My Isaan Bungalow Part 3 With Pictures

[dmax]

these are my latest pics of the build..look at my earlier post ( my isaan bungalow part 2 ) for prices etc...o date ive paid builder 25,000 baht for labour only,will not pay him anymore untill completion. ive spent on materials so far around 165,000 thb and thats for porcelain floor tiles electrics equipment wiring etc but (need more) concrete,cement,roof tiles c-pac ceramic for 9 thb each,tiles for bathroom walls, steel box section for roof trusses, all plumbing materials,sand cement and blocks,pillars.also bathroom sink plus modern units and electric shower unit, wall tiles for bathroom and edging also glass blocks to let light into bathroom 45 thb each from homepro,exterior and interior paint and primer, i think homepro are very hard to beat and good selection of everything,anything you buy if its over 50-000 thb then they will deliver free of charge i live in tha kanto 80k away from udon thani so i used homepro in udon..so ive bought most things now and thats totally as i say around 165k have exact prices in house and will double check soon..

[dmax]

the bungalow is 14 metres long by 5 metres wide overall 70 sq m. im hoping to come in under 400-000thb for materials. c-pac roof tiles going on today later as i have had to tell the builder 2-3 times that i will not let him start on roof tiles before he finishes all welding work on metal trusses,i think he tried to go ahaed and cover his shoddy welding up so i wouldnt see but i told him that tacking is not an option and i want the steel welded together properly. its also going to have a balcony/porch and i will be putting decatorive tiles on front of the bungalow.

[Crossy]

Glad you got the pictures working

Coming along nicely

Does your man actually have any plans or is this an 'out of the air' design?

[dmax]

no plans drawn up just a few basic drawings from me , i want to say that i have had a few problems with buider to date ,he told me he would have 8 workers on site every day but since i forwarded him 20,000 thb on fri only around 3-4 workers have turned up !! today monday only 1 worker was here welding the roof trusses , i blew a fuse !! he has been welding the trusses about 3-4 days now,why not get 3 guys welding the trusses to hurry things up ?? its holding up the roof tiling,anyway i told my wife to speak to builder this morning and tell him im not happy about this and her reply was "up to you if you want stop him" she was too busy eating pok pok. ive took myself up to udon thani now and told the builder i want him to stop the build because im not happy with him having 1 guy welding the roof and not happy with him not having all the workers on site,there is plenty to do as in build the balcony up etc . dont rely on your thai wife to take care thats all i have to say. oh and my bill is standing at 175,000 for materials so far and 25,000 forwarded to builder so far..moral of story i think,do not pay builder too much advance !!!

[ShreddedWheat]

.....moral of story i think,do not pay builder too much advance !!!

Don't pay for any labour in advance, pay for labour only after its been delivered.

[seaeagle]

Good progress. Nice to see how a story continues after your initial queries.

The number of workers on site is always an issue. But, are you sure he hasn't got some other builds on the go somewhere else? Like everyone, he may have to juggle resources at some point, so don't be too harsh unless you're 100% certain you are his only customer.

[khundon]

Forget the welding on the roof, get them to pull down all the block work (one good kick should do it) with joints one above the other. Haven't they ever seen staggered joints!!!

Sack the lot and put the rest on night shift.

Edited November 16, 2009 by khundon

[lioness]

The builder may only have one welder good enough to weld the trusses.

I expect they have painted a metal primer on the steel, most of them do, just remember they will need to re do the welds before going any further with the roof.

And as Kundon said, the cement blocks need to be staggered.

[phutoie2]

Chill out with the builders, you need them on your side and though you are financing the house (I presume) your wife should be the main communicator, obviously taking notice of your instructions!.

There was a farang building a Thai style house up here last year and he was not happy with the progress and told the main guy it was not <deleted> good enough (frequent usage of the F word), and they all promptly walked off site, it took over 3 days for them to come back after the TW had cooled matters down.

I also know a chap who sacked all his builders and went out and found another lot.

Nothing wrong in paying the builders in stages, they have to eat too!

On the build I notice that they are using packed earth and wire mesh for the floor with cement laid over the top, that is a lot cheaper than using the concrete forms/slabs, though I have also seen bamboo used for the floor too, all about costs!.

[dmax]

i noticed them not staggering the block joints last week and told them to take them off and start again,it seems ive missed some. today the exact cost for materials only is = 187.338 baht i think not bad considering ive bought all roofing materials such as c-pac grade 1 and all the modern fixtures for my toilet. im hoping that the windows and front doors (aluminium type cheapest) the rendering/plasterwork and ceiling materials dont come anywhere near 100,000 baht ,if i was to finish the build with another 100,000 i would be well happy as i will have paid 290,000 plus 65,000 baht for labour total cost of build and labour would be only 355.000 baht for everything, but im hoping that windows etc will come in well below 100.000. the builder also sacked a few of his workers when i left to go to udon yestarday my wife went and yacked the boss,then there was words between the boss and his foreman ,so the foreman is now away and wont be back again, foreman asked my wife for 5,000 thb but she told him to get lost apparently. so there you go ,thats it to date. more pics to follow when the tiles are on probably tomorrow.

Edited November 17, 2009 by dmax

[flying]

Hey Looking good Congrats !

That is a really good price you have going too.

Thai price for sure

Good to see you in there helping too

[sweeex]

Hi, I´m following the progress with great intress ! specially what you pay and what you get, I expect to find myself in your shoes in a near future,, Building /remodeling wife´s house. Thanks!

By the way,, have you had any fillings done? truckloads of dirt? general pricing for dirt.?

Edited November 19, 2009 by sweeex

[dmax]

Hi, I´m following the progress with great intress ! specially what you pay and what you get, I expect to find myself in your shoes in a near future,, Building /remodeling wife´s house. Thanks!

By the way,, have you had any fillings done? truckloads of dirt? general pricing for dirt.?

average price for ( din ) landfill is around 800 for large stone and 400-500 baht for small stone per truck load but when i ordered the din for this place the first truck load was half emtpy so my wife went to yak yak them and tell them make sure the truck is full next time. order a little extra din for your garden or to fill in the ground before they pour the concrete for the floor.

ive now got the roof on and rendering starts soon so i will be putting more pics on in say 2 days time with all up to date prices. but this place is not going to cost me big money,i think im doing really well at moment and ive got a good quote for all my windows for only 17,800 baht, the windows are white frame aluminium and dark glass they will look really well when in. homepro do good white pvc windows and they quoted me 27,000 baht so its up to you what type you like.

[t.s]

no plans drawn up just a few basic drawings from me , i want to say that i have had a few problems with buider to date ,he told me he would have 8 workers on site every day but since i forwarded him 20,000 thb on fri only around 3-4 workers have turned up !! today monday only 1 worker was here welding the roof trusses , i blew a fuse !! he has been welding the trusses about 3-4 days now,why not get 3 guys welding the trusses to hurry things up ?? its holding up the roof tiling,anyway i told my wife to speak to builder this morning and tell him im not happy about this and her reply was "up to you if you want stop him" she was too busy eating pok pok. ive took myself up to udon thani now and told the builder i want him to stop the build because im not happy with him having 1 guy welding the roof and not happy with him not having all the workers on site,there is plenty to do as in build the balcony up etc . dont rely on your thai wife to take care thats all i have to say. oh and my bill is standing at 175,000 for materials so far and 25,000 forwarded to builder so far..moral of story i think,do not pay builder too much advance !!!

it is always nice to have the support of a loved one. sounds like a keeper.

that right about where i would pull the plug, pack my bags and bid her goodbye.

[doggie888888]

There was a farang building a Thai style house up here last year and he was not happy with the progress and told the main guy it was not <deleted> good enough (frequent usage of the F word), and they all promptly walked off site, it took over 3 days for them to come back after the TW had cooled matters down.

I developed a skill whilst getting myhouse built in Thailand. That is, to replace the F word with a smile. So when I talked to builders, I was smiling a lot. For example &lt;deleted&gt; and <smile> are interchangeable in the following sentence: Oh, I will <smile> pay you once you complete the <smile> walls as you <smile> promised.

It's exhausting and tiring but good exercise for the face muscles.

[ChangMaiSausage]

no plans drawn up just a few basic drawings from me , i want to say that i have had a few problems with buider to date ,he told me he would have 8 workers on site every day but since i forwarded him 20,000 thb on fri only around 3-4 workers have turned up !! today monday only 1 worker was here welding the roof trusses , i blew a fuse !! he has been welding the trusses about 3-4 days now,why not get 3 guys welding the trusses to hurry things up ?? its holding up the roof tiling,anyway i told my wife to speak to builder this morning and tell him im not happy about this and her reply was "up to you if you want stop him" she was too busy eating pok pok. ive took myself up to udon thani now and told the builder i want him to stop the build because im not happy with him having 1 guy welding the roof and not happy with him not having all the workers on site,there is plenty to do as in build the balcony up etc . dont rely on your thai wife to take care thats all i have to say. oh and my bill is standing at 175,000 for materials so far and 25,000 forwarded to builder so far..moral of story i think,do not pay builder too much advance !!!

it is always nice to have the support of a loved one. sounds like a keeper.

that right about where i would pull the plug, pack my bags and bid her goodbye.

Post is about house building not ideal partners........

dmax what about kitchen thai style or western

[ArthurPewty]

My wife is cooking something up next to her family house. I have seen pictures and it is best if I am not there.

As long as I can sit out front with a beer, I'll be fine!

[pigeonjake]

one of the posters said about the welds would have to be re-welded, you can get weldable primer, im a welder myself, and i did all my own welding, so i know mines good,lol,but they will have to re-prime the bits they welded as i would burn off in the welded area,, take care all, and remember we are here becouse we wanted to be here, we loved the place, so why do so many people try and change the place? you new you were going to have to give the family a bit, except it and be happy,, jake

[Somrak]

dmax, nice, interesting report.

May let give you one advice.

- Windows. Look that they have Moskito-nets. If there is no space, you can't fit them in later!

(- Isolating the roof. If you do it now, it will be much cheaper than if you have to do it later. My experience )

[dmax]

no plans drawn up just a few basic drawings from me , i want to say that i have had a few problems with buider to date ,he told me he would have 8 workers on site every day but since i forwarded him 20,000 thb on fri only around 3-4 workers have turned up !! today monday only 1 worker was here welding the roof trusses , i blew a fuse !! he has been welding the trusses about 3-4 days now,why not get 3 guys welding the trusses to hurry things up ?? its holding up the roof tiling,anyway i told my wife to speak to builder this morning and tell him im not happy about this and her reply was "up to you if you want stop him" she was too busy eating pok pok. ive took myself up to udon thani now and told the builder i want him to stop the build because im not happy with him having 1 guy welding the roof and not happy with him not having all the workers on site,there is plenty to do as in build the balcony up etc . dont rely on your thai wife to take care thats all i have to say. oh and my bill is standing at 175,000 for materials so far and 25,000 forwarded to builder so far..moral of story i think,do not pay builder too much advance !!!

it is always nice to have the support of a loved one. sounds like a keeper.

that right about where i would pull the plug, pack my bags and bid her goodbye.

yes lets keep the post about my house and not my wife!! anyway ive been really busy lately and internet here is down all the time so sorry i havent posted up to date pictures and prices,i will get pics and prices in next few days. i will build a seperate kitchen next year just something basic thai style .

Post is about house building not ideal partners........

dmax what about kitchen thai style or western

[torrenova]

Forget the welding on the roof, get them to pull down all the block work (one good kick should do it) with joints one above the other. Haven't they ever seen staggered joints!!!

Sack the lot and put the rest on night shift.

Yep, that's about my take on it as well. The blockwork is the easy part. If they are too dumb to do that right, the rest is likely to be a right shambles and full or cut corners.

no plans drawn up just a few basic drawings from me , i want to say that i have had a few problems with buider to date ,he told me he would have 8 workers on site every day but since i forwarded him 20,000 thb on fri only around 3-4 workers have turned up !! today monday only 1 worker was here welding the roof trusses , i blew a fuse !! he has been welding the trusses about 3-4 days now,why not get 3 guys welding the trusses to hurry things up ?? its holding up the roof tiling,anyway i told my wife to speak to builder this morning and tell him im not happy about this and her reply was "up to you if you want stop him" she was too busy eating pok pok. ive took myself up to udon thani now and told the builder i want him to stop the build because im not happy with him having 1 guy welding the roof and not happy with him not having all the workers on site,there is plenty to do as in build the balcony up etc . dont rely on your thai wife to take care thats all i have to say. oh and my bill is standing at 175,000 for materials so far and 25,000 forwarded to builder so far..moral of story i think,do not pay builder too much advance !!!

it is always nice to have the support of a loved one. sounds like a keeper.

that right about where i would pull the plug, pack my bags and bid her goodbye.

Yep, my take on it again. Undoubtedly for her benefit as well and if she couldn't be arsed to kick the builders into shape then I'd sack her as well. That is just taking the piss.

[Nignoy]

Congrats mate everything seems to be coming together for you,builders seem tobe the same where ever you go, leave everything to the little lady, my 5 foot wifey makes my old sgtmajor look and sound like a wimp our extension took 4 months to build (in aus)but its a good one hope you get the same pleasure out of your new home

[Tanaka]

Dmax, did you buy your windows also at HomePro, Udon?

[dmax]

Dmax, did you buy your windows also at HomePro, Udon?

no i shopped around at different local villiages ,some qouted me 25,000 thb upwards but i got lucky with one guym in kra nuen about 40 k away from me and he is selling and fitting them for 17,800 thb. for that price im getting aliminium framed in white colour with black glass. many window guys will tell you that the white frame is more expensive but thats not the case,its still aliminium but justa different colour so shop around and you will get a good deal. i prices pvc western style windows with home pro in udon and they quoted me 27,000 thb but i dont know if that included fitting or not, but i think if you really want the pvc western style windows then 27,000 thb isnt bad, i just wanted something cheap and basic but its up to you how much you want to spend.

[dmax]

heres some recent pics,i have to upload them in ones and two,s as internet is very slow up here.

[dmax]

heres some recent pics,i have to upload them in ones and two,s as internet is very slow up here.

[dmax]

heres some recent pics,i have to upload them in ones and two,s as internet is very slow up here.

yet more pics,taken 3 weeks into build,sorry the pics are not all in order but you get the picture ,right?

Edited December 6, 2009 by dmax

[dmax]

more pics taken yesterday nearly one month into build,nearly there, thank f.. lol

[dmax]

pics taken today exactly 28 days into build,its been a mixture of happiness and pulling my hair out haha. should hopefully be finished next week properly and then i will give a full run down of prices and pitfalls etc etc......

this place as you know is 70 sqm. it has been built at a labour cost of 67,000 thb but i could of got away with paying a little less but im happy with that price, i can tell you now that i will complete this place for no more than 330,000 thb and that includes labour costs,bear in mind i could have done it for far less and put a cheaper roof on and done a ceiling with tiles instead of gypsum,plus i could of got cheaper thai style floor tiles too , i got these big porcalain floor tiles from home pro and they cost me only 315 thbfor 1.44 metres per box so if your buying tiles then definately go to homepro as their prices cannot be beaten on tiles.but next week when i have the place complete i will make a final new thread titled ( my isaan bungalow completed with pics and prices part 4 ) so stay tuned and find out exact costs etc.the way im doing these threads in part 1,2,3,4, is because people lose interest so if i make a new thread on every bit of progress then it will get a lot more attention and hopefully help more people get a better understanding if they are going down the road of building their own house.

Edited December 6, 2009 by dmax

[dmax]

There was a farang building a Thai style house up here last year and he was not happy with the progress and told the main guy it was not &lt;deleted&gt; good enough (frequent usage of the F word), and they all promptly walked off site, it took over 3 days for them to come back after the TW had cooled matters down.

I developed a skill whilst getting myhouse built in Thailand. That is, to replace the F word with a smile. So when I talked to builders, I was smiling a lot. For example &lt;deleted&gt; and <smile> are interchangeable in the following sentence: Oh, I will <smile> pay you once you complete the <smile> walls as you <smile> promised.

It's exhausting and tiring but good exercise for the face muscles.

nice reply haha,,i too have developed this as im sick and tired of yakking my wife to yak the builders,its been a mixture of laughter and pulling my hair out. i tell my wife 3 times what i want , then she explains to the thai builders 3 times what she wants then the builders come to me and ask me again what i want hahaha, unbelievable,you really do need the patience of a saint to deal with these people but im happy its near over now. also i feel guilty sometimes after throwing my arms in the air and walking off in a huff , so to show some "jai dee" i will now buy the builders some cola everyday for lunch or lipo (to get them to work faster) in the afternoon and maybe 6 big bottles of chang beer once a week.

Edited December 6, 2009 by dmax