Building a new house in Isaan

[Elkski]

Amzing your bid was 1.8 mil or less than 50k USD for all that work.  A  decent retaining wall here in Utah could cost half that.  

I enjoyed your light on pictures above.  

 

Do tiu mean the brand of fittings American standard or just all the good ones sold here   like kohler, delta, moen. 

Dont get grohe I've had issues with our 20 yr old expensive kitchen faucet and their lifetime warranty isnt honored. 

[Encid]

On 2/7/2024 at 9:42 PM, Elkski said:

Amzing your bid was 1.8 mil or less than 50k USD for all that work.  A  decent retaining wall here in Utah could cost half that.  

 

Perhaps I should clarify... the house structure itself cost 1.8 million to build (which was the question asked by stupidfarang).

 

That price also excluded supply of sanitary ware, kitchen appliances, counter tops for kitchens and bathroom, water tank and filters and pump, water heater and shower, floor and wall tiles (internal and external), ceiling insulation, external cladding, and external solar lighting.

 

The infrastructure (land fill, retaining wall, electricity supply, raw water well + solar pump, raw water storage tanks and pump, access road + spoon drain, electric gate etc.) cost extra.

 

On 2/7/2024 at 9:42 PM, Elkski said:

Do tiu mean the brand of fittings American standard or just all the good ones sold here   like kohler, delta, moen. 

Dont get grohe I've had issues with our 20 yr old expensive kitchen faucet and their lifetime warranty isnt honored. 

 

Yes, I meant the brand "American Standard".

Funny that you should mention "Grohe" sanitary ware... we have them in our current house in Najomtien (built 15 years ago) and they are still working well with no issues at all.

 

The water supply must be clean (preferably filtered) and you should check that the faucet filters and supply hoses are regularly cleaned or maintained.

We found problem areas in our plumbing when our water pressure dropped over time... we tracked it down to the use of galvanized fittings corroding in the water supply lines where they were mated with PVC or PPR pipe and stainless steel fittings/hoses... galvanic corrosion across dissimilar metals resulted in a build-up of a rusty sludge that clogged the pipework and the filters in the faucets and shower hoses.

 

Something to watch out for... 

[HighPriority]

Gal pipes are notorious for that, it’s not unusual to cut a 20mm gal pipe to find a 10mm or less void for the water to flow..

[Elkski]

Yes Grohe is supposed to be a high quality brand.  Its sold as a expensive exclusive brand here at the fancy showroom stores.  The imbedded rubber gasket on the ceramic cartrige just disolved after 20 years on our kitchen faucet. It clogged the fkow restrictor and wand.  In the past when the rubber boot on the wand got old they sent s new head for free.  4 months ago we needed another.   This is now considered a wear part.   Luckily there are aftermarket parts that look identical for 1/3 the price. 

I did install that brand in a steam shower and it is wirking fine.  But just the temp valve was 28000 baht.  Not including face plate style or handle.  

 

It is amazing you got all that work done for under 2 mil baht.  

If I recall correctly this will be the guest house after you finish the main house?  Is that still the plan? 

[sirhowie]

On 2/19/2022 at 10:27 AM, Encid said:

I am going through the process of planning a new house build on my wife's farm land up country.

 

I have already prepared plans and elevations of our preferred house design in AutoCAD and am currently fine tuning details. The land is currently being filled and raised approx. 1.5 metres above original level. I anticipate leaving it to rest and bed down for the remainder of the year, and start construction in January next year.

 

I want this to be a reasonably passive house, so double glazed uPVC windows and sliding doors are being considered. An on-grid hybrid solar system will be added once construction is complete.

 

I am considering the following components for the external walls: Q-CON AAC (Autoclaved Aerated Concrete) blocks (150mm thk),

 

 

with an SCG Heat Reflector sheet lining,

 

 

with 50mm thk fire retardant grade polystyrene sheets,

 

 

then 8mm thk SCG Smartboard drywall. The polystyrene sheets will fit between the galvanized frame members.

 

 

Cement rendering followed by paint on the outside, and just a painted finish on the inside.

 

What do you think?

Hi I've had one built in Issan near undon thani on my families farm the only regret is I didn't do it double skinned but used bricks not concrete blocks . I will be getting solar panels installed by myself at some point as I can mount them on the vast piece of land that are plot is purely for the aircon. The builder I used built my sister in laws house and factory and on the whole very good . I also checked out his other builds and they were good .

It's important that you get a proper company. It costs a bit extra but piece of mind is worth it

[Encid]

19 hours ago, Elkski said:

If I recall correctly this will be the guest house after you finish the main house?  Is that still the plan? 

 

Yes, that is the plan.

We need to sell our existing house in Najomtien first so I have enough spare cash to build the main house without having to dip into retirement savings.

We will live in the Guest House whilst the Main House is being built, and I will be able to have daily surveillance of the work.

[Encid]

19 hours ago, sirhowie said:

It's important that you get a proper company. It costs a bit extra but piece of mind is worth it

 

I wholeheartedly agree.

We found our builder by chance... initially on Facebook, and liked the style of his construction and attention to details.

We looked for professional builders in the Khon Kaen and Nakhon Ratchasima provinces (our site is about halfway between both provincial capital cities)... I was not prepared to commit to building using a local village builder, as I have witnessed the typically poor workmanship and shortcuts they take first hand.

Testimonials from his customers indicated that people were happy with his work, the quality, and his prices.

He also came across as being proud of the work that he undertakes, and ensures that it is completed to the customer's satisfaction.

He has a team of support engineers that can perform the necessary civil and structural calculations to detail design a house from a concept to a full set of architectural engineering and construction drawings.

He is also proficient at using 3D imaging software to help visualize a concept.

I know of at least one other AN member who used this builder to build a house for him too, and he said that he'd use him again if he were to build another new house.

 

The thing that I like the most about our builder is that he is honest, and genuinely wants his customers to be happy.

Sure he makes certain that he is making a profit, but his prices are quantifiable, justifiable, and reasonable, and he is always open to negotiation for extra work.

He is also open and honest with his workers and they all respect him.

He also guarantees his work, which is a big plus.

 

Although his English was about as poor as my Thai, we were able to communicate face to face and discuss subjects and ideas... and this for me was most helpful and reassuring during problem resolution meetings and planning meetings. The use of Google Search, Translate, and Lens were often used by both of us to get ideas across.

He stuck to his schedule (apart from sicknesses and Songkran holidays which were but minor hiccups).

 

Overall, the project came in on-time and on-budget, which in itself is a credit to his knowledge, experience, skills and management.

 

We are looking forward to building our Main House with him sometime in the near future.