Encid

I haven't had my first booster yet... am I still eligible for a shot? What vaccine(s) are being offered?

I'd like to know where I can get a booster shot in the Pattaya/Sattahip region.

It's been 2 months since last time we visited the farm, and it is pleasing to see that the local couch grass has grown quickly and is now helping stabilize the land and minimize erosion. You can see how far the roots have penetrated the topsoil in this photo showing the ramp from the elevated land down to the rice fields. Vetiver grass has also been recently planted along this embankment as well so in a few months time it should all be pretty stable. As you can see from all the water in the rice fields the rain has been very consistent this year so far.

What about using this product? Lazada search bring up quite a few options... see here.

Mitsubishi certainly have multi split systems...

If you are going to get an off-the-shelf septic tank, make sure it has features like this one... Much safer for you and your family than the open pit you have now.

Yes I maintain the pool myself. It is a constant battle to maintain the correct pH. The cost of chemicals is just part of the problem... the main problem for me is the amount of time I have to spend cleaning it... 2 or 3 times a week... more, if it has been raining. We are planning on selling the house in about 6 months or so... until then the tree will remain as it adds character and afternoon shade. It also has flowering orchids and birds nest ferns mounted in it, and is quite pretty. I will just have to live with the problem a bit longer. I'm sure that now you understand my reasons for not having trees anywhere near a home pool.

That is also a great idea! Although our planned build is out in farmland about 1km from the nearest village or another dwelling, security is a concern to me. I can just imagine the local yaba-charged youths turning up one night on their motocycs and deciding to raid the farang's house to buy more yaba. Lamination plus double glazing would provide that security... I too hate those steel security grills or monkey bars.

I really enjoy our pool... it is used every day, sometimes more than once... and I also enjoy watching the birds, the bees, the wasps, the butterflies, the lizards etc... and the pool overflows into a smaller pond which has a skimmer box so it's not an issue of surface dust or leaves etc. The major problem is an overhanging leelawadee tree (aka frangipani) which continually drops all kind of organic matter into the pool all year round, except for cool season when it has no leaves. The other surrounding garden beds are fine... but I am really starting to hate that tree! If it's not the yellow mold that grows on the underside of the leaves, its the pigeon poop from birds resting overnight in it's branches, or the flower stems, and flowers, and leaves etc... That is why I said "never again" to planting trees near a pool.

Thanks but it is probably a bit early for me yet as we haven't even driven a pile yet, but useful to know that the product exists. It helps with the planning of the build... knowing that there are products like this available. We like the large glazed areas but want to mitigate the heat gain from the solar radiation through the glass. It is starting to sound like double glazing and low-e glass together with those silver backed perforated blinds for the south facing windows/doors (living room) might be the answer. It would only be used late afternoon/evening when the sun is on the other side so it's just a matter of trying to not let it heat up too much. For the east facing windows/doors (master bedroom and living room), the low-e glass together with those silver backed perforated blinds should suffice. Curtains with the solar backing block out nearly all the light and heat transfer would be negligible. Again, the master bedroom would only be used at night when the sun has gone down completely.

That sounds like a good product and ideal for our south facing windows and doors. Where did you get them?

I still remember the days of the first analogue mobile phones, when battery performance was so poor for the average business user that it was mandatory to carry around a second (spare) battery.

Most of the huge glazed areas face East, and the South facing wall has no windows at all. There are slight overhangs on the East side, so shading would occur at about 10am with the current design. The West facing side does have large glazed sliding doors on one room only, but that would be shaded by an overhead patio and would only see direct sunlight after 4pm. That is a very good suggestion... thank you! Probably the living room in the right in the image above... those sliding doors face due South.

Getting back to the subject matter (although the bricks diversion was interesting and informative ) you may be right. Save costs by going for a standard build rather than premium, and spend more on the solar/ESS system so we can be comfortable inside whenever we want may be the answer. I just hate wasting energy though.

I really like that idea and am seriously considering the cavity wall construction myself. Water pipes and electrical conduits can be run inside the cavity too. But with large expanses of windows and glass doors, what is the best method of conserving that cool internal thermal mass? It is still sounding like double glazing is the best option. Thank you. But I must admit I had a chuckle at that... when our first builder read my House Design Criteria document (in Thai as well as English) he told my wife that our house is "premium spec" 555... and of course would be accompanied by a "premium price" 555...

Having worked in South East Asia, the Middle East, and northern Australia for most of my life I can only agree 100% with that. When the new house is built I will still be working outside... on our new veggie and salad and herb garden, on the fruit trees, on our ganga crop, managing the water from the well... it will be a long term continual improvement project. My time inside in AC is likely to be meals only, and in the evenings.

There will be no trees anywhere near our house and pool. Lesson learned from our current house. The amount of time and money spent on removing organic matter and killing algae from our large pool is ridiculous... never again! The roof of the new house will have PV solar panels installed with an on-grid hybrid system and we will probably have the AC running full time (except for cool season) so keeping the heat outside and the cool inside is the goal.

What problems with the film did you experience?

Is it expensive compared with normal clear glass? What sort of IR blocking is likely to be achieved? What about visible light? We want to be able to see outside so % visible light transmitted needs to be high. One thing I did like about the film option is the additional security... not as good as double glazed or laminated glass, but better than normal clear window glass which can be easily broken by burglars.

Just curious... how thick are your AAC blocks? What brand? I was just browsing on FB earlier today and noticed an ad from SCG Home that was advertising a product (from the USA) called "Xtra-Cole Ceramic" film. I googled the product name and found this website which had the following table for their "ceramic" films: Of course UV radiation is at the cool end of the spectrum so I am ignoring that, but it seems to be a real challenge to get an acceptable compromise between blocking IR radiation and visible light.

We are planning on building a U-shaped house similar to this. As you can see there would be some overhang but as it will face due East we will receive a lot of morning sun.

I have been giving a lot of thought to this subject and am seeking advice and ideas from others based on their experience. I am planning to build a new home in the near future, and it will have full height floor-to-ceiling sliding windows and doors... 2.8 metres high. I was initially thinking of going down the double glazed route, but these would be heavy and expensive so I want to explore the possibility of using film instead. Double glazed glass is good for soundproofing, security and heat insulation, whilst film is good for security and heat insulation only. I am not concerned so much about soundproofing as our new house will be built on a farm with no neighbours for several kilometers radius. So… most of our sliding doors and windows will face East, so will receive full solar radiation from dawn until near midday. Now I understand that solar energy does not travel in just one big wave, but instead in many waves that differ from each other by wavelength. Why is this important? Because different solar wavelengths give different challenges to address with window film. The shortest wavelengths from the sun are the ultraviolet radiation/energy, or UV, the middle wavelengths are called visible light, and the longest wavelengths are called infrared heat/energy, or IR. I would like to find a film that is spectrally selective... one that blocks out more IR than visible light. Any suggestions, or should I just go visit the local SCG Home and listen to their recommendations?

I think you're right there. I also think that they have been losing a lot of customers to AIS up-country because their coverage and data plans are better. I have been with DTAC for 20 years now, but when I move up-country when our new house is built, I will be changing to AIS too. Good idea... I think I will do the same.

I guess you would need to go heavy on the PTFE tape in that case...

I like the idea of using galvanized fittings instead of PVC up to and including the first stop valve. Do you experience any galvanic corrosion or oxidizing of the dissimilar metals? Typically the threaded socket in the tanks is copper and your union is galvanized steel.