Common building mistakes in Asia and Thailand

[lucjoker]

17 hours ago, wayned said:

Obviously a statement from a licensed and experienced  contractor.  I built a house just north of New Orleans in the USA, do you think it had a basement when New Orleans  is 13-18 feet below sea level.  At times you could go out in the pasture and jump up and down and watch the waves of earth ripple before you due to the low water table. Many of the septic tanks are below the living space because the living space occupies the entire plot of land, there's no way you can put it 4 meters away.What is the point of your post as you obviously don't have a clue?

the point is ......he wants to sell anti-mold products !

[ujayujay]

Foundation Compaction is inadequate. Worst Problem in Thailand.

[connda]

Let's not forgot, there is no such thing as pride of workmanship. 

[bankruatsteve]

12 minutes ago, ujayujay said:

Foundation Compaction is inadequate. Worst Problem in Thailand.

Why?  If you are talking about fill, proper footings should be planted to the base soil.  Surface compaction is irrelevant. 

[simoh1490]

42 minutes ago, bankruatsteve said:

Why?  If you are talking about fill, proper footings should be planted to the base soil.  Surface compaction is irrelevant. 

I agree.

 

Many of the people responding to this thread are thinking of a slab in terms of a block of concrete that a house is built on, a Thai house that is raised up is not built that way - post 15 clarifies.

[johng]

4 hours ago, lockyv7 said:

i have never seen a basement in Australia and most of the houses are built on a slab base.

https://www.pinterest.com/traveloutbackoz/coober-pedy-opals-underground-homes/

[namatjira]

22 hours ago, Allen Ginsing said:

 

This is why traditional houses where build on stilts or raised foundations.

Wow, maybe you should learn a little about Thai cultural beliefs.

you have knowledge on western building practice but appear

alsolutely blind to cultural,practice....try and learn a little about the culture. 

 

[Artisi]

3 hours ago, simoh1490 said:

Rising damp is not common in Thailand, the climate is too hot.

Wrong. 

[Artisi]

2 hours ago, gillap said:

To me the biggest blunder is not installing P traps in shower drains!

All showers I've had the pleasure of using in condos or houses had foul gases smells occuring at odd times due to no P traps! Another biggy is the lack of a ground wire system throughout the residential buildings… there's no law requiring this safety feature and there are many electrocutions throughout Thailand!

I think the wiring code does stipulated  earthing and I also believe earth leakage protection could also now form part of code. Years since I looked as I have no need,  I have earthing and RCBO on all appropriate circuits. 

[Artisi]

17 minutes ago, namatjira said:

Wow, maybe you should learn a little about Thai cultural beliefs.

you have knowledge on western building practice but appear

alsolutely blind to cultural,practice....try and learn a little about the culture. 

 

Would also suggest Western building practice is very dodgy as well. 

[tigermoth]

22 hours ago, bankruatsteve said:

I wonder where you are getting your information to say slab construction (your #1) is a mistake in Thailand?  The only time I have seen mold on a slab is when it is not tiled or protected otherwise.  I have never seen tiles laid with "glue" here.  And, I have never seen a basement here (outside of the "mountains").  What I have seen is most all new construction being built on a slab.

And all slabs on the ground should have a plastic membranse under for preventing moisture penetrating the slab. If this is done correctly there is no need for another membrane under showers which should all be adequately drained to an outlet and ideally tiles jointed with an epoxy based mortar.

[simoh1490]

8 minutes ago, tigermoth said:

And all slabs on the ground should have a plastic membranse under for preventing moisture penetrating the slab. If this is done correctly there is no need for another membrane under showers which should all be adequately drained to an outlet and ideally tiles jointed with an epoxy based mortar.

"Plastic membrane", "epoxy mortar", you're 'avin' a larf aint ya!

 

This is Thailand, builders here don't stop to such things, we build things the way we've always built things using the same time trusted products and techniques we've always used! Plastic membrane, solly, no hab. Epoxy mortar, solly, no hab.

[ThaiWai]

Grounding grounding grounding.  I recently went to a new (older) home with all two prong sockets except for 1 three prong near the washing machine.  I plugged in a new countertop oven with an adapter and luckily only felt a mild electric charge leaking from it onto the stainless steel rack it was placed on.  Got my contractor in asap and we found only the aircons and showers were grounded.  500 baht for 2 guys to work for 3 hours included grounding the kitchen and the 3 prong socket near the washing machine that looked like it was grounded but in fact was not.  Mold and uneven door jams are frustrating but being electrocuted must be the most deadly and easily avoidable injury with a little effort and a few baht.

[timendres]

My biggest complaint is the utter lack of u-traps in sewer side plumbing. U-traps prevent the horrifying smells coming up the pipes and into the living space. Every bathroom I have ever had here reeks of sewer smells. I have seen a few cases of drain traps including a small curved water trap with a bell shape on the top to simulate what a proper u-trap does, but they rarely work well as the water evaporates too quickly.

[Artisi]

1 hour ago, simoh1490 said:

"Plastic membrane", "epoxy mortar", you're 'avin' a larf aint ya!

 

This is Thailand, builders here don't stop to such things, we build things the way we've always built things using the same time trusted products and techniques we've always used! Plastic membrane, solly, no hab. Epoxy mortar, solly, no hab.

If you're paying the  bill you can have whatever you want, as all materials are available here. 

[carlyai]

My biggest complaint is the utter lack of u-traps in sewer side plumbing. U-traps prevent the horrifying smells coming up the pipes and into the living space. Every bathroom I have ever had here reeks of sewer smells. I have seen a few cases of drain traps including a small curved water trap with a bell shape on the top to simulate what a proper u-trap does, but they rarely work well as the water evaporates too quickly.

You need a small whiteboard. Write ' fill the Thai P traps with water'. They do work....after the proper P traps were forgotten.

 

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It's like anything the builder doesn't do in Thailand. If you want P traps, and show them what to do to install them, they'll quite happily put them in. But they won't do it at the next place they build.

 

As an example: my electrician didn't borrow any neutrals and installed ground wires when I was with him.

 

When I went away and SWMBO got some extra outside lights put in, no earth for outside metal fixture lights and borrowed neutral. Go figure.

 

 

[cooked]

7 hours ago, simoh1490 said:

I'm sure that there is rising damp in Thailand but what I wrote is that it's not common, I have certainly never seen it but there again I have never gone looking for it either! But I do know for sure that the water table in your village is not a few centimetres below the ground, a couple of metres perhaps but not a couple of centimetres, if it were you'd be standing in mud! Where I live the water table is three and a half metres down, I know that because I dip my well pump a couple of times a year.

 

Also, what is perceived to be rising damp is often not that, instead it is mildew caused by poor ventilation, black stains that spread along the walls near the floor. Another aspect is poor outside drainage from water taps etc where the waste water drains against the house and creeps up the walls over time.

you seem to have travelled very little in Thailand. Especially in the rainy season, which is what I am talking about and is when rising damp occurs. 

[Crossy]

40 minutes ago, carlyai said:

Go figure

I've never managed to work out how it all adds up.

 

Those who followed out building saga will know that Mr Flush the plumber put in U bends everywhere (in addition to those awful floor drain traps) without being prompted. Sparky however (we used up five) was a whole different kettle of fish

 

[stropper]

who ever wrote this crap has never built in aus,  ex < licenced> builder !

[Crossy]

A flame has been removed. Let's play nicely in this forum.

 

[Artisi]

1 hour ago, Crossy said:

I've never managed to work out how it all adds up.

 

Those who followed out building saga will know that Mr Flush the plumber put in U bends everywhere (in addition to those awful floor drain traps) without being prompted. Sparky however (we used up five) was a whole different kettle of fish

 

I'd hate to be your sparkie ?

[Tofer]

"Will add more later"

 

Please don't bother, as you clearly do not have a clue about building construction and drainage.

[Tofer]

5 hours ago, timendres said:

My biggest complaint is the utter lack of u-traps in sewer side plumbing. U-traps prevent the horrifying smells coming up the pipes and into the living space. Every bathroom I have ever had here reeks of sewer smells. I have seen a few cases of drain traps including a small curved water trap with a bell shape on the top to simulate what a proper u-trap does, but they rarely work well as the water evaporates too quickly.

Spot on. If you have a shower in a guest bathroom that gets little use the best solution is to place traps on the downside of the whb which should get regular use and keep the trap full. 

[sirineou]

On 1/23/2018 at 6:02 AM, bankruatsteve said:

While I agree with your assessment, I cannot imagine a plat that has homes occupying the entire plot without sewage lines versus individual septic systems.  Just to say.

 

As for venting, it is best to do so but certainly not necessary to a functioning system.  Traps are - but that wasn't mentioned.

 

Maybe the OP is just not a happy camper in his current accommodation?  BTW:  mold has everything to do with humidity and lack of AC and/or good ventilation.  It has almost nothing to do with a properly laid slab.

 

I vote that this thread be deleted for the reason that it has no value to DIY in Thailand.

 

Building a house right now and had that issue.

Proper venting  Venting is necessary  for two reasons, 

 First When sewage enters the system, it replaces air, the faster the air exits the system, the faster the sewage will enter. It makes for better draining toilets and drains.

 In the house we are building, they were vecting the septic tank where the back water goes at fence height.

  as I said , when sewage enters the system air is forced out,

Smelly air.  Unless we like smelly air, we want the vent at roof height where it can disperse.

If no vent pipe is installed then this smelly air will come out from the septic cover. 

PS: I made them change it.

Edited January 24, 2018 by sirineou

[Minnehaha]

I agree that there definitely are some common building mistakes here. These are based on my keen observations that toilets and sinks STINK very often. One of thousands of examples include the 18 floor of Okura tower bathroom that stank out the place to the Japanese restaurant. Years it has been bad. Thai construction have not yet cracked the code on plumbing. Sinks dont drain. And air comes up. Why this happens and how it is constructed properly ..  I leave to the TV experts with experience and professional qualifications.  

[DUNROAMIN]

Building faults in Thailand, there's only one.

The wantabe backyard, no licence, no common sense, no education, former farmer did a two day building course with his nephew who was a shop assistant at 7 eleven turns up to build your house. Oh I nearly forgot, shit loads of cement that sticks everything together.

 

[maxpower]

1 hour ago, DUNROAMIN said:

Building faults in Thailand, there's only one.

The wantabe backyard, no licence, no common sense, no education, former farmer did a two day building course with his nephew who was a shop assistant at 7 eleven turns up to build your house. Oh I nearly forgot, shit loads of cement that sticks everything together.

 

Your post is brutal and terribly rough around the edges but it gets my 9/10. Now where were we with that dumb OP.

 

You could really have some fun in this thread .... maybe best not

Edited January 24, 2018 by maxpower

[carlyai]

Building a house right now and had that issue.
Proper venting  Venting is necessary  for two reasons, 
 First When sewage enters the system, it replaces air, the faster the air exits the system, the faster the sewage will enter. It makes for better draining toilets and drains.
 In the house we are building, they were vecting the septic tank where the back water goes at fence height.

  as I said , when sewage enters the system air is forced out,
Smelly air.  Unless we like smelly air, we want the vent at roof height where it can disperse.
If no vent pipe is installed then this smelly air will come out from the septic cover. 
PS: I made them change it.

Ahhhhhh....rising damp on the fence hehehe

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[sirineou]

6 minutes ago, carlyai said:

Ahhhhhh....rising damp on the fence hehehe

Sent from my SM-J700F using Tapatalk
 

 Not really, You have a good eye though.

The fence was two meters tall, while we were in the states a few years ago,I had asked  my father in law ,( a wonderful men who unexpectedly passed away last year,) to spread some dirt and smooth the lot out .

When I came back to Thailand  I found a mountain,! he had put dirt all the way up to the mark you see, effectively making my two meter fence in to an one meter fence. LOL

So I had payed to put dirt there and then paid to take it away.

He had the best intentions I miss him terribly..

 

[irlguy1]

A flame has been removed. Let's play nicely in this forum.
 

While I agree that flaming is uncalled for its very difficult not to post negative comments regarding this thread as the op clearly has no idea what he is talking about.
[emoji4]


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