The House I Built Part 4

[chiangrai57020]

The House I Built Part 4

To clarify. The drawing in Part 1 was not the sole drawing used in constructing the house. There were many drawings, to included the specific dimensions between walls, doors and windows, electrical plan, water system - both black and gray water, plumbing plan, etc. All dimensions were recorded/shown in centimeters.

From the very 1st day that construction began I maintained a day to day itemized list of all materials, fixtures and equipment purchased. For those that are considering building a home, today, keep in mind that my costs were for the year 2000. Although prices have not increased substantially since that time, there are items that are more expensive today.

My next house will be built using Large Red Hollow brick (30 L x 10 H x 15 W). These blocks do not require cement except to fill the holes. Basically, there will be a savings in that many bags of cement can be eliminated as well as cubic meters of sand. The blocks are sufficiently wide enough that I will not have to consider double wall construction. They will not have to have stucco on the exterior. I will insure that the walls are constructed using ½" rebar both vertical and horizontally.

And speaking of rebar. If you see what is used by Thai construction workers in building ‘columns’ you will appreciate knowing that columns, foundations and walls should only be constructed using ½" and 5/8" rebar. The flimsy stuff they use will not hold up a house for very long! Oh! My 1st house had columns. Will not have to have columns using the wider red blocks (another savings).

The roof will have a better quality of shingles. I will also add aluminum foil under the roofing tiles to cut down on heat buildup in attic and ceiling. Oh, and do not forget that access to the attic is a must. I had attic access in my 1st house. The roof designs that most Thai’s seem to be going with provide no ventilation at all! I do not no how they survive.

I installed 2 air conditioning units (9,000 BTU) in my 1st house (42,000 for 2). Businesses that sell AC units will try to sell you 12,000 BTU and higher. You know ‘your house’ and what insulation you have so do not let some ‘expert’ store clerk try to sell you something you do not need. Using fans with the AC and you will never suffer from heat on the hottest of days.

Make sure that you ‘ground’ your entire electrical system. Some folks have posted some excellent advise on TV regarding grounding. Use their advice. TV was not around when I started building my house. My 1st house had 6- 30 Amp circuit breakers. I have subsequently learned that 30 Amp was not the way to go but at the time I did not no any better.

I have not begun to price out materials for my second house. But using the figures (percentages) from the 1st house I have a WAG that 606,000 baht will cover the 3 bedroom, 2 bath, outdoor kitchen and carport of the 2nd house. Will no more when I start checking price of materials. I will not begin construction until I know that I have sufficient funds to complete the project! Many people do not price materials and labor and result in many uncompleted houses.

Cheers to all! And good luck if you plan to build.

Feel free to PM me.

[alesypalsy]

[Chiangrai,

They were 4 excellent posts, i Really enjoyed reading them, Thanks for the time and effort, and please let us know how you get on with your next house.

[Thaipwriter]

I installed 2 air conditioning units (9,000 BTU) in my 1st house (42,000 for 2).  Businesses that sell AC units will try to sell you 12,000 BTU and higher.  You know ‘your house’ and what insulation you have so do not let some ‘expert’ store clerk try to sell you something you do not need.  Using fans with the AC and you will never suffer from heat on the hottest of days.

This is misleading, a 9000 btu unit is good for rooms up to about 3X4 metres with a ceiling height of 2.3 metres, any bigger than that and 900 btu is useless.

A better guide is to let the "expert" at the store properly measure your room and calculate the volume to get the right BTU. THEN choose the next sized unit down from whatever they recommend. They will always go larger on thier recommendations for two reasons.

1. they make more dosh

2. if you cant cool your room properly they look stupid.

My living area is 65 sq meters, a 9000 btu unit would not have any ability to cool this space. I would need 4, which is why i have a 36,000 btu unit.

[Kringle]

Why don't you put this all in one thread. You've got 4 going now on one house,

[chiangrai57020]

I installed 2 air conditioning units (9,000 BTU) in my 1st house (42,000 for 2).  Businesses that sell AC units will try to sell you 12,000 BTU and higher.  You know ‘your house’ and what insulation you have so do not let some ‘expert’ store clerk try to sell you something you do not need.  Using fans with the AC and you will never suffer from heat on the hottest of days.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

This is misleading, a 9000 btu unit is good for rooms up to about 3X4 metres with a ceiling height of 2.3 metres, any bigger than that and 900 btu is useless.

A better guide is to let the "expert" at the store properly measure your room and calculate the volume to get the right BTU. THEN choose the next sized unit down from whatever they recommend. They will always go larger on thier recommendations for two reasons.

1. they make more dosh

2. if you cant cool your room properly they look stupid.

My living area is 65 sq meters, a 9000 btu unit would not have any ability to cool this space. I would need 4, which is why i have a 36,000 btu unit.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I agree. It is somewhat misleading. BUT I was refering to the Home I Built and pointed out that 'you' have to determine what 'you' need based on 'your' insulation value. Sorry if I was misunderstood.

[seeker108]

First let me add to what others have said. My hat is off to you for a very well organized, executed and documented project, done on the kind of budget that is an inspiration to all. And thank you for posting the details here.

Also you beat me in making a reply to the airconditioning load question as I only just found this thread.

Thaipwriter was probably correct in what he said as applied to typical construction in Thailand. However a well insulated house needs minimal air conditioning and I noticed that you did include insulation in your budget.

If one wants an air-conditioned home then insulation is as important in a hot climate as it is in a cold climate for the purpose of keeping your home heated. It will dramatically reduce your aircon load and therefor your electric bill and the interior environment will feel far more comfortable, not only cooler.

I am currently considering the possibility of constructing a very large facility in Thailand for a charitable organization, and I soon hope to peruse much of the knowledge in this housing subforum. I may thereafter may even be bold enough to make a few more posts.

Al, is it possible for you to approximate (WAG as you so aptly put it) the cost of the concrete blocks only (including directly related costs that would fall out if not using the blocks) and perhaps even compare that with the new brick costs that you will use. In your earlier breakdown the concrete block cost was lumped with quite a few other items.

I ask, because I also am thinking of using an alternative wall system. One possibility is this brick you mention and another is adobe blocks that are apparently being made up around Mae Tang. I have long wanted to build with adobe or some kind of rammed earth. I have not yet researched in detail the adobe availability and cost, but I did see some postings about it in the Chiang Mai forum.

Having thick insulated walls, as well as roof and ceiling, is also important. I remember living in places in both Thailand and India where the cheap walls felt like radiant heaters even on the shady side. They were conducting very efficiently the ambiant 35C outside temp into the interior and airconditioning could hardly affect it. If the wall was exposed to the sun then it felt like the side of a pizza oven.

Again thanks for this post and I look forward to reading the other posts in this forum.

Seeker

[Eric Davis]

http://www.qcon.co.th/index.php

Q-Con Blocks.

[seeker108]

http://www.qcon.co.th/index.php

Q-Con Blocks.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Thanks for the post Eric. Seems to have some good insulation value as well as other construction benefits, but definitely not for me as I wish to avoid concrete and the whole feeling that it and other high tech products generate.

There is too much of a 'sterile' feeling to so much of modern construction that I wish to avoid. For me any building, especially a home, should have a solid and settled feeling incorporated wherever possible. This is probably just my personal prefference. Others may find this is just what they are looking for.

Again, thanks for the info.

[chownah]

http://www.qcon.co.th/index.php

Q-Con Blocks.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Thanks for the post Eric. Seems to have some good insulation value as well as other construction benefits, but definitely not for me as I wish to avoid concrete and the whole feeling that it and other high tech products generate.

There is too much of a 'sterile' feeling to so much of modern construction that I wish to avoid. For me any building, especially a home, should have a solid and settled feeling incorporated wherever possible. This is probably just my personal prefference. Others may find this is just what they are looking for.

Again, thanks for the info.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Maybe this link will interest you.

Their introduction: We are an international grassroots natural building organization, teaching people how to build their own, appropriately designed, hybrid homes with affordable and indigenous materials.

The link: http://www.kleiwerks.com/

They do earth construction and they have or at least have had people in Thaland.

Also these people are into building with earth and are located in Thailand:

http://www.whisperingseed.org/childrenhome.html

I hope we hear more about your project.

[seeker108]

Thanks Chownah

The kleiwerks link refers to the 'pun pun' group that is working with the adobe system that I read about in the Chiang Mai forum. It seems they have a couple of very detailed workshops coming up. A lot of what both pun pun and whispering seed emphasize seems to be aimed at a more basic and inexpensive kind of construction to help village areas construct nice homes and sustainable systems within their means. Probably kleiwerks (and pun pun) cover more upscale type home construction as well. I will definitely be in touch with pun pun when I get back to Chiang Mai. I used to be part of an environmental builders group in the US and we hosted similar workshops and conferences.

By the way, anyone checking out these links, don't be fooled by the simplicity of what you see. Some of the most beautiful and expensive homes in California and the southwest, and parts of Europe are constructed using similar technologies.

If my project in the north comes off I will keep you posted here. There is a similar project to the one I want to do in the north that will soon start in Hua Hin, and I may get involved with that as well. Though there it will probably involve more standard construction than eco construction.

[stoneman]

My next house will be built using Large Red Hollow brick (30 L x 10 H x 15 W). These blocks do not require cement except to fill the holes. Basically, there will be a savings in that many bags of cement can be eliminated as well as cubic meters of sand. The blocks are sufficiently wide enough that I will not have to consider double wall construction. They will not have to have stucco on the exterior. I will insure that the walls are constructed using ½" rebar both vertical and horizontally.

Chiangrai...

A friend of mine just finished his new home in Udon Thani and used the large red bricks for all the walls...It really looks great... He did note one down-side to theses bricks and that was the maintenance and upkeep required. He told me that they have the be repainted/revarnished every couple of years because, unlike red brick used in the US, these are not kiln baked but rather just formed in a wooden mold... And will turn back to red dirt if a protective coating is not kept on them..

Or maybe you are aware of a kiln baked brick that is available in your area...

Would be interested in your comments because I really liked the idea until we started talking about maintenance costs

Stoneman

[chownah]

My next house will be built using Large Red Hollow brick (30 L x 10 H x 15 W).  These blocks do not require cement except to fill the holes.  Basically, there will be a savings in that many bags of cement can be eliminated as well as cubic meters of sand.  The blocks are sufficiently wide enough that I will not have to consider double wall construction.  They will not have to have stucco  on the exterior.  I will insure that the walls are constructed using ½" rebar both vertical and horizontally.

Chiangrai...

A friend of mine just finished his new home in Udon Thani and used the large red bricks for all the walls...It really looks great... He did note one down-side to theses bricks and that was the maintenance and upkeep required. He told me that they have the be repainted/revarnished every couple of years because, unlike red brick used in the US, these are not kiln baked but rather just formed in a wooden mold... And will turn back to red dirt if a protective coating is not kept on them..

Or maybe you are aware of a kiln baked brick that is available in your area...

Would be interested in your comments because I really liked the idea until we started talking about maintenance costs

Stoneman

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Kiln baked bricks are widely available throughout Thailand and are the usual type of brick used in construction...but....they are not very aesthetic so you wouldn't want to leave them exposed....at least not the common ones you usually see being used in construction....perhaps a better looking grade is available but I've never looked. I'm interested in the large hollow bricks you talk about. Do you know if they are made of terracrete? Tereracrete is portland cement mixed with pure powdered dry clay with a very small amount of water added and then rammed under high pressure into a mold. Is that what you are talking about or is it something else?

[Eric Davis]

http://www.bpkbrick.co.th/

The site is in Thai but you can get to products (second link down). Just move the mouse over till you get Products.

All about Red Brick and Block.

[aletta]

A local builder has used the red bricks to build some houses and they were soon covered in mold.

[Neeranam]

Any chance of a photo of the house?

[chiangrai57020]

Any chance of a photo of the house?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Check Part Tow and Three.