Thai Dhupp and Princess Joy's Thai House Build

[crackerjack101]

By the way, apropos water supplies, our neighbour is getting a bore put in. 60 meters deep more or less, plus all fixtures and fittings, casings, slab etc. Cost = around 60,000 baht.

[Klondyke]

Purifying a dirty (by rain) water or rusty water:

Beside settling, sedimenting in a storage tank, a good help is a wonderful material in Thailand easily and cheaply available: SaanSom (Alum). That is what our fathers used to stop bleeding after shaving.

People in village know about that, they add it to the storage tank for faster settling.

The miraculous flocculating effects even at a strong rusty water I have described in my thread about affordable swimming pool:

https://teakdoor.com/construction-in-...ml#post2860357

How to purify rusty (by iron) water:
https://teakdoor.com/construction-in-...ml#post2853328

[crackerjack101]

Yes, alum is useful. When we first moved up here she used it a lot, possibly to excess. Thankfully we no longer need it but it certainly helps. Moderation in all things though.

[Thai Dhupp]

By the way, apropos water supplies, our neighbour is getting a bore put in. 60 meters deep more or less, plus all fixtures and fittings, casings, slab etc. Cost = around 60,000 baht.

does that include the pump itself?

[Thai Dhupp]

Purifying a dirty (by rain) water or rusty water:

Beside settling, sedimenting in a storage tank, a good help is a wonderful material in Thailand easily and cheaply available: SaanSom (Alum). That is what our fathers used to stop bleeding after shaving.

People in village know about that, they add it to the storage tank for faster settling.

The miraculous flocculating effects even at a strong rusty water I have described in my thread about affordable swimming pool:

https://teakdoor.com/construction-in-...ml#post2860357

How to purify rusty (by iron) water:
https://teakdoor.com/construction-in-...ml#post2853328

Thanks Klondyke - a useful addition. Noted

[crackerjack101]

By the way, apropos water supplies, our neighbour is getting a bore put in. 60 meters deep more or less, plus all fixtures and fittings, casings, slab etc. Cost = around 60,000 baht.

does that include the pump itself?

Not as far as I know. That would be up to the customer. I will inquire.

[Norton]

So much so he accidentally provided a very comprehensive BOQ.

A must have. I did my own plans using software that allowed me to cost out all materials. Using material cost and expected labor (throw a u in for you brit folks ) it gave me a benchmark to figure a reasonable all in price from a builder. Ended up contracting 18% above labor and materials. Fair nuff so deal struck after he showed me a couple houses he built. Very important because what you see is what you get as far as workmanship goes.

Water and sewage always important when building in the middle of no where. What you do depends on local conditions obviously. Reliability and quality of local water supply is factor which drives much of your planning.

Size of holding tank, need for a borehole, type of filtering and need for rainwater collection all depend on local water supply.

I had in mind a borehole but after checking around it turns out ground water in my area has high salinity so I rejected the idea.

Disruption of water supply a problem so I installed a 2000 litre below ground tank. Gives me about 2 days reserve with a bit of conservation. I also do not have rainwater collection other than what the wife uses for gardening. A couple big ceramic pots fed from rain gutter.

Although the village water supply has a bit of sediment and certain times of the year smells a bit it is otherwise not bad. I have a single activated charcoal filter which does a good job removing sediment and smell but I sure ain't going to drink it.

Monthly water bill is 300 baht and we sure don't skimp.

Check out your local water supply. You may find many of the water related things you're considering become unnecessary nice to have items.

Lots of good suggestions above re sewage so will refrain from further comment.

Looking forward to more.

[Thai Dhupp]

So much so he accidentally provided a very comprehensive BOQ.

A must have. I did my own plans using software that allowed me to cost out all materials. Using material cost and expected labor (throw a u in for you brit folks ) it gave me a benchmark to figure a reasonable all in price from a builder. Ended up contracting 18% above labor and materials. Fair nuff so deal struck after he showed me a couple houses he built. Very important because what you see is what you get as far as workmanship goes.

Water and sewage always important when building in the middle of no where. What you do depends on local conditions obviously. Reliability and quality of local water supply is factor which drives much of your planning.

Size of holding tank, need for a borehole, type of filtering and need for rainwater collection all depend on local water supply.

I had in mind a borehole but after checking around it turns out ground water in my area has high salinity so I rejected the idea.

Disruption of water supply a problem so I installed a 2000 litre below ground tank. Gives me about 2 days reserve with a bit of conservation. I also do not have rainwater collection other than what the wife uses for gardening. A couple big ceramic pots fed from rain gutter.

Although the village water supply has a bit of sediment and certain times of the year smells a bit it is otherwise not bad. I have a single activated charcoal filter which does a good job removing sediment and smell but I sure ain't going to drink it.

Monthly water bill is 300 baht and we sure don't skimp.

Check out your local water supply. You may find many of the water related things you're considering become unnecessary nice to have items.

Lots of good suggestions above re sewage so will refrain from further comment.

Looking forward to more.

Cheers, Norton...tonnes of good stuff in there, and yes for sure i will check out the supply... i am also mindful of the future though, as was mentioned by CrackerJack101 - water supply may well become an issue for me too... quite a few of the plots have been sold around this area, all putting pressure on that piped supply.

By doing the modelling, i can see that the toilets and washing machine might use 6m3/month minimum so if i can be self-sufficient in that side of it, it eases the piped water consumption, esp if the supply becomes more and more regulated and we have to tank it to have sufficient over a 24 hour period.

All that before investigating the bore hole option, or using the rain harvesting for baths/showers, etc.

I definitely want to keep all the options open and... fitting a few rain harvesting storage tanks while building is not so onerous.

As always, thanks for your useful input.

[Norton]

mindful of the future

Especially in properties within a couple hour drive of Bangkok. Infrastructure development in Thailand always lags demand.

[Thai Dhupp]

PROGRESS

Just submitted my ground raising proposals with that fill material to the OrBorTor. Apparently here, we can't just 'do it', we have to take permission and it's included in an update on the building permit?

Is this the same for you guys 'up North'!?

Anyway, we did it through 'digital media' and the Engineer said the doc update will take 4 days so it should be all completed before we get back to Chonburi mid-May. ie no hold up on the raising of the land.

[crackerjack101]

Just submitted my ground raising proposals with that fill material to the OrBorTor. Apparently here, we can't just 'do it', we have to take permission and it's included in an update on the building permit?

Is this the same for you guys 'up North'!?

Anyway, we did it through 'digital media' and the Engineer said the doc update will take 4 days so it should be all completed before we get back to Chonburi mid-May. ie no hold up on the raising of the land.

No restrictions up here mate. OK if someone intends knocking up a bloody great resort then "yes" but for a private house one just seems to be able to get on with it.

Excellent idea to keep in with all the bureaucrats and powers that be though. Make sure you invite them to the various groundbreaking ceremonies, blessings etc.

Wine 'em and dine 'em and they'll be onside.

Good luck.

[crackerjack101]

By the way, what are your plans for power?

[Thai Dhupp]

Just submitted my ground raising proposals with that fill material to the OrBorTor. Apparently here, we can't just 'do it', we have to take permission and it's included in an update on the building permit?

Is this the same for you guys 'up North'!?

Anyway, we did it through 'digital media' and the Engineer said the doc update will take 4 days so it should be all completed before we get back to Chonburi mid-May. ie no hold up on the raising of the land.

No restrictions up here mate. OK if someone intends knocking up a bloody great resort then "yes" but for a private house one just seems to be able to get on with it.

Excellent idea to keep in with all the bureaucrats and powers that be though. Make sure you invite them to the various groundbreaking ceremonies, blessings etc.

Wine 'em and dine 'em and they'll be onside.

Good luck.

Thanks CJ... yes totally agree... we are 'in' with that OBT as he wants Farangs to settle in the area. Still got to do it by the book though - I don't want any 'issues' later on!

Hes already got his name down for the housewarming party at the end but im sure he will pop over during construction at the right moments!

With regards to power? We have a supply right outside the plot so we will be able to tee off it at the required time. I would like to investigate solar, but at a much later date. Depends if we can secure that adjacent plot, which would give us the space. I will try to pursue that when we go back next month.

[Norton]

Is this the same for you guys 'up North'!?

Here in the northeast it's rare folks get building approval much less approval to raise the ground.

[crackerjack101]

Here in the northeast it's rare folks get building approval much less approval to raise the ground.

Really, I'm surprised.
Why is that?
As you know I've only been out your way once so I know nothing.

Do you mean they don't bother getting approval or that they can't get it?

[Slick]

Same out my way in Surin province outside town. Both homes I've built never once had any permit or approved plans for anything. Not even for fill dirt. Only time I remember having people out were from the PEA for electrical meters. They didn't even inspect anything. Just installed the meter(s).

First house was designed on A4 paper with pencil & ruler and literally built from that. I eyeballed the roof pitch with a guy standing up there with a tape measure.

[Norton]

Do you mean they don't bother getting approval or that they can't get it?

They don't bother unless in Roiet city or one of the bigger Amphurs. Never heard of a problem about no permit in the village but sometimes a prob if you encroach on anothers property.

I did get mine approved even though the puyai ban and the builder said no need.

[Thai Dhupp]

Interesting! Different rules different provinces

Anyway... after my best plans, just been told 'no'...can't do it digitally and we have to take the original plans, permit etc to Orbortor to include the changes so thats 1st day job when we get back.

Roughly how long will 100 loads take to tip and level? It's not coming from too far away. I'm just trying to get a feel for the timescale. might not be that many loads but...I bet it is!!

[Slick]

It'll be faster if you're paying by the job instead of per load.

Best case: about 10 working days including tractor work. Unlikely though.

Worst case: maybe a month or more.

Maybe chonburi is more efficient.

[crackerjack101]

It'll be faster if you're paying by the job instead of per load.

Best case: about 10 working days including tractor work. Unlikely though.

Worst case: maybe a month or more.

Maybe chonburi is more efficient.

10 days! Seems a lot to me.
Round here they'll have 5 + trucks running dawn till dusk. A good size back hoe loading and a medium size tractor with a blade doing the leveling.
Of course the distance to travel is the crucial factor but they seem to try and get the job done asap.
I would think more like 5 days to complete. Then they'll be onto the next job.

My son in law drives such trucks and he works flat out 7 days a week. Gets paid by the load and he makes pretty good money.

But, as you pointed out things vary from region to region.

[Slick]

Could be 5 days start to finish. I honestly don't remember how long they took doing our places but I don't think it was 20 loads a day + grading with tractor.

[Norton]

Roughly how long will 100 loads take to tip and level?

I would think more like 5 days to complete

Agree.

[Thai Dhupp]

Evening , gents - I just got back in the office so reading the posts -

Slick
It'll be faster if you're paying by the job instead of per load.

Best case: about 10 working days including tractor work. Unlikely though.

Jeez, I hope not Slick! im only back for 10 days total!

Norton
I would think more like 5 days to complete. Then they'll be onto the next job.

yeah Norton, thats more like it!

following your last posts, it looks like we are all now in agreement..

I was hoping for about 5 days. Maybe I will just tell 'em...as many loads as you can, up to 100 loads in 5 days or less. If you get to 5 days, stop. that should make sure 100 loads in 5 days or less.

Of course I shall be on hand to ensure they are 8m3 loads, not wheelbarrows full

[Thai Dhupp]

DESIGN part 4

OK, in this final part of design, I will list out some of the considerations that went into my design. remember, this is not necessarily the best way to do everything, just my way to do it. Constructive comment, or frivolity are both welcome. Praise n admiration more so, but probably less likely!!


1. As you know from my earlier posts, we wanted a traditional-looking construction, but with modern building practises employed. Therefore, the construction will be block and cement, with plank and slab flooring, rendered and painted walls on the ground floor, clad on the upper floor


Heat Reduction

2. To help in heat reduction we will use Q-Con (or similar) block wall construction

3. similarly, heat reflection under the roof tiles
4. air flow-through in the roof void to remove the hot air
5. large roof overhangs to keep the sunlight out of the windows
6. not excessively large windows - in keeping with tradition and higher up on the wall.
7. some cathedral-style roofs on the upper floor. All ceiling height is already 3m but I hope to add 1-1.5m of additional clearance upstairs by raising those upper floor ceilings, thus lifting any warm air even higher from the living space
8. Matched A/C throughout based on room volumes and hopefully cooler starting point.
9. investigating options with heat-reflective glass for the windows and folding patio doors

Water Conservation

10. use of rainwater harvesting to reduce reliance on other sources, and cut some long term running costs
11. use of grey water for irrigation. along with any rain harvesting excess

General Layout considerations

12. master bedroom suite 'wing' with dressing room and full sized en-suite. apparently we spend a third of our lives in bed so...might as well have all the comforts to hand
13. large indoor kitchen with breakfast bar, island - kitchen the heart of the house, right? separate dining room for more formal dinners, etc
14. external kitchen BBQ area for the obligatory incinerations
15. large lower level shaded external sitting area - my design plans one 10m x 8m
16. Minimum 4 bedrooms - family plus visitors needs it
17. indoors living area, but by having a folding door arrangement, this 'extends' out to outdoor living space on the 1st floor verandah
18. Separate office. I am planning ahead that this could become a downstairs bedroom if the stairs become too difficult. well...it's that or install a lift
19. Area to add gym and TV room in the future (under building 3)
20. by having the large external area at ground level, and with access from the kitchen, and with a WC provision under building 3, visitors never need to go 'upstairs' keeping that as our private living area.(so I can slob around in peace, with no witnesses)

Electrics

21. once completed, I see three buildings x 2 floors so... 6 electrical zones x lighting and powerpoint circuits, plus cooker circuit and external lighting circuit, so 14 breakers (the electricians out there can correct me if this is overkill)
22. sufficient power points in each room!
23. low-energy lighting where possible
24. a properly (to western standards) earthed system
25. external security system, CCTV, etc
26. house intruder alarm system

Plumbing

27. separate systems for black and grey water
28. all black water furniture to be against or very close to external walls
29. three smaller septic tank arrangements, passing the fluid element to a single tank adj to the drain field
30. water holding tanks to regulate the supply to the house

External

31. provision for swimming pool later
32. privacy with perimeter wall, after house is constructed
33. Japanese-style ornamental fish pond (no...not a fishing lake, PJ) near to dining room

Princess Joy's requirements

34. Buddha room
35. privacy
... check and .. check!

Phew! as you can see, I have a lot of time on my hands here in the Middle East. gives me the chance to compile wish lists, must haves, etc. I want it all, but some things might take time. Which is fine, of course.

Will upload some of the final plans, elevations details etc next.

[crackerjack101]

Let's hope you can find the right people to do the work.

Sounds very impressive, mate. Good luck with it.