New Build in Khon Kaen

[Naam]

11 hours ago, sirineou said:

This type of arrangement is standard at most homes in the US. Though in the US they use mostly perforated vinyl soffit rather than the cement board used in Thailand.

i know that because i built three homes in Florida. the perforated aluminium sheets are pure refined BS as far as attic ventilation is concerned, especially when you have forced ventilation (which in my not so humble view is a must in a tropical country). your little holes are utterly inefficient and the "uniform convection process" is wishful thinking and light-years apart from the laws of thermo-physics but close to friction of airflow.

 

but it's not at all a problem to cut a few REAL vents in the boards and cover them with insect screen. in Thailand for this purpose some sort of blue netting is available which has much less flow resistance than normal insect screen.

[sirineou]

8 hours ago, Naam said:

i know that because i built three homes in Florida. the perforated aluminium sheets are pure refined BS as far as attic ventilation is concerned, especially when you have forced ventilation (which in my not so humble view is a must in a tropical country). your little holes are utterly inefficient and the "uniform convection process" is wishful thinking and light-years apart from the laws of thermo-physics but close to friction of airflow.

 

but it's not at all a problem to cut a few REAL vents in the boards and cover them with insect screen. in Thailand for this purpose some sort of blue netting is available which has much less flow resistance than normal insect screen.

I have also build several homes in Florida and run a successful C21 franchise with a Florida real estate brokers licence for several years , (million dollar producer every year of my involvement)  had the opportunity to be involved  in many  pre closing inspections conducted by home inspection professionals .  None of them ever   concluded such soffit vent arrangement to be inadequate. It has also being my personal experience having owned and lived in ,and is currently living in one for them to be perfectly adequate. 

My position seems to be supported by others in my community where every other home constructed in the last 18 years has a similar arrangement  of soffit vent combined with ridge and or gable vents. All of which are passively ventilated.. 

  But as you said if indeed they prove to be inadequate for Thailand, where I have limited experience,  It would be a simple and inexpensive  matter to retrofit with larger soffit vents. 

PS: I hold a Bachelor's degree in science  (properly acronymed BS  LOL) and have a good understanding of Thermodynamics and the laws governing such interactions.

[Naam]

1 hour ago, sirineou said:

None of them ever   concluded such soffit vent arrangement to be inadequate.

because they were Americans ("we have built like this since 1776 and even during the civil war and we don't accept lectures from foreigners, especially from those who insist having a second commode in their bathrooms for some kind of sinister exercises or whatever").

 

addendum:

in 2004 i sold our home and the home of two friends and contacted three real estate agents. they all failed the test. when their third or fourth question was "how many ceiling fans?" i said "thanks for coming but i have changed my mind." all three homes were sold within a period of 6 weeks using "for sale by owner".

[sirineou]

1 hour ago, Naam said:

because they were Americans ("we have built like this since 1776 and even during the civil war and we don't accept lectures from foreigners, especially from those who insist having a second commode in their bathrooms for some kind of sinister exercises or whatever").

 

addendum:

in 2004 i sold our home and the home of two friends and contacted three real estate agents. they all failed the test. when their third or fourth question was "how many ceiling fans?" i said "thanks for coming but i have changed my mind." all three homes were sold within a period of 6 weeks using "for sale by owner".

 We can't all be as flexible and progressive  as Klingons 

[Naam]

3 hours ago, sirineou said:

 We can't all be as flexible and progressive  as Klingons 

peace brother! let's talk about your bathility-room 

[sirineou]

11 hours ago, Naam said:

peace brother! let's talk about your bathility-room 

 it is not a Bathility room it is a Utilibath  

Strangely enough  spell check found "Utilibath" wrongly spelled and underlined it with red,  but did not find anything  wrong with bathility  !

   What kind of world is this where  Bathiliti is a word but Utilibath is not???  I am filing a formal complaint with the  world wide federation of made up words  

[sirineou]

 Ceilings and walls are being painted:

 

and tiles installed

Upstairs bath

Downstairs Utilibath 

Had an Issue with the tiles in the Master bedroom. Not the Fault of the builder or the tile Guy.

First they started doing the tiles only to discover that all the tiles were not exactly the same size, and were not lining up properly. Tile guy pointed it out and stopped. 

Returned the tiles and we got better more expensive tiles.

After having done 2/4ths of the room, tile guy calls and says that remaining tiles are different color!! Wife says "remaining tiles are not different color, tiles you installed are different from what I ordered" and a very ugly orange tint. So remove the tiles again and get new tiles. Feel bad for the builder and tile guy. Told the wife to buy them all Lunch tomorrow.

.They started work in the kitchen.

communicated with Dook the builder to make sure that the serving counter was supported , (something like that) He said that's what he was planning to do. If I was there I would have found a nice carved wood support. Perhaps latter when I am there. Don't want to ask the wife  about it now, she stresses enough with the tiles. 

Wife is shopping for wall cabinets , base drawer cabinet insert and doors.

 

 

[Naam]

why only four (five counting the glass blocks) different tiles in the bathility room?

[sirineou]

 Wife's choice. Having grown up wit three sisters I learned early not to argue. After seeing the tiles she said she wish she had gone with the same tiles upstairs as downstairs. Believe it or nor she is the more conservative in this family, I was still fighting for the "Hello Kitty"  tile LOL

I think she did not want to go any lower with the glass block because the washer and dryer would be there,

Anyway just looked in the mirror, I think the less light the better. perhaps I can squeeze one more year of  "hansom man" out of my wife . LOL 

[Rdrokit]

That kitchen looks a little like mine.

 

[sirineou]

52 minutes ago, Rdrokit said:

That kitchen looks a little like mine.

 

Wow!! almost identical . 

I like the accent tiles under range hood.and the granite countertop. 

Wife will be putting some wall cabinets next to the range hood.Also I like to bake so we left space for a Oven range combo.

Looks like you are using Gas, How do you like it" . We haven't decided yet, I will have electric and space for gas  keep our options open.

[Naam]

8 hours ago, Rdrokit said:

That kitchen looks a little like mine.

 

some pink tiles are missing. sold out in your area when you built?

[Rdrokit]

10 hours ago, sirineou said:

Wow!! almost identical . 

I like the accent tiles under range hood.and the granite countertop. 

Wife will be putting some wall cabinets next to the range hood.Also I like to bake so we left space for a Oven range combo.

Looks like you are using Gas, How do you like it" . We haven't decided yet, I will have electric and space for gas  keep our options open.

Love cooking with gas.

[Rdrokit]

2 hours ago, Naam said:

some pink tiles are missing. sold out in your area when you built?

Pink tiles????

[Naam]

28 minutes ago, Rdrokit said:

3 hours ago, Naam said:

some pink tiles are missing. sold out in your area when you built?

Pink tiles????

 caution... irony! 

[zaZa9]

Enjoyed the irony...

 

Thais simply can not work with just 2 colours .

 

Love the lower level Lanna style tapered  pillars but.

[sirineou]

22 minutes ago, zaZa9 said:

Enjoyed the irony...

 

Thais simply can not work with just 2 colours .

 

Love the lower level Lanna style tapered  pillars but.

 It is funny but Thais might say that westerners are incapable of enjoying more than two colors. LOL

Point being that beauty is in the eye of the beholder . And that when it comes to culture there is no such thing as better or worst, but simply different. 

Years ago everyone had avocado green appliances, now,  no one would get caught dead with it. What has changed?  certainly not avocado green. People are funny, and not always ha, ha ha  funny. and no one is "funnier" than me.

Personally I like a litle color!     until I don't.

Can you expand on the "but" concerning the tapered columns? perhaps something I have not considered? I don't mind some constructive criticism.

The tapered  columns seem to work in this design, I have seen an other house of this design without them and IMO did not look as good. (Nam is going to love the color combination LOL)

But perhaps for a street- front design the straight columns are better.

 

 

 

 

[sirineou]

 on an unrelated to the above note The  Gable vents were installed 

 Hopefully they will adequate but if they are not I have asked for am electrical outlet to be installed in the area so that I can install an electric exhaust vent in the future.

[Naam]

2 hours ago, sirineou said:

Years ago everyone had avocado green appliances, now,  no one would get caught dead with it.

not everyone.

[Naam]

2 hours ago, sirineou said:

The tapered  columns seem to work in this design, I have seen an other house of this design without them and IMO did not look as good. (Nam is going to love the color combination LOL)

i admire the golden fluted columns on white pillars. unfortunately one can't see the capitals. personally i like Corynthian.

 

did i mention i hate tapered columns?

[Naam]

2 hours ago, sirineou said:

It is funny but Thais might say that westerners are incapable of enjoying more than two colors.

the Mrs. and my[not so]humble self would hate to have more than one kind of floor tiles in our home and that goes for every room and area.

[Naam]

1 hour ago, sirineou said:

I have asked for am electrical outlet to be installed in the area so that I can install an electric exhaust vent in the future.

why in the future and not now?

[sirineou]

6 hours ago, Naam said:

i admire the golden fluted columns on white pillars. unfortunately one can't see the capitals. personally i like Corynthian.

 

did i mention i hate tapered columns?

Funny given your age, I always thought of you as a Doric man. Corinthian are way too modern

PS: only the cool kids like tapered columns.Don't 'be so square daddy-0 , you dig?

[sirineou]

6 hours ago, Naam said:

why in the future and not now?

  K.I.S.S. and the simplest  is passive.

When I am there and if passive is not adequate I will have the option to go mechanical.

[Naam]

2 hours ago, sirineou said:

  K.I.S.S. and the simplest  is passive.

When I am there and if passive is not adequate I will have the option to go mechanical.

passive would only be adequate with a big ridge vent and proper air inlets. you have neither. cost and efforts to install now would be negligent compared to later.

[Naam]

2 hours ago, sirineou said:

Funny given your age, I always thought of you as a Doric man. Corinthian are way too modern

PS: only the cool kids like tapered columns.Don't 'be so square daddy-0 , you dig?

doric is boring without class and pizzazz.

[Naam]

27 minutes ago, Naam said:

passive would only be adequate with a big ridge vent and proper air inlets. you have neither. cost and efforts to install now would be negligent compared to later.

i meant of course an exhaust fan and not a ridge vent.

[Destiny1990]

Are all the Thaivisa boys here invited for your housewarming?

[sirineou]

On 1/25/2018 at 9:26 PM, Naam said:

i meant of course an exhaust fan and not a ridge vent.

 Sorry for the late reply. I am bouncing between NYC and FL and trying to coordinate with the wife in Thailand  as you know I have a limited window of opportunity do to the time difference.   

My preference to attic ventilation is as I said "passive" for obvious reasons. I believe the soffit vents to be more than adequate, for reasons I stated, but I am willing to concede that I could be wrong .

 There is always a first time for everything LOL

in addition to  the front double gable vent there are also gable vent in the back.

I believe that combination to keep the attic reasonable cool , that combined with the drop ceiling insulation should be fine.

If it proves not to be, the first course of action will be to enhance the passive ventilation by retrofitting more  soffit vents and/or replacing some of the roof tiles with vented ones. I did not want to install vented roof tiles at this point because I think they have a tendency to leak, and I did not want to take that risk if I don't have to. 

Only if I exhaust all passive ventilation options without success  will I then have to result in to a mechanical solution. And If I have to result to a mechanical solution I like to do it when I am there so that I can explore the best possible option.

    In one of my housed in NY I had a ceiling exhaust fan ,

Something like this.

It worked great!  If you closed all the windows in the house  and only opened the windows on the shady side it drew cooler air from that side and made a significant difference, and at the same time pushed all the hot attic air. If we ever had to do any work in the attic in the summer, we would turn it on for a litle while and you could not believe the difference it made there.

 I have not seen these fans readily available in Thailand as they are in the US where you can buy one at any home depot. but I am sure if one looked hard enough one could find it in Thailand. I will look in to it when I am there.

I realise that the time to do it id now, but there is no way my wife or the builder I am using would do it right. 

If I do a mechanical ventilation system , the above will be my first preference.

 

 

[sirineou]

On 1/25/2018 at 10:23 PM, Destiny1990 said:

Are all the Thaivisa boys here invited for your housewarming?

 Not all , only the Cool kids.