Farang Kitchen Installation

[Sakeopete]

Hi All,
I'm having a house built in Aranyaprathet and wish to put in a modern farang kitchen. I noticed Homepro and private firms do it in Bangkok. Has anyone hired them to install cabinets and counter tops outside the capital? Any advice and/or recommendations would be appreciated.

Cheers,
Peter

[aging one]

I general I think you will find it much cheaper to have your cabinets and counter tops build, then buy the appliances you need to fit. Thats what I have done on both my houses. I know my granite counter top came out cheaper than a formica one from HP.

Good luck.

[ChiangMai noon]

^
I agree with AO.
I have had some quality bits of furniture made.
probably half the price of HP and about 10 times the quality.

[hillbilly]

Have to agree with AO & ChiangMai noon on this one. HomePro should be the last choice for installations. However, it doesn't hurt to get a bid from then to see where you stand.

[buadhai]

AO - How did you go about having the granite counter top made?

[friscofrankie]

^ got some guys here sell-install counter tops they do some pretty nice work. Cheap too. Lot of people selling granite in shops here have and installation/fabrication crew on staff

[buadhai]

^ got some guys here sell-install counter tops they do some pretty nice work. Cheap too. Lot of people selling granite in shops here have and installation/fabrication crew on staff

I have a lot to learn. I've seen many big places selling granite on the way from here to Bangkok, but had no idea they would fabricate a counter-top....

[friscofrankie]

You can get machine cut ogives, half round, quater round or beaded edges counter tops fabbed by machine (order from factory) or the guys do a pretty decent job with powered hand tools the edges are nto as brightly polished but the tops are solid granite and the hole are always where they belong or you dont pay. Local granite is cheap marble even cheaper. for counter top sizes I have been quoted prices from about 3 - 400 baht sq meter. (not installed or fabbed) to over 4 -6K for imported stuff. The smaller the piece generally the cheaper the per meter price. Get a price on fabbed and installed from them you buy a pice and have someone else fab it you risk hium fucking it up, it'a already yours, you lose. you pay a bit more but they pay for their own mistakes.
I did an order for some fols back in the US with a bookend cut piece of granit table top 42 inches by 130 some inches. plus 12 X 24 floor tiles had to convert the measurementsinot meters to price it but the meacurements were right on. Shipping was almost as much as the order, LTL is expensive

[aging one]

We picked out the granite, measured it, and bought it. They delivered and then built it to the specs the wife and I had drawn.

[Spin]

I have a lot to learn. I've seen many big places selling granite on the way from here to Bangkok, but had no idea they would fabricate a counter-top....

Yep that area that goes downhill between Pak Chong and Mual Lek?

Some of the best granite and marble in Thailand can be found there at very good prices

[Sakeopete]

I general I think you will find it much cheaper to have your cabinets and counter tops build, then buy the appliances you need to fit. Thats what I have done on both my houses. I know my granite counter top came out cheaper than a formica one from HP.

Good luck.

Sounds like a good idea AO but where can I find a good custom cabinet maker?

[DrAndy]

you just have to ask around, get some recommendations for carpenters

I also did the self build route. Made up the cabinets exactly as I wanted, then had the local stone merchant come round and fit granite worktops. They cut out the holes for the sink and hob, all was really well done.

cheap and perfect

[buadhai]

^
I guess the problem is that even though I've lived here 18 months I have no idea where to "ask around" or who the "local stone merchant" might be. Ms. B has no ideas either.

I suspect that we'll end up going the Home Pro or Home Mart route since otherwise I don't even know where to begin.

[NickA]

^Stone merchants are not difficult to find, they're normally at the side of the road and have big lumps of rock outside....there are certainly plenty around Korat, though I don't know how you know a good one from a bad one - knowing Thailand they'll probably all be very similar.

[Marmite the Dog]

I'm sure that nice chap Forreachingme will point you in the right direction.

[stroller]

Sounds like a good idea AO but where can I find a good custom cabinet maker?

We had the builder make the counters, blocks/cement, then tile over and add some ready-made cabinet doors.

[buadhai]

OK, thanks to MtD and forreachingme for help on the cabinets and granite counter.

I went to the Mall today looking at cooktops, ovens and stoves. In Saipan I had a built-in cooktop and countertop oven. I'd like to have a "real" oven here, but can't decide between a built in unit or a combination unit that's a separate appliance.

Any thoughts on what is preferable: built-in or separate unit?

[dirtydog]

electric and gas hob and a seperate oven, I hate it when I run out of gas and my food is only half cooked, ok its lucky we have a spare gas cooker and spare bottles

[buadhai]

I always keep a spare bottle that we can swap in. Is that the purpose of the electric hob on the gas cookers? I thought it was for a more controllable low heat for keeping stuff warm.

[Lily]

I like a gas hob and an electric oven.

[Sakeopete]

I was thinking of a gas top also because it cooks better but I'm scared of having a gas leak in the house. How safe are they and what prevents gas leaking if a burner is left on?

[stroller]

Close the bottle when you finish cooking.

Never heard of a leaking bottle here.

[Sakeopete]

Close the bottle when you finish cooking.

Never heard of a leaking bottle here.

I was planning on storing the bottles outside the house in an encloser and piping the gas in like is done in Europe and North America with natural gas.

[t.s]

^
I guess the problem is that even though I've lived here 18 months I have no idea where to "ask around" or who the "local stone merchant" might be. Ms. B has no ideas either.

I suspect that we'll end up going the Home Pro or Home Mart route since otherwise I don't even know where to begin.

you had the cojones to build a house, you should be able to build a counter

it is worth a fair bit of savings to try. i saved about half.

[hillbilly]

Close the bottle when you finish cooking.

Never heard of a leaking bottle here.

I was planning on storing the bottles outside the house in an encloser and piping the gas in like is done in Europe and North America with natural gas.

This is what I have done. However, I have to go along with stroller. One big reason I moved my gas tank was to better utilize the space.