Chalet For Guests

[Mahseer]

Have been knocking about the idea of having separate guest quarters built and was looking to go with teak/rosewood but after visiting upteen places in Uttaradit and Den Chai have come to the conclusion that 300k for a 3 x 4mts floor plan is not the best investment so keen to hear from others who have gone the same route and options you have taken. Yes I could go with brick for a 1/3 of the price and may indeed do so but as the house will not be complete until June I have time to review options.

All I need is enough enough room inside for a double bed and a dresser and outside a small covered veranda. I will have the toilet/bathroom built out of brick. As our house will be facing this building prefer something easy on the eye which is where the teak/rosewood idea came in.

Anyone already done this?

Cheers

[ajahnlau]

Saw 1 in Phitsanulok last week that was about same size and was 200k. with small veranda as well.

[Mahseer]

Thanks ajahnlau. I will not be back in P/lok for 6 weeks or so but will hit you up for information then if I havn't stumbled on anything else but researching the idea of using bamboo which is plentiful in Petchabuhn and may be the best way to go but early days.

Has anyone built with bamboo?

[ajahnlau]

Bamboo won't last.

[aitch52]

Hi Mahseer, interesting project, on my travels around the district I saw some bamboo houses being constructed on the way to the resevoir that is signposted out of Bung Sampan off route 21, can't remember the name. Agreed, bamboo wont last but you should get three years out of it at least, more if you protect it against the wood boring insects that love it so much. Doubt if it would set you back more than 20K. We have made a shelter in the garden, steel frame, plywood base for sitting on and bamboo thatch, 8'x 8' I think it cost about 11K, but most of that was for the square section steel which will go on for years if we look after it. Perhaps you could design and adapt around that idea and disguise the steel frame so it won't be an eyesore, we aren't fussy and are happy with the finished product which gets loads of use, painted it Everton Blue . We have also made a sunshade with green shade netting for growing plants, 6 concrete posts, came to about 9K with cement and roofing bolts, we had sand and chippings anyway left over, 9x4 metres, the roof structure we salvaged from the scaffolding/shuttering used to build the house and cleaned it up with a belt sander, doesn't look pretty but the plants like it, we can live with it & it's also a nice place to sit out. The rest of the scaffolding/shuttering went to the family who have built a similar structure in their compound down the road, they didn't use steel though just chopped down a couple of trees for the posts. There was still a load of wood left over which they converted into charcoal, another thing to love about this wonderful place, nothing gets wasted.

Good Luck

Chris

[Mahseer]

ajahnlau / Chris, thanks for the replies.

I did do some reading on building with bamboo and apparently if you soak the stuff for 3 months then you have a far better chance of staying upright but maybe a simple brick (Q con?) structure with some fancy bamboo/wood cladding is the way to go? I don't see the place being used too often as the family only live down the bottom of the hill so will ask Khun Udom for a quote and go from there.

Cheers lads

[steadfast]

There's a lot of myth around bamboo houses not lasting. I've spent the best part of the past year researching the properties of bamboo as an ecological alternative to either cutting down great swathes of rainforest or living in a hot ugly concrete box. Take a look at one of the now hundreds of sites (INBAR is a good one) on bamboo for construction (which was recently passed by the Canadian International Architect Standard). There are bamboo houses in Vietnam and China between 50 and 200 years old.

I'm currently working on an ecological modular housing project using bamboo, but can't help you out just yet, still need to get the finishing touches to the design over from Europe. I think bamboo's suffered somewhat from mostly 'folksy' design, I'm making something much more contemporary.

I know the outlets to go to to buy the bamboo, they're the ones who are still in business in over the ten years I've been here. And yes it can be dragged through the sea and left to dry for 3 months, it can also be pressure treated with borate. In fact, I have pieces that old and not one wormhole

[Mahseer]

Cheers steadfast.

Yes aware that there are many a bamboo building that has been standing for a while. There is one outfit based in Vietnam that makes and exports stunning homes made of bamboo and they are obviously meant to last. Shame your not ready to build as I would very much interested in what you had to offer but maybe later.

Cheers

[aitch52]

Hi Steadfast and Mahseer

You have sparked my interest in this medium for building and I shall be looking into it to do something in the future. Admittedly my only experience with this was some furniture I had, that after about two years there would be piles of dust under it each morning, it gave a further years service before being consigned to the dump. Also as kids in the UK we used to build bamboo shacks as there was thick bamboo growing in the local woods about 2 miles away, we used to cut it and tranport it back on our home made trollies (pramwheels and any baulks of of timber, fruitboxes etc we could scrounge). Coming back was no problem as it was all downhill.

Regards Chris

[Mahseer]

Chris, I have come across a cracking design for a guest house which I'll get priced next time I am in Petchabuhn: tinyhouseblog.com/page/6/. It's the first house under the 'Canadian bunkies' title in the snow.

I'll keep it simple inside and fitting in into the corner of the garden at an angle and will use the triangular space at the rear for toilet etc. I have high hopes that will come in under 150k but may have to shout some Lao Khao first.

Cheers

[klikster]

Here's a really neat video of a bamboo house being assembled

[aitch52]

Hi Mahseer

Thanks for the info, looking at the site now but the net is very slow today so will reply later

Chris

[Mahseer]

Chris, here are mate. If I can afford I'll raise it up a metre and throw some plants around and also extend the roof at the front over the veranda:

[aitch52]

Mahseer

looks good matey, the cost of raising it up a metre shouldn't be that great, a lovely addition to your grounds, incedentally I have done some research into Bamboo as a building medium, by eck it's technical

Chris

Edited May 11, 2009 by aitch52