Finished House Picture (Views and Gardens Welcome)

[lannarebirth]

for the heck and to demonstrate what crazy taste some people have. here's a picture of my wife's garage (i hate women in my garage and in my bathroom) and her car in our former house in Florida. and NO, i will not show you my garage and my cars!

Wouldyou mind having a word with my wife Herr Naam?

[apetley]

for the heck and to demonstrate what crazy taste some people have. here's a picture of my wife's garage (i hate women in my garage and in my bathroom) and her car in our former house in Florida. and NO, i will not show you my garage and my cars!

I bt it has aircon too eh?

[AlexLah]

Why not make a small veggie garden Naam? I have planted lot's of stuff at the place upcountry (sorry pictures are on another HD) recently also planted some peanut plants and banana trees. Besides that I also have tomatoes, spinach, basilicum and lot's of other stuff. It is not to save money on food it's just nice to see them grow and later have the fresh homemade stuff on your plate and knowing it has not been sprayed with chemicals.

And it is very relaxing for the mind when doing some gardening yourself.

[Naam]

for the heck and to demonstrate what crazy taste some people have. here's a picture of my wife's garage (i hate women in my garage and in my bathroom) and her car in our former house in Florida. and NO, i will not show you my garage and my cars!

I bt it has aircon too eh?

that goes without saying. now we have an open carport which too is airconditioned. air flows in on one side and flows out the other side. all what it takes is a little breeze.

[Naam]

Why not make a small veggie garden Naam? I have planted lot's of stuff at the place upcountry (sorry pictures are on another HD) recently also planted some peanut plants and banana trees. Besides that I also have tomatoes, spinach, basilicum and lot's of other stuff. It is not to save money on food it's just nice to see them grow and later have the fresh homemade stuff on your plate and knowing it has not been sprayed with chemicals.

And it is very relaxing for the mind when doing some gardening yourself.

we have something like this Alex. we don't grow vegetables but fresh herbs which are not available in Thailand such as chives, dill and various others. i have allocated already an additional area of 25m² to grow some vegetables which are available locally but tast like . will start as soon as some outside work is finalised.

[Naam]

Thank you Naam very nice plan. We have not built yet but here is my floor plan.

typical style i am familiar with since i lived in the U.S. of A. but with functions i have never understood especially as the house is being built in Thailand. is some citicism or are suggestions allowed 147SAG?

Naam go ahead always open to suggestions and a little citicism is good can use all the help I can get, like the layout of your house.

-bath tubs (who takes a bath in Thailand instead of a shower? washbasin slabs hardly any space)

-master bathroom (what's the adjacent room which is not marked? i assume dressing room as master bedroom has no walk-in closet)

-master bathroom (are the two small enclosures marked "W/C" toilets?)

-master bedroom (similar to ours. has the heat load of three outside walls plus windows and glass doors been taken into consideration as far as airconditioning is concerned?)

-i never understood the american concept/reason splitting an area into a formal living room and a family room.

-open kitchen (any plans to cook thai and/or other various asian food?)

-windows in bedrooms 3,4 and 5 pressed lopsided into a corner (reasons?)

additional question: will the bathrooms have wall tiles and therefore look like slaughter houses? if yes why not consider to forget wall tiles like i did in a few houses i built for me and my friends? see attached pictures.

[147SAG]

Thank you Naam very nice plan. We have not built yet but here is my floor plan.

typical style i am familiar with since i lived in the U.S. of A. but with functions i have never understood especially as the house is being built in Thailand. is some citicism or are suggestions allowed 147SAG?

Naam go ahead always open to suggestions and a little citicism is good can use all the help I can get, like the layout of your house.

-bath tubs (who takes a bath in Thailand instead of a shower? washbasin slabs hardly any space)

-master bathroom (what's the adjacent room which is not marked? i assume dressing room as master bedroom has no walk-in closet)

-master bathroom (are the two small enclosures marked "W/C" toilets?)

-master bedroom (similar to ours. has the heat load of three outside walls plus windows and glass doors been taken into consideration as far as airconditioning is concerned?)

-i never understood the american concept/reason splitting an area into a formal living room and a family room.

-open kitchen (any plans to cook thai and/or other various asian food?)

-windows in bedrooms 3,4 and 5 pressed lopsided into a corner (reasons?)

additional question: will the bathrooms have wall tiles and therefore look like slaughter houses? if yes why not consider to forget wall tiles like i did in a few houses i built for me and my friends? see attached pictures.

-bath tubs (who takes a bath in Thailand instead of a shower? washbasin slabs hardly any space) Bathroom at back of will be shower not bath tub,if the wife agrees,I told her she could design the next house so I may have a few fights over the changes I want, but I don't want it to look too Thai.We will use tiles in this room.Everyone using the pool will be using this bathroom as well. The washbasins in masterroom, I will move door on walk-in closet and make this one bigger, but the others I don't care if they are small.

-master bathroom (what's the adjacent room which is not marked? i assume dressing room as master bedroom has no walk-in closet) Yes walk-in closet.Will move the entrance to the walk-in closet over a bit for a bigger washbasin.

-master bathroom (are the two small enclosures marked "W/C" toilets?) The one on left is my shower, the tub is the wife's the other is the toilet. no tiles in this bathroom.

-master bedroom (similar to ours. has the heat load of three outside walls plus windows and glass doors been taken into consideration as far as airconditioning is concerned?)

I was hoping sun blocking curtains would be alright, but yes maybe too hot in this room. The patio has a roof over it may keep sun off of one wall.We could make a sunroom something like your poolroom if it gets too hot. How do you find your bedroom too hot Naam?

-i never understood the american concept/reason splitting an area into a formal living room and a family room. The livingroom will be a computer room office for me.

-open kitchen (any plans to cook thai and/or other various asian food?) Thai kitchen will be on the rightside of the patio will put up a wall at the back and cupboards by bathroom wall as well, plus my BBQ.

-windows in bedrooms 3,4 and 5 pressed lopsided into a corner (reasons?) Not sure why this is either, North American design maybe,to leave room for the beds,but I will move them in the centre of the walls. That was my plan anyway.Thanks you for the Questions Naam and the pictures of the bathrooms.

[villagefarang]

Naam

How dare you disparage the luxury and indulgence of an oversized bathtub . Just last night the wife lit a few candles and put some peppermint oil in ours as we luxuriated in the hot soothing water together . Granted it doesn't get the use that the shower does but if you have the space, it is not unattractive to look at and wonderful to use especially on a chilly winter night.

Oh, and thanks guys for pushing over the 20,000 mark .

[villagefarang]

Just to put out an alternative to the cube, we went for long and lean. Facing North to take advantage of seasonal winds from either the North or South and being only two rooms deep, allows for excellent airflow and views throughout the living areas. I have a clear view out the front and the back of the house from my perch in the home theater room. The wall separating the kitchen was eliminated, the one room is more of a sports room for ping-pong, yoga etc. and the furnishings look nothing like the drawing but this gives you the general idea.

[reallyok]

All them Lovely Houses make my ( wife's ) Newish house look like A Shed.

3 Bed. Kitchen & Shower Room ( Western Toilet ) Low quality Fittings Doors Ect No Air con

Only 350.000 Excluding Land Price of A second Hand Car So No complaints

No plans to live here Perminantly.

Here She Is

No gutters ! what happens when it rains, how do you get to the house without getting soaked ?

[reallyok]

just my little place near Cha Am

Nice place petertucker and thanks for getting us back to house pictures.

Yes, but it would be very nice to see the building prices. It would give the planners like me some idea on what to expect to have to spend.

Thank you all.

[phutoie2]

What would you like to know??

Baan Farang or Thai style house?

Here's a little snippet, in 2006 you could buy 3 of those little red bricks for a Baht, now you get one brick for 80 Satang.

Alternatively Thai breeze block now 4:20 Baht.

Have a little trek to a builders merchants, you will soon get the idea

[villagefarang]

In the range of 8,000 to 10,000 baht per square meter upcountry, will give you an okay sort of place. In the 10 to 15 thousand range you will get a nicer, more western spec structure. Nice furniture, bathroom and kitchen fittings will run you as high as your wallet will bear.

You really need to do your own homework in the area you intend to build. Don't just go with the cheapest contractor either. I've seen too many people think they were saving money by going with someone they had beat down on price. They always find some other way to get your money and once you are well into the build it can be costly to switch.

just my little place near Cha Am

Nice place petertucker and thanks for getting us back to house pictures.

Yes, but it would be very nice to see the building prices. It would give the planners like me some idea on what to expect to have to spend.

Thank you all.

[Naam]

1. -master bathroom (what's the adjacent room which is not marked? i assume dressing room as master bedroom has no walk-in closet) Yes walk-in closet.Will move the entrance to the walk-in closet over a bit for a bigger washbasin.

2. -master bathroom (are the two small enclosures marked "W/C" toilets?) The one on left is my shower, the tub is the wife's the other is the toilet. no tiles in this bathroom.

3.-master bedroom (similar to ours. has the heat load of three outside walls plus windows and glass doors been taken into consideration as far as airconditioning is concerned?)

I was hoping sun blocking curtains would be alright, but yes maybe too hot in this room. The patio has a roof over it may keep sun off of one wall.We could make a sunroom something like your poolroom if it gets too hot. How do you find your bedroom too hot Naam?

4. -i never understood the american concept/reason splitting an area into a formal living room and a family room. The livingroom will be a computer room office for me.

5. -open kitchen (any plans to cook thai and/or other various asian food?) Thai kitchen will be on the rightside of the patio will put up a wall at the back and cupboards by bathroom wall as well, plus my BBQ.

6. -windows in bedrooms 3,4 and 5 pressed lopsided into a corner (reasons?) Not sure why this is either, North American design maybe,to leave room for the beds,but I will move them in the centre of the walls. That was my plan anyway.Thanks you for the Questions Naam and the pictures of the bathrooms.

1. as an American you are used to central aircondition/heating. the dressing room attached to the master bath and without aircon will be mouldy and you will be able to grow mushrooms.

2. why do Americans have enclosed toilets? is it the done thing that one of the family members is sh*tting whilst another is brushing his/her teeth? has the toilet AND all the bathrooms forced ventilation? a wall mounted fan is less than a thousand Baht! thai style ventilation through a window is inefficient.

3. demand on bedroom temperatures vary. we cool down our bedroom to 18ºC/64.4ºF. i am the first one to sleep, switch off both ACs and adjust the smaller one to 26ºC to which temperature it will gradually get till i get up and the Mrs goes to bed at 03.00-04.00 hrs. she then adjust room temperature according to her needs. my mistake was not to take care of the bigger heat load and my electricity bill is higher. sun blocking curtains are a must if direct sun on the windows but 75% of the radiation heat will still get into the room.

4. fair enough

5. makes sense

6. nobody knows why

7. have you thought of installing a "whole-house-fan"? got that idea in Florida, implemented it in Thailand too. a perfect and cheap way not only to ventilate but also to cool down your house in the early mornings.

8. electrical installation. all sockets grounded? whole installation properly grounded? GFCI switches for wet rooms or better overall? how many outlets? if you have planned less than one hundred the number is too low!

9. airconditioning: don't overdo by installing too big units. use smaller ones. initially more expensive, in the long run not only more efficiency and comfort but saving a bundle.

10. outside walls what bricks/blocks? attic ventilation very important!

oh well... i could go on and on and on

[Naam]

Naam

How dare you disparage the luxury and indulgence of an oversized bathtub . Just last night the wife lit a few candles and put some peppermint oil in ours as we luxuriated in the hot soothing water together . Granted it doesn't get the use that the shower does but if you have the space, it is not unattractive to look at and wonderful to use especially on a chilly winter night.

Oh, and thanks guys for pushing over the 20,000 mark .

i humbly apologise

[Gary A]

A separate family room and living room is popular and practical in the US. Many if not most homes in the US have a basement. The family room is normally in the basement and the kids stay in the family room.

[Naam]

A separate family room and living room is popular and practical in the US. Many if not most homes in the US have a basement. The family room is normally in the basement and the kids stay in the family room.

this thread is about our houses in Thailand, not the ones we had in the U.S. of A. and to the best of my knowledge not many houses in Thailand have basements where a family room is located which is not as the name indicates meant for the family but for children.

now i am waiting patiently for a posting that says central heating is popular and practical in the U.S.

[GungaDin]

A separate family room and living room is popular and practical in the US. Many if not most homes in the US have a basement. The family room is normally in the basement and the kids stay in the family room.

this thread is about our houses in Thailand, not the ones we had in the U.S. of A. and to the best of my knowledge not many houses in Thailand have basements where a family room is located which is not as the name indicates meant for the family but for children.

now i am waiting patiently for a posting that says central heating is popular and practical in the U.S.

Central heating is popular and practical in the U.S

[villagefarang]

A separate family room and living room is popular and practical in the US. Many if not most homes in the US have a basement. The family room is normally in the basement and the kids stay in the family room.

this thread is about our houses in Thailand, not the ones we had in the U.S. of A. and to the best of my knowledge not many houses in Thailand have basements where a family room is located which is not as the name indicates meant for the family but for children.

now i am waiting patiently for a posting that says central heating is popular and practical in the U.S.

Thais have basements, of sorts. They are ground level but none the less below the house and where most of the living goes on. Most of us also have installed, without cost, an amazing heating system. I just can't find the off switch.

[147SAG]

1. as an American you are used to central aircondition/heating. the dressing room attached to the master bath and without aircon will be mouldy and you will be able to grow mushrooms.

2. why do Americans have enclosed toilets? is it the done thing that one of the family members is sh*tting whilst another is brushing his/her teeth? has the toilet AND all the bathrooms forced ventilation? a wall mounted fan is less than a thousand Baht! thai style ventilation through a window is inefficient.

3. demand on bedroom temperatures vary. we cool down our bedroom to 18ºC/64.4ºF. i am the first one to sleep, switch off both ACs and adjust the smaller one to 26ºC to which temperature it will gradually get till i get up and the Mrs goes to bed at 03.00-04.00 hrs. she then adjust room temperature according to her needs. my mistake was not to take care of the bigger heat load and my electricity bill is higher. sun blocking curtains are a must if direct sun on the windows but 75% of the radiation heat will still get into the room.

4. fair enough

5. makes sense

6. nobody knows why

7. have you thought of installing a "whole-house-fan"? got that idea in Florida, implemented it in Thailand too. a perfect and cheap way not only to ventilate but also to cool down your house in the early mornings.

8. electrical installation. all sockets grounded? whole installation properly grounded? GFCI switches for wet rooms or better overall? how many outlets? if you have planned less than one hundred the number is too low!

9. airconditioning: don't overdo by installing too big units. use smaller ones. initially more expensive, in the long run not only more efficiency and comfort but saving a bundle.

10. outside walls what bricks/blocks? attic ventilation very important!

oh well... i could go on and on and on

1.Yes thought about this myself, may redesign the whole bathroom with walk-in closet facing the bedroom to make use of the airconditioning.

2.Don't like it myself, when I redo the room they will be out in the open the way they should be.

3.What size AC units do you use and how many in the your house?

7.What is a whole house fan?

8.Have the electrical covered.

9.What is not too big to use but still works and will not cost to much to run? What about Inverter air cons?

10.Want to use Q block not sure which size yet.I want the beams all covered so want to use that size, plus better insulation value.Attic 45 degree roof with roof fan, and vents.

Edited September 17, 2009 by Crossy

[Naam]

1.Yes thought about this myself, may redesign the whole bathroom with walk-in closet facing the bedroom to make use of the airconditioning.

excellent idea! forced ventilation in bathroom will suck cooler air from master bedroom through dressing room.

2.Don't like it myself, when I redo the room they will be out in the open the way they should be.

3.What size AC units do you use and how many in the your house? see sketch

7.What is a whole house fan?

a big fan (min 1hp) at one end of the house which draws fresh air from openings at the other end. run time usually not more than 15-20 minutes. will take a picture and post it.

8.Have the electrical covered.

9.What is not too big to use but still works and will not cost to much to run? What about Inverter air cons?

will answer that separately. but you have to tell me more about your cooling demands.

10.Want to use Q block not sure which size yet.I want the beams all covered so want to use that size,

=20cm / don't use 7.5cm for inside walls, use at least 10cm!

plus better insulation value.Attic 45 degree roof with roof fan, and vents.

[Naam]

addendum to aircon sketch.

-the 24+12k in master bedroom are basically overkill. i replaced an existing 12k with a 24k to cool down the room to 18 C very fast and then switch it off. even the other 12k unit is not needed to keep the desired temperature (25-26º), a 9k unit would do the job as well.

if you look at my living room with the open TV-room, dining room and library you will see five units. normally only ONE unit is running!

my study has the biggest heat load in the afternoon. quite often both units are running on a sunny day. to sum it up: most 12k units (they call them here 13k) could have been 9k but the price difference between 9 and 12k is virtually peanuts.

[villagefarang]

147SAG

We are very happy with our Daikin inverters. Make sure you get them from someone who can service them as they are a little more technical to repair. Generally just go with the manufacture's specs on size per room. If you have an exceptionally large room you might try two or three smaller units instead of one massive one. We have two 18's and one 24. We also went for multipoint water heaters that go under the counter instead of those ugly things that hang on the wall.

Insolation and ventilation are great but when it gets into the high 30's there is nothing for it but to turn on the A/C. Hot air blowing through the house is just hot air.

[Naam]

principle of whole house fan. but i don't like the installation as in this case the attic is pressurised and hot air potentially pressed back into living area if attic exhaust openings are too small. i installed my fan that it exhausts directly to the outside. initial cost with installation (if planned in advance) 5-6,000 Baht. one of the best energy saving devices!

[Naam]

147SAG

1. We are very happy with our Daikin inverters.

2. Make sure you get them from someone who can service them as they are a little more technical to repair.

3. Generally just go with the manufacture's specs on size per room.

4. If you have an exceptionally large room you might try two or three smaller units instead of one massive one.

We have two 18's and one 24. We also went for multipoint water heaters that go under the counter instead of those ugly things that hang on the wall.

Insolation and ventilation are great but when it gets into the high 30's there is nothing for it but to turn on the A/C.

5. Hot air blowing through the house is just hot air.

1. inverters do an excellent job when the cooling demand varies considerably. if the demand is rather steady the higher price is wasted money.

2. a problem in Thailand

3. manufacturers use rule of thumb which is neither applicable to individual demands nor specific heat load of rooms. thai contractors try to sell you a unit double the size needed. most of them have no freaking idea how to calculate cooling demand

4. YES!

5. if somebody can stand the draft of ceiling fans (i can't) these units do save quite some energy by evaporation cooling of the skin.

[Naam]

one more addendum:

ceiling unit in pool area has two functions. one is to cool down our "alternate" living room (november till march), the other one to heat (at the same time) the pool water during the "cool" season. having lived more than half of our lives in tropical countries we find the water from nov till mar too cold. luckily i found a contractor who custom built the system for me according to my design.

Edited September 17, 2009 by Naam

[villagefarang]

Come on guys, lets not be dissuaded by the fact the Mr. Naam's pool room is bigger than most of our houses. That is his good fortune and should have no bearing on how we feel about our own humble abodes. I'm sure there are more of you, tempted to display your lovely homes. As the view count clearly shows there is great interest so think of it as doing a service for those who are still dreaming the dream and not living the dream as you are. Pictures please.

Edited September 20, 2009 by villagefarang

[Naam]

Come on guys, lets not be dissuaded by the fact the Mr. Naam's pool room is bigger than most of our houses.

and don't forget that neither a big pool room nor a big or expensive home guarantees happiness!

[Naam]

my installation of a whole-house fan:

[147SAG]

my installation of a whole-house fan:

Thank you Namm and everyone for your ideas, they help alot, have more planning to do now thanks to everyone here.