Thai Project Management

[freddy123]

I've been watching the progress of a house being built from my hotel room the last month or so, I've been keeping a record with my camera evey so often. Noticed this prgression a couple of days ago.

Taken on the 29th

Taken on the 30th

Taken about an hour or 2 later on the 30th

Sorry about the small size, you may need to download. If you didn't notice anything strange, well youlve probably been in thailand a while, but where I come from once a wall is in place it generally stays there permanently, or until someone does renovations.

Just another one of those little differences in cultures that makes this place so interesting

[Theyreallrubbish]

I've been watching the progress of a house being built from my hotel room the last month or so, I've been keeping a record with my camera evey so often. Noticed this prgression a couple of days ago.

Taken on the 29th

Taken on the 30th

Taken about an hour or 2 later on the 30th

Sorry about the small size, you may need to download. If you didn't notice anything strange, well youlve probably been in thailand a while, but where I come from once a wall is in place it generally stays there permanently, or until someone does renovations.

Just another one of those little differences in cultures that makes this place so interesting

I've seen this many times before. Its a result of the Thai workers just putting in stuff as soon as its delivered.

I once wandered around the construction site of a 5 star hotel and it was still mostly concrete frame but on the ground floor they had installed the expensive plate glass floor to ceiling walls and doors. Of course they were getting filthy as they moved construction materials into the building and it was only a matter of time before they'd be chipped, scratched and then cracked.

I was with the foreign project manager and he started shouting at his Thai foreman about why the hel_l they'd installed the glass and the reply was just a shrug and "They were delivered today"

Had to take them all out of course.

So they probably built this wall then realised that something else had to go in first so had to take down the wall.

I've also seen Thai owners change the specifications of a building midway through construction many times, regardless of the cost implications. They see a wall and don't like it and order it moved or changed

[Donnyboy]

notice the roof next door has a blue pipe running across it and into the roof space, is it one of those water sprayers to cool down the roof, or a after thought ?

[chiangmaibruce]

Another example. With our house they did renovations including greatly enlarging the old Thai-style bathroom. Anyway they had to remove a large window and then later re-install it in the middle of a new wall. It sat for many days leaning against the existing wall right beside where the new wall was to be built. We went out for a few hours and came back to see the wall finished - and no window. So smash up the wall to put the window in.

And this just days after I had to get them to break up and remove the newly-laid concrete slab floor because they must have used about a cup full of cement for each barrow full of sand ... so soft I could dig into it with a spade (after it had 'set'). Just as well in a way, because they could then put down the termite poison under the slab which they had forgotten to do previously - after many reminders.

Ah, i just can't wait to do some more renovating

[mmcsusnret]

This is why you don't see the words "Thai" and "management" used in a phrase or sentence too often.

[freddy123]

notice the roof next door has a blue pipe running across it and into the roof space, is it one of those water sprayers to cool down the roof, or a after thought ?

Not sure on that... I didn't really inspect it much, maybe someone else can tell the difference between a thai roofing fixture and a piece of random pipe? If it was a water sprayer then I never saw it in action, but I doubt they would use it much in the wet season.

[Rinrada]

Bit like the bricklayers who forget to leave the hole for the door.....and thats over "ere...

[NancyL]

This situation isn't unique to Thailand. Hubby and I had a house custom-built for us in the U.S. -- once. Never again.

The builder didn't manage the crews properly. For example, the work crew used construction scraps to build a roaring fire in the fireplace -- which had just been completed the day before. The builder had warned us not to use the fireplace for at least a month so the concrete could cure. He said this was standard for new fireplaces. You'd think his work crew would have known that, too, or at least been supervised more closely so they didn't use the fireplace. Of course, the fireplace developed a big crack.

By the time they got the fireplace guy back to tear out the old fireplace and totally redo it, the place was nearly finished. The carpet had been installed and walls painted. They generated a large amount of dust and used wheelbarrows inside the house to haul out the pieces of the damaged fireplace. There were other problems, but this was the worst.

I can't image having a house built for us here. It was almost impossible in the U.S. and everyone spoke the same language!

[Mapguy]

Don't worry, NancyL, building a house here can be a happy experience! I agree with you that bum managers and witless mechanics might be an international scourge.

In Thailand, I have had some annoying minor problems on maintenance work on a couple of occasions, but generally have much enjoyed working with contractors and workmen here on major initial construction and renovation projects as on some minor things.

And, contrary to what one often hears, I have been impressed at how on-time people have been and how hard --- especially the lower paid --- work.

[IanForbes]

My son is a journeyman carpenter/cabinet maker. That means he has his government carpentry license and a builder's ticket. He tells me stories all the time of problems with what the trade calls "grunts". They are men hired for labour, but who do not have their ticket. He is always on the back of the ones who don't follow simple procedure and cause twice as much work later on: door frames and walls out of square, improper spacing between rafters and studs, bathrooms put in place where the plumbing hasn't been installed, etc, etc.