PROPERTY PROFILE STORY : Stephanie Roy PHOTOGRAPHY : Nakarin Banjerdjin
The General’s
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BANGKOK
Lake House
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When American financier Gene Davis decided to shop around Thailand’s property market after the economic crisis of the late 1990’s, he found a traditional and uniquely Thai style residence tucked away on the outskirts of Bangkok. As a lakeside estate, the property is situated on roughly 23 rai of land and as Gene describes it: “ feels a million miles away from the city.”
Once a Household Retreat Growing up in New Orleans, Gene spent many years waterskiing. It was the private access to the surrounding lake more than anything else that sparked his interest in the property. Over the last 10 years, Gene and his family have utilised the house on the weekends for not only water sports, but also inviting friends and family out for a quick city escape. While this weekend retreat has provided a decade of fun times, Gene’s recent relocation to Beijing is the reason he’s decided to sell: “It’s a beautiful golden teak structure, but if there’s no one here to properly care for it, like with most things, it will deteriorate”, he explains. With the family visiting Thailand only twice a year, he believes it’s better to put the house on the market and find an owner who can dedicate more time and attention to the property’s upkeep. As the former residence of a senior police-general, the property’s original name is Beung Naiphol, which roughly translates to the “General’s Lake House”. Originally built and designed by craftsmen from Ayutthaya, the layout is split into four Thai style houses. Each house was designated to a member of the family with the general and his wife using the two bigger homes and each of the two children utilising the two smaller units. The larger houses are elevated and consist of a master bedroom, two guest bedrooms, a central living area and kitchen facilities on the lower level. The smaller units are essentially half units with two bedrooms and a bathroom.
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Modernising While Preserving After purchasing the property, Gene explains that he renovated and updated the estate. With the help and expertise of Thai designer Prinda Puranananda, of Bangkok design firm Cowperthwaite and Puranananda, Gene was able to update the interior for more comfortable living areas while maintaining the traditional Thai aspects. He explains that instead of keeping the traditional style bathrooms, they opted to include more contemporary elements such as bathtubs and stand alone sinks. The original paint was stripped from the walls to expose the teak, which was varnished with a clear coat to give a much lighter and truly golden teak look. The addition of ceiling fans along with an outdoor sala, which overlooks the swimming pool and lake are all features that contribute to the resort like feel of the property. Gene explains that while the property has its pros and cons of alfresco Thai style existence, he’s made the necessary changes for living more at ease. While the living areas are open and exposed to the outdoors, screens have been created on the windows to keep out insects, particularly mosquitoes. Apart from the interior decor, the estate still offers many traditional aspects including the water well. “It’s remote enough so that you’re not drinking city water,” Gene comments. The lake is swimmable, and the addition of the swimming pool gives the option of relaxing in the sunshine after a day of water sports on the lake. A squash court was later built while a major landscaping overhaul transformed the estates outdoor area into smooth walkways suitable for evening strolls. For those into fishing, there’s a large variety of fish in the pond. The golf course next door is an added bonus should the need to fit in a bit of recreation with leisure arise.
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Room for Expansion Located in Min Buri, this was a housing project originally set to cover roughly 400 rai of land. After the global financial markets collapsed during the first Gulf War of 1991, the developers experienced financial difficulties and only managed to build one house. This resulted in a large lakeside estate surrounded by a tremendous amount of land meant for a residential area. Apart from having the entire lake to yourself, Gene explains that for those with ambitions of building an even bigger compound or adding to the property, there’s plenty of room to do both. “It’s a well constructed and well preserved Thai compound”, Gene explains, “There aren’t too many left like this”. He states that as Bangkok becomes more and more polluted, having an outdoor setting isn’t as appealing, as it is extremely demanding to keep the area clean. This property is just the right distance away, which makes it clean enough and free from the elements of the city. The air is much fresher and the surroundings are quieter, which makes it essentially more relaxing than being in the middle of town.” Gene believes that upon arriving at the property, it will explain itself.
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For more information contact sole agent CB Richard Ellis, telephone +66(0)2 654 1111, www.cbre.co.th. Property: Traditional Thai lakeside residence Location: Min Buri, Bangkok outer suburbs Plot Size: 23 rai Buildings: Four traditional teak houses Main house: Master bedroom, two guest bedrooms, central living area, kitchen, office. Guest houses: Three houses, each with two bedrooms and a bathroom Special Features: Swimming pool, water ski lake, squash court, garden, sala, pond with fountain Price: THB 85 million