Ceiling frames were installed.

Electrical work has started. Electrical and telephone wires were being lined up and plugs and switches were located.

A worker began setting up new door frames.

This is the storage room, of which the area is only 6 square metres.

The wall has been built to separate the dining room/kitchen, which is about 85 cm. wider than the old structure, from the living room.

There were a lot of trash and debris that could not be removed immediately because there were construction jobs in other condo units besides ours and one elevator was not enough to accommodate the traffic.

A part of the wall in all bathrooms were destroyed to make way for larger windows for brighter and better-ventilated rooms.


















Mom's bathroom














Dear's bathroom


















My bathroom

The kitchen and dining room's parquet floor was removed so that the new ceramic stone would be installed.

The wall in the maid's room was destroyed in order to enlarge the room.

The contractor (right) and the architect (left) discussed the structure of the building.

Some parts of the balcony was smashed. The sound of the destruction was so loud that some condo tenants went mad. So sorry....

I am the king of the world!

Torn between two lovers...feeling like a fool....

And a week after that...

The permission for construction was officially granted on August 29 and the demolition started.

A worker was folding the curtains which, along with other furniture parts, would be donated to a temple in the upcountry.

The air-conditioner in the main bedroom, a 24,000 BTU Mitsubishi wall-type, is still in good condition so I will continue to use it in my bedroom.

The first phase of the construction was the demolition of the existing structure. However, we have to get the official permisssion from the condo management, which took about 2-3 weeks. While waiting for the permission, the contractor began to take out some furniture parts.

Old Furnitures

Before I bought the condo, there were some old furnitures and electrical appliances left as Khun Wiwat, the seller, did not want to take them with him. Since I didn't want any of them either, I tried to find a way to get rid of them before the construction started. I asked the contractor and some furniture makers whether they wanted to buy them. It turned out that none was interested. They said it was not worth buying and repairing old furnitures in order to resell them. They might be interested in some furnitures which are made from teak, because they can extract teak from them. Unfortunately, my furnitures are not made from teak. I then decided to give away these furnitures and electrical appliances for free, to anybody who wanted them. My sister and her friends took the offer and my task was completed.


Some of the old furnitures and appliances

Contractor

After the final draft of the interior design was finished, I had to find a contractor. I invited 2-3 contractors for bidding, one of which was Shine Architect, my interior designer. I took into consideration the costs, the contractors' experiences, their projects in hand, the devotion, etc. before decided to appoint Khun Paophan Pumnoi to be the contractor of my project. Khun Paophan, recommended by my architect, used to work under my architect in the architecture company, "Ekistics", which I hired for designing my existing house almost 20 years ago. He was one of the team who was responsible for drawing the blue print of my house.

I signed the contract with him on August 1. According to the contract, the project will take 4 months to complete. My condominium should be ready for moving in by the end of this year.

I found out later that Shine Architect had got a big contract with Siam Cement Company. Therfore they hardly had time for a small business like mine. Later, "Tei" resigned to pursue his study somewhere else. Khun Monthon and Khun Knot assigned other team member whose name I could not remember since he quited right after we met. Another one was then assigned and quited again. It went on like this until finally "Pim", a free lance, was hired to handle my project. I tried to work with her until we derived at a final draft.

Interior Design

After I bought the condominium, I tried to find an interior designer to redecorate it for me. I have never been in this area before and I have not known anyone. My former architect, Ajarn Twee Sibunruang, who had been my architect for my existing house, recommended a few interior designers. I contacted some of them and found that they were very busy. It appeared that most interior designers were fully occupied, due to Thailand's booming property development. It was very difficult to find the interior designer for a small project because they were busy with the larger projects. Finally I managed to find an interior design companies, "Shine Architect", who seemed to be available so I appointed them to be my interior designer. The persons I contacted were Khun Monthon and Khun Knot, husband and wife and owners of the company. They also had other team members who worked as interior designers. The first one was "Tei", who drafted me a design for my son's bedroom. The design was very modern and appealing. However, it didn't accommodate my son's needs as it had very few storage spaces, which are very necessary for his books, computers, and electronic devices. Some alterations must be made to the design.

There are two condominiums near ours, The Bangkok and Baan Ananda. Fortunately, I don't feel them being very close since both of them have 8 stories and I am on the 17th floor.

Other views from the distance.

Views from the condo balcony.

The condo has five balconies, of which total area is almost 50 square metres. I would like it better if they are smaller because the indoor will be larger. Now I have to think what to do with these balconies. A small garden with flowers and trees should be a good idea.

My mother's bedroom is quite small though. Redecoration should help to feel it larger.

My son's bedroom is rather spacious. He should be able to work and sleep in this room comfortably.

My bedroom is on the east and the south and therefore should be comfortable. The floor is made of parquet wood which is still in good condition.

From the living room and the dining room, there is a walkway which leads to the bedrooms.

The dining room and the kitchen are quite small. I might have to expand them a little bit.