Diablo Bob

Thanks - I was hoping to do immigration at Chiang Mai and not have to deal with immigration at Swampy!

If you have that much time then why would you not want to just get it over with at BKK? And especially I'd also go through customs there if you have anything interesting with you. They're much less likely to check at BKK.

To clarify, yes he would be going through immigration in Bangkok BUT it is 3-4 stations especially for travelers going to Chiangmai, Phuket, Hat Yai etc. It is NOT the 300 mile line that the other travelers are forced to use...... personally the only problem I have ever encountered is the hand baggage check after the immigration booths in Bangkok, they confiscated two bottles of booze purchased at Dubai Duty Free. I guess that they needed to be in sealed bags........

Thank you Ticketmaster, an interesting read and not far short of my expectations. The mooban was professionally surveyed ~ 30 years ago although by theodolite, not GPS as they do now.

There happens to be one round concrete survey marker, ironically the ONLY one and it's perfectly aligned with the skewed side boundary (at rear). I suspect the original builder/contractor/landscaper or someone non-official arbitrarily relocated it to suit the outdoor living/water feature and garden design.

Walking away .....

Yes good background TM.

Rob, dont knock theodolite its perfect, istarted my surveying career measuring land with a chain, chaining they called it and that was cock on accurate but laborious.

And no i am not over 80, ....but over 40

Yes, I remember those days..... add a foot or take a foot chains, thermometer for temperature corrections! This predates HP introducing the modern distance meter we used the "Old" Geodimeter!

I'm not 80 either, still in my 50's, barely though Worked on the survey crews for the California aqueduct project in the early 70's.

What can I say........ Rub' Al Khali desert in the Spring, Summer, Winter and the Fall. We did get some rain last year, the first time in 10 years, didn't affect the plantlife very much or so they tell me.......I didn't notice the difference.

Hi everyone. Im trying to drum up a bit of interest in an offshore/rig pig forum in Thaivisa. Could be a good laugh. I started a thread in forum support. If anyone is interested can you please post some comments. It would be good to share war stories and bshit each other. Also let each other know where the best training facilities are. Most importantly where the best watering holes in the world are

I am currently working in the fields of Oman, conducting two research engineering programs concerning polymer stabilization (Downhole) and foamed bitumen stabilization. Would be interested in making new contacts within the industry and compare notes on what is happening in their geographical region.

Not sure what Sausage King is.

For the longest time I was under the impression that it was a source of package products in the markets. Now I see they are promoting a restaurant.

If they are still doing the package thing in the super markets it occurred to me that perhaps a meal at the restaurant made up of samples of the many products would be well worth the trouble to me to get over there and check it out.

I doubt Rob would go to the trouble just to please you in order to "trouble you to get over there and check it out." He's got better things to do with his time. Don't hold your breath.

Wow, am I interpreting Hellodolly's response? I read it as it would be worth the trouble to go to Sausage Kings restaurant to try it out! Not really deserving that kind of response.......

Let him rot....the pig should have to crawl into court.

So according to you he is guilty as charged - these are allegations. Does an allegation automatically mean guilt??

Let the courts decide his guilt or innocence before you start with the hang em high posts. After all one day a person may make an allegation against you. Would you want that allegation perceived as guilt?

If dcutman's post is correct, they have pictures of the guy posing with these kids. I am the first one to say it may be a setup when foreigners are charged, but pictures are absolutely damning. I have seen Thai guys and foreigners setup for a money grab, but with the pictures I have to say high 'em high.

On the contrary. Easy to manufacture digital pictures.

Kraus was arrested in 2010 for the alledged crime. Now it's 2013. Odd. Everybody waiting for his colon cancer to finish him off?

I think he is probably guilty. That being said, Potosi has a good point......

amazing what can de done.

Rice555

Hello All, French drains, 555555555555555555.

The house was the only thing of 6 Rai not flooded.

rice555

Interesting picture, just looking at the picture it looks to me that the water level never got high enough to reach the house. The fact is that if you have 2.54cm(1") of water on 1 square meter it has a volume of over 25,000 cubic centimeters of water or 6.6 gallons per linear meter. French drains are not typically used to control large volumes of water. When dealing with large volumes of water we typically use channels (Ditches) to redirect the water or culvert systems. Now back to your scenario, assuming your French drain is 100mm perforated pipe AND it was theoretically filled to the maximum it would be capable of keeping up with the 2.54cm of water BUT when you start looking at the variables such as the size of the perforations and amount of perforations and the slope of the pipe in the 1m section you will be lucky if it is 50% filled, so you flood ....... I stand by my doubts.

This is not a dick measuring contest. It is a discussion about options on how to build a house. Collective intelligence is greater than singular intelligence, and that's why TV exists.

Try to keep your brain in gear, your thoughts focused on the topic and everything zipped up. Some people...

I agree, doesn't detract from the fact that unsound advise is still unsound regardless of intentions. The simplist solution to potential flooding is to raise the building pad not depend on a technology developed for a different purpose and not capable of dealing with the perceived threat.

My apologies for getting technical, but as a practicing engineer we have a tendency to explain our reasoning concerning technical issues and expect the same from our collegues when dealing with technical issues.

Back to my coffee now.......

Is the brand "pedantic" and the type instant?

I simply offered advice that may apply. There are many ways to build and you should know this if you are "a practicing engineer". Tell me please, why are most engineers so rigid in their beliefs? Does anal retention have anything to do with it?

Yes, raise the pad, put in some fill dirt to the point that there is a run off spot. Put french drains next to the house as a bit of added insurance, and you should be okay. Is that enough for you?

Again, some people....

It's how we were educated. When working in unsophisticated countries we try to make everything as simple as possible, that way there are less problems in the long run. Never introduce a concept that goes beyond the knowlege base of the work force unless you want a supervision nightmare. As for being anal, well it goes back to the eduction, we are trained to look at everything involved in a project before starting and identifying potential problems and developing solutions prior to the start of any work.

Again, some people.....

Hello All, French drains, 555555555555555555.

The house was the only thing of 6 Rai not flooded.

rice555

Rice555

Interesting picture, just looking at the picture it looks to me that the water level never got high enough to reach the house. The fact is that if you have 2.54cm(1") of water on 1 square meter it has a volume of over 25,000 cubic centimeters of water or 6.6 gallons per linear meter. French drains are not typically used to control large volumes of water. When dealing with large volumes of water we typically use channels (Ditches) to redirect the water or culvert systems. Now back to your scenario, assuming your French drain is 100mm perforated pipe AND it was theoretically filled to the maximum it would be capable of keeping up with the 2.54cm of water BUT when you start looking at the variables such as the size of the perforations and amount of perforations and the slope of the pipe in the 1m section you will be lucky if it is 50% filled, so you flood ....... I stand by my doubts.

This is not a dick measuring contest. It is a discussion about options on how to build a house. Collective intelligence is greater than singular intelligence, and that's why TV exists.

Try to keep your brain in gear, your thoughts focused on the topic and everything zipped up. Some people...

I agree, doesn't detract from the fact that unsound advise is still unsound regardless of intentions. The simplist solution to potential flooding is to raise the building pad not depend on a technology developed for a different purpose and not capable of dealing with the perceived threat.

My apologies for getting technical, but as a practicing engineer we have a tendency to explain our reasoning concerning technical issues and expect the same from our collegues when dealing with technical issues.

Back to my coffee now.......

Hello All, French drains, 555555555555555555.

The house was the only thing of 6 Rai not flooded.

rice555

Rice555

Interesting picture, just looking at the picture it looks to me that the water level never got high enough to reach the house. The fact is that if you have 2.54cm(1") of water on 1 square meter it has a volume of over 25,000 cubic centimeters of water or 6.6 gallons per linear meter. French drains are not typically used to control large volumes of water. When dealing with large volumes of water we typically use channels (Ditches) to redirect the water or culvert systems. Now back to your scenario, assuming your French drain is 100mm perforated pipe AND it was theoretically filled to the maximum it would be capable of keeping up with the 2.54cm of water BUT when you start looking at the variables such as the size of the perforations and amount of perforations and the slope of the pipe in the 1m section you will be lucky if it is 50% filled, so you flood ....... I stand by my doubts.

I'm vacillating on what type of foundation would be best/cheaper. Would it be better/cheaper to have the floor of the house raised 60 to 80 cm off the ground supported by footings of reinforced cement into the ground or a poured, reinforced slab?

As for the slab, what thickness is usually used for the slab foundation on a one story house?

The reason I ask these questions is that there is already a slab with the correct footprint there, but we want to raise the house 60 to 80 cm because of drainage/flooding. I was thinking about tearing everything out and using footings after landfill to the appropriate height, but it might be better to just pour more slab on top of the existing one to raise the house floor level.

Thanks again!

best and cheaper dont go together here ....the bulk of the cost in construction in LOS is steel related ...be it in footings , columns , slab , roof etc ....take some pics and post them we can probably determine what is in place now , it sounds like what u have is not suitable or it would have been done already ...to raise it up means a lot of steel and cement via some serious concrete beams ...

I'm not there now so I can't take photos, but what we have is an old house built on a slab. All the homes around it have been rebuilt with landfill making it the lowest home in the soi so that during hard rains the run off from the street and other properties flood the house about a half inch. The house needs to be rebuilt anyway so in the process I need to raise it up to prevent this flooding in the future. I'm just trying to determine what is the best way to raise it 60 to 80 cm to prevent flooding in the rebuilt home.

One option is boring some holes into the existing slab and inserting rebar. You would ideally do this on the corners of the existing slab. I think it is probably best to not have more than 10 or 12 feet between columns.

After that you will need to secure the rebar. There is an epoxy specifically for this that comes in two tubes. There is a special gun that dispenses the two parts simultaneously. After the rebar is in, and the glue applied, you can secure more rebar, build a form around that and pour your columns. Once the columns are up, build your floor. I would run all the water and electric directly underneath the floor, and leave a crawl space in case you need maintenance. If you leave some small openings in the slab of the first floor, you can run your electric and water up through the openings in the areas you need them with making it unsightly on your walls.

On the outside of the house, on the existing slab to the first floor, there should be some concrete blocking. Probably best to run a "T" of blocks through the existing slab also to carry the load above. If you have a straight pitched roof, run your blocks in the same direction as the pitch, so the load of the roof carry's to the ground.

If you have serious flood problems research "french drains" and see about installing them on the exterior perimeter of your home.

Just my 2 cents..

Why make it so difficult? On your suggestion, I doubt that a french drain system would work! A French drain system needs a location to drain to that isn't underwater. If the OP is having a flooding problem, it would seem to me that he is in the lowest spot already, the water is draining to his house, everywhere else is obviously uphill from him!.

The OP has already identified the solution and now needs to figure out how to get there.......

Suggestions:

1. Remove the existing slab. You don't know what is underneath it and when you excavate for your new structures foundation unless you encounter this slab in all the foundations it would need to be demolished during excavation. The other option would be to utilize this slab, but not knowing what foundations are present, their location in relation to your structure or how they were constructed you would be better off getting rid of it up front.
2. Compact 80-100cm of fill material making sure that you have at least 150cm beyond the edge of any foundation.
3. Any foundations for columns need to penetrate this fill and bear on the existing ground surface to reduce the potential of differential settlement from uneven foundation loads.
4. If you are confident that the 80-100cm of height will remove you from the flooding problem you can then construct a slab on grade which will not have the quantities of concrete or reinforcement associated with the pony wall and elevated slab.

Good luck

If you look hard enough you will find people with a lot of experience who sell the material who will assist you with installation. People who have been lining ponds for decades and know how to do it well.

oh ok I'll look harder duh

For ideas and equipment I have used pondmarket.com.

I too have a pond that I am working on (25m Diameter x 4m deep) and haven't decided if I will line it with rock or an EPDM liner. I need to get an aeration source so still looking at either aerators or a water feature (Waterfall) or both. I did find a company in Khon Kaen who specialize in this type of project but they would probably not work out for you in the Chiangmai valley.

Harada, today I stopped to have a look at a second hand ATV that was on the side of Samoeng Road, about 2km from the Canal Rd intersection. It is on the left hand side and he sells a few other Suzuki Jeeps as well.

It was a Chinese brand (forgot name), 4 stroke, 250 and was in good condition. It is orange in color and seemed quite rugged. I have ridden plenty but never owned one. I considered it, but then I have so many toys that I don't have time to play with, I decided against it.

He is asking 85,000 and says new they are 140-150,000.

I know the guy who is selling it as I have bought a car from him in the past. His name is Khun Bo.

Beware of the quads made in China. I bought two for moving around a construction site and both were broken within a month of purchase. Total crap! Wasn't worth the cost of repairing them....... replaced with Japanese models, Kawasaki. Sweet ride and they were still working when I left the country 3 years later.

It's called EPDM (ethylene propylene diene monomer) rubber. You might try the landscaping stores behind Tesco Lotus.

Just got a quote last month for a 50sm Thai quality house in Buriram province for 4000 B/m2. This just bare bones basic......

If I were to live in it, I would upgrade the bathroom and the houses electrical system. Inasmuch as you want a ceiling be advised that you will need to enclose the roofs soffit (Overhang) and prepare the ceiling to receive fans by installing electrical boxes. Having a ceiling keeps the house cleaned but also makes the house hotter by trapping the hot air underneath the ceiling rather then let it rise into what you call the attic. I would consider only putting the ceiling in the bedroom that receives the AC and have a vauted ceiling elsewhere. With a creative contractor fans could be installed in the other spaces and not be unsightly.

Every deviation from the norm will add additional material & labor cost so don't be surprised when the 4000 number climbs. Depending on design and materials I have seen Western style homes range from 9000-15000sm and probably without looking very hard find numbers lower/higher. Both of my homes in Thailand worked out to around 15,000sm excluding land cost.

It's the annual exercise cobra between the nations here and USA forces The officers are all billeted at Le Meriden nice break for them :-)

Can't they exercise in their home country?

We don't have Cobra's in the USA, now if it was Python Gold they could go to Florida.

I betting this is just the regular Farlang Distortion Field.

Someone (not necessarily the OP) misunderstood the visa-free land-entry.

If you enter Thailand overland (for example from Mae Sai), without any visa, as a citizen from a visa-exempt country (most Western countries), then you get a two week stay.

Next.

What? I always do this and I've always gotten 30-days stamp (or visa if you will). I never did it from Mae Sai though, but it doesn't matter I believe. Are you sure? Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar - from all of them I got 30-days stamp and there was never any problem.

If you fly in then yes, you get 30 days. If you show up on the pavement at a land border from a neighboring country without a visa, then it's 15 days. Not saying this is necessarily a problem, but it is a 15 day stay.

Has been like this for a couple of years now, since the end of 2008 or early 2009 I believe.

OK Winnie, I have a question......

I have some friends coming into Thailand by Yacht from Singapore, do they get 30 days or 15 days? They are planning on 30 days in-country prior to heading on to Hong Kong. If 15 days they will anchor at Koh Chang then slip into Cambodia then back into Thailand for another 15 days. If 30 days they would anchor closer to Chonburi.

"Hi Guys Thanks for all the really usefull feed back so far, just an update & a little more advice. Talking it over with the wife last night, this trip she will be heading out before me with the kids so they can spend some quality time with her mother. As a result when I fly in I will catch the Nok Air flight to Buriram, (don't fancy the train after 12 hours on the plane from the UK) & we will catch the train from Surin to BKK as a family. Any tips on the train with a one year old & a three year old in tow, probably have the wifes parents as well (fancy a couple of days in BKK at the end of the trip). Heavey Drinker which side of the train do we want to sit if we travelling towards BKK & I am sitting facing forward & which train would you take? Always done this journey by pick-up truck or mini-bus before & we only had one child last time, fancy seeing the country from a different angle this time so a 9 hour journey is not off putting. I understand the train takes a completely different route to the road."

With a one year old and a three year old, I would opt for 1st class. You can get adjoining staterooms with a door that opens between them. When the 3 Yr old gets restless, you will have the coridor for him to walk/run to work off the steam. No choice on which side to sit. Sleep on the upper bunk and the wife gets the kids! I forget which side you face but I know that depending on the direction you are traveling BKK-CNX or CNX-BKK the direction changes, also going one way you are behind the baggage car and the other way you are the last car on the train.

Here is the schedule..... these are the primary trains, there are also minor trains bbut these you need to either go online or to the station,

Looks very nice Diablo Bob.

May consider doing something like that. My only worry here is the sand wash goes green almost instantly with rain.

How is yours holding out?

Haven't experienced that yet..... but then again sand wash can be purchased that has an additive for wet environments (Swimming pools) which is less porous than standard, which is what was used on my application. Actually had an oil leak from a visitors car that washed away with no staining!

That being said, depending on how a contractor places concrete ready mix or hand mixed concrete will also determine how a concrete performs. Concrete that is wet (High slump) will be more porous than a stiffer concrete. Concrete containing air entrainment is less porous than a concrete without. Having concrete is no guarantee of a performing surface, materials and workmanship are significant parts of an integrated system.

Check back in a few years and see what I think!

her mixed race son has been taken out of the country to england out of fears that the victims family will want retaliation.

Must of just happened then because I saw him being picked up at school by his father last Thursday.

So what does this have to do with the state of the Loi Kroh road?

The theme of this thread has been completely taken off track. Why not start your own thread? Title it: The promiscuous and morals of society, and then battle it out among yourselves? Lets hear more from those who are regular visitors of the Loi Kroh road and even more interesting, from those who own businesses in the area, would love to hear your opinions.

I was just replying to the comment that women who have sex before marriage are somehow evil, while it is okay for men to do so. I was just disagreeing.

It was you who started the topic on how seedy Loi Kroh road was. I have commented that I didn't think it looked any worse than any other street in the whole of Thailand. I've ridden through many towns, villages and cities in Thailand, and with the exception of the highrise area of Bangkok, the streets all look the same. I think there is a topic somewhere on just that subject. I highly doubt it will ever change. The shop keepers will continue to use the sidewalks to extend their business. Vehicles will park anywhere at any time and completely block lanes of traffic. Traffic lights will work most of the time, but drivers and riders won't pay much attention if someone else is going through a red light, and will just follow along behind. Police will have their weekly checkpoints to collect their tea money, but not do much else. Pickup trucks with loud, blaring speakers will continue to slowly drive down the streets and block all the traffic behind them. There will be grand, highrise hotels situated right beside a few seedy massage parlours. I don't see it ever changing.

"When we were walking through the Loi Kroh road around 9.30pm, I was taken back just how seedy, dirty and squalid that area has become.

Dirty tatty little open bars full of gross drunken farangs, and the girls pretending that they find these guys cool and they're drunken rants amusing.

The BGs there appear uniformly unattractive. Not young, not old, average age perhaps around 30ish, but cheap and nasty..

We found the tactics of luring the men into massage parlours, by women in they're 30s and 40s, trying desperately but unsuccessfully to look 25, as aggressive and in our faces. Some actually screaming at us."

No hijacking here, just a continuation of the theme he/she/it established in the OP.

I do have a question for Beetlejuice, it seems that if in fact the Farangs were "gross drunken farangs" then the statement as to the BG's tactics as being aggressive would be an over statement, because we all know that after 6 beers all the ugly girls go home AND like the Navy saying (Applies to most males) Any Port in a Storm would make aggressive marketing of the girls services unnecessary.

My question: Is this just another one of your windup topics. You have been anti Loi Kroh for years and been predicting its' demise for as long as I can remember. Hasn't happened yet!

you can safely drink tap water from Chiangmai municipal supply. If you think you can taste chlorine or whatever a simple filter will fix it. If you wash a glass clean and let it air dry there will be no residue stains .I clean my tank once a year with only very fine sand as a sediment and not much of that either.

My well water smells and is not clear and I am close to Airport plaza behind the mental hospital. For gardens only. My next door neighbor has a well that is very clean and used for everything but drinking. He says it is because his well is deeper???

There are a lot of misconceptions here......

A filter will NOT remove the odor or taste of chlorine, the filter only removes particulate matter. Chlorine is an oxidizer, Ozone is better but more expensive. When you test your water there is a figure called BOD which is Biological Oxygen Demand which is the amount of oxidizer required to neutralize the biologic content in the water. Agitation of the water (Pumping) increases the BOD and will remove excess chlorine (Excess chlorine dosage = odor/taste in your water)

The depth of the well is very important. Contamination to a water aquifer normally is introduced from the surface, the further from the surface the less contamination. Other interesting facts to note...... the temperature of your well water will probably be close to the Mean Average temperature where the well is located. Water only migrates horizontally around 300mm/year (1 Ft.) so if your well tests as contaminated, your only option is to go deeper, you won't live long enough to wait out nature......

Hate to stir the pot BUT I have been I have been looking at the following:

http://www.lodgemfg.com/

OH Lord.....won't you buy me a Mercedes Benz!! [Janis Joplin]

My friends all drive Porches I must make amends.

Yes, previous post - the Catholic Church and it's policies have a lot to answer for regarding the spread of STD's.

You're not wrong Ollie. And this is posted by a former altar boy.

Try this.......

Priest-Off1.wmv

For sausages and meats you can also try Western Wholesale Meat Co. in Pattaya, they ship in dry ice to your nearest bus terminal,

http://www.wwmco.asia/