Ton Company Ltd.

From rocky hillside to 5 star luxury

The design and construction of Baan Kantiang See, a unique villa-only family resort in Koh Lanta, is Ton Company�s biggest project to date. Here, Pierre-Yves Loriers (Ton), the managing director, explains some of the challenges involved and how they were overcome to create this beautiful new holiday complex.

�Our clients approached us in April 2007. After two years of searching for the perfect piece of land, they had finally found their ideal spot: nearly 6.5 rai on a steep hillside overlooking the breathtaking Kantiang Bay in the south of Koh Lanta. They wanted to create a family-friendly, villa-only resort, with large individual units and a central pool � all with panoramic sea views. They had a clear concept of what was required: it was then up to us to transform that into reality.�

Husqvarna comes to Krabi

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.

"We are very excited to be associated with the Husqvarna brand family," says Pierre-Yves Loriers (Ton), the managing director. "Its ideals and strategy fit perfectly with out own philosophy of cost-efficiency, environmental awareness and high levels of customer care."

Building on solid foundations

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.”

On the move

We are very proud to introduce Miss Thitima Boonserm as our new "Senior Project Manager."

She comes with 14 years of professional work experience in architecture and construction. Originally from Krabi she received a Bachelor Degree in Landscape Architecture from the prestigious Chulalongkorn University in Bangkok in 1992 and started her career with top rated firm Architects 49 in Bangkok.

In 1999, she joined Orlando, Florida-based Edward D. Stone Junior & Associates as member of the design staff and was promoted to Associate in 2001. She practiced at EDSA for about 4 years then returned back to Thailand and joined Landscape Architects 49 as an Associate from 2006 to 2009.

At Architects 49 , she was responsible for all overseas projects from Abu Dhabi-UAE to Kuala Lumpur. She also worked on residential, commercial and government projects throughout Thailand. Her comprehensive work experience in project management, architecture and construction will make her an extremely valuable addition to our team.

Land Measurement Charts

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

Protect your home from termites

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.

Investment Incentives

     With investor confidence left in tatters by last year's political upheavals, the BOI is going on the offensive to tempt international capital back to Thailand

      In the past, political upheavals in Thailand have in general caused only a short-term impact on the economy.
      Thailand's current political situation however coincides with a global economic slowdown, proposing a far greater challenge than in the past to attract foreign investors to Thailand.
     The Board of Investment (BOI), the government agency responsible for providing incentives to sitmulate investment in Thailand, has announced that its top priorties for 2009 will include new investment promotion measures, overseas road shows and the establishment of more oversea offices.
     The Department of Export Promotion, the Office of th BOI, and the Tourism Authority of Thailand are planning to arrange road shows to the Middle East and Asia to restore confidence in the Thai economy and promote Thailand's tourism industry. The Prime Minister will be invited to lead the road shows, to be organized from January to April 2009

Completed project by Ton Co., Ltd.

Ton Company Ltd. latest completed project is located on a quiet hillside in Ao Nang Beach, Krabi. This Tropical luxurious Villa sits on 3,200 square meters of land. This Villa includes 4 bedrooms, 4 bahtroom, a living room, a dinning room, a kitchen, a laundry area, a pool bar, a sala and a free form swimming pool.

Maintain your new home

Some of the most important things to think about before, during and after a property is built are energy consumption, space requirements, assets, water and waste management systems and the day-to-day service delivery that the building will employ once it is ready for use.

These considerations are often not taken on board early enough in the design and development stages. Identifying the building´s ultimate purpose, tenant requirements or expectations and foot traffic patterns, for example, require the kind of foresight that can make all the difference to the long-term success and value of a particular development.

The battle of effective management in the latter stages of construction and the early stages of the management of a facility is waged on several fronts � ranging from security to general mechanical maintenance and includes both pre- and post-construction, day-to-day and/or programmed maintenance, which is carried out throughout the life of the building.

Cleaning, whilst often overlooked or undervalued in the development stages, is essential for every facility throughout the world and is actually a science in itself.

Often architects and designers are very creative in their plans and the materials they use; but one thing that needs to be considered and catered for it that the facility has to be cleaned and kept clean throughout is existence. Either daily, weekly or monthly cleaning, which is necessary to maintain the image of the facility and also protect public health.

A kitchen or bathroom refit can make the difference

A kitchen or bathroom refit can make the difference
It is certainly the case that kitchens and bathrooms often seen to have a much higher value than that of other rooms, and by ensuring that both of these important spaces are stylish and elegant, sellers can, indeed, clinch a sale more easily.
Clearly, developers have been quick to spot these magical spaces, and so high expectations have become the norm. This alone makes it especially important to invest in an upgrade where possible, since an old kitchen or a below-par bathroom will certainly stand out as a negative in today�s highly developed market. In fact, the very same illusion of value may well work against you as the expectation on the part of the buyer will be that a replacement or upgrade will be expensive.
So, which approaches work and which ones do not when it comes to planning a kitchen and/or bathroom refit with re-sale specifically in mind?
Following the trend in the market and adding a few extra touches is the best way to proceed.