Thread: Traditional thai wood house build...

I can buy teak at 55 badt a 50cm length, redwood @ 35badt and build for about 1200 badt a day for a team of 3.

At least 10 times cheaper than all shops I've asked here in Surin. Do you think it's allowed to ship wood from one province to another? Every day I see it on the news, that's why.

tiles go on, left over from the main house need another 700 or so. Look nice though, this builders a wizard with wood.





This lamp has a 7W LED bulb in it and looks great 225 badt. very bright.



Tiles finished and they look great, the cost for doing this is triple the plastic base for the glass shower. However it looks great! very pleased.

We use 12v LED in all the bathroom phillips led bulbs are very bright and 199 badt. Next we poly the floors and counters with beyer matt clear poly. Then we are in business!

If people are wondering about the shower, the water heater is an AEG multipoint 6kw for taps and shower. The shower is a mixer shower, which is thermostatic.

4000 badt was a bargain, it doesnt have elcb but a proper earth and thats all it needs. The RCD at the consumer should take care of any issues.

Ben,
I like those LED bulbs. Right now, they are dirt cheap in the USA, but only rated 110VAC/60 Hz. I can't find ones here rated 110/220 VAC, 60/50 Hz.

Hopefully the price is heading down in Thailand as well, as I like them much better than the CFL bulbs.

You mentioned 12 V LED. Did you install dedicated 12 v wiring for the LED bulbs or are they able to plug into standard 220 VAC light fixtures ?

Loving the wood look, I hope it holds up over the years !

Steve

Hi Steve

12v LED is for bathrooms, they each have a dedicated transformer. Everything else is 220V. Prices are coming down, and for a new build I think the cost is worth trying out. 20W halogens are used in the bedroom as a particular light was wanted theyre not hot, or bright as i thought they would be and work well.

Wood houses are the way forward, character and charm and for me a feel inside you cannot achieve with concrete. Although wood on the ceiling would have been too much Im happy with the balance in the house with the plasterboard and exposed beams.
We have modern en-suites, in-ceiling speakers and LAN wired around the house, traditional/modern house. There is aircon but only in the downstairs concrete bedroom. The house is cool because of design using cross ventilation and the foil backed plaster boad, reducing exposure and creating natural breezes.
There is a house in Chiangmai that is 150 years plus, wood can be reused, and moved.
Convinced anyone yet?

(side note)
Your lucky, everything is dirt cheap in the US, but something doesnt have to be very cheap to make it worth buying. most of the LED bulbs now have a good working lifespan and for 3 times that of a halogen spot, LED has many plus points, im willing to give them a go. If you consider that in Thailand from 6-7 it gets dark, therefore lights are on a lot, LED can be used in about 90% of house lighting where the cost is reasonable.
At the end of the day its a personal choice my decisions were based on
- LED doesnt have a bright glare like most other light sources in Thailand.
- LED has lower wattage, higher efficiency, has no UV and hardly any heat release.
all important features when reducing heat transmission into a environment youre trying to make cool.

Saying that the halogens in the bedroom as I have mentioned probably would not be replaced by LED.

Ben, you've got my interest on the LED lights. How much did you pay for yours and where did you buy them? I know Homepro has them,but it would be nice to order from someone else, if the price is more reasonable.

I do agree wood is a very nice medium to build with and I looked for over a year at options to build a teak house, but in the end, it was just too much money for me. I do have 4 2.5meter teak panels as accent pieces for the house, but nowhere near what you have. I am also going to look into the wood exposed beams however.

- LED has lower wattage, higher efficiency, has no UV and hardly any heat release.

Yep, that's one of the main reasons (aside from saving money on the long run) why I would pick LED's.

I also wonder what the effects on insects are, I can imagine LED's attract much less insects which would be a really big plus.

One of the negatives would probably be that the atmosphere just isn't as "cozy" as with incandescent bulbs but I guess there are ways around that too.

^
Dimmer switches for atmosphere?

Originally Posted by rickschoppers

Ben, you've got my interest on the LED lights. How much did you pay for yours and where did you buy them? I know Homepro has them,but it would be nice to order from someone else, if the price is more reasonable.

I do agree wood is a very nice medium to build with and I looked for over a year at options to build a teak house, but in the end, it was just too much money for me. I do have 4 2.5meter teak panels as accent pieces for the house, but nowhere near what you have. I am also going to look into the wood exposed beams however.

Hi Rick

LED's are available in many places in Chiangmai, where i live. It depends on your light fitting spotlight can be expensive because normally 12v need a transformer, however it looks like philips are breaking through with great prices and products. I would recommend them. I have both their spotlight and screw bulbs. I think at least in certain areas LED are worth considering ie bedroom, bathroom etc

The wood beams are a nice compromise between feature and character without having too much wood or too little character.

I could build you a teak wood house if you like, im thinking of going into business for garden type huts and bigger guesthouse types. I have the builder, I know where to get the wood, i just need customers... joking aside I think youve done something different and that makes your home have interest, Ive simply gone a bit further, but we shall see if it was worth while. time will tell.

Cheers

Originally Posted by Koetjeka

- LED has lower wattage, higher efficiency, has no UV and hardly any heat release.

Yep, that's one of the main reasons (aside from saving money on the long run) why I would pick LED's.

I also wonder what the effects on insects are, I can imagine LED's attract much less insects which would be a really big plus.

One of the negatives would probably be that the atmosphere just isn't as "cozy" as with incandescent bulbs but I guess there are ways around that too.

Insects are not attracted if there is no UV, I have noticed those with florescents have hundreds and my light has none. The cost saving will have to wait until one can see if they do last the time they are marketed to last.

I've replaced my most used lights, here at my place in the USA, with LED lights and really like them. The prices on them were incredibly good (~US$6 for a package of 3 "track light style" bulbs, other bulbs were ~$5 for a single reading light style bulb). I was hoping they were rated 110VAC/220VAC but it doesn't look like it. They come on right away, unlike the CFL bulbs that need time to "warm up". I don't have dimmers, but they are advertised as "dimmable". They've only been in for 3-4 weeks, so not sure what effect it has on my electric bill.

They are a little heavier than a standard CFL bulb, but that's the heat sink. These suckers do generate a little heat that must be dissipated. My son did his BSEE internship at an LED manufacturing facility, which was an interesting experience for him.

We have a lot of interior ceiling "down lights" at our new house in Thailand, so I will be looking for replacement bulbs for those first. I don't want to route a 12V system, I'll just get ones I can screw into standard light sockets.

I didn't know they don't attract bugs. Might have to look into getting them in all the exterior lights as well. Thanks !

Steve

Steve, I am looking for down lights in my Thailand build and the prices have come down on LED lights since I first looked. I am pretty much at the point where I need to start purchasing lights and will be looking around Udon Thani to see what is available. HomePro has them and I need to look at Global House and a few lighting shops before deciding what to buy.

IMO, the LED lights are much better in almost every way than anything else out there and hope they do not cost me an arm and a leg. I would just bring them from the US, but I don't think they will work with Thailand voltage. I am not an electrical expert, so maybe someone else will weigh in that has more knowledge on the topic than I.

Originally Posted by rickschoppers

Steve, I am looking for down lights in my Thailand build and the prices have come down on LED lights since I first looked. I am pretty much at the point where I need to start purchasing lights and will be looking around Udon Thani to see what is available. HomePro has them and I need to look at Global House and a few lighting shops before deciding what to buy.

IMO, the LED lights are much better in almost every way than anything else out there and hope they do not cost me an arm and a leg. I would just bring them from the US, but I don't think they will work with Thailand voltage. I am not an electrical expert, so maybe someone else will weigh in that has more knowledge on the topic than I.

Rick,
We already bought all the CFL bulbs, for our down lights, earlier this year. The price of LED bulbs seemed pretty steep. I think they were 300-400 baht each and were not even very bright. I'll need to do some more snooping around at HomePro, Thai Watsadu, etc to see if I can find them.

You need to check the ratings of the bulb in the US. All the ones I bought at Costco are listed as 110 VAC only, so they would not work in Thailand (which is 220 VAC). This is unusual, as most electronics with transformers are rated commonly rated for both 110 VAC and 22VAC.

I tried e-mailing the manufacturer to ask if they were actually 110VAC/220VAC compatible, but they never replied. I suppose I could bring one over and see if it will work or blow up (maybe I could test in a portable lamp so as not to damage the ceilings?).

Steve

I did a little searching and found that IKEA in Bangkok (Bangna) might be a good place to start looking. I will probably take a trip down there and select some lighting along with other needs I have for the house.

Lighting - LED lights, Table lamps & more - IKEA

Originally Posted by rickschoppers

I did a little searching and found that IKEA in Bangkok (Bangna) might be a good place to start looking. I will probably take a trip down there and select some lighting along with other needs I have for the house.

Lighting - LED lights, Table lamps & more - IKEA

Cool, I totally forgot about Ikea. Prices are still a little steep for my Scrooge like ways. But they do have the type of lights I would be looking for. Hopefully prices will drop even further !
Thanks Rick !!

Ben, if you ever do get into the wood guesthouse business, let me know. Like I said, I do not have the cash to build a wood family home, but could do a guesthouse depending on the price.

Good luck with your new venture Ben

Hello Ben!... I just looked thru your thread - Great Build!... I definitely like your efforts to stay with the original building materials!...

One question - in the beginning of your thread you built the roof structure out of wood so you could look up to see the wood and tiles... but in recent photos all the rooms seem to have cross beams and plasterboard?... Why did the plan change?... Heat issues? Did you put in insulation?

Originally Posted by BKKKevin

Hello Ben!... I just looked thru your thread - Great Build!... I definitely like your efforts to stay with the original building materials!...

One question - in the beginning of your thread you built the roof structure out of wood so you could look up to see the wood and tiles... but in recent photos all the rooms seem to have cross beams and plasterboard?... Why did the plan change?... Heat issues? Did you put in insulation?

Hi, thanks for reading the thread.

The plan when building often changes, and this was one of those necessary changes. Originally, we wanted a small traditional wood house and we were going to have clay terracotta tiles which you could see from underneath.

At the time due to budget constraints and the high price and durability of clay tiles we plumbed for concrete. At some stage into the interior electrical work, we had a discussion about noise from open ceilings in rooms. We then went with an English cottage style of showing joists as a feature and this ceiling was born into the plan. I like the author R.W Brunskill whose books are about English vernauclar buildings/farm buildings or cottages and it was this plus my own life in Devon country sides that led me to this choice with my wife.

This now feels right. lightens the wood, and balances the rooms much better.

Heat issues are not a problem in this house, we dont have and dont need aircon. I'll explain:

The house uses passive cross ventilation to create a cooling effect that reduces the need for machine cooling. Fans are really only used for mosquito's and hot days with no breezes which might total 20 days in the year. The house has plasterboard with foil on the back, this reduces alot of the heat raditation and coupled with big vent spaces in the roof (rather then the small unpractical types most people use) creates a cool flow of air and moves hot air out. Vents in the eaves also help draw through breezes and displace hot stagnant air in the roof space.

downstairs is very much the same although with q-con walls still using windows and doors, in most bays for cross ventilation. The house is designed as a long building with big open spaces to create natural breezes that lift the feeling of air temperature. This is the experience of everybody that comes here so I hope isnt just my imagination.

I truly believe that a well designed house will reduce the dependency on certain machine cooling. I have read that you could run 25 fans for the same power consumption as a standard size air conditioner, just 1 air conditioner, and it just got me thinking about how to reduce our need for this type of reliance.

Chiangmai climate is obviously different to Bangkok to Phuket to East Thailand so building to the environment and local area is always best practice.

I hope that helps answer your question?

Cheers

Right well gardens, we want some greenery. however we still have the ricebarn and knock down house to build at the front of the land. So we cordoned off the front lawn with a bamboo fence and front seated gate.
You will also notice the waterhouse near completion and a change in the roof for teak leaves. Now we have a look that is more natural at a cost of 800 badt might last for 3 years and then replace.
I forgot the bar which is the window on tilt the bottom shutter stays out and a bar with reputable beer cider and wine will be flowing freely.


Paving slabs and grass from the garden centre by Tesco and JJ's, japanese grass 22 badt m2 and slabs 35 badt each. Teak leaves 6 badt a strip.

More photos uploading and coming soon.......