Iolare

Consider a pole-house design, should be a relatively easy modification of your existing plans as it's already a bungalow. The underfloor area helps considerably with cooling and gives you space for the cars etc. Attic ventilation helps too (ensure you keep the critters out).

Something like this

Belongs to another TV member (don't remember who )

Thanks Crossy,

My lot slopes enough that poles are a practical idea for me, so slab on posts was my idea from the beginning. The fellow who was doing the working drawings changed that to slab on fill, but I put a stop to that. Communication is so difficult!! I was planning on side walls of stone to cover with crawl space, but with large screened vents. My thought was to keep local critters from setting up housekeeping under the house. Since the lot slopes as much as it does, I added an office, an exercise area, and a sauna, as well as a mechanical room and extra garage/workshop down there too. I’m hoping that enclosing the space doesn’t negate the benefits you’re talking about.

i’ve designed a house to build on a hill overlooking Phang Nga Bay. What I’ve come up with is a one story design of about 300 sq. meters, with deck, sala, pool, garage adding another 300 sq. meters or so. The main view to the sea is in a southeasterly direction, so the main rooms are oriented that way with a lot of glass.

I’m pretty happy with the overall design, but before moving from design and engineering to the cement pouring stage, I thought it’d be a good idea to tap the experience and wisdom of this group regarding how this tropical climate should influence the design of a house. What do you regard as the most important elements in building a comfortable house here? For example, where I come from orienting a house to take advantage of the southerly light results in a cheerful house. What about here?

Jai Dee, Thanks for your response.

The house will have a hip roof design, and i have planned eaves of 1.5 meters counting the gutters. The exception to that are two gable ends on the view side with the same overhang, but no gutters. Those rooms (master Brm sitting room and Living room) have glass in the gables, and glass doors that open accordian-like to pretty much open the rooms to the pool deck area. The actual orientation is ESE, so I’m hoping that there isn’t too much temp. buildup. I could made the eaves a little wider on those two gables. That’s the area of the design that’s making me a little nervous. I think I’ve got pretty good cross ventilation in the design so hopefully we’ll benefit from those breezes. I had a plumbing company in LA until recently, so I agree with your plumbing cautions, and I appreciate all of your ideas.

Jacques, your concern is absolutely on point for me. My land is about 6 rai and the building site sits about 12 meters above the sea level. It slopes gently about 2 meters from the road to the building site, then drops off fairly abruptly 7 or 8 meters and then levels to a fairly gentle slope to the ocean, where i’ve had a sea wall installed. I had some land work done to create a path to the ocean that I could easily walk and drive my truck down, so I got a good look at the soil composition.

I hired a Thai engineer to do the working drawings. I recently got the first draft, and the footings and grade beams didn’t look adequate to me, and their were no pilings. It turns out that he didn’t have any soil testing done, so I’m having someone else rework the engineering. I’d rather overbuild than have my house and pool slide down the hill. I think the first guy was licensed.

i’ve designed a house to build on a hill overlooking Phang Nga Bay. What I’ve come up with is a one story design of about 300 sq. meters, with deck, sala, pool, garage adding another 300 sq. meters or so. The main view to the sea is in a southeasterly direction, so the main rooms are oriented that way with a lot of glass.

I’m pretty happy with the overall design, but before moving from design and engineering to the cement pouring stage, I thought it’d be a good idea to tap the experience and wisdom of this group regarding how this tropical climate should influence the design of a house. What do you regard as the most important elements in building a comfortable house here? For example, where I come from orienting a house to take advantage of the southerly light results in a cheerful house. What about here?

Jai Dee, Thanks for your response.

The house will have a hip roof design, and i have planned eaves of 1.5 meters counting the gutters. The exception to that are two gable ends on the view side with the same overhang, but no gutters. Those rooms (master Brm sitting room and Living room) have glass in the gables, and glass doors that open accordian-like to pretty much open the rooms to the pool deck area. The actual orientation is ESE, so I’m hoping that there isn’t too much temp. buildup. I could made the eaves a little wider on those two gables. That’s the area of the design that’s making me a little nervous. I think I’ve got pretty good cross ventilation in the design so hopefully we’ll benefit from those breezes. I had a plumbing company in LA until recently, so I agree with your plumbing cautions, and I appreciate all of your ideas.

i’ve designed a house to build on a hill overlooking Phang Nga Bay. What I’ve come up with is a one story design of about 300 sq. meters, with deck, sala, pool, garage adding another 300 sq. meters or so. The main view to the sea is in a southeasterly direction, so the main rooms are oriented that way with a lot of glass.

I’m pretty happy with the overall design, but before moving from design and engineering to the cement pouring stage, I thought it’d be a good idea to tap the experience and wisdom of this group regarding how this tropical climate should influence the design of a house. What do you regard as the most important elements in building a comfortable house here? For example, where I come from orienting a house to take advantage of the southerly light results in a cheerful house. What about here?

Hello,

Please count me in along with my wife.