House construction, usual?

[Rancid]

Renting a house Rayong area. Yesterday chang's turned up and stuck 12 concrete poles into the ground. Thought they were building just a storage area, but wife says it will be a house, they'll lay the slab and join.

Last place I built had trenches with huge footings dug with steelwork coming up to pour in the concrete pillar, ie built like the proverbial brick sh*thouse.

This whole moobaan is built like this. Just curious whether the experts think these constructions are solid?

[Crossy]

Where are you?

Central plain = problem, North = bedrock = less of a problem.

We are north of BKK on the central mud-bank plain, 16m driven piles were order of the day for our 2 storey home.

[lopburi3]

Normally piles are driven and then ring is made below ground level connecting all of them before slab is made on this foundation. It should not be just piles and cement covering them if that is what you see AFAIK.

[Rancid]

Rayong area. The piles were not driven, just placed in a hole. Admittedly haven't seen what else they will do, just curious as to the building technique.

[lopburi3]

That is normal procedure if close to other homes - to avoid vibration damage.

[fosseway]

Where are you?

Central plain = problem, North = bedrock = less of a problem.

We are north of BKK on the central mud-bank plain, 16m driven piles were order of the day for our 2 storey home.

Wow, 16 meter piles, I would have thought a reinforced concrete raft could have been more cost effective, but would depend on the ground conditions, i.e. freshly made up levels.

[lopburi3]

Bangkok is built on thousands of years of river mud (like living on Jello) so you need to get below that level unless you want to risk having a leaning tower of Pisa.

[Generalchaos]

Where are you?

Central plain = problem, North = bedrock = less of a problem.

We are north of BKK on the central mud-bank plain, 16m driven piles were order of the day for our 2 storey home.

16M Driven piles! -Did they suggest this or did you request this?

I have never seen a Thai construction crew ever drive anything into the ground - Except perhaps the guy wanting the construction.

Up our way you would be lucky to see them scrape 6 inches of dirt before laying a perimeter of concrete to start on the uprights.

[lopburi3]

Up your way is where? We are talking Bangkok and central plains which is deep mud until you get to bedrock and piles are always used for anything larger than a hen house.

[AlQaholic]

You can drill the holes first and then sink in the piles, but that has less strength than driving down the poles. I think they might plan to pour lean concrete around the piles in your case. Most common is you drill the holes and then you put in rebar and you cast the actual piles into the holes, but then you will not have pre-stressed piles, but for domestic purpose that is not a problem, depending on the soil conditions of course. Driving the piles is always better.

If the soil/foundation is untouched (never been moved before) and it is a one floor building it may be enough to just put footings about 2 meters down and then columns from there up to ground elevation or a little above where the first set of beams will be.

I personally built an elevated building like this recently and it works just fine.

Edited June 15, 2016 by AlQaholic

[overherebc]

Where are you?

Central plain = problem, North = bedrock = less of a problem.

We are north of BKK on the central mud-bank plain, 16m driven piles were order of the day for our 2 storey home.

Wow, 16 meter piles, I would have thought a reinforced concrete raft could have been more cost effective, but would depend on the ground conditions, i.e. freshly made up levels.

If you drive past the old airport on the ground level you will notice that every main support for the road above appear to rising out of the ground, note I said appears. The piles go all the way to bedrock and the area surrounding the pad on top of the piles is sinking, has been for years. They have at least once scraped the top of the pad area to try to level of the road.

[Jaggg88]

Where are you?

Central plain = problem, North = bedrock = less of a problem.

We are north of BKK on the central mud-bank plain, 16m driven piles were order of the day for our 2 storey home.

Wow, 16 meter piles, I would have thought a reinforced concrete raft could have been more cost effective, but would depend on the ground conditions, i.e. freshly made up levels.

My thoughts exactly

[ozyjon]

please don't mention piles

[Rancid]

OK, so builders were back, they put some timber planks around the poles perimeter then laid same steel reinforcement, that lattice type very thin stuff they often use on driveways etc. They didn't raise the steel at all, just laid it flat on the ground and then poured concrete over it.

Looks like they will raise the floor further if same as other houses here. Maybe then they will tie the poles into the structure. Regardless interesting to watch. The house I'm in has no reflective insulation and is like an oven so assuming they don't go overboard on the expense.

[JAS21]

Where are you?

Central plain = problem, North = bedrock = less of a problem.

We are north of BKK on the central mud-bank plain, 16m driven piles were order of the day for our 2 storey home.

16M Driven piles! -Did they suggest this or did you request this?

I have never seen a Thai construction crew ever drive anything into the ground - Except perhaps the guy wanting the construction.

Up our way you would be lucky to see them scrape 6 inches of dirt before laying a perimeter of concrete to start on the uprights.

Little do you know about the Bangkok Area ... 20M is not unusal.

'Our' Village Office is single story ... built by a 'proper builder' and I watched the 'piling' ... approx 20M.

There is one huge house ... well was ... in our village that was never lived in ... it developed huge cracks ...it's now rubble.

Yes ... there are areas in Thailand where a concrete raft is fine ...not around Bangkok though.

[thehelmsman]

Thus the difference of price in building a house. They may look the same but are not built the same. Some foreigners will gaff at paying 2 mil to build. Our house is 6 yrs old with no visible cracks.

[Crossy]

Up your way is where? We are talking Bangkok and central plains which is deep mud until you get to bedrock and piles are always used for anything larger than a hen house.

Our hen house is on piles, ok 1m piles but piles none the less.

[MJCM]

please don't mention piles

Care to explain why ?

[Crossy]

please don't mention piles

Care to explain why ?

Possibly to do with The Ring of Fire

[MJCM]

please don't mention piles

Care to explain why ?

Possibly to do with The Ring of Fire

What has Johnny Cash to do with it 555555