Buying building materials in Bangkok and shipping them to Phuket can be a real cost saver. You want to do your homework first on local prices and quality. Bangkok has a much bigger selection of tile than found on Phuket Island. There are huge areas that sell tiles in Bangkok and a much bigger and cheaper selection too. There are also huge outlets in Bangkok that sell Tile imports from China and Vietnam. Shopping at these outlets can save you big money over local outlets.
Wood Doors and frames can also be acquired in area of Bangkok around Bang Po. It’s great fun to shop these wood shops and look at the many different selections available. Wood comes in several grades so it’s important to actually see what you’re buying. Spending a day looking at the different wood items like wood trim and windows will also give you a few ideas also. There are also a few wood shops inside the infamous weekend market near Bang sue.
Power tools and things like sandpaper and drill bits, electrical wire, bulbs, and lights can be bought in an area called Klong Tom. This can be found in Bangkok’s China town area known as Yarrowat. If you ever been here this is the place where are the Chinese have their gold shops near the river in downtown. Sundays is used goods day so there are many extra vendors on the streets during the weekend. Collecting Business cards of the different vendors will come in handy later if you need to buy something they don’t sell at home pro when building your Phuket house.
You can purchase many landscaping items just outside Bangkok at a fraction of what you pay on island. The weekend market also has a large selection of plant, trees and other yard Items. Furniture can also be purchased at the weekend market as there are literally hundreds of furniture shops inside there.
Shipping to Phuket is a very easy thing to arrange with your vendors. If you have a lot of stock you can arrange for a 13 ton truck to bring down your truckload of goods. You can really save if you have something heavy to ship like granite, sandstone or tile. Medium size shipments you can use freight shipping companies which also use busses and some big lorry trucks to ship the goods overnight to Phuket. You can even pack the goods in the bus yourself and ride down with them you have time. Being creative In Thailand you too can save a lot of money if you have time and take the time to shop around and buy the items you handpicked to make your Phuket House a home.