unheard

Agree. I don't know why it still needs to be explained on this forum. It's OK to employ local unqualified "builders" (in reality, farmers) to build a house. Many have done just that and saved truly significant amounts of money in the process. But somehow they still expect to have lasting quality afterwards. You get what you pay for. There's no need to bicker later on on how bad and incapable Thai tradesmen are. Farmers are not tradesmen.

If the column deletion change has been run by the engineers and approved then it's all good. Sorry, it wasn't clear from your post. I just wouldn't be so sure about validity of builder's own opinions on structural designs, regardless of how many houses he's built in the past. There is a clear reason for why they have structural engineers employed. That's their job to oversee those kinds of changes.

Does the location really matter for a quality build?

Yeah, builders must follow an approved design to a tee. No any deviations should be allowed unless specified by an architect or structural engineer.

Of course It's no big deal to the builder. But did you (he) consult the architect or structural engineer? Structural changes like that should not be left to the builder to decide, not without the architect's approval!

Don't see any markings on the wires

I'm thinking of trying the Liquid Nail adhesive. It sticks to everything while forming a water proof seal.

My contractor hasn't done a proper job during the install of the house underground electrical connection. The HDPE pipe has been cut in two sections. It's been installed at a very shallow depth, of just a few cms deep. A couple of questions. I plan to deepen the trench at its most vulnerable section in order to position a portion of the cable's length deeper underground. I have already dug the cable out and placed it on surface, right next to the trench. Would it be safe to move the cable back into the deepened trench while it's live? What would be the appropriate range depth of the trench? How can I seal the open HDPE joint to prevent moisture from entering the pipe? Will the electrical insulating tape work? Thanks!!!

I see this point being repeated on many threads. But... I've also seen several reports of IO's refusing to allow such a request when the marriage is still intact. Their reasoning is that the provision only applies to single parents.

They manufacture in Thailand for the local market and for export. How often do you plan to service it? Do you mean the yearly "tune-ups" which are normally not necessary in properly installed units or the regular clean ups?

As it's been mentioned already, the A/C sizing process is mostly just a guessing game. The common sizing charts are not particularly useful either. There are many important to A/C sizing factors that are unique to each particular house - quality of wall/ceiling insulation, shading of walls, thermal qualities of windows/doors and even floors, house ventilation and air leaks, geographical location and local climate. Just to name a few. It's also common to neglect (or not to be aware of) the A/Cs SEER rating which is an important metric. Over the years the highly SEER rated systems will save a significant amount on energy costs, e.g. Fujitsu IMAX (obviously not a factor when on solar). It's a very efficient model made by a high quality brand but for some reason Fujitsu A/Cs are not even mentioned on this board. But It's a different story in the U.S. and Australia where Fujitsu units are very popular and being cross-shopped among other high quality brands such as Daikin and Mitsubishi. In addition the Fujitsu IMAX model is generally over specced in relation to the advertised BTU cooling capacity, especially on the lowest capacity units in the model's lineup.

I don't know what it has anything to do with water wells and deep aquifers? Please take a look at the physical map of Thailand. Roughly half of Thailand can be considered having difficult to drill geology. Yet there are existing deep bore water wells in just about every corner of the country, most of which are producing water. Common methods of drilling bore well The method of drilling bore well, depends on a number of factors, such as its suitability for a particular type of geological location and soil (e.g. bouldery soil, hard rock soil, alluvial soil), cost, bore well diameter and depth, and the purpose of the bore well intended. Water Jetting – Shallow bores in alluvial soil Augur Drilling – Shallow bores in alluvial soil Calyx Drilling – Shallow borewell in both hard rock and alluvial soil Percussion Drilling – Deep bores in bouldery soil Rotary Drilling – Most common method used for drilling large and deep bores in alluvial soil Down the Hole Hammering (DTH) Drilling – Most common method for drilling large and deep borewells in hard rock soil https://agrotexglobal.com/complete-guide-for-borewell-setup-and-cost/#Common_methods_of_drilling_borewell

????????

It's a common story everywhere in the countryside, especially farther out, away from cities. In most cases it's still possible to bring in qualified workforce from the nearby bigger cities but at much, much higher cost compared to locals.

Why? What are you suggesting?

But in all seriousness.. it's not the lack of tools, it's a lack of skill in their proper use.

I don't know if you have noticed but my "faulty assumptions" are directly quoted from a governmental website. As I have said, it can takes centuries for surface water to get filtered through multiple geological layers as is the case with deep aquifers. In addition, as I've already mentioned, it's highly recommended to test water to rule out potential contamination. There should be no guessing involved. Every well is different and produces varies output and quality of water. Deep bore well drilling (50m and deeper) is relatively cheap and common in many areas of Thailand, but not in all. But again, why to generalize? Many areas have soft, rock free soils where even the simplest of a rig is capable of quickly getting past the 50m mark. Yet there are many other areas in mostly mountainous regions where only much more specialized and very expensive rigs, equipped with very powerful air compressors and repercussion type of drill bits that make it possible to hammer through rocky geology.

Done on every newly built house in Thailand (as far as I know). Well, maybe not the ones built by farmers.

"While useful for many things, rainwater is not as pure as you might think, so you cannot assume it is safe to drink. Rain can wash different types of contaminants into the water you collect (for example, bird poop on your roof could end up in your water barrel or tank). Rainwater can carry bacteria, parasites, viruses, and chemicals that could make you sick, and it has been linked to disease outbreaks." https://www.cdc.gov/healthywater/drinking/private/rainwater-collection.html Regarding well water. In my prior post I've specifically mentioned the importance of well's depth. Local geology also plays a huge role. Shallow wells are likely to be contaminated by surface water and all contaminants that you've listed above. Deep aquifers are far less likely to contain bacteria, nitrates and pesticides compared to rain water collected from roofs or gutters or well water pumped out shallow aquifers. It takes many years or even centuries for surface water to filter through multiple geological layers.

Sure, he could have a special case which did require (or rather allowed) piles. But he hasn't mentioned anything specific, not even if his lot's been surveyed and found to be suitable for the uncommon to the area measure (piles). His words: "I dont understand why builders just dont just use piers its simple and quick" Every builder in Thailand (or anywhere else) wouldn't hesitate to use "simple and quick" methods over the more complex and slower solutions if they were to satisfy local building requirements. Since simpler and quicker usually translates into cheaper. He also said: "I used an architect that worked for the local authority he did the plans". Still, not a direct answer to my question if the house plan has been permitted or not. Just because it's been drawn by an architect that has supposedly worked for the local authority could mean many things.

Your well water might turn out to be safe to drink. And might even be a safer option over your local drinking water purifying plant with unknown levels of quality consistency (in water purification and bottle disinfection).

I'm not a structural engineer... But his pile-based foundation just doesn't look right, especially on a large house. As you've said, there's no shortage of construction equipment in Chiang Mai. Therefore it can not be used as a reason for not seeing any other similar type of foundations being constructed in the area.

@lost in isaan "Not sure why they installed panels and didn't just fill the holes with concrete? To save money?" I don't understand what you meant by that. "Both the well water and rainwater will be filtered to ensure their purity. I'm still open to ideas and nothing is set in concrete." To what standard do you want to purify your water? Do you plan to drink it? The first thing to do is to test your well water in a lab. If it's of a good quality then you could safely use cheaper filters to bring it up to a drinking purity standard. You could also use a more expensive Reverse Osmosis system that would almost always guarantee your drinking water safety unless your water is super bad. IMO, rain water is almost always inferior to a deep bore well water due to prevalent atmospheric/collecting surface bacteria contaminants, seasonal availability and problems related to storing it without making it even more contaminated with pathogens. On the other hand, deep well water is available on demand, sourced from the virtually bacteria-free environment and doesn't need to be stored. "A 33-meter hole was drilled on the corner of the elevated land. The driller discovered multiple waterlines in the area, but fortunately none of them were located directly under the house. Water was already found at a depth of 10 meters. I installed the hitachi pump that pumps the water from ~27m. As you can see i also installed the consumer unit and water tank for the builders to use." Not sure if 33m is deep enough to obtain bacteria/contaminant free water which is also free of surface contamination. But it all depends on your local geology. Make sure that the well bore is properly sealed. Also make sure to test your well water before making any assumptions about its quality: https://www.testtech.co.th/th