Housebuilding Thread

[Crossy]

Installation of windows and paint allowed us to get our Blue Book. No photos of toilets required. Whether any short-circuiting of the system occurred I don't know, but sometimes it's handy having family members in local government

Either way, we now have an address so permanent power and water can be procured.

[Crossy]

The inside view of the patio door.

The Chippies fill and sand the holes left by the other trades.

We've gone for a simple, no-fuss banister design. Easy to clean too.

A better view of how the colours work, not going to be to everyone's taste, but it's got to be better than the purple and green monstrosity down the road.

Those water tanks won't be living there permanently.

The pink hue around the patio area is actually reflection from the red tiles, not an effect I had anticipated but a bit late to change now.

The view from the main (only) gate across the parking area.

[rgs2001uk]

Two questions,

I notice the wooden flooring is being laid straight onto the cement floor, why no batons laid first and the flooring laid on top of the batons?

Second, the staircase, why did you go for a combination staircase and not all wood?

Agree with the wife ref laminate, in fact I have seen laminate thats more expensive than the real thing, cant quite work out why.

Anyway looking good, well done.

[Crossy]

No problem laying parquet direct on concrete, done all the time in the UK, from this page http://www.czarfloor...install_faq.asp :-

CONCRETE SLABS. Solid parquet flooring can be glued directly to concrete. If using Concrete sealer - it has to be from the same manufacturer as the adhesive. The concrete must be of high compressive strength. All concrete subfloors should be tested for moisture content......

The concrete slab has been levelled with a self-levelling cement layer to smooth out the humps and bumps.

The stairs were always going to be concrete for cost reasons, the finish (granite, tiles or wood) was under discussion when I went to Singapore. When I returned the decision had been made for me something which my darling wife is very good at doing. To be honest I think it looks fine whereas maybe granite could have looked odd with the wooden floor.

[Crossy]

The next thrilling instalment:-

The bannister has been installed, just requires finishing

Khun Wood is now installing the outdoor railings so I won't fall over the edge after a few too many Changs.

Sparky (this is number 3) arrived with a large crew to install the light fittings. Access to the high ceilings was interesting

But the outside lights were easier to get at.

This is what the patio door looks like when open, note how it folds against the wall leaving a totally unobstructed opening. The price you pay for this is the 20 bolts you have to unlock in order to open it

This is how you get at 5m+ ceilings

When the 5m+ ceiling is above the stair-well extra ingenuity is required.

It's a good job the HSE (Heath and Safety Executive http://www.hse.gov.uk/ ) don't operate in Thailand, at least we know the banister is adequately strong.

The concept of track lighting, and particularly how to install the fittings was new, the boys had not seen it before.

All the fittings are now wearing condoms, in preparation for the final coat of ceiling paint.

Wifey is becoming increasingly happy as she sees a move-in date becoming clearer

[Crossy]

We had a brief panic when an official from the local Or Bor Tor office arrived and told the contractor we don't have a building permit. Apparently one of the locals had complained that 'Ban Farang' had not applied for a permit, Dusit called Wifey who promptly stormed to the office with the documentation. Boss Man got a serious ear-holing, he hadn't made the connection between my wife and the farang house, a serious mistake since my step-son is married to his daughter

An interesting follow up to this incident.

We got our Blue Book last week. I got our office lady to translate the address details so I can be sure to get it right for any incoming international mail. She went a step further and translated the whole details page to reveal, "House Type: 1 floor, 2 bedroom, wooden house", huh?

I suspect that anyone even glancing at the house would realise that something is amiss. Further investigation by Wifey showed that our Building Permit also has the same details despite all the attached and certified construction drawings showing a rather larger, 2 floor, concrete structure.

A trip to the local office and more bowing and scraping (from the officials) got the BP and Blue Book amended. Apparently it's actually quite common for the BP to be nothing like what's actually been built and is an easy fix.

But is definitely worth checking that all your documentation is correct as and when you receive it to avoid issues down the road when someone notices that your mansion is described as a 2 room shack.

[onionluke]

The next thrilling instalment:-

The bannister has been installed, just requires finishing

Khun Wood is now installing the outdoor railings so I won't fall over the edge after a few too many Changs.

Sparky (this is number 3) arrived with a large crew to install the light fittings. Access to the high ceilings was interesting

But the outside lights were easier to get at.

This is what the patio door looks like when open, note how it folds against the wall leaving a totally unobstructed opening. The price you pay for this is the 20 bolts you have to unlock in order to open it

This is how you get at 5m+ ceilings

When the 5m+ ceiling is above the stair-well extra ingenuity is required.

It's a good job the HSE (Heath and Safety Executive http://www.hse.gov.uk/ ) don't operate in Thailand, at least we know the banister is adequately strong.

The concept of track lighting, and particularly how to install the fittings was new, the boys had not seen it before.

All the fittings are now wearing condoms, in preparation for the final coat of ceiling paint.

Wifey is becoming increasingly happy as she sees a move-in date becoming clearer

Well imaginative working platforms going on in your hall . Those boys deserve a pint if ever there was a cause for the lowly scaff .

Fab place you've built there .

[Crossy]

Monday Wifey went to the local PEA office with our shiny new blue book in order to arrange permanent power.

Today (Wednesday) the PEA boys arrived to hook up.

Three poles. Indirect routing so the wires don't spoil our outlook.

They even had pukka safety gear.

Half a day later we have real electricity.

[Crossy]

The PEA inspector came on Saturday. Inspection consisted of him opening up the CU looking at the wiring and the earth rod connection, then gassing with the Missus for half an hour.

He did note the poor workmanship of his guys who had run the cable to the meter (the drops between poles were not equal), they will be along to fix next week.

it is worth noting the PEA (documented in their groundwire.pdf document http://www.pea.co.th.../groundwire.pdf ) requirements for minimum cable size between the meter and the house:-

Up to 35A => 10mm² (5-15 meter)

35A - 60A => 16mm² (15-45 meter)

50A - 95A => 25mm² (this does NOT cover a 30-100 meter and our local PEA office said they would not connect a 30-100 to a 25mm² cable even if I de-rated the incoming breaker to 80A)

95A - 185A => 35mm² (this is what you need for a 30-100 meter)

This requirement for 35mm² on a 30-100 meter surprised me as in the UK a 100A supply would be quite happy on 25mm² and the Bangkok Cable website rates 25mm² THW at 127A in air. More surprising is that PEA are happy with 35mm² at 185A but Bangkok Cable only rate it at 157A. Check with your local office for the required cable size before installing if you intend applying for a 30-100 meter.

[mrbojangles]

We got our Blue Book last week. I got our office lady to translate the address details so I can be sure to get it right for any incoming international mail. She went a step further and translated the whole details page to reveal, "House Type: 1 floor, 2 bedroom, wooden house", huh?

What did you have to produce for the Blue Book Crossy? The wife goes on her hols this week and I go over at the end of the month, which is when we want to get the blue book. I want to make sure I take everything I need. Fortunately I'm off to the UK on business next week, so I can pick up anything else I need whilst I'm there to take with me.

[Crossy]

From me, myself, nothing.

The blue book is all about the house details (2 bed wooden bungalow? See post #218), it currently does not contain any residents' details (Wifey will transfer her details when we move in). Then the fun of getting me a yellow book starts, Wifey seems to think I can get in the blue book but I seriously doubt that's possible.

As far as I'm aware the requirements were glass and doors fitted and outside paint on, others have reported needing to have a working toilet (we do have a site loo, wonder if that would count).

Best to check requirements with your local village/amphur office as our experience was almost certainly coloured by having family high up in the local food-chain (Wifey's son is married to Boss-man's daughter).

[Crossy]

Well, I've made good my escape from Singapore, for now at least. So here we go with the last month's progress, completion and move-in are approaching, unfortunately the rate at which they are approaching seems to diminish with each day

The granite chaps arrived and got straight down to cutting the kitchen and bathroom worktops.

The granite gets a nice soft bed to lie on.

Bathroom is also progressing

The completed kitchen, OK there's a wall cabinet to go up too

[Crossy]

Meanwhile, the outflow water from the septics, showers, sinks and patio drains gets somewhere to go.

It's a fairly long run from the septic to the sewer, so a concrete pipe with several access covers goes in.

OK, it's not really a sewer, but it's where the rest of the village discharge their grey water to. The water flows quite fast so the waste gets diluted pretty quickly, we've never noticed any pong.

This arrangement is supposed to stop the smells getting into the kitchen, there is already a U bend under the sink so I'm not sure how much it actually achieves.

The downstairs loo / shower, the washing machine is going to live in here too.

[Crossy]

Of course, we need water to go in before it can go out.

The base for our storage tanks goes down.

Wifey puts in some fruit trees in the section of garden where her pets will live.

Some of the boys restore a table rescued from a flooded home, it's solid wood and ends up as good as new.

We already have univited guests, they will be allowed to stay.

Nearly ready to put in the Finished House thread

Wifey is planning what type of gates to install, I suspect they will not be cheap, she doesn't do cheap.

We will need some plants to break up the large area of wall on this side of the house.

[saorsa]

Looking good Crossy. I may have to start my own thread soon. I am buying a piece of land when I get home next month and will be starting my own house building project.

[flying]

Hey Crossy for some reason your thread dropped out of My Content.

after having just re-found it & caught up I just wanted to say Very Nice & Good Job!!

Congrats

[Crossy]

The plumber has been AWOL for a week, his father has been ill. Sadly we found out on Monday that his dad had died over the weekend so he will be out of circulation for a week.

No problem says Dusit, we will get another plumber. No problem, say the labour, we can do that, how hard can it be to hook up the incoming supply to the tanks, tanks to pump and pump to house, the donkey work is already done (internal plumbing was completed a while back)?

How wrong we were.

So on Wednesday I get a frantic call from Wifey, what time will I be home and can I come via the house?

Sensing trouble I made my excuses in the office and headed home. It was hammering down, Wifey was holed up in the kitchen looking through the window at some very wet workers scratching their heads, the pump was running but no water coming through.

Ten seconds of looking through the window later 'they've got the pump backwards honey, the tanks are connected to the outlet', 'they already tried it the other way, it didn't work'.

'Well get them to turn it round again because it certainly won't work like it is'.

Ten minutes of cutting and glueing later and it's hooked up right (again), indeed there is still no water flow.

'Is there water in the tanks?', 'of course', 'have you checked?', 'will check'.

You guessed it, no water in the tanks. The abysmal water pressure can't make it the 2.5m up to the fill point. Sod it says I, send everyone home and we'll check the tanks tomorrow, hopefully the pressure will get higher overnight and fill the tanks.

Thursday AM, tanks are full.

Turn on the pump, open a tap, and wait. Gurgle, splutter, water, hurrah!

Since it's stopped raining time to look at the job.

Tank plumbing, I wouldn't have done it like that, but it works and doesn't leak, I'll put some plants in front of it.

Pump plumbing, spot the two deliberate mistakes, one of which is a result of the frantic swapping of pipes last night.

The other resulted in my thread on pump service unions http://www.thaivisa....service-unions/

Sorry about the image quality, had the camera on manual focus.

Meanwhile the en-suite

(Yes, there is a hand shower to go on that pipe)

and second bathrooms

are hooked up, showers showering and water heaters heating

As move-in approaches there are more and more 'essential' items to be bought. Today dropped 10k on bathroom accessories, bog roll holders, towel rings, towel rails, soap trays, shampoo trays, the list goes on. Of course My dearest does not do cheap, it's all Hafele branded, nice quality but not exactly low cost

[thaibeachlovers]

The plumber has been AWOL for a week, his father has been ill. Sadly we found out on Monday that his dad had died over the weekend so he will be out of circulation for a week.

No problem says Dusit, we will get another plumber. No problem, say the labour, we can do that, how hard can it be to hook up the incoming supply to the tanks, tanks to pump and pump to house, the donkey work is already done (internal plumbing was completed a while back)?

How wrong we were.

So on Wednesday I get a frantic call from Wifey, what time will I be home and can I come via the house?

Sensing trouble I made my excuses in the office and headed home. It was hammering down, Wifey was holed up in the kitchen looking through the window at some very wet workers scratching their heads, the pump was running but no water coming through.

Ten seconds of looking through the window later 'they've got the pump backwards honey, the tanks are connected to the outlet', 'they already tried it the other way, it didn't work'.

'Well get them to turn it round again because it certainly won't work like it is'.

Ten minutes of cutting and glueing later and it's hooked up right (again), indeed there is still no water flow.

'Is there water in the tanks?', 'of course', 'have you checked?', 'will check'.

You guessed it, no water in the tanks. The abysmal water pressure can't make it the 2.5m up to the fill point. Sod it says I, send everyone home and we'll check the tanks tomorrow, hopefully the pressure will get higher overnight and fill the tanks.

Thursday AM, tanks are full.

Turn on the pump, open a tap, and wait. Gurgle, splutter, water, hurrah!

Since it's stopped raining time to look at the job.

Tank plumbing, I wouldn't have done it like that, but it works and doesn't leak, I'll put some plants in front of it.

Pump plumbing, spot the two deliberate mistakes, one of which is a result of the frantic swapping of pipes last night.

The other resulted in my thread on pump service unions http://www.thaivisa....service-unions/

Sorry about the image quality, had the camera on manual focus.

Meanwhile the en-suite

(Yes, there is a hand shower to go on that pipe)

and second bathrooms

are hooked up, showers showering and water heaters heating

As move-in approaches there are more and more 'essential' items to be bought. Today dropped 10k on bathroom accessories, bog roll holders, towel rings, towel rails, soap trays, shampoo trays, the list goes on. Of course My dearest does not do cheap, it's all Hafele branded, nice quality but not exactly low cost

In the last photo, there is a ? water heater unit under the sink. Is that so you can have hot water in the sink as well as the shower?

If I can diverge, a long time ago you mentioned that you had a combined microwave/ oven. Given that they are SOOOOOOO expensive, do you find it worthwhile, or would it be of more value to buy them seperately, given that large benchtop ovens are available for 3,000?

[Crossy]

Yes, both upstairs bathrooms have 6kW multi-point water heaters for the shower (with a thermostatic mixer) and sink, I like warm water for my shave There's a 3.5kW shower heater in the downstairs loo and a 3.5kW multipoint under the kitchen sink (it only serves the sink).

The combi does excellent baked spuds in about 30 mins, in convection mode it gets used for baking pies (but only I make pies). All in all I suppose it would have been better value to get separate oven and microwave but at the time we didn't have space, even in the new house we're not bothering with a conventional oven, it won't get the use it deserves.

[thaibeachlovers]

Yes, both upstairs bathrooms have 6kW multi-point water heaters for the shower (with a thermostatic mixer) and sink, I like warm water for my shave There's a 3.5kW shower heater in the downstairs loo and a 3.5kW multipoint under the kitchen sink (it only serves the sink).

The combi does excellent baked spuds in about 30 mins, in convection mode it gets used for baking pies (but only I make pies). All in all I suppose it would have been better value to get separate oven and microwave but at the time we didn't have space, even in the new house we're not bothering with a conventional oven, it won't get the use it deserves.

Thanks Crossy.

I shave with electric, so not worth installing for the sink. Could do with it in the kitchen though. I reckon cold water doesn't get the dishes properly clean!

I guess space would be the main reason for buying a combo oven unit, so I'll be getting a big oven when they come out on special at Makro- down to 2,000+ baht. Looking forward to making cakes and pizzas- yum.

[Pacificperson]

Crossy, Thanks for posting the whole series. It was a very interesting read and I think that I will go back to the begining and see if I can now make some more sense of the early foundation pictures..

I love the use of outdoor spaces. The one issue I am wondering about is water. It seems as if you plan to stay at the house during any future floods as you have talked about back-up generators. Have you made any plans about how you will handle having to yank your water pump when the water comes up?

Edited July 10, 2012 by Pacificperson

[Crossy]

We Brits love to sit outside any time the weather is anything other than total white-out conditions (our Korean friends though we were all quite mad when we had a rooftop barbecue in temperatures of -10C), so I suppose it's natural to want lots of outside space when pretty well every day is suitable for sitting outside. The upstairs patio area gets a nice breeze off the river (ok sometimes it's more of a gale) so I anticipate lots of sitting under the brolly with tea or a beer for a good natter.

The pump is already fairly high (hence the difficulty of getting it to prime) but it's only held down by two bolts and now has proper service unions so moving it to higher ground (putting it on blocks) isn't going to be too much hassle. The floods are not of the 'flash' type, in fact last year was more like watching a slow motion train wreck so hopefully I won't be doing it when knee deep in water at 3AM

[Crossy]

Officially sanctioned (by the monks) move-in date is Saturday 28th July.

STRESS!!

We're moving ourselves as we only have to go about 10km, gradually shifting stuff a couple of loads per day before it gets too hot.

I'm 100% certain that the stuff we are moving is sneeking back to the apartment whilst we are asleep, the condo does not seem to be getting any less full whilst the house still seems empty.

True installed dish and receiver, gas bottle delivered and chained up, TOT coming to do the phone 'soon' so we'll be on Edge internet for a while I suspect

More photos when we are actually in and straightened up.

[Crossy]

Finally moved in and in some semblance of order.

Wifey took advantage of a couple of dry days to do some industrial gardening.

Whilst supervising from above.

The lounge is cozy with furniture, neither of us are in to wide open spaces inside.

But with the folding door open we have all the outside space too, can watch telly from the patio table.

Shame True only do bright red dishes, I wonder if they will get up tight if I paint it.

[PattayaPhom]

Finally moved in and in some semblance of order.

Wifey took advantage of a couple of dry days to do some industrial gardening.

Whilst supervising from above.

The lounge is cozy with furniture, neither of us are in to wide open spaces inside.

But with the folding door open we have all the outside space too, can watch telly from the patio table.

Shame True only do bright red dishes, I wonder if they will get up tight if I paint it.

Very nice, can imagine sipping a few cold ones on the patio...

[Crossy]

Very nice, can imagine sipping a few cold ones on the patio...

OK, got a beer

Thanks, it's come out OK although not going to be to everyone's taste. There are a couple of things we ought to have done differently but nothing that a few retrofits won't fix.

As noted earlier we both like to be outside whenever possible so the large outdoor spaces are a huge plus. Once we get some grass growing and some more trees in should be nice in the garden too, Wifey wants some sort of garden sitting area so I suppose we will be looking at those wooden salas after the rain stops.

Wifey is very happy

[PattayaPhom]

Very nice, can imagine sipping a few cold ones on the patio...

OK, got a beer

Thanks, it's come out OK although not going to be to everyone's taste. There are a couple of things we ought to have done differently but nothing that a few retrofits won't fix.

As noted earlier we both like to be outside whenever possible so the large outdoor spaces are a huge plus. Once we get some grass growing and some more trees in should be nice in the garden too, Wifey wants some sort of garden sitting area so I suppose we will be looking at those wooden salas after the rain stops.

Wifey is very happy

Thats something some people forget when building properties, we have a lovely climate here so why sit indoors, make use of outdoor space and as many designs the downstairs area. Whats the breeze like, do you get any there?

[cheeryble]

Congratulations to you Crossy!

It looks from the photos like you have a pair of folding door sets each opening.

The doors look about 30cm wide and six on each side making opening 360cm or 12 ft.

Is that about right?

If you don't mind me asking.....what is the wood, was it old, and what did they cost? Heavy hardwood or medium weight?

Is the glass regular 4mm? (my guess)

Difficult to see from photos but when the doors are closed are all six frames on each side hanging on a set of four hinges to the main door frame? Not too much weight with about six feet of gravity leverage pulling on top hinges?

Cheeryble

Edited August 5, 2012 by cheeryble

[yannic]

Congratulations from me too. Great Thai Style house. One recommendation so. As if I look at the house pic I can see dirt on the side wall of the house. That comes from the rain. To avoid this make a 30 to 50 cm wide stipe of pebbles around the house. Cheers

[Crossy]

@PattayaPhom

We are close to the river (sometimes it comes really close) and get a nice breeze most days, with the doors and windows open no need for A/C

@cheeryble

There are 5 segments each side of the folding door, total width just over 4m, the frame is mai daeng (Burmese Ironwood) the panels mai sak (Thai Teak), same goes for all the doors and windows, all is new wood. Glass is regular 4mm window glass. You have to take care when opening or closing because there are no runners, so it's possible to have the whole panel hanging on the hinges, the top hinges are doubled up and to be honest don't even blink if you get it wrong. When closed the weight rests on the bottom frame, a simple bungee cord holds things in place when open.

@Yannic

We've not finished the garden yet. Yes we will have a gravel 'bounce preventer' as we have no gutters, once that's in place the final coat will go on downstairs (after washing of course) hopefully there should be no further splatter