Quote Originally Posted by Davis Knowlton View Post
^^Prices I quoted were in US dollars. My compound has a very nice, Olympic-size pool and a good clubhouse; no gym, however that's not a problem as I have a good-sized one in the house. The compound I live in is also much less homogeneous than yours, as people buy a lot, and then are free to put up just about anything they want. There are one story bungaloes, mostly two story houses, and even a few three story. The land area of the lots is normally about 125 square meters, but I bought the land five years before I started building (I was at that time renting a house in the same complex), so was able to buy four adjoining lots. I disagree with several other posters on the teak parquet tiles versus the laminated wood you have. I also have the laminated wood flooring in the upstairs of the house (marble downstairs); and find that it holds up better, and looks better longer, than the teak parquet (which I have in my other house here). What makes me cringe is the cost you must be incurring changing things around. If it cost $100 to build it; it usually costs $300 to change it. My wife or I was on the building site 12 hours a day, six or seven days a week, for the entire nine months it took to complete our house. That way, we could adjust as we went along, and prior to actually doing the building in final form. I also have a lot of very old antique oriental carpets from my years in Southwest Asia and the Middle East, and find that the laminated wood flooring sets them off much better than the teak parquet glossy finish. The compound area of my compound is also very large, thus houses tend to be further apart and there are a lot of vacant lots which will probably be built on one day, but I hope not for a while.
Hi again Davis ...
I did warn you I was easily confused! ... Ha, ha ...
So, you are also in a "Compound" (as you call it), but I thought you were on your own land with a huge house somewhere "Not" in a village complex.
It sounds great that you were able to buy the four adjoining lots! (Being in the right place at the right time!) ...

We were at the time of building (and still are!) "part time expats" and were only able to be on site for part of a four week period. We were however very lucky having Meechai's familly close by and they followed the build (and took photo's) for us. You on the other hand were able to follow every brick as it was laid which I would have loved.

From your description of your house it sounds very nice but I agree when you mention about vacant lots that "probably will be built on some day" ... I wondered at this point if the extra plots that you bought were adjoining your own plot, or if you have built on all five of them?

Have a nice day ....