Looking for Handyman who can construct small wood shed

[praglen]

Just minimum framing skills are required, but experience with references are necessary. Maybe someone who works with wood instead of with cement and steel(the normal building components) is available in Pattaya. One can only hope...

[vtjforyou]

Somebody who can do that is called a rocket scientist in this country, not a handyman...

[craigt3365]

Very difficult here. We've had mixed luck with handymen here....mostly bad luck.

Be careful with wood. Ants and termites are a big problem...as you probably already know. I'm trying to do nothing in wood now...

If you live in a village, you might ask around. Or, if you are at a local hardware store, you might ask there. The smaller ones know who the better handymen are.

[ignis]

Guess you will make the woodworm happy in your area for a year or so, or until they have eaten it

[Guderian]

Be careful with wood. Ants and termites are a big problem...as you probably already know. I'm trying to do nothing in wood now...

Spot on, Craig. I'm using cement or carbon fibre nowadays for anything in the garden that I'd have made from wood back home. For cheap things like poles to support plants it's all bamboo which termites don't eat. The termites are just too damn persistent, using wood is like laying out a free buffet for them and then inviting them to come inside your house for dessert afterwards.

[praglen]

Gee, I'm amazed that ants and termites eat wood! I'm from New Orleans, the world center of termites and allmost all home construction there is wood. Better not tell wood suppliers there that no one wants or should want to build there. I understand there are products like Thompson's Water Seal and many types of wood preservatives that can be applied to both soft and hard wood to block termites. But I could be wrong.

[ignis]

Be careful with wood. Ants and termites are a big problem...as you probably already know. I'm trying to do nothing in wood now...

Spot on, Craig. I'm using cement or carbon fibre nowadays for anything in the garden that I'd have made from wood back home. For cheap things like poles to support plants it's all bamboo which termites don't eat. The termites are just too damn persistent, using wood is like laying out a free buffet for them and then inviting them to come inside your house for dessert afterwards.

For cheap things like poles to support plants it's all bamboo which termites don't eat...... ??

What eats the Bamboo ? all mine got eaten very quickly leaving a white powder all around them .. [could not see anything just a pile of that white powder every day]

The only Bamboo that has lasted is the 3 - 4 m lengths and as think as my wrists.. but they are expensive and bees love to make it there home, and the double body things appear to keep making nests on the outside.

[craigt3365]

Gee, I'm amazed that ants and termites eat wood! I'm from New Orleans, the world center of termites and allmost all home construction there is wood. Better not tell wood suppliers there that no one wants or should want to build there. I understand there are products like Thompson's Water Seal and many types of wood preservatives that can be applied to both soft and hard wood to block termites. But I could be wrong.

I'm from California where almost all homes are stick built. And there are serious termite problems there. Seeing houses tented is a normal thing there. We had termite inspectors come on a regular basis. And they almost always found something.

I've got wood in my house here, but we've got an underground piping system that's used 2 times a year to "sterilize" the ground around the house. We've been lucky so far, but many of our neighbors have not. Massive damage.

If you visit some of the newer housing developments, Silk Road for example, no wood is used at all. None. If you do have wood, treat it with Chaindrite. It even comes in big cans so you can "paint" your wood with it. Works very well. We've got it in spray cans and do spot treatments on a regular basis. Especially for the ants that also love wood!

[praglen]

Thanks! Finally, I have someone who knows about local wood preservatives like Chaindrite. In your opinion, would Chaindrite penetrate as well in hardwood as in softwood? I've always worked with softwood in the states and hardwood is th only wood sold around here(as far as I know).

[ignis]

The question is will wood preservatives work when the new wood you buy has the termites already inside ?

[praglen]

Hey, guys, believe me when I tell you cement and steel would be the simplest solution. Unfortunately, this is a proposed wood shed around a swimming pool that has to look "aesthetically pleasing". In other words, blended in with the shrubs and trees there. So practicality and maintenance have to take second place. It is what it is...

[craigt3365]

Thanks! Finally, I have someone who knows about local wood preservatives like Chaindrite. In your opinion, would Chaindrite penetrate as well in hardwood as in softwood? I've always worked with softwood in the states and hardwood is th only wood sold around here(as far as I know).

If you get the "good" hardwood, I don't think it's susceptible to termites. Just like Teak, which doesn't have problems. Others can chime in here...please.

It's the soft wood that's the problem. And ants with bamboo.

Our builder used the "good" hardwood for our door frames and said they won't have problems. But he used softer wood behind some paneling we have and it was all heavily treated with Chaindrite. They had many large cans of it here during the build.

No problems so far...knock on wood! LOL

[craigt3365]

Hey, guys, believe me when I tell you cement and steel would be the simplest solution. Unfortunately, this is a proposed wood shed around a swimming pool that has to look "aesthetically pleasing". In other words, blended in with the shrubs and trees there. So practicality and maintenance have to take second place. It is what it is...

They have some really nice looking wood alternatives. No wood used anywhere in our outside builds. All concrete, conwood and stone tiles.

[craigt3365]

Here's a pic of some conwood. beautiful.

[praglen]

Well,l that's encouraging. I'm buying the hardwood from a reputable lumber company on Sukhumvit Road and only using hardwood, for the frame, for the walkboards, etc. It's expensive, so I hope it's good quality hardwood. Will Chaindrite penetrate it? How long will the preservative last before it needs to be repainted?

[praglen]

Where can I located this conwood?(can't read Thai) I need it for walkboards, no problem.I don't have knowledge or experience in designing and finding concrete pillars for support, but I'm sure I can find people to sell and work with it. Any leads?

[craigt3365]

It's sold at all the major hardware stores. Just need an electric saw to cut it. Some is pre-painted, some you can paint yourself! Many, many, many different colors and styles.

The stuff you see here is all conwood, came as basic concrete type color and they painted it. Lasts forever.

[Rimmer]

Conwood also Shera cement board is available at all building supply stores, it is available in various finishes and thickness , so that you can lap it as per a shed, use it as skirting around walls or even build pool decks with it.

This pool deck and the sun battens on the top is all Conwood.

Regretfully it is not a good idea to use soft wood in Thailand as it has to be treated every year, the problem is you can not treat underground or butted joints and the ants like to go in via the end grain.

If the budget runs to it best to construct a steel frame on a concrete base then clad it in conwood if you want it to last and be trouble free.

[praglen]

I guess I'll have to redesign the base and posts and use conwood for the walkway, sides, back and top. I may have some other questions later.Thanks!

[Guderian]

Be careful with wood. Ants and termites are a big problem...as you probably already know. I'm trying to do nothing in wood now...

Spot on, Craig. I'm using cement or carbon fibre nowadays for anything in the garden that I'd have made from wood back home. For cheap things like poles to support plants it's all bamboo which termites don't eat. The termites are just too damn persistent, using wood is like laying out a free buffet for them and then inviting them to come inside your house for dessert afterwards.

For cheap things like poles to support plants it's all bamboo which termites don't eat...... ??

What eats the Bamboo ? all mine got eaten very quickly leaving a white powder all around them .. [could not see anything just a pile of that white powder every day]

The only Bamboo that has lasted is the 3 - 4 m lengths and as think as my wrists.. but they are expensive and bees love to make it there home, and the double body things appear to keep making nests on the outside.

Some type of ants maybe, whatever it is I don't seem to have the problem. I've had small bamboo stakes stuck in the ground for several years and they're still there. I'm sure termites don't eat bamboo because I've had two separate pest control experts (farangs trained in the West, not Thai) tell me so. I've got some large yucca plants growing in the garden too, and apparently the termites will eat those as well so they get an annual spraying with termiticide as well when the pest control guy does the treatment around the house.

[praglen]

I want to clarify what I designed, so you understand that the shed itself, while built entirely out of hardwood, would rest on a hardwood frame which would be bolted to a cement wall. The only wood touching the ground are 4 hardwood poles nailed to the frame. If I dig holes for the four and anchor them in concrete footings, no wood would touch the ground. If I paint the entire frame, shed and poles with Chaindrite, will I have problems with termites? There should be no rot, because I would install a metal, sloping roof with flashing extending 4 inches beyond the front of the shed. This should insure that no rotting should occur. Or am I being too optimistic? Dimensions of the shed, BTW, would be 50" high x 12' long x 50" deep.

[BB1950]

I think you're being too optimistic. Haven't you ever seen termites swarm or ants climb? If not, you've haven't been in Thailand long enough.

For those who think bamboo is safe from pests, the pests love bamboo. Talk to any Thai from Issan, they're always replacing bamboo structures! Chaindrite helps, but you need to spray all the time too because Chaindrite is mainly a surface coating and usually is painted over!

Conwood beats any kind of wood from being eaten by pests, including Teak-wood which is one of the hardest woods. Try putting a screw in Teak-wood if you think it's not a hardwood. Not to mention solid Teak-wood is very expensive!

Oh, if your thinking about nailing this wood, it's not hard enough! Have you ever seen any utility poles that aren't concrete. Haven't you ever wondered why?

The best inexpensive materials for a shed would be concrete block with concrete posts and steel C-beams to tie the posts together. Be sure the steel is properly coated with a good primer or it will rust! The ready made posts come in various lengths and cross sections. That's why Thais build so many sheds using these materials.

Edited June 29, 2015 by BB1950