Building a new house in Isaan

[Encid]

4 minutes ago, MJCM said:

And I was proved right because the pipe is now approx 90% submerged as the Lake in front of the house (where the water flows in from the fields) is very full.

Yep... our pond is overflowing now too... into the rice fields.

The solar well pump has not been used in months.

 

[Encid]

On 2/19/2022 at 5:37 PM, Will B Good said:

We are 90% complete now (same as you: wife's land Isan).

Hey Will... how's your project progressing?

I haven't seen any updates?

[Muhendis]

19 hours ago, Encid said:

Do you get many rabbits in Buriram?

Rabbits, snakes, rats, otters. We get them all.

At one stage a few years ago, we used an excavator (proper name for a backhoe) to dig out a warren. Most of the problems of unscheduled water flow through bunds between paddies are down to rats, but some of the embankment holes look suspiciously big for rats.

[Will B Good]

On 9/26/2022 at 10:21 AM, Encid said:

Hey Will... how's your project progressing?

I haven't seen any updates?

Hi.

 

Been back in the UK for two months during which the wife had a car port built and a 500 sq ft 'summer house'!!!

 

We are in and settled..... big outstanding jobs: garden, wall/fence and plucking up the courage to add a 4m x 15m pool.....which seems to cost more than the house???

[Encid]

17 hours ago, Will B Good said:

Hi.

 

Been back in the UK for two months during which the wife had a car port built and a 500 sq ft 'summer house'!!!

 

We are in and settled..... big outstanding jobs: garden, wall/fence and plucking up the courage to add a 4m x 15m pool.....which seems to cost more than the house???

Photos... need photos... 

[Encid]

17 hours ago, Will B Good said:

to add a 4m x 15m pool....

You might want to touch base with Poolworld Korat.

They make and install prefabricated fibreglass pools up to 18m long all over Isaan.

I have a mate who used them to supply and install a pool on his property at Lam Luk Ka... he's very happy with their work.

And their prices seem to be quite reasonable.

[Will B Good]

7 hours ago, Encid said:

Photos... need photos... 

????.....Garden might need a little attention

2022-10-03_10-35-24_000.mov

[Will B Good]

7 hours ago, Encid said:

You might want to touch base with Poolworld Korat.

They make and install prefabricated fibreglass pools up to 18m long all over Isaan.

I have a mate who used them to supply and install a pool on his property at Lam Luk Ka... he's very happy with their work.

And their prices seem to be quite reasonable.

The quote we had seemed extortionate to me....so will investigate...cheers.

[unheard]

14 hours ago, Will B Good said:

The quote we had seemed extortionate to me....so will investigate...cheers.

You have to shop around...

Big companies with beautiful websites and fluent English will be the costliest.

You might also want to adjust the proposed pool dimensions.

If you're a good swimmer and looking for a lap pool then you can easily shave off some of the cost by making it narrower, say at 2.5-3m in width.

Fiberglass pools are generally cheaper and much, much quicker to complete.

But you have to be aware of the differences.

Concrete and fiberglass both have their pros and cons.

Sometimes your location conditions can also have some play (e.g. ground water levels, soils prone to ground-shifting).

You'd have to do some research (don't pay attention to biased sources) to be able to find the one that fits you the best.

[Encid]

15 hours ago, Will B Good said:

????.....Garden might need a little attention

2022-10-03_10-35-24_000.mov 62.34 MB · 6 downloads

Nice looking build Will. 

 

What is the function/purpose of the structure in the back corner behind the carport?

 

[GarryP]

16 hours ago, Will B Good said:

????.....Garden might need a little attention

2022-10-03_10-35-24_000.mov 62.34 MB · 9 downloads

No window bars/ anti-theft bars/ monkey bars or whatever they are called? I don't think my wife would agree to depend solely on cctv for our new build.  

[Encid]

2 hours ago, GarryP said:

No window bars/ anti-theft bars/ monkey bars or whatever they are called? I don't think my wife would agree to depend solely on cctv for our new build.  

Neither would mine.

I really don't like the prison effect that I get when I see window bars which is why I am looking into laminated glass or double glazed windows, both for security as well as insulation.

 

Our proposed security layers will consist of 1) border fence (with barbed wire or maybe a few electrified strands), 2) motion activated lighting and CCTV, 3) double glazed windows and digital door locks with dead bolts, 4) alarm system with motion sensors and sirens, and 5) a big dog or 2.

[GarryP]

1 hour ago, Encid said:

Neither would mine.

I really don't like the prison effect that I get when I see window bars which is why I am looking into laminated glass or double glazed windows, both for security as well as insulation.

 

Our proposed security layers will consist of 1) border fence (with barbed wire or maybe a few electrified strands), 2) motion activated lighting and CCTV, 3) double glazed windows and digital door locks with dead bolts, 4) alarm system with motion sensors and sirens, and 5) a big dog or 2.

You only need to add those knife proof security screens and you are totally covered. I don't think bars are an option for homes with very large windows/sliding glass doors. It would look like a cage. 

[Chris.B]

21 hours ago, Will B Good said:

????.....Garden might need a little attention

2022-10-03_10-35-24_000.mov 62.34 MB · 12 downloads

Link doesn't work.

 

[Maha Sarakham]

3 hours ago, Encid said:

Our proposed security layers will consist of 1) border fence (with barbed wire or maybe a few electrified strands), 2) motion activated lighting and CCTV, 3) double glazed windows and digital door locks with dead bolts, 4) alarm system with motion sensors and sirens, and 5) a big dog or 2.

Is crime really that bad or is it just protective measures?

[sometimewoodworker]

4 hours ago, Encid said:

I really don't like the prison effect that I get when I see window bars which is why I am looking into laminated glass or double glazed windows, both for security as well as insulation.

That is why we have laminated (1.5mm PVB) glass in the outer skins and a different thickness on the inner of our double glazing. Our windows & doors give the opposite of a closed In felling 

[Encid]

18 hours ago, Maha Sarakham said:

Is crime really that bad or is it just protective measures?

In most Isaan villages there are many unemployed lazy males who do nothing but drink with their buddies or do yaba.

They are always looking for money because they are too lazy to get a job and earn it, and a new house is a prime target.

There are always opportunistic thieves around so visible protection and deterrents are needed for peace of mind.

 

Already my FIL caught some people trying to steal our new water pump, and that is 100m behind a 3 strand barbed wire fence (meant to keep cattle not people out) and not visible from the road.

The new water tank is visible, so they assumed (correctly) that we had a new water pump, and they decided that they wanted it.

Luckily they were noticed before they could do any damage, and they ran away.

Now we have a family member sleep in a shelter at the farm and have set up solar lighting, until we get our guest house and fence built when there will be a more permanent presence there.

[GarryP]

18 hours ago, sometimewoodworker said:

That is why we have laminated (1.5mm PVB) glass in the outer skins and a different thickness on the inner of our double glazing. Our windows & doors give the opposite of a closed In felling 

I am interested in your type of widows rather than going with window bars. I think if you factor in the costs of window bars, your option is unlikely to be much more expensive (I am really guessing on this). Where did you order your windows if you don't mind me asking?

[GarryP]

22 minutes ago, Encid said:

In most Isaan villages there are many unemployed lazy males who do nothing but drink with their buddies or do yaba.

They are always looking for money because they are too lazy to get a job and earn it, and a new house is a prime target.

There are always opportunistic thieves around so visible protection and deterrents are needed for peace of mind.

 

Already my FIL caught some people trying to steal our new water pump, and that is 100m behind a 3 strand barbed wire fence (meant to keep cattle not people out) and not visible from the road.

The new water tank is visible, so they assumed (correctly) that we had a new water pump, and they decided that they wanted it.

Luckily they were noticed before they could do any damage, and they ran away.

Now we have a family member sleep in a shelter at the farm and have set up solar lighting, until we get our guest house and fence built when there will be a more permanent presence there.

Drug use is a big problem out in the sticks. My soon to be next door neighbour's son is an addict, i.e. a policeman's son. I was actually quite surprised at how pervasive it is now. 

[Boomer6969]

On 2/19/2022 at 6:21 PM, Lacessit said:

You don't mention the roof insulation, get the best R-factor encapsulated insulation blankets you can afford. Don't mess with PU spray insulation, it's a potential death trap.

Roof insulation under tropical climates is a lot less important than under cold climates. For the simple reason that cool(er) air won't try to disperse through  the ceiling. Remember there is no such thing as a cold air balloon. So insulation must concentrate on wall and windows, while high ceilings will do the job for insulating the upper part. Just picture your house like a pool filled with cool air.

[Lacessit]

2 hours ago, Boomer6969 said:

Roof insulation under tropical climates is a lot less important than under cold climates. For the simple reason that cool(er) air won't try to disperse through  the ceiling. Remember there is no such thing as a cold air balloon. So insulation must concentrate on wall and windows, while high ceilings will do the job for insulating the upper part. Just picture your house like a pool filled with cool air.

The second law of thermodynamics states heat cannot flow from a colder to a hotter body without work. IMO you've got it assbackwards, without insulation heat will flow from the roof space into the cooler room space. Perhaps convection is not a familiar term to you. Q = hAdT.

True, the process is slower with high ceilings. However, that also gives air conditioning more work to do.

 

[sometimewoodworker]

4 hours ago, GarryP said:

I am interested in your type of widows rather than going with window bars. I think if you factor in the costs of window bars, your option is unlikely to be much more expensive (I am really guessing on this). Where did you order your windows if you don't mind me asking?

You have to factor in the cost of the frames, the structure of the openings and fitting as well, just putting in good quality glass isn’t going to do much good if they can be yanked out by any one with a chain and pickup. The actual structure of the IGUs are Laminate C4+1.52+LowEC4+Ars8+C5 they have 5 layers of PVB making up the 1.52mm thickness. FWIW 1 single IGU is about 45kg, the doors use this on the inner pane

The windows and doors came from Prime Asia in Bangkok the glass is from one of the major companies who make custom IGUs 

[sometimewoodworker]

14 hours ago, Boomer6969 said:

Roof insulation under tropical climates is a lot less important than under cold climates. For the simple reason that cool(er) air won't try to disperse through  the ceiling. Remember there is no such thing as a cold air balloon. So insulation must concentrate on wall and windows, while high ceilings will do the job for insulating the upper part. Just picture your house like a pool filled with cool air.

That is incorrect logic.

 

You have forgotten that there is a very intense heat source sitting over your roof and that insulation works both to stop cool escaping and heat ingress. So insulate your roof if you don’t want your ceiling producing a nice warm amount of radiant heat

[Boomer6969]

1 hour ago, sometimewoodworker said:

That is incorrect logic.

 

You have forgotten that there is a very intense heat source sitting over your roof and that insulation works both to stop cool escaping and heat ingress. So insulate your roof if you don’t want your ceiling producing a nice warm amount of radiant heat

Ok, since you don't come up with the  second law of thermodynamics, I'll try to answer that. If you read (carefully) my post you'd see that I haven't said that you should not insulate your home. My point is that the type of insulation you need depends on the climate.  As far as I remember I said that ceiling insulation is less critical than in cold climate. While in you need a significant mass of bulk insulation in Europe, a reflective sheet spread over a concrete slab under the roof will do marvels in the tropics. Getting a light colour for you roof tile will also make a difference. Anyhow this  attachment will clarify my thinking. 

 

Always amazed by unpleasantness that a simple technical consideration can trigger on this forum. The first law of sexology probably says that one should boomboom  one's wife more frequently, isn't @Lacessit

[Will B Good]

On 10/11/2022 at 7:50 AM, Encid said:

Nice looking build Will. 

 

What is the function/purpose of the structure in the back corner behind the carport?

 

God alone knows.....found it there when I came back from the UK........It will be an outside kitchen/dining area/bar (why do we need one?).....I am going to stick in a pool table and fussball table anyway.....????

[Will B Good]

On 10/11/2022 at 2:16 PM, Chris.B said:

Link doesn't work.

 

Mmmmm.....working for me?

 

Here are some stills taken from it.

[Will B Good]

On 10/11/2022 at 8:44 AM, GarryP said:

No window bars/ anti-theft bars/ monkey bars or whatever they are called? I don't think my wife would agree to depend solely on cctv for our new build.  

I often wonder how much this aspect of house-breaking is over-hyped.....obviously I won't think that if (when?) we are burgled.

 

I hate the idea of bars on the windows for sure, but might consider some decorative guards in between the window and the mosquito blinds.

 

The wife is pinning her hopes of protection on our guard dog......????

[Will B Good]

On 10/10/2022 at 9:01 AM, Encid said:

You might want to touch base with Poolworld Korat.

They make and install prefabricated fibreglass pools up to 18m long all over Isaan.

I have a mate who used them to supply and install a pool on his property at Lam Luk Ka... he's very happy with their work.

And their prices seem to be quite reasonable.

Contacted them to see what they can offer.....cheers.

[Lacessit]

5 hours ago, Boomer6969 said:

 

 

Always amazed by unpleasantness that a simple technical consideration can trigger on this forum. The first law of sexology probably says that one should boomboom  one's wife more frequently, isn't @Lacessit

Talking of unpleasantness, you've just raised the bar. Obviously a person who thinks their opinion trumps basic physics, with zero evidence. On ignore now, goodbye.

[unheard]

5 hours ago, Boomer6969 said:

a reflective sheet spread over a concrete slab under the roof will do marvels in the tropics. Getting a light colour for you roof tile will also make a difference. Anyhow this  attachment will clarify my thinking.

That attachment is too simplistic and doesn't really clarify much.

The reflective sheet will not do "marvels".

Just check your attic space temps at the end of a sunny day.

Unless...

It's a ventilated attic with enough of air flow.

A light color roof will help a little, but certainly will not make much of a difference.