Do not build or contract your own house unless you feel veryveryvery lucky or want a lot of problems you never imagined could come your way. Rent for a year or more.

Very reasonable advice. You can be quite successful in building a house, but you would be foolish to attempt to such an ambitious project before you are fully familiar with what that involves anywhere.

I have had near perfect excellent experience with contractors and tradesmen in Chiang Mai, but you will have to do your own research --- and that takes time and understanding. If you lock yourself up in some sort of "expat community," you'll probably not be as successful as you might in making Thai friends and acquaintances, as well.

[Mapguy]

You may wish to check out the "Moving to Chiang Mai, need to find a house" thread or perhaps have these threads combined?

Forget wood and drywall. Too wet, quality wood is very difficult to find and when you do, it will be extremely expensive or illegal.

Best of luck!

It is, after all, the Tropics, but you can be successful with both wood and drywall if you do things right. WIthout proper pest control you ask for trouble. I have had no trouble with drywall, but I'd be quite careful where I use it. Re drywall (on steel channeling), another problem is the thickness. The usual 9mm is far too thin in many ways.

[st11x]

Thanks for all your replies.

Looks like there is some getting used to on the Broadband department. I assume all Broadband comes through ADSL and not the cable provider? On that note, I hope cable isn't going to be a problem, else it's going to be snowy Thai soap operas all day long ... :-p.

We are planning to rent for a year, and during that time, find a permanent place to stay. At one point, I was thinking if we were to build, we might rent or buy container homes and live in them on our premise. Then convert the container to something useful when the house is done. I know there are some places in BKK that does sell/lease them.

We were thinking of drywall + wood as it seems much easier to remodel the house (knock down a wall, set up a partition), and also to hide all the wiring. A mate of mine who is in the wood business told me that a wood house is much cooler too if you build it right. According to him, there are also prefabricated houses (made in china) that you can order, but I don't know if it's going to be extremely costly to ship to CM.

Last time we shipped a lot of household goods from Australia to BKK, we had to pay "coffee money" (on top of tax) to get our stuffs out from customs. You are left with no choice, you are not allowed to forgo (even if you wanted to) your belongings and claiming them = coffee money. So importing prefabricated houses may just mean more annoyances with the authorities.

So even if we contract someone reputable like Land & House (lh.co.th), do you think it's also going to be risky to build?

thanks

Matt

[noise]

thanks

Matt

We are planning to rent for a year, and during that time, find a permanent place to stay.

Last time we shipped a lot of household goods from Australia to BKK, we had to pay "coffee money" (on top of tax) to get our stuffs out from customs.

So even if we contract someone reputable like Land & House (lh.co.th), do you think it's also going to be risky to build?

thanks

Matt

There are just too many factors involved to make good decisions from the US and all of us here have our opinions to give you to confuse you. But I think all of us would agree a long term rental is the best way to start. It will allow you to:

(a) study the local construction methods and available materials. Incidentally the only wood I ever see in construction in town is bamboo scaffolding. Out in villages, some homes are still built of wood, but mostly concrete, brick, tile.

( evaluate cost vs sq ft & amenities (3M = 1000-1200 sq ft? or less depending upon quality). And part of the quality would be, for example, electrical wiring on the outside of the wall, installed after construction.

© decide on location (your 3M for that much land, house, and furnishings means quite a ways out of the city)

(d) Consider what you want in the way of security, e.g., gated community vs house in the middle of rice paddies (cost trade off)

(e) if you are "remote" telephone is probably OK but ADSL may be unavailable and you will have to rely on dial up

RE house hold goods shipping: many of us with Thai wives have successfully shipped used household goods duty free by showing a Thai passport for a returning Thai after long time abroad. But for goods other than used household goods, yes, pay a lot.

I live in a L&H park San Sai and am really impressed with their quality and after sales service. PM me if you want specifics

EDIT NOTE: I made a simple a, b, c, d, e list but during preview I see b and c replace with characters; don't know why.

[st11x]

RE house hold goods shipping: many of us with Thai wives have successfully shipped used household goods duty free by showing a Thai passport for a returning Thai after long time abroad. But for goods other than used household goods, yes, pay a lot.

We actually had a whole crate of used goods, some were even non-serviceable (e.g. burr coffee grinder that was already broken) and we only keep for sentimental reasons. Still, the officer brought attention to those items and we have to butter our way out.

Looking back, I think we were in a lose-lose position because we addressed the items to the sister of my wife. We were also not in BKK to collect those items.

I think if she had been the addressee as well as if she turned up in person to collect the items, it might have been better. Not sure about that, but we'll know this time.

Matt

[Steve2UK]

EDIT NOTE: I made a simple a, b, c, d, e list but during preview I see b and c replace with characters; don't know why.

Because " b " + " ) " [without spaces & quote marks] makes the smiley character - and likewise with other combinations. Better to use square brackets " [ " & " ] " to avoid the issue.

[cmbe]

I am thinking so long time too to move to Chiang Mai and hoping that one day(may be on next year) I could do same you. I was give up my job and let every things in Thailand behind me before to moved to Europe, and I have to give up my job again when I decided to move to Chiang Mai, I hope that it will be the last time moving in my life after so many years always moving follow the life "everyone have their own responsibility what they choosed, right or wrong you choosed your self" that is a idea that I keep it always with me.

Your idea to build a house in Chiang Mai, it was my idea 5 years ago and I did it . In my opinion when you are building your own house(or even renovate your own apartment), it give you so many feeling (love it, power,so many new idea come up even you never learn about architecture,...)

I was renting first a small studio before I found a nice pieace of land with a hut that not too far from the city. I was going around Chiang Mai, inside and outside city , just go around, call when you see "land for sale" (most of the time that I saw they write it in Thai)and take a look where it is, also on local newspapers, ask to local peoples if they know who want to sale a land.

I was living in that hut before begin to build house and it was easier for me to keep looking every step when they are building.

In 5 years ago I could build the house only basic basement and construction (red blicks around the wall, roof, cement floor,windows and doors) for 2 months and have to move again to Europe.

Last year I begin to continue to build house again by telephone, and made a trip 7 days in Thailand and 5 days in Chiang Mai for manage and buy as much as necessary things for finish the house. Since last year I call my worker almost every day for know how is going on with my house and ask to send me pictures when they finish one job before to begin another job.

My experience for build house it very hard (specially when you build it alone, just your idea and your worker, without company to do everything in your place) BUT I enjoy about it and take the time to think what I have to do more for myself to live there or even for let rent in periode that I still not move back yet.

I hope you have some thing from my long writing, at least a share experience from someone.

[cmbe]

RE house hold goods shipping: many of us with Thai wives have successfully shipped used household goods duty free by showing a Thai passport for a returning Thai after long time abroad. But for goods other than used household goods, yes, pay a lot.

May I ask you for have a idea How much do you paid for shipping household goods? Do they have office in Europe too?

[sendbaht]

CMBE, NICE looking pad dude!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[cmbe]

CMBE, NICE looking pad dude!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Sorry sendbaht that I have to ask you; what is mean "NICE looking pad dude", I don't understand good what do you want to tell me, I am not shy to ask you and say that my English is not good (I like the truth and I am happy always how I am, what I can do or can not do, just accept the truth).

You wrote "I've never been to heaven but I've been to OKLAHOMA" Where is this place? I hope that not too much laughting with my question but I thing in place that I have to ask other peoples what is mean pad dude? where is OKLAHOMA? I lose too much time and energie, so I ask direct to you

[gpdjohn]

CMBE, NICE looking pad dude!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Sorry sendbaht that I have to ask you; what is mean "NICE looking pad dude", I don't understand good what do you want to tell me, I am not shy to ask you and say that my English is not good (I like the truth and I am happy always how I am, what I can do or can not do, just accept the truth).

You wrote "I've never been to heaven but I've been to OKLAHOMA" Where is this place? I hope that not too much laughting with my question but I thing in place that I have to ask other peoples what is mean pad dude? where is OKLAHOMA? I lose too much time and energie, so I ask direct to you

It's part of the Twilight Zone within the United States.

[mcgriffith]

cmbe, he is paying you a sincere compliment.

"Nice looking pad, dude" can be interpreted to mean: "You have a fine looking house, my friend".

[Ulysses G.]

You "pad" is your living quarters. Old beatnick slang.

[cmbe]

where is OKLAHOMA?

It's part of the Twilight Zone within the United States.

thank you gpdjohn, I think before I get old I shoud have to learn more about the World map.

[cmbe]

cmbe, he is paying you a sincere compliment.

"Nice looking pad, dude" can be interpreted to mean: "You have a fine looking house, my friend".

thank you mcgriffith, but I have again question mark in my brain "Shoud I agree with you or not?" I do not want you think that you will be wrong

[Dustoff]

name='cmbe' date='2008-08-31 16:48:04' post='2181995']

where is OKLAHOMA?

It's part of the Twilight Zone within the United States.

thank you gpdjohn, I think before I get old I shoud have to learn more about the World map.

Or, better yet, learn that there are those who do not realize that their lame attempt at humor does not work with people of other languages/cultures.

It is not you, it is them...

[cmbe]

You "pad" is your living quarters. Old beatnick slang.

Ulysses G., you let me feel more may be I am in the wrong way after begin to write with my poor English, I should do only read (I like this website, give me so many different feeling cry, sad, laugh,happy,smile, relax,..) with a dictionary (now only one, 3 years ago was 4 dictionaries almost everyday when I study). What is the meaning of "Old beatnick slang " ? Sorry, but I am sincere to say that I do not understand good about it.

[Ulysses G.]

old= long ago

beatnick= hippies with short hair

slang= casual speech

[bendix]

Ulysses . what is a hippie?

[Ulysses G.]

Ulysses . what is a hippie?

hippie= a long haired human being prone to loud rock music, naive ideas and prolific drug use.