Have drawn ground plan... Need advices.

[dagling]

Have drawn ground plan of what may one day be our new home here in Isaan (40 km south of Khon Kaen), size is about 22x18 meters plus living area of approx. 30 square meters.

As you can see from the pictures, so it becomes large patio with a pool without a roof. It will be well ventilated when each long side has doors with 3 meters long and short sides have doors with 2 meters wide adjacent to the living room. A 3 meter door is the main door.

Someone who has viewpoints what should be changed to prevent the patio gets too hot?

The roof will be extended two meters over the patio, so it will create shade.

Someone who would estimate the construction cost for this house in normal good standards?

Which building materials would you used and what are the costs?

Thought first to erect the house in plain gray cement blocks (the very cheapest) but on device for suggestions as I assume those are not of the best quality and have poor insulation?

[trogers]

This is Thailand, a tropical country and not near a desert. Placing a pool in the middle of a living area means living and breathing high humid air, and is detrimental to your respiratory system.

Door and windows may be opened, but during long periods of still air flow, humidity builds up and will flow into the rooms.

Try visiting some condos and spend a couple of hours on the pool deck that is surrounded by buildings all round.

[dagling]

Feels like a desert up here in Isaan sometimes

When it comes to still airflow, I would buy a couple of big fans to cool down by the pool, I guess that will help?

This is Thailand, a tropical country and not near a desert. Placing a pool in the middle of a living area means living and breathing high humid air, and is detrimental to your respiratory system.

Door and windows may be opened, but during long periods of still air flow, humidity builds up and will flow into the rooms.

Try visiting some condos and spend a couple of hours on the pool deck that is surrounded by buildings all round.

[Scheduler]

I have spent a number of years working on house designs for myself and others in Thailand. I have also contracted with 2 different Thai architects. A couple things you may or may know. Thai law requires a foreigner to have drawings stamped by a registered Thai engineer. Also foreigners can not build their own homes. Failure to comply can result in loose of home and land. Your choice.

The semi-tropical climate presents some interesting challenges. Heat being more a challenge than humidity in Isaan. One of our solutions is a double exterior wall system for insulating. 2 block walls separated by an air space. Insulated inner cast in place concrete ceiling and an outer concrete tile roof on a metal frame that is very well ventilated. The inner ceiling is complimented by exhaust ports that can be dampened or completely closed in the cool months when the outside early morning temperatures are 15 to 18 C. A design along these lines can tremendously reduce air-conditioning costs. De-humidifiers can assist in the rainy season also. De-humidifiers are tough to find in Thailand.

My choice for the inner block wall is super block, ready available at Home Pro in Kohn Kaen. Concrete and Styrofoam mixture. You are correct about cheap concrete block and there is an abundance made by the locals.

Go slowly with a lot of research before you build. Continue to wok on your designs and build when you have found an engineer that is qualified and fair. Mistakes on paper are cheap and easy to fix when compared to a half constructed or worst case a completed home when you discover problems. And I mean problems plural.

Good Luck.

[IMHO]

The first problem I see is that with all those large windows, it's not going to be possible to orient the house to keep sunlight away from them, so at least half the house is going to be hot.

The 2nd problem I see is how to make a roof section over the main entry.

The 3rd problem is that it appears you have room without any windows at all.

The 4th problem is that your courtyard isn't going to get any real airflow at all, as it's all boxed in - plus having all the cement right next to your living spaces is also going to be another source of heat.

Have you looked at the freely available plans for Thaistyle houses that also feature a central courtyard like this?

[Bpuumike]

I used single walls of Qcon and with roof insulatio find them very effective.

Do arrange stage payments and you need to be there all the time to check things. I was working overseas most of the constrution time and have a lot of disappoinments.

[splitlid]

kinda reminds me of these.

[ianbardon]

it all looks very grand, pratical I dont know, in whos name is the land ?

be prepaired to say good by to you money, as you will never see it again, and make sure its not your last bucks.

What are you going to do with your time ?

[bbradsby]

The pool can help very much in cooling the house in the hot-dry season in Isaan - look at a salt water pool, so chlorine smell doesn't take over the house.

Shade the courtyard, south & west walls. Full stop. You have to protect your exterior walls and paved surfaces from sun to the largest degree possible to keep from getting cooked (temperature or electricity bill from air-con)

Add columns along the courtyard to carry the 2m overhangs you mention. Then, add another 1m overhang. seriously, shade that courtyard, and add planting areas in there as well. Plants cool the air around them via evapo-transpiration.

Your design should be able to be built for THB15,000 per m2 if you keep it simple geometrically, and get a proper set of drawings and decent builder.