Thread: New Build Near Udon Thani

We ordered another 30 trucks of fill dirt for the front, back retaining wall and carport. The price was 350 baht per truck and these were the smaller trucks since the larger trucks are now more regulated by the government. It was still enough to get the job done at about $11.48 per load. I would hate to think about how much this would cost back home.



How the front looks today. This will help during rainy season since it now slopes more toward the road and away from the house.





Here is the back retaining wall. Even though the wall is double block with cement poured between the two layers of block and rebar, I thought it wise to add some back fill dirt. I will continue this all the way around the house to eliminate the possibility of the wall breaking.



I do realize that the fill dirt will compress over time and probably need some additional fill next year and even the one after that. Once it is stable and has vegetation growing on it, there should be no fear of a retaining wall breach.

Originally Posted by Koetjeka

It's becoming a beautiful palace now, Rick. The ceiling makes everything even better.

Do you know how they made the sides of the ceiling (quarter)circles? Is it also gypsum or something else?

About this picture, I really hope nobody is ever going to fall down when they walk out of that door! Especially drunk people tend to fall easily.

I am still coming up with a solution for the open void in front that was to look out on the nice view. The problem is that if it is left open, bugs will more than likely migrate into the house

I think bugs will come into your house (or any house) anyway, they always find their way in. If I were you I would block it off though, maybe some wood would be pretty there.

I apologize for not answering your questions earlier. The small quarter cirlces were ultimately made from the gypsum, but the circular mold was just some thin cardboard. They filled in the rest with the sheet rock and ceiling puddy.

As for the steps out back. Yes, you are right. They are too steep and I noticed that first thing. The answer from the BIL is that he will add to them as we get close to finishing the kitchen. In other words, he will lengthen them by adding more block and cement to make them much wider and less steep. I am sure I would be the first to take a fall if left the way they are.

A lot of progress now Rick its all coming together nicely. You could always put a thick layer of sand at the bottom of those steps, that should cushion any fall

^
Maybe I will just rubberize the sala for all those crazy whiskey nights..

The granite installers came and applied the waterproofing and then proceeded to take 5 day off. I had the wife call the granite shop for a status report and they said they would call to see what is going on. It is now Feb. 3rd and the initial installation was to begin on January 27th. Just another example of how things move slowly in Thailand.

Does this really matter if you are not worried about water runoff?

I guess it doesn't really matter, just be careful when you drop a bottle of beer because the beer will flow to the door in that case.

Another thing might be the TV, personally I can get really frustrated if I see a TV or computer monitor that's not exactly water level.

Do you have any idea why the floor is not straight? Is it because of a bad pour or might it be that one side of the house has moved a little (which I hope not of course).

You could rent that room out for 5 a-side football, Rick - recoup some of the expenses...

Or do without furniture and sit on the floor that should save a bit

Originally Posted by Roobarb

Originally Posted by rickschoppers

I was told that the side of the house where the front doors are was much lower than the other end. Does this really matter if you are not worried about water runoff? I don't mind them making everything level, but it will add to the cost in the end.

Rick - if it was me, and I realise that if you have seen my house thread you may have a chuckle at me trying to give you advice, I would try to get the floor levelled off.

If it has a slight slope then all the furniture you put in will be on a slight slope, and you may then begin to notice the differences in angles between the furniture and the window frames (which I assume are not on a slope). Coupled with that, things you put on the furniture will tend to roll off if they are of the right shape.

In the long term you may find it all a bit irritating, and it's going to be expensive and messy to try to fix later.

In the end, the installer is making everything level without any input from myself. I know I have lived in houses that weren't level and you do not really notice it that much, especially if carpet is covering the floors. I don't think most US builders will make efforts to level a floor once the concrete slab is poured or the wood subfloor is in place. Just something new for me to see.

Originally Posted by bankao dreamer

Or do without furniture and sit on the floor that should save a bit

Definitely the more cost effective way to go. I have already purchased quite a bit of teak furniture and water hyacinth to make sure I do not have to sit on the floor. My old bones are a little too stiff to sit on a floor mat for very long.

The granite install is nearing completion. Most of what needs to be done are the borders which were left for the last by the installer. This means a lot of cutting at the end of the job and slower progress, but it also means he is almost done with this job. The installer really knows what he is doing and again, I was lucky by picking a better than average worker.

The grouting for the granite still needs to be done along with the final cleaning.



My better half checking out the last room to be completed.







After this job is completed, the painter will come back in and do the touch-up painting. I am looking forward to putting some furniture and furnishings in the house now that we have reached that stage of the game.

Looking good Rick.

Yeah, the floor does look good.

Rick,
Your floor looks great. In fact, it looks like you picked a similar color scheme that we did !! LOL

It's definitely different looking than a tile floor, but still nice and cool to your feet. I was told granite would be slick when wet, but I haven't really noticed that.

Looking good !!

Steve

Thanks Marmite, Betty and Steve. The granite is now in and the next immediate project will be baseboards. I thought about using the leftover granite, and still need to think on it a bit before choosing a material or design.

Here is the finished product with my son enjoying the new addition.

This looks a lovely spacious build rick !

And your son is having a ball !!!

It's a shame to put in any furniture really .
Just put a goal at each end and give him some roller skates .


Wasp

We found some Kuhne (sp?) tree posts that are going to be used for our front porch. Most of you already know this is a much sought after tree which signifies good luck and health to the owners. They are becoming more rare in Thailand and the Thais regard them as the number one tree with teak being the next for good luck and superstitions. I find the beliefs here interesting and am glad to incorporate a little folk lore into my house.

Here the posts are being stripped of their bark and prepared for use by my BIL and one of my Thai nephews.





The four posts are going in and getting a concrete base. All of the help to do this is being done by friends and family at no charge. One of the benefits of being married to a Thai that has a big family.

^^
Wasp, if I didn't have a bad back and need to sit in a real chair, I might have done just that.

The furniture will be dwarted by the size of the house and there will still be plenty of room to wonder without bumping into any of it. The house has "shrunk" quite a bit now that the ceiling, granite and painted walls have given it a different perspective.

I like the sound of the furniture being dwarfed by the size of the house .

Two days ago I had to view an apartment for some work and in order to move in the bedroom I had to turn sideways and edge along the side of the bed .

There must have been 12 inches between the bed and the wall .... and I'm treading on shoes at the same time .

Bloody hate that !!!!!

Love the sound of you having so much space . Maybe he can still have skates and just weave around the furniture ?
You can sit and trip him up to teach him about life's hard knocks .

It looks good .


Wasp

Rick,
We used granite for the baseboards on our ground floor. Good and durable when your son hits it with his trucks, cars, etc...

Steve

Originally Posted by Wasp

I like the sound of the furniture being dwarfed by the size of the house .

Two days ago I had to view an apartment for some work and in order to move in the bedroom I had to turn sideways and edge along the side of the bed .

There must have been 12 inches between the bed and the wall .... and I'm treading on shoes at the same time .

Bloody hate that !!!!!

Love the sound of you having so much space . Maybe he can still have skates and just weave around the furniture ?
You can sit and trip him up to teach him about life's hard knocks .

It looks good .


Wasp

Being a life-long claustrophobic, I need some space or else I find it difficult to breath. Working under a car without jacking it up is impossible for me to do and I get the same feeling is small spaces like you described.

I would never make it in Japan.

Originally Posted by stevefarang

Rick,
We used granite for the baseboards on our ground floor. Good and durable when your son hits it with his trucks, cars, etc...

Steve

I have not ruled this option out since there are plenty of scraps left over. I could probably do the entire house and my only cost would be the liquid nails. I priced white baseboard yesterday and it is about 168 baht per 2.9 meters. The entire house could be done for around 10,000 baht. I would rather spend that money on something else, but I would still need to buy or rent a cutter for the granite.

For those of you living in the Udon area, I would HIGHLY recommend taking a trip to DO HOUSE on the Nong Khai road. I found their prices to be less than Global House and they stock everything you could ever want. Their prices may be lower right now since they only opened in December and are trying to build a customer base. Once they got you "hooked", those prices may go up. I plan to purchase and fridge, washer, shower and a few other odds and ends this week since they are at the right price point.

Well, we had the Thai ceremony on March 6th that allowed us to sleep in the new house. So far, the change from my wife's parents house to the new house has been like night and day. We have no chickens around us and only a few dogs that could keep us up at night. Generally, very quiet and relaxing. The larger space is much appreciated by myself and the BIL and my wife spend most of the day under the carport which is now doubling for a kitchen as well.

Here are some shots of the outside and will show that we still have some landscaping to do. This will have to wait until I come back from the States.







Here is the north side of the house and the pond next to road marks the end of our property line. I plan to stock it with some fish in the near future.


Here is the front garden and the approach to the carport.

The BIL has done a great job on the front garden and it we now have a continuous supply of bananas and papaya. There are also lemon trees, cherry bushes, peppers along with many cooking spices to save us having to buy them. There are several papaya trees along with other assorted trees planted out back and my wife has plans to have many more eatable fruits and spices out back.