Housebuilding Thread

[Crossy]

I thought a couple of times about your house and I was wondering what consequenses you are taking from this flood to prevent future flooding. I mean the retaining wall and the filling was defeinitely not enough, right? Sorry about this situation, so.

Being riverside we know that we will flood fairly regularly, so the house is designed with this in mind. Problem this time is that the water rose significantly higher than before, we'll know exactly how high when it's gone down enough to access the site. We have only one boat and currently need that to get in and out of our condo, hopefully over the next day or two we will be able to get the car out

We will certainly be looking at the electrical arrangements and a permanent downstairs flood wall leaving smaller gaps to be filled with bags or another type of barrier. I have absolutely no intention of letting the water get the better of us. I do know that if we were actually living there now we would have no issues whatever other than needing to use the boat to get to the car.

[Crossy]

Well the river has receded and we've managed to get the car out of the condo parking, so time to have a look at what remains of our build.

Water has gone down enough to get on to the site, it's left us a more than adequate supply of mud, I bet it's great for plants though.

The boys are back on site from today, the rest of the crew will return later this week from wherever they went when the flood arrived.

You can see from this shot how high the water got up the workers accommodation, didn't get to the electrics though.

There's still quite a lot of water on site, since this is coming from the river nothing to do until the river goes down a bit more.

With the help of my specially developed and calibrated measuring device (one DIN standard Wife) I estimate that the lowest floor of the house had been flooded to about 60cm.

This was better than I had hoped for as I plan a permanent 70cm flood wall around the ground level, low enough for barbecue guests to sit on, high enough to keep the water out. Flood wall will have two gaps, one for main access and one for access to the garden, these will be plugged using a means as yet to be devised should high flooding threaten.

EDIT Just spoke to K. Dusit (our contractor), he's a bit miffed that all the wood he got in for formwork support has 'floated' off

[mrbojangles]

Glad it wasn't too catastrophic Crossy.

Flood wall will have two gaps, one for main access and one for access to the garden, these will be plugged using a means as yet to be devised should high flooding threaten.

What size will the gaps be?

A friend of mine used a steel plate across a gap of about 1.5 m and it worked pretty well. It had a sealing strip at the back and fixings to attach it to the wall.

[Crossy]

Biggest gap is 6m, I envisage a 20mm plywood washboard arrangement with braced steel angle supports every metre or so anchored into the slab with concrete anchors. The whole lot being removable for storage when the floods are absent, bolt heads recessed into the tiles so there is no trip hazard.

Meanwhile we are actually getting going again biggest issue right now is materials supply as all the local builders merchants were flooded.

Photos when there's actually something to see.

[Crossy]

Well here we are finally back on site.

Most of the formwork for the upper storey had to be replaced after the flooding.

But then one has to sit around waiting for the Cpac truck to arrive.

This is the location of one of the floor drains apparently.

The concrete arrives so it's all hands to the pumps as usual.

These acrows have been living in the small bathroom for a while, hope they're not a permanent feature

This is where the stairs will arrive, they are apparently the next bit to go in after the upper floor slab is poured, means Muggins will finally be able to get upstairs and have a look.

More formwork goes in place for the higher level lounge and bedroom floors.

Not the best view of our view. Wifey just cannot seem to get a decent photo of the river but since the bamboo access ladder is not certified for quantity one DIN standard fat-farang this will have to do until yours-truly gets up there via the soon to be constructed stairs.

[rgs2001uk]

Did those columns come precast from the factory Crossy, notice they already have the rods inserted for the walls.

[Crossy]

Did those columns come precast from the factory Crossy, notice they already have the rods inserted for the walls.

Nope, poured on site.

This picture of the columns with the formwork still on is not particularly clear but you can see the rods sticking out through the wooden forms. I don't know how the rods got through the formwork or if they are actually tied off to the cage inside the column, bit late to check right now.

Unfortunately I was away when all the columns were poured so Wifey took the photos, David Bailey she is not.

[onionluke]

Did those columns come precast from the factory Crossy, notice they already have the rods inserted for the walls.

Nope, poured on site.

This picture of the columns with the formwork still on is not particularly clear but you can see the rods sticking out through the wooden forms. I don't know how the rods got through the formwork or if they are actually tied off to the cage inside the column, bit late to check right now.

Unfortunately I was away when all the columns were poured so Wifey took the photos, David Bailey she is not.

Not to worry , those are your tie in rods for the brick work that will follow . Kinda like starter bars . As they are cast in you will not have to drill holes to fit them later on . Looks good .

Ah should of read the rest before posting . Looks good .

Edited December 19, 2011 by onionluke

[Crossy]

Pouring of the first floor slab is complete.

Formwork for the stairs gets underway.

and the support structure and forms for the upstairs beams is removed.

Meanwhile, the boys get started on the forms for the ring-beams that will support the roof.

Stairs are progressing.

The submarine is converted back into a Concrete mixer with the addition of a new (dried out) motor..

It's alive!!

[RAZZELL]

Your place is looking good

What do you think it's going to cost you for the build?

RAZZ

[Crossy]

What do you think it's going to cost you for the build?

Ah, the $64,000 question

Budget is (was) 4.X million, for the shell with kitchen and bathroom fittings but not including aircon and lighting. I suspect that will end up so far out of sight it's not true. My darling Wifey is not helping by the amount of Teak she's specifying, windows, doors (including the 2m x 5m folding door on the lounge), roof finials (we have 6 gables) and banisters. At least the flooring is to be the (slightly) cheaper mai daeng

For those on a somewhat tighter budget have a look here http://www.thaivisa....in-the-boonies/

[onionluke]

Nicely done . Good clean work too . The one thing I would consider with a beam and slab would be to leave in the props under the beams , some anyway . How did you cure the concrete ? The guy that built our house wrapped the columns in cling film and kept a hose on them after striking the forms.

[Crossy]

The beams had the props for 3 months due to the flooding, which also kept the ground floor slab nice and wet, probably the best cured slab in the country.

I asked Dusit about curing using plastic and water. His response was that he leaves the formwork on a lot longer than usual and we're building in the cool season anyway so formal curing apart from spraying water on the exposed surfaces occasionally is not required. I'm no concrete tech so I've no idea if he's right, but I don't see any cracking and it's not actually fallen down (yet).

[Crossy]

Well the stairs are now usable so this cuddly farang can actually get upstairs

The forest that was supporting the slab formwork has been transplanted ready to support the roof beams.

The hole in the floor is an open light to the lower level, it has a planter directly below. She Who Must Be Obeyed has ideas of letting a tree grow through the opening, dunno how well that will work, but the opening does let a lot of light into an area that would normally be quite dark. We shall see.

The rebar cages are prepared and lifted into place.

And some minor adjustments made to the support columns

Starting to take shape, seems pretty big, Wifey is wondering about keeping all that tile clean

[rgs2001uk]

What do you think it's going to cost you for the build?

Ah, the $64,000 question

Budget is (was) 4.X million, for the shell with kitchen and bathroom fittings but not including aircon and lighting. I suspect that will end up so far out of sight it's not true. My darling Wifey is not helping by the amount of Teak she's specifying, windows, doors (including the 2m x 5m folding door on the lounge), roof finials (we have 6 gables) and banisters. At least the flooring is to be the (slightly) cheaper mai daeng

For those on a somewhat tighter budget have a look here http://www.thaivisa....in-the-boonies/

Whinge whinge whinge, know exactly what you mean, count yourself lucky mate, mine opted for the slightly more expensive mai makha.

Take it from the pictures you arent having a wooden staircase, please dont tell me you are going to lay wood on top.Another plus for you, mine wants a wood staircase.

From what I have seen count yourself lucky the mrs didnt order Upvc, we have gone for mai sak frames with mai daeng windows, the mai daeng for the floor seems to be the popular choice, take it you are getting tongued and grooved. Costs about 2k per sqm, plus another 450 baht per sqm to have it treated and laid.

The cost of the house isnt the problem, its all the other crap that soon adds up, new wall with stainless steel fencing,surrounding area to be tiled, etc etc.

Keep the photos coming, a regular supply of beer and Motorhead on the stereo keeps me sane.

[Crossy]

Take it from the pictures you arent having a wooden staircase, please dont tell me you are going to lay wood on top.Another plus for you, mine wants a wood staircase.

The jury is still out on finishing of the stairs. Being of simple mind I want to go for tiled or flamed (or at least matt) granite treads with the risers remaining painted concrete, easy to clean. 'Er Indoors wants mai daeng treads again with painted risers. Any particular reason you wouldn't have wooden treads on a concrete substrate?

The stairs are the main access to the living area so they will be high traffic, hence my preference for the granite solution.

The cost of the house isnt the problem, its all the other crap that soon adds up, new wall with stainless steel fencing,surrounding area to be tiled, etc etc.

That's always the scary bit, all the little bits that 'must' be done before she'll move in

Keep the photos coming, a regular supply of beer and Motorhead on the stereo keeps me sane.

Wilco, I'm enjoying this build (at the moment). Not sure how well Motorhead would go down on site, the boys seem to prefer the local radio station.

[mrbojangles]

Coming along nicely Crossy.

For those on a somewhat tighter budget have a look here http://www.thaivisa....in-the-boonies/

I've had some piccies sent and I'm off over there in a couple of weeks, so I'll update it soon.

Actually, I have an outstanding question for you on there, regarding where to put the lightening rod.

[rgs2001uk]

Take it from the pictures you arent having a wooden staircase, please dont tell me you are going to lay wood on top.Another plus for you, mine wants a wood staircase.

The jury is still out on finishing of the stairs. Being of simple mind I want to go for tiled or flamed (or at least matt) granite treads with the risers remaining painted concrete, easy to clean. 'Er Indoors wants mai daeng treads again with painted risers. Any particular reason you wouldn't have wooden treads on a concrete substrate?

The stairs are the main access to the living area so they will be high traffic, hence my preference for the granite solution.

The cost of the house isnt the problem, its all the other crap that soon adds up, new wall with stainless steel fencing,surrounding area to be tiled, etc etc.

That's always the scary bit, all the little bits that 'must' be done before she'll move in

Keep the photos coming, a regular supply of beer and Motorhead on the stereo keeps me sane.

Wilco, I'm enjoying this build (at the moment). Not sure how well Motorhead would go down on site, the boys seem to prefer the local radio station.

Crossy, just ignore me, was thinking out loud.

Its a personal thing with me and wood, I would opted for an open plan wooden staircase, at the end of the day as we know, the mrs will have what she wants. LOL.

My only concern would be turning it into a potential death trap, water, depending on the way the wood is finished.

I would opt for non slip tiles, but what the heck do we know.

As for all the "little bits", its the 10k here and there that soon adds up, dont mention crown moulding to her.

Motorhead is for my benefit not the workforce, they must think to themselves, what is the crazy farang doing in that car, headbanging away, fists pummeling the steering wheel, and Ace Of Spades booming out, keeps me sane, I think.

[Crossy]

Crossy, just ignore me, was thinking out loud.

No way, the whole point of this thread is for people to throw in ideas and constructive criticism, whether the Other Half would take any notice is another question

The underside of the staircase is not visible so a wood structure would be wasted.

[Litlos]

Good to see you have progress again. I had to fit anti slip treads on some wooden stairs at one house as the slightest bit of dampness and they were lethal for slipping. Maybe can get some sort of finish that is not so bad for slipping (standard Thai varnish with plenty of dust included should do it).

On a side note I was looking for some bits and pieces and came across this website. They seem to have a fair bit of electrical equipment and are up your way I think. http://www.sefco.co.th/ Maybe you have seen already or have experience?

I am looking at options for myself and it is a toss up between an older place and renovation, or a new place. The older place has more land included and is cheaper, so that looks like it may end up as the permanent residence. Just have to work out how much for renovation. Probably use the same formula as a new build ie take what the TGF says, and double it plus 20%, for starters.

Cheers

[Crossy]

Cheers Litlos, I'll have a word with them re lightning protection (surge arrestors).

Here we go with the latest activities.

Most of the supports and formwork are now removed from the ground level area, seems pretty big

Something mysterious is being welded up.

Am I any wiser?

Turns out they are the attachment points for the roof structure, Baby Dusit (the contractor's son) demonstrates how they fit.

Ring beams are ready for concrete.

Which arrives courtesy of the big bucket.

And is vibrated.

It's a long way down,

Pretty high to be wrestling an errant cube of readymix.

[Crossy]

The bricklaying crew has arrived, about 10 people. I found out later that they are all members of one family.

In absolutely typical Thai fashon, the tiniest little lady gets the job of lumping cement and sand for the mortar mixer, I'm certain that each cement bag weighs as much as she does.

Bricklaying gets underway on the downstairs walls.

Meanwhile, upstairs the roofers get started on the roof steel.

Never seen without his cigarette the boss welder gets going.

Whilst his colleague wearing full protective balaclava and sunglasses builds the box sections.

The boys start construction of a crane to lift roofing materials.

At the end of day one the walls are well on the way.

I never cease to be impressed by the cleanliness of these workers, all rubbish and scrap is collected and disposed of (ok burnt) or recycled.

[Crossy]

This is the dining room looking from the kitchen.

and the stairs, the main entrance to the house is on the left.

The crane nears completion.

These rebar cages are for the window sills

They will run the entire length between columns, walls without windows will get a similar concrete strengthening member half way up.

Another view of the downstairs area, the room directly in front is earmarked as my workshop, kitchen and dining room to the right.

I wonder if this seven-legged steel spider is poisonous.

The winch mechanism gets a post-flood clean up and lube.

[GarryP]

That is going to be one big house. Hope your wife likes cleaning. One clear advantage of the size is that you can pretend to be out of hearing range if the master of the house calls for assistance with anything.

I so much enjoyed watching the progress of my house from start to finish (even though it was only a small town house) and am sure you are enjoying watching your castle go up too.

Interesting thread.

[Khun Jean]

I sometimes wonder why thai brick walls are more than 50% grout.

Is the brick that expensive or is the bricklaying skill low and to compenate a thick layer of grout is needed.

[Crossy]

Lord only knows Jean, at least the courses are (mostly) level and the bond is fair.

[necronx99]

I sometimes wonder why thai brick walls are more than 50% grout.

Is the brick that expensive or is the bricklaying skill low and to compenate a thick layer of grout is needed.

It's all to do with making sure a certain cement company is respectfully and eminently profitable.

[donx]

Crossy, I'm interested in knowing if you ever considered using Super Blocks or something similar instead of the red Thai bricks. I have read posts by others that strongly recommend them. If you did consider using them, why didn't you? Were they too expensive or did the workers refuse to use them?

When my wife had a small one room bungalow built she used the same bricks you are using. They seem to have worked fine for our small place.

[Crossy]

I just knew someone would ask that question

OK, honest answer, talked to the contractor about aerated concrete blocks. The problem seems to be that they are currently a lot more expensive than the regular bricks due to flood related price increases, even after factoring in the additional labour of the small bricks they are still cheaper, allegedly.

With our wide eaves and high ceilings we shall see just how hot we get.

[Crossy]

Welcome to cock-up week

Cock Up Number 1

Upstairs brickwork nearly complete, unfortunately someone forgot to include the set-back to take account of the weatherboarding that will be on the upper walls.

So down it had to come.

And get done properly.

Meanwhile downstairs mysterious operations with the saw bench.

Little slotted pieces of Mai Daeng

They are actually the supports for the window frames and are cast in to the sills.

Cock Up Number 2.

Monday, my custom made (read expensive) hardwood window frames are delivered (after we had left for the day so no photos).

Tuesday, we didn't visit the site because I had to work.

Wednesday, went to check on the site.

And some bloody <deleted> had painted them.

A face-saving exercise by Dusit ended up putting the blame (unfairly IMHO) on one of the labourers who "had seen that other houses had painted frames and so painted ours", I don't believe a word of it as someone had to provide the paint. Anyway eventually lots of smiles and mai pen rai and I got my way, new frames will be ready in about a week at the contractors expense. As it happens the scrap ones will find a home in the house he's building for my step-son who's not so picky as me

Meanwhile upstairs most of the forest has been removed ready for delivery and fixing of the roof steelwork.

Current issue is with the roof tiles, after Wifey spent most of a day deciding which colour she wants we now find that they are out of stock pretty well everywhere Dusit is phoning round getting 50 here, 100 there