The Thailand expat forum for Travel, Lifestyle and Fun.

hillbilly · 15-10-2009, 11:06 AM

My family like many other falang/Thai families had bought a starter home many years ago here in Bangkok. But now what happens when the family has grown and it is time for the house to grow also?

This thread will show the ups and downs of expanding a home in Bangkok. But first some background. I have talked about my mooban (or for some of you a village or neighborhood) before. Basically, it was setup by the Thailand Queen about 40 years ago. The original idea was to have an environment in where the poor, middle-class and rich could live together.

As you can imagine, the poorer people have sold out and now the mooban is middle-class to multi-million baht homes. We are on the lower end.

Our original home (50 sq. wa) was bought for 1.8 million baht. Now the same home is close to the 4 million baht mark. Luckily we were able to buy the home (60 sq.wa) next door for only 2.6 million baht.

Now comes the tricky part of combing both homes so that the end result does not look like a trailer park add on. Here we go!

First, a view of both homes and what I will be dealing with. Uh, my old home is on the left of the pictue.

Begbie · 15-10-2009, 11:10 AM

This should be interesting.

kingwilly · 15-10-2009, 11:17 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by hillbilly

Now comes the tricky part of combing both homes so that the end result does not look like a trailer park add on.

begs the question, why would that be a problem ?

hillbilly · 15-10-2009, 11:23 AM

I want the Ying-Yang feel, not the Yuk-Yuk look.

hillbilly · 15-10-2009, 11:33 AM

First we had to get rid of the existing fence. Actually, I did much of the removal. It is amazing what one can do with a sledge hammer and a hangover.

Listen to the sweet sounds of a hammer drill.

YouTube - hammer drill

reinvented · 15-10-2009, 11:42 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by hillbilly

The original idea was to have an environment in where the poor, middle-class and rich could live together.

good thread btw.

hillbilly · 15-10-2009, 11:49 AM

Time to mix some concrete.

Here we are bulding a fence to seperate us from the neighbors. Why you may ask? The house next to us is owned by the neighbor across the street from us. He rents to anyone. Well, if they want to pay B20,000 per month that is. Our experience has shown that these renters can be a pain in the butt.

hillbilly · 15-10-2009, 11:56 AM

The 12 year-old daughter of the contractor is quite pleased to be on the building site with her family.

Her mom doesn't seem to mind as much.

hillbilly · 15-10-2009, 12:14 PM

Now what the hell is going on? It seems as though the wife and I did not communicate on this issue.

English Noodles · 15-10-2009, 12:46 PM

Should be fun.

DrAndy · 15-10-2009, 02:29 PM

bloody expensive for what you get!

nice thread though

davearn · 15-10-2009, 03:59 PM

Can't wait to see the finished result and how it all came together.

Looking forward to it HB.

If it's anything like your house thread should be awesome !

hillbilly · 15-10-2009, 04:01 PM

It seems as though the first concrete blocks have arrived.

The youngest son of the contractor does not seem to mind the hullabaloo around him.

good2bhappy · 15-10-2009, 04:02 PM

2.6 was a good deal in your Moo Baan

good2bhappy · 15-10-2009, 04:03 PM

looking at 3 for my neighbours
so would rather build for 3 up in the hills
should get about 6 bedrooms for that
nice for all the family

hillbilly · 15-10-2009, 04:11 PM

Once again, it seems like the construction materials never stop arriving.

In this shot you can see the fence is well on the way. However, what concerns me is this guy in the blue shirt talking to the main boss. This conversation is going to cost me some baht.

Perhaps, it is my big mouth. I had mentioned to my wife that we should have a garage with an automatic door. In my outburst I had mentioned that surely in 2009, Thailand had such a device like America had 40 years ago. Two days of silence followed by this guy showing up. Can't be good.

hillbilly · 15-10-2009, 04:26 PM

This company has got be be official, right? Afrer all they do have a decal on the truck. What also concerns me is, the helper's camera is way better than mine.

This hand gesture basically says "falang, can afford it".

kingwilly · 15-10-2009, 04:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by hillbilly

This hand gesture basically says "falang, can afford it".

and havent we seen that on more than one occasion !

hillbilly · 15-10-2009, 04:40 PM

This is where the new front door to our sprawling estate will go. One small problem. We can only have guests over that are less than 6ft. tall.

Back to the drawing board.

Archer · 15-10-2009, 04:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by hillbilly

This is where the new front door to our sprawling estate will go. One small problem. We can only have guests over that are less than 6ft. tall.

Back to the drawing board.

Most thai's are less than 5ft so what's the problem?

Her family can get in.
And you can use the back entrance (pun intended)

Cheers
/Archer

15-10-2009, 11:06 AM	#1 (permalink)
hillbilly Still trailer trash Last Online: Today 05:13 AM Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: BKK & 'D&G Resort' Posts: 6,446	A sprawling home in Bangkok My family like many other falang/Thai families had bought a starter home many years ago here in Bangkok. But now what happens when the family has grown and it is time for the house to grow also? This thread will show the ups and downs of expanding a home in Bangkok. But first some background. I have talked about my mooban (or for some of you a village or neighborhood) before. Basically, it was setup by the Thailand Queen about 40 years ago. The original idea was to have an environment in where the poor, middle-class and rich could live together. As you can imagine, the poorer people have sold out and now the mooban is middle-class to multi-million baht homes. We are on the lower end. Our original home (50 sq. wa) was bought for 1.8 million baht. Now the same home is close to the 4 million baht mark. Luckily we were able to buy the home (60 sq.wa) next door for only 2.6 million baht. Now comes the tricky part of combing both homes so that the end result does not look like a trailer park add on. Here we go! First, a view of both homes and what I will be dealing with. Uh, my old home is on the left of the pictue. __________________ Travelling in Northern Thailand To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 10 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.

15-10-2009, 12:14 PM	#9 (permalink)
hillbilly Still trailer trash Last Online: Today 05:13 AM Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: BKK & 'D&G Resort' Posts: 6,446	Now what the hell is going on? It seems as though the wife and I did not communicate on this issue. Last edited by hillbilly : 15-10-2009 at 12:23 PM.

Thread Tools	Search this Thread
Show Printable Version Email this Page	Search this Thread: Advanced Search
Display Modes
Switch to Linear Mode Hybrid Mode Switch to Threaded Mode

15-10-2009, 11:10 AM	#2 (permalink)
Begbie Thailand Travel Forum Last Online: Yesterday 05:22 PM Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Lagrangian Point Posts: 7,310	This should be interesting.

15-10-2009, 11:23 AM	#4 (permalink)
hillbilly Still trailer trash Last Online: Today 05:13 AM Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: BKK & 'D&G Resort' Posts: 6,446	I want the Ying-Yang feel, not the Yuk-Yuk look.

15-10-2009, 11:49 AM	#7 (permalink)
hillbilly Still trailer trash Last Online: Today 05:13 AM Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: BKK & 'D&G Resort' Posts: 6,446	Time to mix some concrete. Here we are bulding a fence to seperate us from the neighbors. Why you may ask? The house next to us is owned by the neighbor across the street from us. He rents to anyone. Well, if they want to pay B20,000 per month that is. Our experience has shown that these renters can be a pain in the butt.

15-10-2009, 11:56 AM	#8 (permalink)
hillbilly Still trailer trash Last Online: Today 05:13 AM Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: BKK & 'D&G Resort' Posts: 6,446	The 12 year-old daughter of the contractor is quite pleased to be on the building site with her family. Her mom doesn't seem to mind as much.

15-10-2009, 12:46 PM	#10 (permalink)
English Noodles The Surgeon. Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Krungthep Posts: 7,903	Should be fun.

15-10-2009, 02:29 PM	#11 (permalink)
DrAndy Oh Fuk Last Online: Yesterday 11:42 PM Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: yes Posts: 12,847	bloody expensive for what you get! nice thread though

15-10-2009, 03:59 PM	#12 (permalink)
davearn Thailand Expat Last Online: Yesterday 05:11 PM Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Brisbane, Australia Posts: 1,836	Can't wait to see the finished result and how it all came together. Looking forward to it HB. If it's anything like your house thread should be awesome !

15-10-2009, 04:01 PM	#13 (permalink)
hillbilly Still trailer trash Last Online: Today 05:13 AM Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: BKK & 'D&G Resort' Posts: 6,446	It seems as though the first concrete blocks have arrived. The youngest son of the contractor does not seem to mind the hullabaloo around him.

15-10-2009, 04:02 PM	#14 (permalink)
good2bhappy Thailand Travel Forum Last Online: Yesterday 03:55 PM Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: Klong Samwa Posts: 11,058	2.6 was a good deal in your Moo Baan

15-10-2009, 04:03 PM	#15 (permalink)
good2bhappy Thailand Travel Forum Last Online: Yesterday 03:55 PM Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: Klong Samwa Posts: 11,058	looking at 3 for my neighbours so would rather build for 3 up in the hills should get about 6 bedrooms for that nice for all the family

15-10-2009, 04:11 PM	#16 (permalink)
hillbilly Still trailer trash Last Online: Today 05:13 AM Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: BKK & 'D&G Resort' Posts: 6,446	Once again, it seems like the construction materials never stop arriving. In this shot you can see the fence is well on the way. However, what concerns me is this guy in the blue shirt talking to the main boss. This conversation is going to cost me some baht. Perhaps, it is my big mouth. I had mentioned to my wife that we should have a garage with an automatic door. In my outburst I had mentioned that surely in 2009, Thailand had such a device like America had 40 years ago. Two days of silence followed by this guy showing up. Can't be good.

15-10-2009, 04:26 PM	#17 (permalink)
hillbilly Still trailer trash Last Online: Today 05:13 AM Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: BKK & 'D&G Resort' Posts: 6,446	This company has got be be official, right? Afrer all they do have a decal on the truck. What also concerns me is, the helper's camera is way better than mine. This hand gesture basically says "falang, can afford it".

15-10-2009, 04:40 PM	#19 (permalink)
hillbilly Still trailer trash Last Online: Today 05:13 AM Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: BKK & 'D&G Resort' Posts: 6,446	This is where the new front door to our sprawling estate will go. One small problem. We can only have guests over that are less than 6ft. tall. Back to the drawing board.

Currently Active Users Viewing This Thread: 1 (0 members and 1 guests)