House building & DIY

Over the weekend I just had a hybrid solar PV system installed at my house due to the crazy increase of electricity tariffs lately. This is a hybrid system which means the PV also charges a battery which in case of a power outage from the grid will still be able to power up the house hold. Power outages has been quite frequent at my housing area due to the frequent thunderstorms. Anyway I'll explain further with the accompanying pictures: So here you have the PV panels themselves. Monocrystalline 460W each. Originally I planned to have 11 of them installed to give me a total max output of 5,060W but unfortunately the side of my roof can only acc…

Some background information. The wife is the second youngest of 4 siblings, born and raised in the Ban Bua Khao village, Pathumrat, Roi Et, which lies midway between Kaset Wisai and Phayakkhaphum Phisai, just off the AH121 highway. https://www.google.co.th/maps/place/Ban+Bua+Khao+Police+Station/@15.5814741,103.4011519,12.75z/data=!4m5!3m4!1s0x311825779321a1a1:0x3f6b6edb04299712!8m2!3d15.5686932!4d103.4033761?hl=en Her Father was a prominent figure in the community and head of the village. They owned 80 rai of land, mainly producing rice crops and two orchards, and built their home on a half rai plot within the village. Unfortunately, her Father beca…

Hello all, In a blatant attempt at self promotion, I started a UTube Channel to record my home building experience here in Seka. I did the first video all on my I Phone, which was rather easy. No drone yet, but that will follow! Need to get the Go Pro involved as well. So take a look and give me a like or comment! All criticisms welcome! Thanks!

We are thinking of buying land but wouldn't be building a proper house for 6-7 years............. But was thinking could build a 1bdrm guesthouse to have a place to stay on visits and then move it on the property once we build the proper house. Is that doable? We would build it with the idea we may move it Thanks

I'm on a few Thai building groups on Facebook But thought I'd ask her We will be moving to Thailand(well living there 8/9months a year) Probably move in 6-7 years So starting to look for land How long should you fill the land in for? And a big question I have Say we want a 250-300sqm house, for example We'd also want room to build a guest house and maybe my "farang cave" Do you just fill in a bunch of land and then what happens to the land that you don't build on? Just landscape area?

Hello, Everyone, I like to know if there is anybody who has experience with changing the title deed of a plot of land. For example from Por Bor Thor5 to Nor Sor 3 or higher. I am keen to hear your answers, Cheers, Diego

Hi Guys, I will come right to the point; I am living in Samroiyod (45 km under Hua Hin)and looking for a worker (chang) who can work on wooden roof. Not any Chang, but somebody who knows his material, where to get it and how to work with it. My roof is leaking and although I know how to fix it. I cannot find the material that I am used to and I am not flexible in a way that I feel this is something that I need to do. Now alle Thai will be quickly to say that they can do it, but in practice, few of them can and if they can even than even fewer can work skillfully. I had an address in Chaam on the Pethkasem, but they went out of business. Th…

All you Thai home dwellers! Do you use a water heater for your shower, washing machine, or kitchen sink? If so, how many Watts did you go with? I feel that 6000 Watts is enough for the Master shower, and a smaller number in the smaller bathrooms. Thoughts?

We have a three bed house in Kohn Kaen which needs new bathrooms, kitchen, some electrical work and AC installing. Looking for a trusted builder so would appreciate suggestions. Cheers..... Dave

Lack of insulation is a huge problem, at least in my house. I live in a row of connected houses with shared walls. As near as I can see by popping my head up the access hole through the ceiling, there are only 1/2 walls between my house and the neighbors, so my plan is lay fiberglass down on top of the room's ceilings, since insulating the roof itself would be a waste. I'm thinking of using 6" wrapped fiberglass from SCG. It seems to do what I am looking for. Has anyone done this, had any problems, have any suggestions?

One our bathrooms has a problem with the waste-water going 'down the pan' very slowly. We had a problem before and had the tank emptied a month ago. Now it's emptying slowly again. There's a bit of assumption here: The house was built 40-odd-years ago and this septic tank is the original one. I'm guessing if it's that old, it's likely to be a concrete ring tank? I say that because on the ground there's a 1m diameter concrete 'cover' x 10cm deep, with a 3m long inch-and-a-half PVC vent-pipe coming out of the centre. I've asked, and there were never any drainage pipes to disperse the liquid. As (again I assume) the liquid drains into the ground at the botto…

Hello, I am a USA expat who is closing on a brand new, 80 square meter, 2 BR/2BA condo in EKkamai, BKK next week. I have very good design sense, but need help with actually realizing my vision for a renovation. Wishing for: new kitchen, wall treatments, renovate bathrooms, add closets, wall treatments, electric shades, all furniture, etc. etc. Mid to higher range renovations, definitely not the cheapest IKEA and not the highest end. I need help with all s…

Does anyone know of a company in Greater Bangkok area offering home swimming pool maintenance/cleaning services? Basically a company that will send a pool guy round every view weeks to check water, adjust chemicals, vacuum pool, etc.

I’m handy at most things but a bit afraid of electrical work in Thailand. I’m looking to run a cable underground in the garden and have 2 electrical sockets positioned on a wall in protective casing for when it rains. I’ll also put the underground cable in protective tubing. My question is, is it just a matter of connecting the 2 wires to an existing outdoor power supply or do I need anything else? ps I’ll make sure I turn the mains off before I start Thanks

https://www.winfavourfan.com/ - Sold direct or thru any Central Group retail store, Baan&Beyond, ThaiWatsadu, PowerBuy etc. The WinFavour company has a wide range of quality fans available and their after-sales service is 2nd to no-one! (More about that below). We purchased a fan, no-light model similar to the above, for a specific room and it is virtually indistinguishable from our kitchen fan which came from another company and cost almost 3 times the price. The kitchen fan had to black so as to not show any staining over a long period and it made sense to use a similar design and colour for this purpose in the adjacent casual coffee lounge. …

The build was back in 2010, so prices are not worth asking now days. None of the pics are in order, I'm just picking out ones that I like and feel may be of interest to other members.

I'm looking for some experience with well drilling in Chiang Rai province. We already drilled a well to 35 meters and the water sucks! I want to re-drill on a different site if it makes sense.

I am looking for a gas engine powered pressure washer in the 3500 - 4000 PSI range (240 - 275 Bar). So far I can only find electric powered pressure washers that top out at around 2000 PSI (138 Bar). Anyone know where to buy gas powered pressure washers in Thailand? Are they not allowed here?

It appears to me that the use of aluminum power wire in Thailand is very common, no doubt to save money. Is it common practice to use Noalox Anti-Oxidant grease when terminating or splicing aluminum wires, such as aluminum power drops into a house main panel? Or not so much in Thailand?

As the title suggests i am looking for competent electricians in Isaan. Specifically north of Korat city. Visiting the gf s family farm soon. The house electrics leave a lot to be desired. Is there certification available to electricians. I made a comment and remark that came back was that the man in the village who does electrical work is busy with the harvest. The CU is fairly modern with a single RCD although I would prefer something with RCBOs The installation bit I can probably do myself but I need someone competent for testing. I have other concerns is an earthing rod standard or do they use the neutral off the supply. I gu…

In need of professional structural welder for a 1-day project in Udon. Have had 4 "welders" that talked a good game come out. All of them had small inverter-type welders and failed miserably welding my 6mm plates together on my staircase. Please pass on any information you might have. Thanks!

My wife just bought a house From what I read the buyer is responsible for the 2% transfer fee and that is it The seller is responsible for everything else Is that correct or is the buyer responsible for more?

Looking about for a fair building brick. The only bricks Thais seem to use is the cheap 2/4 holers that are extruded lengthwise. Ugly, not uniform, and wear terribly if not rendered. Seems ridiculous to me to build a cabinet carcass from crap red bricks, then render, then paste on expensive brick look-alikes! How much work is that! Looking for something I can build kitchen with. Those stackable lego blocks aren't what I want either. Are there any clay, fired, facing brick suppliers in Issan? Thanks in advance for any help!