Housebuilding Thread

Crossy · July 10, 2011

OK, it's been a considerable time since we had a blow-by-blow construction thread, so muggins here has decided to reveal all.

This will be a real-time thread (we started yesterday) although updates may become sporadic when I'm out of the country earning the cash to pay for it all.

The Missus has a point-and-shoot so she'll be doing the piccies when I'm not around. My step-son who lives about 100m away will be the primary watcher (I really don't want to call him the supervisor, that will be Wifey), he dotes on his Mum so the contractor will have a hard time if all is not to my our her standards.

After a delay of some 4 years since we acquired the land mainly due to not actually having the cash to build something we're finally in a position to get going. Wifey had some specific requirements regarding the house form (particularly the roof) which caused us some difficulty finding a contractor (they all want to build moo-bahn rabbit hutches, we had something different in mind). We finally went with a local chap who lives in the same village, he's confident he can build as the lady wants and the price was in budget after some hard negotiation by 'Er Indoors We've looked at some of his work which seems to be pretty good, certainly acceptable.

So Saturday (9th July 2011) was go day.

Khun Contractor on the left (actually K. Dusit) discusses the plans with his site manager (name as yet unknown) and my good lady wife.

He's got all the gear (at least a laser level) and the guys certainly seem to know how to drive it.

After some adjustment by the Missus the corner datum goes in, it's 6 metres from the boundary so we're not impinging on anyone's light.

Need to trim the grass (jungle) a bit, no tigers but a couple of snakes were disturbed.

Task 'A' get the workers accommodation sorted, power and water will be connected on Monday.

Things are going to be somewhat basic for the scheduled 6 month construction period, they do have a separate loo though, I will not be testing it.

She Who Must Be Obeyed checks one of her young mango trees, her somewhat random planting of trees has dictated exactly where the house is positioned and oriented.

TPI · July 10, 2011

No trouble getting power and water? House number? Doesn't the builder want to build his way??

Cynical.....I know, best of luck, thanks for the thread.

Did you buy the plans or is it to your own design? Rgds

Old Croc · July 10, 2011

Looking forward to following your build.

Good luck with it all.

jombom · July 10, 2011

Interesting thread Crossy. Hope it all proceeds smoothly.

Re roof; I have an intense dislike of flat roofs and valley joints. What pitch angle angle have you specified ??

Crossy · July 10, 2011

No trouble getting power and water? House number? Doesn't the builder want to build his way??

Did you buy the plans or is it to your own design?

Water and power already on the road about 10m from our boundary, so no issues there. House number should be no problem (famous last words), we're on a defined plot in an existing village. Can't actually get the number until we have a house.

The plans started life as one of the free government plans, we've not altered the structural elements so we didn't need to get the drawings re-certified, probably the only aspect of this job that's actually saved money

Looking forward to following your build.

Good luck with it all.

Cheers OC, hope it doesn't turn into a croc of shit.

Re roof; I have an intense dislike of flat roofs and valley joints. What pitch angle angle have you specified ??

No flat bits and no valleys The Missus required a traditional Central Thailand (Ayutthaya) roofline, we've had to make some allowances for modern materials but hopefully it will keep her happy, main pitch angle is about 60^o. She also specified cathedral ceilings with the roof structure visible, I expect I'll be the one lumbered with dusting it

Naam · July 10, 2011

here's my two Satangs Crossy... get professional advice as far as your electrical installation is concerned!

bifftastic · July 10, 2011

My wife had to take a photo of our toilet to the hospital and then take the certificate that the hospital eventually issued her, to the Amphur to get a house number.

see here for the full story

This was for a house that had already been built, we just bought it.

Hope it all works out how you want it to Crossy, look forward to seeing more developments.

jaapfries · July 10, 2011

Crossy: Great effort; get the Valium ready, just in case and in the meantime: PM me for some professional advice on the following:

1.DPM (Damp Proof Membrane) only essential in case the soil under the dwelling meets the sub-floor)

2.Thermal Insulation in our Cathedral Style Roof

3.Hot Water Service

and a few other helpful bits

Cheers,

JaapFries

TongueThaied · July 11, 2011

Crossy: Great effort; get the Valium ready, just in case and in the meantime: PM me for some professional advice on the following:

1.DPM (Damp Proof Membrane) only essential in case the soil under the dwelling meets the sub-floor)

2.Thermal Insulation in our Cathedral Style Roof

3.Hot Water Service

and a few other helpful bits

Cheers,

JaapFries

Jaap, I would have PM'ed you myself, but figured many people watching this thread would be interested in what you have to say about both the Damp Proof Membrane and the Thermal IInsulation. I have been unable to find heavy duty wide black visqueen (6 mil) anywhere here. What do you suggest? Also, I have been noticing the ads for spray-on foam insulation by contractors out of Bangkok. What's your experience?

Thanks in advance!

SantiSuk · July 11, 2011

Power and water were in the road for us too.

But the local village power loop was insufficient for a western style of living (no more than 2 air con units at a time and the high capacity water heater often trips the maximum capacity circuit breaker recommended for our supply) and needs to be expensively reinforced with a dedicated transformer from the high voltage supply, which I have not yet done after two years of getting used to the idiosyncracies of living with not enough power.

When we started to build a (reasonably large) swimming pool it became clear that the village were not prepared to supply large volume water so we had to install a well and tower in addition to the village supply. Probably a good idea anyway in the long run.The well proved difficult - took 3 drillers (2 aborted on a no success fee basis), 4 weeks and 20,000 baht to get down to the water table. Not sure how much the tower and tank costs - must get the missus to break out the detailed contract costing sometime.

Are you going to incorporate any natural rain water capture into the cold water supply? Are you going to install any solar heating into the hot water supply (if indeed you are going for a hot water system). Not strictly necessary of course if you are on a budget (who isn't) and the latter probably only pays for itself over several decades. I now wish I had thought more about that at the planning stage although whether my builder would have been able to do anything so non-Thai here in the sticks is questionable. He is a good builder but oh for qualified/knowledgeable electricians and plumbers who can design and supervise proper integrated electrical and plumbing systems.

I left the waste/sewerage system to the builder too, which meant that for the house and swimming pool and extension building we have now got about 6 concrete tanks popping their heads up around the garden! Works ok and I have only needed to suck a few out once in 2 years at a cost of less than 200 baht in total, but aesthetically I wish we could have designed a proper environmental treatment gravel run-off system (sorry - can't remember the correct name).

The one thing I did right was to get a builder who quoted fully inclusive but provided a very detailed cost breakdown. That meant that at the finishing stage, when I wanted to upgrade the spec of the internal fittings - kitchens, bathrooms, tiling - it was possible to sort the price adjustments with complete transparency. Nice fittings (showers, bathroom ceramics) are not a fortune in Thailand and make all the difference. Good granite tiles in the reception room give the house a lift too but they are not so cheap. I've just had another couple of rooms and a bathroom built alongside the new pool and I left the builder to get on with this one - mistake - it looks cheap (plastic-piped bum guns etc) and I will need to retrofit some time down the line.

Such a lot to think about. Anyone who says they got their house exactly like they would have wanted it is goho

angiud · July 11, 2011

Thanks Crossy to share your experience (adventure) to build your house.

Finally, after 10 years of work and saving in Thailand, I have got 2 rai inKoh Phangan and next year I hope to start the construction of my house.

I will take lessons from your experience. Good luck!

mario299 · July 11, 2011

Crossy good luck and hope everything goes smooth.

Are you in Surin Province by any chance, because that site manager (from Pic #1) looks familiar.

Edit 13:11 Just saw that you are in Pathumthani

Crossy

We made a slide show movie of the building of our home and put it on YouTube. Take a look, you're in for a great experience!!

Best of luck

mario299

Artisi · July 11, 2011

The one thing I did right was to get a builder who quoted fully inclusive but provided a very detailed cost breakdown. That meant that at the finishing stage, when I wanted to upgrade the spec of the internal fittings - kitchens, bathrooms, tiling - it was possible to sort the price adjustments with complete transparency.

I would agree with that - get an itemised quote so you can breakout any items you wish to purchase. - Big cost savings can be made.

Crossy · July 11, 2011

The one thing I did right was to get a builder who quoted fully inclusive but provided a very detailed cost breakdown. That meant that at the finishing stage, when I wanted to upgrade the spec of the internal fittings - kitchens, bathrooms, tiling - it was possible to sort the price adjustments with complete transparency.

I would agree with that - get an itemised quote so you can breakout any items you wish to purchase. - Big cost savings can be made.

Absolutely, we have a pretty detailed cost breakdown, all in Thai of course, now got to get a soft copy so I can translate it myself and align it with what Wifey says it says

That's a nice slideshow Mario, I'll watch it properly later once I finish in the office. Does it show any of the things that went wrong?

mario299 · July 11, 2011

That's a nice slideshow Mario, I'll watch it properly later once I finish in the office. Does it show any of the things that went wrong?

Crossy

Not much went wrong, fortunately, and I also was on site every day except the three weeks from March to April. I had about 30 years in the remodeling industry in the US, so I went in with my eyes open and our contractor was the best!

Our arrangement was a fixed labor amount, and we paid for materials. This allowed us to get the best of the things we wanted, at the best prices. We ended up very happy with all, and have been gradually doing more and more. I have built a covered work shop in the back, we put an awning cover over the open space between the house and kitchen room, and I sheet rocked the garage ceiling.

It never ends! (Hopefully) As I get the chance I'll try to add some more pictures for you to look at, ideas for you to think about.

Enjoy!

mario299

David006 · July 11, 2011

here's my two Satangs Crossy... get professional advice as far as your electrical installation is concerned!

yeh!

David006 · July 11, 2011

here's my two Satangs Crossy... get professional advice as far as your electrical installation is concerned!

Hey Crossy... need lots of intestinal and cranial fortitude mate...lotsa luck.. keep that bottle of Blend 285 handy...

keep us posted...and watch those grounds( earths to you ) and GFIs...lol

yeh!

craigt3365 · July 12, 2011

Crossy: Great effort; get the Valium ready, just in case and in the meantime: PM me for some professional advice on the following:

1.DPM (Damp Proof Membrane) only essential in case the soil under the dwelling meets the sub-floor)

2.Thermal Insulation in our Cathedral Style Roof

3.Hot Water Service

and a few other helpful bits

Cheers,

JaapFries

Jaap, I would have PM'ed you myself, but figured many people watching this thread would be interested in what you have to say about both the Damp Proof Membrane and the Thermal IInsulation. I have been unable to find heavy duty wide black visqueen (6 mil) anywhere here. What do you suggest? Also, I have been noticing the ads for spray-on foam insulation by contractors out of Bangkok. What's your experience?

Thanks in advance!

For sure would love to hear about thermal insulation.

harrry · July 12, 2011

here's my two Satangs Crossy... get professional advice as far as your electrical installation is concerned!

yeh!

Yes, you need advice on that...most farangs overspecify on wire size and want to stick useless earths in.....just ask any thai electrician he will put you straight

Crossy · July 14, 2011

Sooooo, here we have the latest lack of progress report.

After 5 days of slog we have:-

A perimeter marked out and levelled.

A bunch of spray painted markers.

Fishing line stretched across the perimeter, looks like a CSI search grid, hope there're no bodies to be found.

Garlands to keep the ghosts happy, sadly Super Boondee don't make a Ghost Repeller any more (try a Google for a giggle or follow the link http://gadgets.boingboing.net/2009/03/12/trisaksri-ghost-repe.html if you're too lazy ).

Staff accommodation is now complete.

With a classy shaded patio for the supervisor to watch progress.

The piling rig is supposed to arrive tomorrow.

Meanwhile PEA have failed miserably to deliver the promised temporary power so the boys have a bulb on the end of a length of speaker wire plugged in to next door.

I probably don't want to know what this piece of mysterious electrical hardware does, I'll get a better picture at the weekend.

Crossy · July 23, 2011

Today's update from a very toasted and lobster shaded Crossy

PEA finally delivered the site power, 15/45 meter on the pole outside our gate.

The welder popped the incoming fuse so a replacement was installed, yes that's 2.5mm² wire, probably not going to blow that again.

So now the TV will work.

We now have a pile of piles.

And a pile of bits of steel angle.

Which transmogrified into a piling rig.

Piling started today, Saturday 23/7/11.

The 8m sections were welded together during driving, piles went in between 14 and 15m (one only went 12m, K. Dusit reckons it hit a rock).

This structure is apparently the re-bar bending shed.

Crossy · July 25, 2011

Our entrance drive has become rather, er, muddy. The fill in this area wasn't as well compacted as it ought to have been

Nothing a few tons of Laterite and some manpower can't fix.

Don't let anyone convince you that Stonehenge and the Pyramids were built using manpower and rollers.

Meanwhile the pile of piles is getting smaller

And our own personal Stonehenge is getting bigger

I wonder if anyone is reading this thread, maybe it will become more popular when it all goes tits-up

Deke · July 25, 2011

I wonder if anyone is reading this thread, maybe it will become more popular when it all goes tits-up

I'm at least following it since I'm planning my own project in the near future.

Not much to comment about on site work I guess.

harrry · July 25, 2011

You will have to dance naked round the stonehenge at dawn to gather interest.....on second thoughts about an hour before dawn may be dark enough.

Crossy · July 26, 2011

You will have to dance naked round the stonehenge at dawn to gather interest.....on second thoughts about an hour before dawn may be dark enough.

Sadly, Stonehenge has been felled in preparation for digging out the pile-caps. Maybe once the first columns are up we can do the naked dance thing, or maybe not (how much are you going to pay me NOT to post here)

David006 · July 26, 2011

Crossy: Great effort; get the Valium ready, just in case and in the meantime: PM me for some professional advice on the following:

1.DPM (Damp Proof Membrane) only essential in case the soil under the dwelling meets the sub-floor)

2.Thermal Insulation in our Cathedral Style Roof

3.Hot Water Service

and a few other helpful bits

Cheers,

JaapFries

Jaap, I would have PM'ed you myself, but figured many people watching this thread would be interested in what you have to say about both the Damp Proof Membrane and the Thermal IInsulation. I have been unable to find heavy duty wide black visqueen (6 mil) anywhere here. What do you suggest? Also, I have been noticing the ads for spray-on foam insulation by contractors out of Bangkok. What's your experience?

Thanks in advance!

Visqueen?? Used take care of British Visqueen's PABX a hundred years ago...fascinating plastics factory in Stevenage Herts...they had a great target rifle range too...lol..

Good luck with your house project Crossy ..as one poster said.. keep those drugs handy and a bottle of Maalox!...lol

...Why do you need a damp course on a pole home?? ... maybe I mixed up the posts??

David006 · July 26, 2011

don't forget the sugar cane and the coconut otherwise "they" will surely get ya....

David006 · July 26, 2011

don't forget the sugar cane and the coconut otherwise "they" will surely get ya....

oh and this...every bit helps....

Crossy · July 26, 2011

Piling was completed late yesterday afternoon, by the time we got to site this morning the rig had been dismantled and spirited away.

Today was concerned with marking out the pile cap locations, the high-tech laser was in use elsewhere, so the traditional water-level came out of retirement.