Looking to Buy a Pool Villa

[Pumpuynarak]

6 hours ago, Stillearly said:

^ good luck for tomorrow!!

Ditto, hope all goes well CF.

[forcebwithu]

Congrats on the wedding. All the best to you and the Mrs.

 

[ChiFlyer]

Thanks for all the kind words with regard to the wedding. The day went well, after a troublesome start.

The wife's 20 something year old male cousin died suddenly the night before. This was up North in the Khon Kean area. She was not particularly close to said cousin and I had only met him once. However, she was on the phone with family until the wee hours and then tossed and turned all night. I was affected by her stress and got about two hours sleep myself.

The details of the death are murky at this point, and I would rather not speculate too much although it appears to have been foul play.

Anyway, we got ourselves over to the Bang Lamung Amphoe and the 4th time was a charm. We are now legally married in Thailand. We actually made it through the process in under 3 hours on this particular day. We celebrated by going home and having a nap. I took the Mrs. out to a restaurant tonight, so she did not have to deal with dishes etc. on her wedding day.

She elected to take my surname for some reason. I told her that I thought she was making too much admin for herself with all of the related ID changes (passport, national ID, DL, bank accounts, I am sure there are more), but this is what she wanted to do. Her name - her choice.

 

Edited May 16, 2023 by ChiFlyer

[Rompho Ray]

Congrats on your marriage.  Sorry to hear about the issue with the cousin.

My missus also took my family name when we got hitched, which I found rather surprising.  We got married in the US though, so there's no real reason for her to do the official name change stuff in Thailand unless she wants to.  That won't be until we move there though.

[ChiFlyer]

3 minutes ago, Rompho Ray said:

Congrats on your marriage.  Sorry to hear about the issue with the cousin.

My missus also took my family name when we got hitched, which I found rather surprising.  We got married in the US though, so there's no real reason for her to do the official name change stuff in Thailand unless she wants to.  That won't be until we move there though.

Yeah, like I already implied I guess, I was surprised that she wanted to change her name given all of the follow up admin that is most likely involved. It's not like we are at the "build a little cabin and have a couple of kids" stage of things. Counting both of us we have accumulated 125 years of not so graceful living (well at least my part).

I guess that taking the husband's surname is ingrained in Thai culture. Got to admit that I kind of like it.

[Rompho Ray]

34 minutes ago, ChiFlyer said:

I guess that taking the husband's surname is ingrained in Thai culture. Got to admit that I kind of like it.

My Italian surname seems a bit ungainly when worn by a Thai chick though!  

[ChiFlyer]

2 minutes ago, Rompho Ray said:

My Italian surname seems a bit ungainly when worn by a Thai chick though!  

My British surname, borrowed by my exiting to America Scottish ancestors over 200 years ago, actually works pretty well with a ****porn first name for some reason. 🙂

[ChiFlyer]

On 5/12/2023 at 10:41 PM, tommy dee said:

the local water has chalk in it, its pretty hard. hence the markings and any black marks.. are from the smog

Been reading up a bit on this. The chalk in Thai soils is due to concentrations of Calcite (aka Calcium Carbonate).

https://www.lathampool.com/blog/maintain/how-to-defeat-calcium-scaling-in-your-swimming-pool/

Someone sent me a formula about how to address this. Basically it is forming a paste from vinegar and baking soda. I will try it on a small area. If the results are successful, I will go into more detail here.

[KhunDon]

We married at Bangla Muang office as well @ChiFlyer 

 Didn’t even invite her family. I remember thinking at the time as the wedding certificate was be printed, her parents are going to fucking kill me. 😟

Actually, it turns out they weren’t at all worried about not being invited to the official ceremony, they were only worried about the Buddhist wedding ceremony, which, after 25 years, we have still to do.

Got close to it once, but MIL couldn’t decide on which BKK hotel the ceremony should be held as her guest list, together with my wife’s list, added up to over 900 people.😱

So, so far, I’ve got off lightly. 🤣

[mic10]

On 4/23/2023 at 7:52 AM, CampariO said:

You will not get electrocuted as the pool lights have a low voltage power supply which is not dangerous at all.

If your lightbulbs are halogen, they usually don't last long and replacing them is usually a pain in the ass. If the lamp is not assembled correctly, water will enter and corrosion will occur. Then a brownish water filling makes the lamp look ugly.

Best solution:

Replace all lamps with LED lights. No more bulb replacement required. Will cost you at least 3000 Bt per lamp depending on whether you want colored light or not. But it's worth it.

That's an interesting perspective on LED pool lights! I'm curious to know if anyone has experienced any specific benefits or drawbacks when switching from halogen lights to LED lights in their pool. Has anyone noticed a significant improvement in terms of durability and maintenance? As i am considering some universal lighting lamps  And for those who have made the switch, how would you compare the overall cost-effectiveness of LED lights versus traditional halogen lights? I'd love to hear about your personal experiences and insights regarding the transition to LED pool lights.

[CampariO]

3 hours ago, mic10 said:

That's an interesting perspective on LED pool lights! I'm curious to know if anyone has experienced any specific benefits or drawbacks when switching from halogen lights to LED lights in their pool. Has anyone noticed a significant improvement in terms of durability and maintenance? As i am considering some universal lighting lamps  And for those who have made the switch, how would you compare the overall cost-effectiveness of LED lights versus traditional halogen lights? I'd love to hear about your personal experiences and insights regarding the transition to LED pool lights.

It has been 4 years since I replaced the Halogen with LED. No issues. Was always a headache to replace the bulbs or to re-seal the lamps. 

[ChiFlyer]

Meanwhile back to bedding shopping. Our house came with an oversized bed in the master bedroom. I love it. The size (84"x84"x15" deep) is commonly known as Wyoming King. I have been unable to find any place in Thailand that sells bedding at this size. I found a few places in the UK that do, but both of them only accept PayPal for payment. My US PayPal account is fried due to phone number problems (too ridiculous to talk about).

I have found a couple of bedding supply stores in Bang Lamung to go talk to in order to see if they could coordinate a special order on my behalf. I think slim possibilities of success on that.

I had heard that there were skilled tailors behind Tuk-Com. Tried driving over there today, but the traffic back there was terrible for driving a car. Bailed.

After getting back home, I discovered I could order exactly what I want from Amazon. It would be expensive at about 7000 THB including a comforter. About half of the 7000 is Amazon delivery to Thailand and Thai import fees. Not an ideal solution, but the only one that I have found that works.

This would be scratching an itch one time (ok maybe twice if I like what I am getting). Before I pull the trigger on the Amazon transaction, does anyone have a better suggestion?

[thegrogmonster]

3 hours ago, ChiFlyer said:

Meanwhile back to bedding shopping. Our house came with an oversized bed in the master bedroom. I love it. The size (84"x84"x15" deep) is commonly known as Wyoming King. I have been unable to find any place in Thailand that sells bedding at this size. I found a few places in the UK that do, but both of them only accept PayPal for payment. My US PayPal account is fried due to phone number problems (too ridiculous to talk about).

I have found a couple of bedding supply stores in Bang Lamung to go talk to in order to see if they could coordinate a special order on my behalf. I think slim possibilities of success on that.

I had heard that there were skilled tailors behind Tuk-Com. Tried driving over there today, but the traffic back there was terrible for driving a car. Bailed.

After getting back home, I discovered I could order exactly what I want from Amazon. It would be expensive at about 7000 THB including a comforter. About half of the 7000 is Amazon delivery to Thailand and Thai import fees. Not an ideal solution, but the only one that I have found that works.

This would be scratching an itch one time (ok maybe twice if I like what I am getting). Before I pull the trigger on the Amazon transaction, does anyone have a better suggestion?

Maybe someone coming over soon could offer to get some for you or maybe order them to be sent to their place.

[tommy dee]

i have stopped using amazon now as the delivery costs to here add up to as much as the goods.  crazy

[ChiFlyer]

17 hours ago, tommy dee said:

i have stopped using amazon now as the delivery costs to here add up to as much as the goods.  crazy

Agreed. The markup is also influenced by Thai import fees. These exceed the delivery charge. 

I am looking to make an exception to my no Amazon rule in order to take care of this item. It will not be a repeating cost. I have been chasing after a solution to this item for 6 months now.

Edited July 19, 2023 by ChiFlyer

[ChiFlyer]

19 hours ago, thegrogmonster said:

Maybe someone coming over soon could offer to get some for you or maybe order them to be sent to their place.

In general a good idea, but the combination of the sheets and a comforter would fill a suitcase. Like I said this is a one time hit, so I will probably just bite the bullet. The bedding actually looks really great and it is a highly rated Egyptian Cotton. I hear that is a good thing.

[Zambo]

On 7/19/2023 at 12:06 AM, ChiFlyer said:

Meanwhile back to bedding shopping. Our house came with an oversized bed in the master bedroom. I love it. The size (84"x84"x15" deep) is commonly known as Wyoming King. I have been unable to find any place in Thailand that sells bedding at this size. I found a few places in the UK that do, but both of them only accept PayPal for payment. My US PayPal account is fried due to phone number problems (too ridiculous to talk about).

I have found a couple of bedding supply stores in Bang Lamung to go talk to in order to see if they could coordinate a special order on my behalf. I think slim possibilities of success on that.

I had heard that there were skilled tailors behind Tuk-Com. Tried driving over there today, but the traffic back there was terrible for driving a car. Bailed.

After getting back home, I discovered I could order exactly what I want from Amazon. It would be expensive at about 7000 THB including a comforter. About half of the 7000 is Amazon delivery to Thailand and Thai import fees. Not an ideal solution, but the only one that I have found that works.

This would be scratching an itch one time (ok maybe twice if I like what I am getting). Before I pull the trigger on the Amazon transaction, does anyone have a better suggestion?

In the UK is it 84" x 84" or Super King: 200*220*40cm. Super King can be bought on shopee

[ChiFlyer]

3 hours ago, Zambo said:

In the UK is it 84" x 84" or Super King: 200*220*40cm. Super King can be bought on shopee

This is good to know. I was getting ready to pull the trigger on the Amazon order tonight and noticed it had gone to "out of stock". I will checkout Shopee. I thought I had read somewhere that there was a difference between Wyoming King and Super King. Might just be me getting a little bug eyed from going through all of this stuff with half of it being written in Thai. 😉

[Zambo]

5 hours ago, ChiFlyer said:

This is good to know. I was getting ready to pull the trigger on the Amazon order tonight and noticed it had gone to "out of stock". I will checkout Shopee. I thought I had read somewhere that there was a difference between Wyoming King and Super King. Might just be me getting a little bug eyed from going through all of this stuff with half of it being written in Thai. 😉

Sorry on checking I see there is a difference. Wyoming King is 84" x84" = 213cm x 213cm. Super King is 200cm x 220cm. 

[forcebwithu]

8 hours ago, ChiFlyer said:

This is good to know. I was getting ready to pull the trigger on the Amazon order tonight and noticed it had gone to "out of stock". I will checkout Shopee. I thought I had read somewhere that there was a difference between Wyoming King and Super King. Might just be me getting a little bug eyed from going through all of this stuff with half of it being written in Thai. 😉

Have you found a place in Thailand that sells good quality 600+ thread count sheets at a reasonable price?

I thought I scored some decent sheets at At Bed Space on Suk near Klang, but they were on the thin side and in less than a year had a couple of tears.

For that reason bed linen is on my US shopping list of things that are expensive or hard to find here. Usually only need to buy new every three years if the quality is good.

[KWA]

16 hours ago, Zambo said:

In the UK is it 84" x 84" or Super King: 200*220*40cm. Super King can be bought on shopee

I just moved condos recently and bedding was something I looked into.  My findings were UK 200*220 or 6'6" square was Emperor size and Super King (which I was lucky was both my new and old size) was 180*200 or 6" by 6'6" in UK sizes.

It's a minefield trying to get information as different countries have different specs.

Edited July 22, 2023 by KWA

[Zambo]

49 minutes ago, KWA said:

I just moved condos recently and bedding was something I looked into.  My findings were UK 200*220 or 6'6" square was Emperor size and Super King (which I was lucky was both my new and old size) was 180*200 or 6" by 6'6" in UK sizes.

It's a minefield trying to get information as different countries have different specs.

Here is my shopee sizing, but i think the key point is "allow for some size difference due to manual measuring". 

[ChiFlyer]

Thanks for the clarifications. Unfortunately, I do have a Wyoming King mattress. The size (and I have measured it) is 216x216x37. Custom made and US distributors seem to be my best bet.

Again we really like the bed and mattress, so I will keep plugging away.

I am thinking 1000 TC good cotton.

[ChiFlyer]

On 7/22/2023 at 10:42 PM, ChiFlyer said:

Thanks for the clarifications. Unfortunately, I do have a Wyoming King mattress. The size (and I have measured it) is 216x216x37. Custom made and US distributors seem to be my best bet.

Again we really like the bed and mattress, so I will keep plugging away.

I am thinking 1000 TC good cotton.

The bedding via Amazon arrived surprisingly quickly today. I submitted the shipping order via my US mail forwarding service on August 4th and it arrived at my house today on August 8th. Amazing. The bedding looks very nice. It is a fitted sheet, a loose sheet, and two pillowcases. The pieces are TC1000 Egyptian Cotton. I haven't checked the actual fitting just yet, but if the pieces are near spec the fit should be excellent. 

So to summarize the costs in USD.

$100 Bedding
$ 70  FedEx shipping ($35 of that covered by my monthly shipping discount.)
$ 70  Thailand import tax
=======
$240 Total

Yes, pricey to say the least, but it ends a 7 month effort to come up with a quality solution for our oversized bed. We will visit a tailor's place directly behind TukCom (red sign) this Thursday to discuss getting a second set through him. I think this will work, but I am unsure if he can match the quality.

We are discussing a trip to the US next Summer. I may have two sets of the Amazon product delivered to my son's house. I can then carry-on these back to Thailand. A set weighs 6 lbs.

[forcebwithu]

9 hours ago, ChiFlyer said:

The bedding via Amazon arrived surprisingly quickly today. I submitted the shipping order via my US mail forwarding service on August 4th and it arrived at my house today on August 8th. Amazing. The bedding looks very nice. It is a fitted sheet, a loose sheet, and two pillowcases. The pieces are TC1000 Egyptian Cotton. I haven't checked the actual fitting just yet, but if the pieces are near spec the fit should be excellent. 

So to summarize the costs in USD.

$100 Bedding
$ 70  FedEx shipping ($35 of that covered by my monthly shipping discount.)
$ 70  Thailand import tax
=======
$240 Total

Yes, pricey to say the least, but it ends a 7 month effort to come up with a quality solution for our oversized bed. We will visit a tailor's place directly behind TukCom (red sign) this Thursday to discuss getting a second set through him. I think this will work, but I am unsure if he can match the quality.

We are discussing a trip to the US next Summer. I may have two sets of the Amazon product delivered to my son's house. I can then carry-on these back to Thailand. A set weighs 6 lbs.

Would you mind sharing a link to the Amazon listing for the linen. I might buy a set on my next trip back to the States.