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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
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.
^
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.
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.
AO - How did you go about having the granite counter top made?
^ 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....Quote:
Originally Posted by 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 :)
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.
Yep that area that goes downhill between Pak Chong and Mual Lek?Quote:
Originally Posted by buadhai
Some of the best granite and marble in Thailand can be found there at very good prices
Sounds like a good idea AO but where can I find a good custom cabinet maker?:confused:Quote:
Originally Posted by aging one
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
^
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.
^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.
I'm sure that nice chap Forreachingme will point you in the right direction.
We had the builder make the counters, blocks/cement, then tile over and add some ready-made cabinet doors.Quote:
Originally Posted by Sakeopete
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?
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 :)
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.
I like a gas hob and an electric oven.
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?
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.Quote:
Originally Posted by stroller
you had the cojones to build a house, you should be able to build a counterQuote:
Originally Posted by buadhai
it is worth a fair bit of savings to try. i saved about half.
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.Quote:
Originally Posted by SakeopeteI 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.Quote:
Originally Posted by stroller
The kitchen cabinets were the least successful part of the house I built. I tried to do the cabinets out of very hard mahogany and mahogany plywood with nothing but a handheld electric saw.Quote:
Originally Posted by t.s
I don't want to make that mistake again. I'll leave the cabinetwork to a pro.
Note the crap work in the photo below:
https://teakdoor.com/images/smilies1/You_Rock_Emoticon.gif
Fair enough.Quote:
Originally Posted by Sakeopete
Then I'd recommend a valve before the pipe connects to the cooker instead of relying on the cooker's knobs.
Just got to get used to it until it becomes 2nd nature to close the valve - we do so for the night only (unless I'm too pissed to remember). :bunny3:
I am planning to build a house soon and have been looking all over at different materials, etc. In Khorat's mall, top floor, those prices are somewhere above the clouds for kitchens and bathrooms. Nice looking for sure but not really affordable. Strollers post-cement/block for counters, etc. covered with tile is what I think is best in Thailand. Wood is expensive and it does warp. A good tile setter could make you kitchen cabinets and counter top look like a million. Not to mention the ease of cleaning. In fact I may have the entire kitchen like the bathroom--all tile up the wall to at least two meters.
I notice in your photo of the kitchen, you like cast iron pans. They are great for cooking and great for breaking tile if you put one down too hard. If you go the tile route I suggest you keep one or two replacement tiles available.
It's not so much the bottle leaking as it is the connection and hose. You need to check for broken or dry-rotted hoses often. And, as already said, develope the cut off habit when you finish cooking.
You know I lived with that kitchen for 25 years and never cracked a tile. The counter top was 3/4" pressure treated plywood. The tiles were stuck on with wall-type waterproof mastic and grouted with waterproof black grout. Never had a problem with it.Quote:
Originally Posted by ceburat
For here I'm planning to have a real cabinetmaker build out the kitchen and top the counters with granite. The granite is inexpensive and easily available. I met with the cabinetmaker today and have spoken with a few of his previous customers. Photos of his work look great and he's done the granite counter tops a few times.
In the kitchen pictured the cook top is gas. The bottles were kept outside (under the rain water tank) and the gas piped into the house via flexible copper pipe with compression fittings. Never had a leak problem.
Ok, I see now. Your set up was correct, the way all should do for safety. I was referring to the way it was in the Philippines in my house. The pop on and pop off regulator was ok for the bottle of gas, however, those rubber hoses never lasted even one year with out leaking. A serious problem.Quote:
Originally Posted by buadhai
Good Luck. Keep posting.
I had a short section of rubber hose between the bottle and the copper tube for ease of swapping in the bottles. But, at the first sign of deterioration I replaced the hose.Quote:
Originally Posted by ceburat
Update: I could not find any company that seemed to have their shit together to come to Aranyaprathet and build me a kitchen. So I decided to do it myself, I got cabinet sizes from Kitzcho's website and planned where to put cabinets by drawing them on the walls. The hood, gas hob and tiles I bought from Home Pro in Bangkok they had some good deals on combo's hood/hobs. When we were ready to order the cabinets Kitzcho was great they had a sales rep come to our home in Aran with a sample, catalogs and order form, once we ordered they delivered the cabinets using their own delivery truck. The drivers unloaded them and checked them all for damage and correct size/style.
As for the counters and Island I had my Thai workers make them in the red brick frames with Kitzcho doors and pull out drawers. The tiles came from Cotto and we had them put plain white inside the counters and island. The outside was harder to design a nice patern I just laid them out in different configuations until we liked what we seen. The counter top and Island top is black granite sourced from a shop near Sakeaw. It took 2 days to install them and the steps outside the kitchen but their work was excellent.
I put a doulbe sink in the counter and a single on the island. The island's sink also has a Pure brand water filtration system connected to it. I had the electrition make an exetrnal switch with a light mounted on the outside of the island so if someone forgets to turn off the water filter we can see it as soon as we walk in the kitchen.
I installed the hood and hob myself as it was an easy job. The hood vents outside the house and I needed to get some tin ducting made locally. To get a perfect fit I made a cardboard model of it first as explaining the dimensions is difficult with the language barrier and it is harder for Somchai to get it wrong when he has a physical model to copy. I decided to have the gas tanks in the kitchen, it has easy access to turn it off and the hob has thermal couplers incase there was a leak. The regulator also has a saftey button in case of a leak.
Before: https://teakdoor.com/images/imported/2008/10/371.jpg
https://teakdoor.com/images/imported/2008/10/372.jpg
After: https://teakdoor.com/images/imported/2008/10/373.jpg
https://teakdoor.com/images/imported/2008/09/383.jpg
^ Looks really good apart from those naff vegetable tiles.
Old people seem to regress when they come to Thailand, wonder what makes them think that naff veggie tiles look good in a kitchen :)
Kitcho is good stuff and reasonably priced. Top grade hardware and all solid wood. I was going to use Kitcho but decided on a similar made in Thailand brand because Kitcho does not have the all wood lower base cabinets which I prefer. I passed on the veggy tile even though I am an old git.;)Quote:
Originally Posted by Sakeopete
The kitchen looks good. Enjoy it.
I liked the vegetable tiles! :)
Looks like a very workable kitchen.
^^ Thanks Hillbilly at least you have good taste! We have had many compliments on the veggie tiles, wife is happy with the HUGE FACE she gained:)
^Thais are a funny old lot aint they :)
Nice looking kitchen and the tile is "up to you" if that's your like. The island is great for extra work area