Built in kitchen Chiang Mai.

**Bung** · 11-05-2013, 03:11 PM

I need my kitchen built. I'm interested to hear of people's experiences with various vendors.

So far I have talked to two mobs:

Kitchco, been useless. 3 weeks now and still waiting for a plan/quote. I went to see them again and after much stuffing about they showed me a plan on the computer which looks good apart from having a fridge where my oven is. They said the would change it but still no word back from the. It's like they don't want the business so am worried how long they will take to make it

Homykitch:

Seem expensive and use a lot of chipboard which I am dead against. Also expense compared to Kitchco who also seem to use better wood.

Any other mobs?

I'm not going cheap but I'm not wanting to spen a fortune either. I actually prefer a cement and tile lower bench but my builder is moaning it will take too long.

Any suggestions welcome.

**DrAndy** · 11-05-2013, 03:17 PM

see my wife's house thread, she had the builders build 10cm block columns 1m apart approx

https://teakdoor.com/construction-in-...-old-city.html (DrAndy's Wife's New Project in the old city)

these supported a 1" thick Viva board; on top of that we laid the work surface (granite). We had the cupboard doors made by a carpenter

all looks good, works well and takes little time

you just have to be careful about the design around any corners

in my own house I built a wooden skeleton frame for the worktop and doors, but that is more complex

anyway, the method above is effective and much cheaper

**Koetjeka** · 11-05-2013, 05:08 PM

It may well be effective and a lot cheaper but in my humble opinion it isn't too pretty compared to (hard)wood and stone. I know 99% of the Thai' have a kitchen like this though.

**DrAndy** · 11-05-2013, 05:21 PM

it is in teak and stone! good quality too

as for 99% of Thais, wrong, that construction method is my own. The Thai version is a cast cement top, which is bulky and clumsy, covered with ceramic tiles, and a curtain over the cupboard

a slightly better pic, with no hob fitted yet

just needs a good clean up and looks great

**Bung** · 11-05-2013, 05:42 PM

I think I will go withe the cement option and buy nice frames/ doors. Each cupboard is tiled and if I want to I can put wooden shelves in myself later. There are a lot of frame/ door/ cupboard combos and sizes to choose from. I'll then just buy the full wood cupboards to fit above, they seem easy to fit, I may even do it myself.

The Kitchco ones are made of decent wood. I got all the appliances already. My builder is pretty good so I will let him handle it.

**Bung** · 11-05-2013, 05:50 PM

Andy, would you mind expanding on the "viva" board support for the granite? I'm not familiar with it.

It would save a lot of time and effort, laying a concrete base is a big job and is what has been putting me off doing it this way but I like the strength and water resistance of cement/ tiles.

**Fondles** · 11-05-2013, 05:56 PM

Why not centre the hob to the splash back area next to the window and the sink to the window ?

**nigelandjan** · 11-05-2013, 06:17 PM

Wish I was over there retired now mate ,, I would love to come and fit it for you , no probs

**DrAndy** · 11-05-2013, 06:21 PM

Originally Posted by Bung

Andy, would you mind expanding on the "viva" board

Viva Board (Cement Bonded Particle Board)

you would not be familiar with using it this way as I decided it could be done after seeing the way the Thais cast the cement tops for our other kitchens

the builder said it would not be strong enough as the board was not designed to support weight

but using a 1" board and support at 1m gives plenty of strength; I could stand on it and jump about without any problems

adding the granite made it even stronger

the granite was just glued to the Viva board with "No Nails" then the holes cut out

**DrAndy** · 11-05-2013, 06:26 PM

Originally Posted by Fondles

Why not centre the hob to the splash back area next to the window and the sink to the window ?

if you are referring to the pic I posted, because we wanted to keep a decent size working area in the centre

the kitchen was compact

still not cleaned but has the hob and tap

sorry about the pic quality, very grainy and blurred, typical phone pic

the wood has been oiled and actually looks very nice, as only Teak can

**roger77** · 11-05-2013, 06:45 PM

Like your cupboards but wonder about dampness, any ventilation ??????

**nigelandjan** · 11-05-2013, 07:32 PM

I know this is Bungs thread ,, but from a practical point of view I have to go with the Doc here ,,, the area in-between the hob + sink used like this maximises the worktop so you can at least dish up stuff onto about 4 plates .

He is working with a very limited space so not many options ,, as to how it looks I reckon practicallity have to go over looks here

**Bung** · 11-05-2013, 08:37 PM

Originally Posted by DrAndy

Originally Posted by Bung

Andy, would you mind expanding on the "viva" board

Viva Board (Cement Bonded Particle Board)

you would not be familiar with using it this way as I decided it could be done after seeing the way the Thais cast the cement tops for our other kitchens

the builder said it would not be strong enough as the board was not designed to support weight

but using a 1" board and support at 1m gives plenty of strength; I could stand on it and jump about without any problems

adding the granite made it even stronger

the granite was just glued to the Viva board with "No Nails" then the holes cut out

Thanks, I think that would work for me. I will have cement supports no more than 1 metre apart and at 1 inch thick with granite on top I can't see any problems. This will make the whole job much easier. Seems pretty water resistant and once the top is sealed and splash back tiled, I can't see water being a problem either.

A good solution.

Any idea where to buy in Chiang Mai?

**DrAndy** · 11-05-2013, 08:42 PM

what, to buy Viva board?

look up the stockists on that website, or ask at a builders merchant

I just checked the website and the search was useless; I think most of the big places stock it - I think we ordered ours from Noppadom

Originally Posted by roger77

Like your cupboards but wonder about dampness, any ventilation ??????

dampness from where? they are as dry as a bone

ventilation happens when you open the doors! as in most kitchens

**Bung** · 11-05-2013, 08:51 PM

That website doesn't give any stockist anywhere! I'll ask my builder, I am sure they have it somewhere in Chiang Mai.

**DrAndy** · 11-05-2013, 08:56 PM

yes, I checked it too! useless

as I said, the bigger places have it, Global house, Noppadom etc

**Fondles** · 11-05-2013, 08:57 PM

Just sayin if the placement was to maximise usable bench space ya coulda moved em out a bit more.

**DrAndy** · 11-05-2013, 09:05 PM

well, I couldn't

If you want to cut granite, you need to leave a decent edge otherwise it would just break

I left around 8cm at the edges and front, which was the smallest recommended

to get them at the edge, you would need to cut to 1cm, which would be ridiculous

anyway, they would look stupid and also it would be impractical

**stevefarang** · 11-05-2013, 10:30 PM

Bung,
We still have to plan out our western kitchen, at our house over in Nakhom Pathom. Ikea has a free 3D kitchen planning software that I'm going to use to help figure out the layout. We have some nice big windows where you would normally expect to see cupboards. I haven't actually started using it yet, as I need some dimensions of the space first. And there's nothing saying you have to buy from Ikea, although I do like the look of some of their storage systems.
Not sure if it's available from the Ikea Thailand website, but it's on the US Ikea website. It might be helpful.

Good luck.
Steve

**Bung** · 11-05-2013, 11:03 PM

Steve, thanks for the tip. I am waiting on some plans and quotes from two places here but they are useless. It's been weeks now and not even a quote yet.

Something like that may be handy to show my builder what I want.

**nigelandjan** · 11-05-2013, 11:45 PM

If you go into Index you can get the book with all the kitchen unit sizes in it + all the selection .

The one I got has a little plan thing you can just cut out and add the units to work out what you want

**DrAndy** · 12-05-2013, 03:20 AM

Originally Posted by nigelandjan

The one I got has a little plan thing you can just cut out and add the units to work out what you want

yes, I remember trying to use that years ago; trouble is it is 2D and most kitchens are 3D

lots of little problems like window heights and doors and drains need to be considered

**terry57** · 12-05-2013, 08:28 AM

Originally Posted by nigelandjan

Wish I was over there retired now mate ,, I would love to come and fit it for you , no probs

These sort of threads are always interesting and informative.

I would of thought by now the retired tradesman living in Thailand would of banded together and offered each other there services when it comes to these installs and builds.

A great way to net work and make some cash in the process.

Keep it all under ground of course.

**nigelandjan** · 12-05-2013, 08:58 AM

Well TBH Tel when I am retired I am more than happy to help out just for my diesel for my pickup getting to and fro ,,, a bit of nosh ,, + a natter ,, jobs a goo dun

**terry57** · 12-05-2013, 09:46 AM

^

That's what I'm saying, guys like you in the game could use your skills make money and friends at the same time.

The really great thing is that Ex pats doing builds could actually relax a bit knowing they have a proper tradesman doing the job instead of taking a punt using
" Mr SomchaiKnowsfukall".

Thread: Built in kitchen Chiang Mai.

Thread Tools

Display

Built in kitchen Chiang Mai.

Thread Information

Users Browsing this Thread

Posting Permissions