The Serenity House

[splitlid]

interested to fnd out more? Ask your questions here or contact us direct at elliotrowe@lifestylehomesthailand.com for more details.

[margaretcarnes]

It does look a nice layout, and I'm sure it will sell. Just a couple of things would make me think twice if I were in the market (which I'm not!) but for the price I'd be looking for the bath - and for a bit more kitchen area, but I guess there is scope for some customising, and the washer could maybe go in the garage?

[splitlid]

Hi Margaret, thanks for your comments.
you have raised, probably, the 2 most discussed issues a new home buyer will be concerned with.

Bathrooms and Kitchens.

Firstly the bathroom, a bath is definately a possibility to put in the house, it would depend on customer requirements.
i do try and steer clear of them now as although they look great, in reality, they get very little use.
it would be interesting to find out who actually uses their bath in this climate.
ive had one for 5 years and its never been used. the only time i use a bath is when i stay in a hotel.

the kitchen for us is simply a matter of cost, we allow approx 40,000 Thb per 1m Thb spent.
so, a 4-5m baht house will have a 160,000 thb allowance.
and a 7-8m baht will have a 280,000 thb allowance.
if an upgrade is required then the extra is just added on.
so, any size/style kitchen can be put in the room, (to a certain extent).
Finally, yes the washer can definately go in the garage.

[hhfarang]

I spent 1m baht on my kitchen, by that calculation, my home should be worth close to 30m baht (which I think it may be in better real estate times).

I like that design by the way. It comes really close to what I want to downsize to if I can ever sell the white elephant I built here.

[Nereus]

Firstly the bathroom, a bath is definately a possibility to put in the house, it would depend on customer requirements.
i do try and steer clear of them now as although they look great, in reality, they get very little use.
it would be interesting to find out who actually uses their bath in this climate.
ive had one for 5 years and its never been used. the only time i use a bath is when i stay in a hotel.

To each his own by all means, but I could never understand why any anybody would use a bath in this climate.
In the Condo development in Bangkok where I have a couple of units, they were all built with a bath, except for mine! Many are now Farang owned and many have been renovated and the bath ripped out. The only good thing that I can see about a bath is for the kids to splash around in, but for adults, especially older people, they are a health hazard. I wonder just how many legs, hips etc., have been broken by older people trying to get in or out of a bath?

[dtaai-maai]

This is all hugely hypothetical for me, but quite interesting, so I hope splitlid doesn't mind if I stick my oar in.

Given that this is a reasonably sized and priced (?) 3-bedroom house, how important is it to have a shower and toilet for each bedroom? It seems to have become a bit of an obsession with farang here - just how many loos do you need in an averagely sized place?
Keeping the same overall layout, I'd go for a shared bathroom between bedrooms 2 and 3.

I'd also get rid of the separate study (leaving myself the usual option of using a bedroom for this purpose), thus extending the living room and increasing the kitchen space.

Of course, it all depends on personal circs - any kids? regular visitors? etc.

Nice one, splitty, I like the way you put these designs up for comment.

[caller]

Its interesting and I'm with DM about the bathroom and study area. Also in the main bedroom, would there be some closure between the wardrobe and the loo/shower? Not sure steam/condensation/poo smells go that well with clothes storage?

Also, it doesn't seem like the design was created with the kitchen in mind and as it stands there's little room to expand in what appears a limited space, with the garage door on one-side and window on the other. Going from the garage into a kitchen/dining area doesn't seem right to me - why not relocate the garage door to the 'lobby' area, giving more space for the kitchen area?

[Takiap]

Not sure steam/condensation/poo smells go that well with clothes storage?

Yes, if I ever end up having another place built, there'll be no inside toilet at all. Now that I've grown older, I really can't understand why anyone would want to take a dump inside their home. I can only attribute it to laziness. When you get a puppy, the first thing you do is teach it not to mess inside, yet people are willing to spend a fortune just so than can mess inside. Sorry, but I drew the line with our current place - no en-suite bathroom. Clearing your bowels inside your home is one thing, but in your bedroom?


I realize inside bathrooms have become the norm, but I honestly think the older folk new better - go outside to do your business.

[Dannie Boy]

Not sure steam/condensation/poo smells go that well with clothes storage?

Yes, if I ever end up having another place built, there'll be no inside toilet at all. Now that I've grown older, I really can't understand why anyone would want to take a dump inside their home. I can only attribute it to laziness. When you get a puppy, the first thing you do is teach it not to mess inside, yet people are willing to spend a fortune just so than can mess inside. Sorry, but I drew the line with our current place - no en-suite bathroom. Clearing your bowels inside your home is one thing, but in your bedroom?


I realize inside bathrooms have become the norm, but I honestly think the older folk new better - go outside to do your business.

Not sure many people will agree with your view - in the middle of a dry day it might be reasonable, but if you wake up at 2am in the morning with an urgent need and it's monsoon time, I don't think so!!

[lomuamart]

Maybe baths in a bathroom are an English thing?
The only reason I say that is because my letting agents in London have been going on to me for years about getting rid of the bath, open the space up and just have a shower facility.
Indeed, when I go back home, most bathrooms I use from my parents', to friends' and mine have a bath with shower attachment.
I never use the bath.

[margaretcarnes]

Maybe baths in a bathroom are an English thing?
The only reason I say that is because my letting agents in London have been going on to me for years about getting rid of the bath, open the space up and just have a shower facility.
Indeed, when I go back home, most bathrooms I use from my parents', to friends' and mine have a bath with shower attachment.
I never use the bath.

You're probably right Lomu. Many apartments in the UK now are shower room only - and as mentioned earlier expats in the LOS do tend to use showers all the time. But aiming at farang buyers, particularly when there are 3 bathrooms anyway - I do think it's something many would expect (even if they find they don't use the bath much after a while!)

It is different in that climate though. I still like a bath now and then in the UK to the extent that when moving last year I ignored the apartments which were shower only. Maybe it's a female thing - ever tried shaving your legs in the shower?

[splitlid]

interesting, it seems that baths are definately not used here so much, which confirms my thoughts.
i always try and put a separate toilet in my designs. it prevents guests from traveling through bedrooms to goto toilet.Much nicer, but obviously, space/cost dictates this option.
As it effects the size/amount of bathrooms/bedrooms etc.

Takiap- get a 10th floor condo, and use the balcony.

The door to the kitchen from the garage is basically there for convenience, carrying shoppping to your fridge/cupboards the quicked way possible.
i do see Callers/DMs point about the kitchen and apprecieate that some people would like more kitchen etc.
below is a revised version with larger kitchen.
the rest is probably just personal preference.

thanks for the interest guys.
sorry if i missed some comments.

[Dannie Boy]

My house in HH (which I didn't design), has 3 bedrooms all with ensuite and the master bedroom only has a bath as well as a walk-in shower. Personally, I have never used the bath as i much prefer a shower, but seems like a reasonable compromise from a designers point of view if he is building a "standard spec" on an estate.

[Takiap]

Maybe baths in a bathroom are an English thing?
The only reason I say that is because my letting agents in London have been going on to me for years about getting rid of the bath, open the space up and just have a shower facility.
Indeed, when I go back home, most bathrooms I use from my parents', to friends' and mine have a bath with shower attachment.
I never use the bath.

You're probably right Lomu. Many apartments in the UK now are shower room only - and as mentioned earlier expats in the LOS do tend to use showers all the time. But aiming at farang buyers, particularly when there are 3 bathrooms anyway - I do think it's something many would expect (even if they find they don't use the bath much after a while!)

It is different in that climate though. I still like a bath now and then in the UK to the extent that when moving last year I ignored the apartments which were shower only. Maybe it's a female thing - ever tried shaving your legs in the shower?

Lomu, you DO NOT have to answer that!!!!! I repeat.......you DO NOT have to answer that question!

You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can, and probably will be, used against you on this forum.

[London Boy]

As Margaret say's it's a female thing. My wife insisted that we have a bath installed in one of the bathrooms when we puchased our place, builder just looked at me and I said "keep her happy" put one in .