Surin Area Suppliers Please

[MHayward]

Hi Folks,

Having trawled through every page of this excellent Forum I already have gained some really good tips and ideas ideas for the house.

We are building a 140 sq m Floor Area Single Story 2 bed/bath House half way between Surin and Sisaket, currently approaching the 'completion of walls' stage.

So far everything has gone really well as we seem to have an excellent Builder, he built the place next door and from what I see, it is all good so far.

My Family are in the Building Trade in the UK, although I didnt choose the same career path, I have done moonlighting work on enough sites and done enough DIY to have a pretty good idea, whether it be structural, electrical or water - I will have a go at all of them.

However, Wood is some thing I never did get the hang of, my Father being a Joiner for nearly 50 years was most disappointed in that !!

Things have been easy to keep an eye on from a distance as my lady is there with her Laptop, Webcam and a good digital camera to keep me appraised on a daily basis.

The builder is working to my sketches and simple plans produced on Google Sketch-Up and understands exactly what we want.

Any issues are quickly transmitted and a decision made, the poor guy is still at a total loss as to how I seem to know everything that is going on - Internet hasnt reached the people there yet.

I am on my way up there next week and will have to decide on Doors and Frames (Custom made Wooden), Windows (Alu or UPVC - Double Glazed), Electrics and Plumbing.

Apart from visiting the usual Home-Depot or Global Places around I really want contacts for good possibly locally made/stocked gear.

I am sure our Builder can put us onto reasonably good tradesmen and they will know where to find stuff etc, but I would also like to have a decent choice too.

I need good Wooden Front Door and Frame to go into a built gap of 1500mm x 2200mm and a Wooden (stable Type) Back Door to go into a built gap of 1000mm x 2200mm We also require decent Sliding Glass Doors to fit a W 2500mm x H 2200mm pre built gap, but matching the Windows if possible.

We have only three types/sizes of Window required., all Gaps are prebuilt with reinforced Lintels and Pillars in place to the following sizes, Big ones (x 2) are floor to ceiling approx W 2000mm x H 2500mm (big I know !!), Medium ones (x5) are W 2000mm x H 1200mm and small (x6) are W 1000mm x H 1200mm

Electrics will if possible be 3 Phase Supply, from what I see in photos it looks to be available right outside, but until I get back up there I cannot confirm same. At present the place has a temporary 5(15) basic meter for the builder to use his tools off. Plenty of circuits and lots of safety will be the key.

The septic tanks x 4 are already in, I didnt get much choice as the builder was already doing them when my Lady arrived to do her management (spy) job. It would appear to be simple 2 tanks per bathroom, regular empty etc, but maybe i will change that when I get there.

Behind the house we have a piece of land that has been cleared and levelled with topsoil, it is approx 2m below the level of the house and stretches 40m x 12m to another small road which also has Electricity and Mains Water Supply. (very handy)

Main house has street water and the Communal Borehole is also right out side too, the Manual Pump is in use by the Villagers.

At the rear I plan to put in a 3000 Ltr Raw Water Storage tank feeding a Filter and RO system providing Clean Water to another 1000 ltr Storage tank. I havent decided whether to go Solar Water Heating yet, but If I do, then I will put in yet another 1000 ltr Water Tank and have a Heat Exchanger and Solar Panel on the roof of the Patio (8m x 8m). I would then have two pumps, one hot and one cold feeding the two lines to the house. It all sounds complicated, but i have plenty of space, time and ideas to experiment a little.

Once this is done, then i will commence the Swimming Pool and finally the 2 bedroom house for guests at the other end by the small road, but that is some months off yet. I am planning in advance, knowing that my Power Demand will rise sharply when the Swimming Pool is in etc.

So Gents, I need to know where I can find all this kit, good quality at a reasonable price of course. I dont mind driving to look and place orders, provided that the supplier will make and fit accordingly. I spend plenty of time both in Pattaya and even up as far as Udon, so anywhere will do so long as it is a good deal.

As I say, we are half way between Surin and Sisaket towns, in the middle of nowhere so anyone with experience of building up there, point me in the right direction please.

Thanks for the help.

MH

[MHayward]

Thanks for all the replies and help here

Build is progressing well, now at the fitting out stage, all good.

MH

[stgrhe]

Thanks for all the replies and help here

Build is progressing well, now at the fitting out stage, all good.

MH

Well, apparently there are no TV members who knows any suppliers in your area. Is suppose if you ask more general questions you will get more replies.

[gotlost]

In Surin you have for building supplies and home interiors. IQ and Best Home just down a ways from Big C. You also have Homemart which have numerous stores, some good and some bad. You would have to go Korat for a Home Pro. BTW most of the wood products (doors window frames etc.) are factory made in Bangkok for all of these stores. As for your requirements for windows IQ,BH and HP are your best option. You might find a custom builder over in Korat. As for wood allot of custom wood products that are sold threw out Thailand are manufactured in the Den Chai area on Highway 11 in northern Thailand. I have the advantage that I live in Chiang Mai and drive to Surin and pass threw this area all the time. I purchased solid wood king size bed for 10,000 baht an d have seen the same thing in Surin for 30,000 baht.. You name the wood product and they have it. I purchased 50,000 baht of furniture and it was delivered to my location in Kap Choeng for 7,000 baht (2 people and a truck) distance 750 kilometers. I have meet a lot of people that make a speical trip to this area just for the wood products and the money they save pays for their holiday.

[kamalabob2]

Surin has at least three large building materials stores. However in my experience of building a home in 2008 in Buriram Province it was well worth the time to drive to Surin to obtain lower pricing, excellent before and AFTER the sales service, in ENGLISH from Mukda Kookigtikasem who is the well educated daughter of the owners of the large Home Mart Store in Surin near the rail road tracks. She is usually in the office so you have to ask the sales staff to bring her out. That store also has sharp roof center staff on site. Mukda can listen and speak on the telephone with you in English, is very good about communicating via e-mail and will send you real discount prices in writing for specific products. In our case she sourced information and pricing on many items you do not see on display at her store. Each Home Mart can set it's own price, and on the items they are a direct buyer such as CPAC products, COTTO or TOTO products they can be the low cost supplier, often with factory direct shipping. She does not offer a "kickback" like some building supply dealers. Miss Mukda can instantly contact EXPERTS with CPAC or other suppliers to help you with PROPER planning, often free design work, and SOLUTIONS to problems that might arise from improper construction. She can get real staff out to YOUR job site to train your workers on proper building methods, can make you aware of free seminars at her store for Thai construction workers on how to properly install and fix a CPAC type roof, etc.. She now sells Teka sinks and faucets for a lower price than any shop I've seen. I was able to return some lame floor drains to Mukda that she no longer carried, for full credit towards a quality Cotto floor drain. Our builder had selected an inferior floor drain, was not willing to make it right two years later, but Mukda originally sold the floor drains and she "stepped up" with no hesitation. I was able to pay this Surin Home Mart via Bangkok Bank on line after each delivery was checked by my wife.

I found better deals on common electrical items such as Panasonic sockets, switches and fixtures though specialized local independent electrical shops who were willing to give a written price on a materials list our architect detailed. I think the same can apply to paint, a shop that specializes in paint can often give you a written price for specific paint, often at a much lower price than a big box store.

In Buriram City, is a "tool, pump, water tank, water filter" shop that has the LOWEST PRICES, best installation staff and best AFTER THE SALES service run by a Thai man who has excellent English skills in person, maybe not as good English comprehension on the telephone. His prices are significantly lower than any big box store, and other small stores I've priced, for the exact same name brand model tank, pump, tool, water cleaning system and just as important his staff can install it at your home in a professional manner. His price and service for pool consumables is a fraction of the cost of a "pool company" and his staff can do pool pump repairs the same day at a fraction of the cost the major pool dealers will quote after your pool warranty period expires.

This Buriram shop sells two lines of genuine Nippon paint at a lower price than any other Nippon dealer I've priced. The downtown Buriram shop with the "Police hat" stand in front looks small, but they actually have four other warehouses including one under construction that is larger than a Home Pro. This shop installs and maintains village water systems and institutional water systems in many provinces, hence the large installation and service staff and many trucks for prompt deliveries. I could have saved real money had I previously known this shop also sold metal scaffolding. I pay this shop on line after a delivery via on line bank transfers.

Neo House in Korat is worth visiting and pricing if you want upholstered sofas or wooden furniture with a modern design. It is NOT teak wood quality (or prices) and not suitable for outdoor use. They have at least one managing partner who communicates in English and one sales woman who communicates in English. Neo House has excellent furniture design staff and they will promptly e-mail free standing and built in furniture designs. Again another shop where payment can be made via on line transfers after delivery and installation.

If Surin is anything like Satuk, you can walk in the door of the PEA office and POSTED on the wall is a large sign with the four items that make up the cost of single phase and three phase electrical service, including the actual meter cost, standard installation, tax, refundable deposit. Three phase is a HUGE step up in price from single phase so a professional electrical plan by a good Thai architect can help them determine your electrical service requirements. Often a larger private electrical contractor such as BCE can give you a lower price on three phase electrical service installation than the PEA will quote.

We had sub contractors for any stainless steel fencing or railing, a rain gutter sub contractor, window fabricator from Chon Buri, carpenter who made most of our built in furniture, and a painting subcontractor.

If you have the opportunity visit the free Architect Expo held annually in Bangkok where most EVERY building materials supplier has booths with items on display (not necessarily for sale) and booth technical staff who understand and speak English. I regret that I did NOT attend this Expo until our home was well under construction. http://www.architectexpo.com/index.php

PM me if you want the phone numbers to any suppliers I mentioned and good luck.