Husqvarna is the global leader in outdoor power products fo forestry, park maintenance and lawn and garden care. Their range is designed for consumers as well as professional users and includes lawnmowers, garden tractors, trimmers, leaf blowers, hedge trimmers and chainsaws as well as products for irrigation and gardening equipment such as pruning shears, rakes and shovels. UK and US readers may know their equipment better under brand names Flymo and Gardena.

Sittporn Chouypasit (Sit) is Ton Company’s in-house structural engineer, providing expertise in the design of concrete, wood and steel structures. After graduating in Civil Engineering from Technology Mahanakorn University in Bangkok in 2002, he returned to Krabi to do sub-contracting work. He has been full-time with Ton Company for more than 4 years.

Why does Ton Company have an in-house engineer? What is your role?
“My job as a structural engineer is to create the basic frame for any building, the beams and columns – so you could argue it’s a pretty fundamental role. It’s a mix of technical know-how, safety considerations and knowledge of available materials. Many pure design firms simply outsource a completed plan to an engineer for the structural analysis. But by working with the architects and clients during the planning itself, I can help the team achieve the design goals in a way that is both cost efficient and makes the building as comfortable as possible.”

Land in Thailand is measured in units of wah, ngan and rai and pricing can often be reflected in these terms. For ease of reference the table below provides an indication of approximate metric values for comparative purposes:

      

Thai	Metric
1 Talang Wah	4 sqm
1 Ngan (100 Talang Wah)	400 sqm
1 Rai (400 Talang Wah)	1,600 sqm
1 Acre (2.5 Rai)	40,000 sq ft
1 Hectare (6.25 Rai)	10,000 sqm

      

In Thailand all sorts of unwanted visitors such as termites try to vacation in your home. Although there are many different types of termites they all have one thing in common: a voracious appetite for the cellulose found in lumber. Termites especially like to eat moist wood so it is very important to keep the house dry. Once termites are inside your home they're harder to get rid of. The last thing you want to do is make their job easier.

Finding a competent and reliable contractor is the first step to a successful and satisfying building project.
Your best bet is a reality check from those in the know: friends, neighbors, or co-workers who have had improvement work done. Get written estimates from several firms. Ask for explanations for price variations. Don’t automatically choose the lowest bidder.