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BKKBILL

Was wondering how forms would be attached to the block wall. Thai's really do solve things in the simplest and most convenient way. Again another great thread Loombucket

Loombucket

We're back to a skeleton crew and I make a mental note to speak to A? if he stands still long enough. Anyway, the covers come off the bottom bits of pillar,



...and are quickly recycled.



The others are making fittings for the mid beam. Here are the links.



These are than slipped onto two bits of bar and then walloped with a big hammer to close them up.



Once we have the required length, it is slipped into position and wired to everything else.



Hooks are then added,



...and the shuttering is applied.



More rods than your local bait and tackle shop.



The view inside the pillar by the tree.



Time to fill the trench. Sing rams it down hard to get all the air pockets out,



...and finishes with a trowel.



As we get close to the tree, the guys are taking extra care. Cement is getting a bit thin on the ground and we don't want to run out yet.



Later, Sing gets to play in the tree,



....before pouring the rest of the pillars down that side. The yellow conduit is for the wall lights. The yellow stuff is not waterproof, like the blue stuff, but ok for hiding in a pillar.



We end with the usual rodding, using a spare bit of bar, the same hight as the pillar.

Loombucket

We've gone three days without a sign. A? tells me that it is not a problem, as he is sure that we can finish on time. He forgets to tell me that they are doing another two jobs, for richer people, at the same time as ours. I keep quiet.

Anyway, The team rip the covers off the mid-beam section and Sing carries on with the all important rod tweaking.



Somchai gets started on the, already, dwindling pile of blocks,



...and the new boy, Goon, starts repairing the hose pipe with bits of old motorcy inner tube.



God poses for his mugshot (his mrs was delighted),



...before making his way down to the last beam assembly point.



Nuy is busy cuttin blocks down, to make up the thickness of the mid beam.



Somchai quickly puts them in a safe place.



Having tweaked his rods, Sing starts cleaning up the pillar stubs at the back of the high wall. He dresses the tops with a bit of pug, so that the top beam framework will sit nicely in position.



Back on the beam, the channel has made it to the other side of the drive,



...the last section is just about ready,



....but it looks like rain, a lot, is nearly here.



We make it to the last turn before the wind starts blowing.

Archer

Hi Loom
Thanks for the update. How many days was this wall building projected to last? (ie how many days are you behind schedule?)

My keboard has built in spelling errors.

/Archer

DrAndy

It is good to see a happy bunch of workers; glad you treat them with respect and some humour

I was reading a post by Miggins where he was complaining about his "shit" workers. For some reason, he could not fathom out why, they walked off the job and left him to it. Obvious innit?

__________________
keep 'em coming

Loombucket

The job was supposed to take fourty days. That included all the walls to 'being painted' standard, steps down to the rear archway and a runner beam for the gate. We have, so far, lost four full days, due to 'other work' and one whole and two half days due to rain. Not the end of the world and about the same as we lost during the start of the house build.



Absolutely! Their needs were small. Fresh water, with ice, every morning and top-ups. A bit of shade that they can all get under to eat their food and enough room for them all to take a nap afterwards. Sometimes I would go to the little shop next door and, after I could pronounce their names properly, handed out little bottles of red bull. Sing always had coffee.

Being accepted by the team brought other rewards, such as 'being allowed' to stir the concrete mix ( "I made some of this myself " * Blows on knuckles and rubs on chest*), a ride in the Isaan style business buggy, the odd child round to play, honest answers from the crew and access to the after work drinks club and simple conversation.

Archer

Hi Lom
Great pictures and great thread. I just have one thing to mention:

Are the wall finished after Day Seventy Six or will the (never ending) story continue. I am amazed that they can be so far behind. But TiT.

I'm not sure that I will show this thread to Mrs. Archer because I'm sure she would want a wall like this around our land.

Cheers
/Archer

BKKBILL

Loomb that’s a lot of work considering the sparkies wanted payment for a completed job days ago and that fence piece seems to be short only on one end.
As expected a great thread.

Loombucket

The rain is holding off today and the crew get a good start. Somchai is back on the blocks,



...assisted by Nuy.



It is just starting to look good,



...when I am called away for a quick 'half hour'. Most of the day later, and in serious need of food/shade etc, I arrive back to the fully shuttered 'last side of the ground beamwork,



...and a spirited discussion in the front porch. This had been going on a while although, to be fair, they are sheltering from a little shower here.



"Ten people come tomorrow, make many water" said Sing. "Goodie", I thought.

Loombucket

Preocupied with finding room for ten workers to eat and nap and scuttling about with two water pots with ice, I failed to notice that it was quite late when the team eventually arrived. Both of them. I had to laugh to myself.

Anyway, Sing and Chit quickly errected the woodwork for the front pillars.



Sing was not about to have his ears tickled by the Bamboo and hopped on top, of the wall, to prune a few bits off.



Once the area was more easily navigated, the front pillars were poured quite rapidly.



After that, there wasn't much that the two of them could do and, in any case, the cement was all gone. Here, Sing catches up on a little quality time and Chit makes a few more links for the top beams.



This bucketfull should keep us going for a while.



Then Chit has a nap and Sing shows off his skill with the cutter,



.....and then the walloper.



The powder fairies came a little late. The poor little things must have been knackered after this lot.



At least there'll be no excuses tomorrow, I think to myself.

Loombucket

It's another glorious Sunny morning and Sing is too busy to make it today. The last lot of blocks have arrived as well as these ones with holes. I had to count them four times and broke one just tapping it with a stick.



The others run about recycling pillar cases and putting up a makeshift scaffold so they can reach the top of the wall.



The bottom support rods are teased out,



...and the rest of the pillar is cased up.



Somchai perches on the Electricians ladder and narrowly avoids giving Chit an Isaan style, workers rinse,



...making it as far as the tree, without mishap.



After lunch, we get started on the last ground beam, but we are running out of stone.



Not to worry, it's a long push to the mixing tank anyway.



There are quite a number of steps in this section and a certain ammount of care was necassary to get the levels right. The guys do the best they can but it would have been better to send a few more hands.



In full flight and trying to finish.



Here at the join, it looks like they ran out of gloop just at the last.



I decide to keep quiet, again.

johpam

Hi Loombucket,

Just a thought if you have not painted the fence yet and IF you are going to render it why not put colour in the render and never having to paint it again (well never is a long time)

Cheers johpam

Loombucket

^ A good point johpam but painting gives a surface that can be cleaned and can be, slightly, glossy. I am wanting a strong white on the inside, to bounce light off. There are other considerations as well, but you will have to wait and see.

Loombucket

There's a rush to get the covers off the last beam and examine it in detail.



It looks a bit suspect and will need a lot of time to get the bricks right.



Sing will have his work cut out when he gets back but, for now, the team turn their attention to the back wall. God acts as pug boy and keeps them amused.



Chit concentrates on working with his old friend the hammer.



Progess is rapid and punctuated by extra breaks.



After lunch there is some carefull measuring,



...and Jet gets started on the vented blocks. Shame about the rain.



It looks bad...



...but doesn't last for long. Flip flops off to provide some traction and we're off again.



We manage a couple more courses before tea. This is where the archway will go, hopefully.

Loombucket

Time to rename this thread "The wrath of Khaan".

It's in the wrong place, the steps are not right and it is causing a lot of problems for the crew. In fact, the only person, even remotely happy, is me. I restrict the open laughing to a minimum, as I don't want to cause offense.

We start with carefull measuring,



...string lines,



...and tentative block placement.



Somchai makes a start down the wild end.



Meanwhile, Jet puts the top course on the vented bricks at the back.



The lower, mid-section doesn't look too bad,



... but further up the hill, it's a scape off.



The boys then enter into a spirited discussion about what to do, not that I understand anything apart from 'Me Die', cannot do. The new pug man, in the fetching blue wellies, does not say a word all day.



It's late in the day before they finally get themselves sorted out.



Fortunately, A? pops round with his Son, some beer and news about Sing that brightens the team up a little.



It seems that Khun Sing has been in Bangkok to see his girlfriend, his second wife and the Mother of his kids. Apparently he likes to hit them, but couldn't understand why they left him. His kids are being looked after by the Woman next door. Anyway, he will be back after another day. Poor kids, I thought.

cambtek

Great thread this.
I have just had a wall built in cambodia and the difference in building techniques is stark.
My wall turned into somewhat of an epic but in the end was nearly finished so i shouldnt grumble.
My khmer bushmen posing as builders used traditional khmer building methods,khmers love building huge walls.
I had bought the old sliding gate,2.4 high and 3 metres wide that was to sit in the centre of the front wall.
So the wall was to be 28 courses high,just higher than the gate.
Khmers pour watery slurry of sand and cement on the ground and then pour a beam on top of the ground about 300mm high with reo for the columns at about 2400 centres.
So the wall is already 300 higher than anticipated and worse because of the slope.
Then they pour the columns and lay the bricks to suit.
Golden rules of khmer construction are then bought into play.
1.never use a string line,water level or spirit level when laying bricks.
2.always ensure that some reo pokes out the top of the column,if one used a water level this would not happen.
3.never calculate quantities properly so there are constantly more demands for extra sand,cement and aggregate.
The silly barang did the brick quantities so the 10,000 bricks I ordered never needed replenishing and we had about 400 to spare.
Wall was finished,well nearly because we forgot about those wings you wanted at the front so we built them half height and ran out of cement so we couldnt render them.
The gate slides and will for a while but the beam that contains the steel angle that is slides on is cracking already as a vehicle has crossed it a few times.
Oh,you want to bring vehicles through the gate on to your property....I had to buy 12 trucks of fill in order to bring the ground level up to the top of the beam(small truck $12,about 3 metres)
I am about to build a house on the block which is on the banks of the bassac river about an hour from phnom penh so I will start a new thread next week when I get home to phom penh.
I have realy enjoyed looms photos and text.
My wall cost about $33 a lineal metre rendered one side,unpainted.

DrAndy

that post will make all those Thai builder bashers a bit sad

Loombucket

Glad to hear it and don't forget to include lots of pictures. I thouht I was having problems, but your story sound a bit of a nightmare.


That's true. We complain about the Thai standard of workmanship, because we are comparing them to our experiences in the western world. It would seem that other parts of Asia are worse than we can imagine.

Good first post cambtek, why not pop over to newbies and tell us a little about yourself.

Loombucket

A? hangs about in the morning, making sure that the pillar shutters go in the right place. Not sure about those passion killers, prezzy from his wife apparently.



We have three guys on the wall,



...Jet on the conduits,



....and Chit on case recycling duty.



Nice to see June back on the case.



Just before lunch, the guys are starting to slow,



...but they have been working hard.



The view from down by the lake with most of the rear covers in position.



Jet gets the pouring of the back under way...



...and Somchai dresses the tops of the side pillars, ready for the top beam.

Loombucket

Blissfully unaware that the sordid details of his private life have leaked onto the webwaves, Sing make a triumphant return and starts work on one of the larger gate pillars.



This is firmly attached to everything else around it.



With a crew of ten today, we are looking to knock the block work on the head.



Chit is still going strong in the case department.



Here we can see the framework for the top beam, in position on the front wall.



Carefull measuring is necessary to maintain the correct gap,



...and so it goes on away down the length.



Meanwhile, back at the wall, things are starting to look like they may well finish soon.



This last bit at the front has caused a few problems, note the little bits at the bottom.



Time to get some pouring done. We start with the big pillar. It makes a lovely noise as it goes down, like a giant rain stick.



At the same time, we have a go at the front half of the soi side,



...followed by the rest of the back wall.



Then we start on the front top khaan.



At this point, Lee notices that the large pillar case is trying to do a runner. No one can stop and help him,




So he liberates the remaining bits of rebar and starts to shore up the case.



Top and bottom.



This proves to be an expensive repair, but it works and the pillar is topped up.