medic5678

34 minutes ago, sometimewoodworker said:

I don’t know where you heard the fairy tale.
 

AAC is semi closed cell foam, yes if you hold an AAC block under water for long enough it will saturate BUT the time will be very much longer than for bricks and bocks.
 

AAC blocks may loose a slight amount of bearing  capacity when soaking wet but you are not using them to support any significant weight & they are concrete they don’t swell or shrink.

 

To satisfy yourself call QCon and ask them.

 

 

 

Sorry, can't see your images on my restricted network.  So you are saying just use the regular Qcon render, and then thin set directly on top of that?    It would make sense to me that it wouldn't matter if Qcon got wet since it's just concrete anyway.  There's no sense in doing anything different just for the sake of doing it.  I just don't want to deal with tile popping off the bathroom wall from the other side of the world.  I've read about needing to use regular block in the shower areas instead of Qcon because of some problem with Qcon and moisture.

3 hours ago, bankruatsteve said:

We used Super Block but didn't do anything different that I am aware for tiling.

 

Are you saying they used the "glue" that goes between the blocks as render for the walls?  Wow.  There again, mine was done using normal render.

Nope.  They used the correct Qcon render but mixed it with this other unknown waterproofing liquid based on my mother in law's instruction.  And a few days after they finished, it started popping off the walls.

12 hours ago, Yellowtail said:

You speak Thai well enough to provide detailed instructions to tradesmen? 

I hired a crew who have done Qcon.  They told my mother in law that they had never used this other stuff before, just the plain Qcon render.  She insisted they add this special waterproofing compound to be mixed in with  the Qcon render based on what some salesman had told her.  Not surprisingly, the construction crew said "it's not our fault".  I agree with them.  I don't speak Thai that well, but they didn't need detailed instructions.  I just needed to cut my mother in law out of any decision making for the house, which has been done in no uncertain terms.

1 hour ago, sometimewoodworker said:

If the walls are going to be continuous wet then;

1) using regular tile mortar is a mistake you should be using waterproof mortar, as in swimming pools.

2) using regular grout is another mistake, you should be using a waterproof grout, probably an epoxy based one.

 

Our shower room walls only get intermittently wet, have AAC block walls, normal render, regular wall tiles, regular thin set tile adhesive, and grout

Let me get this straight.  At this time, I've got bare Qcon walls.  What do I put directly on the Qcon?  The Qcon render?  And then thin set on top of the Qcon render?  This isn't going to be continuously wet, though Thai bathrooms tend to be damp because you have several people taking showers every day (at our house anyway).   When I put tile on my bathroom floor here in the USA, I put a plastic like coating on the floor to seal under the tiles.  This effectively made a liner pan under the bottom of the floor.  It's like a little Thai bathroom with a floor drain and no shower stall.   Then I put the thin set on top of that, grouted and sealed it with no problems.

My nightmare scenario is the tile popping off the Qcon walls.  I had understood that Qcon requires some special sealant to keep water out of it whenever you used it for shower walls because the Qcon would absorb water.    And by the way, I have always appreciated your advice and helpful attitude.  Much appreciated.

And finally, though the episode with the outer and inner house walls did irritate me and I have grumbled about it, the real reason I'm building this house is to make my wife happy so she doesn't worry about her mother or sister (and her kids) who will live there.  We are going to go there for 2 months or so every year at most once the Corona craze ends.   I have the most wonderful , awesome wife in the entire world and I love her endlessly.  This house gives her peace of mind about her immediate family and if anyone in her extended family runs into hard times, they can stay at her house.  So it's worth it to me :).

Looking for a suitable sealant for the bathrooms before tiling over the Qcon walls.  I've had fits with this house, by the way.  My wife's family has proven to be cluelessly stupid in following my directions.  They mixed some stuff they bought from a vendor  with the Qcon mortar to "make it more waterproof".  They didn't say a thing about this to me before the did it.  Of course, they applied this to all the walls of the home, interior and exterior.  Surprise, it cracked!  So now I've had to pay the construction people to scrape the walls down and reapply the wall cement, only about $2,500 in the toilet.  I just cannot have them screw up the bathrooms now.  They are too stupid to call the Qcon company and get technical advice.   So I ask here.  We've got Qcon walls in the bathroom and I want to tile over them.  What do I need to apply over the walls before putting on the tile with regular tile morter?  Anyone with experience here, I'd appreciate any help I could get!

On 2/3/2020 at 12:17 AM, overherebc said:

So many posters get on the x,000 die on the roads every year etc and this will add only x00 to the total dead every year.

I just don't see the reasoning behind those thoughts and arguements.

Please, please,  tell me why it's OK.

Edit. On the financial front, one factory in Kanchanaburi has paid off 500? workers because they have no parts

( imported from China ) so have no more work for people to do.

The x00 deaths, extra to normal, is not good or excusable in any way. The financial and social costs may be a very big hit if this really gets a hold here.

Note if and maybe.

the problem is that this could at X,000,000,000 deaths in the next couple of years, because the world economy and the health care system could get totally overwhelmed.  Yes, the numbers are small now.  If the present growth rate continues, they won't be small 6 months from now.

On 2/3/2020 at 12:36 PM, PhiPhi said:

When a virus has an incubation time of up to 2 weeks, is infectious during incubation, can be asymptomatic, has an R-Nought of 2.8 with the contagion set to double every 6.8 days and an estimated mortality rate of between 2 to 6.5 percent I'll happily own up to being a worry bucket. I mean when the first 10 serious cases hit my hospital in the provinces everybody else is stuffed as far as the isolation wards, respirators and nebulisers required for supportive care are concerned.

 

Have you ever seen someone afflicted by viral pneumonia?  A decade ago, for days I watched my 4 year old being slowly asphyxiated by this disease (viral pneumonia) with the treatment being almost equally traumatic, luckily they pulled through at the 11th hour (and 59th minute).  I really hope I am overreacting because I never want to experience that again with a loved one.

 

I'm in medicine, and I'm worried as hell about this.   It's almost a "perfect" virus in terms of being extremely difficult to contain.  I am looking for a worldwide epidemic unless they can come up with a vaccination fast.  Anyone with a lick of sense should understand that any hospital system, even in the US, will be totally overwhelmed by having to hospitalize 13% of those infected in an ICU.  Hell, they'll be treating people in the parking lots.  Not to mention that this *could* easily spark a worldwide recession.  Look at the streets of China.  Ghost towns.  Do you really think these people can stay locked indoors for more than a couple of more weeks?  And they can't even contain it now, despite all these measures.  This is truly an outbreak to fear.  This might not be the "big one" in terms of humanity, but this will be remembered for a long time.  People comparing this to the flu (with the flu being worse) are kidding themselves.  This is the flu on steroids.

By contrast, a disease that kills people quickly is much easier to contain.   That this virus is able to create a prolonged infection is what makes it so dangerous. We're going to Thailand on the 25th to see my wife's family.  Father has had a heart attack.   Perhaps this is the last time my wife sees him.  I can't opt out of this trip for that reason.  Nonetheless, I think we'll see it get loose in the USA... so probably it doesn't matter what you do, you'll be exposed to this virus eventually.

I'm building a very similar building as to what you are building Jim.  At this time, we've got the slab poured, the concrete posts in place and the supporting metal up on the roof.  We're getting ready to buy the metal for the roof.   Your post has been enlightening.

For the sides, we're planning to use block.  I'm wondering what sort of vapor barrier, exactly where to put it and how to insulate the walls.  What are your plans?

Wife's sister bought the gold for her in a shop in Lat Yao, of all places.  My wife's wrist is very small, and the gold shop had a bracelet that will fit her exactly.   I'm sending my wife back to Thailand for a month this summer, so she'll bring it back with her.   It's simply too much aggravation to do this by mail.

21 minutes ago, CharlieH said:

I would definitely use someone I knew and trust, as it could be easy to just send you you an empty packet then claim " must have been lost n the mail."

 

Personally I wouldnt send it at all.

This is my wife's beloved sister.  She is utterly reliable.  We've used her for all our business in Thailand -  and with a lot more the just $2k.

I can't make heads or tails of the customs required here.  She will be buying the gold from a shop in Nakhon Sawan.   My wife seems very confident of doing it this way.  I have no idea how you'd be sure of what you were getting.

She met a Thai lady on facebook who claims to be an agent for a gold shop and says they only charge $30 to ship it and sell it for the same price they would in Thailand.  I don't buy it, so we're sending the $$ to her sister to make the purchase for us.

Well, it's Christmas, although any holiday is a good reason to buy gold according to my wife.  I'm buying her 3 baht gold (sending the money to her sister) for a bracelet.  Her sister will buy it at the gold shop and send it to us.  The question is *how* to send it.  Do we have to pay import tax to bring it in?  I think this is about $2,000 in gold.  Anyone with any experience here is welcome to comment. 

The Thais say you need to wrap whatever you send in copy paper if you don't insure it, else the postal employees will filch it.  Don't know how much credence there is to that, but hey, it's cheap enough to do.  We can't go to Thailand at this time, so we can't pick it up.

Of course, my wife has the reverence for gold that all Thai ladies have.  She's been so outstanding that it seems like a good Xmas present, even for a Bhuddist girl.

4 minutes ago, gunderhill said:

Its  KUKRI snake get loads  here. Harmless enough

https://www.en.siam-info.de/venomous_animals/snakes/oligodon.html

I'd say you nailed it.  Great job!

Hah.  My wife is Thai and terrified of snakes.  I told her not to worry, not much risk where we live.  Then my little girl was 3 feet away and she spotted a cottonmouth in our front yard.  I killed it, have now spent  3k on fencing materials to snake proof about an acre of our land.  We're building  a house in Thailand, I'll have to do the same thing there.

Malayan pit vipers come in many color shades.  It's definitely not a cobra or a krait.  Will be curious to see a snake expert weigh in on this, looks like its head isn't triangular enough to be a Malayan viper.  

Apparently they just screen you for alcoholism and you will need medical clearance.  One DUI 8 years ago will not disqualify you. 

She paid a fine the next morning, and has driven since without incident.   Though I do see why they'd want medical clearance for alcohol abuse.    Perhaps it's nothing more than that, passing screening criteria.

Hi everyone.   My fiance recently had her interview, and they focused on an almost 9 year old DUI while operating a motorcycle.  They want a 2nd police clearance and they are making her go for alcohol evaluation.  This girl rarely drinks, and only a little if any.  This was something that she did when she was 24, thought to be buried by the sands of time... but apparently not.  So we are not yet cleared for visas.  This surprises me that it would come up at the interview in such a way, because we disclosed it on the initial petition.  I don't know if this means it will be ok when she passes the medical exam and the police clearance certificate is corrected, or what the policy is..  you literally operate in a cloud of darkness.    Any input appreciated.

I'm marrying my girl.  She's too awesome to let go.  I'd rather she not be worried about day to day bills.  We're going to have 2 homes and split our living time between the two countries.  Helps that I'm a successful investor.

I find that Thai women take huge pride in wearing gold.  They want their friends to see them.  Thai women are competitive with other Thai women.  

I give my girl an allowance for living expenses.  She'll save up money and buy a nice piece of gold every now and again.  I have yet to see her part with any gold at all.  

I'm not worried about the gold I'm buying for my girl for our wedding when we're married.  A Thai girl wants to show other women she has a good husband.  Wearing gold is very important to them.  It creates a sense of well being.  I have a wonderful Thai lady and if the day comes when she needs the money, then I say good for her.   $8k worth of gold is the least of my problems.

OP, you did a good thing.  But you shouldn't come here with specifics... unless you fabricated the details to protect identities.

She says the hotel is going to cost 150000 BHT.  Not bad at all.  This is going to work out fine :).

1 minute ago, transam said:

But where do I sing......?......

It's possible we could make arrangements for you to sing in the parking lot.  Certainly by the roadside.  Paid with a bottle of MD 20/20.  The good stuff.

2 hours ago, Scott said:

Numerous off-topic, troll and inflammatory posts have been removed.   Continue and you will receive a suspension.  

 

If you do not wish to address the questions in the OP, then please move on to another topic.  

Thank you for cleaning up this thread.  This is what I hoped it would be when I started it.