BoJangles Budget Bungalow in the Boonies

[mrbojangles]

A few more piccies have come through. The front door and back door have now been fitted. This is one of two things that I am not happy about, or at least not convinced about. Albeit I think they look quite good. I bought these when I was there last month and didn't want the type with intricate carvings on.

They have put both doors on, with them swinging outwards. They told me this earlier when they were fitting the frames and the Mrs wanted them this way. I'll also check the hinges to make sure the pins can't be popped out from the outside. Don't know if it's just me but it feels strange having them open like that. Anyone else have them that way?

Front door and frame which both need cleaning up and staining/varnishing/painting. Any ideas what I would be best using? Don't want them looking too glossy.

Back door. Opens into the Thai kitchen.

[mrbojangles]

This is the second thing I'm not too happy about and wasn't told about till I looked at the piccies.

When they were fitting the windows I wanted Mozzie frames putting on and when I got the piccies I asked the Mrs where they were. She said they are on the inside of the window. Here in Saudi we have them on the outside and I must admit, it wasn't a detail that I thought about till now. I think I would have preferred them outside, or am I being too picky? What do you guys have? And are you happy?

Looking down the side of the house from the back (bathroom) to the front.

If you look closely you can see the Mozzie frame on the inside.

[TexasRanger]

A few more piccies have come through. The front door and back door have now been fitted. This is one of two things that I am not happy about, or at least not convinced about. Albeit I think they look quite good. I bought these when I was there last month and didn't want the type with intricate carvings on.

They have put both doors on, with them swinging outwards. They told me this earlier when they were fitting the frames and the Mrs wanted them this way. I'll also check the hinges to make sure the pins can't be popped out from the outside. Don't know if it's just me but it feels strange having them open like that. Anyone else have them that way?

Front door and frame which both need cleaning up and staining/varnishing. Any ideas what I would be best using? Don't want them looking too glossy.

Back door. Opens into the Thai kitchen.

Yup, we have double doors at the front and they open outwards, come to think of it so do the 2 back doors. I had to fit some extra handles on the inside at the top of the door to get extra pulling power to close them properly in the rainy season when they swell, can't trim too much off obviously because they shrink in the heat. Sometimes when we got really hard wind and rain it could come in under the bottom of the door, I got around this by making a wood lip, just a strip of wood about one and a half inches wide ftted to the bottom of the door and extending down so there is no gap. Of course this wouldn't have been possible if the doors opened inwards.

[TexasRanger]

This is the second thing I'm not too happy about and wasn't told about till I looked at the piccies.

When they were fitting the windows I wanted Mozzie frames putting on and when I got the piccies I asked the Mrs where they were. She said they are on the inside of the window. Here in Saudi we have them on the outside and I must admit, it wasn't a detail that I thought about till now. I think I would have preferred them outside, or am I being too picky? What do you guys have? And are you happy?

Looking down the side of the house from the back (bathroom) to the front.

If you look closely you can see the Mozzie frame on the inside.

Mine are on the inside too, although I have to say we rarely use them, as the house is so well insulated it stays quite cool and we rarely open the windows, it also keeps it a bit cleaner (and quieter). Looking at your kitchen it looks similar to ours, nice place.

[flying]

This is the second thing I'm not too happy about and wasn't told about till I looked at the piccies.

When they were fitting the windows I wanted Mozzie frames putting on and when I got the piccies I asked the Mrs where they were. She said they are on the inside of the window. Here in Saudi we have them on the outside and I must admit, it wasn't a detail that I thought about till now. I think I would have preferred them outside, or am I being too picky? What do you guys have? And are you happy?

Coming along Mr B

Looking good & close to done

you know here in the US the screens are always outside so you do not need to slide a screen to open a window.

But there in Thailand we had windows done at the in-laws & yes screens on the inside....odd huh?

[harrry]

It is a good safety precaution to have3 external doors open outwards. They will not be an obstruction if you have to get out quickly....eg fire.

[flying]

but doors that open out might hit the girl scouts when they come to sell cookies

Kidding aside as a builder we would never make a door open out because it would mean the hinge

pins are on the outside. Someone wanting in would not need a key just a punch to pop out the pins.

[TexasRanger]

but doors that open out might hit the girl scouts when they come to sell cookies

Kidding aside as a builder we would never make a door open out because it would mean the hinge

pins are on the outside. Someone wanting in would not need a key just a punch to pop out the pins.

Agree, but our hinges can't be popped like that, not that anyone would try that on our house, the neighbours are far too keen eyed for that.

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[necronx99]

Outward opening doors are harder to force entry on, provided your hinges and locks are protected.

I'd just oil the doors.

Makes no sense to have mossie screens inside on sliding windows, ugly and dirty.

[mrbojangles]

Cheers for the replies gents. WRT the Mozzie screens. I suppose they are already fitted, so I'll see how I go. Not too much of an expense if I decide to change them. Although I'm baffled why they would put them inside. As flying said. You have to open the screen, to open the window and then close the screen again !!

The doors sound like they are not too uncommon and actually have some benefits. I'll probably get used to them but as I said, I'll be definately checking the hinges to ensure they can't be popped. With the right hinges and some additional locks on the inside, it would be really hard to break in (through the door at least).

[mrbojangles]

We went out last night with some friends and we got onto the subject of Mozzie screens. Most of the couples (Thai lady and Brit man) who live here in Saudi have already built or in the process of building an house. They all have the Mozzie screens inside and when I quizzed why, explaining the aesthetics and operational functionality etc it all boiled down to one thing. If you have them on the outside, people can steal them and sell them to buy Yaba. Must admit, that reason never even entered my head.

[necronx99]

We went out last night with some friends and we got onto the subject of Mozzie screens. Most of the couples (Thai lady and Brit man) who live here in Saudi have already built or in the process of building an house. They all have the Mozzie screens inside and when I quizzed why, explaining the aesthetics and operational functionality etc it all boiled down to one thing. If you have them on the outside, people can steal them and sell them to buy Yaba. Must admit, that reason never even entered my head.

I would have thought it was a holdover from traditional shutter windows if anything...

[mrbojangles]

We went out last night with some friends and we got onto the subject of Mozzie screens. Most of the couples (Thai lady and Brit man) who live here in Saudi have already built or in the process of building an house. They all have the Mozzie screens inside and when I quizzed why, explaining the aesthetics and operational functionality etc it all boiled down to one thing. If you have them on the outside, people can steal them and sell them to buy Yaba. Must admit, that reason never even entered my head.

I would have thought it was a holdover from traditional shutter windows if anything...

maybe they didn't want anyone to steal them in the old days either

[flying]

We went out last night with some friends and we got onto the subject of Mozzie screens. Most of the couples (Thai lady and Brit man) who live here in Saudi have already built or in the process of building an house. They all have the Mozzie screens inside and when I quizzed why, explaining the aesthetics and operational functionality etc it all boiled down to one thing. If you have them on the outside, people can steal them and sell them to buy Yaba. Must admit, that reason never even entered my head.

I would have thought it was a holdover from traditional shutter windows if anything...

maybe they didn't want anyone to steal them in the old days either

I tended to think the same about the shutters since many still use the wooden swing out windows.

If that Yaba is the reason I hope the new government does get that under control

If they are down to stealing screens it will not be long before they are breaking windows to

get what they need.

You know with the alum window frames the screen track is on the inside anyway

so it starts at the extruding. They may have just tooled up that way so are now sticking with it.

[nocturn]

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.

funny, i did this here about 3 or 6 years ago. there is also a lit strip under the bed at night, you know those lights in a tube. looks great.

I also built in the desk/shelf visible near the doors.

I went a bit bigger on the entertainment center though:

there are actually only 9 pieces of furniture in the house" 4 barstools, a 2 piece sofa, 2 chairs in the bedrooms, and a coffee table, the rest is built in.

[mrbojangles]

there are actually only 9 pieces of furniture in the house" 4 barstools, a 2 piece sofa, 2 chairs in the bedrooms, and a coffee table, the rest is built in.

Looks great nocturn and I never thought about the strip lights underneath. I might steal that idea if you don't mind. Did you construct the bed similar to how I've done or was it different? Now that I have done the first one, I think I can simplify the next one.

I also like the minimal furniture look.

[harrry]

Looks nice.

Can you let us know how the budget turned out for the various parts.

[mrbojangles]

Looks nice.

Can you let us know how the budget turned out for the various parts.

It's been harder than I thought it would be to keep track of individual costs, mainly cos we are here in Saudi but also because the brothers will order materials from the builders yard that are for various jobs. I then can't be bothered to disect each individual item on the bill into what job it was needed for.

I do however, have the total cost to date. As it stands in the pictures above, the total spend of materials and labour is 426,000 baht. The roof was obviously the biggest individual cost at just over 100,000 baht including fitting and foils underneath. The windows were 29,000 baht, again including fitting, glass and mozzie screens. The interior suspended ceiling was 31,000 baht fully fitted and filled ready to paint, including 2 trap doors and a step in height in the kitchen. The total cost for the electrics was about 27,000 baht.

Albeit we have bought the sinks for both kitchens and the toilet and the toilet itself, we have to do the bathroom and kitchen, fully tile inside and out and skirting boards etc. We have got all the pipework in but the rest of the water system is still needed i.e. Water tanks, pump, filtration and sceptic tanks.

As I said before, I didn't really have a budget but I don't think that is a bad price to pay for work done so far. Anybody wishing to do it cheaper could easily cut costs from we have done. i.e. making the roof design a lot simpler. If you want details of costs for something specific, let me know and I'll dig out the receipts.

[harrry]

Looks nice.

Can you let us know how the budget turned out for the various parts.

It's been harder than I thought it would be to keep track of individual costs, mainly cos we are here in Saudi but also because the brothers will order materials from the builders yard that are for various jobs. I then can't be bothered to disect each individual item on the bill into what job it was needed for.

I do however, have the total cost to date. As it stands in the pictures above, the total spend of materials and labour is 426,000 baht. The roof was obviously the biggest individual cost at just over 100,000 baht including fitting and foils underneath. The windows were 29,000 baht, again including fitting, glass and mozzie screens. The interior suspended ceiling was 31,000 baht fully fitted and filled ready to paint, including 2 trap doors and a step in height in the kitchen. The total cost for the electrics was about 27,000 baht.

Albeit we have bought the sinks for both kitchens and the toilet and the toilet itself, we have to do the bathroom and kitchen, fully tile inside and out and skirting boards etc. We have got all the pipework in but the rest of the water system is still needed i.e. Water tanks, pump, filtration and sceptic tanks.

As I said before, I didn't really have a budget but I don't think that is a bad price to pay for work done so far. Anybody wishing to do it cheaper could easily cut costs from we have done. i.e. making the roof design a lot simpler. If you want details of costs for something specific, let me know and I'll dig out the receipts.

Fine as it is for me. That kind of thing gives a good guide.

[mrbojangles]

The wife has just opened her e-mail and a couple of piccies are attached.

This is looking through the front door. Through the arch is the kitchen.

This is some of the kitchen. Nice to see they are taking care of my hand picked,much shopped for seating !! The kitchen units will be in a "U" shape on the right and will finish at the pillar in between the two windows. A sitting/dining area will then be on the left.

[flying]

Looking good Mr B

So according to your plan on page 2 it looks like the living area changed a bit while looking at the 1st pic you posted showing the arch into kitchen?

The living area I mean is the main L shaped area. This new pic shows a wall coming into the clear area that formed the L? Is that right?

EDIT: my bad I see now that wall is leading into the bedroom 3 on the left I think?

Maybe just the camera angle making the unseen leg of the L narrow?

[mrbojangles]

I know what you mean flying. The Neice is taking these piccies on her mobile phone and you can get disorientated sometimes with the angles.

These were taking a couple months ago before the rendering and front door wall was put in but it gives a better idea of the layout.

This is looking left as you view from the front door. This will be the main living area and you can see the door into bedroom 3. The archway is just visible on the right.

With the archway now more central you can see bedroom one on the right in the foreground and then bedroom two.

[mrbojangles]

Looking good Mr B

So according to your plan on page 2 it looks like the living area changed a bit while looking at the 1st pic you posted showing the arch into kitchen?

Just looked at the original plan on page 2. It's pretty much the same layout except the door into the kitchen is now wider and the arch. Some windows have changed position and with the addition of the Thai kitchen, the back door has moved position.

[mrbojangles]

A few updates.

Back step into the Thai kitchen is finsihed'Just needs tiling.

Front step which I gave them the sizes for. But after seeing it, I think it looks waay too small. I'll get them to make that bigger.

Side view of the front porch ready for tiling and then some railings. Looks nice and shady. A few beers will be enjoyed there but not on that seat. Don't know where that came from.

[Naam]

Front step which I gave them the sizes for. But after seeing it, I think it looks waay too small. I'll get them to make that bigger.

i bet my [not so] sweet butt that more than one bone will break if the difference in step height is not adjusted!

[necronx99]

A few updates.

Back step into the Thai kitchen is finsihed'Just needs tiling.

Front step which I gave them the sizes for. But after seeing it, I think it looks waay too small. I'll get them to make that bigger.

Side view of the front porch ready for tiling and then some railings. Looks nice and shady. A few beers will be enjoyed there but not on that seat. Don't know where that came from.

Looking good. Within budget?

Don't forget your landscaping fill is going to raise the ground level when you redo that step...

[mrbojangles]

Front step which I gave them the sizes for. But after seeing it, I think it looks waay too small. I'll get them to make that bigger.

i bet my [not so] sweet butt that more than one bone will break if the difference in step height is not adjusted!

Don't forget your landscaping fill is going to raise the ground level when you redo that step...

Your both correct. As I don't know the finished height fonce it's backfilled, I was going to faff around getting the height of each step even later. I just wanted to get rid of the wobbly bricks that were being used thus far. It's the size of the landing area in comparison to the front of the house that I'm more unhappy about. Easily sorted though.

I'm also running out of work for them to do until we get back and choose the tiles. Even though there's still lots to do, as with the steps I'm trying to make decisions without me being there on site. It's proving difficult for the finishing touches. We've still got the water and waste pipes and septic tanks etc to do but I want them to wait until I show them where I want them positioned.

[mrbojangles]

Looking good. Within budget?

There never really was an actual budget, the term "budget" was really to highlight that the build was never going to be a top notch build using double skin, super insulated bricks etc. The cost at the moment is about 460k as it stands in the pictures.

I found out last night that we have got hold of some cheap soil for the backfill. It's coming from our fish farm!! The wife wants to make one of the ponds bigger and we need soil at the house. So the guy is going to dig it up, deliver it and level it with a mini-tractor for 300 baht per truck. Soil has increased in price since we started the build, so I don't think that's too bad.

[cdmtdm]

well done mr bj ... credit to you .... sorry i may have missed it in the thread somewhere and i cannot tell from the pics what did u use on the roof cover ? and your costs for the roof you mentioned is that for roof cover and structura lsteel support ... cheers and goodluck

[mrbojangles]

well done mr bj ... credit to you .... sorry i may have missed it in the thread somewhere and i cannot tell from the pics what did u use on the roof cover ? and your costs for the roof you mentioned is that for roof cover and structural steel support ... cheers and goodluck

Cheers cdmtdm.

All of the "C" section etc steel was put in first. So we got it to approximately this stage in the picture below before the roofing contractor did his bit. I'd have to look back through the receipts for exact pricing but the roof came in at just over 100k baht. This included the steel sheet roof with colourbond (i think it's name is) coating which has a guarantee against fading. This also means that the water isn't getting polluted by the paint. The price also included the foil layer underneath, full fitting and all fasteners and ridge covers etc. Due to the shape, the front part of our roof added quite a bit to the price but a straight up and down roof would save quite a bit of money.