Building A New Home?

[kunash]

hi, i dont know too much about house building in Thailand, but in the UK, you lay your foundations and start. in thailand, i understand you have to put some soil down first, then wait about a year, then start. why the difference? is it possible to follow the Uk method and start straight away?

[Monkeypants]

Because typically unlike the UK, Thai style isn't about laying a fondation, It is however based on coloums that take the weight of the roof structure, the walls are non load bearing , and are there just to keep the mozzies out.

So there is know reason at all to build the English way with a deep footing , there will be a small footing on which the bricks/blocks will be laid.

Edited November 1, 2010 by Monkeypants

[InterestedObserver]

Not unless you intend setting your foundations in a rice patty. Hence the need for the dirt and time for the fill to settle.

[PattayaParent]

Here the soil is put down first because the land is invariably lower than the adjacent roads or other built up land.

If you don't fill then your land will be the low point to which all other water drains and you will flood.

To be able to build immediately your engineer should be able to calculate the settlement over time so that you can over-fill and start construction and the soil will settle to the proper finished elevation.

He will have to make sure the fill is done properly though so there's no differential settlement which will cause cracks in your building.

[olsen]

You can start building directly at the ground, just make sure the foundation is some 20 centimeters above road level.

Once your finished you fill soil on the land.

This way your house will be stronger and you can also make a storage cellar under the house.

This space under the house also makes your house cooler.

[trogers]

You can start building directly at the ground, just make sure the foundation is some 20 centimeters above road level.

Once your finished you fill soil on the land.

This way your house will be stronger and you can also make a storage cellar under the house.

This space under the house also makes your house cooler.

Do not see how foundation can be built 20cm above road level when existing ground is below it. Perhaps you meant the first floor?

[Khun Jean]

Pretty much as Olsen said. Why on earth build on land that has settled only a short time.

Best to make footings in the existing earth that is already settled, probably for tens of years, maybe even hundreds or thousands. Make sure the footings are wide and the pillars that go up from the footing are then at least on road level, i prefer at least 50-100 cm higher, current floods are proof that you will need it. Then put a slab on it and start building up from there.

When the slab is finished you can backfill the land and wait for it to settle. This will be important for your entrance, because it will probably sink so be prepared for that.

[PattayaParent]

^but if the level of the existing land is a couple of metres below the adjacent land, which is often the case with rice fields, your ground slab will be suspended (needing more reinforcement and stronger concrete mix) and then you have to try to fill the soil under it.

[trogers]

^but if the level of the existing land is a couple of metres below the adjacent land, which is often the case with rice fields, your ground slab will be suspended (needing more reinforcement and stronger concrete mix) and then you have to try to fill the soil under it.

And an existing ricefield would have soft clay 4-5 metres deep which necessitates the use of pile foundation, and not just concrete pad footings.

It is for this reason tradition Thai houses are constructed with timber frames and elements, and not reinforced concrete and bricks.

[sirineou]

may I suggest a website www.coolthaihouse? there you will talk to people that are in the process of building, have encounter the condition you describe, and have posted pictures of how the condition was resolved.

It Has being correctly suggested that some times rice fields might have meters of soft clay soil, in that case concrete piles are driven in to the ground to a depth determined by an engineer to stabilize the ground.

In cases where Back fill needs to be placed to raise the property to above the flood plane the situation can be approached in 3 different ways,

1) build up the property with fill and wait the appropriate length of time for the fill to settle

2) is to Build up the property with fill as in the above situation, and dig down to virgin ground to lay your column foundation footings

3) build your column foundation footings on the solid but below grade soil and build columns to desired hight and then back fill to above flood level.

remember the footings are only in the area where the column is, maybe 3x3feet and not around the whole perimeter of the building as in some western constructions.

Picture of Column footing

You might be confused because you think that the floor slab of the first floor elevation is poured and is supported bu the ground,but that is not the case in most construction I have encounter.

Horizontal beams are supported by the foundation columns , and then the floor slab is poured on a wood plank supporting form or pre-fabricated floor slabs are placed on the first floor horizontal beams

and then a couple of inches of cement is poured on top of them to bind them together.

Picture of Column foundation footing

have I confuse you sufficiently?

[trogers]

You might be confused because you think that the floor slab of the first floor elevation is poured and is supported bu the ground,but that is not the case in most construction I have encounter.

Horizontal beams are supported by the foundation columns , and then the floor slab is poured on a wood plank supporting form or pre-fabricated floor slabs are placed on the first floor horizontal beams

and then a couple of inches of cement is poured on top of them to bind them together.

Picture of Column foundation footing

In engineering terms, such a floor slab is called 'suspended slab' as opposed to a slab-on-ground, like a road.