Home Improvements To My (Wife's) House In Thailand

Video Description
My wife's house (I have paid for everything, but as a foreigner I can't own landed property in Thailand!) is typical of many Thai houses. There is virtually no garden, therefore no space for a shed, and no closed garage - just an open car port. The result is a severe lack of dry, secure storage space. That's one problem.
Strong smelling Thai food being cooked inside the house is another problem. The third problem is that the last three months of the year in this part of Thailand can be extremely wet and this makes it difficult to dry laundry.
I finally bit the bullet and started a project at the beginning of this year to fix all of these problems. The initial quote was Bt92,000 and I was told it would take about 15 days. It ended up taking just over two months and the final cost was more than twice the amount.
This video documents the project and provides a detailed cost breakdown at the end.
How I Book Hotels In Thailand And Elsewhere
Having lived in Thailand since 2003, I have booked many hotels while travelling around the country. Occasionally, I have spent an enormous amount of time trying to find the best deal. However, I almost invariably end up booking through Agoda. Not only are Agoda rates almost always the lowest, but it is a company I have learnt to trust over the years. In 2023 there were stories about another large online hotel Booking company (whose name I won't mention) who failed to pay accommodation hosts and whose customers turned up at hotels to find that they did not have a reservation. I have never had any such problems with Agoda, and the few minor issues I've had have been dealt with efficiently by their customer service representatives.
Agoda is a company I trust and recommend. Use the following link to book your next hotel room!
www.agoda.com/...
Disclaimer. I am an Agoda affiliate and will receive a small commission for any completed bookings that are made through my links. However, I only promote goods and services that I am happy with and use myself.
Are You Interested In Learning How To Read Basic Thai?
Being able to read enough basic Thai so that you can negotiate menus and read signs is incredibly useful, and it's not that difficult. It's not like Japanese or Chinese, where you have to remember thousands of characters. Like English, it's just consonants and vowels. Yes, there are more characters than English, but phonetically Thai is a lot more consistent. English vowels and vowel combinations change sound in different words (cough, rough, through, thought, bough, etc). In many ways, Thais is actually easier to learn than English. If you are interested, try the tutorials on my other KZbin channel. With some effort and dedication, you will be able to read quite well after around six months.
/ learntoreadthai

[@gangsom]

Lovely house Making me jealous sitting here in my apartment Looks like they did a decent job Currently here in my apartment watching Luton lose every week Not getting played off the park just unlucky and with Injuries it's going to be a big ask to stay up now Hope you're well

[@expatlivinginthailand]

Thank you! I'm very well, thanks. I've had a busy, but productive, couple of months trying to finish jobs that need doing on the house. Burnley and Sheffield United look certain to be relegated. Hopefully, Luton can escape the drop. All it needs is a few good results. It was looking awful for the Hammers this year, but two wins on the trot has turned everything around again. Hope you're well too!

[@OneLoveDigital]

I don't know why, I found your video and discussion entertaining. Thanks for sharing and looking forward to more.

[@expatlivinginthailand]

Thanks 🙏 If you ever figure out why, please let me know!

[@AndrewMcWinger]

30:50 - Haha, so true! I'm glad your significant other is happy)

[@expatlivinginthailand]

I do my best to try to keep the peace! Thanks for watching 🙏

[@fuzagi]

200k is a pretty good value for the amount of work i would say. one concern is that the cooking counter does not have an inset for the feet and the cook hob is place too far away from the edge, that might cause the chef to strain her back and calves cooking everyday, also the edge of the countertop should have a 'nosing' to prevent any liquid from dripping down onto the doors

[@expatlivinginthailand]

Thanks for your suggestions!

[@lianjs5305]

Morning and welcome back.

[@expatlivinginthailand]

Thank you! This project has taken a lot of time, as have the other aspects of my life. Having kids, a busy schedule, and a working wife aren't really conducive to running a KZbin channel 😔

[@Mark-gg6iy]

@25:20 Unions should be installed on both pump ports to allow easy removal. The pump vibrates so it should be sitting on rubber otherwise it will wear the tile and introduce that vibration to the PVC fittings. @4:36 "I've really fallen on my feet" ???... Yes, I am fluent in English. You might want to remember this is the www so many that speak English perfectly well will not understand your provincial slang, like me. I watched a video the other day and the homeowner was bragging about his Jotun paint. After 17 years not a single problem (Isaan), house exterior. @22:42 Glass slick tile....falls, wrenched joints & broken bones.

[@expatlivinginthailand]

Interesting comments!

[@visitstomyneighbours]

This was interesting! Reminded me of when my parents' house underwent a makeover a few years ago.. including new flooring, which was basically a type of rubber mat(?) laid on top of the existing (faded) tile floor. And roof cover & cement floor connecting the back of the house to the standalone storage shed.. which allowed for more dry-space, an outside cooking area, as well as shelter when going back & forth. Just curious though.. is ventilation sufficient for your new outside cooking area? I'm assuming it is, else you would have mentioned something about it in the video. I'm guessing you keep both entry points open when cooking is done outside? On a side note, I was in Hat Yai last week and tried out Chow.. specifically for the Eggs Benedict with salmon (which Chow calls Eggs Benny) that you featured in your video of the place. I've been curious ever since & had to try it.. good stuff! 😋 Followed immediately with New York Cheesecake at the nearby The Company 🤤 I also walked past Decha and since it was only half-full, I went in again for their fried chicken. I was underwhelmed this time. The food was ok, but just felt normal.. I don't know if my expectations were unreasonably high, or I just caught Decha on an uncharacteristic off-their-best day 🤷‍♂ Congratulations on your home improvement! 👍

[@expatlivinginthailand]

The design of the gates allows a lot of air to blow through, and ventilation is good. This was actually a subject that came up when we were doing the build, and we decided that an extractor fan wouldn't be necessary. My wife has cooked out there quite a few times, and there are no problems with ventilation. We had breakfast at Chow a couple of Sundays ago. I like the food there. I wouldn't describe Decha as being anything particularly special, but Hat Yai is famous for fried chicken, and Decha is probably the best place to get it! I hope you enjoyed your trip to Hat Yai 🙂

[@visitstomyneighbours]

@@expatlivinginthailand I certainly did enjoy my trip.. always nice on weekdays when there are no tourist crowds 😝 I also tried out Grab Bike there, which worked a treat 👍 Btw, I forgot to mention.. in case it's of any use to your viewers, the pedestrian walkway linking Padang Besar (Malaysia) railway station to the Malaysian Customs Immigration & Quarantine (CIQ) complex is now open (apparently since 14Feb).. hugely convenient for travelers on foot 😉

[@expatlivinginthailand]

@visitstomyneighbours Thanks for the info. There's another railway project in the pipeline, part of which will run from Padang Besar to Hat Yai. www.bangkokpost.com/thailand/general/2677959 I know what you mean about weekends. If I need to go downtown or to Central Festival, I try to avoid weekends. I've never known Hat Yai to have as many Malaysian tourists as there are these days. Good for the local economy, but a PITA for local residents!

[@twenisix]

nice 👍

[@expatlivinginthailand]

Thanks! Probably the best money I've spent on the house. Covering this outside area has made a huge difference, and it's incredibly useful.

[@shahesfelazi8549]

Thats cheap even for Malaysia

[@expatlivinginthailand]

Considering the amount of work involved and how well it turned out, I think I got a pretty good deal! Some of my neighbours paid a lot more and, in my opinion, didn't get as good a job!

[@shahesfelazi8549]

@@expatlivinginthailand getting a good contractor is headache and the things they charge makes no sense sometimes.

[@expatlivinginthailand]

@shahesfelazi8549 Too right! I've had many bad experiences, but the guys who did this are a fine bunch!

[@AfricanUSA-th9ov]

Why are you not saying OUR HOUSE INSTEAD Of Saying MY WIFE'S HOUSE Since You Paids For The Property. Even If The Property Is In Her Name. You Be Saying, OUR HOUSE PLEASE

[@expatlivinginthailand]

Apologies if this upset you! Well, as a foreigner, I can't own landed property in Thailand. When we registered the land that the house sits on, it was all done in my wife's name. Legally, it's all hers even though I bought it. My only concern is that one day, the house will go to our kids, and this will happen regardless of who owns the house now. So, no big deal.