My Project - House and Garden

[GlutinousMaximus]

I was reading a blog post by this Japanese guy in the Philippines a while back - his post mentions stuffing the basement with rocks which can be cooled down by drawing cool air in (to the basement) at night and extract the cool air from them into the house during the day. That coupled with a well-insulated roof plus some passive extractors in the roof : http://www.kotaronishiki.com/

ignorant smartàrses and their various advice are one Satang a dozen

I don't know why you're so disparaging about it - simple passive measures along the lines of what this guy (and others) are recommending look like winners to me. They're also not particularly high-tech/high spec solutions like the western PassivHaus standards, so I would say well within the capabilities of the average Thai builder as long as your building plans are correctly drawn up.

If you can eliminate solar heat gain from your property (especially from the walls/masonry), there's got to be some benefits in that. I know I've done it wrong in my current house, because my walls feel warm to the touch well after the sun's gone down so my aircon has to work harder. Next time (if there is one), I will look carefully at some completely different solutions. Even if it helps to reduce your electric bills by 35% or so, that's not to be sniffed at. In your case, that would be a saving (on your annual cooling budget of 110K) of approx 30-40K - you could have one helluva pool party in your palace for that! BTW - I'm mildly curious what you spend the other 90K of your annual power budget on?

[user343434]

Sorry guys. I am posting this because I want to collect infos as much possible for be sure not to screw up or miss important issues.

Smart or not smart isn't the issue. Every help counts and in every info is something that could be from use in the near future and cold safe me extra costs that could be avoided.

Beside the answers here I google the crap out of my computer and compare them with all related posts. Better every idea is posted here as something is left out and costs me at the end. Therefore I go into this forum to get help from all who want to help. And that counts for me.

Caution is the mother of wisdom.

[smutcakes]

Good luck with your project. Only comment I would make would be have a bit more of a think about internal lay out. Its a new build so you can be more creative. Nearly every house you walk into here is basically one big box, with other boxes stuck on off the main living area. Why not try and be a bit more creative.

[user343434]

You are absolute right,, as more I look on my design as more I find what you say.. Box to box..

Just mention all doors coming from the living room might be getting annoying and they limiting the position of Cabinets, Shelfs or the TV

here a first try, but there is the ventilation another issue, when i am back home I'll involve an architect..

[GlutinousMaximus]

OP - do you have an estimated budget for your build?

[smutcakes]

which way is the house orientated? N/S/E/W which way are the prevailing winds to make sure it is orientated correctly.

[user343434]

At the moment the terrace is planed to North front entree and South terrace because of the pond. Would be nice to see it from the place outside. BUT the sun and draft might change my decision.

I am surrounded by mountains and only the West part is open area.

https://www.google.co.th/maps/@12.6541411,101.4099176,206m/data=!3m1!1e3?hl=de

My Budget is 3.8 Million baht to completion,

My uncle iL did calculate 2.8 M to my requirements with double q-con walls, PVC Windows and good roof tiles, but sure I would put another 1 million on top just for the sake of an optimal insulation and materials

Edited October 23, 2015 by See Will

[xen]

Good luck with your project. Only comment I would make would be have a bit more of a think about internal lay out. Its a new build so you can be more creative. Nearly every house you walk into here is basically one big box, with other boxes stuck on off the main living area. Why not try and be a bit more creative.

Could i add something about being creative with internal layout is to try to keep the rooms to straight lines and or squares /rectangles to minimise your cutting to shape items such as tiles etc. Also use standard size doors and windows if possible unless your budget allows you use bespoke items . It does not have to be boring or uncreative , be more practical and in later years if you need to replace items then standard size architectural items will be a blessing. You can always use furniture, painting or art, wall finishes, etc to add a creative touch when your finances recover from the build.

[user343434]

I understand but planning a house is an architect's job.

I can build up, do the cabling and organise an entire windfarm turnkey Project. That is what I have done all my life, but believe me I am lousy at Graphs. Autocad? Fantasy? Creativity? Paint is the only program I can use to remodify something.

The drawings made are just an idea of the room i need but there my fantasy and creativity ends.

If you are interested and have got ideas you want to show, feel free and just copy the drawing and put up a sketch by paint or cad.

I guess I am not the only one who would be interested to see. Therefore is this Forum.

Would be a honour to put up a sign: Designed by: www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/863887-my-project-house-and-garden

But at least don't hold back with good ideas and also critics.

In my sucessful projects i have to take doubts and critics on daily base and I never regret to implement them in the execution.

That made me and my Lads sucessful and well known in the Offshore Windfarm and Cable Business worldwide.

Cheers

Will

[GlutinousMaximus]

At the moment the terrace is planed to North front entree and South terrace because of the pond. Would be nice to see it from the place outside. BUT the sun and draft might change my decision.

I am surrounded by mountains and only the West part is open area.

https://www.google.co.th/maps/@12.6541411,101.4099176,206m/data=!3m1!1e3?hl=de

My Budget is 3.8 Million baht to completion,

My uncle iL did calculate 2.8 M to my requirements with double q-con walls, PVC Windows and good roof tiles, but sure I would put another 1 million on top just for the sake of an optimal insulation and materials

Looks great & the Google street view car has even been in that area close to your plot! It's amazing where they get to. There was a Streetview car outside my house in NE Thailand a few months back & I think my feral dogs barking at it will probably be in the images once they're published - I would have mooned at it from my balcony but unfortunately it had already gone by then.

For 3.8 Million, that's a nice budget and you should be able to get a really tidy place put up & as you say, with good insulation and maybe a bit of solar etc.

BTW & you may know this already, I think there is some kind of approval process for building plans with the local council - I think they look at structural soundness and so on. I know the planning laws here are pretty loose, but I do remember getting ours stamped and signed off at the local relevant council department (it was pretty easy), so might be worth getting your Mrs to make some discreet enquiries about that so you don't run into potential future problems.

Edited October 23, 2015 by GlutinousMaximus

[GlutinousMaximus]

Interesting forum thread here about pros/cons of Q-Con blocks, double-skinned or not etc. : http://www.coolthaihouse.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=22&t=1104

(the forum itself seems to have lot of useful info on different aspects of building in Thailand)

[user343434]

Cheers, i scrolled though that forum with high interest. Sure they are a bit missleading by trying to find a minimum solution to keep the price low.

I think the opposite, going for the max as long I can work offshore and try to keep my German pension high in case the crap hits the fan in Thailand.

(Almost Impossible as also in Thailand I went different ways to build up some Pension even if 2 of these fail the pension would be enough for some good life).

But in the pension age to safe some electric bill comes always handy.

So I guess Q-con is the first choice but also there is an alternative (looks like one of these Thai Original Copys) that has almost the same (1.5% less) insolation value as Q-con but is 1/3 the price.

Thickness is clear for me and my decision is: As bigger as better and double wall is also decided. Price, the small clay bricks are seen as per sqm almost balanced to Q-con.

here we go...

[Naam]

I understand but planning a house is an architect's job.

I can build up, do the cabling and organise an entire windfarm turnkey Project. That is what I have done all my life, but believe me I am lousy at Graphs. Autocad? Fantasy? Creativity? Paint is the only program I can use to remodify something.

The drawings made are just an idea of the room i need but there my fantasy and creativity ends.

If you are interested and have got ideas you want to show, feel free and just copy the drawing and put up a sketch by paint or cad.

I guess I am not the only one who would be interested to see. Therefore is this Forum.

Would be a honour to put up a sign: Designed by: www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/863887-my-project-house-and-garden

But at least don't hold back with good ideas and also critics.

In my sucessful projects i have to take doubts and critics on daily base and I never regret to implement them in the execution.

That made me and my Lads sucessful and well known in the Offshore Windfarm and Cable Business worldwide.

Cheers

Will

I understand but planning a house is an architect's job.

completely wrong Will. let me repeat that "architects are arschitects!" and that applies to 90% of the architecture of single family homes i have seen in more than a dozen countries. architects who do not spend hours and hours with his/her client asking a zillion questions are a dime a dozen. but even the gifted ones will most of the time, willing or unwilling, force their personal ideas on their clients.

if you have never designed/built a home it might be quite difficult for you to "unearth and be aware" of your own needs and priorities and that may include your wife. but it requires a lot of time. once you know what you want submit a sketch to an architect to prepare the necessary technical drawings. i have built more than a fistful of homes for me (us) and a couple of friends based on sketches made with an age old childrens drawing program.

you have a good start with the floorplan you published and which you seem to like. what's left is to work on details and modifications. you can do it! but some planning mistakes are unavoidable. you'll discover that after you lived in the home for a couple of years. it also happened to us although we built a near identical clone of the home in which we lived for 11 years.

try and start with modifications and submit your sketches. it will be fun for some of us to add our two Satangs (pro and con).

[Naam]

You are absolute right,, as more I look on my design as more I find what you say.. Box to box..

Just mention all doors coming from the living room might be getting annoying and they limiting the position of Cabinets, Shelfs or the TV

here a first try, but there is the ventilation another issue, when i am back home I'll involve an architect..

it's a good start but in my [not so] humble view [cross]ventilation of a single story home should not be a priority. the design with the added passage is NOT box to box but a refreshing alternative to the boring bread-and-butter designs one usually encounters in homes with a living area of 150m².

[user343434]

Got it, So best is to open my basic drawing erase and draw unitl the doc comes with a long sleeve jacket. Well makes sense because i haven't found much info from the service providers in Pattaya at all..

There are many drawings in the www but none is giving me the "oh yes" feeling.

I'll work on it..

[Naam]

I was reading a blog post by this Japanese guy in the Philippines a while back - his post mentions stuffing the basement with rocks which can be cooled down by drawing cool air in (to the basement) at night and extract the cool air from them into the house during the day. That coupled with a well-insulated roof plus some passive extractors in the roof : http://www.kotaronishiki.com/

ignorant smartàrses and their various advice are one Satang a dozen

I don't know why you're so disparaging about it - simple passive measures along the lines of what this guy (and others) are recommending look like winners to me. They're also not particularly high-tech/high spec solutions like the western PassivHaus standards, so I would say well within the capabilities of the average Thai builder as long as your building plans are correctly drawn up.

If you can eliminate solar heat gain from your property (especially from the walls/masonry), there's got to be some benefits in that. I know I've done it wrong in my current house, because my walls feel warm to the touch well after the sun's gone down so my aircon has to work harder. Next time (if there is one), I will look carefully at some completely different solutions. Even if it helps to reduce your electric bills by 35% or so, that's not to be sniffed at. In your case, that would be a saving (on your annual cooling budget of 110K) of approx 30-40K - you could have one helluva pool party in your palace for that! BTW - I'm mildly curious what you spend the other 90K of your annual power budget on?

i agree that "rocks in the basement to save electricity" is not a smartass way. it's insulting all honest smartasses by an absolute ignorant who thinks he can change or outsmart the laws of thermo-physics.

40-45% of my electricity consumption is based on cooking, washer, dryer, pool pump, pond pump, irrigation pump, deep well pump, house water supply pumps, forced attic and individual room as well as whole-house ventilation, inside and outside lighting, TVs, PCs.

"Even if it helps to reduce your electric bills by 35% or so..." i am not a dreamer but as already mentioned a retired physicist cum mechanical engineer. yes, i could easily save not only 35 but 50% of the energy consuming airconditioning part. but that would be an unacceptable reduction of our comfort.

i could also save on washer/dryer cost by not changing underwear, shorts and t-shirt three times a day, hanging the laundry to dry in the garden and dry myself with scratchy towels after a shower or a dip in the pool. and every month i could express my savings by converting the saved amount in bottles of Chang although i don't drink Chang.

[Naam]

Got it, So best is to open my basic drawing erase and draw unitl the doc comes with a long sleeve jacket. Well makes sense because i haven't found much info from the service providers in Pattaya at all..

There are many drawings in the www but none is giving me the "oh yes" feeling.

I'll work on it..

these long sleeved jackets fit like made to measure plus they have attractive tassels

[fang37]

I find such threads very interesting & helpful.

On that other forum, I received tremendous assistance from other members during the build.

The result - a pleasant abode. It will do me until I die (which will be next Tuesday).

[Stevemercer]

A tall ceiling (at least 3 m) will obviously help with the cooling as will a design that allows the breeze to blow straight through the house. Ideally the front of the house should face north, but the shape of the block or the features you need may circumvent this. A high roof line will allow the hotter air to rise and passive ventilation fans in the roof will encourage this circulation when there is no wind. Use verandas or plant shade trees to try and keep direct sunlight off the walls.

Make sure you put extraction fans above the shower cabinet and a wall mounter fan above the toilet to cool down the bathroom. There's nothing like a cooling breeze when you get out of the shower or sit on the toilet. A western style separate shower is best because a typical Thai-style wet floor feels hot and humid. Don't use black tiles in the shower or in wet areas as they will get stained by the salts in the Thai water and are hard to clean. For the same reason, use porcelain for your bathroom sinks. Glass is trendy, but quickly stains and is hard to clean.

Edited November 13, 2015 by Stevemercer

[fang37]

As they say on the other forum, more builds please.

And you cannot post too many pics.

[Stevemercer]

Our recent bathroom builds. House and neighboring pond 12 months along.

Edited November 14, 2015 by Stevemercer

[fang37]

Pretty damn good!

[fang37]

What I do like about your build is the shower enclosure in the bathroom. I have seen B10m homes without same.

[Stevemercer]

I hate the typical Thai bathroom/toilet room with water all over the floor and feeling like a sauna. A separate shower cabinet keeps the bathroom floor dry. An extraction fan over the shower keeps the excess humidity down and circulates the air so you feel cool when you get out of the shower. A wall mounted fan over the toilet keeps you cool when sitting on the toilet. It also circulates the air when you get out of the shower for that extra cooling effect. It doesn't cost much, but makes a huge difference in the bathroom. I don't need tanks of water in the bathroom or a bum spray.

Edited November 14, 2015 by Stevemercer

[fang37]

Nothing like walking in water.

Not on water (yet).

[craigt3365]

Looks great! A few thoughts. A Thai kitchen might be nice. Along with a garage for a car. We live outside Pattaya and a car is a must. Weather is too bad to rely on a motorcycle all the time. Plus, comes in handy for the runs to Hardware House, etc. LOL

We did a large covered patio and love it. If not covered, very difficult to enjoy that outside space. And it's not expensive to build a nice covering. We spend a lot of time outside. No sun, no rain and we've got couches, refrigs, etc. all outside.

Don't forget about drainage. As you know, it really rains here. We just redid some areas because of this.

Anyway, best of luck!!!!!!!!!!!

[user343434]

Good points.

I changed already the shower and framed it with glass bricks, the fan was not in the plan but has now been added. I actually experienced this humidity and dense air in the wetrooms but forgot about as I made the plan. Thanks all for posting..

The Terrace will be covered with some green or blue Plex plates and Fans underneath, need to be tight as my wife's pool table comes also under the terrace as we have it now in our rental too..

Cars: I am troughout a Biker and never owned a car, I am continously thinking how to sort that problem without need to drive a car. (I simply hate it) There are some 3 wheeler pick up bikes in Pattaya, but I have no Idea what the brand (Champ) is like and how reliable they are. The engine looks like an original copy of a 125cc Kawasaki from China.. That would do me and suits me better.

Edited November 17, 2015 by See Will

[careybruce1]

I don' want to hijack Wills thread, so please advise accordingly.

I have been reading this thread since the begining and have found some of the information given to be quite interesting and informative. My problem is that we're slightly further on with our house plans than Will seems to be and I am not sure whether to post our ideas on this thread or if I should start a new thread? I have attached some pictures of the wall we're getting built as a little taster.

[xen]

I don' want to hijack Wills thread, so please advise accordingly.

I have been reading this thread since the begining and have found some of the information given to be quite interesting and informative. My problem is that we're slightly further on with our house plans than Will seems to be and I am not sure whether to post our ideas on this thread or if I should start a new thread? I have attached some pictures of the wall we're getting built as a little taster.

Looks a very nice wall , would like to see more and get more details . I can't advice if you should continue in this thread or start a new one but below are two threads i have been following for a long time and could be suitable. Let us know in this thread where you decide to post.

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/136870-tropical-home-design/page-4

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/257672-finished-house-picture-views-and-gardens-welcome/

[Stevemercer]

Looks great! A few thoughts. A Thai kitchen might be nice. Along with a garage for a car. We live outside Pattaya and a car is a must. Weather is too bad to rely on a motorcycle all the time. Plus, comes in handy for the runs to Hardware House, etc. LOL

We did a large covered patio and love it. If not covered, very difficult to enjoy that outside space. And it's not expensive to build a nice covering. We spend a lot of time outside. No sun, no rain and we've got couches, refrigs, etc. all outside.

Don't forget about drainage. As you know, it really rains here. We just redid some areas because of this.

Anyway, best of luck!!!!!!!!!!!

I have guttering on our house (and separate garage) which direct all the water via sump drains to the pond in front of the house. When that pond is full, there is a spillway to another pond further down on our property. If that pond fills the water drains to the rice paddies outside our property.

This all worked fine during the wet season of 2014, despite some slumping against concrete areas where the builders had not adequately compacted or filled the soil. I think I have largely fixed these problems now. The 2015 wet season was a real fizzer were I live and my ponds only got up to 40% full (compared to 100% for 2014).

The first photo show the first pond next to the house and the second photo shows our second overflow pond.