marc26
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Posts posted by marc26
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On 5/31/2021 at 1:08 AM, thweshfoyo said:
You get 1 rai for 4 million in chonburi province...
And that helps me in what way? 555
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My wife opened an account at Bangkok Bank this year to participate in the PTT OR IPO, she said they were great to deal with.
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Transferwise is the best system I have used, by far
Hell, I have sent money to my wife's Thai bank and it has hit her bank in seconds
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Back to cultural traits
A big one for me is curiosity.
I've met very few Thais, even highly educated ones, who have much of a curiosity. They are discouraged not to question people like teachers/doctors.....
That gives them no sense of curiosity, IMO..............
I want any child I have to question everything and everyone.................-
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On 5/13/2021 at 6:12 PM, GinBoy2 said:
Maybe this is just me, but often think a lot of culture is tied up with language.
I'm hispanic, so I've spoken English and Spanish all my life. I feel American, yet if I visit family in Mexico the culture isn't alien to me, mainly I think because I can understand everything around me.
Our son was born in Singapore, and we made a decision to make him fluent in languages. Mom only spoke Thai & Lao, and I only spoke English and Mandarin, although I wish I'd also done Spanish as well, but I couldn't wrap my head ahead speaking all three.
When we moved to Thailand he was an early teen, he fitted right in. Same when he moved to the US for college. I think for the same reason I'm comfortable with my American and Mexican heritage, its that he understands everything in his environment through language.
Thai's often stress before they move to mystical Farangland about food, since it seems a very central part of their perceived culture.
We have always eaten our own 'ethnic' foods and everything in between wherever we have lived.
So again, maybe it's just me. But language is the key to 'culture' in my mind, and it gives you the ability to seamlessly move between 'cultures'
I can see that.
I am from Boston, lived in NYC for 14 years
There is such a Latin culture in those cities, that it feels familiar to me when I travel to Latin AmericaFunny you mention the language.
I am taking my Thai wife to Mexico for the 1st time, and I guarantee you she gets a bit angry(not really) that I know/understand Spanish much better than I know Thai
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On 4/18/2021 at 9:22 PM, Ventenio said:
you haven't told me enough to say it's bad. seems normal, per initial post.
i would encourage her to start a hobby. get good at something she can do by herself. run, swim, draw.... whatever.
then join a team or club.
first you love yourself. confidence is fine. then you can fall back on your confidence. then involve others.
i was a bully when i was younger, and i got bullied sometimes as well. boy vs. boy stuff. wrestle, whatever......so long ago i don't remember. and in my high school it was all sport "smack talk".
good luck
I agree 100%
My wife took on her 8yr old niece. She was born with crossed eyes and wears these big glasses.She is as meek and shy as they come
When my wife took her in, she was 26 out of 29 in class
We asked her what she was interested in, did she want to play an instrument, dance, etc....
She asked if she could take swimming classes, we got her into that and her confidence has soared........
She is now 12 out of 29 in school...............all through having a bit more confidence
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On 5/5/2021 at 8:45 PM, 2009 said:
Maybe there are some benefits to learning from their dad's (foreign) culture.
Can anyone think of any?
When I 1st met my wife she was afraid to go into 4/5 star hotels
She now has a business(or had before covid) that deals with owners of hotels, telling staff that try and make things difficult to "<deleted> off"
I grew up lower middle class in the US, but I never felt I "didn't belong anywhere"
I remember we'd go to nice restaurants for special occasions..........I was never itimidated,We know Thai chefs here in Vancouver who went to major culinary schools, worked around the world but still feel they "are less than"
I showed my wife she belongs anywhere and she feels she belongs anywhere now..............both examples are traits learned by different cultures...........
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1 hour ago, mtls2005 said:
International flights should be OK, maybe an equipment change, or other factors, might result in slight schedule changes (minutes).
Domestic flights in the U.S.? You should remain flexible.
KE 91 (ICN-BOS) looks reliable, 3X weekly Fr We Su
KE 652 looks reliable as well.
Not seeing anything to worry about, is there a domestic flight ex-BOS?
No I was just curious because they have been changing the flights a lot in North America
So was wondering if it was happening over there with the International flights
But all flights looked like left at on time mostly
The flight changes for future flights we taking aren't so bad....
One looks like they scrapped the morning flight and put everyone on the evening
Another flight they changed our connection from JFK to Miami
So not huge deals
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On 4/20/2021 at 7:25 PM, brewsterbudgen said:
I think the author of the article "think(s) too much".
Yeah thinking of how you want your child to be raised and what cultures you want to instill in them is "thinking too much"
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On 4/20/2021 at 3:09 PM, SiSePuede419 said:
Your wife is Thai. You live in Thailand. Why do you insist on believing that your kids are...American?!?!?
Birthplace is not culture. ????
Because she is American.........
Believe it or not, not all westerners living in Thailand self-loathe their own country and wish they were ThaiIt is good to have both cultures...............
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12 hours ago, Phillip9 said:
It depends on the airline. Most of the airlines actually flying to the US are flying reliably with very few cancellations. But some unreliable airlines like Thai airways continue to keep flights on their schedule that they have no intention to actually fly and then cancel them a couple of weeks before departure.
What airline is she flying? It's best to check your flight numbers on a site like flightaware.com and see if they have been routinely flying.
Looks like both flights BKK-ICN and ICN-BOS have been leaving on scheduled days
Appreciate the help!
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12 hours ago, Phillip9 said:
It depends on the airline. Most of the airlines actually flying to the US are flying reliably with very few cancellations. But some unreliable airlines like Thai airways continue to keep flights on their schedule that they have no intention to actually fly and then cancel them a couple of weeks before departure.
What airline is she flying? It's best to check your flight numbers on a site like flightaware.com and see if they have been routinely flying.
Ok thanks
She is Korean Airlines through Seoul
Will check flightware
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Hi
I was wondering if anyone might have an idea about this.
Here in North America, flight schedules are often changed once you have booked your flight. It is because they consolidate flights based on the capacity(or lack thereof)
I have had 2 flights changed for next month in Canada/US
Has anyone heard of this happening with international flights out of BKK?
My wife is flying to US in 3 weeks and we were wondeing
Thanks
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On 3/24/2021 at 1:30 AM, Cake Monster said:
Well done in admitting your weakness in this matter.
Many would just laugh, but I can tell you from personal experience, that some of these scams can actually add a significant cost to your construction Budget.
If you consider every bag of Cement is 110 Baht, a box of 60 CM sq Floor tiles could be as much as 900 Baht ( only 4 tiles ) Etc Etc Etc
And then theres the Invoicing of work that has not actually been done ( or only partially )
These scams are endless, so be careful
My advice is to find a Builder that somebody has used before, and found them to be honest and good at the Job.
Good Luck.
One thing I am good at is research, so I will do plenty of before I do anything
Mr Blue above has provided me some info, that was very nice.......
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On 3/21/2021 at 9:59 PM, Cake Monster said:
Also by keeping a close eye on proceedings during the build, you a more likely to stop the various scams involved that some Builders seem to think is their right.
I made the Builder on my House build remove all the rebar reinforcing in the Pillars and redo all the work so the Metal actually locked together at Pad and Pillar ( at his cost ) because the rebar work was no good
The quoted post mentions roof beam spacing. Reason for 1.2 M as apposed to 1 M, is that quite a large amount of Metal can be saved. Ideal for the Car Port at Home.
Roof sheets / Tiles ... same
There are so many ways the builders try to scam, from the amount of Cement they require ( to what is actually needed ) Ceramic tiles Etc Etc Etc
Just be very aware all the time about what is happening, and check all invoices 100%
I will literally have to factor in costs for such scams because I know nothing, actually probably less than nothing
My only hope is to do extensive research and find and honest, and quality builder...........which I will do
But sucks when you don't know anything...................
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On 3/21/2021 at 9:29 PM, Blue Muton said:
the architect was in the earlier link. By good fortune we came across an excellent builder and I would be happy to give details later if required. Suphan as I'm sure you know is a very big province, we're in the NW, bordering Chainat.
My wife's village is very close to Singburi, so not too far.......under and hour
Would you mind PM'ing me the builders info? I would have my wife call and discuss some ideas/options
Thanks!
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On 3/20/2021 at 1:36 AM, Blue Muton said:
Thanks, we're in rural Suphanburi. Total cost including the garage and walls was around six million, excluding the land that my wife already owned.
Where are you looking at building your place?
Suphan
So maybe I will contact you for architect/builder references when the time comes!
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On 3/14/2021 at 1:10 PM, Iron Tongue said:
Argentina, no question. Cost of living in Beunos Ares is very compatible with large cities in Thailand, and it is a European city in feel. Plenty of good steaks and wine and activities. City living, open spaces and clean air when you travel.
If the question includes Central America, then I'd throw in Costa Rica for consideration.
In Central America
I would move to Tulum, Mexico tomorrow............I absolutely love it.
I would say it's the best food city I have been to in the world
The higher end(but casual) western/Mexican restaurants on the beach road are amazing. Most cook with wood burning grills. They are pretty expensive though.
Then you have the local restaurants in the downtown area, plus the taco stands!!
I would also consider Casco Viejo neighborhood in Panama City, one of the coolest areas I have ever stayed in. Tons of nightlife.
And lastly, some of the smaller beach towns in Costa Rica
Spent some time in Samana............small dirt road beach town but with a lot of French/Italian expats so some great restaurants
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42 minutes ago, NCC1701A said:
8 mil baht houses selling for 4 mil now in Hua Hin.
for sale signs everywhere.
what ever they are asking just subtract 30%
One thing I find in Hua Hin is the traffic in middle of the city is horrible
But my MIL's family live right at the start of Cha Am............so if there was an incredible deal down closer to Cha Am, I would think about it
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40 minutes ago, NCC1701A said:
8 mil baht houses selling for 4 mil now in Hua Hin.
for sale signs everywhere.
what ever they are asking just subtract 30%
You have any websites? I know you can get better deals on the ground..........
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50 minutes ago, donx said:
OP, you say you can't find any land in the area you are looking that is between 3 and 5 rai. Almost everything you see is 10 rai and up. If the sellers aren't willing to divide the land into smaller lots, why don't you buy a 10 to 15 rai plot and subdivide it yourself? For example, buy a 10 or 16 rai plot and divide it into 2, 3, or 4 lots. Keep one lot and sell the other lots to someone else.
Good thought
I have always thought of it in terms of having 15-20rai of land I don't want and worried about any drama/headaches that would come from renting it out for rice farming
I never thought of buying and selling it in plots
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By the way
Thanks for all the replies, they have been helpful
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5 hours ago, khunPer said:
If you are referring to my 25,000 baht comment, then it's for an average acceptable Western-like quality of a house, all inclusive, but not furniture.
Top notch will cost you from 50,000 and way up to a range, most folks don't like to think about.
It's not so much the basic cement construction that is the difference, apart from using double walls of aerated blocks for better heath insulation, and quality of roof construction including heat protection, and prime quality plaster. The major difference is the finishing; i.e. outdoor decoration tiles; and using 3,000+ baht a square meter sandstone, slate, granite or marble floor tiles instead of 300 baht a square meter tiles; marble bathrooms instead of 150-300 baht a square meter wall tiles; teak wood floors in some areas instead of tile-floor; teak wood doors and windows instead aluminum or uPVC; hardwood indoor doors instead af affordable standard doors; type of build-in wardrobes; etc. etc.
You can build a relative nice home for 10,000 baht a square meter, all depending of the quality and finishing, but don't expect Western-like outfit and prime construction for that kind of money.
My house costed in the area 25,000 baht a square meter to build 10-12 years ago (construction took almost 1½ year), when the daily minimum wage was around 200 baht a day – now it's up around 350 baht a day – and that was with aerated concrete blocks; high end paint (that still lasts); 300 baht a square meter floor tiles, but more for the spa-room; mainly 200 baht a square meter wall tiles, however much for for decoration tiles and boards; uPVC doors/windows; standard indoor wooden doors; a top end roof construction with Neustyle-tiles (don't save of roof, might later cost a fortune in water problems and repairs); brand-name fittings in bathrooms; indoor Jacuzzi and sauna/aroma terapi; outdoor Jacuzzi; fully European kitchen with equipment; fairly advanced electric layout and inverter aircons. It's not luxury, but it's Okay acceptable standard for what might be considered as "normal Western people".
My neighbor had a "top notch" luxury house build at the same time for more than 50,000 baht a square meter; apart from the roof construction, so later lots of expensive water damages (they finally had to put a new roof-plates on top of the old), and outdoor paint, which looked old after a couple of years.
If you want quality, don't count less than 25,000 baht in your budget, and rather get happily surprised if it's little cheaper, instead depressed from blowing a too small budget...☺️
25k/sqm falls right into what I was thinking with the size of house I would want
As I said, I know absolutely nothing about building..........you won't see me on here telling people I can build it for cheaper, because I know <deleted> all 5555
But in my rudimentary thinking, I've seen houses in her village built for 3-4mil that I liked and thought adding 2mil to that to for a better build/furnishings will do the trick
I wish I could get over there in 2021 to talk to people on the ground, but will need to wait until 2022
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5 hours ago, khunPer said:
If you are referring to my 25,000 baht comment, then it's for an average acceptable Western-like quality of a house, all inclusive, but not furniture.
Top notch will cost you from 50,000 and way up to a range, most folks don't like to think about.
It's not so much the basic cement construction that is the difference, apart from using double walls of aerated blocks for better heath insulation, and quality of roof construction including heat protection, and prime quality plaster. The major difference is the finishing; i.e. outdoor decoration tiles; and using 3,000+ baht a square meter sandstone, slate, granite or marble floor tiles instead of 300 baht a square meter tiles; marble bathrooms instead of 150-300 baht a square meter wall tiles; teak wood floors in some areas instead of tile-floor; teak wood doors and windows instead aluminum or uPVC; hardwood indoor doors instead af affordable standard doors; type of build-in wardrobes; etc. etc.
You can build a relative nice home for 10,000 baht a square meter, all depending of the quality and finishing, but don't expect Western-like outfit and prime construction for that kind of money.
My house costed in the area 25,000 baht a square meter to build 10-12 years ago (construction took almost 1½ year), when the daily minimum wage was around 200 baht a day – now it's up around 350 baht a day – and that was with aerated concrete blocks; high end paint (that still lasts); 300 baht a square meter floor tiles, but more for the spa-room; mainly 200 baht a square meter wall tiles, however much for for decoration tiles and boards; uPVC doors/windows; standard indoor wooden doors; a top end roof construction with Neustyle-tiles (don't save of roof, might later cost a fortune in water problems and repairs); brand-name fittings in bathrooms; indoor Jacuzzi and sauna/aroma terapi; outdoor Jacuzzi; fully European kitchen with equipment; fairly advanced electric layout and inverter aircons. It's not luxury, but it's Okay acceptable standard for what might be considered as "normal Western people".
My neighbor had a "top notch" luxury house build at the same time for more than 50,000 baht a square meter; apart from the roof construction, so later lots of expensive water damages (they finally had to put a new roof-plates on top of the old), and outdoor paint, which looked old after a couple of years.
If you want quality, don't count less than 25,000 baht in your budget, and rather get happily surprised if it's little cheaper, instead depressed from blowing a too small budget...☺️
Can you be my foreman please?? ????
My dilemma is we likely won't live there full-time for quite some time. I have a large and very close family in the US and spend a lot of time there.
And most likely my MIL would live there and keep things up(and she will, she's a freak) I struggle between what type of build in that situation.
My wife would be happy with a 2mil block house, but I wouldn't want to spend time there
So have to find where I am comfortable $$$ wise taking into account the time we will spend there
Sitting down with builders and an architect, with this advice in others, in my head.............will give me an idea
Thanks again
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Cost of building house in village vs buying in development in expat/tourist town?
in Real Estate, Housing, House and Land Ownership
Posted
I think I(we) will be able to design the house we want and present that to arhitecht/builders and I am realistic that a house in the village won't be perfect, but I don't want the thing to fall apart.
I have seen some real <deleted>ty builds in suppousedly high-end hotels/apartments around Thailand, so worry that in the village, could be worse