Thread: New Build Near Udon Thani

Dunno whats happening here at the moment ,, I made a completely innofesive post about your growing and it was modded away into the ether .

Anyway ( no better not )

^
It seems to be happening quite a bit lately. Dr. A had the same problem on one of his threads. Guess it doesn't do any good to ask why, but thanks for the thought.

Originally Posted by rickschoppers

For those thinking about starting a house build here in Thailand, richardshane's thread should be mandatory reading.

Most definitely. I feel really bad for Richard and how PD House has screwed him over. I wish there was a way to put more pressure on the company to do the right thing for Richard, not just cover it up.

It was mentioned before that there is power in numbers as well as bad publicity. Hopefully PD does not hold a grudge and decide to do more harm. It would be to their best interest to set things right and start over or refund his money.

I wish him and everyone, including yourself that decides to build a house in Thailand, the best.

Originally Posted by nigelandjan

I,m guessing in relation to those pillars which I believe to be around 200 mm your blocks are around 200mm Rick ?

Thats what I,m gonna be going with later this year 200mm blocks , I know the Thais like to go with 75mm but I reckon 200 is the way to go for better sound + heat insulation and overall strength of build .

Double 75mm with an air gap is better for sound + heat insulation

The foundation is double block with cement poured into the space that contains rebar for strength as shown in the pictures above. The walls are double block with an air space between the two. I was told the space was not big enough, but I think it will still be better than single block.

Here is a pic of the double block walls and on this particular portion, I have the wood teak panels on the outside which give the wall additional thickness.

Another picture of the double block walls with an air space between the two. It probably will not give the same R factor as Superblock, but if you go back and read the entire thread, you will understand why I did not go that route.

Originally Posted by rickschoppers

but if you go back and read the entire thread, you will understand why I did not go that route.

says he in post #284

I can't remember and can't be bothered, just remind us

Here are my comments on why I went with the double block walls.

Originally Posted by rickschoppers

Here is the first load of 5000 small red brick that will make up the inside row of the house perimeter. As I mentioned earlier, I had thought a long time on using Superblock or Q-con but ultimately was not confident that it would be installed correctly by my crew even though it does have a good R factor.



My final decision is to use two rows of block with the outside being the normal 4 baht concrete blocks with the inside being the small red brick. There will be an air space between the two which decreases the amount of heat transfered from the outside row of block. I am sure there will be a lot of you that disagree, but if I was having experienced installers do the Q-con, I probably would have gone that route. The red brick is also a much stronger wall than the Q-con overall and the two rows of block should give me decent insulation.

For those of you wanting to use Superblock or Q-Con, there are many threads on this site covering those products. They are prone to cracking if not installed correctly. There will always be cracking in any build, but it is my understanding that the red brick has the least.


Here is the red brick beginning to be layed on the inside row of the outside walls.



The steel for the patio has been primered and the remaining support posts were delivered yesterday.

I was actually more worried about them placing the concrete reinforcements at the correct intervals. We have very tall ceilings and they would need some rows of regular cement block to give it the needed strength. Also, the base of the Superblock needed to be done a particular way to prevent any possible water damage to the block.

Like I said, if I had been confident enough that my crew could do the install correctly, I probably would have used Qcon or a similar product. As you mentioned, it is too late now and I will watch your threads to see if you have any issues with it.

^ ehh?
You think your columns are not enought to hold up your roof?

^
Not quite sure what you are asking here. The posts are more than strong enough to support the metal roof. Maybe you were referring to my comment about adding strength to the walls. I am not sure, but I think there is a standard height Qcon recommends for adding a cement stringer. Maybe for the roof or just overall strength of the wall.

Like I said, I am not an expert on the topic of Superblock or Qcon, but it made more sense to me not to ask my crew to do something they had not done before.

^ yes, misread. You meant strength to the walls, not roof.

Originally Posted by rickschoppers

I was actually more worried about them placing the concrete reinforcements at the correct intervals. We have very tall ceilings and they would need some rows of regular cement block to give it the needed strength.

I am not sure you are correct, the walls are merely infills and give no structural strength to the building. If you mean you need some reinfocement for the walls themselves due to their height, the builder can easily just add a cement/iron lintel across at, say, 2m

Originally Posted by rickschoppers

Also, the base of the Superblock needed to be done a particular way to prevent any possible water damage to the block.

any wall should be protected against damp

Originally Posted by rickschoppers

I will watch your threads to see if you have any issues with it.

no issues at all

we had quite a strong earthquake two years ago and there was no cracking of the walls anywhere

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As I mentioned, I am not an expert on Qcon and you are probably right. I just remember reading somewhere that there needed to be some concrete support if you have tall ceilings. It is probably the lintel as you said.

I also read somewhere that the bottom row of block on a wall should be concrete to prevent any moisture from degrading the Qcon. This may also not be necessary.

Glad to hear there has been no cracking. You must of had a knowledgeable crew install the block. Knowledge is what I lacked along with my building crew when it came to installing Qcon. It was out of their comfort zone and we all know what happens when you cross that line.

Originally Posted by rickschoppers

^
As I mentioned, I am not an expert on Qcon and you are probably right. I just remember reading somewhere that there needed to be some concrete support if you have tall ceilings. It is probably the lintel as you said.

I also read somewhere that the bottom row of block on a wall should be concrete to prevent any moisture from degrading the Qcon. This may also not be necessary.

Glad to hear there has been no cracking. You must of had a knowledgeable crew install the block. Knowledge is what I lacked along with my building crew when it came to installing Qcon. It was out of their comfort zone and we all know what happens when you cross that line.

For what it's worth Rick, they used Qcon block as the first row on the walls of our house. We also have that pre-formed, reinforced concrete skeleton, that was put up first. So that provides all the structural support, instead of the Qcon blocks.

They are light weight, easy to work and shape. When I was at the house, last August. If a worker needed to trim a piece, he would just score it and quickly cut it with a hand saw.

As far as any special working skills or materials, I can't honestly say. It all seemed pretty straightforward, including the mortar. Andy would know more than I in those areas.

But it's all looking good !

Steve

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Yes, there are advantages to Qcon which is the reason I considered using it to begin with. Maybe if I build another house, I will use it. The block is easy to shape and cut and has good insulation properties. Again, just worried the workers around here would screw it up no matter how easy it is to work with. They can even Fu#$ up cement block work, as we have seen.

I am happy with the structure I have to work with and know it will last many years, which is what I wanted.

Originally Posted by rickschoppers

I am happy with the structure I have to work with and know it will last many years, which is what I wanted.

In the end, that's all that matters.
And who knows, maybe we'll meet up over there. Seems we both share an interest in 2-wheel transportation, although I really doubt if I will ever ride over there !! Too many crazy drivers, bad roads, etc...

Cheers !!!

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You shouldn't let the crazy drivers stop you from enjoying a ride on a motorcycle. You just need to be a little more careful in Thailand while on a two wheeler.

It has been awhile since I have posted, so I will update everyone on what is going on. I am currently back in the US working as a Director of Pharmacy to make the capital needed to finish the house. It was previously discussed that I have gone over budget and needed an injection of capital to finish. Going back to work, for a short time, seemed the best solution.

Since I have been back home, the toilets have been completed and now my wife is looking to have the house wired and floor tiled. I told her what I wanted before I left, so it will be interesting to see what things look like when I return for a visit in November. She is in no hurry to complete the Thai kitchen, probably because there is not much to think about. I had already purchased the stove burners and told her I wanted granite counter tops.

I will post some pics once I go back since she does not know how to send me any. Stay tuned.