canopy

36 minutes ago, HeijoshinCool said:

I could make my own forms and make them

It seems you are set on these concrete planks because you saw them in Thailand and liked them. But making a structural beam needs to be technically sound.  Who will analyze things like the spans, specify the thickness of the concrete, compressive strength, the rebar schedule, the minimum edge overlap, and so on? The path you are on does not seem like it will pass building codes in the US and thus will not be approved. Besides, you seem to be asking in the wrong forum. Better to ask in your geographic area to get the best answers from experts on how to achieve your goals. ICF is huge in your area because it's so cheap and so good. People say every several years the savings in utility bills more than pays off the little extra they paid. And when the next cat4 storm rolls through you'll be loving your house.

3 minutes ago, HeijoshinCool said:

So there must be a right way and a wrong way.

Don't be fooled: just because something works right now is no guarantee it was done correctly or that you would get good results by repeating a bad design. The kind of problems of doing it wrong won't necessarily show up right away and can appear in time after seasonal movement, settling, wear, and other factors. The good thing about building in the US is there are building codes and inspections to make sure the right way is performed and the result is guaranteed.

Now if you are making a flat roof in Thailand, wouldn't it make a lot more sense to use q-con ceiling planks instead of legacy concrete planks? q-con's are a perfectly engineered design, load bearing, tongue and groove, light, cheap, and provide excellent heat insulation all in one.

34 minutes ago, HeijoshinCool said:

Well, because you don't see it done in the states...it appears to have been done quite successfully...and the climates are almost identical.

Thai's rarely build for the climate, instead they build to be as cheap as possible and deal with the heat as an afterthought. I would not use the word successful to describe Thai houses using concrete planks roofs. Builders often don't understand the edge bonding necessary to hold the planks planer. Without this the edges tend to go out of whack over time and cause problems. Waterproofing in Thailand is usually done at the floor level--when the roof leaks they have buckets on the floor to catch the water. This is not a joke. It is extremely common practice and leaks are common. They have absolutely no idea how to do proper flashing work or waterproof membranes. And they don't care. To them a plastic bucket is a cheaper solution.

Wouldn't it make more sense to make an ICF roof to get the best of both worlds? Your roof can be beautiful exposed concrete like you want, hurricane proof, cheap, and at the same time very well insulated and comfortable inside.

34 minutes ago, Excel said:

I have researched but can find no instances of it used here in Thailand so hence no experienced contractors. 

Concur. It might be technically possible to order ICF blocks from alibaba or something like that but being able to execute the build with proper bracing , scaffolding, pumping trucks, and never having any experience doing it before ICF is not a suitable option for at least 99.999% of the people in Thailand. Better to settle for q-con.

42 minutes ago, HeijoshinCool said:

All good, except i"m more interested in a concrete roof and how they are doing it here in LOS.

Use ICF for the roof and the floor too.  Why are you so interested in how it is done in Thailand? I thought you were "Building 20 minutes in from Gulf of Mexico".

10 hours ago, holy cow cm said:

And who controls Laos?

Laos isn't the only country building dams you know. The Mekong River Commission was founded in 1957 to exploit and dam up the mekong.  It includes Cambodia, Laos, Thailand, and Vietnam, but has NEVER included China. Ironically the US, which feared that poverty in the basin would contribute to the strength of communist movements—used to be one of the most vocal international backers of the committee. Sad, but true.

10 hours ago, HeijoshinCool said:

I have no familiarity with it

It's usage is growing every year for good reason, but yet ICF was invented 50 years ago and yet most people still have never heard of it despite it being so cheap and good.

10 hours ago, HeijoshinCool said:

Take more manpower? 

ICF takes very little manpower and the build takes very little time. The process is stacking foam blocks like lego's, dropping in rebar along the way, then pouring it full with concrete mixers. In fact some homeowners even stack the ICF blocks themselves to save even more money on labor. Typically ICF costs 5% more than an American (stick frame) home. It's a no brainer.

10 hours ago, HeijoshinCool said:

Is ICF more fireproof? 

Absolutely yes.

dup

If you were smart you would use ICF for everything--the floor, the walls, and roof. ICF can take big hurricanes, tornadoes, earthquakes, fires, just everything. Longevity, Insulation and sound proofing second to none. Cost is very cheap to build and will actually save money over time because of reduced maintenance costs, lower home insurance premiums, lower utility bills, and means you can install smaller, cheaper hvac systems due to the excellent thermal properties. People in ICF homes when hurricanes roll in don't even know it unless they look outside. I can't understand why someone would choose to build with anything else. ICF would be the most excellent type of house build for Thailand if you could get it or anywhere else.

On 4/19/2021 at 7:47 PM, farmerjo said:

Next thing the bat <deleted> will be full of insecticides.

You may be more right than you know. The bald eagle which is the symbol of America nearly went extinct due to DDT and only swift action saved it. I see no reason why bats are not suffering a similar peril as they swoop and feed over areas where insecticides are used and thus consume a diet of sick, poisoned insects that are easy pickings.

On 4/19/2021 at 9:32 PM, kickstart said:

        I have now  given up, like pushing water uphill.

This topic is about organic farming. If organic farming does not interest you, please feel free to not read or comment in it. Complaining that some people have higher standards than yourself is not compelling. Enjoy your chemicals.

14 hours ago, IsaanAussie said:

I disagree that composting doesn't help

Some things yes, other things no:

Source: THE HUMANURE HANDBOOK

"...an herbicide manufactured by Dow AgroSciences that has contaminated vast amounts of commercial compost in the early 21st century. It is commonly sold under the brand names Transline™, Stinger™, and Confront™. This chemical has the unusual effect of passing through the composting process and leaving residues that are still chemically active. The result is contaminated compost that can kill some of the plants grown in it."

9 hours ago, kickstart said:

I would like to see the papers that say that beer has high levels of  Paraquat that is BS

Strange reply. Studies dating back almost 50 years started finding paraquat in beer. Do you need help finding them?

9 hours ago, kickstart said:

find me a paper saying that it is not safe in our country's

I'm glad you asked since this puts us back on topic. According to Dr. Arden Andersen, much of the chicken manure used today has been tested and found to be contaminated with glyphosate and genetically engineered proteins"

Source:

Organic Gardening: The Problem of Contaminated Manure

https://www.essentialstuff.org/2014/03/23/cat/organic-gardening-the-problem-of-contaminated-manure/

10 hours ago, kickstart said:

Do not give up your day job ,and remember we all want to see the papers that state your case .

Hope the humble pie tasted good buddy. And I've got plenty more ammunition. You seem to be brainwashed by the chemical companies or maybe you work for them. I see code words in your reply's like "high levels" and "safe". Sounds a lot like the tune of the tobacco companies some time ago.  ANY amount of paraquat in my beer and any amount of glyphosates in my manure are unwanted. If this disturbs you then I can't help you.

3 hours ago, BritManToo said:

I had a load of scaffolding delivered yesterday.

But wait in the back of the picture there is normal blue scaffolding--caught! Let's see a picture of the bamboo scaffolding erected. Seems doubtful it will be used quite as you imply.

18 minutes ago, djayz said:

the smaller the pieces, the quicker the material breaks down...then use the chippings as mulch

Understood and agree. But I am just noting that branch decomposition is so quick in the Thai climate that a certain amount of people that assume they need a chipper shredder actually would be better off without it. The bugs and the rains just devour wood sitting on the ground in no time. And then there's this beautiful black layer of free dirt sitting there. I just love tossing out stacks of bamboo and branches and watching this beautiful process. Thai's of course will burn it all sweeping in everything down to the very smallest twig and leaf.

In some cases even installing these upside down may be a practical option.

I hate the scaffolding sold in Thailand. Complete junk. Rusts out fast for something your life depends on makes no sense whatsoever. Paint so low quality it rubs off on your hands that you touch all the time going up and down. Yes the braces keep it from falling over, but don't make it stiff so it's real wobbly. And precautions are needed to keep dirt from clogging the bottoms and rain getting in the tubes. Definitely the dark ages here but no one seems to notice.

An alternative is a compost heap. Cheap, easy and disappears quickly in this climate. No burning or chipping required.

It seems I am way ahead of the curve here. Some of you may not be aware that new for our generation is that beer contains things like paraquat and glyphosate at levels so high that they are a concern to human health. I have seen no information presented here to indicate chicken manure in Thailand is safe whatsoever. And some information is wrong like saying hot composting makes the poisons disappear--studies I have seen shown it does not. The advice I have seen is to discard anything with farm poisons at a landfill and never attempt to compost it. I for one will be using bat manure in the hopes of lessening our modern fascination of drizzling everything with poisons. This align well with this discussion of ORGANIC farming.

And to khwaibah (fitting name) please put another squiggly face and no reply because it announces to others that you agree with the post even though you find the truth uncomfortable. Or feel free to join the discussion.

Placement is crucial and may dictate which type to buy. You have to think of where the fan will pull the supply air from. For instance if you place a fan next to a window it may just pull air from outside the window and blow it out again thus doing nothing to ventilate the bathroom. Think of which part of the room you want ventilated and position the fan such that the flow of supply air runs across that area.

These days chickens are fed grain from fields that have a high concentration of herbicides, pesticides, and chemical fertilizers applied. Some amount of these poisons and chemicals end up fed to chickens and end up in the manure making it so toxic that some lose their organic certification because they innocently applied some chicken manure. How much of a concern is this in Thailand? Is there anything safer to use?

No one is talking about the elephant in the room. Learn about the unhealthy air pollution that lasts half the year. If you are not into a healthy lifestyle and wellness, it's probably a good place.

The population is a function of how much they are being fed. As long as the mindset is we must feed all these poor starving creatures the population will continue to grow without limit. When the artificial food sources go away, so will the monkeys. If the residents cared, that's something they could work on.

1 hour ago, Yellowtail said:

I think a pump sprayer is much easier to use than a hose-pipe...

Sure, and a lot less mess too.

20 hours ago, topt said:

are you suggesting I do this for the internal rendering as well ????

Absolutely yes. The most common reason render cracks is improper curing. You will see builders methodically going around the inside and outside of buildings with a garden hose to keep it good and wet for the first 3 days after rendering. Not only that, they also know to wet the block walls before applying the render. It's not my suggestion, but rather it's about understanding how cement works and following proven industry practices instead of just slopping it on with no knowledge and not bothering to read the package instructions.

16 hours ago, sometimewoodworker said:

The render will be dry in 3 days

Which is why good builders keep the render hosed down and wet for the first 3 days. It is best to follow the simple instructions on the bag that are intended to assure you make a top quality job.