Windows & Walls

[Rimmer]

i too build my house with "Superblock" but not in my wildest dreams i would have used 7.5cm for any outside wall because of the minimised insulation factor.

I have to say that the last house I built (as shown in the pics) stays noticeably cooler when compared to the other houses I've built using Thai bricks - a very noticeable difference indeed. Still, a cool house comes from a number of factors - positioning in relation to sunlight (especially the afternoon sun), ventilation, and then construction materials/insulation of course.

Given my mileage, I'd certainly opt for the (substantially cheaper) 7.5cm AAC blocks again, as I fear the thicker blocks will just fall victim to the law of diminishing returns. YMMV though

it depends on the individual Razr. i have not come to Thailand to sweat and have my (rather big) house fully airconditioned at all times. not exactly like a meat locker but at comfortable 26-27ºC. as i built a (near identical) house which i designed and built before in a subtropical area i did not have to change the design but had my emphasis on insulation. according to my rough heat load calculations (which i did before starting to build) the additional cost for thicker blocks, roof insulation and forced roof ventilation was approximately 600k Baht which saves me ~4-4,500 Baht monthly on energy cost at present prices = yield of ~7% which i think is quite acceptable.

Quite agree Mr. N, I did the same costs before I built and now have a monthly electric bill for 600sq mtrs of house of less than baht 2400 vs. my old house of just 200 sq mtrs made from red brick with a bill of 5000 to baht 7000 a month.

[JimmyGreaves]

i too build my house with "Superblock" but not in my wildest dreams i would have used 7.5cm for any outside wall because of the minimised insulation factor.

What thickness blocks did you choose for the outside walls Naam?

[ignis]

As soon as my house was built, I drove into BKK and bought window tint film, most of the windows have 40% tint + silver mirror, the master bedroom 7m x 4.5m afternoon sun facing I used 60% tint, Tint is very simply to fit yourself... I have 5 double window + glass door onto the balcony in this bedroom, I fitted a large ceiling fan over the bed.. 3 1/2 year on, all I can say is I really wasted money on installing air con in this the bedroom, as I have never used it... the 2 spare bedroom always appear cool with only the 40% tint.

Strange the only time I have ever use the air con downstairs is when Thais visit. Lounge is 12m x 8m. have 3x wall fans + a big stand fan, kitchen use only ceiling fan 5.5m x 3.2m

Edited March 18, 2008 by ignis

[lioness]

Insulation in the ceilings reduces internal temperatures by as much as 10%.

If you can keep the hot sun off the walls it makes a huge difference. eg my own home is glass on 3 sides, I have deep Australian style verandas so the sun doesn't actually touch any of the "walls", outside of that I have trucked in Large Palms and underplanted with bouganvillea and other shrubs.

Every room in my home is air conditioned, but i have only ever had one on and that was during March/April for a 1/2 an hour at night.

[johnnyk]

I had 5 large yellow palms planted on the sunny side and they give some shade now and more as time goes on.

My house is built with 8.5cm concrete block and does get hot in the mid-afternoon but I keep screen doors and windows open for cross draft.

At bedtime I turn on the a/c in the bedroom for 20 mins and then sleep with ceiling fan going, quite comfy for me but maybe not for everyone.

[gdhm]

As soon as my house was built, I drove into BKK and bought window tint film, most of the windows have 40% tint + silver mirror, the master bedroom 7m x 4.5m afternoon sun facing I used 60% tint, Tint is very simply to fit yourself... I have 5 double window + glass door onto the balcony in this bedroom, I fitted a large ceiling fan over the bed.. 3 1/2 year on, all I can say is I really wasted money on installing air con in this the bedroom, as I have never used it... the 2 spare bedroom always appear cool with only the 40% tint.

Strange the only time I have ever use the air con downstairs is when Thais visit. Lounge is 12m x 8m. have 3x wall fans + a big stand fan, kitchen use only ceiling fan 5.5m x 3.2m

Please can I ask:

1) whether the tinting sheets are expensive?

2) how clear they are to look through?

3) do they deteriorate or bubble over the years (what is there reasonable life expectancy)?

4) are the tinted sheets the same as you can get added to windows of new cars in Thailand? I was offered (not taken up yet) tinting for my new Toyota Hilux Vigo - they seemed to use a hair dryer thing to seal the film to the windows?)

6) Is film easily damaged (cleaning scraping against accidentally)?.

7) do you need special window cleaning liquids?

5) If buying windows from NEW (as I will be) is it preferable and cost effective to stipulate the tinting desired for the glass with the purchase OR is it cheaper getting tinting film added afterwards by another (would NOT do it myself as to much of a perfectionist and not good enough to get my demanded results )

6) IF tinted windows are ordered are they normal glass plus tinting sheets attached to them or do they usually have the tinting inside the glass pane, thus being more durable and less prone to accidental/heat damage)

7) if inside the pane at manufacture. Are they better and are they much more expensive than normal non-tinted windows?

Razr and Doctor Naan. Regarding Superblock and Q Con. I note they are both AAC but different makes. Are their any real important differences between these two products (think Superblock is slightly heavier)

1) quality.

2) properties.

3) Prices.

Most responders seem to refer to Q Con and my Builder seems more aware of Q Con and its availability than Superblock.

As a tubby ( kilos) who uses Air cons in the summer all night and needs them during some of the day I am getting the strong impression that even if I pay for the more expensive AAC blocks (single layer of 7.5 cm), compared to the red brick and even if I could not convince the Builder he should offset some of the price for less mortar and labour time I would still get my money back fairly quickly due to reduced Air con generated high electricity bills.

Would you both agree with that or am I underestimating the cooling effect Vs extra costs of the blocks?.

My house is going to be large. 2 floors, 4 rooms downstairs (very large lounge), 2 bathroom/toilets, upstairs 4 bedrooms (one very large) and 3 bathrooms (2 small). Outside dimensions (excluding added on car port) metres x metres so I suspect I am going to need a lot of Q con blocks due to the number of walls.

(could have been half the size if I knew if all/none/some of my extended Thai family will end up living with us in the next few years )

Is there any value in using Q con for exterior walls and not internal or would that be false economy. I ask because I do have to keep an eye on my expenses as I have used 80% of my resources on a new car, land and for this house (cheap for what I am getting).

Kindest regards

Dave

Sorry for so many questions. Hope you will bear with me

Dave

[Naam]

Razr and Doctor Naan. Regarding Superblock and Q Con. I note they are both AAC but different makes. Are their any real important differences between these two products (think Superblock is slightly heavier)

1) quality.

2) properties.

3) Prices.

since a few years the quality of Superblock and similar blocks has gone down and the weight has gone up. the reason is the overall increase of commodities and base metals, in the case of Superblock it's Aluminium (our american friends call this metal "Aluminum"). Aluminium powder is used as a foaming agent to produce the porous base material for the blocks.

n.b.: the lighter the block the higher the insulation value!

unfortunately i can't tell you anything about prevailing prices.

[Naam]

1) whether the tinting sheets are expensive?

2) how clear they are to look through?

forget "tinting sheets" Dave! you get excellent and quality tinted glass which costs a fraction more than normal glass. i am of course comparing 6 or 8mm clear glass with 6 or 8 mm tinted glass. looking through you won't notice any difference. if you are willing to go the extra mile in energy saving -and your budget allows it- then take mirrored (coated) glass which is even darker, reflects UV and IR rays up to 80% and nobody can look through from the outside during day time. cost is an additional 10% but in my view it pays.

it looks like this:

[Naam]

i too build my house with "Superblock" but not in my wildest dreams i would have used 7.5cm for any outside wall because of the minimised insulation factor.

What thickness blocks did you choose for the outside walls Naam?

20cm as this is the thickest what you can get in Thailand (my home in Germany was built with 30cm plus 16cm hardfoam insulation). i didn't trust the builder's (respectively his workers') capabilities otherwise i would have gone for double outside walls (20 plus 7.5cm) with a 10cm air buffer between. the builder told me that he has built houses with double (standard red brick) walls but without the necessary metal hook-ups between the two walls because he thought it wasn't needed. but in my case the net room heights are 3.50m, i.e. the total wall height is approximately 3.80m and i refused building this height without hook-ups. moreover he told me that he never closed the air space on top to have ventilation... which is of course rubbish from an energy saving view!

[Naam]

Is there any value in using Q con for exterior walls and not internal or would that be false economy. I ask because I do have to keep an eye on my expenses as I have used 80% of my resources on a new car, land and for this house (cheap for what I am getting).

it all depends whether you can convince your builder (a hard thing i admit) that using the porous blocks all over saves time and money. not only laying the blocks but also slotting them for conduits and piping. energy wise it pays only if you have only a certain number of rooms airconditioned. there is a slight advantage as far as sound proofing is concerned compared to red brick walls.

[Naam]

Quite agree Mr. N, I did the same costs before I built and now have a monthly electric bill for 600sq mtrs of house of less than baht 2400 vs. my old house of just 200 sq mtrs made from red brick with a bill of 5000 to baht 7000 a month.

i can only dream of a 2,400 Baht electricity bill my basic electricity consumers without any aircon draw double.

[Razr]

Razr and Doctor Naan. Regarding Superblock and Q Con. I note they are both AAC but different makes. Are their any real important differences between these two products (think Superblock is slightly heavier)

1) quality.

2) properties.

3) Prices.

Most responders seem to refer to Q Con and my Builder seems more aware of Q Con and its availability than Superblock.

Q-Con has been around longer, and is manufactured/sold by the largest buling materials Co. in Thailand (Siam Cement Group - who retail as Home Mart). I only started seeing Superblock on the scene towards the end of our last construction - I had definitely not heard of it before we started building.

I can't comment on the differences in quality unfortunately, as I've never used/inspected the Superblock product. I do know that it is *marginally* cheaper, and apparently licenses the same AAC technology from Hebel in Germany. You'd imagine that the license agreement would specifiy a minimum product quality standard, but that of course wouldn't limit someone from producing a higher grade of product.

Actual costs to the site will vary, just like everyhting does in Thailand (i.e. a standard 19cm x 39cm breeze block costs 5Baht/ea in Isaan, vs 3.5-4B in the BKK area).

As a tubby ( kilos) who uses Air cons in the summer all night and needs them during some of the day I am getting the strong impression that even if I pay for the more expensive AAC blocks (single layer of 7.5 cm), compared to the red brick and even if I could not convince the Builder he should offset some of the price for less mortar and labour time I would still get my money back fairly quickly due to reduced Air con generated high electricity bills.

Would you both agree with that or am I underestimating the cooling effect Vs extra costs of the blocks?.

I would agree that it will save you money, if properly implemented. It will also presumably improve the longevity and value of the house too.

As for construction costs, there's just absolutely no doubt that your builder will be absolutely blown away by how much quicker, and better his construction work will go down when using AAC blocks. Thai builders can be somewhat funny when it comes to Farang giving them advice.. The best way to play it would be to ask him (or get the Mrs to ask) to remain open-minded, and I definitely would NOT be asking for a fixed quote until he's actually worked with the product. If you do that it's almost 100% guaranteed he'll overquote the job.

Is there any value in using Q con for exterior walls and not internal or would that be false economy. I ask because I do have to keep an eye on my expenses as I have used 80% of my resources on a new car, land and for this house (cheap for what I am getting).

The only real problem I can foresee with mixing it up is purely compatability. You'll lose the benefit of the inherent interlocking between the blocks on wall junctions. IMHO you'd need to tie junctions together using steel, which would no doubt end up costing more, and taking a considerably longer time to construct. I vote false economy.

[Razr]

Just a little more on efficiency..

Fact is, most heat enters your house through the windows, so positioning of the house in relation to the sun, window locations and sizes, and window treatments (tinting and curtains) should be your primary point of focus. The best window you can put in a house will still underperfom a thai brick wall for insulation.

Once you've got your windows out of the morning/afternoon sun, the next point of focus is ventilation/cirulation. Which may mean bigger windows, substituting windows for sliding doors, optimizing the layout of the internal rooms/hallways for better flow-through ventilation. Heat rises, so in a two storey house you want to be thinking about how to expel the heat coming up the stairwell - very few designs I've seen address this well. I used a row of hopper windows at celing height in my last construction, and it worked fantastically - whilst on the stairs you could feel a very noticable breeze running from downstairs, up, and out - enough to move your hair at times..

Once you've got all that sorted out, it's time to think about bricks.. But as you can see there's no too many people here advocating the use of breeze blocks or Thai bricks though

Edited March 19, 2008 by Razr

[gdhm]

1) whether the tinting sheets are expensive?

2) how clear they are to look through?

forget "tinting sheets" Dave! you get excellent and quality tinted glass which costs a fraction more than normal glass. i am of course comparing 6 or 8mm clear glass with 6 or 8 mm tinted glass. looking through you won't notice any difference. if you are willing to go the extra mile in energy saving -and your budget allows it- then take mirrored (coated) glass which is even darker, reflects UV and IR rays up to 80% and nobody can look through from the outside during day time. cost is an additional 10% but in my view it pays.

it looks like this:

I WILL do as you suggest Naam,

Thanks for the information. The extra 10% if that's about all it is (and I don't doubt you) has to be worth it to get that sort of reflective qualities and I am sure can quickly be saved back in reduced electrical Bills. I do not like overheating or having to make a choice between the electricity bill versus comfort (which I do now during the day at my rental). The whole house heats up and the bedrooms by 8pm are like walking into a glasshouse that's been in the sun all day - curtains are very light and although always drawn are pretty useless at heat prevention).

Do the tinted panes cut down much on light compared to clear. I was planning to cut down on some windows and increase brickwork BUT if mirrored tinted windows are effective and viable cost wise I could cut down a little less (IF the tinting severely reduces light into the house).

My Builder has quoted on a large number of windows. Too many IMHO even allowing for desire good light (i.e. bedroom 4m x 4.5m or 4.0 x 5 with windows on TWO walls measuring 2.5metres x 1mtre high each) seems high for a bedroom to me and just asking for overheating during the day via roof and windows.

Kind Regards

Dave

[Razr]

My Builder has quoted on a large number of windows. Too many IMHO even allowing for desire good light (i.e. bedroom 4m x 4.5m or 4.0 x 5 with windows on TWO walls measuring 2.5metres x 1mtre high each) seems high for a bedroom to me and just asking for overheating during the day via roof and windows.

It all depends if they're sun-catching windows or not.

In my last house, some bedrooms ended up with 2.4m x 1.8m windows (the ones out of the sunlight), which gave the rooms just fantastic light and ventilation. Windows on sunny sides were limited to approx 1.2m x 1.2m however. I also substituted windows/doors for 2.4m x 2.1m double sliding glass doors in many places to improve light and air flow.

I would definitely do this all again - it worked out fantastic.

[Naam]

My Builder has quoted on a large number of windows. Too many IMHO even allowing for desire good light (i.e. bedroom 4m x 4.5m or 4.0 x 5 with windows on TWO walls measuring 2.5metres x 1mtre high each) seems high for a bedroom to me and just asking for overheating during the day via roof and windows.

Kind Regards

Dave

most building departments require for the building permit a zillion windows in the plans to achieve cross ventilation and thus energy saving. in practice nobody follows up. my permit showed more windows then walls and if i had built like this my electricity bill would be sky high

question: what sense does it make to have big windows in a room where one sleeps at night? watching the full moon once a month?

[Naam]

Do the tinted panes cut down much on light compared to clear. I was planning to cut down on some windows and increase brickwork BUT if mirrored tinted windows are effective and viable cost wise I could cut down a little less (IF the tinting severely reduces light into the house).

only you can make a relevant decision. my case is different. i hate light and especially sunlight. during daytime all our thick curtains (with additional sunblock) are drawn close on the "sunny" side.

p.s. because i hate sun and heat i selected a cool country like Thailand to retire

[Naam]

The only real problem I can foresee with mixing it up is purely compatability. You'll lose the benefit of the inherent interlocking between the blocks on wall junctions. IMHO you'd need to tie junctions together using steel, which would no doubt end up costing more, and taking a considerably longer time to construct. I vote false economy.

i fully agree Razr! mixing without junctions could cause cracks because of the different expansion/contraction factors of the different materials. on the other hand the same problem might surface were superblock or brick is attached to the pillars of the concrete skeleton. no problems if the wire mesh under the final plaster spans at least 20cm left and right of the concrete pillar. common thai builders' practice is to cover the pillar only which is !

but let's not confuse Dave with too many potential problems. i have a feeling we are overfeeding him already

[gdhm]

The only real problem I can foresee with mixing it up is purely compatability. You'll lose the benefit of the inherent interlocking between the blocks on wall junctions. IMHO you'd need to tie junctions together using steel, which would no doubt end up costing more, and taking a considerably longer time to construct. I vote false economy.

i fully agree Razr! mixing without junctions could cause cracks because of the different expansion/contraction factors of the different materials. on the other hand the same problem might surface were superblock or brick is attached to the pillars of the concrete skeleton. no problems if the wire mesh under the final plaster spans at least 20cm left and right of the concrete pillar. common thai builders' practice is to cover the pillar only which is !

but let's not confuse Dave with too many potential problems. i have a feeling we are overfeeding him already

Thanks both Naam and Razr,

No you are not overfeeding me it all VERY helpful. I tend to have an analytical mind (even if insufficient) so if you had not raised soem of the comment you have then sooner or later there is a reasonable chance I would get around to wondering.

I accept both your opinions about not using different types of bricks for external and internal walls. I am no expert but what you both say seems to make perfect sense to me.

I am planning however to let my builder do his own thing for lentils and the first floor and ground floor and ceilings. Would I be correct in assuming the concerns you both have for walls do not apply to these and that he can use concrete or whatever he planned to use for these.

I found my Builders reluctance to go down the Q Con route was not so much his normal use and experience with Red Brick, But more to do with respect and Thai culture.

I asked about the Q Con blocks (based upon advice received here, and reading the internet links I was referred to).

The Builder is my wife's Uncle (only a small time builder, but a builder of single house projects all his life). We had agreed a price for the house. He knew Q con blocks are more expensive (and even with labour saving and mortar saving) he considered the price would increase due to the size of the house and number of rooms and walls. He was afraid I may expect him to switch to Q Con but keep to the original quoted price. He did not want to offend me by asking if that was what I expected so he moved into the indirect "avoid the situation" by showing reluctance and hoping I would cool on the idea.

Luckily, I guessed the possible problem and asked my wife to explain to him diplomatically, that If I ask about changes especially higher specification changes (and they are not too late for him to do) and these will cost more cost more than originally I OF COURSE expect to foot the extra bill.

Now we understand each other he is happy to do whatever I wish on that basis (I say what I am interested in he tells me the extra cost (if any) and I say Yes or No).

My Builder knows of a local supplier of Q Con. He says Global's Smart Ex4 at 18 Baht a Block I found today are NOT of the same quality or standard as Q Con (seems he HAS used Q con once before).

The price he believes Q Con blocks to be are 27 baht each for a 60 x 20 x7.5 . He asked me to check (for my comfort and knowledge which I will do). I have no idea if that is a correct or reasonable price, nor do I know how big Red bricks are or how many equal ONE Q Con block, nor do I know the price of a single red brick? If anybody has any idea I would appreciate the input.

Razr has suggested I go along with the Q Con blocks and deal with the exact price savings of labour after the event. I am not unhappy with this IF I had plenty of cash to cover any expensive surprise. Unfortunately, at the moment (not being able to speak Thai) I am having difficulty in finding out from my builder his cost for using and laying red bricks to build all walls in my house.

Unless I can at least compare the red brick plus mortar total costs with the Q Con plus its thin bead mortar costs for building my house I cannot see what the gross extra I will have to pay. To be honest at present I do not know if I am talking 50,000, 100,000 or 500,000 Baht or more (I really have NO idea). consequently I cannot agree anything until my builder says the total cost (excluding labour) for the red brick method or the Q Con method.

Roof Insulation

My Builder is planning to put foil under the tiles. he has told me a price. It sounds like the foil will be basic stuff. He is however, totally happy (when he gets to that stage) to find out the pricing of other BETTER heat resisting "foils" and I will decide which to use and I will pay the extra if I go for the higher specs.

Anyway, I will be laying some kind of thermal padded foil sheet on the attic floor area to act as a second barrier as the cost does not seem too high to have something beneficial.

I really appreciate all the input and pics given to me which are all invaluable.

I have one further query about a previously discussed issue.

I am also speaking on my Local Forum Khon Kaen and one Q Con user said he uses different plugs for Q Con blocks to hang his air cons and heavy items. However, on this Forum I have been told its perfectly OK to use the usual plugs as if for red bricks. I did find one site selling different types of plugs/screw fittings for AAC blocks.

Forgive me, but now I am unsure again. AS both of you I am sure have hung many items ranging from picture hooks to, shelves, air cons or Kitchen Wall cupboards I am sure your experiences will confirm if I do need to be cautious with attaching method for higher load (or in the case of Air cons vibrating as well) items when fixing to Q Con walls.

Kind regards

Dave

[Razr]

I don't have any paperwork handy to verify, but 27 Baht per block for the Q-Con *sounds* about right.

Notes:

* The mortar used for the 2mm course between AAC blocks is NOT the same as the mortar used for regular Thai bricks. Make sure your builder and supplier understand this clearly. The AAC mortar is more expensive, but then again you're using 80+% less product if applied correctly.

* Make sure your builder understands how to lay the AAC blocks, and also that they will only need half the rendering mortar compared to using Thai bricks. This is quite substantial both in materials and time.

* Everything from a fitted Italian kitchen to huge 24,000 BTU aircon units have been installed in my house, using whatever regular fittings the Thai tradespeople had at hand, and nothing is loose or falling off the walls.

* I've never heard of Global's "Smart Ex4" block, but it's worthwhile seeing if it also licenses Hebel's technology @ 18 Baht/ea.. As noted earlier, it's a gimme that Hebel are licensing both the technology and a minimum quality standard. Last time I was at a Global they were flogging Superblock, but as I wasn't building I didn't inquire about price unfortunately.

* For the upstairs ceilings you really should consider using the foil backed gypsum for additional insulation. It's only a couple of Baht extra per sheet over regular gypsum, but note that it's not moisture rated, so can't be used in bathrooms. Info here: http://www.siamgypsum.com/en/P0004.asp?p_t...1&p_id=0004 Of course additional insulation over and above this is never a bad idea, but as noted just stay away from fiber-filled batts (even the foil wrapped ones) otherwise you will have Ratatouille and friends as permanent guests

* The roof tile insulation (sisalation paper) we used was also a Siam Cement Group brand (signified by the Elephant Logo they use on everything). The labourers at our house installed it doubled-over (i.e. two thicknesses under the tiles). Wish I could tell you more, but I cant

Edited March 19, 2008 by Razr

[BigSnake]

Good luck

[gdhm]

Thanks Razr, SO QUICK and SO helpful!!

With regard to the ground and first floor base. Is it OK whatever my builder uses as he won't be connecting bricks/blocks but laying that all down before any brick work is done?

When you say fibre filled batts (please excuse my ignorance on building terms) do you mean something similar to some padded "silver foiled" sheets on both sides I saw today with an R rating of R14, R16 and R 19. (seemed about 1 inch thick). Or other stuff I saw stuff seems like fibre glass "feel" inside silver material 4 ins or 6 ins thick?

Dave

[Razr]

Thanks Razr, SO QUICK and SO helpful!!

With regard to the ground and first floor base. Is it OK whatever my builder uses as he won't be connecting bricks/blocks but laying that all down before any brick work is done?

When you say fibre filled batts (please excuse my ignorance on building terms) do you mean something similar to some padded "silver foiled" sheets on both sides I saw today with an R rating of R14, R16 and R 19. (seemed about 1 inch thick). Or other stuff I saw stuff seems like fibre glass "feel" inside silver material 4 ins or 6 ins thick?

Dave

The construction of the foundations, flooring, pillars and lintels for my AAC based house was identical to the construction methods/materials used in previous houses I've built using regular Thai bricks.

The only non-fiber filled insulation I'm familiar with is stuff that's really quite thin - at a guess it's ~3-4mm only, It looks pretty much the same as bubble-wrap used in shipping, and was R12 for memory. The only "fill" in it was air. My last construction project ended 15 months ago though, so I'm probably out of touch with what's available now on that front now I'm afraid.

Here's a pic of the tile insulation installed in my last house, JIC it can be of help:

Edited March 19, 2008 by Razr

[gdhm]

Thanks Razr, SO QUICK and SO helpful!!

With regard to the ground and first floor base. Is it OK whatever my builder uses as he won't be connecting bricks/blocks but laying that all down before any brick work is done?

When you say fibre filled batts (please excuse my ignorance on building terms) do you mean something similar to some padded "silver foiled" sheets on both sides I saw today with an R rating of R14, R16 and R 19. (seemed about 1 inch thick). Or other stuff I saw stuff seems like fibre glass "feel" inside silver material 4 ins or 6 ins thick?

Dave

The construction of the foundations, flooring, pillars and lintels for my AAC based house was identical to the construction methods/materials used in previous houses I've built using regular Thai bricks.

The only non-fiber filled insulation I'm familiar with is stuff that's really quite thin - at a guess it's ~3-4mm only, It looks pretty much the same as bubble-wrap used in shipping, and was R12 for memory. The only "fill" in it was air. My last construction project ended 15 months ago though, so I'm probably out of touch with what's available now on that front now I'm afraid.

Here's a pic of the tile insulation installed in my last house, JIC it can be of help:

Thanks Razr, SO QUICK and SO helpful!!

With regard to the ground and first floor base. Is it OK whatever my builder uses as he won't be connecting bricks/blocks but laying that all down before any brick work is done?

When you say fibre filled batts (please excuse my ignorance on building terms) do you mean something similar to some padded "silver foiled" sheets on both sides I saw today with an R rating of R14, R16 and R 19. (seemed about 1 inch thick). Or other stuff I saw stuff seems like fibre glass "feel" inside silver material 4 ins or 6 ins thick?

Dave

The construction of the foundations, flooring, pillars and lintels for my AAC based house was identical to the construction methods/materials used in previous houses I've built using regular Thai bricks.

The only non-fiber filled insulation I'm familiar with is stuff that's really quite thin - at a guess it's ~3-4mm only, It looks pretty much the same as bubble-wrap used in shipping, and was R12 for memory. The only "fill" in it was air. My last construction project ended 15 months ago though, so I'm probably out of touch with what's available now on that front now I'm afraid.

Here's a pic of the tile insulation installed in my last house, JIC it can be of help:

Very helpful Razr and thanks to you and others I think I am virtually there with all the Q & As.

I will go with R12 as R14 and R19 have quite considerable jumps in price. over the R12 specification by the same companies.

May I ask you a couple of final (simple, I think ) questions.

1) How many Thai standard red bricks (allowing for the mortar in between) equal the size of 1 Q con 60x20 x7.5 block and,

2) do you know the exact measurement of a Thai red brick and approx. price per brick.

I can then begin to try and work out myself the very approx. number of Q con bricks I would need and the potential "hit" to my wallet.

Thank you so much everybody who has replied and helped me.

My special thanks goes to Razr, Naam and Rimmer who have given me many and sometimes (very time consuming I am sure) detailed pieces of information to my extensive and varied questions.

Kindest regards to all

Dave

Dave

[Razr]

1) How many Thai standard red bricks (allowing for the mortar in between) equal the size of 1 Q con 60x20 x7.5 block and,

2) do you know the exact measurement of a Thai red brick and approx. price per brick.

1. Don't know unfortunately, and it is also quite variable depending on how thick the mortar course ends up. I've seen houses built with 20+mm of mortar, others with ~10mm of mortar.. However, according to the AAC manufacturers, you'll need 8.33 20x60cm blocks for each sqm of wall, as a guide. Maybe someone who's building using Thai bricks can do some counting for us?

2. Price was ~1 Baht/ea last time I bought them, but that was a few years ago now.

Sorry, I'm out of touch here!

[lioness]

I think you should cancel the builder, how about you put on a keg or 2 and a Bar B and we'll all come and sort it out for you.

[gdhm]

I think you should cancel the builder, how about you put on a keg or 2 and a Bar B and we'll all come and sort it out for you.

Very kind, but I am committed and he seems very dedicated. Provided the house well built I am quite happy giving him the job as it helps the wife's family and one or two lesser family members who are working for him.

Regards

Dave

[gdhm]

1) How many Thai standard red bricks (allowing for the mortar in between) equal the size of 1 Q con 60x20 x7.5 block and,

2) do you know the exact measurement of a Thai red brick and approx. price per brick.

1. Don't know unfortunately, and it is also quite variable depending on how thick the mortar course ends up. I've seen houses built with 20+mm of mortar, others with ~10mm of mortar.. However, according to the AAC manufacturers, you'll need 8.33 20x60cm blocks for each sqm of wall, as a guide. Maybe someone who's building using Thai bricks can do some counting for us?

2. Price was ~1 Baht/ea last time I bought them, but that was a few years ago now.

Sorry, I'm out of touch here!

No problem Razr

Thanks for trying to give me an idea

Sounds like those that use 20mm + mortar may as well build with concrete blocks as they sound to be almost more concrete mortar than red brick

Kind Regards

Dave

Dave

[gdhm]

Razr and Doctor Naan. Regarding Superblock and Q Con. I note they are

Is there any value in using Q con for exterior walls and not internal or would that be false economy. I ask because I do have to keep an eye on my expenses as I have used 80% of my resources on a new car, land and for this house (cheap for what I am getting).

The only real problem I can foresee with mixing it up is purely compatibility. You'll lose the benefit of the inherent interlocking between the blocks on wall junctions. IMHO you'd need to tie junctions together using steel, which would no doubt end up costing more, and taking a considerably longer time to construct. I vote false economy.

I know Naam agrees completely with you as well Razr and I can see the logic.

Having looked carefully at my architects plans I have noticed that ALL INTERNAL walls are between reinforced columns (already erected now at my site) and NONE will come into actual contact with the outside walls (which are also between reinforced columns floors and ceilings.

Consequently I am wondering;

1) Purely because of this fact, should I get a little strapped for cash, would I be correct in thinking that the juncture/compatibility/possible need for steel problems will not apply in MY build and that the use of red brick on some/all internal walls will be OK if cash necessitates PROVIDED I do not mix the the two types between pillars.

I cannot find a wall that is not between a pillar (either inside or outside).

2) I understand it is important a thick normal width layer of mortar goes between the wall floor base and the FIRST layer of Q Con block resting on it (to iron out irregularities of the base). Would this be normal mortar or a thick layer of the special Q con thin bead mortar.

ALSO

am I correct in assuming that this thicker layer is required a the top between the top layer Q con block and ceiling and ALSO between side pillar and Q Con block ends.

3) do builders ever use a small layer of red bricks for any small gap between top Q Con block and ceiling or should they always cut up a Q Con block to do this if there is a gap.

I expect my builder knows all these answers but if I also know then I can nip any errors quickly in the bud as he likes my wife and I to visit site daily to inspect and make any comments/concerns known.

I apologise if any of these questions and assumptions seem ignorant.

Regards

Dave

Edited March 21, 2008 by gdhm

[Naam]

Having looked carefully at my architects plans I have noticed that ALL INTERNAL walls are between reinforced columns (already erected now at my site) and NONE will come into actual contact with the outside walls (which are also between reinforced columns floors and ceilings.

Consequently I am wondering;

1) Purely because of this fact, should I get a little strapped for cash, would I be correct in thinking that the juncture/compatibility/possible need for steel problems will not apply in MY build and that the use of red brick on some/all internal walls will be OK if cash necessitates PROVIDED I do not mix the the two types between pillars.

Dave

logical thinking from your side Dave. you won't have any problems using red brick.