| Having grown up in the Northeastern part of the | | | | I was very proud of my negotiation prowess. Not |
| U.S. and gone to college and spent most of my | | | | only did I negotiate discounted rent for the first |
| adult life working in places like Boston, New York | | | | 18 months, but the owner also agreed to tile the |
| and Washington, D.C., I have a strong affinity for | | | | top floor and to install showers in the second and |
| an urban lifestyle. When I relocated to Thailand, I | | | | third floor bath rooms. The owner completed the |
| initially was looking at Pattaya lofts as an option, | | | | work as agreed, and then I took possession of |
| but found nothing "out of the box" that was | | | | the building. |
| suitable. | | | | This is when the fun began. I found out that |
| I love being in the heart of things, within a short | | | | water did not reach the top two floors. I |
| walk or ride to dining, shopping and entertainment. | | | | suggested to the owner that because she had |
| Stylistically I have always found lofts with high | | | | agreed to install showers, it was implied that |
| ceilings, big windows, and vast spaces with lots of | | | | water would be available to make them functional. |
| wall surface to hang my paintings more suitable to | | | | Suffice it to say, she did not see it my way. |
| fit my lifestyle. | | | | Approximately 16,000 Thai Baht (THB) later, I had |
| During my first three years in Pattaya, I lived in a | | | | a pump, pipes, a water tank and flowing water. |
| condominium on Wongamat Beach. It is a | | | | After installing air conditioning, lighting and taking |
| fantastic building, with tremendous views and a | | | | care of other infrastructure issues, I hired a |
| quiet lifestyle. But I found that I spent most of | | | | contractor to fit out the space. I was determined |
| my time meeting up with friends in town for | | | | to get a good price, so I decided to find a Thai |
| dinner, drinks or coffee. I am not much of a | | | | builder. Using my office manager as translator and |
| beachcomber, and because of the limited time | | | | photos from the internet to illustrate the style I |
| spent at home did not take full advantage of the | | | | was after, we discussed specifications and pricing |
| stunning views. | | | | for the job. You will likely hear horror stories from |
| I decided it was time to move back to a more | | | | other foreigners about working with Thai builders, |
| urban setting. My best years from a lifestyle | | | | but my experience has always been very |
| perspective were spent living in a walkup in a | | | | positive. The most critical factor is getting detailed |
| brownstone building in one of Boston's most hip | | | | plans and pricing for the agreed to work. |
| neighborhoods. And whenever I visited New York, | | | | The finished product includes a contemporary |
| I tended to stay in loft-style boutique hotels in | | | | living, dining and kitchen area on the second floor. |
| SOHO. This was the look and feel I was after | | | | Features include large ceramic tiles, bright white |
| here in Pattaya, and I was determined to find it. | | | | kitchen cabinets and dining island, silver mosaic |
| After looking at various in-town condominium | | | | tiles, white painted walls and designer lighting. |
| offerings, Pattaya lofts were nowhere to be | | | | There is additional space on this floor to serve as |
| found. I found my best option was a shop house | | | | a second bed room, a game room or storage. |
| in one of the newer areas in South Pattaya just | | | | The second floor features white tile floors, built-in |
| off of Third Road. The immediate area features | | | | wardrobes and custom-made king- sized bed all in |
| several boutique hotels, restaurants and small | | | | light cherry finish. There is yet again additional |
| shops. Ethnically it is a refreshing mix of Thai and | | | | space which could be used for in-home massage, |
| diverse foreign residents. It offers easy access to | | | | a home office or yet more storage. |
| the beach, shopping, Walking Street, the rest of | | | | A few things needed some rework (Thais are |
| Pattaya and Jomtien. | | | | very ingenious about correcting errors), and we |
| Once I settled on the neighborhood, I then | | | | made some modifications on the fly. But overall, |
| started to look at specific properties. The shop | | | | except for leaving a mess behind and some minor |
| house I selected is a 3-storey walkup of | | | | imperfections, I was delighted with the quality and |
| approximately 150 square meters. After fairly | | | | value I received from my contractor. |
| intense negotiations, I came to an agreement with | | | | If you are like me and Pattaya lofts match your |
| the owner on a lease with the option to buy. The | | | | preferred lifestyle, you can avoid a great deal of |
| lease is 3 years with two 3-year renewal terms. I | | | | lost time, added cost and frustration if you work |
| can exercise the purchase option any time during | | | | with a professional who has the experience and |
| the first 3 years. | | | | contacts to deliver a quality project. |