It has already been one week in my new house. Many of the main pieces of furniture have already been bought and delivered. The living room is very comfortable with the sofa and 29 inch t.v. The kitchen is doing OK with the electric stove, fridge, rice cooker, microwave and water filter. The office is just about finished as well as my library. The furniture for the third bedroom was delivered today. All that remains is the dining room table and some outdoor furniture.
The air-conditioning was fitted last week. I had a guy that services the air-conditioners at school install them for me. I have known him for a few years now. He came over to the house first to advise me on which brand names were good and what size I would need for each room. I knew this was going to be expensive but I wasn’t quite prepared for the final bill. The two small bedrooms worked out at nearly 17,000 baht each. That was OK. However, the office and my bedroom are twice the size. At first he suggested a 24,000 baht model, but then changed his mind and suggested a 30,000 baht model which is more powerful! He said the rooms were too big. That came to a whopping 100,000 baht! Most Thai teachers have a starting salary of 6-8,000 baht per month. So you can well understand why that in our row of 9 houses, only three have air-conditioning.
When I planned the house I insisted on having a big bedroom/living room for myself. However, I didn’t really take into account that a bigger room would cost more money to keep cool. I am not only talking about the unit but also the extra electricity needed every month. This is something I will have to remember for my dream house! Another little problem we have at the moment is that there isn’t enough power for us to turn on more than one air-conditioner at the same time! Apparently I have to increase from 5 amp to 30 amp. Like everything else, this costs money and I have to find 11,570 baht to do this.
The living room on the ground floor doesn’t have air. I wasn’t too sure if this was a mistake or not. I was trying to save money but I really want to be comfortable as well. However, so far it has been quite pleasant. With the doors and windows open at the front and back of the house there is nearly always a wind passing through. With an electric fan on the wall and one standing on the ground I have been OK so far. The temperature was around 31 Celsius for most of last week. Tonight it has been raining and it has gone down to a chilly 26 Celsius. I know that is not really cold for most people but it is cold for me. I suppose I have been here too long now.
