Second Month Build Stats

[T_Dog]

Thought I would post some findings on a building a house up here in Northern Thailand for those considering building their own house. Years ago my wife and I sketched up a drawing of our ideal house: A two bedroom bungalow with an open garden/Yoga studio on the second floor. The garden area is mainly used to keep the sun off the living area below.

We got started two months ago and things are going well. The house has columns and beams up the second floor, and it is ready for floor planks to be delivered once the upper beams harden for a few weeks. (The beams are still formed and braced.)

So here are some figures:

House foot print: 10 by 11 meters.

Living area: approximately 140 meters.

Number of oversize footings: 15

Amount of CPAC concrete in each footing: .8 cubic meter

A load of CPAC is running 1700 baht for 210 steng concrete.

Truck loads of sand for concrete: 5

Truck loads of gravel for concrete: 5

Bags of Portland cement used: 130

Time to pour the upper beams: 8 hours with 10 hard working crew members.

Arbotor plan documentation and engineering analysis was completed for 7000 baht.

Other information:

One cubic meter of concrete will fill about 12 meters of 20 by 40 cm beam.

Steel has been the most expensive item.

Initial design handed off to Arbotor architect was done on 3D Home Design Studio software.

We are buying all the materials ourselves and negotiated a contract with the builders directly. We have a very experienced crew and they know exactly what they need so we are able to manage the project ourselves. Adding a project manager or architect that controls the work and buys the material would easily add 40 to 60 percent to the costs.

Our experience so far has been quite positive. The crew is extremely hard working and is quite picky about doing proper work. They enjoy the project site and often stay to eat dinner and enjoy some refreshments before going home. I think the key to building a house here is to have a reason to build one (lots of places on the market), and find a crew that can show you prior projects that they have completed. My wife developed repoire with the crew quickly and that is vital

[Kwasaki]

Good to see it's going well, goodluck in your new home.

Just a little joke, first time i've seen a two floor bungalow.

[Crossy]

Just a little joke, first time i've seen a two floor bungalow.

Just the same as Thai electricity and Thai water not being the same as Western, Thai bungalow not the same as Western but better

[KRS1]

Nice house T-Dog, it's extremely similar to what i have in mind also. I'd like to have an open second floor to keep things below cool as well. Also very unique indeed to have an open area upstairs.

[T_Dog]

We've lived in a number of rental houses and the roofs always seemed to radiate so much heat into the house even after the sun went down. A friend has an older house similar to our design and I am always surprised how cool his ground floor is. It will probably take us years to get this thing completed but at least we are started. Second floor planks in two weeks and then a roof. Feels like I am finally entering the "what did I get myself into" phase!

[KRS1]

When i eventually start to build i'd like to get all the post and beams built and roof finished as well as have the second & first floor planks laid before anything else, then build the walls myself, possibly using big wooden or glass doors from floor to ceiling. Just because it would be an easy way to DIY.

Whats your opinion on using floor planks laid lengthwise ( like = not ll ) as exterior walls instead of the usual red bricks or Qblocks? Do you remember how much your planks cost each?

I remember seeing a fence built this way and imagine construction would be very fast if implemented as a houses walls.

Edited January 12, 2012 by KRS1

[Kwasaki]

We've lived in a number of rental houses and the roofs always seemed to radiate so much heat into the house even after the sun went down. A friend has an older house similar to our design and I am always surprised how cool his ground floor is. It will probably take us years to get this thing completed but at least we are started. Second floor planks in two weeks and then a roof. Feels like I am finally entering the "what did I get myself into" phase!

Insulate the roof area upstair ceilings.

[T_Dog]

When i eventually start to build i'd like to get all the post and beams built and roof finished as well as have the second & first floor planks laid before anything else, then build the walls myself, possibly using big wooden or glass doors from floor to ceiling. Just because it would be an easy way to DIY.

Whats your opinion on using floor planks laid lengthwise ( like = not ll ) as exterior walls instead of the usual red bricks or Qblocks? Do you remember how much your planks cost each?

I remember seeing a fence built this way and imagine construction would be very fast if implemented as a houses walls.

You could do that, but the difficulty would be how you attach them at the ends to make a stable stack. A grooved type of column would be needed I would think. Otherwise, it would make a good wall material. Other problems would involve difficulty in bedding the electrical conduit and adding windows/doors. The cost of the planks for structural floor use (used to support the concrete with reinforcing rod added above) is about 250 baht a square meter. Cheaper versions with less strength are out there as well.

[KRS1]

I think the columns exist that have a groove in them, but if not i bet angle iron screwed into the columns would work. Did you have to cut any of your planks to get them to fit? Im just wondering how hard they would be to cut. But i suppose concrete blocks could be used in the left/right areas on each side of a window if the thickness was the same, or just maybe have a whole wall between support columns be a huge window.

For the electrical conduit, i think id use those waterproof gypsum panels to form inside walls and stuff the electrical between. Where it was needed.

Thanks for the plank pricing, been wondering about that for a long time now. Just today riding around Samkampaeng, i came across a construction yard that had pre fab columns. I suppose these could be set on piers and connected together.

[T_Dog]

I think the columns exist that have a groove in them, but if not i bet angle iron screwed into the columns would work. Did you have to cut any of your planks to get them to fit? Im just wondering how hard they would be to cut. But i suppose concrete blocks could be used in the left/right areas on each side of a window if the thickness was the same, or just maybe have a whole wall between support columns be a huge window.

For the electrical conduit, i think id use those waterproof gypsum panels to form inside walls and stuff the electrical between. Where it was needed.

Thanks for the plank pricing, been wondering about that for a long time now. Just today riding around Samkampaeng, i came across a construction yard that had pre fab columns. I suppose these could be set on piers and connected together.

Have you considered cast walls? In other words, put up the reinforcing rod, run your conduits and pipes, and then put in forms on both sides and pour in concrete? A friend of mine got really good at doing that and the structures look beautiful. He does a bit under 4 feet at a time to keep the pressures reasonable. The current issue of Bann Suan magazine also has a feature article and cover shot of a cast house. I think a cast wall would be a whole lot less hassle than trying to put up beams, and the cost would be much lower as well.

[KRS1]

Gave it a thought in the past, but the house may have to be built in steps, with a certain amount of time before steps. It would be interesting though to build a cast house.

[T_Dog]

Golly, another month has passed and lots of progress. Should have a roof over all that steel in two weeks. Electric runs are already routed and outside rendering is starting. We have the most awesome build crew in Northern Thailand, of that I am sure! Turns out there are four couples on the crew and they seem to work together very well.

[jinjinswing]

To answer members queries on running flooring as exterior paneling that sort of thing is quite the norm in places like Australia, we call it infill, which can be the entire wall or just above windows, concider useing cement types of sheeting everything from boards to full sheets is possible, there rot and termite proof to start with.

Regardless of what material you use as tiimber is plentiful here we use timber studs, but in thailand you could use metal studs, they are available there, ive seen them use it in chiang mai. Place studs at 450 to 600mm centres with nogging every 1200 to 1350 depending on height, of course you need what we call a top and bottom plate, that means a stud to run across the top as well as the bottom and there necessary for fixing and running your wall true, infill material can be screwed into studs, by useing metal or timber studs you have a wall cavity, easy to run electircal and plumbing, foil paper the wall prior to sheeting for reflecting heat, and if you desire insualte wall cavities once the wireing has been run.

As for fixing to concrete pier bolt or screw one of your studs to the pier if your builder is good there should be no problem fitting the end board to the wall...after all he is a tradesman isnt he? best to render piers first as this is part of the finnishing.

This type of construction can easily done by the owner who wants to save a few bucks but to be honest with Thai labour costs why would you bother?