How about some pictures of our finished houses. Give the others an idea of how farangs actually live over here. A shack or a mansion, don't be shy. Just one representative shot of your dwelling without details of price or location. As they say a picture is worth ...

Real cozy looking...kinda like a small local government office building.

side angle hmm how to rotate these?

You have to rotate the image before you upload it. Any photo editing software will do it, even Vista can do it (right click on your photo file, choose rotate).

Here you go

Nice, how big is this mansion?

3 stories, underground parking, pool, seperate maids quarters, 8000 sq m... a bit bigger than we need but oh well not too bad for a wedding present

of course its right next to mom and dads house

I assume you have shares in EGAT...another farang trying to act big in a little country

All them Lovely Houses make my ( wife's ) Newish house look like A Shed.

3 Bed. Kitchen & Shower Room ( Western Toilet ) Low quality Fittings Doors Ect No Air con

Only 350.000 Excluding Land Price of A second Hand Car So No complaints

No plans to live here Perminantly.

Here She Is

Way to go...this is all you need to be comfortable in Thailand...would much rather look at a big bank balance than a big house

How about some pictures of our finished houses. Give the others an idea of how farangs actually live over here. A shack or a mansion, don't be shy. Just one representative shot of your dwelling without details of price or location. As they say a picture is worth ...

Real cozy looking...kinda like a small local government office building.

Perhaps that explains the occasional errant visitor, looking for some kind of official services. They are sent off unceremoniously, along with all sales people. One of the joys of farangness, being able to dispense with polite formality when the situation warrants.

my installation of a whole-house fan:

Thank you Namm and everyone for your ideas, they help alot, have more planning to do now thanks to everyone here.

147SAG

Yes our inverters were a little more expensive to buy but appear economical to run and maintains a more constant temperature. Perhaps I'm overly fussy but I never liked the process of the compressor shutting down until things warmed up and then coming back on to cool things down. The fluctuation between too warm and too cold was too annoying. If you are not purchasing a dozen or more units I think it is well worth the price. Just my opinion of course.

All them Lovely Houses make my ( wife's ) Newish house look like A Shed.

3 Bed. Kitchen & Shower Room ( Western Toilet ) Low quality Fittings Doors Ect No Air con

Only 350.000 Excluding Land Price of A second Hand Car So No complaints

No plans to live here Perminantly.

Here She Is

Way to go...this is all you need to be comfortable in Thailand...would much rather look at a big bank balance than a big house

Some people like to have both

my installation of a whole-house fan:

Thank you Namm and everyone for your ideas, they help alot, have more planning to do now thanks to everyone here.

147SAG

Yes our inverters were a little more expensive to buy but appear economical to run and maintains a more constant temperature. Perhaps I'm overly fussy but I never liked the process of the compressor shutting down until things warmed up and then coming back on to cool things down. The fluctuation between too warm and too cold was too annoying. If you are not purchasing a dozen or more units I think it is well worth the price. Just my opinion of course.

if that is the case the units are not properly dimensioned or not properly placed. but whatever... there is no doubt that inverter units perform better than conventional ones when "smooth" temperatures are required.

my installation of a whole-house fan:

Thank you Namm and everyone for your ideas, they help alot, have more planning to do now thanks to everyone here.

147SAG

Yes our inverters were a little more expensive to buy but appear economical to run and maintains a more constant temperature. Perhaps I'm overly fussy but I never liked the process of the compressor shutting down until things warmed up and then coming back on to cool things down. The fluctuation between too warm and too cold was too annoying. If you are not purchasing a dozen or more units I think it is well worth the price. Just my opinion of course.

if that is the case the units are not properly dimensioned or not properly placed. but whatever... there is no doubt that inverter units perform better than conventional ones when "smooth" temperatures are required.

You are obviously the expert who knows how everything works. I'm just a neophyte who knows what he likes but is otherwise clueless.

You are obviously the expert who knows how everything works. I'm just a neophyte who knows what he likes but is otherwise clueless.

i have a broad technical knowledge but even after 30 years being married not the slightest clue how a woman's mind works

You are obviously the expert who knows how everything works. I'm just a neophyte who knows what he likes but is otherwise clueless.

i have a broad technical knowledge but even after 30 years being married not the slightest clue how a woman's mind works

If you ever work out how a women's mind works, please let us all know -thank you.

You are obviously the expert who knows how everything works. I'm just a neophyte who knows what he likes but is otherwise clueless.

i have a broad technical knowledge but even after 30 years being married not the slightest clue how a woman's mind works

That's because they are a completely different species.

INCOMING !

In the words of Festus (Gunsmoke):

"I swear Marshall Dillon, if I live to be 300 years old, I'll never understand women"

Wisest man I have ever known

You are obviously the expert who knows how everything works. I'm just a neophyte who knows what he likes but is otherwise clueless.

i have a broad technical knowledge but even after 30 years being married not the slightest clue how a woman's mind works

Finally, something I know more about than Mr. Naam I have always preferred the company of beautiful women over that of my own "species". I seem to possess an innate ability to read their code and understand what lay beneath the sometimes erratic facade. Years of experience have proved invaluable in mentoring my lovely wife There is not, however, a definitive instruction book for the technically minded male. It is more about understanding, empathy and intuition.

You are obviously the expert who knows how everything works. I'm just a neophyte who knows what he likes but is otherwise clueless.

i have a broad technical knowledge but even after 30 years being married not the slightest clue how a woman's mind works

Finally, something I know more about than Mr. Naam I have always preferred the company of beautiful women over that of my own "species". I seem to possess an innate ability to read their code and understand what lay beneath the sometimes erratic facade. Years of experience have proved invaluable in mentoring my lovely wife There is not, however, a definitive instruction book for the technically minded male. It is more about understanding, empathy and intuition.

we Klingons lack these capabilities. it's easier for us to read the thoughts of our dogs than understanding -respectively interpreting- a woman's talk

You are obviously the expert who knows how everything works. I'm just a neophyte who knows what he likes but is otherwise clueless.

i have a broad technical knowledge but even after 30 years being married not the slightest clue how a woman's mind works

Finally, something I know more about than Mr. Naam I have always preferred the company of beautiful women over that of my own "species". I seem to possess an innate ability to read their code and understand what lay beneath the sometimes erratic facade. Years of experience have proved invaluable in mentoring my lovely wife There is not, however, a definitive instruction book for the technically minded male. It is more about understanding, empathy and intuition.

we Klingons lack these capabilities. it's easier for us to read the thoughts of our dogs than understanding -respectively interpreting- a woman's talk

I guess I must be more of an "Empath" than a Klingon. Now I'm wondering if I was adopted as my father was pure Klingon.

Back on topic...anyone have some house pictures to show us.

I'm a little shy to post a picture of our modest place in Issan, but at least I can demonstrate that happiness is mostly something in the (properly trained) mind and not simply a matter of materialism. My family, including four wonderful children, live here year round and enjoy abundant nature. All we need to eat is within a few steps of the house. The water provides a natural cooling effect. In fact in this picture my youngest son just took an unintended dip. You do have to watch the children a bit more when you have bodies of water around.

This was quite cheap to construct. As you can imagine, the land was the most expensive part, but was already part of the property owned by my wife's family. House construction was straightforward with no payment required for blueprints or permits or any such paperwork. We paid two workers 300 Baht each for the two days of construction. Having the house ready so quickly saved us a great deal of cost in getting moved back to Issan, as we didn't have to rent.

I spent many years as a younger man wondering how I would be able to afford retirement. Working hard, saving this, doing without that, all to see it wasted away in the stock market and real estate downturn of the past decade. All that angst for naught, as retirement living has turned out to be remarkably inexpensive.

In some respects, these living conditions are typical Issan style. No air conditioning, no real kitchen or plumbing, etc. But you do notice that we are not crowded in against other houses as might be typical in the usual Issan village. This affords us a nice breeze almost all of the time. One thing we have to insist when friends and family come to visit is "no smoking" which is hard for my wife to say to her elders, but she softens it a bit by including "crazy farang style rule".

kenk3z

I'm a little shy to post a picture of our modest place in Issan, but at least I can demonstrate that happiness is mostly something in the (properly trained) mind and not simply a matter of materialism. My family, including four wonderful children, live here year round and enjoy abundant nature. All we need to eat is within a few steps of the house. The water provides a natural cooling effect. In fact in this picture my youngest son just took an unintended dip. You do have to watch the children a bit more when you have bodies of water around.

This was quite cheap to construct. As you can imagine, the land was the most expensive part, but was already part of the property owned by my wife's family. House construction was straightforward with no payment required for blueprints or permits or any such paperwork. We paid two workers 300 Baht each for the two days of construction. Having the house ready so quickly saved us a great deal of cost in getting moved back to Issan, as we didn't have to rent.

I spent many years as a younger man wondering how I would be able to afford retirement. Working hard, saving this, doing without that, all to see it wasted away in the stock market and real estate downturn of the past decade. All that angst for naught, as retirement living has turned out to be remarkably inexpensive.

In some respects, these living conditions are typical Issan style. No air conditioning, no real kitchen or plumbing, etc. But you do notice that we are not crowded in against other houses as might be typical in the usual Issan village. This affords us a nice breeze almost all of the time. One thing we have to insist when friends and family come to visit is "no smoking" which is hard for my wife to say to her elders, but she softens it a bit by including "crazy farang style rule".

kenk3z

No reason to be shy. Not everyone could live as you do but how many are surrounded by a beautiful natural environment and lovely smiling faces. If you are as happy as the rest of your family in the picture then you are a lucky man.

Personally I think a picture of your home would be a valuable addition. People need to see the spectrum and variety of what people actually live in. This should not be seen as a competition but as a resource of images reflecting how and where we live.

I'm a little shy to post a picture of our modest place in Issan, but at least I can demonstrate that happiness is mostly something in the (properly trained) mind and not simply a matter of materialism. My family, including four wonderful children, live here year round and enjoy abundant nature.

kenk3z

your posting made my day Ken. thank you!

Personally I think a picture of your home would be a valuable addition.

You should be able to see it in the background of the picture I posted. Quite modest. Note the hammock for sleeping on one side. Comfortable except in a hard blowing rain. But the kids seem to be growing up tough and are not sick often.

One does get tired of a fish (and rice of course) diet at times, but at least fish is "brain" food as some say.

kenk3z

My house Construction ongoing.Pattaya area,single storey 700m2.

EPG.

side angle hmm how to rotate these?

You have to rotate the image before you upload it. Any photo editing software will do it, even Vista can do it (right click on your photo file, choose rotate).

Here you go

Nice, how big is this mansion?

3 stories, underground parking, pool, seperate maids quarters, 8000 sq m... a bit bigger than we need but oh well not too bad for a wedding present

of course its right next to mom and dads house

I assume you have shares in EGAT...another farang trying to act big in a little country

boy you have alot of things to say about others homes how about you put up or shut up let see what you got

my installation of a whole-house fan:

And proof it works.........................

here you go chivo, happy building ill get all the info passed to you as soon as i see him, and yes he is fully licensed ect, but not cheap 35-40 mb including the land, there is a full floor that you cant see, its on the front of the house, it sits on a hill at a angle, the roof is finished with a fire pit and lounge area and bathroom, the garage is detached fits 3 cars and is built into the hill. The driveway construction was a bit@# and still need a 4x4 to get up during the rainy season but you cant beat the view

My house Construction ongoing.Pattaya area,single storey 700m2.

EPG.

You should preferably plug the ends of the blue sewer pipes to prevent dirt in the pipes.

Back on topic...anyone have some house pictures to show us.

An on-going project this. We bought an old wooden house from about 20 kilometers away, dismantled it with the help of the villagers and brought to a 2 rai piece of land we had bought near Pak Chong. A long strip of land with a road at one end and a fair sized river at the other end. I wanted a typical stilted Asian house and that`s what we have

We now have 4 rows of various fruit trees and bushes at the front (you can maybe make out amid the bloody chilli plants the caretaker planted). At the back? Who knows but the river might just come in handy because we are deep in dairy farming country.

These plants were planted just before we returned to the UK a few weeks ago. Fingers crossed they all survive.

Still things to do including that road and also would like to add some flashing along the edge of the roof, trouble is getting my hands on flashing. I cannot find a supplier in the Pak Chong area....SOOOO....if anybody knows of a supplier please let me know. Thanks

Shug

An on-going project this. We bought an old wooden house from about 20 kilometers away, dismantled it with the help of the villagers and brought to a 2 rai piece of land we had bought near Pak Chong. A long strip of land with a road at one end and a fair sized river at the other end. I wanted a typical stilted Asian house and that`s what we have

We now have 4 rows of various fruit trees and bushes at the front (you can maybe make out amid the bloody chilli plants the caretaker planted). At the back? Who knows but the river might just come in handy because we are deep in dairy farming country.

These plants were planted just before we returned to the UK a few weeks ago. Fingers crossed they all survive.

Still things to do including that road and also would like to add some flashing along the edge of the roof, trouble is getting my hands on flashing. I cannot find a supplier in the Pak Chong area....SOOOO....if anybody knows of a supplier please let me know. Thanks

Shug

Have you managed to finish things up yet? Give us an update.

My place. Not big, never could understand the desire for huge houses. 3 bedrooms, one for me and the missus and two for our sons. two bathrooms (farang style) kitchen and family room

My place, Hua Yai, purchased off-plan, hope you like

Thanks GinBoy and Bladefire for breathing life back into this thread. In this case I don't believe size matters to anyone other than the one living in the house.

For those of us who are finished it is an opportunity to share, and for those still in the planning or dreaming stage, it is a chance to see what is out there. It is all good, as far as I am concerned. We are approaching 25,000 views! Obviously there is great interest so please post your pictures.

Firstly, well done VF for the great topic and all the contributors for sharing their pictures I have really enjoyed it.

Here's my place in Issan on a few acres that I am currently constructing remotely from Philadelphia via picture updates from the in-laws……………………………………. Yes it's been a challenge, but we are back on track again, i.e. my plan and not the Monks/Fortune teller/In-Laws interpretation of how a "lucky house" should be! Don't get me wrong I love the In-Laws and they have been very helpful ever since they understand the concept of following the plans and what went before has given me stories that my colleagues and friends love to hear (priceless right )

We will spend 3 weeks back in Thailand in April/May 2010 to finish the house detail that I dont trust to the in-law picture method