Finished House Picture (Views and Gardens Welcome)

villagefarang · July 8, 2012

OK enough gentlemen.

We are all entitled to opinions some of which may have been better voiced in more subtle terms.

Let's cut the bickering and get on with looking at people's homes, some of which won't float everyone's boat.

Thank you.

Rsquared · July 8, 2012

This is what I refer to as The Beer Hut, located down the back from our main house on 6 rai.

She Who Must Be Obeyed simply calls it the "Doghouse"........no need for clarification.

Honest question, are there a lot of snakes around there? I like your Beer Hut, but I'm terrified of snakes. And with the pond and the trees, I imagine it would be an animal magnet.

To answer your question about snakes......yes. Only yesterday I was working down the back and just went for a stroll through the banana trees and a 2 metre cobra slithered into some old cuttings. Fortunately he was going away from me.

I always make a point of making a lot of noise (opposite to tip-toeing) when walking around the property......but the beer hut is a great place to unwind with a few coldies.

Cheers.

Gary A · July 8, 2012

I seldom see snakes but I know they are around. Cobras are especially shy and they do their best to get out of your way. It is not likely that you will ever step on a cobra.

One day I was feeding the fish at my mansion and my dog yipped. I went to investigate and found him looking at something from a distance. It was the shed skin of a large snake. The dog made a big detour around that area for a couple of weeks. I never saw that snake, only the skin.

I worry about centipedes more than snakes. Anyone who tries to catch or kill any of my lizards will get an earful from me. Striped Skinks and Tookays love to eat the larger insects and especially centipedes. Actually I can't remember the last time I have seen a centipede at home or at the mini mansion.

villagefarang · July 8, 2012

Growing up in Hawaii and living in Bangkok, where there are no snakes, I was quite anxious when first encountering snakes around our house in Chiang Rai. Definitely got the heart racing at first but now I am used to them but keep and eye out just the same. They really seem to be more afraid of us than we are of them.

We have some harmless snakes that swim in the pond and as long as they stay there I don’t bother them. Every once in a while the dogs will alert us to the presence of a snake, usually a small cobra. Because of the danger to our dogs I usually dispatch them.

samsiam · July 8, 2012

Yes....the myth of snakes being dangerous to all...so an excuse to kill them.....I always admire this particular trait.

I have caught 2 snakes in Bangkok myself, so they certainly do exist there.

As for our current location....caught one day before yesterday, saw a branded krait at the front drive a couple weeks ago, caught 5 green pit vipers, 3 rainbows, several small pythons, 3 whip snakes and 2 x 4m burmese pythons.

I usually release them up in the NP, or take them some distance from our house and others.

Unless a snake is in your house and you are genuinely scared of it and unable to be sure to get it out...then killing it is most likely the best option for you as it could go and hide somewhere and be in there for days...so best for someone in that situation to be sure it is gone.....I am a realist.....but outside ?????

Rsquared · July 8, 2012

I agree with you sam, but I neither have the skill or nerve to catch a snake when I see one. I just let them be.....unless of course they are around the house.

Our dog, bangkwae (spelling?) has a distinct bark whenever a snake, centipede or scorpion comes near the house.......our best warning device ever.

villagefarang · July 8, 2012

While they may exist in certain areas, in my 30+ years in Bangkok I never encountered a single snake and in Hawaii they don’t have snakes, so no encounters there either. Friends have lost dogs to snakebite here though, so when my dogs have one cornered I prefer kill it before it can strike or set up residence and cause a continuing hazard to my dogs.

Can we get back to houses now?

Ron19 · July 8, 2012

Google street view of our house ( since sold ) in Australia.

Ron19 · July 8, 2012

Under rear Patio.

Ron19 · July 8, 2012

And another in outdoor entertainment area.

rickthailand · July 21, 2012

Under rear Patio.

love the flowers

Ron19 · July 21, 2012

Under rear Patio.

love the flowers

I shudder to think what they look like now as the couple that purchased the house admitted they were not gardeners.

I have tried to grow the same up here,in particular the yellow one on the right but have a lot of trouble with insects and fungus.

If you look at post #881 and click on the image to enlarge it,you will notice in the bottom rigt-hand corner my rose garden which

still looks ok but I think the chap next door is looking after them.He is very good with roses.I have tried roses up here but cannot

find good varieties and I think all the ones I have seen are grown direct from cuttings and not grafted onto rootstocks.

Edited July 21, 2012 by Ron19

Ron19 · July 21, 2012

Under rear Patio.

love the flowers

Here is another one.

dman · July 29, 2012

Nice thread VB and many thanks to all who have contributed. Has given me inspiration and lots of ideas when I finally get around to building later this year, hopefully. As of now can only show the view from the land and beach (not the ocean) For the time being our closest neighbors will be across the Mekong in Laos.

Edited July 29, 2012 by dman

villagefarang · July 29, 2012

Nice thread VF and many thanks to all who have contributed. Has given me inspiration and lots of ideas when I finally get around to building later this year, hopefully. As of now can only show the view from the land and beach (not the ocean) For the time being our closest neighbors will be across the Mekong in Laos.

Looks like a nice place. Good luck on your build and be safe. Make sure you are well above the 100 year flood level. That view looks familiar.

nocturn · August 5, 2012

Growing up in Hawaii and living in Bangkok, where there are no snakes, I was quite anxious when first encountering snakes around our house in Chiang Rai. Definitely got the heart racing at first but now I am used to them but keep and eye out just the same. They really seem to be more afraid of us than we are of them.

We have some harmless snakes that swim in the pond and as long as they stay there I don’t bother them. Every once in a while the dogs will alert us to the presence of a snake, usually a small cobra. Because of the danger to our dogs I usually dispatch them.

we have vipers in my garden on sukhumvit soi 11. have seen a few species of snake here in the 15 or so years i have been here.

nocturn · August 5, 2012

Nice thread VF and many thanks to all who have contributed. Has given me inspiration and lots of ideas when I finally get around to building later this year, hopefully. As of now can only show the view from the land and beach (not the ocean) For the time being our closest neighbors will be across the Mekong in Laos.

Looks like a nice place. Good luck on your build and be safe. Make sure you are well above the 100 year flood level. That view looks familiar.

nice, but how fast is the water?

villagefarang · August 5, 2012

Okay guys, I retract my snake comment. I should have been more specific and said that in my 30 years of living in Bangkok, I never saw a single snake. I was in my 50s before I saw my first snake outside of a zoo, actually. I was just trying to point out that one can adapt to new circumstances and there is no need to be constrained by irrational fears.

Now can we please get back to houses and let the snakes populate threads other than this one?

villagefarang · August 25, 2012

Surely there are some finished or nearly finished house pictures that could be shared.

IsaanUSA · August 27, 2012

Here's a question for y'all.

Assuming you bought an existing house, what are some of the common renovations that farangs generally make to a Thai house? Obviously sit down toilet, paint/tile, air-con. But anything not so obvious?

Or how about this...what special feature have you added to your house that you have found to be very useful? And what special feature have you thought was a silly waste of money?

Even though there are no new pictures to post, maybe we could have a small conversation inside this picture thread? Sorry, if that's not in the spirit of this thread.

Naam · August 28, 2012

Here's a question for y'all.

Assuming you bought an existing house, what are some of the common renovations that farangs generally make to a Thai house? Obviously sit down toilet, paint/tile, air-con. But anything not so obvious?

Or how about this...what special feature have you added to your house that you have found to be very useful? And what special feature have you thought was a silly waste of money?

Even though there are no new pictures to post, maybe we could have a small conversation inside this picture thread? Sorry, if that's not in the spirit of this thread.

i think the answer to the first part of your posting can't be a general one. it all depends on your individual demands and taste. before building our home we had a look at dozens and always arrived at the conclusion "too much of a hassle and expense to remodel whatever we don't like!"

one of the special features of our home is an integrated, enclosed and airconditioned pool area which we enjoy very much using as living space and don't mind that other people think we are completely

villagefarang · August 28, 2012

Here's a question for y'all.

Assuming you bought an existing house, what are some of the common renovations that farangs generally make to a Thai house? Obviously sit down toilet, paint/tile, air-con. But anything not so obvious?

Or how about this...what special feature have you added to your house that you have found to be very useful? And what special feature have you thought was a silly waste of money?

Even though there are no new pictures to post, maybe we could have a small conversation inside this picture thread? Sorry, if that's not in the spirit of this thread.

As Naam alluded to, getting the things you might want integrated into an existing floor plan might be difficult and the results could be less than aesthetically pleasing or functional. If you find a house you like and want to live in it while treating it like a hobby project, that is one thing. If you are just trying to save money or time, I’m not sure how that might play out.

IsaanUSA · August 28, 2012

I'm just trying to get some house building/renovation conversation going. I love reading the threads on the other websites. It's really interesting to me. Of course I watch those shows on TV too.

villagefarang · August 28, 2012

I'm just trying to get some house building/renovation conversation going. I love reading the threads on the other websites. It's really interesting to me. Of course I watch those shows on TV too.

I only see three topics under your name, so maybe it is time for one more. Perhaps you would find a more receptive audience, under a well titled topic of your own, with a thoughtful introduction and explanation of what you are looking for. Here you are kind of buried in 36 pages of an establish thread on a different topic. Just an idea.

villagefarang · August 31, 2012

I found these images interesting so thought I would share them here. I stumbled on this deserted and decaying resort in the middle of nowhere while riding my mountain bike here in Chiang Rai. I think these homes or cottages are “finished” in more ways than one.

Edited August 31, 2012 by villagefarang

kevjohn · August 31, 2012

I found these images interesting so thought I would share them here. I stumbled on this deserted and decaying resort in the middle of nowhere while riding my mountain bike here in Chiang Rai. I think these homes or cottages are “finished” in more ways than one.

I wonder if they were built by someone from a country where they have a lot of snow.

Boo · September 6, 2012

they look like swiss chalets, how odd to see them in the moutains of thailand.

this thread is one of my favorites along with other posters house building threads like mrBJ's budget bungalow. It gives me so many ideas for the dream house my husband promises will be mine when we (finally) get to move back to LOS full time. Not all designs or decoration are to my taste but I know each & every one has given me some new idea, missing link of knowledge or design concept that will hopefully come into play some time in the not to distant (I hope) future.

Lets hope it keeps going for another 100k posts.

David006 · September 6, 2012

they look like swiss chalets, how odd to see them in the moutains of thailand.

this thread is one of my favorites along with other posters house building threads like mrBJ's budget bungalow. It gives me so many ideas for the dream house my husband promises will be mine when we (finally) get to move back to LOS full time. Not all designs or decoration are to my taste but I know each & every one has given me some new idea, missing link of knowledge or design concept that will hopefully come into play some time in the not to distant (I hope) future.

Lets hope it keeps going for another 100k posts.

ookay..millionth time we have seen this thread but still fun hugh?

re post our now ancient (6 years)house.... ready for a new coat of paint...