uPVC Windows & Water filtering system

Hello all,

The construction of my house in Pattaya is about to start but there are still things for which I have some questions.
The land is located in an existing village (moobaan, community...) and all other land plots around already have a house built on them.


The first thing that I was wondering is whether replacing the windows frames by uPVC profiles was necessary. The house comes with some aluminium/single pane windows as standard and I would have liked to replace them with uPVC. I went to ask some quotations for all the windows in the shops around here and the price is between 260 000 THB and 480 000 THB.
That's obviously a lot of money so I would have liked to have some opinions from people who have chosen to go for uPVC.

I'm also surprised by the difference between some standard uPVC profiles (260 000 THB) and the branded profiles (460 000 THB). Are the standard ones so crappy?



My second question was about installing a water filter. I could see some big ones at Homepro and they cost around 25 000 THB. The filtering system has to be installed before the tank and the filter has to be changed every 18 months more or less.
That kind of filter doesn't make the water drinkable but it certainly improves the quality of the water (does it?).
So again, has anyone installed one of those systems?

The one I'm refering to at home pro is named "Master 5" with automatic backwash.


I have tons of other questions concerning the pool and so on but I'll start slowly...



Thanks and please excuse my bad english as this is not my native language.

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Originally Posted by joeedbkk

That kind of filter doesn't make the water drinkable but it certainly improves the quality of the water (does it?).

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If your using city water you won't need a filter, supposedly Pattaya City water is drinkable, they even had the Mayor of Pattaya drinking some, although I wouldn't drink it it is alright for everything else.

I will be using the water from the city.

At homepro they have 2 models for that kind of big filters, one for communal water and another one for the water coming from a well so I thought there was a point.

I would certainly not drink the water, it smells some chemicals just when opening it to shower.

And what about those small water filters that can be fitted in the kitchen for instance and that actually make the water drinkable? A nice thing to have?
I was thinking for coffee/cooking... it could be nice.

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Originally Posted by joeedbkk

And what about those small water filters that can be fitted in the kitchen for instance and that actually make the water drinkable? A nice thing to have?

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Yeah they are worth the money, especially if you don't want to lug about 5 gallon containers of water every couple of days.

Do you need UPC windows?why --is it too cold or no air con?
some great A grade white aluminium from Thai companiesat less than half the price ,--have you noticed the UPC companies are all run by foreigners ---you are bound to get a fair --cheap--proper deal --from them---double glazing was always the thing that attracted every whizz kid scam (got to decide today)salesman on the planet and now they are in Pattaya !!!

The main reason why I would like some PVC is the double glazing and for the quality of the profiles themselves.

I have some aluminium profiles in my current house here in Pattaya (low grade probably) and they are aging really badly. Even when locked the panel can still be moved easily and the single pane glass is so crappy that I can hear the neighbour farting. Not to mention the fitting... when I push on some of the windows, they are moving from the wall. Anyway.
I have no experience with good quality Aluminium profiles though.
The color is not relevant and I would actually prefer to keep them dark brown rather than white as it goes better with the style of the house. uPVC is available in color as well but it costs 40% more which is insane.

Concerning a possible scam, well... what you say is true that the companies are all run by farangs but I also compared the prices with Europe and there's not much difference. I also requested a quotation for some rolling shutters (automatic) and this was a shock though... :) Profiles + shutters I was at 1.2 million. The price of a small condo.

One more reason why I'm tempted to opt for uPVC is that the builder was unable to provide double glazing on the existing aluminium chassis.

If you have a company name to recommend here in Pattaya I would be happy to request a quotation for some A grade aluminium chassis.

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Originally Posted by joeedbkk

And what about those small water filters that can be fitted in the kitchen for instance and that actually make the water drinkable? A nice thing to have? I was thinking for coffee/cooking... it could be nice.

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Originally Posted by dirtydog

Yeah they are worth the money, especially if you don't want to lug about 5 gallon containers of water every couple of days.

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I get three delivered every now and then, no lugging involved

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Originally Posted by joeedbkk

The main reason why I would like some PVC is the double glazing

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why would you need doublre glazing? do you live in a very noisy area, or do you need aircon 24 hours a day?

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Originally Posted by joeedbkk

I have no experience with good quality Aluminium profiles though.

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they can be excellent, but also pricey

I always use wooden window frames; you can have them made to use double glazing too

Definitely spend the extra on PVC, the local aluminium product works well, powder coating is generally OK but the metal is almost as thin as a coke can.
More importantly, pay close attention to how the frames are fitted and waterproofed onto the slab and the masonry - water ingress through windows, sliding doors because of poor installation / design are common.

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Originally Posted by DrAndy

why would you need doublre glazing? do you live in a very noisy area, or do you need aircon 24 hours a day?

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By my standards, the whole Pattaya area is noisy...neighbor's dogs barking, 2-week concerts, whatever asshole driving by with loud music in his car, noisy motorbikes (choppers)... I could carry on forever.

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Originally Posted by Khun Custard

Definitely spend the extra on PVC, the local aluminium product works well, powder coating is generally OK but the metal is almost as thin as a coke can.
More importantly, pay close attention to how the frames are fitted and waterproofed onto the slab and the masonry - water ingress through windows, sliding doors because of poor installation / design are common.

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For the installation as I have no clue how it should be properly done, it's gonna be difficult for me to control the quality of their work.

Today I'll go to one shop again (the cheapest quotation) and will try to check the quality of the cheaper profiles in details. Something around 250k THB for all the windows would be ok considering that the builder deduct 100k THB if they don't have to fit their aluminium profiles.
'Only' 150k THB extra for double-glaze and PVC is worth the money in my opinion (there are 17 windows in total).

The warranty on these profiles is 5 years.

If you want UPVC double glazing, remember there is little point doing it for soundproofing if you have sliding doors or windows, found that out the hard way!
I used Euro UPVC, have no complaints, bargain hard which ever way you go...

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Originally Posted by Airportwo

If you want UPVC double glazing, remember there is little point doing it for soundproofing if you have sliding doors or windows, found that out the hard way!
I used Euro UPVC, have no complaints, bargain hard which ever way you go...

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Ok good to know.

I requested only sliding doors/windows because I find them more convenient but actually the bedrooms windows could be casement windows and the other windows have to be sliding (between 3mx2m and 4mx2m WxH) + 2 small awning windows for bathrooms.

That doesnt change the price much I guess?

I went to Euro PVC too, waiting for their quotation atm. How much down could you get from the initial quoted price?

^ Its a long story regarding price, they totally screwed up the order, so ended up getting a free door and window plus a good discount of around 20% if I remember correctly.

Why don't you give WR-vinyl a try.When I went around for quotation I also went to Euro Pvc who made me a quotation about 40% higher than WR.When I asked him if he could lower price a bit and I told him that I also had a quotation from WR he didn't even bother anymore.

[at] airport ,care to explain how one can screw up an order?

Did that already, that's why I posted here. I want PVC but is the price difference between the WR Vynil standard profiles and the Thyssen/deceuninck profiles worth it?
That was my question...

Europvc are at 373 000 without mosquito screens and WR Vynil for their standard profiles (including mosquito screens) are at 260 000...
The WR Vynil quotation for Thyssen profiles which are comparable to the Euro PVC profiles is 450 000 THB though.

All these without any bargaining yet.

I'm a bit lost; I guess I have to go to their showrooms again and try to compare the quality of the profiles. My budget is not unlimited so if the standard profiles are enough then I would go for it.

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Originally Posted by escaped

airport ,care to explain how one can screw up an order?

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I originally ordered through their salesman, I ordered a brown UPVC which it turned out in the end they were unable to supply, he had never passed the order onto the factory, when I questioned it with the "boss' after 3 months it all came out....

I've got uPVC windows and 1 French door that are steel framed and the glass lightly tinted. They lock soundly, are sturdy, easy to clean, and well worth the investment in my opinion.

I also think so especially compared to the standard aluminium crap. I also think that the fitting must be done more properly so to speak.
In my current house the walls are cracking around the profiles and some of them are moving a lot. Complete shit.

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Originally Posted by SEA Traveler

I've got uPVC windows and 1 French door that are steel framed and the glass lightly tinted. They lock soundly, are sturdy, easy to clean, and well worth the investment in my opinion.

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Which shop did you get them from?

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Originally Posted by joeedbkk

I also think so especially compared to the standard aluminium crap. I also think that the fitting must be done more properly so to speak.
In my current house the walls are cracking around the profiles and some of them are moving a lot. Complete shit.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by SEA Traveler

I've got uPVC windows and 1 French door that are steel framed and the glass lightly tinted. They lock soundly, are sturdy, easy to clean, and well worth the investment in my opinion.

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Which shop did you get them from?

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Talk to Aaron at EUROPVC on Suk in Pattaya btwn Central and North roads on same side as Bootavahan (spelling ???). There not inexpensive but the product and installation and service were found to be exceptionally good.

Ok I'm already in contact with him actually.

Thx.

Sorry for the spam but it seems I need one more post to be able to send private messages... :)

What's the m2 price of UPVC in Thailand? I've just been quoted USD$120 (3600bht) per square meter here in Cambodia, just wanted to see how it compared.

It all depends on the quality of profile, the way the window is opening (or not) and your choice of glass.

All I can say is that in my case it averages at 8700THB/m² with 17 windows and a mix of casement/sliding/awning openings.