Thread: Marty's New Home in the sticks

I like that idea Roobarb just by shortening that hall a lot of usable space is created.

Do Thais cook inside?

I'm guessing that back area is for the Buddha.

Originally Posted by Roobarb

Looks good FatOne, and congratulations on working out so quickly how to post photos here. Building the house will be easy in comparison...

On the plan, I get the kitchen area and living room at the front, a door down to the bedrooms (nice touch BTW, keeps the village idiots from wandering down there should they make it into the living room), bedrooms, bathrooms etc, but I can't read a word of Thai and have limited imagination, what's the space at the far end for?

Hi Roo,

The area at the back is going to be a laundry, with space for a big sliding door wall cabinet for storing linen, towels etc.

The suggestion about moving back the hallway door has some merit, I'll have to think on it, the area you have placed the doorway is actually a walk in robe, and my darling wants a walk in robe after seeing many in project homes here!!

Here is a pic of the land as it was yesterday, my darling has built up the house area with heaps of trucks bringing in dirt. When I was there a few months ago this was all overgrown. Previously it had been a potato farm, and is around 1 acre in Falang terms. Cost me A$5000, or about 150,000b 2 years ago, and had already had a concrete block barrier erected around it and about 2 metres of dirt laid back then.

Okay, still coming to grips with placing photos, I can't work out how to do multiple photos which is a bit time consuming, here is another shot of the land

Here's a photo I received from Kung at 6am this morning Oz time ( 4 hrs later than Thailand ) The mobile phone reception is very ordinary in the village, so pics do take some time and Skype/we chat/line talking is useless. I'm trying to do some research as to how to get decent internet once we live there, there is currently only one phone line into the village, but if we apply now we should get one in a year or two.

Here's the other pic I got this morning. It appears the builder wants to get on with it, so he is preparing the land. The Buddhist ceremony isn't until next Friday because this day is apparently a lucky day, so I don't think they will actually start the foundations until after the ceremony -- but then again who knows? They weren't meant to do anything until after the ceremony, and plan A was that they were going to wait until I flew over before having the ceremony. Not that I really want to be there for it, but that was the plan.

I've been trying to post this one but was just shown how to reduce the resolution so it would drop into the gallery!

Wishing you and your wife all the very best on your new venture, it will be very frustrating at times but it will come together in the end.
Cheers
Pete

Thanks Guys,

I guess I'll probably have to live with the roof, but I'll talk to the builder when I go over in a couple of weeks. As for the quiet life, there are a couple of farangs already living in the village and a wonderful farang restaurant in Seka 25mins away where I chat over a beer or three with many very nice guys from all over the world, so I reckon between that and a bit of travelling around surrounding countries I can keep myself amused. I am currently living in a small town in Oz, with pop 17,000 so I'm relatively used to the quiet life. Lived most of my younger days in just about every capital city and much prefer the country.

And of course I hope to meet some of you guys, obviously you will be welcome.

Thanks for all the tips, I do like the drawing Buckaroo sent, but I hate the full roof that Wasp sent. We'll see when I get over there, 4 m sounds big enough for a carport to me, but the roof line certainly looks better that way!
Probably won't be much done for a week until the ground breaking ceremony on Friday. I seriously need to look at ways to get the internet when I go over, my wife is having trouble sending photos, she can't even get on most of the time with the lousy mobile reception, even talking to her - which I do every night - is a royal pain, with the usual crossed lines and drop outs.

Originally Posted by Bettyboo

Originally Posted by koman

this very upscale kitchen has something that looks very much like a Frankie

Looks nothing like a Frankie in any way shape or form! By the way, nothing to do with anything, but that's a nice kitchen in the pic.

Good luck, OP. It'll start slowly, but once the foundation is in and the roof up, it'll move ahead very quickly and be hard to control. If you like your roof design, great, go for it - you should see Koman's kitchen!

Thanks BB, yep, I look forward to seeing the final result of Frankie! I've been following his and your threads for a while. I have yet to pick out a kitchen design, but it will probably be a pre fab design like Ikea and get the builder to install. We'll see in a couple of weeks.

Just a thought Fatboy, if you are going ahead with the dodgy roof lines insist BEFORE your builder tiles the roof he lines it all with felt like ours is.

This will give your ceilings protection if and when the joints leak.

Originally Posted by FatOne

I have yet to pick out a kitchen design,

Hey, I can let you have my kitchen design as long as we can agree on a fair price.....and that you promise never to let Bettyboo use it. I know he's green with envy and would snatch it in a second, but never say a word to anybody. Desert dwellers are very devious and deceptive .... My enemies enemy is not necessarily my friend...and all that kind of thing...

^The curse of the goat will descend upon you soon...Heh...

The average car is a little more than 4 m long, With the overhang you now have 5m
to fit a car in there you would have to drive up against the wall.
I would want a little room in front of the car and some walk around room in the back so you can unload groceries from the car with out getting wet in the rain.

My Chevy Colorado is 5.25 m long , wife don't like driving it so we are looking in to getting a Nissan March for her, which is 3.7 m long . this should give you an idea of the range of space you need in a carport.

oh good another one biting the bullet..or maybe that is dust.
Goodonya all the very best....try and keep the "fk it wish I had thought of that befores" to a minimum.

Agree with posters who suggest a more open plan.

My big things are as follows:
- wide roof overhangs and big windows....lots of outside covered area and can leave the windows open in all but the foulest of monsoon rains.
- tiered roof ... ventilation between tiers

- overkill of conveniently positioned electrical and water outlets

- big bathroom windows...nasty smells/mold ... drying ventilation for "wet" bathrooms is a must...nothing worse than walking in on a continuously wet bathroom floor..many Thai's houses seem to have this issue.

may want to think about enlarging one bathroom to make combo laundry room (raise the machine and working area by a few centimeters for safety and convenience) with access to outside for 'anging out ya washing?
Apron/driveway/footpaths around house while the concrete truck is on site...I hate mud between me toes?

Anyways ..all the best ..house builds often continue to evolve to a certain extent no matter how well planned.

Originally Posted by koman

Originally Posted by FatOne

I have yet to pick out a kitchen design,

Hey, I can let you have my kitchen design as long as we can agree on a fair price.....and that you promise never to let Bettyboo use it. I know he's green with envy and would snatch it in a second, but never say a word to anybody. Desert dwellers are very devious and deceptive .... My enemies enemy is not necessarily my friend...and all that kind of thing...

Thanks Koman, send it thru and there will always be your fill of Singa waiting at my place, we aussies pay in beer you know!

Originally Posted by Buckaroo Banzai

The average car is a little more than 4 m long, With the overhang you now have 5m
to fit a car in there you would have to drive up against the wall.
I would want a little room in front of the car and some walk around room in the back so you can unload groceries from the car with out getting wet in the rain.

My Chevy Colorado is 5.25 m long , wife don't like driving it so we are looking in to getting a Nissan March for her, which is 3.7 m long . this should give you an idea of the range of space you need in a carport.

Thanks Buck. Good point, I also drive a Holden Colorado over here, same same! And we have to put her scooter somewhere.

Originally Posted by crepitas

oh good another one biting the bullet..or maybe that is dust.
Goodonya all the very best....try and keep the "fk it wish I had thought of that befores" to a minimum.

Agree with posters who suggest a more open plan.

My big things are as follows:
- wide roof overhangs and big windows....lots of outside covered area and can leave the windows open in all but the foulest of monsoon rains.
- tiered roof ... ventilation between tiers

- overkill of conveniently positioned electrical and water outlets

- big bathroom windows...nasty smells/mold ... drying ventilation for "wet" bathrooms is a must...nothing worse than walking in on a continuously wet bathroom floor..many Thai's houses seem to have this issue.

may want to think about enlarging one bathroom to make combo laundry room (raise the machine and working area by a few centimeters for safety and convenience) with access to outside for 'anging out ya washing?
Apron/driveway/footpaths around house while the concrete truck is on site...I hate mud between me toes?

Anyways ..all the best ..house builds often continue to evolve to a certain extent no matter how well planned.

Some very good points, I'll try and incorporate within budget, by the way the plans don't show it very well, but I've asked for a 1m overhang of the roof all round to protect from the sun.

This is an other option on roof lines if you are willing to take a meter of the side of the porch.
I am sure if you talked with your builder and perhaps show him the pictures and ask him what he thinks, that he would have some ideas also