By the end of the month our house will be finished. Maybe.
We started thinking about this almost a year ago, and it began as the sort of idea that can quickly peter out. We're really pleased we're seeing it through and whatever happens in the future, it definitely been the best decision.
There's still a huge amount of work to be done on the house though, and the local mentality, which I think is a universal trait of builders, is not to have too much concern over deadlines. Work is made even harder now as the rains have started, which makes external painting, and work in general, a bit longer to finish. Even after we had a meeting with the architect a few weeks ago and confirmed the house would be ready to move into on May 25th there hasn't been the all out push to get things finished you might have expected. But this comes as no surprise.
And it's been hard getting a clear answer since. Lot's of 'hope so', 'we'll try', 'not sure'. Not that helpful, really.
So I did the only thing I know. Told them we have arranged a removals truck to arrive from Bangkok with all our furniture on May 26th. This will focus their efforts and thinking and it will either make them push to achieve the date, or admit that they are going to be later than planned. To be honest, I don't really care which it is - I just want some clarity. Hopefully we'll get that next week.
But the house is beginning to take shape.
Work has been done on the roof and inside lighting has started to be finished.
Our flooring will be done at the end but we've just picked our third set of flooring. Changing suppliers, and making sure the flooring fits our design preference are the reason for the changes but hopefully this is the last time. We've also been busy at IKEA and tried to buy a kitchen last month, but apparently we can only order a week before we'd like it to be delivered. So no doubt when we order they won't have all the parts, or they won't have a delivery slot. I can almost guarantee it. Planning ahead is not normal in Thailand, as anyone who has ever been can probably guess!
Our 9m long balcony. We’ll spend a lot of time here.
Taken at the start of last week you can see the difference in the roof.
Double doors from the living room. I think the architect‘s family started off working with wood, so our door and window frames are really nice.
The long window is from the kitchen. Perfect views when you‘re cooking.
Even the builders appreciate the kitchen view.
Looking forward to seeing the night sky.
The living room, with a door into the master bedroom and a view into our garden.
Thanks for reading and remember comments are welcome, and a follow on Instagram is appreciated too. We’ve got more photos of the area and our family and neighbours there.
