Building a new house in Isaan

[Encid]

6 minutes ago, Muhendis said:

My concerns are about the crops rather than the legality of crossing you neighbours land. If there is a change to sugar cane then the harvester machine which is a monster, will need some headroom. Cables need to have ground clearance of 5m. It is the drivers responsibility to take care but accidents can happen.

I understand what you are saying however it is an unlikely scenario.

Currently the land is owned by my FIL's sister, and she is too old and not interested in farming it herself so she rents it out to other rice farmers.

Her children are not interested... her son is a few sandwiches short of a picnic and has left home to stay alone with his dogs, and her daughter has married a falung who has just sold their house in Thailand after 11 years here and vowed never to return.

Her daughter may return from time to time, but both she and her mother have given us consent to proceed.

[Will B Good]

4 minutes ago, Encid said:

her son is a few sandwiches short of a picnic and has left home to stay alone with his dogs

Not too sure he doesn't have the right idea.....

[Muhendis]

6 minutes ago, Will B Good said:

Would you have any concerns covering a suspended ceiling with those silver covered rolls of (glass?) fibre insulation

My ceiling?

No concerns at all. The suspension bits are plenty strong enough and the panels are good for that sort of weight also.

[Encid]

5 minutes ago, Will B Good said:

Would you have any concerns covering a suspended ceiling with those silver covered rolls of (glass?) fibre insulation

I was thinking more of the reflective foil under the metal roof (to keep the heat out), and 2" thick rolls of insulation (no silver foil) on top of the ceiling (to keep the cool in) - bedroom only. I'm thinking of getting one of those portable AC units like this for when we stay there.

The suspended ceiling frame could certainly support this.

[Will B Good]

1 minute ago, Muhendis said:

My ceiling?

No concerns at all. The suspension bits are plenty strong enough and the panels are good for that sort of weight also.

Am I right in thinking you can't wander about up there? 

 

I am puzzled as to how to cover ours if I go down that route. There is a small hatch in our shower room which would allow me to insulate our bedroom but nowhere else without getting in to the roof space.

[Muhendis]

9 minutes ago, Encid said:

Her children are not interested... her son is a few sandwiches short of a picnic and has left home to stay alone with his dogs, and her daughter has married a falung who has just sold their house in Thailand after 11 years here and vowed never to return.

Her daughter may return from time to time,

Sounds like a mirror of my village

[Will B Good]

1 minute ago, Encid said:

I was thinking more of the reflective foil under the metal roof (to keep the heat out), and 2" thick rolls of insulation (no silver foil) on top of the ceiling (to keep the cool in) - bedroom only. I'm thinking of getting one of those portable AC units like this for when we stay there.

The suspended ceiling frame could certainly support this.

I would prefer to do that, but ours is all built, done and dusted.......it just struck me that the easier option is to roll stuff out.

[Encid]

1 minute ago, Will B Good said:

Am I right in thinking you can't wander about up there? 

 

I am puzzled as to how to cover ours if I go down that route. There is a small hatch in our shower room which would allow me to insulate our bedroom but nowhere else without getting in to the roof space.

Definitely not!

If you dare to go up there only walk on load-bearing walls, not the suspended ceiling frame.

Most homes have an entry hatch to the ceiling cavity in one of the bathrooms... rarely accessed unless you need to repair a roof leak or dispose of some rodents that have gained entry.

[Encid]

3 minutes ago, Will B Good said:

I would prefer to do that, but ours is all built, done and dusted.......it just struck me that the easier option is to roll stuff out.

My advice would be to get someone small and light (say 40- 50kg) to do it.

[Will B Good]

Just now, Encid said:

Definitely not!

If you dare to go up there only walk on load-bearing walls, not the suspended ceiling frame.

Most homes have an entry hatch to the ceiling cavity in one of the bathrooms... rarely accessed unless you need to repair a roof leak or dispose of some rodents that have gained entry.

Mmmmm thought so ....as tempting as it is to be hopping around on the wall tops.....I think I will give it a miss.

 

I might try roll them out over our bedroom from the hatch.

[Will B Good]

1 minute ago, Encid said:

My advice would be to get someone small and light (say 40- 50kg) to do it.

Ooooooo......now then.....the wife is only 40kg

[Muhendis]

Just now, Will B Good said:

Am I right in thinking you can't wander about up there? 

 

I am puzzled as to how to cover ours if I go down that route. There is a small hatch in our shower room which would allow me to insulate our bedroom but nowhere else without getting in to the roof space.

My house has a regular four sided pitched roof rather like a pyramid. There is plenty of headroom for me being vertically indisposed as you might say. There are plenty of horizontal RC beams to walk along  which allows easy access to the ceiling below without stepping on the panelling. I'm sure the ceiling would fall apart if I were to stand on it.

 

[Will B Good]

Just now, Muhendis said:

My house has a regular four sided pitched roof rather like a pyramid. There is plenty of headroom for me being vertically indisposed as you might say. There are plenty of horizontal RC beams to walk along  which allows easy access to the ceiling below without stepping on the panelling. I'm sure the ceiling would fall apart if I were to stand on it.

 

Forgive my ignorance......RC beams?

[Muhendis]

2 minutes ago, Will B Good said:

Ooooooo......now then.....the wife is only 40kg

Ha!

Some people are just plain lucky..........

[Will B Good]

1 minute ago, Muhendis said:

Ha!

Some people are just plain lucky..........

Doesn't drink or smoke.....only ever eats Thai (Laos) food......although got to admit she does it a lot of it......but seems a much healthier diet than western girls.......sorry off topic......will have someone shouting at me.

[Muhendis]

1 minute ago, Will B Good said:

Forgive my ignorance......RC beams?

The house is a framework of Reinforced Concrete beams. These not only hold up the lower floors but also keep the pillars from getting intimate. The whole structure is based on a cube design.

[Will B Good]

Just now, Muhendis said:

The house is a framework of Reinforced Concrete beams. These not only hold up the lower floors but also keep the pillars from getting intimate. The whole structure is based on a cube design.

Got it.....ours is a bungalow......so I think the only 'beams' will be the light steel ones strung from wall to wall.

[Muhendis]

1 hour ago, Muhendis said:

The house is a framework of Reinforced Concrete beams. These not only hold up the lower floors but also keep the pillars from getting intimate. The whole structure is based on a cube design.

I found an early picture which I had filed in completely the wrong place.

[Muhendis]

1 hour ago, Encid said:

I'm thinking of getting one of those portable AC units like this for when we stay there.

Those portable ac thingies are fundamentally flawed.

1.   Hot air goes out the pipe........That's ok.

2.   Cold air comes out the vents into the room........That's ok.

3.   Room air recirculates into the unit and comes out the vents into the room as in 2 above ...........That's ok

4.   Where does the hot air in 1. above come from? err. It comes from within the room as in 2 above.........That's definitely not ok.

To summarise: The air which is being cooled is also the the exhausted air. Waste of money. Been there, done that.

 

[Muhendis]

2 hours ago, Encid said:

I was thinking more of the reflective foil under the metal roof (to keep the heat out)

The shading of your solar panels with the air gap twixt roof and panels will do that also.

[Encid]

18 hours ago, Muhendis said:

Flat roof may well start leaking after a short time. I would put a 17º north/south slope on it, strengthen it and use it for solar panels.

I just had a look at that option in CAD.

No... a 17º pitch on such a small structure would look awful, as would 15º or even 10º.

I think we will proceed with a 5-8º pitch and use elevated support panels for the PV panels later.

 

[Encid]

The work has started on the excavation for the new power poles.

They will be digging down to a depth of 1.5 metres before dropping the 8m poles in then backfilling with concrete.

I have asked if they plan on installing guy wires and anchors at cable route changes in direction, to prevent the poles leaning once the cables are installed... now waiting on an answer.

 

 

 

 

[Excel]

12 minutes ago, Encid said:

The work has started on the excavation for the new power poles.

They will be digging down to a depth of 1.5 metres before dropping the 8m poles in then backfilling with concrete.

I have asked if they plan on installing guy wires and anchors at cable route changes in direction, to prevent the poles leaning once the cables are installed... now waiting on an answer.

 

 

 

 

I think you can answer that question yourself by looking at existing poles in your area ????

[Encid]

3 minutes ago, Excel said:

I think you can answer that question yourself by looking at existing poles in your area ????

That is exactly why I asked the question. 

[Encid]

The land fill work continues.

BIL is overseeing the work.

Each truck gives him a ticket after dumping it's load so the total number of trucks cannot be disputed... everyone is happy with this arrangement.

 

One thing of note... the trucks are hok-lor (6 wheeler) not sib-lor (10 wheeler), hence the reduction in price from 280 to 180 baht per truck.

The load capacity of a hok-lor is about 5m³ and the capacity of a sib-lor is about 8m³ so a factor of 1.6 difference in load capacity.

180 baht x 1.6 = 288 baht so nothing to complain about really, although I did think we were getting ripped off again when I first saw the small trucks. 

 

 

 

[Encid]

The builder has sent a 3D model movie of his interpretation of my Guest House drawings... not bad.

 

What do you think?

 

 

 

[Muhendis]

Nice, but I would add a bit more concrete and move the water tank two metres away from the pump to the corner of the building where it doesn't block the view.

[MJCM]

9 minutes ago, Muhendis said:

Nice, but I would add a bit more concrete and move the water tank two metres away from the pump to the corner of the building where it doesn't block the view.

Good idea, but that would mean that the water tank is in the full sun all day!!

 

Suggestion, get a underground water tank (1000 liters???) for a guesthouse??

[Muhendis]

2 hours ago, MJCM said:

Good idea, but that would mean that the water tank is in the full sun all day!!

Not sure about all day.

Tank would be under south roof overhang so maybe a bit of sun in the winter and first thing in the morning.

Underground is a good idea but I would go for 2000 L. If above ground, I would erect a screen if sun was a problem. 

I have several stainless steel tanks for rain water around my house in the sun most of the day, and the water never gets warm.

I guess the tanks give off the heat easily and it takes a long time to warm up 1000 L.

[unheard]

On 3/28/2022 at 4:09 PM, Encid said:

It will have a lockable room with a suspended ceiling and insulation in which we intend to stay during the main house construction period.

Non-insulated metal roof?