Building a new house in Isaan

[Elkski]

A flat roof does let you tilt the solar panels to best angle and cleaning woykd be real easy if you   also had a rooftop patio with  some stairs.  1 house in chaingmai we visited the roof top was  a great sunset nightcap place with friends.  It had privacy and some nice views of the sunset.  It did require and have railings. 

[carlyai]

Looks great.

I think you need to shade half the pool area and increase its length to 12m or as far as you can go. If you swim lengths, longer is better.

Also a multi-depth pool is nice. Nice to have a deep end.

A waterfall is nice and peacefull while you sip a drink and get a massage by the side of the pool.

A sauna room?

[Will B Good]

15 hours ago, sometimewoodworker said:

We have used non glossy tiles everywhere, some with more grip than others. There is one problem with that and that is that they take marks and stains quite easily, to the extent that I’ve just purchased a powered floor scrubber, it does a reasonable job but certainly isn’t fast, quiet or cheap, even so I probably wouldn’t change any of the tiles to glossy ones just because of that.

99% of the tiles are 'rough' but they still scare me in the rain......the few glossy tiles used, near the BBQ, are impossible to walk on when wet.

[Encid]

23 hours ago, Elkski said:

I did think quite a bit about pool bathroom situation.   Looks ok from function but not sure you want a wet front entry inside.   A deal entry toilet and sink?  If tile gets wet Wife can keep the front entry clean or a good mat.  Look at the tiles slippery rating when wet.  The rankings mean not always easy to detect in salesroom.   Outdoor shower?

We plan on using SCI Wood for all external decking... Link

 

It is tough and durable, non-slip, UV resistant, termite proof, non-flammable, easy to clean, and (we think) more beautiful than tiles.

 

[Encid]

23 hours ago, Muhendis said:

That's a total of 21.6kw which is excessive for most inverters which all have limits of input power.

It would be interesting to work out the angles of each batch of panels to reduce the power outputs throughout the year so that they will never exceed the inverter limitations. 

Have you done your power requirement calcs. yet?

Yes, but I'd like to keep that discussion to a detailed topic (yet to start) in the Alternative Energy Forum, which I have been following with great interest for a while now.

 

For the moment, I am planning to have the 4 strings of 10 PV panels each connected in parallel to 4 x 5kW inverters supplying domestic 220vAC power and also a 27kWh ESS.

 

For the purposes of this topic I just wanted to demonstrate that we have plenty of space to position and maintain PV panels. 

[Encid]

23 hours ago, Elkski said:

It is obvious your a CADD man.  I was talking to a dating site to an interior designer in Malaysia. Our LDR was more on home design as I was doing a project.  

She told me I could get a 3D work up walk through cad made for just a few hundred USD 6 years ago 2018

Would you believe that I have not used CAD for over 30 years now... I had to go back and re-learn the basics... 555

I do have an engineering background, so the concepts of spatial surrounds, access, functionality etc. are not unfamiliar to me.

So I located a version of AutoCAD that was compatible with my aging computer, and started using layers and colours to set out the house(s) design on a grid line that was compatible with most Thai building practices.

 

I wanted to use CAD to get something that was 90% what we wanted... not be offered a menu of pre-designed houses that would hold little appeal.

 

Don't forget... most Thai designed houses might look big, but in reality they have tiny bathrooms, and the images they present are simply not to scale. For example the size of the furniture shown in living rooms is probably only big enough for 2 adults plus a cat... not a whole family! And the cars shown in the carport are likely to be smaller than a Good Cat... even though they look like a Benz! Once you check out the design in real units of measurement using CAD, you can see very quickly the "architectural license" that has been applied to make the house plans look good.

[Encid]

21 hours ago, Elkski said:

A flat roof does let you tilt the solar panels to best angle and cleaning woykd be real easy if you   also had a rooftop patio with  some stairs.  1 house in chaingmai we visited the roof top was  a great sunset nightcap place with friends.  It had privacy and some nice views of the sunset.  It did require and have railings. 

An earlier version of our house did comprise 2 levels and some big railed verandas on the rooftop... we were even planning on installing a jacuzzi on the West facing veranda so we could enjoy a glass of bubbly in the hot tub at sunset in total privacy. ????

 

However the reality is that being out in a rural environment where there are no street lights or other houses for at least 2km in any direction, if you turn on a light after dark every insect within a 1km radius is attracted so outdoor living after dark is impractical. 

[Encid]

11 hours ago, carlyai said:

I think you need to shade half the pool area and increase its length to 12m or as far as you can go. If you swim lengths, longer is better.

That is a very good idea, however I think I need to be careful about making it too long as it would extend into the access roadway to the farm, which is probably better kept straight.

 

11 hours ago, carlyai said:

Also a multi-depth pool is nice. Nice to have a deep end.

Already planned... 1m deep at the shallow end, and 1.6m deep at the deep end.

This is exactly what we currently have in our house in Najomtien and we love it.

The depths are also great for water-based aerobic activity for both my wife and myself.

 

11 hours ago, carlyai said:

A waterfall is nice and peacefull while you sip a drink and get a massage by the side of the pool.

I haven't considered any water features yet, apart from the overflow aspect and the infinity edges... maybe something to think about. 

 

11 hours ago, carlyai said:

A sauna room?

Now I know you are taking the pi55... 

[sometimewoodworker]

32 minutes ago, Encid said:

Don't forget... most Thai designed houses might look big, but in reality they have tiny bathrooms, and the images they present are simply not to scale. For example the size of the furniture shown in living rooms is probably only big enough for 2 adults plus a cat... not a whole family! And the cars shown in the carport are likely to be smaller than a Good Cat... even though they look like a Benz! Once you check out the design in real units of measurement using CAD, you can see very quickly the "architectural license" that has been applied to make the house plans look good.

With our house, though I didn’t use CAD, our architect took our SketchUp and pencil design put into CAD and a professional SketchUp model and we got almost exactly what we had designed. There are few things that I would change but nothing major.

[farmerjo]

31 minutes ago, Encid said:

However the reality is that being out in a rural environment where there are no street lights or other houses for at least 2km in any direction, if you turn on a light after dark every insect within a 1km radius is attracted so outdoor living after dark is impractical. 

I have had a outside after dark lifestyle on the farm here for last nineteen years.

Besides the start of the rainy season when the flying ants disrupt your night,air movement is the key with a fan on and the main lights away from your sitting area to keep the insects away.

Our/my entertainment area is joining the outside kitchen.

It might not be as bad as you think.

 

[Muhendis]

2 hours ago, Encid said:

Yes, but I'd like to keep that discussion to a detailed topic (yet to start) in the Alternative Energy Forum, which I have been following with great interest for a while now.

 

For the moment, I am planning to have the 4 strings of 10 PV panels each connected in parallel to 4 x 5kW inverters supplying domestic 220vAC power and also a 27kWh ESS.

 

For the purposes of this topic I just wanted to demonstrate that we have plenty of space to position and maintain PV panels. 

You might like to leave a bit of roof space for a solar hot water heat exchanger and a bit of space below for a few hundred ltrs of insulated storage.

[Muhendis]

2 hours ago, Encid said:

An earlier version of our house did comprise 2 levels and some big railed verandas on the rooftop... we were even planning on installing a jacuzzi on the West facing veranda so we could enjoy a glass of bubbly in the hot tub at sunset in total privacy. ????

 

However the reality is that being out in a rural environment where there are no street lights or other houses for at least 2km in any direction, if you turn on a light after dark every insect within a 1km radius is attracted so outdoor living after dark is impractical. 

I understand intimately how much love insects have for rural, well lit homesteads.

[carlyai]

10 hours ago, Encid said:

That is a very good idea, however I think I need to be careful about making it too long as it would extend into the access roadway to the farm, which is probably better kept straight.

 

Already planned... 1m deep at the shallow end, and 1.6m deep at the deep end.

This is exactly what we currently have in our house in Najomtien and we love it.

The depths are also great for water-based aerobic activity for both my wife and myself.

 

I haven't considered any water features yet, apart from the overflow aspect and the infinity edges... maybe something to think about. 

 

Now I know you are taking the pi55... 

We like aquaaerobics too and the deep end is great. May need outside TV point for the aqua shows. Good to have a teacher and many workouts on UTube.

How far are you going to be from Kuchinari?

Half roof pool cover is great I think. Nice to get out of the hot sun in the dry season, also can sit on the pool stairs, up to your armpits in water and have a beer. ????

Nice to have a waterfall. I have seen them incorperated in an infinity pool overflow design.

PRS gym in Pattaya old Soi 17 from 3rd road has one. From Teprasit Soi 10.

Nice restaurant down a bit called The Caddie Shack, near our Pattaya house.

I would love a sauna...might even build one.

one other thing is to design your irrigation and sprinkler (green house) system, so you have pipes and valves installed when you're laying the turf. Stops a big mess later.

Don't forget your bore dan, submersible pump and filters.

Log fire also. ????

i'm sitting by mine at the moment 0430.

[Encid]

22 hours ago, farmerjo said:

... air movement is the key with a fan on and the main lights away from your sitting area to keep the insects away.

That is a very good point... using fans to push the insects away and using lighting to attract them somewhere else.

 

We current do have a small external deck on the Main House facing West that we were thinking of extending later on... towards the pond, and perhaps building a sala that overhangs the pond.

 

Those sunset bubbles ideas have not completely been quashed yet. 

[Encid]

12 hours ago, carlyai said:

How far are you going to be from Kuchinari?

If you mean Amphur Kuchinarai in the Province of Kalasin our farm location is about a 3 hour drive away.

 

 

13 hours ago, carlyai said:

Half roof pool cover is great I think. Nice to get out of the hot sun in the dry season, also can sit on the pool stairs, up to your armpits in water and have a beer. ????

With the Main House facing East and the elevated roofline over the living/dining area the pool should be fully shaded by mid-to late afternoon in the hot season, so the water temperature should be comfortable, and we won't be in the sun at the shallow end.

 

If it is too hot on the decking and we need some more shading in the future we can always extend the SCI wood slat roof towards the pool some more.

 

Icy cold beers in the pool on a hot afternoon is definitely on the agenda. 

 

 

[Encid]

13 hours ago, carlyai said:

one other thing is to design your irrigation and sprinkler (green house) system, so you have pipes and valves installed when you're laying the turf. Stops a big mess later.

We are building in Isaan... growing grass there is not a problem. See the photo below.

The local couch grass grows incredibly quickly so I am not planning to introduce a non-native grass variety that may or may not survive and need long hours of maintenance.

 

 

Watering the grassed areas and future garden will initially be by movable sprinkler connected to a hose, until our more permanent garden and fruit trees are established.

 

We plan on having many different gardens... herbs, salads, vegetables, fruits etc... but it is way too early to plan irrigation piping now. 

[Encid]

13 hours ago, carlyai said:

Don't forget your bore dan, submersible pump and filters.

Already drilled the bore, sank the submersible pump (solar powered), but no filters yet.

 

https://assets.aseannow.com/forum/uploads/monthly_2022_04/20220406_160758.mp4.a24a9748adc530fcf7dc5bdbf8289ebb.mp4

 

 

[Muhendis]

2 hours ago, Encid said:

Already drilled the bore, sank the submersible pump (solar powered), but no filters yet.

 

https://assets.aseannow.com/forum/uploads/monthly_2022_04/20220406_160758.mp4.a24a9748adc530fcf7dc5bdbf8289ebb.mp4

 

 

What's your water like?

Mine is hard as nails. Calcium from gypsum rock 51 metres down.

I use a surface water well almost exclusively.

The time when I switched over to the bore hole was for only a few months but the calcium damage was not nice.

[Encid]

16 hours ago, Muhendis said:

What's your water like?

I expect ours to be similar.

We delivered some samples to TestTech in Bangkok but we are waiting on the analysis results.

The samples were taken at about 9am (when there was enough sunlight to power up the pump) and delivered to them at about 4:30pm the same day.

We were told that to correctly determine the bacterial levels in the water the tests had to be performed within 24 hours of the samples being taken.

 

What a horrendous drive that was... so much mayhem on the roads around Bangkok due to never-ending roadworks.

And of course, the lab had to be on the West side of the city over the river, not the East side which would have been much closer to our home.

 

I have heard that there is a water testing lab somewhere in Khon Kaen, but have not been able to find it.

If anyone knows where it is or has their contact details I would much appreciate it.

[sometimewoodworker]

10 minutes ago, Encid said:

I have heard that there is a water testing lab somewhere in Khon Kaen, but have not been able to find it.

If anyone knows where it is or has their contact details I would much appreciate it.

I would try iwater

599 Moo 2 Mittraphap Road
Tambon Sila Amphoe Muang
Khon Kaen 40000

 

Though the other obvious place is Khon Kaen University or 

PWA Regional Office 6 

Edited January 10, 2023 by sometimewoodworker

[Elkski]

Cool thread!  That pool will have plenty of shade and can be expanded.   Are there rules for fencing around pools in Thailand?   What pump  and solar panel sizing requirements did you use. Balso panel watts and description. 

[Encid]

1 hour ago, sometimewoodworker said:

I would try iwater

599 Moo 2 Mittraphap Road
Tambon Sila Amphoe Muang
Khon Kaen 40000

 

Thanks for that tip.

 

I found their web page and it certainly does look like they would be able to do the testing.

 

 

I will add a visit to them to the agenda for our next visit to the farm.

 

I'd be interested in what kind of filtration they would recommend one we get our analysis report back.

[Encid]

1 hour ago, Elkski said:

Are there rules for fencing around pools in Thailand? 

Currently no.

But if safety fences became compulsory for home pools in the future, it wouldn't be too difficult to add one with a child-proof gate.

 

Here is our pool at our current house in Najomtien... as you can see it's a great entertaining area.

 

 

[Encid]

1 hour ago, Elkski said:

What pump  and solar panel sizing requirements did you use. Balso panel watts and description. 

To be honest I don't know the wattage rating of the panels... it came as a set together with the pump and control cables.

I do know that the pump is rated at 750 watt, and it pumps water overland about 180 metres to our pond via a 65mm LDPE pipeline.

 

I will check the panels wattage next time I visit the farm.

[GarryP]

6 minutes ago, Encid said:

Currently no.

But if safety fences became compulsory for home pools in the future, it wouldn't be too difficult to add one with a child-proof gate.

 

Here is our pool at our current house in Najomtien... as you can see it's a great entertaining area.

 

 

Wish I had the money for something like that. But I'll make do with an inflatable paddling pool. 

[Encid]

I just received a LINE message from TestTech... our water analysis report is available.

I just paid via Internet banking (just over 6K baht) and received the report.

Here it is... 

 

 

 

It would appear from the date on the report and the dates on the signatures that the report has been sitting in TestTech's sausage machine for a while before finally grinding it out today... 

[Encid]

On 1/4/2023 at 6:05 PM, Encid said:

The work was completed in one day, but they are going to wait at least 1 week for the concrete to cure before attempting to re-hang the cables from the poles.

A week later and the workers returned to hang the cables.

 

One of the holes in one pole had become a home for some local wasps so they needed to be encouraged to leave before the cables could be attached.

I'm told that several people got stung!

 

 

It was a long day and as they had driven some 80km to our farm for the job they decided to finish it in the dark rather than come back the following day.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Anyway, power has been finally restored.

[farmerjo]

On 1/12/2023 at 4:55 PM, Encid said:

A week later and the workers returned to hang the cables.

 

One of the holes in one pole had become a home for some local wasps so they needed to be encouraged to leave before the cables could be attached.

I'm told that several people got stung!

 

 

It was a long day and as they had driven some 80km to our farm for the job they decided to finish it in the dark rather than come back the following day.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Anyway, power has been finally restored.

Not sure what the point is when you pay for 8 m poles and they put 1m down.

I would have been livid.

[unheard]

On 1/10/2023 at 9:11 AM, Encid said:

I just received a LINE message from TestTech... our water analysis report is available.

I just paid via Internet banking (just over 6K baht) and received the report.

Here it is... 

 

 

 

It would appear from the date on the report and the dates on the signatures that the report has been sitting in TestTech's sausage machine for a while before finally grinding it out today... 

Total hardness, Chloride, dissolved solids and Coliform bacteria readings are elevated.

But only Coliform bacteria contamination warns any concern.

High bacteria levels could be from cross-contamination during sample collection/handling on your part.

How deep is your well?

Was the bore sealed/capped?

How long has it been since its completion?

What was your sample collection technique?

 

Edited January 13, 2023 by unheard

[Encid]

20 hours ago, unheard said:

How deep is your well?

Was the bore sealed/capped?

How long has it been since its completion?

What was your sample collection technique?

If you go back to April 10 2022 in this topic you will see.

 

We found plenty of good clear water at only 27 metres depth, but we went down a few metres more just for good measure.

A 750 watt submersible pump was installed, along with PV solar panels, and a 180 metre long pipeline was run to the pond behind our building site.

The piping is 1 1/2" PVC at the pump, then 65mm LDPE overland in a trench.

Control cables were attached to the pipeline and a switch in a weatherproof housing installed on the power pole at the corner of the pond.

This enables us to turn on the solar powered pump at the pole instead of walking across to the panels/pump.

 

In mid-May 2022 there was a COVID-19 outbreak in the village and our in-laws decided to isolated themselves from the village and live on the farm, so we added a bypass line and a couple of isolation valves to the LDPE pipeline so we could divert the bore water to a new 2000L water storage tank, installed a water pump, and ran some basic PVC piping and valves so the family could use the water for bathing and cleaning. We also built a basic toilet. When the water tank was full, the overflow pipe directed the excess water to the pond until someone turned off the switch to stop the submersible pump and change the valves back to fill the pond.

 

So the bore has been complete and operational for 9 months now.

The sample collection technique was simply to run the submersible pump for as long as it took to fill the water tank, then wait about 5 minutes, then collect the samples from the overflow pipe.

The sample bottles were new, just-emptied 1.5L mineral water bottles bought from the local Lotus's - 3 in total.