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Loombucket

This is Khun Mu, a very well respected man in the community. For my part, his only problem, is that he makes and fits curtains.



So we sit down, on the floor of the lounge, like you do, and start looking at some of the worst colours known to man. Mrs.LoomB is beside herself. The upturned paint can is LoomB's seat, but he was not in it for long. In fact, my only contributions were, "this one, this one," and "NO NO NO!!!



In the nick of time, however, the Bannister boy arrived and negociations were relocated to the local noodle bar. I wisely stayed behind, to protect my investment/sanity. The bannister boy quickly plugged in his equipment and started grinding his knob (ooh, I say!)



Meanwhile, back in the kitchen, work on the 'kitchen units' was ongoing. Here, Khun Muang starts tiling the inside of the cupboard.



The dry, prefabricated worktop with sink opening, ready to be cemented onto the brickwork.



I missed the actuall fitting but it was soon covered in another layer of gloop, so no-one would have noticed if it didn't even fit. Edges go on,



...and a bit more rendering.



We have run out of tiles, for the stairs, but work has been suspended, anyway, to allow the glass men to do their thing. The little grey edge is to stop you falling off the step.



Outside, the Painter takes his brushes for a relaxing stroke around the outside of the building and cares not for the troubles of others.

Loombucket

It as a great relief to see the Carpenter and to recognise him as one of the team that put up the fence, around the field, in the first place. It was good to see traditional methods being used and I felt that my doors were in good hands.



The Glass man also arrived and turned out to be the Ceiling man, in a foul mood. This is about six sheets, so it's not really this green, just a twinge.



Many of the units had been put together back at the yard, so the boys started upstairs and made rapid progress.



Khun Udom was in a strange mood, alternately whistling and barking orders. He sat here for a long time. The paper socks, on the ladder, were to protect the granite floor.



Back in the car port, the Carpenter has started cutting the first of the cut-outs for the hinges. This is genuine isaan style rebar, grafted onto a one inch chisel. Good for hardwood aparently.



Later in the day, Khun Udom has pulled himself together and has made a reasonable job of plumbing in the waste, and water, for the sink,



...and everyone else has been marking out and preparing for the cement path.



I stayed late to join in the after work party, and try to learn a few secrets, such as why half the guys aren't speaking to each other. The only thing that I did find out was that the Carpenter drinks like a fish and the Ceiling man had had nothing to eat all day.

Here is a big cheers from Loong.

sunsetter

it just gets better, where will it all end

DrAndy

hopefully, when the house is complete and he is sitting on his verandah having a G&T

Loombucket

Early, this morning, Khun Udom got up and removed the scaffolding. That is to say he made a stab at filling in the holes and then hit the structure until it fell down. Here we are, looking good and surrounded by long forgotten trees.



This is our, twice afore mentioned, scaffold anchor hole, blended in a bit.



The Ceiling chaps had made a good job on the windows, with two notable exceptions. LoomB's bathroom window was non-existant and the one at the top of the stairs was the conventional sliding type with a lock. Very good, how do we open and close it, step ladder, wings, tame Monkey???



Now for a spot of general moaning about the door frames. These were not measured acurately when they were put in and have been a source of great annoyance to us, not to mention testing the skill of the carpenter. Both the rear entrance doors had to have a bit put on the bottom, so that a Cat or small Bear could not slip in underneath. Here, Mrs. Carpenter, Khun Choi, is gluing a piece onto the bottom of the kitchen door.



The door frame at the party balcony was even worse and required much scrounging to get a bit of the right tree for the door. The Painter will be having a field day with these.



The bathrooms did a little better, as it was easier to perform surgery on the frames to make them a tad wider.



The great man, himself, remained strangley quiet but did a reasonable job of finishing the tiles in the dining room.



Meanwhile, oblivious to the ravings of 'some stupid Farrang', the rest of the team have cleared away the the wooden remains and errected a frame for the cement path. The truck is due at eight but he is bound to get stuck, as all the compacted soil, and dregs from the cement workings, is now under the path. I may even get a lay-in.

Loombucket

The cement truck did indeed get stuck, but managed to pour some of it's load before it needed to be dug out.



It is a lot easier when you can pour it straight in.



We needed the bucket chain, just the once, for the tank base.



Three trucks later, finds the team trying to protect the tiles in the dining room. Shame they didn't think of that when pouring ouside the lounge. I had no idea that Mrs. LoomB could actually shout that loud, but they stopped before the cement spread all over the floor. Sorry no pix, my sides still hurt.



Meanwhile, in the relative calm, the Painter was making a start on the doors. First a bit of filler and some colour.



Many coats, and some rubbing down, then a strange sort of polish/sealer.



It smelled like it could be fun with ice and soda.



Khun Somchai goes back to the interesting puzzle that has been keeping him amused for the past few days. Each step has been a different size and shape and he was worked hard to introduce some conformity.



Sporting LoomB's gardening hat, and brandishing her magic water brush, Mrs. Brickie demonstrates the zen art of path smoothing.



The last job of the day, is to cut some rebar, and make up some binders, for the gate pillars.

Loombucket

Naked pillars, greet my arrival, and have already had their bases poured. They will have their little coats put on tonight.



The Ceiling/Window boys are hard at work putting in the sliding doors. Later they will change a few things that we have already moaned about.



Time to make a seat for around the front door. First, holes are drilled in the walls, the pillars and the floor. Thin bits of rebar are then added to make a key.



Next, a wooden frame is made to support the cement untill it goes off.



More rebar is added to tie the whole thing together and the bits are wired together. Just like the floor and the pathway. Concrete is then added and pressed into the mould. When the cement is dry and hard, tiles will be stuck on top to make something 'comfortable'.



After lunch, I noticed that we had had a visit from the chippings fairy. She was a personal friend of Khun Mow and had done us a great favour. I make a note to clear the bald patch, at the bottom of the garden, so that they can all dance around without falling over and coming a cropper.



Great things have been happening in the kitchen,




...and upstairs. LoomB with a view anyone?



The Junior Painter has started on the second top coat. He still looks a bit distant but they tell me he is listening to Da Endorphine on his telephone. I better check them out.



Last one for today is the stairs in all their glory, just waiting for a spot of grout. 'Every sequin has been sewn on by hand'.

a. boozer

sunsetter

loom, nice one mate, looking good

those chippings should be retained my good man, try some old wood or something or you might loose half, or do i smell a landscaping page or ten coming on?

Propagator

There appears to be great scope there for a landscaping thread LB. Do you have anything in mind as of yet?

Rattanaburi

Nice place loombucket. I'm jealous.

Loombucket

Thanks, I do have some things in mind but will be taking a little 'brain holliday' before starting again. It's not been so easy since I lost the use of the BIL's computer. I must have downloaded the same simple photo resize and editing programe, on every single computer, in every internet shop within a ten Km radius. It has been great fun, but a strain.

There will be a garden type thread a bit later. We have made a start and I have some pix already.

You are right about the chippings. When we get them all spread out, they will be flattened into the clay stuff beneath. There is more good soil to come, but I am getting ahead of myself.

Loombucket

Day One Hundred find Loong posing by the gate pillars as the covers come off. They look a bit rubbish but the guys will fatten them up and make them square.



Khun Udom has gone to start his new job in Nong Khai but he will be back later as we won't pay him untill Mrs. LoomB has been through the place with a Flea comb. There is a detached air to the remaining workers, as they amble through the remains and try to get the work over with. We need the Carpenter and Electricians again, but they are all busy, typical.



At this point, I am collected and taken to a funeral, or public burning. I do not want to go but there is no point in arguing and I won't be missing much.

Loombucket

This is the last day for complicated work and there will be a megga party tomorrow. With that in mind, everyone is concentrating on making a good job look wonderful. That or they are all hoping to be carried home tomorrow. The team have done a good job on the front gate pillars. The bad news is that the gate won't be ready for another week. I will attempt to get the old wooden ones to fit, on a temporary basis.



The window, at the top of the landing, has been changed for something a bit more practical and will look ok, once I have worked out how to get the finger marks off.



Upstairs, the Carpenter is trying to make the doors actually fit, as opposed to just looking nice,



...and Khun Muang poses for that stone gnome that I wated at the top of the stairs. Later, there will be some nice plants, in pots, here.



Khun Udom appears and trys to fit the loo roll holder, that he forgot about, in the downstairs bathroom. Unfortunately, he has already taken most of his tools home, but bravely carries on with an assortment of screwdrivers and the carpenter's hammer.



Meanwhile, in the garden, the crew shed is being put to rest. I found myself humming the last post and standing to attention, like I was mourning the death of a fallen comrade. It will be re-erected in the Brickies garden and serve the rest of it's life keeping the business buggy dry. That is Somchai junior with the pug gun. Photo used by kind permission.


Later, the Local Headman popped in to give his blessing and have a couple of drinks, or five. Udom has had five already.

Loombucket

This is the last day and I am up and get to the site early. The only jobs left are clearing up, connecting the sink to the waste pipe and testing the water system. On cue, the water man arrives,



...and fills the water tank, the downstairs tank and a couple of dustbins. The woman was delighted to find a Farrang in her parish and She spent ages trying to speak my name. In case you are confused, we had not been given permission to connect to the water main, on a permenant basis, due to a screw up with the paperwork.



Showers, pumps and taps were duly tested. Khun Udom then turned his attention to the sink. First it was weighted down with tiles, possibly to stop it running away whilst it had it's pipes twisted.



Then the pipes were connected. Udom had no intention of loosing face by anouncing that he could not put it together. He just crouched for ages and waited for devine inspiration. I tried to tell him that the plug'ole fairy only comes out at night but he managed without her help, eventually.



Then it was party time, the last party with this crew and I was going to get drunk, myself, and sleep upstairs. Here, Loong sets the fire and gets the cooking started.



There is a variety of meat, some gets cooked and some not, some veg, lots of chilli, local Hooch and three boxes of Leo. I wisely brought some cheese and onion sandwiches and a little salad.



The eating and drinking went on for ages before I had the wits to take another picture.



As the day started running out, I found my self pausing for reflection.



The sun sinks, slowly, behind our first big adventure in Thailand and it's time to put the camera away and join in the fun. Cheers everyone!

DrAndy

hooray

astasinim

Fantastic thread Loomb. Will look forward to the Landscaping one.