27 December – 2 January 2014, a short working week as the workers headed off to celebrate New Year on Tuesday and are not due back until the 3rd. However there was some progress made that makes this week worth a post.
Day 56 Saturday, I wrote in my post for Week 8 HERE, that the AAC blocks had turned up finally on the Friday and we had collected some mortar from Thai Watsadu so the team could get started first thing Saturday. Well this happened and when we arrived that morning the wall building was underway.
The wall of what will be Peng’s bedroom going up.
These blocks are great to watch being put in place as they are a quick method of building and for the people doing the work, lightweight to use. They are being cemented into place with a thin mortar base rather than the glue type option used in some cases you will read about on building forums. Better or worse I can’t say.
The outside of that same wall.
The rear ensuite wall started.
With the first fix of electrical linked in with the walls going up we headed off on what is now a very familiar route to Global House at Nong Bua Lamphu to buy conduit, junction boxes and that flexible silver tubing stuff that i think goes in the ceiling.
Some of the electrical supplies mixed in with leftover plumbing pipes waiting for installation.
We also purchased 32 ceiling downlights as an alternative to the handful of fluorescence tube mood lighting thoughtfully included by the draughtsman to light the place.
Gaun continued to chase Thai Watsadu to get the rest of our AAC blocks delivered as the wall crew seem to be getting through about 400 blocks a day, which only gives us a couple days supply based on the one delivery we have received so far. Building here is SO much easier with an active Thai partner. I have said it before but doing a build on your own without any Thai language would be such a pain and the guys that do it successfully are heros in my book.
Day 57 Sunday, Ming’s two permanent guys turned up after a day off fishing, which gave us a full team of six plus Ming. Good progress was made and the rear of the house started to take shape.
Our bedroom wall with the space for the double glazed sliding door starting to take shape. Kitchen the next wall down.
From the reverse angle looking to the rear of the house.
From our bedroom sliding door looking across the house.
Peng’s first wall of blocks almost finished.
Gaun and I made another of our daily trips to Global House and bought the fuse box, 14 fuse spaces, plus door frames and two vanities. We are lucky in being able to borrow my brother-in-laws pickup for these trips otherwise we’d have to have larger items delivered. 25,700 THB out of the bank account.
In the afternoon another load of 800 AAC blocks turned up this time delivered by Thai Watsadu’s own truck, not the contractor that hasn’t been showing up.
More supplies to keep us going. 1,200 blocks in this delivery plus some mortar.
Thanks for reading.
The most comprehensive reference manual on building a house in Thailand. An e-book of 120,000 words arranged in a number of sections including the initial planning stages, a daily report on the construction process, later updates after we move in, a few summaries and a section on more general background topics such as land titles, Usufruct contracts, utility expenses and the daily cost of my building project.
So, what will you find here?
Firstly, I am a retired government employee not a builder so you won’t find a very specific how-to building book full of technical details. However, what you have bought is a very detailed 884-page coverage of how an enthusiastic amateur like me survived the Thai building challenges and ended up with a wonderful home that I still find hard to believe I have achieved.
Although the house we built is unique to us and may not be anything like the style of dwelling you plan to build, you will find many of the processes, frustrations and hints I share very relevant to almost any domestic construction project in Thailand. Topics covered such as creating a cool house, planning and design tips and specific topics like septic and water solutions are mostly likely generic to your situation, or parts of them will be, so will be a useful addition to your research material.
I have tried to make the book a good read and not just a dry list of dos and don’ts. It is written in a casual style as though I was chatting with you and I hope that makes it more engaging. In each chapter you will live every individual day of the build with us plus some of other events and activities and share our excitements and frustrations. Even if you aren’t about to build in Thailand, I believe the book includes enough interesting material of one farang’s story to hold your attention.
Find out how to obtain the e-book HERE and lots more information including a free sample chapter HERE
I am loving your book – just on my second read at the moment, to make sure that I didn’t miss anything first time around (which actually it turns out I did!).
Just a note of thanks at this point ……. I am a fairly methodical sort of bloke, but there are many issues which your book highlights which I just wouldn’t have thought about – or if I had, I may well have assumed they were “standard” building practice [U-bends, drain positioning, barge-board alignment] – if it hadn’t been for your excellent descriptions!! I will probably still “miss” something – that’s the nature of building/design – but thanks to you, it shouldn’t be anything too mission-critical. Mike
Undoubtedly, we would not have the quality home we now have without the book, we had no idea even where to start until we found Building in Thailand eBook. We did manage to avoid most of the traps that we could have fallen into, we are extremally thankful for the authors attention to detail and common-sense approach. Chris
I have had the good fortune to have used the first edition as part of Yuri and my plans to build our home here in Surin. To say it is a good reference book is an understatement. The practical advice and your self deprecating style make it a great read. The anecdotes and asides all add to its appeal as both a “how to manual” and a fascinating insight into what lies ahead for people like me who have only just commenced a similar journey. Far better armed for what’s to be encountered. Greg
The income from my eBook pays for the upkeep of this blog, which is otherwise commercially free unlike so many others.
Hi Tony,
A couple of questions:
Will you be using a cavity wall on all perimeter walls?
The colour of the colorbond, is it closer to the Australian equivalent Surfmist or Shale Grey?
Regards
Chris
Yes I will Chris. Even the wall between the two bedrooms will be double. With a teenager in the house……..
As you know I am going the double block route more for noise with the added benefit of improved insulation. Isaan is a noisy place. I think that just for heat exclusion a single layer with a white roof and decent overhang would work just fine.
The Colorbond colour is more like Surfmist but less grey. It is a white version of Classic Cream. You can find it in this brouchure HERE
I am very pleased with it. I was worried it would stand out like a white elephant but during the day it picks up the sky colour and blends in. The temperature difference between outside and under the roof is dramatic. I will take readings today and post them with this week’s update.
It looks like all is going well Tony. Congratulations.
Did you consider a solar water heater? I will be using one. The initial cost is higher but free solar hot water forever is appealing.
Will you be using PPR pipe for the hot water. After reading CTH I’ve decided its worth the extra expense for inside the house.
It’s funny how I keep doing the “worth the extra expense” thing since they all seem so trivial compared to the total cost. But I am beginning to realize how,in aggregate, they can drive the cost up significantly. So trying to save in othe areas.
You seem to have very competent people and a good plan so I hope it all goes as smoothly as it seems to have so far.
I’ll be watching with great interest.
Chris.
Chris. You know it never occurred to me to look at that option. I have only seen the need for hot water as being critical during these cooler months with a much toned down requirement in the long hot period so the financial benefits didn’t register with me in the way it might have back in Canberra. I have even seen comments from some people on the use of water chillers to get the tank water cool enough to use in a shower! It will be interesting to hear how solar works out for you.
I will be using this product rather than PPR: http://www.pimatec.com/download/multipipe_eng.pdf. It has a push fitting arrangement, while Global House PPR only has the welding option. It costs 87 THB a metre and the fittings are all well under 100 THB each. I only have a 13 metre run across the two bathrooms at the back of the house so it is a very cheap exercise for me. Available from Thai Watsadu in Nong Bua Lamphu anyway.
Yes, it’s easy to lose touch with the original budget. I thought we had enough insulation to go under the Colorbond but with overlap not so. Two trips to Global House plus some extra screws and it’s another 5,000 THB. Not a big thing in itself but added to all the other surprises it adds up doesn’t it.
I seem to have a good team although we are getting into the more detailed things now so I will reserve judgement. The roof has gone up the last couple of days and the place is starting to look more like a house.
Cheers Chris.
Tony