IsaanT

I'm from the UK so they were definitely considered (almost all houses in the UK have cavity walls construction, as you may know). From visiting building sites here and wandering around a few part-built houses made from 10cm AAC blocks, I consider sufficient and 15cm blocks can only be better. If you ask AI nicely, it will calculate the thermal performance of several building materials and tell you how they compare (see picture - I asked it to include a refridgerator case for comparison because they are very well insulated). Of course, double-thickness walls with a foil radiant barrier, polystyrene sheets (or both) in the middle would be the ultimate but I'm not sure the complication is worth trying for. I say 'trying' rather than 'paying' because I'd like to stay within the competencies of our builders. Having said that, we've yet to build the walls so the option is still there - I'll be discussing our final choice with my builder soon. Ours is a three-bed, two bathroom design and we estimate around 1.75M baht for the house. The house is north-facing - we've got lots of windows on the front, much smaller ones on the sides which will receive the sun, and the back doesn't matter (see below). Once the house is completed and we have a house number, we'll be moving straight on with building a covered patio and parking spaces (see pictures from similar house that we used for inspiration). Our house is 15M wide and 9m deep: the patio area will also be 15m wide but 18m deep so plenty of space for sitting outside and parking cars and motorbikes. The photos show some steel pillars supporting the roof where the cars are parked - I intend to make that part of the roof cantilevered so there are no pillars to hit! 😉. And the shallow-sloping patio roof will provide the perfect location for a few unobtrusive solar panels... One of the most satisfying aspects of building your own house is the absence of bills once completed. We've dug two wells on our land, and testing has proven that the water is already safe to drink but I will filter it. We're fitting two septic tanks so no sewage costs. Solar panels and batteries will eventually provide the electricity. And, especially for UK readers, no council rates (I'm paying nearly £200 a month on my UK house). So, apart from the electricity bill initially, there won't be any other bills. It's almost too good to be true. 🙂

p.s. Our rented house (picture taken just before we moved in, hence no signs of life 😉). It looks OK but absolutely no attempt was made in the design and construction to keep it cool. Still, we only took it for a year and we're past April now so the worst has already occurred.

Yep. Autoclaved Aerated Concrete - lots of air bubbles, which makes it good for heat and sound insulation. I currently live in an attractive looking rented house but the heat insulation is non-existent so I'm determined not to have the same issues in my house build. Starting at the top of the house, we have heavy roof tiles but there is no foil backing to reflect heat, and no insulation above the ceilings. I measure temperatures with my handheld IR thermometer and the ceilings can reach 38-40C when the sun's out. The walls are made of normal thin Thai clay bricks and they can reach similar temperatures when the sun shines on them. Thus the interior is uncomfortably hot all day and I retreat to the bedrooms where we have aircon. I started my build last month. I'll be using 15cm AAC blocks. I've been in a nearly-built house near me that is using 10cm thick AAC blocks, which seems to be the norm for AAC builds in Thailand, and it was very cool. Prestige builds use 20cm thick blocks. I'm also using SCG heat-resistant roof tiles, and the lovely thick silver foil backing that apparently blocks 95% of radiant heat. Then I'll be putting 6" of insulation above the ceiling. The house is 1m above the ground which insulates it from the ground but also because my other half dislikes snakes even more than me. Lastly, the house walls will be painted in heat-reflecting paint (it really makes a difference). I appreciate you are taking a different direction to me but most expats desire comfortable temperatures so you may be interested. The photos show progress to date. The view is our pond, taken from the house - it's 73m long and 30m wide so very tranquil (apart from adding some banana trees along the fence, we haven't done much landscaping yet so there's lots of potential to improve the view).

In terms of insulation properties in isolation, did you consider AAC bricks? If so, I'd be interested to know how they stacked up against adobe bricks (pun intended).

You're on the right track - the UK tyre industry calls cheap Chinese tyres "ditch-finders"... I drove a car with some fitted once and it started raining on my journey. I was appalled at how quickly they lost grip on a wet surface - it was nearly as bad as fresh snow. As with most things in life, you usually get what you pay for.

At one point before leaving the UK I worked for Stapleton's Tyres - the UK's largest tyre distributor. Stapleton's had the UK franchise for Maxxis tyres and were much envied by their competitors for it. The answer to the original question is undoubtedly 'the best you can afford' but I should point out that Maxxis are excellent value for money and perform well. I fitted them by choice to my Mercedes and they were quiet, gripped well in the wet (always my top priority for a tyre - all tyres grip at sensible speeds in the dry) and had good endurance. Also, don't get too concerned if you haven't heard of Maxxis, or feel reluctant to trust a small name in the industry - if I recall correctly, they are manufactured by Yokohama (Maxxis is a brand, not the manufacturer).

... and for our American compatriots (please be aware that forecasts are just that - tomorrow's forecast could be different):

Today's GBP/THB forecast (please be aware that forecasts are just that - tomorrow's forecast could be different):

I sent 100,000 baht to my Kasikorn bank account today. It took 3 seconds.

All the small space junk burns up on entry to the earth's atmosphere.

My other half took me to see fireflies at an army base. It was a good visit. From memory, the fireflies were most active straight after dusk, and the numbers observed diminished as the evening went on. I couldn't remember the name and she's out and about as I write so I asked Gemini: There is indeed an army base in Thailand where people can go to watch fireflies in the woods! It is the Phrom Yothi Military Barrack (ค่ายพรหมโยธี), located in Muang District, Prachinburi Province. This camp is known for its "Firefly Land" within the military base, where thousands of fireflies gather, particularly the terrestrial firefly Asymmetricata circumdata. Key details about visiting: Location: Phrom Yothi Military Barrack, Muang District, Prachinburi Province. (It's about a 2-hour drive from Bangkok). Best Time to Visit: The fireflies are typically most abundant during the rainy season, specifically in June and July each year. Viewing Hours: The camp usually opens for viewing in the evening, often from around 6:00 PM to 8:00 PM or 9:00 PM. Experience: Visitors can often walk along designated trails, sometimes on raised walkways, to view the fireflies. It's described as a very natural and impressive display, especially for families. It's important to note that access might be seasonal and managed by the military authorities, so it's always a good idea to check local tourism information or contact the camp directly closer to the June-July period for the most up-to-date visiting hours and rules. Other popular places to see fireflies in Thailand include Amphawa Floating Market (boat tours along the Mae Klong River) and various national parks like Khao Kho and Kaeng Krachan, but Phrom Yothi Military Barrack is the one specifically identified as an army base with this unique attraction.

Unless some local vandal has a very strong (and large) catapult, doesn't it appear logical that it fell from a plane?

They are in the rural areas. They carry straw bales, farm implements, gas cylinders, whatever you can fit in or on it, really. I can understand they aren't common in the city environments...

That's so inaccurate. You've gone done several rungs in my estimation.