Why Concrete For Everything?

[dixonbm]

Can someone please explain to me in detail why concrete is used to build everything in Thailand? I've been to home in the Caribbean and they don't make everything out of concrete.

I understand it is cheaper. I also understand termites can be a problem.

I don't live there, but am financing various projects for my in-laws. I'm dumbfounded by some of the asinine design ideas that I've seen.

Presently my wife wants to build an outdoor kitchen with shelves above and below a countertop - all made from poured concrete! I feel that if I'm financing a project like this I want it to be somewhat ascetically pleasing. What about cabinet doors? I'm no building expert so I lack the knowledge to find what I want.

Does anyone have any suggestions as to alternatives to concrete? Surely there is an alternative.

Thank you for your help!

[Pomthai]

Well you answered you're question on the second line of your post.

However, don't under estimate the concrete kitchen, there's many ways to make it aesthetically pleasing. Mine is a of a western design with decent granite counter tops throughout and solid teak wood cupboard doors throughout. With all of the finishing etc cost me around 200K, if I had gone with one of the western kitchen companies I would have paid over double that to achieve damned close to the same end result.

[chiangmaibruce]

Yeah, one thing I have learnt from the little bit of renovating I have done here - don't dismiss the standard Thai approach too quickly. It might appear to be a bit cheap/ugly/unfinished to our eyes but sometimes it is quite practical - in more ways than one.

One important issue is that this is what the local builders know how to do - ask them to do something in different materials and design and you are asking for serious heartache. You will end up paying much more for something that neither you nor the Thais are happy with.

If you are talking kitchen furniture your alternatives are aluminium, plastic, timber (mainly plywood/veneer), the full western kitchen treatment (bought as a module), or build-it-yourself.

Also be aware that standard heights in farangland are not standard here, for e.g. benchtop heights.

[PattayaParent]

Main reasons are termites as you said, and water which will destroy wood/mdf kitchen furniture quickly

[Rimmer]

Can someone please explain to me in detail why concrete is used to build everything in Thailand? I've been to home in the Caribbean and they don't make everything out of concrete.

I understand it is cheaper. I also understand termites can be a problem.

I don't live there, but am financing various projects for my in-laws. I'm dumbfounded by some of the asinine design ideas that I've seen.

Presently my wife wants to build an outdoor kitchen with shelves above and below a countertop - all made from poured concrete! I feel that if I'm financing a project like this I want it to be somewhat ascetically pleasing. What about cabinet doors? I'm no building expert so I lack the knowledge to find what I want.

Does anyone have any suggestions as to alternatives to concrete? Surely there is an alternative.

Thank you for your help!

Lots of granite here to make concrete from.

Does not blow away with the first puff of wind unlike US built wood houses.

Does not float away either when it floods.

I knew a guy in UK that made a set of concrete teeth, swore by them as well.

Take your wife down to the local Home Mart/pro/works shops and show her the range of white or wood finish plastic cabinets available with beautiful doors and built in screens to keep out the critters, They can be mounted on the floor and fitted with a granite counter top or on the walls as wall cabinets. they look crisp clean and professional when built into a kitchen and can be hosed down and are termite proof.

Edited December 14, 2008 by Rimmer

[kamalabob2]

The above 3 answers are 100% correct. I had both a brick / poured concrete INDOOR and exterior concrete kitchen built with granite counter tops. The interior kitchen had plenty of windows so not much in the way of wall hung cabinets. The interior kitchen has custom wood cabinets and sliding drawers (not real expensive) built in our garage by a wood crew. We used good quality Hafele full suspension drawer glides and door hinges. The interior Kitchen has tile on the entire interior of the lower cabinets. I did price out outfiting the kitchen via the brands sold all over Thailand by various merchants such as Home Pro, Home Works, Index, but the price per square meter was LOWER with with the concrete and wood on site by local labor construction method.

The exterior THAI KITCHEN is brick /poured Concrete, granite counter top, tiled walls and full tile INTERIOR of the lower cabinets. We used some KING brand PVC type doors for the exterior kitchen cabinets. Inexpensive Tile goes to the ceiling in both kitchens.

A "concrete" exterior Thai Kitchen need not be boring nor does it need to cost much money. It is a great place to have family cook chili.

We bought display model sinks, and closeout tile, exhaust fan, kitchen H.O.B. We had a granite sink fabricated by the "Kitchen Counter Man" who built the kitchens with two assistants. I had an exterior "laundry counter' built by the location of the clothes washing machine.

Poured reinforced concrete and red brick counters are a fair price in Thailand and local granite counter tops are an "affordable luxury" for Expats here, where in California it would be financially impossible for me to purchase granite counter tops. The photos show the steel in all of the "poured concrete" counter tops. After building the kitchens I see the VALUE of both interior and especially EXTERIOR kitchens as they prepare 4 or 5 meals daily. When the flying insects are troublesome they cook indoors. A good "Kitchen counter builder" can quote you a price with materials or just for labor and you buy the materials once you have a size.

[kamalabob2]

Dixonbm: The four answers from POMTHAI, CHAING MAI BRUCE, PATTAYA PARENT and RIMMER are spot on. If you spend some time with the person who will build your concrete exterior kitchen or even laundry area be aware of the WIND and how it effects the gas cooking burners as well as the INTERIOR dimensions of your exterior Kitchen counter which is where you might place your cooking gas TANK. It has been my experience in Thailand that "floors" get "higher" as they add more layers of concrete than you thought possible.

The inexpensive EXTERIOR Thai kitchen with a Franke double Sink and Siemens two burner cook top is 82cm high, 60cm front to back and 373 cm left to right. There are three sets of PVC cabinet doors. The Exterior Laundry counter is 82cm high, 70 cm front to back and 210 cm left to right. Our interior kitchen counters are 89cm high.

We had limited space on this rear veranda and if I was in your position I would consider a deeper Thai Kitchen. Your family will find ways to fill up that space with ingredients and cookware. My wife said the wind is a real consideration and they do not like to cook in the evening outside due to flying insects. "Closeout" and "B" grade tile is what we bought for the exterior kitchen and laundry area. The granite counter tops was lower priced granite. The sinks both have "U" traps or "P" traps. The Kitchen sink water faucets have both hot and cold due to the piping coming from the other side of the wall with a connection to the Steibel Eltron multiple point water heater which heats water for the interior kitchen sinks. We did install grounded sockets for the laundry area, but we decided to pass on electric sockets for the Kitchen if the mandatory Rice Cooker was to be placed on the INSIDE kitchen counter.

Everyone has their own individual idea of what makes a kitchen attractive. I hope these pictures give you an idea of an inexpensive exterior Thai kitchen in a limited space that will enable the cooking of delicious home cooked and BBQ food.

[Rimmer]

Some good looking concrete kitchens on show here today folks.

How could anyone want to get involved with those cheap chipboard cabinets with imitation marble tops that delaminate is totally beyond me. If ever I return to UK (heaven forbid) My kitchen will be made from termite proof concrete and nice crisp plastic doors that open and close easily and don't warp. Topped off with a nice granite top. Only problem maybe I would most likely have to fly in the workers to build it and the granite to top it off.

[loong]

Kamalabob2

Very nice looking kitchen, It looks like you found a rare breed - craftsmen who take pride in their work.

what sort of costs are involved here? Granite per Sq meter etc. and any other info on costs

Thanks

[GungaDin]

Kamalabob2

Very nice looking kitchen, It looks like you found a rare breed - craftsmen who take pride in their work.

what sort of costs are involved here? Granite per Sq meter etc. and any other info on costs

Thanks

Seconded.

Could we have a contact for the craftsmen too?

Superb work!

[samuibeachcomber]

Yes concrete is cheap but is a heavy pollutant,and yes its the only way thais no how how to build nice modern houses so you are probably stuck with it.

double cavity brick is best for temperature control for summer heat and winter cold.

but the very best i think but most expensive is western cedar timber,but you would n't have the skilled workers here in thialand to build a house this way.