kitjohnson
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Posts posted by kitjohnson
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"I'm going to build a house, and am not sure whether to hire my own contractor/architect, or go through one of the companies that will do the whole process for you.'
Be careful whichever way you decide to go. I did a lot of research via this forum, other building forums, and talking to people who had built houses in Thailand, and found out it is very easy to be overcharged for the finished product.
My wife and I are having a house built in Saraphee, just outside of Chiang Mai, due to be finished next month. We found a book of house plans at a bookshop and were lucky enough to find one which was ideal for our block of land, all we did was add one bathroom.
We found a qualified draftsman who drew up the plans based on what we showed him, and our builder is the Father of a good friend of ours. He is doing a really good job and seems to be building everything according to the plans.
We submitted our plans to the government department, not sure what it is called, and that was easy enough.
All in all I am glad we went the way we did and we were very lucky to find a good honest builder.
Hope your building experience is as easy and hassle free as ours has been so far, and best of luck.
PM me if you need any additional information, photos etc.
Thanks very much for saying that. I must say the whole process can seem overwhelming, and that the people who have told me their story of building a house in Thailand only have negative things to say about getting ripped off and shoddy work. So thanks for putting a positive light on it. If only I could find a contractor here in Bangkok who is as good as the ones you've got...
What was the name of the book of plans that you used? I've been to Asia Books and Kinokunia and couldn't see anything like that in the architecture section.
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Thanks, IMHO, for your advice. I took a photo of the worst air bubbles I could find. Most of the concrete looked better than that. I just have no mental image to compare them to, so I appreciate you sharing your knowledge.
It sounds like the rust isn't much of a problem either.
Thanks again!
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I'm going to build a house, and am not sure whether to hire my own contractor/architect, or go through one of the companies that will do the whole process for you.
I went to an open day by Built to Build group. We looked at show homes as well as their factory. I was quite impressed, though the prices are impressively high to match.
As we were going around the factory I took these two photos. One shows air bubbles in concerete posts, and the other shows rust on the metal bits that come out of the concrete posts. (You can see I'm not exactly what you'd call a construction expert.)
I just wondered whether these air bubbles and rust are normal, and represent the high quality workmanship that they kept telling us about on this open day.
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I went to Chaeng Wattana and spoke to the people at the PR section. They were friendly and helpful, but (unfortunately) clarified that it's 100K a month.
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You should be able to tell from the chanote whether the canal or whatever is yours to modify. Some are kings property and cannot be modified in any way.
Thanks for that info. I got a scan of the deeds yesterday as it happens. None of the irrigation channels are marked on it. They're quite small.
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I've shown my ignorance of all things construction here. What I understand now is that the posts are load bearing, and that provided we don't have a post directly over this drainage tube, we won't have any problems. The land is large and so we have some flexibility about exactly where we place the house, so I think it should be easy enough to avoid putting a post directly above the tube.As a rough guide, the footings for an average cement + block house with post spans of 4M are going to have a design spec of 20 tons (per post). Suggest you consult an engineer on this one.
The first thing you need to establish is what is the purpose of this canal/klong .
Does it drain surface water from somewhere, was it just an old irrigation pond for crop growing.
And do you have legal rights to alter it.
If you are going to be building over it or even driving a car then it needs to be a concrete drain, bigger the better.
And that drain should ideally be covered with concrete.
I have one now across my gate to give you an idea.
You have to maintain the flow . Ours is actually controlled by sluice gates to irrigate fields elsewhere.
Will post photo later, it's full now they haven't released the water, haha
Thanks for your input on this; that's helpful. I spoke to my father-in-law yesterday when we visited the land about these questions. It's an irrigation channel, and he does have a pump and sluice gates to control the water. He plans to put in concrete piping, like you suggested, and put in some vertical channels for inspection too.
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Thank you so much for those comments and suggestions. I'll get myself down to CW then. Good to know they have a specific section for PR. I will head there.
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I recently posted on whether my meagre government university salary is enough to make an application for permanent residence. My tentative conclusion after reading the replies was yes, it is.
I've done some reading on whether a lawyer is necessary for applying for PR. The consensus seems to be no. I'm very organised and have more time than money, so in my case it seems better to go it alone.
Before I start compiling the mountain of documents required, however, I'd like a little more confidence that I really am eligible for PR. I would much rather find out now that I can't get it, rather than after having spent many hours getting the paperwork together.
What would you recommend I do to find out as surely as possible that I am eligible? I was thinking a trip to Chaeng Wattana. Who would I ask to speak to there?
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My wife has got some land and we're going to build a house. Part of the land has a small (a few feet wide) canal. We'd like to fill this in to increase the size of our garden.
Her dad has done a job like this before. He laid some kind of concrete piping down to allow the water to continue flowing, and then just burried it all with soil. He's plannning on doing the same for us on this land.
I'm thinking that maybe we would like to put some kind of structure over this. It could be part of the house, or an outbuilding. Perhaps nothing at all, but it would be nice to have the option of building over it at some point in the future.
So my question is, is there a specific kind of pipe that we should use to ensure it will be safe to build over in the future?
(I'm sorry that I know nothing about construction and so probably have used incorrect terms to describe things.)
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Thanks very much for the replies.
I think the confusion comes from translation, to say that if one is just employed (so that he does not file tax returns) need to make 80K a month.
If a tax return is filed, needs to be 100K monthly.
I read the Thai version (doesn't copy and paste well from pdf, so pasting a link) and thought it was about as clear as the English version, that is, it seems (at least to me) like 100K for the year. But I'm not 100% sure, and I'm not skilled in reading legal/financial things.
The 80k baht is the monthly income. The 100k baht number refers to the minimum net annual income after deductions when you file your taxes. The 100k baht number was the exempt from taxes number when the regulation was written. It is now 150k baht.
It's a relief to hear that. My meagre salary is over 150k annually (after deductions). So if I understand correctly, anyone that is actually paying taxes (i.e. over the exempt from taxes amount), then they are eligible.
If anyone has any more information to add, please do.
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I'm interested in getting permanent residency based on employment. I'd be grateful if someone who has experience could clear up whether I need to have earned 100,000 Baht annually or monthly for two consecutive years — I have been doing my tax returns in Thailand — according to the translated requirements below:3.2.3 In case where the applicant lacks of any qualification as mentioned in3.2.1 and 3.2.2 then the following requirement is applied.1) Be a holder of work permit for at least 3 consecutive years up to the date of application submission and2) Have been working in the current company for at least 1 year, up to the date of application submission and3) Earn annual income at least Baht 80,000 per month for a period of at least 2 years, up to the date of application submission, or have been filing tax return for the amount of annual income of Baht 100,000 for at least 2 consecutive years, up to the date of application submission.
As I understand it, you need to have been earning 80,000 per month on average if you haven't been doing tax returns, or just 100,000 baht per year if you have been filing tax returns. It's a huge difference, and it seems strange. Why isn't everyone required to do tax returns? Especially if they're earning 80,000 per month?
I've been working for a Thai Government University for nearly three years now, and you won't be surprised that 80,000 a month is out of my league, but 100,000 a year isn't.
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An educational maintenance grant or stipend can be used to meet the financial requirement. The minimum amount required for a spouse is the equivalent of one's net income if working and earning £18,600 p.a. gross: i.e. £15,800 p.a.
6.4. Maintenance grant or stipend – further guidance.
See also 6.5.1, 10 (g) for the evidence required.
What I'm not sure is whether you can do this if you have been living outside the UK and are returning to study.
However, is it your intention to leave the UK once the course is finished?
If so, then considering the cost of a settlement visa (currently £851) as opposed to a visit (£80 for a standard 6 month, £278 for a 2 year), plus the costs of her TB test and English test; might it not be better for you to come alone while she stays in Thailand and she visits you?
Note, though, that if she did this she could only stay a maximum of 6 months per visit and, usually, no more than 6 months out of 12. She would also be unable to work or study whilst in the UK as a visitor.
Coming as a student is not as simple as some believe. For starters, to come for longer than 6 months she would need to be accepted on a recognised course by an approved educational establishment.
See Adult Students, Tier 4 (General) and the links from there.
All the above assumes that you are British.
If you are not, then when you apply for your Tier 4 visa, she can, provided certain conditions are met, apply to come with you as your dependant. Can you bring your family?
I was hoping for a thorough answer like this, and got it. Thank you so much. I am British, by the way.
I have searched around on some forums and some people believe that you cannot use educational maintenance grants to support the application - thanks to your research I now know better.
The settlement route, and indeed the PGCE route, are both very longer-term options. (And as you mention the settlement visa is much more expensive than a visitor visa.) In order to secure funding for the PGCE course I would likely need to work in the UK for some length of time anyway. If I crash back from Thailand and straight away ask for 20,000 pounds, eyebrows may be raised. While I am working would be one good time to apply for a settlement visa, if we pursue that option.
A study visa isn't really an option. She lived in England for several years as a student before, and isn't keen to enter that life again.
The visitor visa seems to have a range of benefits. She successfully got one a few years back, before we were married, and we know the procedure now. The problem of course is that she wouldn't be allowed to work, and would need to leave after 6 months. But 6 months is a nice long time.
Why don't you just do it online and live here?
It looks like a great option, but there's one major downside: I would not get a full QTS (qualified teacher status) which I would need to teach in the UK at any point in the future, and which many international schools request. If I were already employed in an international school and they simply wanted me to get an extra piece of paper, this would probably be the best way to do it.
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I'm planning on doing a one-year full-time PGCE course at a UK university, and would like my Thai wife to be able to live with me. I've spent a couple of hours doing research but can't seem to find the right kind of visa for her. She would like to live with me and to try to find a job.
What are her options for a visa? I may be able to get a scholarship, but it would be tough to get what they ask for as part of the settlement visa requirements (about 18,600 pounds). If I do get the scholarship, would confirmation of the scholarship be deemed acceptable financial support? Our combined salaries here in Thailand aren't enough (which is why I'm doing this course: employment prospects).
If we do not make the settlement visa requirements, are there any other options? A tourist visa would be one thing, but then she wouldn't be allowed to work.
When the course finishes I should be able to find work on 21,000 pounds ish. But we'd rather not be separated for a year.......
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<br /><br /><br /><br />Is this happening regularly? I'm looking for somewhere that does open mic/spoken word.<br />Yes, open mike night at Sangdee IS every Thursday, with the notable exception of this week when they are closed. Their usual programme resumes on Friday the 7th and the lucky 13th sees 'open mic' return.
During the past few Thursdays they've had a very good and varied selection of verse, acapella folk song and even some amusing dance from Neville, who is a most welcoming host in Dutch as well as English.
No food but drinks at reasonable prices, etc etc.
No connection other than as an impressed newcomer there.
Sounds good. I'll get myself along soon then. Thanks very much for the information.
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Is this happening regularly? I'm looking for somewhere that does open mic/spoken word.
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I got it up on the stand this morning and was slightly disappointed by the fact that I couldn't find any free play whatsoever on either the front or back wheels. Looks like the bearings are OK. I guess there's no need to change them. I was kinda looking forward to it!
It was good to work out how to use the stand though. Now oiling the chain etc will work a lot better if I can get the rear wheel raised.
In repair shops to lift the back wheel they usually put the stand under the exhaust pipe. Is that a good idea? It looks like with a bit more effort I should be able to put the stand directly under the frame, more solid.
I kinda struggled getting the back wheel raised because I was trying to lift the rear end of the bike up. It's heavy and I'm small, no fun. I realised that you just have to tilt it so the front wheel is raised, put the stand underneath the exhaust, and when you drop the front wheel down the rear wheel will magically raise up.
I might depending on where you are.
I live 65 km southwest of Khampaeng Phet and about 400 km from BKK or CM.
If you're interested let me know when you're next in CM. They're not the kind of jacks you use to raise a vehicle up, they're stands (i.e. you can adjust the height first and then put the bike on top), just like the ones you see in most bike repair places here. 400 baht.
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Great to meet you guys last night. It was fun. See you again next week.
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I'll pop along to the chess club tonight. I don't have a chess set though!
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I picked up those tripod stands (kinda like jacks) for working on my bike today, at the market. Tomorrow I'll have a go hoisting up the front and rear ends of it and see if there's any free play indicating worn-out bearings. I'm suspecting there will: the bike is over five years old now and the previous owner didn't do much in the way of maintenance.
I'll pull the old ones and take them down to the local parts store. Someone else recommended I look for SFK bearings.
You can only buy those tripod stands in pairs here, as they're actually designed for cars. If anyone local wants the second one (which I think will be useless to me as the Phantom doesn't have a centre stand - in the bike shop they only ever use one stand at a time) I'll give it to you for cheap.
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I bought a new Phantom exactly a year ago. The day & hour I got it there was a minor problem in that the throttle wasn't returning to idle properly. I could have fixed this myself but since the bike was literally 10 minutes old, I took it straight back to the large 'department store' where I'd just bought it. I figured that they should have the task of correcting the fault. The presence of such an obvious fault also made me realise that the bike could not have been properly PDI'd before it was handed over to me.... To my dismay, the 'mechanic' insisted on taking the carburettor off and stripping it all over the floor! He obtusely insisted that my problem was to do with the fuel jet rather than the much more obvious and simple culprit - a sticky cable, not routed correctly between the handlebars and the carb. (which is exactly what it later turned out to be!)
Two or three days afterwards it began to leak petrol a bit from the carb. I wasn't happy to take the bike back to the dealer again as I was already convinced that they hadn't a clue what they were doing. I went to a bike shop in Chiangmai which came highly recommended to me. There, the guy clearly did know about bikes and certainly knew the Phantom inside out. He was able to correct the fuel leak problem easily.
He told me something that I found very interesting. I have never checked the vailidy of this but I pass it onto you in the forum for your further "fat-chewing"...
He told me that the latest batch of Phantom engines (i.e. the TA200) were being made in China. He said that the build quality wasn't quite as good as it used to be. He told me to get the oil out of it immediately and replace it with a high quality oil, as the Chinese oil was very poor and could lead to early failure of things like cam-lobes and bearings etc. I did this, thinking that I'd rather spend 300 Baht than take the risk.
As I say, I don't know the validity of that information so I offer it here as unconfirmed.
Perhaps it's useful to someone?
Can you tell me the name of the decent repair shop please? I've moved to CM and have a phantom.
I think I may need to change the bearings on mine and would like to do it myself. I've recently bought a few tools. I'll need to get one of those small metal tripod stands too.
Does anyone know where I should get parts like new bearings? Original/fake?
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A small group of us meets each Wednesday at The Pub on Huey Geao Road, 7pm. "All Levels" is pretty accurate. Off-hand games, timed contests--blitz or long--and the occasional theoretical duel in a topical line of the Botvinnik system. We've got it all!
I'm new to Chiang Mai and would like to go along. Where along Huey Keow road is The Pub?
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Nothing yet
When you do have a certificate of adress in CM, go to CM DLT and request move. First visit they check your docs, next visit one week later they inspect bikes, issue new plates and you give them old(remember tools), new plate number on front page of book, and new adress in book. Done
Thanks for your advice, and to Thunderbird.
That settles it. Easier than I thought it would be. Makes a change!
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Hi,
I'd be really grateful for some advice on this topic.
I have two motorbikes, both registered in my name and address, in Bangkok. I'm moving to Chiang Mai, and may want to sell them there at a later date. I do not want them to remain registered under a Bangkok address, because it will mean serious hassle getting the bikes back to Bangkok before the ownership can be transferred to a Chiang Mai buyer.
The possible snag is that I don't yet have an address in Chiang Mai where I wish to register the bikes. I will initially stay in a guest house until I find some decent accommodation. I want one of the bikes up with me to help in the search for accom.
Does anyone know what I need to do? Can I get the vehicles signed-off in Bangkok without a new owner/address? Shall I just give them a friend's address in Chiang Mai? Can I even transfer them from my own name to my own name, just changing address?
Thanks!
Kit
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I've getting stuck into researching masters courses (by distance learning), and there's a lot on offer. So far the Nottingham course sticks out as the most flexible and interesting.
I came across the Times Higher Education world university rankings. Whatever you think about such lists, Thailand did appear in the top 200. Chula, of course, at number 166.
http://www.timeshighereducation.co.uk/hybr...sp?typeCode=243
Air bubbles in concrete
in DIY Forum
Posted
Thanks very much. I'll go check it out.
The house will be in a district which floods, so a bit of clearance from the ground (like on the cover photo) might be a good idea!