Thread: Building our Retirement Home in Nan Province

after spending all night reading this thread i must say im gutted i didnt find it before we left nan province last week!

we plan to return mid february and hopefully we can see the finished product by then!

thanks to OP for all the pics and details!

Originally Posted by BoganInParasite

We will be using True

Then best to get True out to work with builder to sort it. My wifi has strong signal up to about 40 meters but all on 1 floor. 2nd floor will degrade some.

You will be most welcome senor spark. Please do get in touch as your return approaches. If nothing else I'm sure we can a arrange a look through, tea/coffee and a chat. Regards, -BiP

Originally Posted by senor spark

after spending all night reading this thread i must say im gutted i didnt find it before we left nan province last week!

we plan to return mid february and hopefully we can see the finished product by then!

thanks to OP for all the pics and details!

The builder and True are coordinating Norton, just waiting for a trench to be dug for the electricity to come from the pole next to the road to the house. Same trench will be used by True who want to do all of the cabling/installation from local exchange into and throughout the house in one job. What I was expecting at the three points where the television signal is to be delivered is for the electric power wall plate to incorporate a plug for the signal. I can't find a picture of one at the moment but they do exist. Regards, -BiP

Originally Posted by Norton

Then best to get True out to work with builder to sort it. My wifi has strong signal up to about 40 meters but all on 1 floor. 2nd floor will degrade some.

Originally Posted by Norton

Then best to get True out to work with builder to sort it. My wifi has strong signal up to about 40 meters but all on 1 floor. 2nd floor will degrade some.

Cant you just use one of those plug-in extenders, Norton?

As long as it is in the range of the primary wifi routers it takes that signal and boosts it, extending the range (hence the name!)

just an idea....

Originally Posted by Thai Dhupp

Cant you just use one of those plug-in extenders, Norton?

As long as it is in the range of the primary wifi routers it takes that signal and boosts it, extending the range (hence the name!)

just an idea....

That's what we have.
Enabling broad coverage from the primary - second/third floors, etc.

The removal of the trees has opened up the views a bit more. Bottom photo is through the bathroom 3 window.

The electrical control panel has been installed in the kitchen. When the wife last went to PEA this seemed to be a prerequisite for PEA to determine the power supply and/or meter needed.

Work continues on the rails and balustrades in the living room.

Looks like a gecko has had the first dump in the house.

Still admiring the wide rail top in the centre section of the level 2 covered deck. Now with an enhanced (less trees) view. (Almost makes up for the other design fails I may have made.)

And last photo for today. For some reason the wall on the right of the level 1 front entrance has had decorative cement applied. Totally unsure why. Seemed to be in good order and with an undercoat and first finishing coat of paint when we were on site four days ago. Next site visit likely to be Monday 7 January.

BiP you've got a lot of circuit breakers downstream from only one safety switch - if there's a fault on one circuit you'll lose all the rest.

Having combination over-current + earth leakage breakers on each circuit is better.
Things like hard drives and heating elements (HWS, stove etc) have normal small leakages that add up, and if your safety switch is set to 30 mA it only takes a little extra leakage to cause it to operate.

Having a bigger enclosure for the wiring would be good too.

Hi docmartin, my detailed knowledge of this stuff ended with knowing not to stick a fork in a power point. This unit is totally builder spec'ed and supplied, can the better arrangement you are suggesting be made in it or is another unit altogether required? Regards, -BiP

Originally Posted by docmartin

BiP you've got a lot of circuit breakers downstream from only one safety switch - if there's a fault on one circuit you'll lose all the rest.

Having combination over-current + earth leakage breakers on each circuit is better.
Things like hard drives and heating elements (HWS, stove etc) have normal small leakages that add up, and if your safety switch is set to 30 mA it only takes a little extra leakage to cause it to operate.

Having a bigger enclosure for the wiring would be good too.

You'll probably be fine as is but it's potentially a hassle.

Simplest way forward is to add another safety switch and split the circuits between the two.
That would require another enclosure (the switchboard you have now is an enclosure).

Having more room for the wiring is just a personal preference coming from experience with big fingers and fiddly equipment in small places.

Originally Posted by BoganInParasite

Hi docmartin, my detailed knowledge of this stuff ended with knowing not to stick a fork in a power point. This unit is totally builder spec'ed and supplied, can the better arrangement you are suggesting be made in it or is another unit altogether required? Regards, -BiP

Hi BiP,

i did not show it because our electrician has not yet actually affixed the distribution boxes, but we have split ours into two - one down stairs, one upstairs. maybe that's a possibility for you too?

Like you, i am not an expert in this so relied on K.Pot and his long term electrician.

Be careful with that adjustable safety cut, IMO they shouldn't be adjustable.

Australian safety switches are set at 30 mA for domestic situations and usually trip at 25 mA or so.

If that one ^ is set to less than 30 mA there might be some nuisance tripping (loss of supply) but it won't decrease protection from shock.

The generally used figure for lethal shock is around 100 mA AC but it depends on the duration and the shockee's susceptibility as well.

Originally Posted by BoganInParasite

.I'm sure Klondyke will provide some worthwhile input here.

BIP, many thanks for your trust in me. I am afraid I would not be much of a real help. There are many outdoor wood protective paints, lacquers, here available, some will swear on a certain brand, some on other.

In any case, every laquered outdoor surface exposed to weather needs always after certain time a repeated care, sanding off the old varnish, application of a new one. Usually, on the outdoor teak structure an oil is used. Again, there are many different brands, some called also teak oil. However, it too will need a regular renewing. You can see around that the older teak surfaces (originally beautiful) are rather black.

This is what I found for what we call GFCI outlets / breakers in the US.

There is a Class A GFCI that trips when a ground fault current exceeds 5 milliamps and there is a Class B GFCI that trips when a ground fault current exceeds 20 milliamps.

Site Visit 7 January 2019

Firstly thanks to Klondyke, Dennis, David, DM and TD for comments and suggestions above. Apologies for not responding but apart from a brief period on Sunday morning I was somewhat distracted with another matter since Friday.

Klondyke...at least you didn't ring the alarm bells on whatever they were applying to the wood. They were applying the same stuff to the staircase timber today however I saw they they had done further work and a final seal on the balcony rails and balustrades. Still a few pencil marks on the bottom rail but nothing that screams terrible job. Dennis, David, DM and TD...I confirmed with Mart our builder today that all circuits do go through the main switch in the cabinet in the kitchen, nothing bypasses it. Those clunky on/off switches, two in each bedroom, control power to the electric water heaters and air-conditioning units. So my next step here is to discuss with the electrician whether having so much going through the single control is wise or whether it should be split. Softly, softly...expect to see the electrician later this week.

When we arrived on site today there was a lot of activity and evidence of a lot of progress since our last visit on Thursday. Half the original build team were there and pulling down the temporary builders shed. Mart said he had a new commercial job to start so perhaps it was going there. There was bedding on the kitchen floor so the security guy that Mart pays to sleep overnight appears to be moving into the house from today. Extra fill had been placed in front of the house and smoothed out. The two waste water tanks and concrete soak-aways had been buried either side of the house and the fill smoothed on the west side. Around the back of the house the temporary toilet had been removed and the fill pushed into the ditch and smoothed. The wooden spirit house had been moved to the south east corner of the property. (Apparently someone had been consulted to confirm that was an auspicious spot. ) Inside the house the staircase rails and balustrades were being finished. Toilets had been installed and faucets fitted to the washbasins in the bathrooms. (Water not yet connected to the house.) I counted thirteen folks this morning including Mart and his supervisor. We reconfirmed some shelf heights and dimensions with Mart and I also asked him to build two short brick/concrete walls running from one meter either side of the front of the house to the east and west boundary. He'll also supply the metal gates for these, hinged off the wall and lockable latch on the house. Behind these walls and running around the back of the property will be a metal fence we source ourselves. Running around the front east and west boundary and south/road boundary will be a five strand barbed wire/concrete post fence. Metal fence at the back will be to keep dogs and grand-kiddies in and snakes out. Wire fence at the front is to keep buffulo/cattle out and discourage other things including people to enter.