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Getting A New Lawn Laid


JimShortz

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First of all, let me apologise for posting a positive experience - I hope this is not against forum rules.

Anyway...

I had a new lawn (only 20 square metres) laid this morning by some guys from Kamtieng Market. For the grand sum of 2000 Baht they dug over the whole area (I'd killed everything with glyphosphate 2 weeks earlier) and levelled it. They then put on about a 4 inch layer of new topsoil that I ordered in the day before. With no prompting they raked, rolled, filled hollows, rolled in the other direction, tamped down and levelled many times until it was perfect. They then loosened the surface, laid the lawn, watered it and rolled it again. It was impressive to watch, and amazing value...

Sorry for the positive post. I especially apologise for describing Thai people who knew exactly what they were doing and got on with it with no prompting. Maybe they weren't Thai? Yes, that will be it, they were dark skinned europeans... must have been based on what I read on Thai Visa...

Or they could have been American? No, that can't be right - too quiet when eating... :rolleyes:

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At 100 baht per square meter, I hope they made you coffee & did your ironing too ;)

I guess looking at it by the square metre it sounds expensive(ish), but it did include the turf (18 Baht per square metre), the labour of three guys who knew what they were doing for a full morning, and importantly the use of correct equipment. I had planned to do it myself because I enjoy gardening, but I'm so glad I didn't - I don't have a big heavy roller, or various sized tamps, or a decent rake, or the other tools they had for dragging soil around and getting it level...

I tried a couple of places who didn't even want the job because it was too small. I guess out of my two thousand Baht there is a premium for the boss to skim off the job, I'm sure with a bigger job the price per meter would drop a lot, but personally I am very happy with the price - hel_l I even tipped the guys a couple of hundred Baht for working so hard and doing such a good job...

PS I guess I should give directions in case anyone else wants to use them:

Turn into Tesco Kamtieng through the side entrance (not directly off the superhighway), turn right (going down alongside the Tesco store, take the first left (at the end of the store), follow to the end (now there is an open grassed area in front of you), turn right and follow for, I would guess, 70M and you will see a shop selling grass on your right - that's the guy. His name is Naravut Korn-narasak (as written on his business card), just ask to speak to him.

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I used a guy from the same market, not from the same place though, I used a guy name Kai. Very professional and for my 45m squared garden he charged me 1000thb but I had to buy the turf on top at 18thb per square meter. He did everything as you discribed with the soil and rolling etc. He even came back a week later to see if the roots had taken.

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At 100 baht per square meter, I hope they made you coffee & did your ironing too ;)

Geez - you really have been here a long time if you think that is a lot of money for having a lawn laid. I really wouldn't mind paying that at all - I also don't mind people earning a living wage for their labours.

No wonder some farang get accused of being tigh arsed! :sick:

Good on you JimShortz :D

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was wondering what kind of grass used , I just did my lawn 100sgmeters and used bilbarapa, not sure about the spelling and a very happy with it and had none die on me, the rain helped. payed 18baht a sq but laied the grass my self and prepared the ground, will send pictures next time i take some

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What the hel_l is this?! No sweeping anti-Thai generalizations, no rip-off story, no wives with knives, no two-timing <deleted>, no nit-picking neighbors, not even a bumbling bureaucrat?

Am I in the right place (looks at nameplate on door)? Why is everyone being so reasonable? Is this a trick?

I came to see a circus and I get a string quartet. WHERE'S MY CIRCUS, GOD-DAMMIT?!?!

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I too think that price is quite high. Granted most companies won't do small jobs because there is no profit, but they saw you coming a mile away. For a 20Sq meter place that is less than 400 baht for the sod. You already had the top soil so smoothing and pressing it isn't a big task. Laying sod isn't the most difficult thing as long as you keep the ends tight no air gets in. Most gardeners could easily do that 1 guy full day or a crew of 3 guys in a half a day still would be less than 3-500 for labor. I think you could have got laid and had the yard put in for the 2k.

You got screwed by some company owner who made 1K baht off his laborers who he probably pays less than 250 a day.

I think that you were kind for giving a tip to the laborers because they didn't make squat off your project, but the owner sure did.

I still don't know why people don't do any investigating on local prices before they pay double on things.

Perhaps people don't mind giving money to the middle and upper classes to make them wealthier. I personally would have hired some local gardeners and paid them slightly more. Put the money where it does the most good.

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For 3 guys working 1 day, I figure 1,000 baht is reasonable. By my estimation, you paid approxmately double that price...

But, if you are happy with the job, the price seems reasonable :)

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For 3 guys working 1 day, I figure 1,000 baht is reasonable. By my estimation, you paid approxmately double that price...

But, if you are happy with the job, the price seems reasonable :)

I am very happy with what I paid. Sure I know that labourers earn 150 to 200 baht a day, blahdy blah... but I figure I was paying for knowledge, all the correct equipment, etc. and for christs sake, I can spend that much on a night out in town with the greatest of ease. I absolutely refuse to become a penny pinching tight arse (until I get really old and sour!) - as you rightly said, I'm happy with the job, therefore it is reasonable; and lets face it, it's not much money after all...

I know Thai's would pay less (most earn a lot less - so are necessarily very careful what they spend), but I agreed a price and paid precisely that for something I'm really happy with. It was done within 24 hours of me speaking to the guy, and gave me no headaches at all. Sabaai sabaai... Oh, I love this country (except the whingeing crotchety old buggers who are eking their pennies out here :jap:) ;-0

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For 3 guys working 1 day, I figure 1,000 baht is reasonable. By my estimation, you paid approxmately double that price...

But, if you are happy with the job, the price seems reasonable :)

I am very happy with what I paid. Sure I know that labourers earn 150 to 200 baht a day, blahdy blah... but I figure I was paying for knowledge, all the correct equipment, etc. and for christs sake, I can spend that much on a night out in town with the greatest of ease. I absolutely refuse to become a penny pinching tight arse (until I get really old and sour!) - as you rightly said, I'm happy with the job, therefore it is reasonable; and lets face it, it's not much money after all...

I know Thai's would pay less (most earn a lot less - so are necessarily very careful what they spend), but I agreed a price and paid precisely that for something I'm really happy with. It was done within 24 hours of me speaking to the guy, and gave me no headaches at all. Sabaai sabaai... Oh, I love this country (except the whingeing crotchety old buggers who are eking their pennies out here :jap:) ;-0

Amen!

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