Tropical Home Design

[Naam]

The most difficult thing I found was getting anough electric sockets fitted.

If you do not stand over them personally and mark the sockets on the wall you will end up with one in each room.

Thais don`t understand our needs for all these electrical appliances.

the subcontractor needs a plan to work with. i was fortunate with the chap who did my electrical installation.

[chownah]

If you have any stairs then it is best to tell the contractor very clearly that you do infact want all of the steps including the first and last one and all the ones in the middle to be the same height.....many times plans show a layout of equal height risers and you end up with some not being the same as the others.....unless this is what you want.......and in terms of the outsides stairs (if any) be sure that the last step is the correct elevation relative to the walkway they connect with and since the walkway they connect with might get built until after the stairs are complete this is a common place for a Thai to just make them fit with the existing grade which might not be at the right elevation....also check the plans to make sure that outside stairs are infact designed to match your landscape elevations.....sometimes building designers don't do the landscape and they don't really know exactly what grade a flight of stairs will descend to and they just guess....which is often not really good enough.

[chownah]

Also, if you think that all of the nails used on the exterior will be galvanized then you had better be sure that it is called out on the plans....AND....you had better monitor the workers everytime that they do exterior work because most workers realise that it doesn't really matter if you use galvanized nails or not.

[kamalabob2]

Autoclaved aerated Concrete Blocks are made and sold by at least four reputable companies in Thailand. I priced them all, met the area representatives for two of the manufactures and due to the TOTAL cost (including delivery to the building site in Buriram Province, storage off site prior to each truck load, special mortar and rendering cement) I selected and am very happy with CPAC blocks purchased at a good discount from the Buriram Home Mart Max. Both Smart Block and CPAC were willing to send "trainers" to our job site and in fact Siam Cement had two knowledgeable and personable men do a 90 minute presentation with a DVD and booklets in Thai for all the workers at our job site.

Prior to this training I was told that three of our crew had previous experience with Q-CON block construction, yet they never had been informed about soaking the walls the day before AND morning of any rendering to make the finished walls smooth. There were no special tools required, but just as promised the saws needed to be sharped quite often. Having Autoclaved Aerated blocks has made the air conditioning "pipes", electric conduit and other conduit easy to "bury" in the walls.

I chose to go with 12.5 cm thick exterior walls and 7.5 cm interior walls. I was a bit "disturbed" when I noticed a few "cracked" or "broken" blocks on the carefully unload pallets of blocks. However reality set in when I realized they had to "cut" many blocks to fit each wall section. The point is do not be concerned with some blocks from any company being broken on the truck from Saraburi, your building staff can use those pieces.

I second many of the comments and tips made by Pro Thai Expert, Crossy, Jai Dee, Jayenram, and Sir Burr certainly has an attractive home. I have been very fortunate with the Thai architect and builder we selected after interviewing several in Buriram and Korat. While I live "Up Country" they can build a comfortable and energy efficient home with quality materials, good construction planning, custom home plan and finished with good workmanship at a budget that is far less than a "housing development" price. We have the PVC termite system installed by a four man crew from Bangkok for less money than one termite "walk through (not tenting) treatment" to a two car garage (not house) in California.

We decided out best value in insulation would be to install 200 rolls of CPAC Ultra Kool 3' insulation enclosed in reflective foil under the flat cement roof tiles. They fit snug between the galvanized steel battens and seemed safer to install than just thin reflective foil under the tiles. My builder specified in our fixed price contract on DRY TECH system from CPAC to install under each ridge tile. In my opinion this was a better move than cement on top of the roof to hold the sides of the ridge tiles in place.

Quality windows of good grade aluminum or well built PVC are available in Thailand in several price ranges. The price quotes we received from six different firms were all over the map, but I traveled to near Bangkok to see the actual window and screen systems from several bidders before I signed a work order. Quality pipes such as Syler Pre-Lined Steel Pipe are readily available in Thailand and the "trainer" will come at no charge to your building site to instruct your staff on proper cutting and installation.

I have twice observed "seminars" by building materials factory representatives held for builders and staff of building firms at Home Mart and perhaps other stores offer this service. I did not have to "twist arms" to get training at our building site.

Just because a builder or his crew have NOT used a building material you and your architect think is the best solution for your home do not blow it off. Very likely you can have "trainers" come to your building site to instruct your staff. Even in a small Issan town where only one store sells fresh milk you can build a home at a modest cost with good materials purchased for LESS than the posted price in a hardware store. You can get an "expert" on the telephone from Bangkok for most any building materials manufacturer who will speak great English to answer your questions and suggest a way to train your building staff.

[Naam]

If you have any stairs then it is best to tell the contractor very clearly that you do infact want all of the steps including the first and last one and all the ones in the middle to be the same height....

and if you have (like me) just a few elevated rooms with TWO steps do NOT bet the ranch that these two steps will be the same height even if they are done over and over again. sooner or later you reach a point when you give up and praise Buddha that you are a free man because you managed NOT to bash in some skulls with an iron bar.

[technocracy]

Make sure it's raised and your land is raised sufficiently for any alterations to the road by the land.

Do something different with a design .. ..

Air circulation and insulation in the roof space - very important.

[archthai]

Autoclaved aerated Concrete Blocks are made and sold by at least four reputable companies in Thailand. I priced them all, met the area representatives for two of the manufactures and due to the TOTAL cost (including delivery to the building site in Buriram Province, storage off site prior to each truck load, special mortar and rendering cement) I selected and am very happy with CPAC blocks purchased at a good discount from the Buriram Home Mart Max. Both Smart Block and CPAC were willing to send "trainers" to our job site and in fact Siam Cement had two knowledgeable and personable men do a 90 minute presentation with a DVD and booklets in Thai for all the workers at our job site.

Prior to this training I was told that three of our crew had previous experience with Q-CON block construction, yet they never had been informed about soaking the walls the day before AND morning of any rendering to make the finished walls smooth. There were no special tools required, but just as promised the saws needed to be sharped quite often. Having Autoclaved Aerated blocks has made the air conditioning "pipes", electric conduit and other conduit easy to "bury" in the walls.

I chose to go with 12.5 cm thick exterior walls and 7.5 cm interior walls. I was a bit "disturbed" when I noticed a few "cracked" or "broken" blocks on the carefully unload pallets of blocks. However reality set in when I realized they had to "cut" many blocks to fit each wall section. The point is do not be concerned with some blocks from any company being broken on the truck from Saraburi, your building staff can use those pieces.

I second many of the comments and tips made by Pro Thai Expert, Crossy, Jai Dee, Jayenram, and Sir Burr certainly has an attractive home. I have been very fortunate with the Thai architect and builder we selected after interviewing several in Buriram and Korat. While I live "Up Country" they can build a comfortable and energy efficient home with quality materials, good construction planning, custom home plan and finished with good workmanship at a budget that is far less than a "housing development" price. We have the PVC termite system installed by a four man crew from Bangkok for less money than one termite "walk through (not tenting) treatment" to a two car garage (not house) in California.

We decided out best value in insulation would be to install 200 rolls of CPAC Ultra Kool 3' insulation enclosed in reflective foil under the flat cement roof tiles. They fit snug between the galvanized steel battens and seemed safer to install than just thin reflective foil under the tiles. My builder specified in our fixed price contract on DRY TECH system from CPAC to install under each ridge tile. In my opinion this was a better move than cement on top of the roof to hold the sides of the ridge tiles in place.

Quality windows of good grade aluminum or well built PVC are available in Thailand in several price ranges. The price quotes we received from six different firms were all over the map, but I traveled to near Bangkok to see the actual window and screen systems from several bidders before I signed a work order. Quality pipes such as Syler Pre-Lined Steel Pipe are readily available in Thailand and the "trainer" will come at no charge to your building site to instruct your staff on proper cutting and installation.

I have twice observed "seminars" by building materials factory representatives held for builders and staff of building firms at Home Mart and perhaps other stores offer this service. I did not have to "twist arms" to get training at our building site.

Just because a builder or his crew have NOT used a building material you and your architect think is the best solution for your home do not blow it off. Very likely you can have "trainers" come to your building site to instruct your staff. Even in a small Issan town where only one store sells fresh milk you can build a home at a modest cost with good materials purchased for LESS than the posted price in a hardware store. You can get an "expert" on the telephone from Bangkok for most any building materials manufacturer who will speak great English to answer your questions and suggest a way to train your building staff.

Who was your Thai Architect?

[archthai]

i've designed a house to build on a hill overlooking Phang Nga Bay. What I've come up with is a one story design of about 300 sq. meters, with deck, sala, pool, garage adding another 300 sq. meters or so. The main view to the sea is in a southeasterly direction, so the main rooms are oriented that way with a lot of glass.

I'm pretty happy with the overall design, but before moving from design and engineering to the cement pouring stage, I thought it'd be a good idea to tap the experience and wisdom of this group regarding how this tropical climate should influence the design of a house. What do you regard as the most important elements in building a comfortable house here? For example, where I come from orienting a house to take advantage of the southerly light results in a cheerful house. What about here?

Who is a really good Thai Architect in the Khorat area who can deal with expat's?

[jayenram]

Has anyone mentioned the height of electrical outlets?....40 cm?...120c?

Ask the wife about this...might be another compromise.

In all rooms except the kitchen, I had my sockets installed 25 mm above the 150 mm tiled upstand (i.e. 175 mm from the floor). In the kitchen the sockets are installed 350 mm above the work surfaces except for the outlets for the fridge and washing machine which are 175 mm from the floor.

This arrangement suits me.

[Iolare]

Also, before concreting the outside paving next to the house, give consideration to the drains from your air-conditioners (bedrooms etc). It would be better to pre-install PVC drains under the paving to take the compressor condensate water away from the house where you could end up with damp walls.

tss... tss.. tss.. Jai Dee; you suggest an absolute NO-NO. the ends of condens water drain should always be freely accessible for two reasons:

-free flow of condensate

-for maintenance if blocked.

Dr. Naam, Perhaps both your cautions and Jai Dee recommendations can both satisfied by installling floor drains in the concrete that terminate in a dry well or garden area. The water heater pressure relief valve drain and the A/c condensate line could teminate about 15 cm. above the drain grate. That would tend to prevent the moisture problems and the associated mold and moss that you sometimes see, particularlly the drains are in a shady area.

[Iolare]

The most difficult thing I found was getting anough electric sockets fitted.

If you do not stand over them personally and mark the sockets on the wall you will end up with one in each room.

Thais don`t understand our needs for all these electrical appliances.

the subcontractor needs a plan to work with. i was fortunate with the chap who did my electrical installation.

Dr. Naam,

Looks like you’ve built a very nice house. I like how it wraps around the pool. My design is similar in that from the front entry one can see the pool and the view beyond. It was fun to see a couple of 110V outlets in your plan. I’ll be doing that too, as I brought a container of stuff from the USA much of which needs it.

As for the electrical system, I’ll make sure it’s properly grounded, of course, and I’ll install ground fault outlets where appropriate. We’ll have lots of outlets(partly due to the inconvenience of adding them later with masonry construction), and place the switches at a good compromise height.

I think I’ll end up with a consultant for the lighting, because I know from past work that thoughtful, carefully planned lighting really makes a difference. Just for example, my brother-in-law (who I hope remains anonomous), has a very big, very expensive house in Bangkok that I absolutely cannot sit comfortably in for any length of time in the evening. That’s because it’s lighted with cold fluorescent lights in ceiling cans and in concealed in stepped ceilings. They’re too high, too cold, too bright, and too uniform and hospital like. There are no inviting pools of light, no shadows, and no drama. All that fancy marble and carved wood is lost on me due to the lighting. The rest of the family seems to watch TV and carry on a merry conversation there no problem, so maybe it’s just me.

I’m also thinking about a backup generator since we’ve had 5 or 6 outages since we moved here the first of the year. And a way to get into the property when it’s raining and the power outage has the electric gate stuck in the closed position.

[Iolare]

If you have any stairs then it is best to tell the contractor very clearly that you do infact want all of the steps including the first and last one and all the ones in the middle to be the same height....

and if you have (like me) just a few elevated rooms with TWO steps do NOT bet the ranch that these two steps will be the same height even if they are done over and over again. sooner or later you reach a point when you give up and praise Buddha that you are a free man because you managed NOT to bash in some skulls with an iron bar.

Dr Naam and Chowhan,

I’m totally with you both regarding stairs. I thought that was Construction 101, but apparently raise and run uniformity is a novel concept here. The house I’m staying in has an outrageous mismatch on the three main entry steps that would inevitably result in a lawsuit back home. Leaving the house from the service entrance to the car park one encounters an overly long rise to a little platform that is narrower than the door, then two more steps. Anyone unfamiliar with this and particularly after a couple of beers would have about a 50/50 chance of going head over tea kettle. This in a house that was a multi-home development in a gated community. I see this all over Phuket, and that’s almost a fighting offense to me too, so I’ll be on the job site with my tape measure.

[Iolare]

Autoclaved aerated Concrete Blocks are made and sold by at least four reputable companies in Thailand. I priced them all, met the area representatives for two of the manufactures and due to the TOTAL cost (including delivery to the building site in Buriram Province, storage off site prior to each truck load, special mortar and rendering cement) I selected and am very happy with CPAC blocks purchased at a good discount from the Buriram Home Mart Max. Both Smart Block and CPAC were willing to send "trainers" to our job site and in fact Siam Cement had two knowledgeable and personable men do a 90 minute presentation with a DVD and booklets in Thai for all the workers at our job site.

Prior to this training I was told that three of our crew had previous experience with Q-CON block construction, yet they never had been informed about soaking the walls the day before AND morning of any rendering to make the finished walls smooth. There were no special tools required, but just as promised the saws needed to be sharped quite often. Having Autoclaved Aerated blocks has made the air conditioning "pipes", electric conduit and other conduit easy to "bury" in the walls.

I chose to go with 12.5 cm thick exterior walls and 7.5 cm interior walls. I was a bit "disturbed" when I noticed a few "cracked" or "broken" blocks on the carefully unload pallets of blocks. However reality set in when I realized they had to "cut" many blocks to fit each wall section. The point is do not be concerned with some blocks from any company being broken on the truck from Saraburi, your building staff can use those pieces.

I second many of the comments and tips made by Pro Thai Expert, Crossy, Jai Dee, Jayenram, and Sir Burr certainly has an attractive home. I have been very fortunate with the Thai architect and builder we selected after interviewing several in Buriram and Korat. While I live "Up Country" they can build a comfortable and energy efficient home with quality materials, good construction planning, custom home plan and finished with good workmanship at a budget that is far less than a "housing development" price. We have the PVC termite system installed by a four man crew from Bangkok for less money than one termite "walk through (not tenting) treatment" to a two car garage (not house) in California.

We decided out best value in insulation would be to install 200 rolls of CPAC Ultra Kool 3' insulation enclosed in reflective foil under the flat cement roof tiles. They fit snug between the galvanized steel battens and seemed safer to install than just thin reflective foil under the tiles. My builder specified in our fixed price contract on DRY TECH system from CPAC to install under each ridge tile. In my opinion this was a better move than cement on top of the roof to hold the sides of the ridge tiles in place.

Quality windows of good grade aluminum or well built PVC are available in Thailand in several price ranges. The price quotes we received from six different firms were all over the map, but I traveled to near Bangkok to see the actual window and screen systems from several bidders before I signed a work order. Quality pipes such as Syler Pre-Lined Steel Pipe are readily available in Thailand and the "trainer" will come at no charge to your building site to instruct your staff on proper cutting and installation.

I have twice observed "seminars" by building materials factory representatives held for builders and staff of building firms at Home Mart and perhaps other stores offer this service. I did not have to "twist arms" to get training at our building site.

Just because a builder or his crew have NOT used a building material you and your architect think is the best solution for your home do not blow it off. Very likely you can have "trainers" come to your building site to instruct your staff. Even in a small Issan town where only one store sells fresh milk you can build a home at a modest cost with good materials purchased for LESS than the posted price in a hardware store. You can get an "expert" on the telephone from Bangkok for most any building materials manufacturer who will speak great English to answer your questions and suggest a way to train your building staff.

Kamalabob,

Now you and Vansana have me rethinking the wall system. As I mentioned in an earlier post, I considered the aerated concrete block system before and really do like it, but I was deterred by the people I’ve talked to about building the house for me. Your experience with the onsite instruction was good to read about. My house design has 20 x 20 cm posts, and I do want to conceal them within the walls, so i might need to go double wall even with the blocks you used. Maybe they come wider. I’ll give it an honest second look, because of all the benefits and due to your experience with it.

I enjoyed the pictures of your project, and it’s great to hear that you had a good outcome and brought the house in at a reasonable price point. Do you have any finished pictures you can post? By the way are from California by way of Kamala? My wife and I were recently in Buriram Province---nice country, but it was a little dry. Hope you got some rain, but not too much at once. Thanks for all the useful info. --Bill

[Iolare]

Make sure it's raised and your land is raised sufficiently for any alterations to the road by the land.

Do something different with a design .. ..

Air circulation and insulation in the roof space - very important.

Technocracy,

i’ve had a few people warn me about the govt. changing the road elevation; apparently that happens quite a bit here. In my case, the road is higher than my building site, as my land slopes from the road toward the ocean. I have the advantage of situating my house well in from the road, so I can direct rain runoff away from the house and down to the sea. I have already had some grading work done to accomplish this, and after the house is completed, a landscaping company will come in to complete that process.

I’m in complete agreement with you on doing something different with the design, and on the importance of insulation, but Vansana with her contribution of a link to an article titled Dumb Things to Do in the South, has me rethinking the importance of attic ventilation. My roof is mostly a hip design, but with a horizontal break in the roof plane just above the ceiling height. I like the appearance of the horizontal break, so I’m keeping that no matter what, but I was going to use it as a screened ventilation slot too, since it would be higher than the insulation that I was going to place above the ceilings. Insulation above the ceiling with good airflow in the attic always worked well for me in Minnesota and California. Here in this humid climate, thanks to Vansana, I’m thinking it may not be the best way to go. Perhaps insulating under the roof as Kamalabob (see his pictures) did might be better. Why don’t you check it out and let me know what you think?

Thanks for the input, and thanks for posting the pictures of your house. Just get that yard landscaped and it’ll look great. Oh, by the way, what kind of dirt did you use to elevate your lot? I ask because I had to raise up some of my land on the lower level of my property and they brought in clay just like they use back in CA to cap off land fills or toxic waste sites. I couldn’t believe it, but the contractor said that clay makes the best landfill. I’ve just had about 100 trucks of top soil delivered.

[technocracy]

Technocracy,

i’ve had a few people warn me about the govt. changing the road elevation; apparently that happens quite a bit here. In my case, the road is higher than my building site, as my land slopes from the road toward the ocean. I have the advantage of situating my house well in from the road, so I can direct rain runoff away from the house and down to the sea. I have already had some grading work done to accomplish this, and after the house is completed, a landscaping company will come in to complete that process.

I’m in complete agreement with you on doing something different with the design, and on the importance of insulation, but Vansana with her contribution of a link to an article titled Dumb Things to Do in the South, has me rethinking the importance of attic ventilation. My roof is mostly a hip design, but with a horizontal break in the roof plane just above the ceiling height. I like the appearance of the horizontal break, so I’m keeping that no matter what, but I was going to use it as a screened ventilation slot too, since it would be higher than the insulation that I was going to place above the ceilings. Insulation above the ceiling with good airflow in the attic always worked well for me in Minnesota and California. Here in this humid climate, thanks to Vansana, I’m thinking it may not be the best way to go. Perhaps insulating under the roof as Kamalabob (see his pictures) did might be better. Why don’t you check it out and let me know what you think?

Thanks for the input, and thanks for posting the pictures of your house. Just get that yard landscaped and it’ll look great. Oh, by the way, what kind of dirt did you use to elevate your lot? I ask because I had to raise up some of my land on the lower level of my property and they brought in clay just like they use back in CA to cap off land fills or toxic waste sites. I couldn’t believe it, but the contractor said that clay makes the best landfill. I’ve just had about 100 trucks of top soil delivered.

Well our land is on a relatived shallow slope - however as the land is 35m wide, I decided to wall off the land into a more useable 20 metre wide plot, even then the footing of the wall was over a metre lower on left side of the plot compare to the right.

We had 115 truck fulls, I think 90 of the red clay you describe and 25 of top soil the top soil - however this was laid around the house. The house was build directly on to the soil in place to provide the firmest footings possible - then built up so elevate 80cm above the level.

In terms of attic insulatation and ventilation we cover the roof in the CPAC reflective foil, laid glass fibre insulation (I forget what rating now) and for the main section added the wirly bird you can see in the photos. Also just to add the cherry on the cake air can flow via the ventilation in the eves. This combined with being north facing means regardless of the outside temperature the house is always a several degrees cooler.

Many people (my wife included!) were worrying about the upstairs being too hot because of the sloping roof inside and heat from the tiles. But with the insulation and ventilation used even when it was 38C outside you could easily sleep with just a fan on - this discovered due to the electricity supply to the house being provided small village transformer.

Which leads me on to another tip! Double check with the electric company on the power quality they can provide make sure you're not last in line from the local transformer. Sure they'll stick an 20/80amp single or three phase meter on but it doesn't mean you'll get it! We had this problem and we couldn't power up our relatively small 20k btu aircons! Now we have a 50Kv 3 phase transformer at the cost of 180k baht.

If you have a look on the link of the website of those pics there is a whole load more of the building of the house. Bear in mind the house is in Laos and was built by Viet builders not Thai and things aren't done quite the same.

As for the yard . . . that's another job on a seemingly endless list of work I need to complete around the place! But seriously we are letting it settle for about 10-12months before we start landscaping and building a garage since it is newly filled land.

[ProThaiExpat]

lolare: If you are going to have any plastering done, be sure and spec and ensure they use a fine grain of sand in their plaster mixture. My sub, to save a baht or two, used a course sand which gave me a much rougher texture which makes patching problematic to match. Very smooth is so much easier to patch.

[Naam]

Dr. Naam,

Looks like you’ve built a very nice house. I like how it wraps around the pool. My design is similar in that from the front entry one can see the pool and the view beyond.

i've built more or less the identical home my wife and me designed and built in Florida and lived there for 15 years. but since we hate sun (that's why we selected Thailand our pool was and is roofed. in Florida the open side was screened too.

It was fun to see a couple of 110V outlets in your plan. I’ll be doing that too, as I brought a container of stuff from the USA much of which needs it.

i made the provision but i hardly use the 110V outlets.

As for the electrical system, I’ll make sure it’s properly grounded, of course, and I’ll install ground fault outlets where appropriate. We’ll have lots of outlets (partly due to the inconvenience of adding them later with masonry construction), and place the switches at a good compromise height.

the latter is up to personal "taste".

I think I’ll end up with a consultant for the lighting, because I know from past work that thoughtful, carefully planned lighting really makes a difference.

please be rational. the "consultant" you are looking for does not exist in Thailand.

Just for example, my brother-in-law (who I hope remains anonomous), has a very big, very expensive house in Bangkok that I absolutely cannot sit comfortably in for any length of time in the evening. That’s because it’s lighted with cold fluorescent lights in ceiling cans and in concealed in stepped ceilings. They’re too high, too cold, too bright, and too uniform and hospital like. There are no inviting pools of light, no shadows, and no drama. All that fancy marble and carved wood is lost on me due to the lighting. The rest of the family seems to watch TV and carry on a merry conversation there no problem, so maybe it’s just me.

a big help is putting ALL you lighting on dimmers.

I’m also thinking about a backup generator since we’ve had 5 or 6 outages since we moved here the first of the year. And a way to get into the property when it’s raining and the power outage has the electric gate stuck in the closed position.

i was thinking of a generator too but we have less power outings in Pattaya in a year than we had in Florida in a month

addendum: judging from your postings you still seem to be a newbie to Thailand as far as construction and related problems are concerned. NO OFFENCE MEANT!. if you would like to receive some advice (based on experience) i am available by personal message and/or in this forum (as long as i am not banned).

best regards,

wally (the crazy german)

[Solosiam]

Dr. Naam,

Looks like you've built a very nice house. I like how it wraps around the pool. My design is similar in that from the front entry one can see the pool and the view beyond. It was fun to see a couple of 110V outlets in your plan. I'll be doing that too, as I brought a container of stuff from the USA much of which needs it.

As for the electrical system, I'll make sure it's properly grounded, of course, and I'll install ground fault outlets where appropriate. We'll have lots of outlets(partly due to the inconvenience of adding them later with masonry construction), and place the switches at a good compromise height.

I think I'll end up with a consultant for the lighting, because I know from past work that thoughtful, carefully planned lighting really makes a difference. Just for example, my brother-in-law (who I hope remains anonomous), has a very big, very expensive house in Bangkok that I absolutely cannot sit comfortably in for any length of time in the evening. That's because it's lighted with cold fluorescent lights in ceiling cans and in concealed in stepped ceilings. They're too high, too cold, too bright, and too uniform and hospital like. There are no inviting pools of light, no shadows, and no drama. All that fancy marble and carved wood is lost on me due to the lighting. The rest of the family seems to watch TV and carry on a merry conversation there no problem, so maybe it's just me.

I'm also thinking about a backup generator since we've had 5 or 6 outages since we moved here the first of the year. And a way to get into the property when it's raining and the power outage has the electric gate stuck in the closed position.

Lighting Consultants don't tend to use CFL's, but rather a mix of halogen lighting and dimming levels to set moods, plenty of very good smart home and lighting companies in Thailand, I know because I run one.

You can get anything you want here in Thailand, some of our work involving HD streaming and Media Centres is at least on par with what is available in US/Europe.

[Iolare]

Dr. Naam,

Thanks for the additional info and tips, and especially thanks for your kind offer of consultation should I need it. There’s nothing better than knowledge learned in the arena of real life experience with one’s own time and money. And while I have some of that, I’m the first to admit that like Dorothy in Oz, this isn’t Kansas. Everyone has a war story of a Farang builder who gets carried out on this shield after doing battle with the forces that be here in the LOS. On the other hand, there are obviously many who have gone into battle and came out with a pretty good house--I’ve been corresponding with some of them on this board.

I’m enjoying it so far, and this stick builder guy is looking forward to pouring cement. I’m treading water a little right now, since i’ve changed engineers, and I’m waiting on the soil test. But the design is pretty well set, and I’m now at the point of making decisions on who builds it.

if this was Kansas (or CA or MN), i’d be the builder, and I’m sorely tempted to do it here too, but I know the expression “the attorney that represents himself has a fool for a client,” and I’ve decided that applies to me at least for the first try out of the box here in Thailand. So now the question is who to hire.

The “Cadillac” approach that was suggested to me was to hire a construction consultant who then hires and supervises a farang builder, who has a Thai project manager who subcontracts out the various aspects of the job. Oh, I almost forgot that the consultant in turn hires a farang who is on site every day overseeing the work too, keeping track of everyone else. i suppose that would result in a satisfactory job, but I didn’t stick around long enough to get an estimate of what that approach would cost.

At the other end of the scale, maybe the “Yugo” end, was a farang who had overalls on and a bandana on his head and was running the cement mixer himself as he worked right along side 4 or 5 locals. That actually kind a appeals to me, but I’ve been warned that if turned in by a disgruntled subcontractor or neighbor, that would be a deportable offense. And I wouldn’t want to be leaving that way, so I’m looking for some middle ground between those extremes.

Seriously, where I’m at now is I’m working with the new engineer to put together a good BOQ, and I should have the final working drawing in hand within two weeks. I’ve got a couple of builders in mind that I’ll get bids from. I’ll be the farang that will be onsite every day bothering the workers with my laser level and tape measure. Depending on who gets the work, I may need to hire an interpreter, as my wife has emphatically declined the position.

Thanks again Wally----What was a crazy German doing in Florida? I used to have a house in Ft. Lauderdale, and my Mom winters in Lakeland.

[Naam]

Thanks again Wally----What was a crazy German doing in Florida?

spending 15 happy retiree years till my american friends decided to elect a texan genius with an IQ >150 as president. couldn't stand that because of my inferiority complexes. otherwise there would have been more happy years. we lived between Orlando and Daytona Beach and my wife is missing the U.S. of A. very much.

[Iolare]

Thanks again Wally----What was a crazy German doing in Florida?

spending 15 happy retiree years till my american friends decided to elect a texan genius with an IQ >150 as president. couldn't stand that because of my inferiority complexes. otherwise there would have been more happy years. we lived between Orlando and Daytona Beach and my wife is missing the U.S. of A. very much.

Dr. Naam, You were taking American politics way too seriously if you let a change of administration drive you out. Life goes on pretty much the same whether it’s Democrats or Republicans.

My wife who was born in Bangkok misses it quite a bit too. I thought she’d be happy to be back in her own country, and she is, but she misses the dependability of the US and the glitz of LA and living without mosquitos. So she’s campaigning for a late summer/early fall trip back, but I’m saying that we’re here until the house is finished. I think we’ll be spending 3 or 4 summer/early fall months in the US every year starting next year.

Is your wife Thai?

[Iolare]

lolare: If you are going to have any plastering done, be sure and spec and ensure they use a fine grain of sand in their plaster mixture. My sub, to save a baht or two, used a course sand which gave me a much rougher texture which makes patching problematic to match. Very smooth is so much easier to patch.

Pro,

Thanks again for checking in with another valuable pointer about the sand for the plaster. I’m making a list, and really appreciate everyone’s contributions. Whether it’s the large issues or all the little details, it’s always better to benefit from someone’s experience than to learn the hard way yourself.

Your discussion on shower drains in the corner of the floor pan reminded me of a drain I had placed in the middle of a sauna in my LA house, it was in the center of a concrete floor and turned out to be by about 1 mm or two the highest point in the floor. So even though you don’t use that much water in a sauna, and it was kind of covered by batten boards, I couldn’t take a sauna there without grumbling a little about that drain. The showers in this house in Chalong all have marble on the floors, and have drains in the corner of the floor pans. I like the idea of corner drains because you don’t need that X shape in the floor tile to accommodate a center drain. But the one I use has the drain in the second lowest corner, so there’s always some hair and soap scum in the other corner. Little things, but annoying.

The master bath shower that I’ve planned for the new house will be a little unusual in that it will have french doors on the two outside walls, and a glass wall and glass door to the rest of the room. This is a compromise between my wife and I. I wanted an outdoor shower, and she wanted a typical indoor type. I’’ll put one way glass in the french doors if I can get that here (for my wife’s sake). We’re keeping the bathroom ceilings high like you did, so they’ll be 3 meters. I saw a pretty neat German rainfall shower head that mounts directly on the ceiling and really rains down a lot of water that we’ll probably use. There will also be a hand held shower and a bench in there. I’ll regulate the water pressure to 60 psi for the house, and I’ll have a circulating pump for instant hot water. There will be a view of a private garden on one side and the ocean on the other. The light from outside should flow into the rest of the bathroom.

Incidentally, I noted your use of clear plastic as an alternative to glass in the shower. I’m still thinking glass, and that’s because I had pretty good luck with it in the past as long as I had good, conditioned water in the house system. There’s also a glass coating that does a pretty good job of repelling soap film I’ve read about.

I saw a house that used glass block in the baths as you have done, and it really was bright and cheerful. It was in my mind to use it too, but as it turns out I’ve been able to put pretty good sized windows in all the baths, so I don’t need to use it in this house.

As I’m typing this out, I’m nearly being blown off the porch here in Chalong, as a little storm front is moving through. My wife is running around the house closing windows, and I’m thinking about your earlier advice concerning the very slight slope to the floors. My plan has pretty much the whole east side of the house opening up to the pool deck with no level change at all, so a slight slant to the floors and a little more to the deck would probably be a good idea. I just hope I can find a tile guy as good as yours was.

I’m impressed that you’ve done as many kitchens as you have. This place will have a nice kitchen prominently placed in this informal home plan, and there will be an outdoor kitchen in a sala overlooking the ocean on the pool deck. Everyone in my wife’s family have Thai kitchens too, but our Thai kitchen will be that outdoor BBQ kitchen next to the pool. I was wondering if I could send you a PDF of the plan of the kitchen for your input?

[ProThaiExpat]

lolare: Send your proposed plan to same screen name at gmail.com ie. [email protected] and I would be happy to study your kitchen plan and give you ideas that I might get. It is amazing how few regular cooks have a clue as to the basic "V" of kitchen design fundamentals.

I am sure I misread your comments regarding your shower enclosure. I thought you indicated that french doors might be part of it. No way, I am sure. I once actually used glass block as one wall of a tub enclosure which had an optional shower in Hawaii. Disaster as the glass block is just not smooth enough of a surface to be able to keep clean in a shower. I too have always used really thick glass walls for showers with euro clamp type hinges. Very smart look and that coating for the glass is a great idea. I am envious. I have done many showers and spa tubs with glass walls to the exterior and even with confined spaces, an atrium garden to make the bathing experience relaxing.

I once put a two person spa, with side by side reclining in tub contours of couches so two could recline in the spa and look out to a view. I will fantasize about you doing it with a view of the ocean until you tell me no such bathroom orientation doesn't exist in your plan.

While my tile man was excellent and he laid the 18x18 inch tiles as if they were marble, he had local ladies do the grout and it was not very good. You might insist they grout your marble and tile as we do in the U.S. and not the semi-dry hand paste in method they do here. The result of the way they did mine was an uneven grout finish which I have had to go back and polish them correctly by almost re-grouting it. They just don't seem to know how to grout with a fine polish we have in the West, but that was my job, perhaps yours will be different but beware, watch them like a hawk and if you don't see the grout going in the way it should, stop them.

My first tile man began laying against the far wall of my great room which I stopped after four tiles went in and ordered the developer to get someone who knew how to lay floor tile. His replacement, actually laid a single course down the middle of the great room and then right into the middle of the adjoining rooms. My whole house is laid with the same tile and the flow is great. Unfortunately, the same idiot tile man started the shower and W/C rooms and put the uncut tile at the ceiling rather than from the pan, so those rooms have cut tiles at floor level.

I laid a few tile floors in my "do it yourself days" so do know how it should be done. I used spacers, but here they go the marble route and use level string lines and run lines. If possible, check out a prior job done by your proposed tile and marble man.

As to lav installations, I wonder how you come prefer sink mounts. I have always preferred under mounts for ease of maintenance. Just hate hootie rings and epoxy seams around surface mounted lavs. So easy to cut the oval hole in the granite and mount the sink for worry free use. Fortunately they do have Frankel Stainless Steel Sinks in Thailand for the kitchen.

I have used marble squares in a bath before but the pattern was extreme and you couldn't see any water marks. I am a dedicated granite man, marble is just too big a maintenance problem for my taste unless it is on a vertical surface.

You speak of a central form of water heating. Without natural gas availability, will you use electric water heaters? Could get expensive when your electric bill comes around. Full time hot water will take much electricity and they do have surcharges for heavy users. I do use a lot of air con and a huge electric dryer, plus automatic three phase water heaters for the bathrooms and kitchen, so my electric bill hits 7K baht a month easily. Of course that is not much compared to the 450 USD I paid in Palm Springs 8 years ago, but on retirement pay, I do pay attention to that bill. I do know people who have used bottled gas successfully for water heaters for individual bathrooms but wonder if that would work for 24/7 instant hot?

Yes, I have often thought of a stanby electric generator every time the electric service goes out and I boil in the heat. Being by the ocean, that may not be a problem, but you might consider one as part of your original build. I doubt they are very expensive here in Thailand and you may be subject to power outages more often than we semi-city folk.

[chownah]

Did anyone say that you should inspect all of the water pipe joints to be sure that they are glued and that you can not rely on a pressure test alone because an unglued pvc joint often does not leak a drop until some months later when it works its way loose and starts to leak after you've been in the house a month or so.....this is an all too often occurance....also try to track any activities that might puncture or rupture an already installed water pipe and check to be sure that if it happens that it is repaired properly and not just with plastic tape and wooden plugs.

Also did anyone tell you that most windows in Thailand have the screens on the inside which means that in the evening you will have to OPEN the screens before you can CLOSE the windows which presents a perfect opportunity for bugs to enter in the evening. Windows can be had that have screens on the outside but they are not typical in Thailand...and also some windows can be modified so the screens are on the outside but if this is done beware that the water drainage feature might not work properly.

Also did anyone tell you that all too often the "exhaust" fans in bathrooms are installed so that they blow outside air INTO the bathroom (the wrong way) and when the contractor is informed of this they will tell you that this is the proper way to install them so they are not going to change them?

Edited August 14, 2007 by chownah

[chownah]

Did anyone tell you that if you are lucky enough that someone will put putty in the dings and dents in your woodwork before painting that they might make the putty themselves using shellac and dirt?...or some other homemade concoction?...and that this usually will fall out in a month or three? Also, if you are lucky enough to get someone who is actually using commercially made putty(maybe because you have insisted) that they might have never used it before and they won't read the directions (why read the directions they will think...I'm not going to learn to read just so I can see what it says on this stupid can...when he's not looking I think I'll throw it away and use my own stuff) and so they won't stir it up and even if they do stir it up they will only stir up the top half of the can so what they apply will be too wet and when the too wet stuff is gone there will be a hard chunk in the bottom that they'll try to add some liquid to it (using whatever is at hand...mai pen rai) and it will not really work right so they'll put it on really thick thinking that they can sand it off later but when the people come to sand it will be too much work to sand such a thick layer off so they'll just sort of smooth off the top of it an leave most of it.

Just wondered if anyone has mentioned that yet.

[Iolare]

lolare: Send your proposed plan to same screen name at gmail.com ie. [email protected] and I would be happy to study your kitchen plan and give you ideas that I might get. It is amazing how few regular cooks have a clue as to the basic "V" of kitchen design fundamentals.

I am sure I misread your comments regarding your shower enclosure. I thought you indicated that french doors might be part of it. No way, I am sure. I once actually used glass block as one wall of a tub enclosure which had an optional shower in Hawaii. Disaster as the glass block is just not smooth enough of a surface to be able to keep clean in a shower. I too have always used really thick glass walls for showers with euro clamp type hinges. Very smart look and that coating for the glass is a great idea. I am envious. I have done many showers and spa tubs with glass walls to the exterior and even with confined spaces, an atrium garden to make the bathing experience relaxing.

I once put a two person spa, with side by side reclining in tub contours of couches so two could recline in the spa and look out to a view. I will fantasize about you doing it with a view of the ocean until you tell me no such bathroom orientation doesn't exist in your plan.

While my tile man was excellent and he laid the 18x18 inch tiles as if they were marble, he had local ladies do the grout and it was not very good. You might insist they grout your marble and tile as we do in the U.S. and not the semi-dry hand paste in method they do here. The result of the way they did mine was an uneven grout finish which I have had to go back and polish them correctly by almost re-grouting it. They just don't seem to know how to grout with a fine polish we have in the West, but that was my job, perhaps yours will be different but beware, watch them like a hawk and if you don't see the grout going in the way it should, stop them.

My first tile man began laying against the far wall of my great room which I stopped after four tiles went in and ordered the developer to get someone who knew how to lay floor tile. His replacement, actually laid a single course down the middle of the great room and then right into the middle of the adjoining rooms. My whole house is laid with the same tile and the flow is great. Unfortunately, the same idiot tile man started the shower and W/C rooms and put the uncut tile at the ceiling rather than from the pan, so those rooms have cut tiles at floor level.

I laid a few tile floors in my "do it yourself days" so do know how it should be done. I used spacers, but here they go the marble route and use level string lines and run lines. If possible, check out a prior job done by your proposed tile and marble man.

As to lav installations, I wonder how you come prefer sink mounts. I have always preferred under mounts for ease of maintenance. Just hate hootie rings and epoxy seams around surface mounted lavs. So easy to cut the oval hole in the granite and mount the sink for worry free use. Fortunately they do have Frankel Stainless Steel Sinks in Thailand for the kitchen.

I have used marble squares in a bath before but the pattern was extreme and you couldn't see any water marks. I am a dedicated granite man, marble is just too big a maintenance problem for my taste unless it is on a vertical surface.

You speak of a central form of water heating. Without natural gas availability, will you use electric water heaters? Could get expensive when your electric bill comes around. Full time hot water will take much electricity and they do have surcharges for heavy users. I do use a lot of air con and a huge electric dryer, plus automatic three phase water heaters for the bathrooms and kitchen, so my electric bill hits 7K baht a month easily. Of course that is not much compared to the 450 USD I paid in Palm Springs 8 years ago, but on retirement pay, I do pay attention to that bill. I do know people who have used bottled gas successfully for water heaters for individual bathrooms but wonder if that would work for 24/7 instant hot?

Yes, I have often thought of a stanby electric generator every time the electric service goes out and I boil in the heat. Being by the ocean, that may not be a problem, but you might consider one as part of your original build. I doubt they are very expensive here in Thailand and you may be subject to power outages more often than we semi-city folk.

Pro,

Regarding the master bath shower room, I misspoke (typed), but not too much. I said French doors when I meant casements. They’ll open outward with the idea of creating an outdoor experience. Kind of along the original theme of this posting, I’m trying to celebrate the tropical life experience with this shower. In the seven or so months that I’ve been living here, I’ve come to appreciate being able to be outdoors day or evening year-round. If one’s house is set up right, you can be essentially living your life outdoors.

That shower corner is the only ocean exposure for the bathroom, but the pool will have a spa with a good view. Its not too far from the shower room so a person could sneak over to the spa before anyone noticed.

I think anyone who has done remodeling or new construction has tile horror stories like you do; I know I have. What’s so hard about planning the job before starting it? I hate it when a tile guy starts at one side of the room and ends up with a grout seam about a centimeter from the opposite wall, making it painfully obvious that you’re a little out of square.

I agree completely with having them start in the middle and giving it a lot of thought so that you end up with half tiles or better on all four sides, if possible. I’ve worked out a tile pattern for the garage floor that I’m going to just have to lay out myself, even if it risks deportation! A good tile guy is a valuable member of the team.

I’m with you on liking under mounts for the lavs. Did I imply otherwise? I agree they are the cleanest both appearance-wise and for the maid. Those trendy new sinks mounted like a bowl on top of the counter don’t do much for me, and I’ve never liked having to seal the lip of the bowl to the countertop either.

For the hot water I’m planning on one of those solar roof panels with the horizontal cylinder storage tank mounted above the panel. I’ll put in a mixing valve for when the sun heats the water too hot, and I’ll have isolation valves for when the roof water cools down too much. I’ll have an electric hot water tank which I hope will mainly be a secondary storage tank, but which will activate at 120 F if needed. Water will circulate in a loop around the house using a Grunfos pump. The water heater and pump will each be on timer switches and will be off from about midnight to 6 am or so. I thought of a propane heater, but I don’t think the elec. WH will be in use much, and its less bother to install.

Thanks for agreeing to take a look at my kitchen plan, it will be on its way shortly.

[Iolare]

Did anyone tell you that if you are lucky enough that someone will put putty in the dings and dents in your woodwork before painting that they might make the putty themselves using shellac and dirt?...or some other homemade concoction?...and that this usually will fall out in a month or three? Also, if you are lucky enough to get someone who is actually using commercially made putty(maybe because you have insisted) that they might have never used it before and they won't read the directions (why read the directions they will think...I'm not going to learn to read just so I can see what it says on this stupid can...when he's not looking I think I'll throw it away and use my own stuff) and so they won't stir it up and even if they do stir it up they will only stir up the top half of the can so what they apply will be too wet and when the too wet stuff is gone there will be a hard chunk in the bottom that they'll try to add some liquid to it (using whatever is at hand...mai pen rai) and it will not really work right so they'll put it on really thick thinking that they can sand it off later but when the people come to sand it will be too much work to sand such a thick layer off so they'll just sort of smooth off the top of it an leave most of it.

Just wondered if anyone has mentioned that yet.

Chowah,

I chuckled at your two recent posts. “Mai pen rai” is a phrase I’ll probably have to reconcile myself to, or I’ll be pleading with the Buddha to get me out of jail after commiting that assult with a pipe that Dr Naam alluded to earlier. While I’ll be striving for perfection, I’ll hopefully have the grace to be able to settle for good enough. Such is the way it is here and I’m told you can’t change Thailand. I am making provision in the budget for some mistakes and do overs, though.

[steelepulse]

Just to add a couple of things:

1) You mentioned that you are considering a generator.  Definitley buy yourself a generator, and if you can, get an ATS ( Automatic Transfer Switch) installed so you don't have to go out in a monsoon storm to turn on your generator, or if you happen to be gone, the ATS will run the generator for you.

2) Ididn't see it in the thread, but use PE instead of PVC wherever possible as PE tends to last much longer and is less susceptible to breaks., cracks etc.

[Naam]

There will also be a hand held shower and a bench in there. I’ll regulate the water pressure to 60 psi for the house, and I’ll have a circulating pump for instant hot water.

to explain that to a thai plumber is a major and difficult undertaking Lolare

my advice is: forget your central hot water supply the mandatory second line and circulation pump and go for the instant water heaters installed at all points of service (bathrooms and kitchen). that will save you a lot of headache and is in the long run cheaper energy wise (no insulated pipes available in Thailand). the copper pipes for hot water (don't go for PVC!) are embedded in concrete and copper -as you know- is an excellent heat conductor.

[Naam]

Just to add a couple of things:

1) You mentioned that you are considering a generator.  Definitley buy yourself a generator, and if you can, get an ATS ( Automatic Transfer Switch) installed so you don't have to go out in a monsoon storm to turn on your generator, or if you happen to be gone, the ATS will run the generator for you.

2) Ididn't see it in the thread, but use PE instead of PVC wherever possible as PE tends to last much longer and is less susceptible to breaks., cracks etc.

if the option generator applies separate circuits for "genset only" consumers is an absolute must. according to Lolare his home will be a rather big one and that means the generator would have to be rather huge to serve all consumers (but then his neigbours won't like the noise). without separate wiring a genset which is too small will choke and switch off.