The New House Build Begins

[Lickey]

Another consideration is "genuine" stainless steel fittings in wet/shower room, from the bum gun hose to the screws/poprivets that hold the window frame and hinges ect, and absoulutley anywhere there is moisture, kitchen,washing machine room ect,

This is something i overlooked 15 mnts ago, but im gradually replacing screws ect before the heads round off.

Foul water soakaways, they need a breather pipe higher than the house or away from the house, and a direct as possible route into the soakaway is favorite,Thais have a habit of washing food down the sink, and if it gets past the U bend, it could stop at the next angle bend, I keep a bag of caustic soda handy for such emergencies,

As for AC tonight, well, i need a heater!! its 20c inside and 17 outside,

Cheers, Lickey,

[surinmike]

Well, the first foundations for my house in Issan went in today, we are on track for the house to be completed in 3 months, won't hold my breath though. I am choosing Panasonic A/C units for the bedrooms/living room,

if the headaches havn't started all ready ......wait till you walk away from your personal monument to isaan.................it never stays nice for long..............

[MJP]

Well, the first foundations for my house in Issan went in today, we are on track for the house to be completed in 3 months, won't hold my breath though. I am choosing Panasonic A/C units for the bedrooms/living room,

if the headaches havn't started all ready ......wait till you walk away from your personal monument to isaan.................it never stays nice for long..............

Lucky to have an incredible builder. Had to go on waiting list this time. The last one he built for me looks exactly the same 6 years on.

[kenk3z]

Oh, another thing. Check to see how close the well water will be drilled to the cesspool or septic system. I've seen some on the same side of the house within a few meters of each other.

What is the design of the typical septic system for sewage? One typical American-style system is a large concrete holding tank (maybe four meters cubed) with a drainfield. The solids stay in the tank to be pumped out every few years, and the fluids are dispersed in the ground by the drain field. You want the well water system physically distant from the sewage-fluid dispersal system.....

Is the "advanced" Thai system the same thing? No need to explain the basic system.....

kenk3z

[TexasRanger]

Oh, another thing. Check to see how close the well water will be drilled to the cesspool or septic system. I've seen some on the same side of the house within a few meters of each other.

What is the design of the typical septic system for sewage? One typical American-style system is a large concrete holding tank (maybe four meters cubed) with a drainfield. The solids stay in the tank to be pumped out every few years, and the fluids are dispersed in the ground by the drain field. You want the well water system physically distant from the sewage-fluid dispersal system.....

Is the "advanced" Thai system the same thing? No need to explain the basic system.....

kenk3z

Hi, we have the well dug on the opposite side of the land from the septic tanks system which is the same as you describe. The well hit water at 36 metres.

[TexasRanger]

Thanks for all the good info people have posted here, so far not many headaches, the columns are up and in another 12-14 days they will start with the roof framework. I am in the process of choosing lighting (downlights) and other bits and peices, the prices seem a bit cheaper up cpuntry but not a massive difference from Bangkok for what we need. The water guy has turned up to do the well and we now have our own water supply. I might have time to go up and have a look in a few days so might be able to get some pictures done.

[Bpraim1]

good luck on the build, I have just finished to build a house out here in Issan country. hee hee

Will test our mind and breaking point. but will b all laugh's in the end!

Good luck

[TexasRanger]

I think you are right, I spent a truckload of money today on furniture and fittings, makes me cringe but I am sure it will be worth it in the end. Anyone got any recommendations on spotlight brands? The generic ones here look a bit cheap but if they are OK I will use them.

[khunandy]

Headache One:

Builder just called to say he has bought electricity cable and some kind of 30 amp breaker to supply power for his tools etc. He seemed to be under the impression that we would pay for it. I asked the mrs if he thought I would pay for all his other tools as well. Anyway, my rep is going to visit him and give him the bad news, I know things are different here but to me that is just cheeky expecting me to pay for his tools. We are paying him 35,000 for his fee and obviously paying for building materials but I draw the line at paying for his tools too.

Mate...please, please be very vigilant on what he is wiring your house for 15 or 30 etc amps seem to be at their "can do" opinion. I have problems from sparkies NOT FOLLOWING building plans in my absence. All sheeted off before my return and the wife non the wiser..

I have an ongoing"never to be resolved" hassle now due to this problem.

[TexasRanger]

Headache One:

Builder just called to say he has bought electricity cable and some kind of 30 amp breaker to supply power for his tools etc. He seemed to be under the impression that we would pay for it. I asked the mrs if he thought I would pay for all his other tools as well. Anyway, my rep is going to visit him and give him the bad news, I know things are different here but to me that is just cheeky expecting me to pay for his tools. We are paying him 35,000 for his fee and obviously paying for building materials but I draw the line at paying for his tools too.

Mate...please, please be very vigilant on what he is wiring your house for 15 or 30 etc amps seem to be at their "can do" opinion. I have problems from sparkies NOT FOLLOWING building plans in my absence. All sheeted off before my return and the wife non the wiser..

I have an ongoing"never to be resolved" hassle now due to this problem.

Will do mate, I am just in the process of working out what I need in the way of ampergae for my breakers, any recommendations gratefully received, I am thinking of using 2 seperate 8x breaker units.

[kamalabob2]

I do not have any "spot lights", but I did purchase a few "downlights" which are mounted in the gypsum ceilings of our home, AFTER the ceilings were painted. It was SIMPLE and CHEAP to have MORE THAN ONE Panasonic wall switch (a 2 way switch!) control lighting in each room. So depending on which room entrance door OR a switch by the bed you can control each SET OF CEILING "DOWNLIGHTS". In your bathroom, bedroom or any other room you can easily have more than one set (one light even) controlled per switch. So if you want brighter light for shaving, but less illumination at night time in a bathroom you can easily have different wattage bulbs in Downlight fixtures on separate switches. It was way less money than buying a good wall dimmer and suitable dimming bulbs, to just go with SEPARATE sets of ceiling lights.

On the Internet are good web sites for L & E, BEC, and www.lamptitude.NET (which is a division of PEMCO), etc... I have visited the large Bangkok headquarters showroom of L & E and a good Lamptitude retail showroom. Once you find the models you like, depending on the quantity you want you can obtain written prices from INDEPENDENT electric shops, get a price from dealers such as Home Pro, Home Mart or Home Works or even a price direct from the manufacturer.

I have many BEC Downlight 1148 which was easy to install (the electricians made a "template" to cut the ceiling gypsum, and easy for cleaning flying insects. You can NOT see what bulb you install in this model, and NOT all compact florescent bulbs would fit, but they have been 100% dependable. We obtained the lowest price (40% discount) on this model (you can see it at many Home Pros) from an Independent dealer in Buriram.

In two walk in closets, our pump room, garage and for exterior covered Veranda lighting we wanted bright, non flicker lighting with high resistance to flying insects. The Panasonic Inverter Ceiling light (round tube) model HAT9520E was a good value on sale at Home Pro. This Panasonic model is far superior to the previous similar NON INVERTER ceiling lights in our rental. They have a nice "Home Lighting" brochure from Panasonic at Home Pro and Home Works. No starter or ballast for you to buy or quickly wear out.

We have had perfect service with no failures from the L & E exterior column lights. We have either Philips LED lights or Osram CFL bulbs in these decorative column light fixtures. Lampitude has some very well built downlights which in my opinion is worth the trip to see in person if you are near a Lamptitude showroom. A 32% discount from printed list price and free shipping was not difficult to obtain for a bank transfer, not credit card sale.

In our "two step" ceilings for "hidden" fixtures we have T5 Philips lighting fixtures which are inexpensive and they come complete with the bulb.

You might consider one or two Panasonic SQT553 Stand-By Light for your new home as the lights will go out. This light is readily available and often at a fair discount at most Modern Trade stores.

If you are considering a "gate" light be sure to have the wires run during fence construction and the control switches operated inside your home.

There is no excuse for any TWIST AND TAPE electrical connections on ANY wiring in your home when suitable sized electric "wire nuts" are readily available and inexpensive in Thailand.

The Independent shop we purchased the majority of our lighting fixtures has a REAL RETURN POLICY on all fixtures and Osram compact florescent bulbs.

A light fixture(s) you really should consider to installing is one or MORE long florescent (T5 perhaps) in your ATTIC!!! You WILL have the need to go into the attic and it is cheap to install a 200 to 250 baht good T5 fixture in the attic during construction so you can see "leaks in your roof tile" before a leak damages your gypsum ceiling. Fumble with a flashlight or have bright light, the choice is yours when you are waking on a ceiling beam.

Perhaps some fellow Thai Visa Forum members have recommendations on dependable motion detector lighting.

[Costas2008]

Well, the first foundations for my house in Issan went in today, we are on track for the house to be completed in 3 months, won't hold my breath though. I am choosing Panasonic A/C units for the bedrooms/living room, any positive or negative comments welcomed on that one as I have never bought A/C before, only rented.

The house will be from that government house plan book that all Issan conrtractors seem to have (the one with Thaksins smiling face on the front), it is a 3 bed single story but adapted from the plans (after much messing around with autocad to get the dimensions right). Looking at a total of not more than 1.4 Mil.

Just waiting for the headaches to start......

[/quo

[Costas2008]

Well, the first foundations for my house in Issan went in today, we are on track for the house to be completed in 3 months, won't hold my breath though. I am choosing Panasonic A/C units for the bedrooms/living room, any positive or negative comments welcomed on that one as I have never bought A/C before, only rented.

The house will be from that government house plan book that all Issan conrtractors seem to have (the one with Thaksins smiling face on the front), it is a 3 bed single story but adapted from the plans (after much messing around with autocad to get the dimensions right). Looking at a total of not more than 1.4 Mil.

Just waiting for the headaches to start......

Wish you the Best of Luck for the new house.

I have been using Panasonic a/c for the past 2 years and I am quite satisfied with them, but make sure you get the right BTU for the room space you are using them, otherwise can be quite expensive to run them.

Please be very careful with the plumbing conections, specialy if you are using an electric pump.

Isaan contractors are not very profesional in this area.

I had a lot of problems with pipes coming apart.

Take care and Best regards

[Bpraim1]

Your respondents have picked out the key issues. It's the detail that trips you up! As an overview Thai's tend to major on how impressive the building is when first completed and not on how durable it is. This leads to selection of poor quality materials, particularely things like windows, doors and paint! And of course the omission of things we would take for granted like U bends!

Be vey carefull in criticising Thai electrics. It is not necessarily a good idea to have a strong earth connection - you might find you finish up pulling down all the faults in all the houses on the local grid! Rather concentrate on having RCD protection on any socket outlets and ELCB protection on the complete installation. It might be worth specifying a ring main for the socket outlets with UK or continental sockets though. The Thais don't generally do high current plug in devices and you might want to use some. Thai style sockets and normal wiring sizes are unsuitable.

I concur heavily with the anti A/C lobby but for a different reason. Thais live much of their lives outside the house, and continually going in and out of cold air will give you colds and chills. Instead fit insulation into the roof space and onto any walls that catch the sun (or shade with trees etc) to minimise the heat gain of the house. By all means keep your options open for later by putting in provision for pipe runs and electrics.

I bet nobady has thought of how to provide hot water to your bathroom and shower. If they have it will probably be electric, but why not provide some solar hot water panels? You can buy easily in Bangkok. You need to think about how to install as they may need some stronger roof structure to sit on or an adjacent bespoke "tower". As of today they are not an economic proposition because of the bizarely low price of electricity - but surely that can't last?

If you want a thernmostatic mixer tap for your shower you're going to have to bring it from outside Thailand - I have yet to find one for sale in the Kingdom.

Best of luck!

Chris

Can you please explain yourself better on what you mean. I have my house wired with all sockets grounded, strongly! Correctly!

[pab]

Thanks for all the good info people have posted here, so far not many headaches, the columns are up and in another 12-14 days they will start with the roof framework. I am in the process of choosing lighting (downlights) and other bits and peices, the prices seem a bit cheaper up cpuntry but not a massive difference from Bangkok for what we need. The water guy has turned up to do the well and we now have our own water supply. I might have time to go up and have a look in a few days so might be able to get some pictures done.

Reading all the above sounds like you have had some really good advise TR. My small addition is re your well water supply. Our well is 35 meters down and from a supply aspect we have never had any problems (apart from a problem or 2 with pumps). However, our well water is highly calcified and this can cause some headaches over time with certain appliances, especially washing machines and a hot water service if you have one. We have installed a range of filters to significantly reduce this problem but we have not completely solved it. So at least have your water tested by a reputable dealer if you can...the contents might surprise you!!!

Good luck mate...sounds like you are pretty much on top of things and we all wish you well.

[torrenova]

From seeing a few new builds around Thailand I'll throw in a couple of comments apart from the obvious control of costs (I've seen near identical houses get built for 800k and over 2m !!!).

Bathrooms - Bigger is better, period. Too often I've seen bathrooms which are too small after putting in the shower, walls, cabinets etc.

Kitchens - maintain the fridge, working area, cooker lineage. I'd always have a Thai kitchen as well.

Laundry room / utility room - under the eaves at the back of the house (or at the side with an extension to the original design. Secure with doors but it keeps the laundry and storage separate from the daily living area.

Garage - if having one, consider the opening of both doors on the car ! Include water and electric as well.

Garden - make sure you have sufficient water outlets. No fun trying to manipulate a 50m hose.

Windows - buy the best you can.

Hot water for sinks etc. You can use a mixer tap connected to a shower heater which activates on water pressure. I'd use the same under the bathroom sink to power the bath and shower hot water a well. I've used both to great effect.

Water pump - but well. Get more than you need and protect in a purpose built storage unit to protect from rain and sun etc.

Fans - ceiling fans a must in most rooms.

Bedrooms - consider that some Thais won't sleep facing certain directions. Try to make the bedrooms so that the large bed can be positioned in more than one position. This basically just requires thought as to windows and electric outlets.

Hot towel rails - I'd put them in the bathrooms. They create little heat and dry towels out nicely.

Aircon - if way up north where it gets cold, consider aircon units which act as heaters as well. We had these in Japan to great effect.

Security - don't forget doors when detailing security. Too often I see well protected windows with very poor main entrance security. Those slide along mosquito screens are not security. One push and they are off !

[TexasRanger]

I have finally met the electrician who also owns the window company, I had a list of my own requirements regarding electrical safety, grounding, cable sizes and amperage etc. and instead of telling him what I wanted I asked him what he would recommend and to my pleasant surprise he was right in all aspects, I have heard so much negative feedback from people about Thai tradesmen that I almost expect to be having problems with everyone but it appears not to be so.....so far. The electrician explained to me about grounding that it has been law for some time now to have new installation correctly earthed.

We bought a load of stuff from showers and was basins to dowlights and kitchen cabinets which is all being delivered tomorrow.

The septic tanks are in and the pipework for waste water has been laid in the foundations.

The builder and his crew are using modern power tools and seem to be doing a good job, I am impressed so far, the builder also has a new house almost completed by his other crew about a mile away and we have been there and to another finished property and it has been nice to see the finished product.

We were talking to the window guy yesterday about window security grills, I think they look awful oustide and we will be having tinted glass with blinds so I don't think anyone will see them inside so I am debating whether I will install them or not. I know a determined thief will get in no matter what so I might make extra security lights outside the perimeter and do away with the grills altogether. I am thinking to have 5 mm glass in the windows which will be PVC.

I reduce the width of our kitchen to gove a bigger bedroom and the additional outside kitchen area will now be half the length of the house but the roof will go all the way along the house so we have a rear covered area the whole length at the back.

I was not going to have a water tank but our pump and well water is very powerful so I think a tank will be needed to smooth the water output to enable heating for the shower etc.

I am arranging to have someone test the water to see what the quality is.

So far so good, fingers still crossed.

[TexasRanger]

Now I am back in the city and have a "decent" internet conncetion I have managed to upload some pics of the progress so far, I must admit I am impressed by what I have seen so far.

Progress Pictures

[Dave the Dude]

Hi Jack

Good to post pictures, it brings back memories of when we went through the 'crazyness.'

Keep a watchful eye on the builders and I hope you will be happy in your new home as we are.

Its still standing after 3 years and has faired quite well

Dave

[rick75]

Great Pictures, they seem to be making good progress.

Best of luck with the rest of the build.

[TexasRanger]

Well, I have been busy lately as you can imagine but the house is finished. There were a few headaches towards the end but i am sure this is normal. The builder did a good job but the problem is just that, he is a builder, not a carpenter and not a plumber but he insisted on telling me he could do it all and guess what....

Plenty of water leaks and other such minor cock ups but we got there in the end.

Budget wise we were quoted about 1.4 Mil for the build but after all was said and done the final cost came in at 1.5 Mil but this included A/C and full furnishing so we did pretty well, this was using good quality materials and we were just lucky that at the time the price of rebar etc was down. We were also lucky in that the electricity for the 3+ months of building, welding etc. cost us 2 Baht!! Some kind of promotion for new subscribers.

I was not so happy with the windows we had fitted from a security point of view and although I originaly was against having security grilles I decided that they would be a good idea considering the amount of time the place will be empty. I found a good place that made nice strong grilles in a nice design that doesn't look like prison bars, we also have 3 emergency exits in the event of a fire so I am happy with that.

One thing I didn't anticipate was the water pump turning on and off for up to an hour when the tank was almost full due to a crappy ball valve, I have now fitted a liquid level sensor, it was easy to fit and only cost 400 Baht so now the pump is much more efficient.

I was very lucky to find an electrician who worked in the UAE for 3 years under Engllish electricians and his knowledge was very good indeed, of all the contractors this guy really knew his stuff.

The local builders merchant were a bit arrogant at times so I made a point of switching suppliers and giving all my business to another shop and this really hit them where it hurt so that was satisfying.

I only lost my temper twice with the builder when he was blatantly bullshitting me and it had the required effect and we got it done, I am happy that we finished the job on a good note with all the contractors.

Never trust your builder to measure things correctly, I provided mine with detailed autocad drawings and pictures and he still managed to cock a few things up. Most were easily rectified though.

Here are a few pics of the house, overall i am quite happy.

Pictures

[Macx]

Congrats! Looks great.

I first read your OP a few months ago and was wondering how you were doing. Glad to hear it all went well in the end. Did you have to entice the builder with some bonuses to finish on time? Were you on time, more or less?

Again, congrats! And may you have many, many happy years there!

Cheers

[TexasRanger]

Congrats! Looks great.

I first read your OP a few months ago and was wondering how you were doing. Glad to hear it all went well in the end. Did you have to entice the builder with some bonuses to finish on time? Were you on time, more or less?

Again, congrats! And may you have many, many happy years there!

Cheers

Thanks vvery much indeed. I had a written contract with the builder to pay in stages over the 3 months and the house was to be built in no more than 3 months, I made it clear that I would fine him for days over the contract period and he said (half jokingly) that he would fine me for every day he was early.

It turned out the housee was finished overall by the 3 month mark and we were able to move in on the date we wanted to but they had to keep coming back to fix water leaks so they ran over time.

In the end I didn't fine them but I did keep final payment back until I was fully satisfied all the work was completed. I probably cost myself a day because I caught them putting screws in with a hammer and sat and watched them screw them in after that

My "plumber" was dismissed after day 2, almost every joint he made leaked and in the end I had to get someone else in, one problem here is that some of these guys seem to think they will lose face if they can't do something so they tell you they can, then when it all goes wrong they get bollocked and lose face anyway.

This was meant to be a holiday home away from our rented appt in bangkok but the more I stay here the more I like it and I am not sure now if it is actually worth paying 25k a month for an apartment that we might not be using much. Since I have been accepted into the village and am on very friendly terms with everyone I feel very much at home here indeed and with the "Western" luxuries in the house am very comfortable.

[InSiSongkram]

Great to see you finished the house looks good well done not an easy job I know. I notice a few pieces I have bought myself from Home Mart where did you end up buying things like wardrobes and sofas from?

I hope you are very happy there enjoy.

[TexasRanger]

Great to see you finished the house looks good well done not an easy job I know. I notice a few pieces I have bought myself from Home Mart where did you end up buying things like wardrobes and sofas from?

I hope you are very happy there enjoy.

Thanks a lot, I got most of the supplies for the bathroom and tiles etc. and the kitchen stuff from Sakorn Home Centre and all the furniture I got from Koncept furniture, also in Sakorn Nakorn. The rest of the basics (steel cement etc.) I got locally in Sri Songkram.

I was surprised at the quality of the stuff from Koncept, it is very sturdy stuff, I would buy from them again for sure.

[InSiSongkram]

If you have a location for the Koncept store let me know as I`m buying bits and pieces from where I see and find best at the moment it`s not easy as I`m sure you have found out.

Great to see you finished the house looks good well done not an easy job I know. I notice a few pieces I have bought myself from Home Mart where did you end up buying things like wardrobes and sofas from?

I hope you are very happy there enjoy.

Thanks a lot, I got most of the supplies for the bathroom and tiles etc. and the kitchen stuff from Sakorn Home Centre and all the furniture I got from Koncept furniture, also in Sakorn Nakorn. The rest of the basics (steel cement etc.) I got locally in Sri Songkram.

I was surprised at the quality of the stuff from Koncept, it is very sturdy stuff, I would buy from them again for sure.

[TexasRanger]

I will check, do you know Sakorn well?

I also think I have a catalogue of their stuff if you want it I could drop it off for you, do you actually live in Sri Songram itself?

If you have a location for the Koncept store let me know as I`m buying bits and pieces from where I see and find best at the moment it`s not easy as I`m sure you have found out.

Great to see you finished the house looks good well done not an easy job I know. I notice a few pieces I have bought myself from Home Mart where did you end up buying things like wardrobes and sofas from?

I hope you are very happy there enjoy.

Thanks a lot, I got most of the supplies for the bathroom and tiles etc. and the kitchen stuff from Sakorn Home Centre and all the furniture I got from Koncept furniture, also in Sakorn Nakorn. The rest of the basics (steel cement etc.) I got locally in Sri Songkram.

I was surprised at the quality of the stuff from Koncept, it is very sturdy stuff, I would buy from them again for sure.

[TexasRanger]

If you have a location for the Koncept store let me know as I`m buying bits and pieces from where I see and find best at the moment it`s not easy as I`m sure you have found out.

I have PM'd you the directions.

[chuckd]

Nice looking place. Looks very comfortable but I don't envy you the yard work to get it going.

I, too, used Koncept, in Udorn, to furnish our house up-country. Bought some of the same stuff you ended up with. I've been using Koncept for years in furnishing both my homes and have always been pleased with the quality.

[TexasRanger]

Nice looking place. Looks very comfortable but I don't envy you the yard work to get it going.

I, too, used Koncept, in Udorn, to furnish our house up-country. Bought some of the same stuff you ended up with. I've been using Koncept for years in furnishing both my homes and have always been pleased with the quality.

Thanks very much but I am not too worried about the yard, most of it will be grass but i do plan to build a gym at some point in the future, just debating if I should build my own equipment or buy the stuff.

Anyway, at long last I have got around to getting most of the photos uploaded now I am in Bangkok and have a fast internet connection.

So here is the full lot from the raw land to as it is today, current status is wall is nearly finished then we will just have to buy the stainless steel gates and front railings. There's a lot of pics here, most are boring but when I was looking for house building info I scraped around all over to find pics so I hope it helps someone. (please let me know if they don't work).

Issan House Pics Full Set