Building A House A Different Way

[Bpraim1]

I have started to build my house over the last couple weeks and here I the progress so far, lots left to go.

No bricks and no wood ( well some wood but just cosmetics ).

I have been useing a contractor that has built houses in Australia and New Zealand, over the last 10 years. There family has been in the home building business for 27 years plus. www.freshflowservice.com website will be updated very soon to include more english information.

I highly recommend them to anyone that wants to build a house.

There work also comes with a Guarantee 5 years plus longer on steel used, for walls and roof!

And no hidden fees after the price is settled. Best of all they speak english and no translation is needed to get in the way.

My house should be finished by Christmas time, anyone in the area are welcome to stop and check it out.

I am in Baan Kram, it is on the 24 hwy very close to Khun Han,Srisaket

If you want more info please call

0859049969 Peter

[londonthai]

what's the cost per square meter?

can it be done 2 story (ground and first floor)?

looks like they are very practical homes, but lack of charm

[Gary A]

I'd say that it certainly beats wood but the question is if it is more expensive than blocks and mortar? It looks like galvanized steel or aluminum from the pictures.

[MrSquigle]

Steel frame and cladding on outside, gyprock i presume on inside and steel trusses for the roof. All very lightweight and pre fabricated off site most probably.

This is nothing new for Oz or even the west, but certainly for here.

Interesting to know how much the steel pre fab is as the square meter price is really relative and can vary a lot to your prefered finishing, but doubt with a build like that you will be finishing in marble or solid wood anywhere.

If this is a thai company, not looked website yet, how did they get to build in Oz and NZ, like I said, not new at all there.

I know a thai guy that set this style of building up here years ago, did not take off, but he used pre fab pine frames at the time.

Personaly, I dont like the look, I like the solid look of concrete or stone, concrete then hidden by other finishings etc. Strong, cool and looks good.

Several people have argued that it is cheaper, probably more expensive to buy outright, but the savings seem to be in the erection time and savings on labour and time in total to construct. Not sure I really believe that and if the loss in what I consider a preferential building style, for this style is worth it.

Edited December 1, 2007 by MrSquigle

[Bpraim1]

House is built on site of Hi tinsel steel coated with Zinc/Aluminum/Silicon. All cuts are coated with Anti corrosive paint. Walls are 4'' G channel steel ,Portland cement with cellullose fibre cladding, then filled with PU Foam on exterior walls and closed in with smart board, not gypsum!Interior walls are all filled with 4'' acoustic batt. Smart board on each side. Roof is also linned with PU Foam and then another layer of Acoustic batting is added.Roof is then coated with Cermanic roof coating.

These houses have been made for years in other countries but just now staring here.

Houses are not Pre-Fab They do not come in a box!!

You can pick and size or shape you like and pay per metre price. I believe they start at 8000 per metre and climb to 9500 for higher spec. But remember they carry a guarentee also and contractor will not stiff you!!

I have heard alot of sad stories from first price to finished price.

I have picked every piece of material that has gone on my home. And so can you!

This is just a new option to use'n brick or wood. I personaly don't like brick, unless I'm building a pizza oven, barbeque or shed. I would use wood but price is out of my range.

Don't need to settle for that house in a thai website that any Tamboon contractor can build.

Pick and price your spec!

All doors are solid wood, kitchen is marble tops and solid wood doors. I have picked Ceramic tile for my floors but they have any style you want!

You just tell them the materials and they use steel for walls not Cement or wood. These houses are cooler then brick hands done and they are air/water tight after PU Foam is applied.

[Bpraim1]

Also these homes can be built in two months or less, as to brick that can run you 5-12 months plus.

[dandare]

what's the cost per square meter?

can it be done 2 story (ground and first floor)?

looks like they are very practical homes, but lack of charm

[dandare]

i agree lacks charm looks like a bit like a cow shed at the minite. would be good to see the finished item.

[tomo22]

My god. I want quality not speed. Pick the competent Thai contrators and you will not have a pproblem. Me I am a Building service Engineer from england and both my houses here are built to a higher standard than the English building regs. How do you do it you might ask just tell them what you want and the standard and do all the guarnteas through the bank.

[Bicko]

My god. I want quality not speed. Pick the competent Thai contrators and you will not have a pproblem. Me I am a Building service Engineer from england and both my houses here are built to a higher standard than the English building regs. How do you do it you might ask just tell them what you want and the standard and do all the guarnteas through the bank.

I am also an Engineer and i have been the Project manager for building a total of more than 5,000 brick and concrete houses in Aceh since the tsunami. The last 2,500 of them are concrete hollow block, core filled with steel roof framing and steel frame internal walls and gyprock cladding.The quality of this house can never be in question and i can assure everyone that this design of house far exceeds the building codes for earthquake and cyclone/hurricane prone areas. I wish to goodness these guys had come and seen me 3 years ago. I would have built 5,000 of their houses. The photos tell the story. The footings and the pier and beam system is excellent, the quality of concrete is excellent and the concept of cladding on a steel frame with a foam core insulation and as a structural component can not be faulted. You might be surprised at how good it looks when the final cladding and painting is done and there are many many options on finishes and roofing material.

The one thing that i would question is the size and placement of the mesh in the floor slab. It should be a much heavier mesh and placed at least 50mm up off the bottom membrane

I'd rather be in this house than a block or brick house in a 7.5 RS earthquake or a 200km per hour storm.

Go for it BP. You are on a winner if this concept is what you want. By absolute coincidence I am today working on the design of our second house (our dream house) in Buri Ram and you've given me a good idea to follow up on.

Cheers,

Bicko

[Joe Walshe]

I'm an architect/builder here in Ireland (Home in Khon Kaen also).

We use steel frame for internal partitions mostly, but I have also used them to construct roofs. advantages;

- All walls straight, plumb and level.

- No rot

- Very little wastage. Any left over material can easily be brought to next job.

- Lightweight. Easy to transport or/and lift around site.

I have not seen metal studs and channels in Isaan Building merchants. Is whole house has to be imported from outside province and steel frames imported from overseas? If so I suspect Timber or concrete posts and beams construction is the way to go. Local materials, local labour etc.

Also, if this type of building is highly insulated and air tight it can only be cooled with air conditioning. Importing materials and cooling house don't seem to make it very enviromentally friendly system.

Joe

[Bpraim1]

Thanks for the nice post Bicko. Good to see someone else knows something about alternative building tech. I also had some questions about the mesh, only time will tell.

Joe Steel is imported from Australia From Blue Scope.

[MrSquigle]

Its not alternative.

And I do not believe it is cooler than concrete/stone if the concrete/stone house is built properly, any house NOT built propely will be hot and stuffy etc.

[Bicko]

Thanks for the nice post Bicko. Good to see someone else knows something about alternative building tech. I also had some questions about the mesh, only time will tell.

Joe Steel is imported from Australia From Blue Scope.

Thanks BP. For those that are not aware this concept of building is very common in Australia and has been perfected by companies like Bluescope. Bluescope is BHP Billiton and since their amalgamation they have provided the best of Australian and British technolgy in developing this product.

I also use Bluescope steel in Indonesia.

A few tips if you consider using this technolgy:

You will notice that BP has verandahs front and back and about 1 metre of eaves overhang. This is critical in a hot climate. It shades the walls and also windows do not have to be closed when it rains.

Internal and external wall cladding is tek screwed (self tapping screws) onto the frames and often, as is the the case here, filled with foam. This provides extreme rigidity and it is almost impossible for the walls to rack (or tilt or fall over in laymans language).

The foam in the walls serves both as a structural and an insulating component and serves well in rooms that are air conditioned

Design large window and door openings in non A/C rooms to ensure good cross ventilation.

Cut ends of steel must be painted with a rust inhibitor. I see that BP has done that. See the paint packs on the ground and the red colour on the bottom of the wall studs.

BP is using ready mixed concrete delivered from a batching plant by truck. The concrete looks good and is not too wet. "Homemade" concrete mixed on the ground in varying proportions is NOT recommended for house construction - maybe OK for a chicken shed!!!

I am very pleased to see this technology appearing in SE Asian countries. In Indonesia the trade in illlegal logging is incredible and mainly controlled by the Army. This is one reason why we went to steel for our frames. Timber that was delivered with full certification turned out to be illegal with faked certificates. As a Major International NGO we could not condone or continue that practice.This will go a long way towards stopping that trade.

Good quality timber is a scarce commodity in Thailand and this method will help to resolve that issue.

[chownah]

Home mixed concrete can be just fine....in fact all the concrete is my house was mixed on site by my wife (who I taught) and is every bit adequate for the job....and since she is mixing to my proportions it is arguably better than the ready mix stuff....plus we can do the work with lots of little pours which let's us reduce the cost of form materials. We can pour one column at a time so we only need one column form which get's reused....same for beams.....we pour them one at a time so we only need a fraction of the form material needed for the big pour type construction. Of course this results in a slower pace which is not everyone's cup of tea......but mainly I want to say the home mixed concrete can be just fine as long as reasonable quality control is maintained.

Chownah

[Bpraim1]

Mr Squigle,

Thank you so much for your great input. Brick is not Air tight and heat can enter the house area easily!

It is a joy to read your posts!

Next time I need a Brick cement Shed I will be sure to call you up.

http://www.roofhelp.com/Rvalue.htm here is a link to see the C and R values of Brick. And the ability to keep cool!

Bicko, the Company here is called Fresh Flow Service. The owner of the company Works and lives between Thailand and New Zealand. I learned of this style of building while working for OneSteel in Australia ( compatition to Blue Scope).

The owner Kamol, imports the steel into Thailand then after the house spec you have picked is drafted up and Architect has sign off. The steel is measured out and brought to the build site. Where is then cut to length. This you know about. So I will not babble!

He has been building these homes for another company in New Zealand. But is trying to start this way here in Thailand.

Verandahs are 2m wide with a 60cm over hang. I had to keep the verandahs at the same height as roof line as I have two 2m high windows in the livinroom wall. Glass is double pane and reflective film will be applied.

I asked the contractor to use ready mix Cpac for the foundation as I wanted all the same consistency of cement and a one time pour for my foundation and top coat.

Top coat is 7cm deep and was then seal coated to help with moisture seepage through the cement. Under all wall lines I also applied a rubber liner to separate the steel and cement. Wall are then anchor bolted to the foundation every 60cm.

[thaipete]

I built one ground level breeze block upper level wood, I insisted on teak but there are termites here that love teak too, my parquet teak flooring was being eaten within two years the top level took them about 7 years to get to

[soundman]

Good to see you have got the project of the ground mate.

Steel roof? Bit noisy when its raining!

Anyway, good luck with it & I'll drop you a line next time I am coming up that way.

Cheers.

[GungaDin]

Hi BP.

Welcome to the steel frame club,

There's a lot of info on steel roofs and eaves over on the "coolthaihouse" board.

Has your guy ever built a polehouse?

eg: on 3m steel or concrete poles.

Good luck & looking fwd to seeing the end result.

Hi Bicko.... do you have a rough image of your dream house?

I'll bet it looks good.

Please share.

GD.

Steel roof? Bit noisy when its raining!

Not if insulated correctly! Edited December 3, 2007 by GungaDin

[Bpraim1]

Soundman,

Yes roof is tin, We then will apply apply Sprayed PU Foam, Then 4'' of Acoustic Batt layered next to the PU Foam not on ceiling. Also we are adding Ceramic Insulation to the outer Roof. The Ceraic insulation will be 5 coats to a depth of .24''. Up from the spec of .024''

All of these should help with the Noise & keep the roof free of problems for years to come. Not to mention very effective at keeping heat from entering my house.

Thai Pete, No termites in my house, unless they eat my doors.

[Bicko]

Hi BP.

Welcome to the steel frame club,

There's a lot of info on steel roofs and eaves over on the "coolthaihouse" board.

Has your guy ever built a polehouse?

eg: on 3m steel or concrete poles.

Good luck & looking fwd to seeing the end result.

Hi Bicko.... do you have a rough image of your dream house?

I'll bet it looks good.

Please share.

GD.

Steel roof? Bit noisy when its raining!

Not if insulated correctly!

Crikey another Aussie!!! Maybe we could make a takeover bid here sometime.

I expect to have my house plans finished in about a week -doing them on Autocad and will post a floor plan and elevations.

It is H shaped and BIG - 260m2 single storey as i am thinking about climbing stairs later on.

One side of the H is kichen and living area with a bedroom and separate bathroom. On the side of the wing is the carport, laundry and clothes drying area with open sides but under the roof. The other side of the H is a huge bedroom with ensuite bathroon with spa etc and a walk in robe. I will have my sound equipment and office in there and be well away from the living area if Madam has visitors etc. I am definitely not anti social but like my privacy and my classical music. On the front is gymnasium and at the side another small bathroom and tool and lawn mower storage for use by gardener - accessible only from outside. The area between the two wings is a breezeway under the main roof but front and back can be opened up completely using sliding glass doors. it will include a Barbeque area, comfortable outdoor furniture and a pool table.

Most floors will be natural stone from Pak Chong and polished marble bench tops in the kitchen. The driveway and carport will be grey slate from Pak Chong. We already have a very nice house in my wifes villlage but we want to get close to town as we intend to start a business venture. The house in the village is only 15kms away and can be the dog house if needed!!! Actually i love the village life and will still spend a fair bit of time there.

Cheers from another Aussie,

Bicko

[Bicko]

Hi BP.

Welcome to the steel frame club,

There's a lot of info on steel roofs and eaves over on the "coolthaihouse" board.

Has your guy ever built a polehouse?

eg: on 3m steel or concrete poles.

Good luck & looking fwd to seeing the end result.

Hi Bicko.... do you have a rough image of your dream house?

I'll bet it looks good.

Please share.

GD.

Steel roof? Bit noisy when its raining!

Not if insulated correctly!

Crikey another Aussie!!! Maybe we could make a takeover bid here sometime.

I expect to have my house plans finished in about a week -doing them on Autocad and will post a floor plan and elevations.

It is H shaped and BIG - 260m2 single storey as i am thinking about climbing stairs later on.

One side of the H is kichen and living area with a bedroom and separate bathroom. On the side of the wing is the carport, laundry and clothes drying area with open sides but under the roof. The other side of the H is a huge bedroom with ensuite bathroon with spa etc and a walk in robe. I will have my sound equipment and office in there and be well away from the living area if Madam has visitors etc. I am definitely not anti social but like my privacy and my classical music. On the front is gymnasium and at the side another small bathroom and tool and lawn mower storage for use by gardener - accessible only from outside. The area between the two wings is a breezeway under the main roof but front and back can be opened up completely using sliding glass doors. it will include a Barbeque area, comfortable outdoor furniture and a pool table.

Most floors will be natural stone from Pak Chong and polished marble bench tops in the kitchen. The driveway and carport will be grey slate from Pak Chong. We already have a very nice house in my wifes villlage but we want to get close to town as we intend to start a business venture. The house in the village is only 15kms away and can be the dog house if needed!!! Actually i love the village life and will still spend a fair bit of time there.

Cheers from another Aussie,

Bicko

The areas between the wings will be nicely landscaped with lots of shade, orchids, natural stone stepping stones, water features etc AND MOSQUITO SCREENS ON ALL DOORS AND WINDOWS.

(I have had the mosquito borne virus Ross River Virus that i picked up here in Sumatra for the past 18 months. Would not wish it on anyone, Thank goodness it is almost finished.)

[LoveDaBlues]

House is built on site of Hi tinsel steel coated with Zinc/Aluminum/Silicon. All cuts are coated with Anti corrosive paint. Walls are 4'' G channel steel ,Portland cement with cellullose fibre cladding, then filled with PU Foam on exterior walls and closed in with smart board, not gypsum!Interior walls are all filled with 4'' acoustic batt. Smart board on each side. Roof is also linned with PU Foam and then another layer of Acoustic batting is added.Roof is then coated with Cermanic roof coating.

These houses have been made for years in other countries but just now staring here.

Houses are not Pre-Fab They do not come in a box!!

You can pick and size or shape you like and pay per metre price. I believe they start at 8000 per metre and climb to 9500 for higher spec. But remember they carry a guarentee also and contractor will not stiff you!!

I have heard alot of sad stories from first price to finished price.

I have picked every piece of material that has gone on my home. And so can you!

This is just a new option to use'n brick or wood. I personaly don't like brick, unless I'm building a pizza oven, barbeque or shed. I would use wood but price is out of my range.

Don't need to settle for that house in a thai website that any Tamboon contractor can build.

Pick and price your spec!

All doors are solid wood, kitchen is marble tops and solid wood doors. I have picked Ceramic tile for my floors but they have any style you want!

You just tell them the materials and they use steel for walls not Cement or wood. These houses are cooler then brick hands done and they are air/water tight after PU Foam is applied.

A house can be built here using Smartblock (good insulation & soundproofing) for the walls at a cost of 7500-9500 baht a meter depending on overall quality desired. Smartblock currently cost 18 baht and 1 Smartblock = 13 standard Thai brick. That's what I'll use when I build.

[LoveDaBlues]

Bicko, what's the cost of the natural stone from Pak Chong? Also, how about the cost of the grey slate? Sounds like some beautiful material. I've got my land (5.75 rai) and house plans drawn (304 s.meter) but am still deciding on flooring, etc.

I'm not into classical music but will have a Home Theater room; gotta have something to do in the rainy season!

[Rdrokit]

BP,

Good to see your project being built. I remember talking to you about it at the Surin TV party. Please keep us posted on the progress. Love to see the finished project. May just have to make a trip to see you now that I live in Korat.

Rdrokit

[Bicko]

Bicko, what's the cost of the natural stone from Pak Chong? Also, how about the cost of the grey slate? Sounds like some beautiful material. I've got my land (5.75 rai) and house plans drawn (304 s.meter) but am still deciding on flooring, etc.

I'm not into classical music but will have a Home Theater room; gotta have something to do in the rainy season!

Sorry can not tell you offhand but it's cheap. I am currently in Sumatra but home in a few days and will check it out. There are hundreds of shops and factories along Highway 2 at Pak Chong selling natural stone and slate. They stack it in heaps along the side of the road and you buy it by the tonne. It's just a matter of driving along until you see the stone that you like and then begin bargaining. There are also a lot of shops and factories selling stone and concrete garden ornaments, elephants, Buddha images, fountains, garden lights, garden seats and tables and so on.

There are also a lot of places that cut natural stone floor tiles and bench tops.

Man 5.75 rai is a lot of land. (9,200 m2 or just short of 1 hectare) Where abouts are you?

[klikster]

Good to see you have got the project of the ground mate.

Steel roof? Bit noisy when its raining!

Anyway, good luck with it & I'll drop you a line next time I am coming up that way.

Cheers.

For anyone wanting to make metal roofs quieter, find some undercoating and apply to the underside .. about 2-3 mm thick should work. It can be painted after it dries if you don't like the look. The material acts as a viscoelastic dampener and the metal won't resonate.

[percy2]

House is built on site of Hi tinsel steel coated with Zinc/Aluminum/Silicon.

I'm sure it will look great for Christmas.

I think you meant high tensile

Cheers

[Gary A]

I love the natural rock floors. My wife hates them as much as I like them. She sweeps and mops every day and if the floor is NOT shiny she is not interested. She DOES like marble.

[LoveDaBlues]

Bicko, what's the cost of the natural stone from Pak Chong? Also, how about the cost of the grey slate? Sounds like some beautiful material. I've got my land (5.75 rai) and house plans drawn (304 s.meter) but am still deciding on flooring, etc.

I'm not into classical music but will have a Home Theater room; gotta have something to do in the rainy season!

Sorry can not tell you offhand but it's cheap. I am currently in Sumatra but home in a few days and will check it out. There are hundreds of shops and factories along Highway 2 at Pak Chong selling natural stone and slate. They stack it in heaps along the side of the road and you buy it by the tonne. It's just a matter of driving along until you see the stone that you like and then begin bargaining. There are also a lot of shops and factories selling stone and concrete garden ornaments, elephants, Buddha images, fountains, garden lights, garden seats and tables and so on.

There are also a lot of places that cut natural stone floor tiles and bench tops.

Man 5.75 rai is a lot of land. (9,200 m2 or just short of 1 hectare) Where abouts are you?

I'm about 11 kilometers SW from downtown Udon Thani. I got real lucky when a Thai guy needed money fast. Land has power, water, phone land-line, strong cell phone signal. I have a baby coming Dec. 7 (this Friday) by C-section so we've been busy of course. I will build when the time is right.