parallaxtech

I think it's better for resale plus I may rent out the guesthouse with pool in the future.

I know this question has been asked several different ways over the years. but I am still researching it after seventeen years and don't want to give up. I'm trying to add a 2/2 Bali-style with a 4x8m pool to my present house. It took three builders (fired the other two) to partially complete my present house (the original design was with a guest house and pool). After that, I swore I'd never build even a doghouse again on Samui, and here I am still hoping to one day complete the project. I've met with approximately five Thai and five British builders. I'm sorry to generalize, but I feel the same confidence in a Thai builder that I would with someone on death row. I apologize again, but the British builders seem to just pick high numbers out of the sky. I'm aiming for around 20kbaht/sqm. It's on one rai of land with a thirty-degree slope and the roads are concrete. Any suggestions would be appreciated.

Thanks everybody for all the great suggestions! I just ordered a portable off-grid system from Lazada and will see how it goes for a few months. If that doesn't solve the problem, I will add batteries or switch to a complete on-grid solar system.

Thanks TM and KhunLA!

250w for the desktop and 1000w for the water pump. I can survive w/o the water pump but need the computer running at all times. I have solar indoor/outdoor lights.

Thanks for the suggestions! I will probably go for the portable solar system offered by Lazada (suggested by Crossy). My UPS keeps the computer running for 10-20 minutes so I need one that can support me up for 2-4 hours. If anyone has a particular portable system that they currently use or knows someone using it, please comment.

We are getting blackouts on Chaweng Mountain every week for up to four hours. My electric bill is only 1500 baht/month for two people, no pool, and not using a/c, so I don't really need to save money. It just bothers me as far as using the computer and getting water via electrical pump. My neighbor uses a generator which is very noisy and smelly. Any recommendation on installing a solar system? I have just basic electrical skills.

I live in Koh Samui. Can anyone recommend a solar company to install the entire system? My electric bill is never over 2k baht, 2 people, and never use a/c.

Update on my one-year extension: Success, after the bank manager called Samui Immigration and explained the fixed account (already knew for sure). They told me to come back in one week and pick up my stamped passport. I could have made a video of the screaming foreigners at SIO this morning. They change the rules all the time so it's up to you to find out what is required each year for the extension. Next year, on my last 90-day report I will ask for a list of the requirements.

I recently lost my SCB fixed account book, got a police report, and replaced it, but it only shows an 800k balance for 9August. I asked the bank manager for the immigration letter plus a 12-month statement. She gave me a 3-month statement noting it was fixed since Jan22. Samui IO refused my extension today saying I needed a 12-month statement since I had only today's entry in the bank book. I went back to SCB asking again for it and the manager said fixed means fixed. I am trying again tomorrow morning. Any suggestions? Another irritation: I've owned a house in Samui (in my name) since 2008. A friend of mine was low on money, so I paid for a hotel for one week for him. SIO claimed today that I stayed in a hotel in Samui without registering it with Immigration. I explained to them that I never stayed in a hotel but simply registered with him and paid for it. I said why would I stay in a hotel when I had a house 1km away? They seem to be holding that against me along with the above. Last rant: I don't know if it's just Samui, but there are all kinds of new forms to fill out along with a must-have picture of yourself standing in front of your house with the address clearly seen on the wall. I felt like I was at a parole hearing today.

Guys, thanks for all that wonderful information. Reading Sydbolle's comments, it sounds like this is a bigger task than I thought. My accountant asked me to please clarify the information of purpose in minutes of meeting. I don't want to jump through a lot of hoops just to recheck the pegs. The neighbor's land is 5m wide sloped jungle full of boulders and old trees. I don't see how it's useful for anything. He said he couldn't build a house on it, but perhaps they are thinking of a road. Shouldn't the onus be on them to make sure they are not overlapping titled land? I gave them (farang and Thai wife) a copy of my Chanot and asked that they respect the boundaries. The guy owns several high-end houses and plenty of land, so you would think he would be careful. His wife is the type who would rent out her granddaughter if she could. I'm thinking now to just leave the matter alone and see if they encroach on my land later.

BC, thanks for that helpful information! My accountant is writing up the minutes now. I would think that anyone buying land would check with the LO beforehand to make sure their land is unencumbered and doesn't overlap titled land. I remember years ago about bribes being paid to the LO but haven't heard anything like that lately.

My company-owned land was purchased in 2007 and surveyed several times as others bought adjacent land. Lately, I noticed a new group snooping around who say they bought the land to the west of mine. They asked about the Chanot pegs as well as a copy of the title. I showed them both but noticed that one peg had been moved forward. I decided to visit the Land Office today, holding copies of the titles (3) and the company papers, and requested the survey team come out to verify the size of the land. The LO wants "the minutes of the meeting." I turned it over to my accountant/lawyer. Has anyone requested a land survey lately? Any advice on securing the pegs in the ground? I have cement posts with wire around most of the property, but it seems to just get knocked down. Please, no comments on foreign ownership of land.