Trial and error of building a cheap house in Isaan

[lost in isaan]

Greetings!

After receiving several excellent suggestions on a previous thread regarding carport(https://aseannow.com/topic/1289707-building-a-carport/), I have decided to share updates on my current building process here. I would greatly appreciate any additional insights or advice that the community may have to offer, and I hope that this information will prove useful to others in the future.

 

I've been lurking the forums many months, without posting and many of the posts have contributed some of the ideas, so thank you for that! To give you a better understanding of my goals and intentions, let me share a bit about myself. I am in my early thirties and was fortunate enough to retire thanks to some lucky choices I made earlier in my life. Seeking to escape the cold and dark winters of Finland, I moved to Bangkok on an elite visa where I eventually met my wife. After some time, we decided to relocate to her hometown of Yasothon, as neither of us was fond of the polluted and hectic environment of Bangkok. Unfortunately, there are few rental options available in our remote location, and the house we are currently living in, despite adding running water and AC, is of very low quality. While I have grown quite fond of living here, I am still uncertain if I want to settle here for the long term, which is why I am hesitant to build a proper Western-style house. Instead, I have decided to start by building a smaller house to gain firsthand experience with the building process and learn from any mistakes that may arise.

 

In addition to the aforementioned issues, living here has its own set of challenges. For instance, the water supply from the main line is only available for a few hours in the morning and evening. Unfortunately, this limited supply is not enough to fill our water tank, especially during the dry season when it may not run at all for many days. Furthermore, even the water from the well may dry up during these periods. Another problem we face is power outages during storms, which can last for hours, if not days.

To mitigate these challenges, I have decided to implement a two-pronged approach. Firstly, I will rely on a combination of well water and rainwater collection, rather than the main water supply. Additionally, I plan to install a 10 kW solar system with a 20-30 kW battery backup, which will ensure a reliable source of electricity even during extended power outages. 

 

I also plan to to construct a 17x5m "carport" adjacent to my house to house the solar panels. To ensure an efficient use of space, I plan to collect rainwater from both the house and carport using a rain gutter system, which will then be stored in five 2000-liter tanks situated beneath the roof. Both the well water and rainwater will be filtered to ensure their purity. I'm still open to ideas and nothing is set in concrete.

 

Our house has been built by a small building company that also specializes in construction projects within the Isaan region. The blueprint for our house is as follows:

Although the cost was relatively low, I understand that you often get what you pay for, and I am fully prepared for any drawbacks. We did make some modifications, such as increasing the size of the bathrooms, which brought the total cost of the house to 750k. We plan to further enhance the default material choices, which will likely raise the price to around 850k. While the building company has demonstrated their knowledge and helpfulness, there was one instance where they insisted that insulation was unnecessary in an Isaan house due to wind. Nevertheless, overall, I am content with the decision to work with this company thus far.

 

Step 1: We raised the ground around 30-40 cm and waited few months it to settle while watering it almost daily.

A 33-meter hole was drilled on the corner of the elevated land. The driller discovered multiple waterlines in the area, but fortunately none of them were located directly under the house. Water was already found at a depth of 10 meters. I installed the hitachi pump that pumps the water from ~27m. As you can see i also installed the consumer unit and water tank for the builders to use.

 

 

Step2: Building the foundation.

The builders manually excavated 15 holes, each with a depth of 1.4 meters, for the foundation.

Not sure why they installed panels and didn't just fill the holes with concrete? To save money?

 

Septic tank. I'll make sure the waste water will be atleast 30m from water pump.

The 2 bathrooms look still bit too small? Oh well.

Pouring the concrete. I was sad to see that they did not use concrete vibrator.

Not looking too good, but they said this will be fixed later on

I asked them to fix this right away as this hole is under the supporting pole

This is the latest picture. Couple of the poles went a bit over the foundation. They said it will be fixed, but I did not understand how due the communication barrier.

 

I'll keep posting the updates. Feel free to give me tips as i have no prior experience with building a house.

Thank you for reading ????

 

 

 

[JeffersLos]

Thanks.

 

None of the photos are showing.

 

Just large white squares with a circle and dash through it. 

[lost in isaan]

58 minutes ago, JeffersLos said:

Thanks.

 

None of the photos are showing.

 

Just large white squares with a circle and dash through it. 

Thank you for bringing this to my attention.
New try:

 

 

[Stevemercer]

Yes, looks like a typical Isan build, at the lower cost end. Everyone has been through the same communication problems and frustrations.

 

You are probaby taking a good approach to see how it goes before deciding whether to go ahead with your 'dream home' in the future. You will have plenty of time to contemplate life and your relationships, in general, and whether you want to stay and Yasothon. Plus, if you end up moving on, you will leave your girlfriend and her family with a house.

 

The big downside is that few of us want to go through the frustrations of building a house twice in Thailand. Once is enough! But maybe you are young enough to do it all again.

[Lacessit]

I would suggest 10,000 litres of water storage is inadequate, IME 20,000 litres is a bare minimum. Many Thais shower twice a day.

My son in Australia installed a 70,000 litre tank, he has never run out of water in 15 years.

[lost in isaan]

1 hour ago, Lacessit said:

I would suggest 10,000 litres of water storage is inadequate, IME 20,000 litres is a bare minimum. Many Thais shower twice a day.

My son in Australia installed a 70,000 litre tank, he has never run out of water in 15 years.

Thanks for the suggestion. My current plan is to start with 10,000 litres and leave expansion room for more tanks. I 'll first asses if i can fill up all the tanks with rainwater ????

At my current house we are using around 4000 litres per month.

Edited March 20, 2023 by lost in isaan

[patman30]

where will your solar inverter and batteries be stored?
ideally they need their own room that should be cool
i have a small room for mine with small aircon going constant

definitely something to consider is aircons if you plan to buy
be sure to check the seer number for efficiency
the more efficient models cost quite a bit more, but obviously if power is a concern they may be worth the extra

for 10KW solar, i would definitely recommend 30KW storage over 20kw
i have 15kw system (3x5k) with 45kw (3x15kw) storage
if i was to build again i would install 20kw batteries instead of 15KW
on good days the batts are charged very quick
but also the bigger the batt (the less they discharge), the longer they will last (for the same load)

i imported mine from felicity, all very easy and delivered to my door
cost was just under $2000 for 15kw battery
including shipping, import etc.

[lost in isaan]

19 minutes ago, patman30 said:

where will your solar inverter and batteries be stored?
ideally they need their own room that should be cool
i have a small room for mine with small aircon going constant

definitely something to consider is aircons if you plan to buy
be sure to check the seer number for efficiency
the more efficient models cost quite a bit more, but obviously if power is a concern they may be worth the extra

for 10KW solar, i would definitely recommend 30KW storage over 20kw
i have 15kw system (3x5k) with 45kw (3x15kw) storage
if i was to build again i would install 20kw batteries instead of 15KW
on good days the batts are charged very quick
but also the bigger the batt (the less they discharge), the longer they will last (for the same load)

i imported mine from felicity, all very easy and delivered to my door
cost was just under $2000 for 15kw battery
including shipping, import etc.

Many good points, thank you.

My plan is to build a small 2x4m "hut" where i store my well pump, rainwater tank pump, filter system, solar system and consumer unit for the house.

Does the room really need AC? From what I've read so far it should be enough if i keep that hut ventilated, everything should function normally. Even in 40 degrees celcius.

Thanks for the battery tip. So far I've been considering buying it from lazada https://s.lazada.co.th/s.8ZwUL or just build it by myself, as I enjoy the process of DIY and learning how things work.

I recently added solar water pump with water tank for my in-laws for practice purpose:

Also ordered some lifepo4 batteries with BMS to build a new 24v battery for the pump.

[lost in isaan]

Does anyone know the correct method for aligning a foundation and pillar that are not level? It appears the foundation was not laid straight, while the pillars were measured accurately using a laser, resulting in the pillar being a few centimeters over the foundation ????

[Darksidedude]

What i learnt with anything to do with building/renovating was to source the materials yourself, these thai builders will get the cheapest stuff going, the guttering around my house didnt last one year

 

by the way i would never consider building a house in thailand

[Lacessit]

2 hours ago, lost in isaan said:

Thanks for the suggestion. My current plan is to start with 10,000 litres and leave expansion room for more tanks. I 'll first asses if i can fill up all the tanks with rainwater ????

At my current house we are using around 4000 litres per month.

IIRC there is a formula put out by the CSIRO ( Australia ) which calculates the optimum tank storage capacity for a specified roof area, based on average annual rainfall.

[sometimewoodworker]

My experience with a water supply is to have 7,500 litres backup with a 1,000 litre ready use tank in the roof. This allows for a backup in case of a water supply cut and for showers and washing water when there is a power cut. 
 

The backup water storage auto-fills from the village supply and will refill the ready use tank whenever there is power.

[unheard]

2 hours ago, lost in isaan said:

Does anyone know the correct method for aligning a foundation and pillar that are not level? It appears the foundation was not laid straight, while the pillars were measured accurately using a laser, resulting in the pillar being a few centimeters over the foundation ????

That's a typical Thai way.

They often do that even on high end builds.

While not done to perfection, there's nothing of a concern regarding structural rigidity.

[unheard]

@lost in isaan

"Not sure why they installed panels and didn't just fill the holes with concrete? To save money?"

 

I don't understand what you meant by that.

 

"Both the well water and rainwater will be filtered to ensure their purity. I'm still open to ideas and nothing is set in concrete."

 

To what standard do you want to purify your water?

Do you plan to drink it?

The first thing to do is  to test your well water in a lab.

If it's of a good quality then you could safely use cheaper filters to bring it up to a drinking purity standard.

You could also use a more expensive Reverse Osmosis system that would almost always guarantee your drinking water safety unless your water is super bad.

 

IMO, rain water is almost always inferior to a deep bore well water due to prevalent atmospheric/collecting surface bacteria contaminants, seasonal availability and problems related to storing it without making it even more contaminated with pathogens.

On the other hand, deep well water is available on demand, sourced from the virtually bacteria-free environment and doesn't need to be stored.

 

"A 33-meter hole was drilled on the corner of the elevated land. The driller discovered multiple waterlines in the area, but fortunately none of them were located directly under the house. Water was already found at a depth of 10 meters. I installed the hitachi pump that pumps the water from ~27m. As you can see i also installed the consumer unit and water tank for the builders to use."

 

Not sure if 33m is deep enough to obtain bacteria/contaminant free water which is also free of surface contamination.

But it all depends on your local geology.

Make sure that the well bore is properly sealed.

Also make sure to test your well water before making any assumptions about its quality:

https://www.testtech.co.th/th

Edited March 21, 2023 by unheard

[lost in isaan]

14 minutes ago, unheard said:

@lost in isaan

"Not sure why they installed panels and didn't just fill the holes with concrete? To save money?"

 

I don't understand what you meant by that.

 

"Both the well water and rainwater will be filtered to ensure their purity. I'm still open to ideas and nothing is set in concrete."

 

To what standard do you want to purify your water?

Do you plan to drink it?

The first thing to do is  to test your well water in a lab.

If it's of good a quality then you could safely use cheaper filters to bring it up to a drinking purity standard.

You could also use a more expensive Reverse Osmosis system that would almost always guarantee your drinking water safety unless it's super bad.

 

IMO,rain water is almost always inferior to a deep bore well water due to atmospheric/collecting surface bacteria contamination, seasonal availability and problems related to storing it without making it even more contaminated with pathogens.

On the other hand, deep well water is available on demand, sourced from the virtually bacteria-free environment and doesn't need to be stored.

 

"A 33-meter hole was drilled on the corner of the elevated land. The driller discovered multiple waterlines in the area, but fortunately none of them were located directly under the house. Water was already found at a depth of 10 meters. I installed the hitachi pump that pumps the water from ~27m. As you can see i also installed the consumer unit and water tank for the builders to use."

 

Not sure if 33m is deep enough to obtain bacteria/contaminant free water which is also free of surface contaminanation.

But it all depends on your local geology.

Make sure that the well bore is properly sealed.

Also make sure to test your well water before making any assumptions about its quality:

https://www.testtech.co.th/th

Thank you, i was actually trying to find a lab to test the water, so that link is really helpful.

I dont plan to drink the water, so the initial plan is to use cheap filters like this https://s.lazada.co.th/s.80c65 + a UV filter. I might change to proper filters later on, if there's a need for that.

 

[unheard]

11 minutes ago, lost in isaan said:

Thank you, i was actually trying to find a lab to test the water, so that link is really helpful.

I dont plan to drink the water, so the initial plan is to use cheap filters like this https://s.lazada.co.th/s.80c65 + a UV filter. I might change to proper filters later on, if there's a need for that.

Your well water might turn out to be safe to drink.

And might even be a safer option over your local drinking water purifying plant with unknown levels of quality consistency (in water purification and bottle disinfection).

Edited March 21, 2023 by unheard

[sometimewoodworker]

1 hour ago, lost in isaan said:

Thank you, i was actually trying to find a lab to test the water,

The MWA and universities can do water tests as can other private companies 

[Jumbo1968]

Would it not have been cheaper to instal a back up generator instead of solar panels, you don’t how long the power will be for and with a decent size generator it should be sufficient to power everything indefinitely ?

[lost in isaan]

28 minutes ago, Jumbo1968 said:

Would it not have been cheaper to instal a back up generator instead of solar panels, you don’t how long the power will be for and with a decent size generator it should be sufficient to power everything indefinitely ?

Yeah, that is a cheaper option and solar with battery will take very long time to pay itself back. However, I would like to be self-sufficient and not care what PEA does, especially if there's a solar flare or smt that will break the grid for more than few days.

[Lacessit]

Unheard said: "IMO,rain water is almost always inferior to a deep bore well water due to atmospheric/collecting surface bacteria contamination, seasonal availability and problems related to storing it without making it even more contaminated with pathogens.

On the other hand, deep well water is available on demand, sourced from the virtually bacteria-free environment and doesn't need to be stored."

 

Disagree 100%. Pathogens are far more likely to be present in well water due to fecal contamination, and the presence of nutrients such as phosphorus, organics, and nitrates. Rain water does not contain these nutrients, hence bacteria are unable to multiply in their absence.

 

I lived on rain water tanks for nearly 20 years without any problem, drank the water straight out of the tap. So has my son in his home.

 

I would suggest the OP has his well water tested for Total Coliform and Fecal Coliform, the usual indicators of bacterial and possibly viral contamination.

Edited March 21, 2023 by Lacessit

[unheard]

1 hour ago, Lacessit said:

Disagree 100%. Pathogens are far more likely to be present in well water due to fecal contamination, and the presence of nutrients such as phosphorus, organics, and nitrates. Rain water does not contain these nutrients, hence bacteria are unable to multiply in their absence.

"While useful for many things, rainwater is not as pure as you might think, so you cannot assume it is safe to drink.

Rain can wash different types of contaminants into the water you collect (for example, bird poop on your roof could end up in your water barrel or tank). Rainwater can carry bacteria, parasites, viruses, and chemicals that could make you sick, and it has been linked to disease outbreaks."

 

https://www.cdc.gov/healthywater/drinking/private/rainwater-collection.html

 

Regarding well water.

In my prior post I've specifically mentioned the importance of well's depth.

Local geology also plays a huge role.

Shallow wells are likely to be contaminated by surface water and all contaminants that you've listed above.

Deep aquifers are far less likely to contain bacteria, nitrates and pesticides compared to rain water collected from roofs or gutters or well water pumped out shallow aquifers.

It takes many years or even centuries for surface water to filter through multiple geological layers.

 

 

 

Edited March 21, 2023 by unheard

[MikeN]

15 hours ago, lost in isaan said:

Thanks for the suggestion. My current plan is to start with 10,000 litres and leave expansion room for more tanks. I 'll first asses if i can fill up all the tanks with rainwater ????

At my current house we are using around 4000 litres per month.

I was going to suggest the same thing, as for the 3 months in the middle of rainy season you could get at least 50,000 litres of runoff each month from roof and carport. When it rains, it RAINS.

[Lacessit]

8 hours ago, unheard said:

"While useful for many things, rainwater is not as pure as you might think, so you cannot assume it is safe to drink.

Rain can wash different types of contaminants into the water you collect (for example, bird poop on your roof could end up in your water barrel or tank). Rainwater can carry bacteria, parasites, viruses, and chemicals that could make you sick, and it has been linked to disease outbreaks."

 

https://www.cdc.gov/healthywater/drinking/private/rainwater-collection.html

 

Regarding well water.

In my prior post I've specifically mentioned the importance of well's depth.

Local geology also plays a huge role.

Shallow wells are likely to be contaminated by surface water and all contaminants that you've listed above.

Deep aquifers are far less likely to contain bacteria, nitrates and pesticides compared to rain water collected from roofs or gutters or well water pumped out shallow aquifers.

It takes many years or even centuries for surface water to filter through multiple geological layers.

 

 

 

Your post contains several faulty assumptions.

 

Birds do not normally perch on roofs, they prefer trees and shade. Compared to the volume of water stored, any bird poop present is infinitesimal. With no nutrients to grow in, bacteria die.

 

Outside Thai cities, it is almost unknown for rural villages to have centralized sewage treatment plants. All the households I have seen have individual septic tanks, the overflow is frequently used for breeding frogs as a source of protein. It's a rich field for groundwater contamination.

 

While your point regarding deep aquifers may be valid for bacteria, permit me to doubt deep drilling is standard practice in Thailand. It also ignores the potential presence of toxicants such as nitrates and heavy metals, none of which exist in rainwater.

 

As I said before, I lived on rainwater without a problem for 20 years. I don't think my immune system is bulletproof against infection.

 

 

[kwonitoy]

On 3/20/2023 at 5:42 PM, lost in isaan said:

Thanks for the suggestion. My current plan is to start with 10,000 litres and leave expansion room for more tanks. I 'll first asses if i can fill up all the tanks with rainwater ????

At my current house we are using around 4000 litres per month.

I had 25,000 liters of storage next to my house in Issan, I thought it might take weeks or even months to fill.

One good downpour of about 6 hours filled everything to the brim.

I did have eves troughs funneling all the water from the entire roof into the storage though

[unheard]

5 hours ago, Lacessit said:

Your post contains several faulty assumptions.

 

Birds do not normally perch on roofs, they prefer trees and shade. Compared to the volume of water stored, any bird poop present is infinitesimal. With no nutrients to grow in, bacteria die.

 

Outside Thai cities, it is almost unknown for rural villages to have centralized sewage treatment plants. All the households I have seen have individual septic tanks, the overflow is frequently used for breeding frogs as a source of protein. It's a rich field for groundwater contamination.

 

While your point regarding deep aquifers may be valid for bacteria, permit me to doubt deep drilling is standard practice in Thailand. It also ignores the potential presence of toxicants such as nitrates and heavy metals, none of which exist in rainwater.

 

As I said before, I lived on rainwater without a problem for 20 years. I don't think my immune system is bulletproof against infection.

I don't know if you have noticed but my "faulty assumptions" are directly quoted from a governmental website.

 

As I have said, it can takes centuries for surface water to get filtered through multiple geological layers as is the case with deep aquifers.

In addition, as I've already mentioned, it's highly recommended to test water to rule out potential contamination.

There should be no guessing involved.

 

Every well is different and produces varies output and quality of water.

Deep bore well drilling (50m and deeper) is relatively cheap and common in many areas of Thailand, but not in all.

But again, why to generalize?

Many areas have soft, rock free soils where even the simplest of a rig is capable of quickly getting past the 50m mark.

Yet there are many other areas in mostly mountainous regions where only much more specialized and very expensive rigs, equipped with very powerful air compressors and repercussion type of drill bits that make it possible to hammer through rocky geology.

[Will B Good]

On 3/21/2023 at 1:02 AM, lost in isaan said:

while the pillars were measured accurately using a laser,

WT....? Someone has a laser in Isaan.....no way.

 

Just finished 'our' house in Isaan........pretty sure there isn't anything that is true, vertical in any plane, or parallel.

 

'our'.....I might be in a unique situation in that it is my Thai wife who bought the land and paid for house to be built.....anyone else?

[unheard]

1 hour ago, Will B Good said:

WT....? Someone has a laser in Isaan.....no way.

But in all seriousness..

it's not the lack of tools, it's a lack of skill in their proper use.

[Lacessit]

4 hours ago, unheard said:

I don't know if you have noticed but my "faulty assumptions" are directly quoted from a governmental website.

 

As I have said, it can takes centuries for surface water to get filtered through multiple geological layers as is the case with deep aquifers.

In addition, as I've already mentioned, it's highly recommended to test water to rule out potential contamination.

There should be no guessing involved.

 

Every well is different and produces varies output and quality of water.

Deep bore well drilling (50m and deeper) is relatively cheap and common in many areas of Thailand, but not in all.

But again, why to generalize?

Many areas have soft, rock free soils where even the simplest of a rig is capable of quickly getting past the 50m mark.

Yet there are many other areas in mostly mountainous regions where only much more specialized and very expensive rigs, equipped with very powerful air compressors and repercussion type of drill bits that make it possible to hammer through rocky geology.

LOL, you trust everything a government website says? Bureaucrats rarely get out of their air-conditioned offices to obtain field experience, or to test their pre-conceived notions against reality.

I don't disagree testing of groundwater from any depth should be done, although IMO I was more specific about what tests are required. That's because I have experience in water pollution chemistry, permit me to doubt you do.

I'd like to know why anyone would drill for groundwater through igneous rock, IME percussion and diamond drilling are employed to evaluate orebodies.

[Encid]

4 hours ago, Will B Good said:

WT....? Someone has a laser in Isaan.....no way.

 

Just finished 'our' house in Isaan........pretty sure there isn't anything that is true, vertical in any plane, or parallel.

 

'our'.....I might be in a unique situation in that it is my Thai wife who bought the land and paid for house to be built.....anyone else?

I bought a cheap laser level on Lazada... used it instead of a dumpy level to determine elevational differences between the road, the rice farm bund walls, our perimeter wall, and our finished land level.

 

I showed it to our builder and told him that I'd be checking his work... he just laughed! 

[unheard]

3 hours ago, Lacessit said:

I'd like to know why anyone would drill for groundwater through igneous rock

Why?

What are you suggesting?

Edited March 22, 2023 by unheard