Trex52

You may have this problem with cheap made, sub standard windows but well made, well built windows come with built in pull down or pull across screens that work very well.

Have a look at the Hafele range. very well made windows and doors and readily available in Thailand.

You find anyone in Thailand that can produce a finished window opening of a stated size, to fit a pre-made window unit, then you should be playing the lottery. Now I know why I never saw pre-made windows in any of the home building supply houses I went to. It simply, can not be done. Not the way they build here. By the time the window is finally squared up with extra rendering or whatever, the opening is what it is. Shims are not used here for setting door frames or windows. Unless you do it yourself. Concrete rendering is not as forgiving as wood is. The windows made for our house an not cheap, sub standard windows...just built ass-backwards. trex

Not possible to have the screen on the outside with the present extruded sections, unless you want rainwater flowing into the room.

The aluminum channel used on my windows could be done either way and still keep all but horizontal rain out. Nothing short of a port hole will keep out wind driven horizontal water. I just wished I had caught it in time...but nooooooo. So now all I can do is give advice on the matter. It can be done. At least my windows could have been done like that and still be just as water tight as they are now had I sat down with the guy that built them and made sure he understood and did it MY way. Oh well.....trex

Here in LOS there are no standard window sizes....you even have to be present to make sure the window openings are level, plumb and square...if level and plumb, they would be square. If you are smart, you would want a slope to the outside on the sill part of the opening as well. If you go with custom made aluminum windows....INSIST on them making them with the screen on the OUTSIDE....not the inside! There is absolutely no reason this can not be done and I am pretty sure they do it ass-backwards as a throw back to the wooden windows that open to the outside. As usual, there is no logic to having the screens on the inside....in fact I would call it illogical. Why would you want to open the screen first, so you can close the window???????? Oh, sorry....I didn't mean to mention logic in a construction related issue dealing with Thai workers. Real nice during the mosquito time if you have rain coming in. The aluminum channel they use can be done either way. So don't let them decide for you what should be. If one says can no do....find another that can/will. IT ABSOLUTELY CAN BE DONE. trex

Do not be fooled by the "German Technology" propaganda stamped on Hafele products bought here....it is just more POS crap from China. I will never ever buy the junk again. Had a brand new gas hob that had to be sent back to BKK to be repaired, and returned still not working. Non-mechanical products are probably okay....otherwise, get something else. trex

Well, after the fact, and even sadder....after I paid in full without really inspecting the final product like I should have...think fine toothed comb here....I can only recommend the carpenter fellow. If you have any tile work done, especially in an upstairs shower area, please do not ever, ever think a Thai tiler knows diddly squat about drains and making sure they are sealed. Oh sure it will look really nice when it is finished....it is when you go to use it you get the surprise! Make sure ALL grouting has been done and properly cleaned up too. And make sure any and all painters use drop cloths or paint shields...I know this is a stretch...but.... Then INSPECT IT! INSPECT IT....INSPECT IT....before you pay them!!!! It is amazing how complying they are when you still have the money you owe them. Good luck. I know now why there are mostly Burmese workers working on the new buildings at Naresuan University at Phayao instead of Thai workers. Oh if I had only known......trex

No one in the housing forum knew or just wouldn't reply, so thought I would try here. I am having to put in an aerobic septic system as soil conditions near Phayao (think rice farming) is hard pan clay and will not allow any effluent to percolate down into the soil. I have a regular black, round plastic septic tank as the primary tank to settle out solids and give the anaerobic microbes some work to do, then it goes to a secondary concrete ringed with the bottom one having a bottom in it. I used a sanitary tee on the input with an extended down spout and the same on the output so to keep scum layer in tank. From there it will go to a tertiary tank and this one will be the aerator tank. I am hoping to give millions of aerobic microbes a real party atmosphere so they stay happy and in turn make me very happy. So....does anyone have a lead on where I might go to find a heavy duty aerator pump? Thanks in advance.....trex

Definitely leave the existing wall in place. Place the Q-con block leaving a dead air space between both. Think Thermos bottle or ice chest. If you need the space, build it outside....if you don't, build it inside the existing wall. You will have to think of anchoring it to the existing wall though to help support it vertically. Perhaps drill into mortar joints and place small rebar to hold AAC block steady. Use at least two courses of red brick or equivalent on the bottom before AAC block. I used this on a newly completed house and can really tell the difference. The real test will come in May, though. Good luck with it. trex

AAC wall must be build on a beam, so the choise of inside/outside depends on where/if there is any beam to be found.

in addition, consider the extra weight double walls ad to buildings foundation. AAC blocks are lighter, but rendered still heavy

5mm foam on roll has thermal compared to 20 cm AAC, and weight with Viva or Gypsum boards is a fraction. So is buildingtime

If a wall is already in place, then there is probably a beam there as well. Putting AAC next to it would be plenty of support even with rendering. AAC blocks are incredibly light but would take additional time to construct. Choices....eh?

Definitely leave the existing wall in place. Place the Q-con block leaving a dead air space between both. Think Thermos bottle or ice chest. If you need the space, build it outside....if you don't, build it inside the existing wall. You will have to think of anchoring it to the existing wall though to help support it vertically. Perhaps drill into mortar joints and place small rebar to hold AAC block steady. Use at least two courses of red brick or equivalent on the bottom before AAC block. I used this on a newly completed house and can really tell the difference. The real test will come in May, though. Good luck with it. trex

Anyone know where I can purchase a HD aerator pump? I am having to design and build an aerobic septic system to treat effluent as the soil where I am, does not perc. It is that hard pan clay that makes rice farming so easy, so can not go with leach fields and such. So far I have two large plastic septic tanks in the ground (looks like underwater mines) as the primary anearobic, settle-out-the-sludge tanks. Then they go to a secondary cement ringed ( with a bottom) tank for any additional settling and then on to a tertiary tank that will house the aerator pump. I plan to have the pump on a timer and then another pump-out to disperse treated liquid to water the gardens and orchards. I live in Phayao and will probably have to venture up to either Chaingrai or Chaingmai to find anything that will work as things like this are impossible to find here. Thanks for any input. trex

I used Siam International to move a 20' container from outside of Seattle, WA to here. They dropped off the container for 3 days for me to pack and SECURE (items inside from shifting and crunching everything else), picked up the container and took it to the docks in Seattle, shipped in to Bangkok and eventually trucked up to Phayao. You will have to send in your passport for customs to verify. I had all this done for less than $5000 USD. I had 11 guitars I could not have replaced at any Baht amount. I think I only paid $80 USD in tariffs. SI is out of LA, CA. They have a web site if you Google them. Good luck. trex

Anyone looking for an honest to goodness carpenter....a Thai carpenter with real tools....or an incredible tile layer in the Phayao area, PM me. After going through what I did building a new house, I can recommend these people without blinking an eye. I wish I could say that for the other crafts, but cannot. Can also recommend an excellent painter as well. Happy building and even happier enjoyment after the fact. trex

I learned that no matter how nice a wall looks during the daylight hours, it is totally something else at night, with the lights turned on. Even if you have to use a flashlight, shine it upwards on the walls for a good check. We have wall lights that illuminate both top and bottom and boy, do they show every pimple and dimple. I wish I had done this prior to paying for it. Do a visual check at night with a good light! trex

Does anyone know of a locksmith that can re-key some deadbolts of the same brand (Elephant Brand)? I will probably regret not biting the bullet and purchasing Yale locks, as I know these can all be re-keyed (at least stateside). Looking for someone in the northern Provinces. I live in Phayao and I can not find a locksmith here. There very well could be one, but trying to ask is like talking Martian to most. I would think Chiangrai or especially Chiangmai would have locksmiths. Any info would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance.....trex

Back to bread:

Today I went to the Tourist Inn to buy my usual bread, wholewheat at 35 baht. The girl was just bringing out some hot loaves and I had her bag one up for me, gave her 100 baht and was surprised when she only gave me 25 baht change. At that point the manager appeared and told me I had wholegrain at 75 baht a loaf. The loaves looked just the same, quite a price difference though!

Where is the Tourist Inn? I live in Phayao and am not entirely familiar with CR. At least where I can buy farang food...other than Don's. Thanks. trex

In my experiences, I have always got my luggage and went to the departing flights car deck and waited for a taxi to unload someone coming in to the airport to catch a plane out. Chances are, you are not paying for the airport taxi to return back to the airport, as this is the point where the airport taxis are working from. And always get a metered taxi and make sure it is turned on. Insist on it if you have to. I have never had a problem with this, but have read where others have. Going to an airport taxi stand, you will most certainly pay for his trip back, one way or the other. Good luck. trex

I am about 2 months away from putting a roof on a house I am building and was wondering if anyone has used, or anyone that knows someone that has used this for their roof? I have been searching for ridge venting on roofs, as it is used almost exclusively in the US now. CPAC is the only one that I can find that has something even close to this, here in Thailand. To hear them claim, as they should/would....it works great. However, I have yet to see any profound data on the results. We all know heat rises and heat dissipation is critical to helping keep a house cool, here in the tropics, with as little AC as possible. I have experienced the gore-tex phenonmenom back in the 90's and yes, theoretically it works....but I have used it in the Pacific Northwest and it will leave you wet to the bone after a while. So much for gimmicks, eh? This roofing system is not cheap, and would any savings ever pay off? Any input on this would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance. Trex

When I built my house I was thinking about using AAC block on the outside but then started reading about double walls and started to run some numbers. The R-value for 7.5 cm AAC is 3.25, thin concrete block is 0.8, and red brick less than 0.4. For a double wall you can add about 1.0 for the air space. But, 2" fiberglass has an R-value of 7.7 and fits nicely in the cavity when you're making up a 20 cm double wall. That gives an R-value of about 10 or 11 for a double block wall with stucco and fiberglass in between. Better than 3 times more than AAC block alone and at about the same price. So I went with that and have been very happy with the result. I have full sun exposure on the west wall and even late in the afternoon the inside of the wall is about the same temperature as the inside partition walls.

Thanks for the input...great to hear. The two inch fiberglass you mention, is just regular FG insulation? I was going to go with a dead air space only, but having been involved in the recording studio construction business back in the 70's, we did use a lot of FG for various baffles and bass traps, come to think of it. Hmmmm....Well the Q-con has been ordered and I guess I will go with that and a sinlge red brick inner wall on the western wall. I have two big windows facing the mountains and plan to put up high trellises so as not to block the view, but give a filtered, shadow type shade for the blistering afternoon nuclear thermo zap. Now I am planning the roof system and it is looking like CPAC Monier is the only ball game here, or at least all I can find. Thanks again for the wonderful input....trex

Addendum....CPAC Monier is the only one with a ridge vent system. I forgot to add that part. I know there are other roofing material companies, but I plan to go with a lot of soffit venting and if I can find it, continuous ridge venturi style vent. Gable louvers, even the type in the US that is a lot bigger with more area, than the little wooden shuttered looking ones I see here, are anything but efficient. I will be going to CM this weekend to look at CPAC's Monier Cool Roof System. trex

When I built my house I was thinking about using AAC block on the outside but then started reading about double walls and started to run some numbers. The R-value for 7.5 cm AAC is 3.25, thin concrete block is 0.8, and red brick less than 0.4. For a double wall you can add about 1.0 for the air space. But, 2" fiberglass has an R-value of 7.7 and fits nicely in the cavity when you're making up a 20 cm double wall. That gives an R-value of about 10 or 11 for a double block wall with stucco and fiberglass in between. Better than 3 times more than AAC block alone and at about the same price. So I went with that and have been very happy with the result. I have full sun exposure on the west wall and even late in the afternoon the inside of the wall is about the same temperature as the inside partition walls.

Thanks for the input...great to hear. The two inch fiberglass you mention, is just regular FG insulation? I was going to go with a dead air space only, but having been involved in the recording studio construction business back in the 70's, we did use a lot of FG for various baffles and bass traps, come to think of it. Hmmmm....Well the Q-con has been ordered and I guess I will go with that and a sinlge red brick inner wall on the western wall. I have two big windows facing the mountains and plan to put up high trellises so as not to block the view, but give a filtered, shadow type shade for the blistering afternoon nuclear thermo zap. Now I am planning the roof system and it is looking like CPAC Monier is the only ball game here, or at least all I can find. Thanks again for the wonderful input....trex

T-rex, if you get a chance to come down to Chiang Mai, there is a building supply company (unfortunately the name eludes me for the moment) on the Super Highway, mid-way between Doi Saket Road and Mae Jo Road which has an excellent display of the cool roof system. The company I'm referring to is on the inner or city side of Super Highway. I say this because there is an identical company on the north side of the highway and they don't have such a display.

CM4me,

I looked on Google Maps and I am inferring that you mean Doi Saket Rd is Hwy 118 coming in from CR and Phayao? And that Mae Jo Rd. is Rd # 1001 coming in from Mae Jo Golf Course to the north? If so, I can find that, no problem. Thanks again. trex

T-rex, if you get a chance to come down to Chiang Mai, there is a building supply company (unfortunately the name eludes me for the moment) on the Super Highway, mid-way between Doi Saket Road and Mae Jo Road which has an excellent display of the cool roof system. The company I'm referring to is on the inner or city side of Super Highway. I say this because there is an identical company on the north side of the highway and they don't have such a display.

T-rex, if you get a chance to come down to Chiang Mai, there is a building supply company (unfortunately the name eludes me for the moment) on the Super Highway, mid-way between Doi Saket Road and Mae Jo Road which has an excellent display of the cool roof system. The company I'm referring to is on the inner or city side of Super Highway. I say this because there is an identical company on the north side of the highway and they don't have such a display.

CM4me,

Thanks a million for that. We will be in CM next week end, as I have a list as long as my arm to locate items and at least know where I can get them. I will definitely check out that cool roof display...that is exactly what I was hoping would be somewhere. Not too much here in Phayao. Again, thank you so much....trex

Thanks, all. Now all I need to do is find out who in the north....Phayao to be exact...probably Chaingrai....carries this. Or can it be ordered directly from CPAC? Again thank you all. t-rex

Am thinking of using an AAC block on all exterior walls with a possible inside red brick with air space between on west facing wall, especially. I know it would not be as efficient as AAC block for both courses, but cost is an issue. Have gleened most of the posts here related to AAC block construction. I have cut and pasted for file so I don't have to re-look up for later. But need to know if someone has done this and how good does it do the job? Thanks in advance. trex

Does anyone know where in LOS, I can find this? It is relatively new and by Thai standards, .....well let's just don't even go there....it is used alot in other places and would be the cat's meow here, where heat dissipation is critical for cooler houses. I see it all over the internet, but can't find a contact for it here. Used with adequate (at least 50% soffit ventilation) it can really make a huge difference here. I am trying to stay away from AirCon as much as possible. I will use Q-con or equivalent AAC for the outside of house. Will probably go with a double wall on the west wall facing the afternoon sun. Anyway, any information on the ridge venting would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance. trex

Any foil should be under the rails not on top of it.

And if the shining side is put upwards there should be an airgap of minimum 5 cm to the tiles, else the foil will not reflect the radiant heat properly and it will be a waste of money.

If you use foil, ensure you insert air gaps on the upper part of the walls so the thermal heat has an exit.

Heat rises. It will mostly collect in the peak of the roof. They are using this textured cardboard like (corragated) ridge cap stateside, where there is a gap at the very top of the ridge from the final row of shingles so the heat can dissipate through it. I sure would like to find something like that here, as I am getting ready to put a tile roof on our house that is under construction now. Even with dutch gables (hip and gable roof combo) and louvered vents, I think I will use the whirlie type peak vents. And they too, need to be mounted on the very top of the ridge, not just on the roof up near the ridge. Heat dissipation is the key to having a cooler house. trex