BoJangles Budget Bungalow in the Boonies

[flying]

Glad to hear that Mr B !

Also glad you feel comfort there...Home Sweet Home eh?

Congrats!

[mrbojangles]

Also glad you feel comfort there...Home Sweet Home eh?

Congrats!

Home Sweet Home is only where I have a big flat screen. Until then, I feel like it's just a stopover gaff.

[mrbojangles]

Hope I don't bore you too much with piccies. This is another trial idea I have had. I wanted a concrete "floating" shelf for the surround sound to sit on etc with the flat screen on the wall just above. I had to design it in Saudi, so lost a bit of perspective of size. The length is 2.5 metres and about 50mm thick. Once I saw it in real life, I think it looks too thin so I'm going to double it up in thickness later. All cables will be hidden in the conduit already buried.

First piccie is with it all plastered over and it seems to be carrying the weight ok. Second and third are after it was just done.

[necronx99]

Hope I don't bore you too much with piccies. This is another trial idea I have had. I wanted a concrete "floating" shelf for the surround sound to sit on etc with the flat screen on the wall just above. I had to design it in Saudi, so lost a bit of perspective of size. The length is 2.5 metres and about 50mm thick. Once I saw it in real life, I think it looks too thin so I'm going to double it up in thickness later. All cables will be hidden in the conduit already buried.

First piccie is just after it was done. Second is from the front door and the third piccie is with it all plastered over and it seems to be carrying the weight ok.

What's holding it there?

[mrbojangles]

Hope I don't bore you too much with piccies. This is another trial idea I have had. I wanted a concrete "floating" shelf for the surround sound to sit on etc with the flat screen on the wall just above. I had to design it in Saudi, so lost a bit of perspective of size. The length is 2.5 metres and about 50mm thick. Once I saw it in real life, I think it looks too thin so I'm going to double it up in thickness later. All cables will be hidden in the conduit already buried.

First piccie is just after it was done. Second is from the front door and the third piccie is with it all plastered over and it seems to be carrying the weight ok.

What's holding it there?

I'm glad you asked, cos that's the result I wanted. It's got rebar attached into the wall and then the forms made around it and concreted it. I actually stood on it (nervously) and it held ok. i probably over Engineered the design but I have an Aerospace background. It's also got be finished off yet. Don't know wether to leave it as a rustic concrete look or cover it with marble/granite.

[necronx99]

Hope I don't bore you too much with piccies. This is another trial idea I have had. I wanted a concrete "floating" shelf for the surround sound to sit on etc with the flat screen on the wall just above. I had to design it in Saudi, so lost a bit of perspective of size. The length is 2.5 metres and about 50mm thick. Once I saw it in real life, I think it looks too thin so I'm going to double it up in thickness later. All cables will be hidden in the conduit already buried.

First piccie is just after it was done. Second is from the front door and the third piccie is with it all plastered over and it seems to be carrying the weight ok.

What's holding it there?

I'm glad you asked, cos that's the result I wanted. It's got rebar attached into the wall and then the forms made around it and concreted it. I actually stood on it (nervously) and it held ok. i probably over Engineered the design but I have an Aerospace background. It's also got be finished off yet. Don't know wether to leave it as a rustic concrete look or cover it with marble/granite.

But the wall itself has no rebar and is not core filled?

Might look nice with a teak veneer sleeve over it.

Edited January 27, 2012 by necronx99

[mrbojangles]

Hope I don't bore you too much with piccies. This is another trial idea I have had. I wanted a concrete "floating" shelf for the surround sound to sit on etc with the flat screen on the wall just above. I had to design it in Saudi, so lost a bit of perspective of size. The length is 2.5 metres and about 50mm thick. Once I saw it in real life, I think it looks too thin so I'm going to double it up in thickness later. All cables will be hidden in the conduit already buried.

First piccie is just after it was done. Second is from the front door and the third piccie is with it all plastered over and it seems to be carrying the weight ok.

What's holding it there?

I'm glad you asked, cos that's the result I wanted. It's got rebar attached into the wall and then the forms made around it and concreted it. I actually stood on it (nervously) and it held ok. i probably over Engineered the design but I have an Aerospace background. It's also got be finished off yet. Don't know wether to leave it as a rustic concrete look or cover it with marble/granite.

But the wall itself has no rebar and is not core filled?

Might look nice with a teak veneer sleeve over it.

I wanted this shelf from the start so I had them fill the blocks when they were building the wall. It was either that way or make the slab and place it on top of the bricks as the wall was going up. Obviously there are a few ways to do it and this was just one.

Yeah, the Teak sounds nice. It'll keep the rustic look.

[Naam]

now tell us about the mysterious foundation in the bedroom... or else!

[mrbojangles]

now tell us about the mysterious foundation in the bedroom... or else!

This was the state when I returned to Saudi but the concrete had also been poured. I won't be able to finish it now until I return in a few months. Although I am told that the formwork has been removed and it's standing up to people walking over it etc. It will be trimmed off with wood later. Similar to the shelf, I wanted a feel of when you walk in the room the bed looks as if it is floating. Stood up, you can't see the foundation brickwork and you have to get on your knees to see it. That has also been rendered now but I also might tile it later.

As I say, these are just some ideas that I may or may not want to incorporate into my main house later and having trialled this now, if I do it again it will be easier next time.

[Naam]

I wanted a feel of when you walk in the room the bed looks as if it is floating

not a bad idea! might look quite interesting.

[mrbojangles]

I wanted a feel of when you walk in the room the bed looks as if it is floating

not a bad idea! might look quite interesting.

Cheers naam. I have it in my head what the finished article will look like but the Mrs still can't get her head round it. She just kept on saying "why not put feet at the end, won't that be easier"

[mrbojangles]

Need some tips/advise please gents.

By the time I go back we will be ready for tiling. I have already seen the tiles I fancy but they are the big 600x600mm size and you lay them without grout (or so it seems). I've seen some of the BIL tiling and it's a very good standard but I doubt he has laid these before. In the village it seems to be Thai standard cheap tiles and with grout and not the quality I'm buying, so I don't want it messing up.

Has anybody laid these before? And if so have you any tips. I.E. because you don't use grout, is there something else you use to seal the joints? Also, does anyone know if the difference between tiles coated with nano (or something like that) and those without is the worth the higher price?

[rgs2001uk]

Mr BJ,

sounds to me as if you have two things going on with these tiles.

First yes I have heard of and seen "nano" tiles, from what I can gather its just a type of finish that is applied to the tiles. This may lead to problems depending on what is used to clean the tiles after fitting.

Second, you say no grouting required, sounds like you have rectified tiles, normally there will be about a 1/16th gap between tiles.

You are now getting into others areas, does the store you saw these tiles in have people they can supply to fit them?

If not you are now at the mercy of locals, and although they try their best it may well be they would be uncomfortable trying to fit something they have no experience with.

As with all tiling work you are now at the mercy of, differences in tile thickness and uneven floors.

Only you can decide what you are comfortable with and whether its worth the risk.

One other thing I have noticed seeing as you mentioned price.

Anything that is imported from Europe, they tax the shit out of, so you may well end up paying 3 or 4 times the price for a tile that is no better in terms of quality than local tiles.

Good luck.

[mrbojangles]

Cheers for replying rgs

First yes I have heard of and seen "nano" tiles, from what I can gather its just a type of finish that is applied to the tiles. This may lead to problems depending on what is used to clean the tiles after fitting.

The nano ones are about 100baht more expensive per box of 4 than the same tile without nano. With the qty I need, it looks like it's not worth the extra.

Second, you say no grouting required, sounds like you have rectified tiles, normally there will be about a 1/16th gap between tiles.

I've seen this size of tile in many places and it "seems" like there is no grouting but I'm not sure. So I didn't know if there was a type of clear silicone that was used between the joints. It's the modern style of having no or minimal grout and I must admit, they really do look great.

You are now getting into others areas, does the store you saw these tiles in have people they can supply to fit them?

If not you are now at the mercy of locals, and although they try their best it may well be they would be uncomfortable trying to fit something they have no experience with.

As with all tiling work you are now at the mercy of, differences in tile thickness and uneven floors..

I saw them in Boonthavorn in Pattaya, so I doubt they would go up to Chaiyaphum but I'm gonna give the wifes brothers a chance. Upto now I have been extremely impressed with their workmanship in everything they have done on our house thus far and I have also seen their tiling in other houses. I just doubt they have laid these before but the size they are should make them much easier to lay rather than more difficult. I just needed to know about the jointing.

One other thing I have noticed seeing as you mentioned price.

Anything that is imported from Europe, they tax the shit out of, so you may well end up paying 3 or 4 times the price for a tile that is no better in terms of quality than local tiles.

Price wise, I think these are pretty reasonable so I'm not sure if they are imported or not. It was purely the style and colour I liked and didn't look at the country of origin. When I mentioned Thai style cheap ones, I was reffering more to the common types you see everywhere. 20 baht for a box of a thousand

[mrbojangles]

Just got a few piccies sent to us yesterday, hopefully some more later this week.

The primer and the base coat has been put on and it looks a bit bright to me at the moment. May tone it down with Magnolia for the top coat but that can wait till we go back. In the rush of a thousand jobs whilst there a few weeks ago, I forgot to tell them to put vents in the soffits. We'll have to sort that out when we go back. I actually didn't know they were going to start that but the Mrs said they have to do all the jobs at height cos the "Temple want their scaffolding back". I didn't even know they belonged to the Temple. Only in Thailand eh.

[toenail]

I am also in the planning stage in building a "simple" house - around 980sq meter, retangular in length and with a simple gable roof. So I find this forum helpful. I've designed the house where the bathrooms and kitchen is on on the north side so the piping is easy to lay out and (in future to fix). A couple questions out there....can the electrical wires be "hidden" into the cement blockwork? Sometimes I see part of the electric wiring showing near the switch. Next, what are the suggestons out there for tiled roofing that isn't expensive? (House is being built near Roi-et)

[mrbojangles]

I am also in the planning stage in building a "simple" house - around 980sq meter, retangular in length and with a simple gable roof. So I find this forum helpful. I've designed the house where the bathrooms and kitchen is on on the north side so the piping is easy to lay out and (in future to fix). A couple questions out there....can the electrical wires be "hidden" into the cement blockwork? Sometimes I see part of the electric wiring showing near the switch. Next, what are the suggestons out there for tiled roofing that isn't expensive? (House is being built near Roi-et)

Hi toenail. Did you mean 980sq m or 98sq m? If it's 980sq m I'm coming living with you

To answer your questions, Insist that the electrician uses conduit and back boxes that are sunken into the brickwork. Don't know if I've alread posted pictures showing this. If not, I'll post some.

As for roofing. I can't remember the quotes we got for tiles but they were pretty expensive in comparison to what we went ended up usingr. Of course there will be those who insist that tiles are best and to be honest, they are but it's down to your own budget really. In all honesty, for this particular build, I am really happy with the way the steel sheet roof turned out and with the foam layer underneath it's fairly quiet in the rain. However, will I use this on our main home, no, I'll be using tiles.

[mrbojangles]

Heres a piccie Toenail. You can see where the electrician has chased out for the conduit and back boxes and then covered them with mortar This all then gets rendered on top. The wiring then got put in later.

Before rendering.

[rgs2001uk]

Heres a piccie Toenail. You can see where the electrician has chased out for the conduit and back boxes and then covered them with mortar This all then gets rendered on top. The wiring then got put in later.

Before rendering.

Mr BJ, good to see you have learened the lingo ref "chased"

Heres some photos,

Both before rendering, the wiring goes into the yellow pipes. then you end up with something like this,

Edited February 25, 2012 by rgs2001uk

[mrbojangles]

Mr BJ, good to see you have learened the lingo ref "chased"

I'm not just a pretty face rgs

[mrbojangles]

Frustrating that I'm over here and getting pictures in dribs and drabs. But just got a few sent following the installation of the internal ceilings. Quite happy with the outcome, obviously without close inspection but the brother-in-law tells us the contractor did a very good job and worked well with the Electrician.

Kitchen

Living Room

Hallway

One of the Bedrooms

[flying]

Looking Good Mr B.!

10' ?

[mrbojangles]

Talking of the Electrician. Total cost was 3,000 baht labour and 24,000 baht materials, which I thought was good. This included a concrete post that the supply cable from the main electric pole goes to and then it has gone underground into the house.

However, you may notice that there aren't many lights in the rooms. I didn't really have much time on my last trip to shop for everything, so I just went for one downlighter in each room so that he could fit them and apply for the electric board to connect us up. Otherwise it would have been just wires hanging down everwhere. When we go back, I can get a better feel of the lighting levels in each room and add more where required.

[mrbojangles]

Looking Good Mr B.!

10' ?

Cheers flying.

Yeah, I'd say they are about 10 foot high. I just told them to put them as high as possible in the hope that it will help towards reducing any heat build up in the rooms.

[TexasRanger]

Talking of the Electrician. Total cost was 3,000 baht labour and 24,000 baht materials, which I thought was good. This included a concrete post that the supply cable from the main electric pole goes to and then it has gone underground into the house.

However, you may notice that there aren't many lights in the rooms. I didn't really have much time on my last trip to shop for everything, so I just went for one downlighter in each room so that he could fit them and apply for the electric board to connect us up. Otherwise it would have been just wires hanging down everwhere. When we go back, I can get a better feel of the lighting levels in each room and add more where required.

Good idea on the lighting, I had 4 recessed spotlight type things in the bedrooms and even with low wattage lamps it is way too bright, had to get rid of a couple of them. Looking good.

[mrbojangles]

Talking of the Electrician. Total cost was 3,000 baht labour and 24,000 baht materials, which I thought was good. This included a concrete post that the supply cable from the main electric pole goes to and then it has gone underground into the house.

However, you may notice that there aren't many lights in the rooms. I didn't really have much time on my last trip to shop for everything, so I just went for one downlighter in each room so that he could fit them and apply for the electric board to connect us up. Otherwise it would have been just wires hanging down everwhere. When we go back, I can get a better feel of the lighting levels in each room and add more where required.

Good idea on the lighting, I had 4 recessed spotlight type things in the bedrooms and even with low wattage lamps it is way too bright, had to get rid of a couple of them. Looking good.

Cheers Texas. The family have said it is bright enough with just those lights that have been fitted, can't see it myself but maybe just some lamps are needed.

[mrbojangles]

Getting piccies sent is a real pain but I got a few today and hopefully some more in the next couple of days. The Neice is no Bee Bailey but they are better than nothing I suppose.

I thought the front was looking a bit square and tall, so I asked them to put an arch in. Another one will go on the left side as well. Should look ok when rendered.

Close up. Final colour still needs to go on the walls and Conwood. I think I will go for Magnolia on the walls and a beige colour on the Conwood.

[mrbojangles]

This is looking down the left side towards the Thai kitchen. Steps needs to be finished.

This is inside the Thai kitchen with the formwork being prepared for the worktops. Quite a nice view looking out. The Mrs doesn't want any shutters or windows but we'll see. It's rained several times including some biggies and up to now, no rain has gone inside.

[flying]

Looking good Mr B !

The arch will be a nice touch...

At our in laws home we also started with no windows on the Thai kitchen...

Now it has windows & screens & the parents love it so much better as no flying bugs during the bug season.

[mrbojangles]

Looking good Mr B !

The arch will be a nice touch...

Cheers Flying. I thought it was just looking a bit boxxy before. This house has not been built from plans, so part of the fun is "winging" it as we go along.

At our in laws home we also started with no windows on the Thai kitchen...

Now it has windows & screens & the parents love it so much better as no flying bugs during the bug season.

I think that's the way ours will go. But I'll leave it up to the Mrs. I'm certainly not going to press her for something only she will use and will cost me money