Thread: Building our Retirement Home in Nan Province

[QUOTE=BoganInParasite;3883166]Looks like the staircase has had the final finish applied. Last photos for today. Next site visit most likely Saturday although I've asked the wife to ask Mart our builder to let us know when the path/apron concrete pour is on. Has not seen one on our house and would like to do so.




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Nice looking steps and railings.

Reasonably happy with it dennis. There are elements best viewed from a distance but in some ways they give it character. Regards, -BiP

[QUOTE=dennis4558;3883376]

Originally Posted by BoganInParasite

Looks like the staircase has had the final finish applied. Last photos for today. Next site visit most likely Saturday although I've asked the wife to ask Mart our builder to let us know when the path/apron concrete pour is on. Has not seen one on our house and would like to do so.


[/Q

Nice looking steps and railings.

BiP

The stairs and rails look very nice well done. I can't wait to see the carport get put up at the front as at the moment the house looks a bit weird to me in there is no obvious entry as in porch or verandah.

Another point to note is, that where the water runs off your roof onto the concrete path the concrete will eventually become pitted. Never underestimate the power of water it shapes mountains.

And as for water it looks to me that at the back of your house there is quite a steep slope which you have now built up. Make sure you do something to manage the water flow off of here. I also believe you should consider some form of retaining wall along the back north edge as per the red lines in pictures below. I see that you plan to put in a metal fence along that side but the fill under the fence should be restrained from "flowing" down the hill.





Cheers

[QUOTE=BoganInParasite;3883381]Reasonably happy with it dennis. There are elements best viewed from a distance but in some ways they give it character. Regards, -BiP

The thing to remember is that it's a house - not a piece of joinery like a chair or a sideboard.
If you've got a fitter's eye for detail an eyepatch is required. Maybe blinkers or even a blindfold.

[QUOTE=docmartin;3883397]

Originally Posted by BoganInParasite

Reasonably happy with it dennis. There are elements best viewed from a distance but in some ways they give it character. Regards, -BiP

The thing to remember is that it's a house - not a piece of joinery like a chair or a sideboard.
If you've got a fitter's eye for detail an eyepatch is required. Maybe blinkers or even a blindfold.

Yes, as Aristotle would have said a long long time ago, “the whole (house) is greater than the sum of it’s parts”.
Even if a few things are not perfect, if the whole house comes together as you planned then count it as a win.

The wife got a call from Mart our builder saying the windows had arrived onsite and sent these two photos. Looks like the frames only, can't see any tinted or frosted glass. Still, progress is being made.

If the front still looks bland once the carport is done, perhaps consider adding some architrave/concrete moldings around the windows ?

An alternative to using construction to embellish the facade once the entrance/carport is in, would be planting interesting trees. It would soften the flat expanses and hard edges, add texture and make the building connect with the land. Foxtail palms are great for this kind of thing, they add height, texture and colour, plus they are low maintenance and don't attract bugs or drop leaves all over the place. Being relatively inexpensive too is a bobby bonus.

^ Sounds a much better idea.

A definite possibility mikenot. I've added it to my Google lookup list for those boring days when we don't go to site. Regards, -BiP

Originally Posted by mikenot

If the front still looks bland once the carport is done, perhaps consider adding some architrave/concrete moldings around the windows ?

Was curious JE and looked up some images for Foxtail palms. Look quite good. I'm sure I've seen them but not noticed them before, if you know what I mean. A row of those either side and reasonably close to the driveway would look good. I'd be inclined to buy more advanced plants, the largest that doesn't break the straining budget. Regards, -BiP

Originally Posted by jonnyenglish

An alternative to using construction to embellish the facade once the entrance/carport is in, would be planting interesting trees. It would soften the flat expanses and hard edges, add texture and make the building connect with the land. Foxtail palms are great for this kind of thing, they add height, texture and colour, plus they are low maintenance and don't attract bugs or drop leaves all over the place. Being relatively inexpensive too is a bobby bonus.

Site Visit 11 January 2019

We were settled in for a quiet day at home in Nan when the wife got a message from Mart our builder that they were pouring concrete today. Message received at 10:00am, we were quickly on our way, drove the 65 klms up to Pua and were onsite with the usual energy drinks and bakery items for the team by 11:30am. A lot of people were onsite. Mart our builder, his supervisor, the general duties gent, the painter, two folks fitting internal doors, maybe three fitting windows and three-four doing the concreting.

Half the aprons already had concrete when we arrived, inside quite a few more doors had been hung with the painter following behind them starting the finishing work. The biggest internal change was that all of the window and sliding doors installation had commenced and were in various states of completion. The tinted glass works well. No glass had yet been fitted to the low kitchen windows yet so have not seen the frosted glass. We paid Mart another 10% of the contract price today, now at 80% paid.

At this stage it looks like we'll go back to the site tomorrow (Saturday 12th) as Mart our builder is ready for the True folks to return and miracle of miracles, looks like they are available. But a lot could happen in regards to that over the net 15 hours, finger crossed.

The east wall apron was poured when we arrived. That metal reinforcing is for the end pillar for the short wall across to east boundary.


The west wall apron was half poured when we arrived.


North west corner looking down the north wall. The apron/path here encloses the intended butterfly attracting flower garden.


Looking from the north east corner down the north wall apron/path.

Looks like they used four, possibly five loads of concrete today.


The last pour when we were there.


Screeding the last load.


They were slightly short and so were hand mixing to complete the south west corner as we left.

BiP its coming along great, you are going to really enjoy it and the views.

Ref water run off. My main concern would be the run off from out with the property, you appear to be on a hillside. My place is in a hilly area although the land is in a flat area. What i have noted though is the way that run off water can undermine roads and structures beneath them with little prior surface indication, first sign is they collapse.

I assume you've looked at hill run off situation and considered the potential for some gully to capture and divert any run off.

Oops, got a couple of photos out of sequence. This was the south and west walls waiting for concrete when we arrived. Just like the front east side of the house, there will be a wall running from 1 meter away from the front corner of the house to the west boundary.

These are the two gents doing the door installations. (For clarity, wife not involved.) Watched them today cutting to length, electric and hand planing, routing and creating the hinge notch. That hung door is to the large linen cupboard outside the bedroom 1 walk-in-wardrobe.

And finally...a window. This is the level 2 living room window. No insect screens appear to be onsite yet.

And sliding doors. Again, no insect screens onsite yet.

The moulding for the wall-ceiling corners has arrived onsite. Has a simple and coving profile.

There has been a casualty at the front gate. Looking at the notches high up on this gate post a truck has dinged it, probably last week when the extra fill was delivered. Cracked a bit above ground level...dead at six months. Since I want to put heavy posts like these at the two front boundary corners and obviously now have to replace this one, I'm going to try to get the local guy who made this to do some with heavier metal and to actually put some cement in the mix, not just wave a cement bag over it.

Originally Posted by NamPikToot

BiP its coming along great, you are going to really enjoy it and the views.

Ref water run off. My main concern would be the run off from out with the property, you appear to be on a hillside. My place is in a hilly area although the land is in a flat area. What i have noted though is the way that run off water can undermine roads and structures beneath them with little prior surface indication, first sign is they collapse.

I assume you've looked at hill run off situation and considered the potential for some gully to capture and divert any run off.

You could also consider a french drain system - relatively inexpensive and proven technology - standalone or in conjunction with other measures.

The whole place is looking fantastic now - I'm looking forward to dropping by later this year!

What colour is your glass tint?

And last photo post for today. I'll look to post some more on the retaining wall tomorrow, pondered it more today and took some photos.

As we were leaving today came across this dog sleeping on the road. It looked like someone had placed some road cones to protect it. Had a good chuckle, stopped and took a photo of it. Wasn't until we rounded the corner we saw more road cones...yep, a funeral wake. Felt like an insensitive dolt, but it quickly passed.