Although this blog is not up to date, I have added quite a few more photographs to my gallery album.

Have a look there to see the latest photographs of developments in planting the garden and finishing off the house.

I hope to be able to provide a more comprehensive blog entry (complete with commentary and pictures) soon.

The house (and garden… and pool… and waterfall etc.) is now 99% complete.

We moved in on the 1st of May and have been living there for about 6 weeks now.

I’d like to post some photos of what it looks like, but have decided to wait until it’s 100% complete. It will be good… very good. I couldn’t ever dream to build such a home back in Australia… it’d be beyond my financial resources.

Getting that last 1 percent finished is the problem… the final hurdle to cross… and I am continually running into the Thai “face” issue that prevents us from reaching completion.

Up until now, I have prided myself (in a humble sort of way) on my ability to work with the Thais… and overcome (or work though) problems to reach a mutually satisfactory conclusion. But now… I am beginning to doubt myself and my (mis)conceptions.

I have always worked on projects… be they part of my vocation or in the home. I have always tried to plan ahead… and factor in variables that might affect the outcome of a project… but this is not so easy to do in Thailand. The cultural differences between East and West are just too great.

Frustrating? Shit yeah!!! I have been tearing my hair out in so many situations with different subcontractors as well as the developer to try to find ways of achieving completion… to no avail to date.

I continually run up against this look as if they don’t understand what the falung is on about. Absolute bullshit!!! They know perfectly well what I’m on about… but they will not (and cannot) admit it. Under no circumstances will they ever admit that they are wrong… or have missed something… or could have done something better. To do so, would be a loss of “face”… so they prefer (or opt) to ignore the problem… and hope it goes away.

The only thing I can do to conclude things is to withhold payment until things have been done to my satisfaction… but in some cases I have to consider that the work has been 99% done and the subcontractor has to pay his labourers… so it would be unfair of me to retain the money as his workers would suffer. It’s a fine line to walk… and one I’m treading on very gingerly.

Why is it so difficult to clean up paint spatters from the tiling underneath after overhead painting of the eaves?

Why is it so difficult to test the sprinkler system to ensure even water coverage of the garden? And plants will not go thirsty or alternatively drown?

Why cannot the water in the pool be replenished after backwashing? And leave it with the water level low so the skimmer pump runs dry?

Why do they have to use a new tile… every farking time… for at least 50 occurrences… and cut it with an angle grinder afterwards… and destroy the second half… knowing full well that only a (pre-cut) half tile should have been used in the first place?

Why can’t the bloody plants be planted vertically in the garden when they take them out of the pots or plastic bags… rather than haphazardly planting them at all sorts of odd angles?

Why do I still have the same 10 farking punchlist items that require completion from the developer that have not been addressed in the last 6 weeks that we have been living here?

Why………???

It’s not as if they’ve never done this sort of work before.

Thai (preservation of) “face”, and not wanting to admit that they’ve done wrong… or could have done it better… or didn’t “take care”… is the answer.

Even my wife cannot understand why these people are not “working good”. They have been told (both in English and Thai) that they will not be paid until the job’s done… but they refuse to admit there’s a problem.

The look…

And I’m really, really struggling to deal with it. (As well of course, try to carry out my duties in my regular job here).

It’s enough to turn a man to drink!!!

Anyway… some good news today… the bank has approved our loan… a 15 year package with me as guarantor (but in the missus’ name of course as foreigners cannot own land in Thailand)… and we have been asked when can we go with them to the local council office to sign over the “chanoot” (land title) with the developer?

I’ve told them that we have given the final punchlist of items requiring completion to the developer… and as soon as that has been rectified, we’ll be ready for the signing ceremony.

The developer is not happy about the situation (of course)… as they want to get their hands on the money. But this is the only trump card I am still holding over them… because as sure as shit flows downhill… if they get their hands on the residual money… all promises will be forgotten… and it will be up to me to finance the completion works myself.

Stay tuned for future developments… and photographs of the finished result.

I received a comment on my blog, and decided to make it the subject of a new blog entry... so other potential homebuilders in the NaJomtien/Pattaya area can use the information if they wish.

All of the kitchen appliances I bought from HomePro in Pattaya. They are all Siemens products imported from Germany.

I was lucky... there was a Siemens promotion on at the time, where if you bought one product, you got 10% discount on the second. If you bought 2 products, you got a 20% discount on the third. If you bought 3 you got 30% off the fourth etc. With the electric oven, range hood, ceramic hot plate combo, microwave, and washing machine, I had a total of 5 products and received a hefty discount. And... because I'd bought over 50,000 baht's worth of goodies, I received another HomePro offer... a free Sony TV.

Sometimes it pays to look around and find out where these kinds of specials are... you can save a lot of money.

The kitchen is custom made by my interior decorator. I produced plans and elevations of what I wanted on AutoCAD, specified the type of granite to be used for the benches, and left him to match the timberwork with the rest of the house.

Originally I got a couple of quotes from custom kitchen builders in Pattaya, but decided to go with our interior decorator instead.

In retrospect, I think it was a good decision as the results are superb.


If anyone is interested in getting interior work done in the Pattaya region, send me a PM and I will forward his details to you. He doesn't advertise... he doesn't need to... his only references are word-of-mouth.

Well, things have been progressing steadily... which is good.

But, what with work commitments and regular trips out to the building site, I have not been able to keep this blog updated.

I simply have no spare time.

I will update it further... just to keep you all in the loop as far as developments are concerned... but for now, I'll point you in the direction of my photo gallery, which has the latest pictorial developments.

I'd love to be able to tell you of the arguments we've had with the developer... and the compromises we've had to make in order to push it along... the funny stories with selecting tiles for the bathroom... the camaraderie we've struck up with the interior decorator... the little things that have made this project both a headache and a challenge... but I am struggling to find the energy and words at the end of the day to put into print.

One day I will... and I hope my memory serves me well enough to share these moments with you as accurately as possible... it's been quite an experience.

Anyway... for now, please review my gallery and see for yourselves how it's progressing.

Chok Dee.

Well, apart from a coat of paint and some wiring for the lighting, the front gate is nearly finished.

10 Feb – Front Gate

The interior tiling is just about finished.

10 Feb – Interior Tiling

They have started work on the sandwash paving for the pool deck.

10 Feb – Sandwash Deck Panel

And they have started construction of the waterfall.

10 Feb – Waterfall Construction

As you can see from the number of recent entries in my blog, things are happening and I can show you photographs of the progress. From a stage a month or so ago when nothing was happening, now I’m in a situation where I have to be at the house every second day to answer questions, advise preferences etc… it’s a very busy time… but it’s great.

I can see the light at the end of the tunnel… and my forecast of moving into the house by Songkran (13-15 April) looks like becoming a reality.

Having said that, there will still be a period of about 6 weeks for interior fitout… timber work, kitchen etc… so… we’ll see.

8 Feb – Interior Tiling 01

8 Feb – Interior Tiling 02

8 Feb – Interior Tiling 03

8 Feb – Interior Tiling 04

Can you remember that little surprise feature at the entrance gate that I hinted ago in a previous blog entry? Well, here is what it looks like now. Can you guess what it will look like when it’s finished?

8 Feb – Pool Tiling at Entrance Gate

And here is what the underside of the sala is like at the moment. Basically, I’m going to erect some stained timber slats underneath and a fan in the ceiling.

8 Feb – Sala Ceiling Preparation

Interior tiling is progressing well, although they are having a few minor problems, as the rooms are not 100% square.

We have opted to retain the developer’s standard 16” ceramic tiles for the perimeter of each room, as well as the kitchen and common passage areas in the house, but I am having textured 13” white tiles laid at 45 degrees inside a dark timber insert as a feature in all the bedrooms, the living room, and the dining room. I have seen this style before in another house, and really like the effect.

6 Feb – Interior Tiling 01

6 Feb – Interior Tiling 02

6 Feb – Interior Tiling 03

6 Feb – Interior Tiling 04

Pool tiling and gate construction is also progressing well.

6 Feb – Gate Construction

6 Feb – Pool Tiling

The pool is nearly completely tiled now, and I’m really happy with the results. The size is perfect… big enough to do laps in (alright… with a lot of turns… it’s 10m x 6m x 1.6m deep), and the colour has turned out really well… it’s drawing a lot of complimentary comments from both passers–by and the developer’s management.

2 Feb – Pool Tiling 01

5 Feb – Pool Tiling 02

5 Feb – Pool Tiling 03

5 Feb – Pool Tiling 04

5 Feb – Pool Tiling 05

Progress is being made on the perimeter wall and gate too.

5 Feb – Gate Construction 01

5 Feb – Gate Construction 02

We have started tiling inside the house too. As the developer was making all sorts of excuses for not being able to get labour, we’ve come to an agreement… I’ve taken the internal tiling out of their scope of work and have hired my own subcontractor. As a result, work is now progressing.

5 Feb – Internal Tiling 01

5 Feb – Internal Tiling 02

5 Feb – Internal Tiling 03

The tiling work on the pool is progressing very well. I have been pleasantly surprised by the quality of work, the speed of progress, and the general housekeeping and cleanliness of the workers. They are not your average temporary transient labourers… they have been trained well, supervised well, and they are doing a really good job.

29 Jan – Pool Tiling 01

29 Jan – Pool Tiling 02

29 Jan – Pool Tiling 03

Tiling work has also started in the garage.

29 Jan – Garage Tiling

Work on my house, has all but stopped. With the exception of the swimming pool subcontractor’s work, there is nothing happening on my property.

When I questioned the developers about the lack of progress, they just shrugged and explained that they couldn’t get workers. It is an extremely frustrating time.

We have come to an agreement… as the development is 2 months behind planned progress, so I do not have to make the payments on schedule. It took a bit of convincing, but I simply explained that I was not prepared to pay for work that had not been done… when the progress had caught up with the schedule, then payments would recommence.

We are however, very happy about the progress of the pool. The tile selection looks quite good. I was a bit concerned about the colour of the available tiles, as the dark blue seemed too dark, and the light blue too light. So I’ve made a compromise… the top two tiles down to the water level will be dark blue, and the tiles below that will be a mix or light and dark blue. I really like the result.

27 Jan – Front Wall

27 Jan – Gate and Pool

27 Jan – Pool Tiling 01

27 Jan – Pool Tiling 02

27 Jan – Sala and Pool

One small problem, our water tank (3200 litres) has been installed… right in the middle of what was going to be a nice lawn area. Why they have put it there rather than up against the perimeter wall is anyone’s guess (probably because it was easier to dig the hole there), but I’ve expressed my displeasure and requested that it be shifted to a more appropriate location.

27 Jan – Water Tank Installation

Well, not a lot of work has gone on over the past month. The labour pool that the developers had have all but disappeared… back to their villages and off to other projects. Work on my house, and all the other houses in the complex, has virtually come to a standstill.

Here are a few photos of the exterior of the house.

3 Jan - External North Side 01

3 Jan - External North Side 02

3 Jan - External North Side 03

3 Jan - External South Side 01

3 Jan - External South Side 02

3 Jan - External South Side 03

3 Jan - External South Side 04

3 Jan - External South Side 05

Some of the water supply piping, drainage, and sewerage has been installed. Each bathroom has it’s own septic tank, with overflow to a drainage pit, which in turn overflows to the development’s wast water drainage system.

3 Jan – Garage Septic Tank

The first real coat of paint has finally been applied inside the house.


6 Dec –Painting in Dining Room

And the first two bathrooms’ tiling work is nearly complete.

6 Dec – Bathroom 1 Tiling

6 Dec – Bathroom 2 Tiling

Now this next photo is going to make some people wonder how anything electrical actually works in Thailand: the wiring for the master fuse box.

6 Dec – Wiring For Fuse Box

The timber sliding doors are being hung on their tracks, and this is the future view we’ll have from our dining room:

6 Dec – Looking Outside From the Dining Room

The cool season is finally here at last. The rains have stopped, and the humidity levels are dropping… quite pleasant actually. Noticeable progress has been made on the house.

6 Dec – External View of House 01

6 Dec – External View of House 02

6 Dec – External View of House 03

6 Dec – External View of House 04

6 Dec – External View of House 05

6 Dec – External View of House 06

6 Dec – External View of House 07

6 Dec – External View of House 08

6 Dec – External View of House 09

6 Dec – External View of House 10

The wall on the property line behind the house has now been started… 1.3 metres from the house… which is how I laid it out on the plot of land. Remember that we only have a block of land that is 18 metres deep. That may seem small by western standards but by Thai standards in a small moo barn it’s quite reasonable. Most of the houses in this estate are less than 1 metre from the rear wall, and the minimum legal distance is only 500 mm.

25 Nov – Rear View of House

Tiling of the bathrooms has started, and the walls and ceilings have had a primer coat of paint applied. The timber window frames are also starting to be fitted.

25 Nov – Bathroom Tiling 01

25 Nov – Bathroom Tiling 02

25 Nov – Internal Painting and Timber Trim Fitout 01

25 Nov – Internal Painting and Timber Trim Fitout 02

The pool now finally seems to be free from invasive water problems.

25 Nov – Swimming Pool 01

25 Nov – Swimming Pool 02

25 Nov – Swimming Pool 03

Here are a few photos of the external of the house… as it stands now. We have opted to extend the roofline over the sliding doors entry to the kitchen, just to give a little bit of extra protection from the sun and rain, as well as a possible location for an outside BBQ.

Where’s a man gonna cook his barbie if he doesn’t have some cover on those wet rainy nights hey? And of course… it’s gotta be close to the beer fridge…

9 Nov – External View – Looking West 01

9 Nov – External View – Looking West 02

9 Nov – External View – Looking West 03

9 Nov – External View – Looking South

The timber shuttering for the swimming pool and surrounding paving has now been removed, and you can really start to see what the finished area will be like. The blue PVC pipe you can see standing up in the third photo is the pumped water supply to a waterfall, which will be located at the shallow end of the pool.

The pool will be 1 metre deep at the shallow end, falling to 1.6 metres deep at the deepest end.

I have designed a little surprise feature into the pool… one that I hope will non only enhance the general ambience of our outside living area, but will impress our guests as they step through the front gates.

I’ll keep the details of that little surprise for later…

9 Nov – Swimming Pool 01

9 Nov – Swimming Pool 02

9 Nov – Swimming Pool 03

9 Nov – Swimming Pool 04

Ceiling fitting is now complete, and painting has started. The finish is quite good, but I do have my reservations about how good it’s likely to be once they start to install the light fittings. I am concerned about the cutouts for the halogen downlights… how are they going to be sure to miss all the aluminium struts just above the plasterboard?

6 Nov – Ceiling Installation 01

6 Nov – Ceiling Installation 02

The preparation works for the paving around the swimming pool has started, with the formwork erected and steel fabric mesh laid down for reinforcing.

6 Nov – Paving around Swimming Pool 01

6 Nov – Paving around Swimming Pool 02

6 Nov – Paving around Swimming Pool 03

Well, the recent rains have not helped things…

As you can see from the photos, a lot of rain has fallen… and the swimming pool is almost full.

2 Nov – Swimming Pool Construction 01

2 Nov – Swimming Pool Construction 02

2 Nov – Swimming Pool Construction 03

However, the ceiling construction work is progressing quite well.

2 Nov – Ceiling Installation 01

2 Nov – Ceiling Installation 02

2 Nov – Ceiling Installation 03

2 Nov – Ceiling Installation 04

And the external of the house is coming along as well.

2 Nov – House External 01

2 Nov – House External 02

The ceiling inside the house is now starting to be fitted.

30 Oct – Ceiling Fitting

And the swimming pool is looking more like a pool every day.

30 Oct – Swimming Pool Construction 01

30 Oct – Swimming Pool Construction 02

The ceiling framing is now starting to take shape… aluminium framing suspended from the roof trusses by aluminium tape. The plasterboard will be applied later.

24 Oct - Ceiling Frame and Wiring 01

24 Oct - Ceiling Frame and Wiring 02

The timber infill under the eaves has started.

24 Oct - Eaves Woodwork 01

24 Oct - Eaves Woodwork 02

The garage is now really starting to take shape.

24 Oct - Garage

And the swimming pool is starting to look a bit better than a hole in the ground.

24 Oct - Swimming Pool 01

24 Oct - Swimming Pool 02

24 Oct - Swimming Pool 03

24 Oct - Swimming Pool 04

24 Oct – View of pool from inside the house

Well the pool company (Pattaya Home & Pool) is really struggling with this project…

Rather than starting at the deepest end first and establishing an efficient drainage system for the underground water seepage as well as the surface water runoff, they have started work at the easy end… the shallow end of the pool. I have tried to talk with the foreman about the problems, including the way his workers are disposing of the mud, and he nods his head and agrees with me, but the approach does not change… TIT

At the end of the day it’s a fixed price lump sum contact… with liquidated damages of 500 baht per day if the job doesn’t finish on time, with no get-out-of-jail clauses for “Acts of God” like excessive rain (sorry… forget the correct contractual term for it at the moment), and it’s his problem… not mine.

My neighbours are all telling me what a magnificent hole we have at the front of our house… and ask me if we’re planning on supplying a water resource for the entire village complex… hearty har-har…

The following photos tell the story…

04 Oct - Swimming Pool 01

04 Oct - Swimming Pool 02

04 Oct - Swimming Pool 03

04 Oct - Swimming Pool 04

04 Oct - Swimming Pool 05

05 Oct - Swimming Pool 01

05 Oct - Swimming Pool 02

12 Oct - Swimming Pool