#  >  > Living And Legal Affairs In Thailand >  >  > Construction in Thailand >  >  > Building in Thailand Famous Threads >  >  Deck Ape's Big Gringo House

## Deck Ape

Been browsing the site for six months now. I especially enjoy the construction threads, so since I'm currently constructing, I thought "HERE'S MY CHANCE"!!!

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## Deck Ape

Anyways... The idea for our new house started to gel about three years ago. We are currently living in Tilac's grandmother's house which I "bought" 6 years ago for 40,000 baht. Good deal you might say? Well, yes, but there was a minor (major) termite problem. Spent 150,000 fixing it up and then went home to make some more. In the ensuing years the heat- we have a low tin roof, clearance- I'm 6'5 and have to "wai" to enter certain doorways ", and proximity to mother in law (next door) convinced me to explore other options.

We spent some time shopping for land. Not surprisingly the only reasonable plot was the one Tilac pointed out to me the first time I uttered "new house"

We bought 700 talang wa on the outskirts of our ban and commenced filling with the dirt of many trucks.



This is the low corner of our land, or "the swimming pool". I had this great idea for a French drain/ soakaway. Big gravel pit with big PVC to let some pressure off the wall Felt no need to install it las time I was home because I wasn't expecting much rain in May.

We can all guess what happened. The high water mark is still visible a good 1 meter high on the wall. The water managed to escape under the footing, taking a good 20 cu m3 of dirt with it. Have since installed soakaways (4), but they don't seem too effective with heavy clay soil.

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## Deck Ape



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## Deck Ape

Here's a look at the bottom of the wall. We used double blocks anywhere the wall will be supporting the soil we've brought in. I was assured this was "very strong". Unfortunately I think I should've put some "dead men" (concrete supports) in to strengthen it even more. But I didn't know.....

One other thing that set off alarm bells but I said nothing about is they laid the footing for the wall ON TOP of the ground instead of digging in a little bit.

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## BigRed

That's more like it, reading all the sucess stories just makes me jealous.

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## tsicar

> Here's a look at the bottom of the wall. We used double blocks anywhere the wall will be supporting the soil we've brought in. I was assured this was "very strong". Unfortunately I think I should've put some "dead men" (concrete supports) in to strengthen it even more. But I didn't know.....
> 
> One other thing that set off alarm bells but I said nothing about is they laid the footing for the wall ON TOP of the ground instead of digging in a little bit.


yes, always wondered about that, too, and:
why do they build footings so narrow? back "home", the footings are sunk 600mm, laid 600mmwide, and 300mm deep. this for "normal", stable soil conditions- clay soil conditions need more specialised solutions.

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## Tao

Where about are you in Korat?  (If you don't mind me asking)

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## Deck Ape

> Where about are you in Korat? (If you don't mind me asking)


 
My big gringo residence will be near kahmthaleso road. Near sichan more specifically if you're familiar with the area.

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## SomchaiDriver

> One other thing that set off alarm bells but I said nothing about is they laid the footing for the wall ON TOP of the ground instead of digging in a little bit.




When you see dumb shit like that correct it otherwise when you lean on the wall and it falls down just say "Oh Well"....

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## Loy Toy

Deck Ape I don't know how much you are paying per square metre for you labour but I have never seen anything like it.
Showed my foreman your pictures and he turned blue.
Not my postion to comment but just imagine when it rains your gonna have rising damp imediately. Better paint your walls lime green mate.
The structual strength will also be a problem especially if you have subterranean subsidence. Those walls will just drop in the centre.

I will find some pictures for you and as an example but for gods sake get a second opinion mate before they go much further.

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## andy55

i dont think it matters that the concrete footing is laid on the surface 
the ground is not natural base soil anyway  so it makes no difference 
(as long as theres re-bar inside the concrete that is--)
a better way would be , to lay a concrete "raft" in other words , a solid slab of concrete the whole external size of the property
 build wood shuttering around the outside property footprint, 6 inches high 
place re-bar mesh over the whole area then pour in concrete to the top edge of the shuttering 
 use straight wooden tamps to level the whole pour whilst its still wet
 thats what i would do anyway

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## Loy Toy

These are the footing for quite a small single storey house and for your reference.

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## Loy Toy

The next step and once we have the re-inforcing steel tied in with the main footing columns and before we poor the footings.

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## SEA Traveler

> That's more like it, reading all the sucess stories just makes me jealous.


Yes but I'm sure Deck Ape is going to make it successful.  I get the feeling that he is a planner and able to see things turough to a successful finish.  Oh BTW, I'm saving the discussion on my problem issue with my thread construction project (*the pool*) untill I've worked it through so that I have to solution to offer with the irritating issue.

Khun Deck, looking forward to your construction story.  Thanks for sharing.

Ciao!

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## Loy Toy

Now we compact the soil and in readiness to pour the concrete slab which overlaps the footings. Make sure your spray the soil base with a good insecticide or place a PVC pipe irrigation network covering the whole floor plan and so you can pump insecticide throughout the network of pipes and to keep the termites and ants at bay. Of course you have to drill holes in the pipes so as to distribute the insecticide which you would do annually.

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## SomchaiDriver

> Now we compact the soil and in readiness to pour the concrete slab which overlaps the footings. Make sure your spray the soil base with a good insecticide or place a PVC pipe irrigation network covering the whole floor plan and so you can pump insecticide throughout the network of pipes and to keep the termites and ants at bay. Of course you have to drill holes in the pipes so as to distribute the insecticide which you would do annually.


Wow , this actually being done properly.

Except for the GODAMM supports providing for the FUCKING retarded size Thai Rooms.

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## DrAndy

> Here's a look at the bottom of the wall. We used double blocks anywhere the wall will be supporting the soil we've brought in. I was assured this was "very strong". Unfortunately I think I should've put some "dead men" (concrete supports) in to strengthen it even more. But I didn't know.....
> 
> One other thing that set off alarm bells but I said nothing about is they laid the footing for the wall ON TOP of the ground instead of digging in a little bit.


 
I think if you did not know that, then you should get some professional advice before you start building your house

by the way, the best solution to your drainage problem, now you have built the wall, would be to knock some holes through (and insert some 6" pipe pieces) around ground level.

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## RPETER65

> Now we compact the soil and in readiness to pour the concrete slab which overlaps the footings. Make sure your spray the soil base with a good insecticide or place a PVC pipe irrigation network covering the whole floor plan and so you can pump insecticide throughout the network of pipes and to keep the termites and ants at bay. Of course you have to drill holes in the pipes so as to distribute the insecticide which you would do annually.


 

Are the panals on the roofs of the houses in the background solar, if so for what purpose

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## Thetyim

^
I think the water tanks might be a clue

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## Loy Toy

> Originally Posted by Loy Toy
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Now we compact the soil and in readiness to pour the concrete slab which overlaps the footings. Make sure your spray the soil base with a good insecticide or place a PVC pipe irrigation network covering the whole floor plan and so you can pump insecticide throughout the network of pipes and to keep the termites and ants at bay. Of course you have to drill holes in the pipes so as to distribute the insecticide which you would do annually.
> 
> 
>  
> ...


The solar panels that you can see for water heating only and the results are fantastic.
Have 6 people showering twice a day, laundrey and kitchen use and never run out of boiling hot water (you could almost boil an egg int it).

Done away with all of those ugly dedicated hot water units that continously break down and overload.

Never could fault these units which for a house of that size costs around 150,000.00 Baht including instalation, with all the copper piping and a back up heater (which we have never had to switch on).

Highly recommended.  :Smile:

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## Deck Ape

> Deck Ape I don't know how much you are paying per square metre for you labour but I have never seen anything like it.
> Showed my foreman your pictures and he turned blue.
> Not my postion to comment but just imagine when it rains your gonna have rising damp imediately. Better paint your walls lime green mate.
> The structual strength will also be a problem especially if you have subterranean subsidence. Those walls will just drop in the centre.
> 
> I will find some pictures for you and as an example but for gods sake get a second opinion mate before they go much further.




Too late, they have gone much further. These pics were a recap of the work done about 6 months ago. Not sure what subterranean sub sub..... well anyways. These walls are not part of the house structure. They are the perimeter walls around my land, about 50 meters per side. 


I'm going to be here this rainy season. If I've got a drainage problem I'm confident I can fix it.

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## Deck Ape

It's your standard Thai wall. A little on the short side as it's more for keeping the critters out than anything else. Other than keeping the dirt in, of course.

If I can't get this part right my plans for the particle accelerator might need a little oversight.

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## Norton

> If I can't get this part right my plans for the particle accelerator might need a little oversight.


...... :rofl: .  Love your sense of humor.  Hang in there! :Smile:

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## AZZZEY68

Anymore pics

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## Deck Ape

This one's dedicated to Norman. Tried to resize it, too.

Here we are at our wan yok sow ekk. Doesn't translate very well, but then again imagine trying to explain this one to the folks back home. Tie the string around the perimeter to ward off all the bad ghosts. It appeals to me greatly.

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## Deck Ape

Thanks Loomie. I knew the planters would be necessary to soften up the exterior of the house. Looks like Mrs DA softened the interior with her paint scheme! I'll look into some of those tulips at that nice garden market.



Khun ST. I got that sprayer at Lowe's. It's a Wagner spraytech 1420. I think it cost $300. The cheaper ones looked, well, cheap. And the next one up was $450. I liked this one because of it's simple design. It's just big enough for that motor and pump to fit inside, and the fittings are steel. The tip has held up well, and I've been able to clean and reuse the gun filter. It's 110v but I can use it with my small inverter (pictured).

And most important for me it weighs 40lbs and fit in my trunk like it was meant to go somewhere. :Smile:

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## Deck Ape

> It's looking really good inside and out.


Kup khun maak. It's been going a lot better since I got back.

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## Deck Ape

Spent yesterday ordering tiles and granite. Expensive. Granite was 80k baht for 80m2 installed. The flagstone was 40k for something like 60m2 installed. And the floor and ceiling tiles ran 55k for something like 130m2. To this add cement, sand etc. 

The final push to completion has been horrendously expensive. A lot more than I bargained for. Sure the house looks nice, and hopefully we'll enjoy it a long time but it feels like I went overboard a little bit. I've been listing prices for stuff just in case someone wants to know what such and such an item costs. Most of the stuff I buy is mid range.

Anyways. After persuading the granite guys to come tomorrow, we called them to postpone till Monday. Want to get some more painting done before they start. Primed the exterior today, and will spend the weekend getting those door/window frames and color for exterior + cement trim.........Five more days till I go back to work, and I'd love to have everything ready to hang the windows (fingers crossed).  :Smile:

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## Loombucket

As my other half says, "you make good house, one time and you make real". So yes, it is always a bit more than you think it should have cost. The upside is that you shouldn't have to start ripping it apart again, next week, because something wasn't done correctly in the first place. It will be fine, I will cross my fingers as well if you like.

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## Deck Ape

Nah, wouldn't want to tie your fingers up. Hope they're feeling better by the way. :Smile: 

That's a pidgin gem right there. Mrs DA just says, "You Do Good!" 

Painted primer under the eaves today, and primered door+window frames again (no pics- boring). The cementboard (eaves) has a rough surface and may even be considered pre-primed. Not the silicone that was used to fill in screw holes, unfortunately. 

So a few more days of doing laps around the Gringo House up and down the ladder.

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## Deck Ape

So first coat of exterior paint went on today. It's called Rachel rave, or as normal people would say "cream". I'm a big fan of the two-coats-primer thing. It really seals the shit out of the render. Then the finish paint sort of sits on top, and I think the color is richer. This looks good enough now, but I'm still gonna put another coat on tomorrow.



At some point in time green will go on the trim. Not anytime soon, though, as I have to get back to work a few days early. A few things here that won't get done (and I'll be picking paint off my fingers on the plane).

This heavy masonry object is the bomb proof counter. The sink will go in this hole. Despite walking past it all day, I failed to notice the opening was in the wrong place. Nai fixed it in five minutes flat, though.



Boxes of tile are all over the house. These faux wood ones will go in the kitchen. I've always liked the way they look, and they have a little grip for when the deck is wet. The rest of the house (except bathrooms) will have granite or the really shiny tiles. 



I'm gonna have nieghbors!!! :Smile:   Thuey here is building a vegetable stand. Damn sure he'll be finished before I will. So that's me signing off for a month. Cheers!  :Smile: 

DA

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## jandajoy

Good on ya mate. Have a good trip.

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## Deck Ape

Thanks, JJ. The boat's going to NYC, first time for me!

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## Propagator

Doing well Deck Ape.   Have a safe trip

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## jandajoy

> The boat's going to NYC, first time for me!


Photos, mate photos.

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## a. boozer

Have a safe trip! Look forward to further input when you get back.

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## Deck Ape

Thanks JJ, Propagator, Boozer. :Smile:  

Got a one day reprieve, so I spent another day with the sprayer. Last chance to use it before windows, doors and floors are installed. Na Nai and Pa worked on finally finishing up the flowerboxes (sigh)... but we had guests!! Important Visitors!! Yes, the granite team put in an appearance today. The usual Isaan affair, they showed up about 10am smoked, giggled, and drank M150 for an hour before lunch. After kinkhao they put in some real work.




Here's how the granite is laid. A bed of really dry mortar is laid. Before the tile is set down it's slathered with wet mortar.



Then tapped down with the very well worn butt of a hammer



And ends up looking something like this



I've never seen this done before, but I imagine it is a standard technique. These guys are from the shop and seem really professional (they even have uniforms! Kind of) BTW red uniform shirts are always good for a laugh these days.
We paid for sealant which is applied at the shop, and there will be a very small amount of grout that'll go in between these bad boys. I did my best to impart to Mrs DA and everyone else involved how careful I hope they'll be around all that fresh paint. What could go wrong? :rofl: 

While I'm gone, Na Nai & friend will try to install all the rest of the tiles, windows, doors etc. He's been understaffed as usual but continues to do good work and puts up with my 'na dam' that I wear more often than not. So I have faith that the remainder of the work will be completed competently. Someday :Smile: 

That's really it then. Off to Swampy in an hour. Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to all the TDers.  :pullsleigh:  :pullsleigh:  :pullsleigh:

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## SEA Traveler

*Looking good Khun DA.  With cream exterior painted walls, I'm thinking a  pastel green trim paint would be more pleasing to the eye than a dark green trim.  Ciao and have a safe trip.  I'll still be in Central Atlantic coast upon your arrival in NYC.  *

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## a. boozer

> *  I'll still be in Central Atlantic coast upon your arrival in NYC.  *


And I will be in LOS, so myself and Mrs. Boozer wish you and all T.D. members a Very Merry Christmas and a Happy and Healthy New Year!

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## Deck Ape

> Originally Posted by Deck Ape
> 
> The boat's going to NYC, first time for me!
> 
> 
> Photos, mate photos.


Sorry, mate. No photos.

Got caught lying again. NYC turned out to be Bayonne, New Jersey. Not exactly the same thing. We also visited Jacksonville Florida and Sulphur, Louisiana. Almost makes a guy homesick for dusty Korat.

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## Deck Ape

Back on the homefront again. There have been some busy bees here while I've been away.

Yes some windows and doors have been installed. A little sandstone, too.



Amazingly enough, our "decorating" is going pretty well. Here's a look at the living room. Everything is done except for the screens and curtains.



And the kitchen is just a few days away from her inaugural batch of chocolate chip cookies. I managed to screw up the under-counter cabinets. Totally overshadowed, though, by the "finished" door frame openings of well over 2m. No more "wai-ing" just to pass into a room.



The office turned out pretty good. Soon I'll be "surfing" the net (door- locked-don't-come-in-Daddy's-busy).



Unfortunately our "lucky day" isn't until March sometime. And no water or bathroom floors yet. So I might have to make a little pit stop in Moss Point, Mississippi (yes there is a place, and yes it's a lot like you'd expect.)   :Smile:  :Smile:  :Smile:  :Smile:  :Smile:

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## Nawty

Pink, yellow and green....hmmmmm

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## Rural Surin

By the way DA, welcome back. Do like those granite floors {in places}....interesting design for Isaan. Has this sorta American 'ranch-style' to it. Not too large, not too small. Comfortable. Good luck. :Smile:

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## Deck Ape

> Pink, yellow and green....hmmmmm


Don't forget peach and blue!

Yes RS, "Tropical Ranch" was the style I was going for. No stairs at home for this monkey. :Smile:

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## a. boozer

Panthip should be back in Korat now, maybe you two can swap experiences!

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## Deck Ape

Sounds like a fine idea.

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## Deck Ape

So the constructing continues. The house seems to have hit a plateau, around 99% done. The security bars and screens are on all the windows. This leaves just the curtains, which will cost 39k baht. Nothing special there, but we have 21 windows.

The glass was put in the windows the other day. Good thing I had the camera at the ready because they were done in just a few hours. Pretty good deal, too. 4k baht for materials and labor.



"Our" guys, (Na Nai and Co.) have been busy with wood trim inside



And they also painted the green trim outside. And I made myself useful sealing the sandblock outside. Tried spraying with a bottle but ended up slathering it on with a brush.



Meanwhile Khun Vichai from the builder's supply recommended this team to do the garage and driveway. This isn't all of them, there's a couple of guys on the roof.



The garage will be 3 bays. One for my shop and two for vehicles. Overall size 6x12m.
We're using these new tiles- they're 4m long and look pretty slick.



The kids are getting old enough to really appreciate a basketball hoop, so the driveway is being made big enough.



And Mrs. DA's uncle has been planting some trees and plants here and there. 



The team doing the garage will also tackle a few extra projects like a kids "treehouse" (kind of a Thai style playhouse on stilts), and they'll put up a roof for a barbeque I hope to build.

Spirit house is ordered and should be here this week. Moving day could be sooner than I thought! :mid:

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## S Landreth

it is coming along so nice you must be proud

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## blackgang

Boy that place is really shaping up nice, good to see good work turn out so nice too.

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## Deck Ape

Thanks guys. :Smile:   I was working toward form following function. My primary goal was to build a comfortable home, and that part seems to be working out.

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## Deck Ape

Here's a shot of the boy's bathroom. I went with the tankless water heaters, for ease of installation and low cost. This is a "shower" unit. 






The kitchen sink will have a "multi point" unit (not pictured). With this type of unit you can use a kitchen faucet as the outlet valve, with the unit installed out of sight.
Those white backsplash tiles weren't our first choice. There were some blue tiles installed but they offended our delicate sensibilities. :rofl: 



The finish out in the bathrooms and kitchen is taking a long time. Garage and driveway will be done tomorrow. Moving day is next week sometime. Thank the good lord.

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## blackgang

Damn thoughtful to have a traction tile on the kitchen deck and hot water for the sink to do dishes, have to watch em tho or they will still use cold.
and on our kitchen deck I used a parquet looking tile with a 2 tile wide run in front of the fridge all the way around in front of the stove to the sinks and washer which is a front loader in the kitchen. and it is a contrasting color from the wood look.
But our shack ain't near as nice as yours and it was a fight to get anything done up here 7 years ago, even had to special order the rolls of insulation out of BKK, nothing was here and only one shop stocked some 3 conductor wire as I aint no 2 wire ungrounded dude myself.

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## Deck Ape

Well, the mistakes I made with the remodel on our current house...... I try to learn from them. Things like door openings and slippery tiles. The sink hot water heater is switched so it's up to whomever if they want to use it or not.

As far as getting things done right we've had good luck. The biggest thing I've learned from all this is THE MORE THAI YOU CAN SPEAK THE BETTER OFF YOU ARE


Even if you're JOJ (just off the jet) or FOB (fresh off the boat) and can only say 'Sawat Di Krap' that's better than nothing. If you know the Thai words for measurements, materials, tools, etc. it's pure gold. In my opinion good communication (in Thai) will foster goodwill and also improve your project's turnout.

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## blackgang

not when you have the type of hands we had to  put up with and then nothing but cheap shit a Thai would use was available and no one knew shit about any 20 century techs.
 and I have worked people from all over the world, even had 40 Thai welders working for me at Basra.
But if they dont have something and I gonna have to drive or order from BKK it just takes the fun out of it but we did get it finished, but not by the guy that started it. and it is OK, but it could have been better if we had waited 3 years for different materials to become available,

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## blackgang

I like insulation, in my cabin in Idaho I had R-35 in the walls and R-50 in the roof, triple glazing in all windows and only got a normal snow pack of 12 feet and 24 in a heavy snow year.

If I would have been able to have that here, you could cool the whole house by leaving the fridge door open in the kitchen..

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## watterinja

Please don't forget the separate earth wire onto the heater units. This is one of the deadliest devices in Thailand, with countless deaths each year. You could also look into tying it back into the safety-cut system, if it allows.

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## Muadib

> I like insulation, in my cabin in Idaho I had R-35 in the walls and R-50 in the roof, triple glazing in all windows and only got a normal snow pack of 12 feet and 24 in a heavy snow year.
> 
> If I would have been able to have that here, you could cool the whole house by leaving the fridge door open in the kitchen..


Idaho, winter, SNOW... Traveling across the planes of Idaho from Boise to Fairfield, Ketchum & Sun Valley is the only time in my life I've experienced true white-out conditions... White out in all directions as far as the eye can see... Those snow poles on the sides of the road going up through the mountain passes have a whole new meaning once you've been there, done that... I think I know part of the reason you're in Thailand now... 

Nice job DA... Lovely place... Good luck...

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## Deck Ape

> I like insulation, in my cabin in Idaho I had R-35 in the walls and R-50 in the roof, triple glazing in all windows and only got a normal snow pack of 12 feet and 24 in a heavy snow year.
> 
> If I would have been able to have that here, you could cool the whole house by leaving the fridge door open in the kitchen..



We could've done better on insulating windows here, too.

Watterninja, ground + safety cut done and done.

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## DrAndy

> Please don't forget the separate earth wire onto the heater units. This is one of the deadliest devices in Thailand, with countless deaths each year. You could also look into tying it back into the safety-cut system, if it allows.


 
do you have real figures for that, or is that your feelings?  I have not heard of any deaths due to the heaters, unless they have been very old and not maintained






> If I would have been able to have that here, you could cool the whole house by leaving the fridge door open in the kitchen..


I hope that was a joke BG!  we had a computer tape loader who really believed that he could cool down their restroom by leaving the fridge door open.

anyway, well done DA, I hope your life in the new house goes well

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## mrsquirrel

Is this the house that is for sale or not?

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## Deck Ape

No Squirrel, the house is not for sale.






> we had a computer tape loader who really believed that he could cool down their restroom by leaving the fridge door open.



Computer tape?

Were you worried the dinosaur meat would spoil if the fridge was open too long? How old are you Dr. A?

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## blackgang

> I hope that was a joke BG! we had a computer tape loader who really believed that he could cool down their restroom by leaving the fridge door open.


Actually it is damn near a fact, with the insulation and glazing you could not open a draft on the wood fired heater stove or it would become to hot in the house and then we would leave the door open into the Mud Room to let some heat out and 2 of 4 windows in there were single glazing and would ice over the instant that the door was opened and it would be between 0 and - 40 F outside, ride snow machines as main transport from october til april and only use 1 cord of wood in a year, now thats efficency.

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## Deck Ape

It's neither here nor there but I examined the bank records to see exactly how much this place cost. Grand total 3.5 million baht. That's 1 million for the land and fence and 2.5 million for the house and garage. It weren't a bargain, but I watched every baht roll out the door. 

The amount of time I spent on this project was staggering, too.

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## blackgang

But even at that it is money well spent, It has kept your interest high and you seemed happy to have came home every trip and felt good while doing it, with shit like that it is damn sure well spent.
Or you could have been like me when I used to come here and stay a month or so, spend a wallet full of money go back out with a sore dick and maybe a dose of clapp and think I had just had me a hell of a good time and have shit to show for the time or the money.
You are one lucky son of a bitch there deck ape me boy.

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## Deck Ape

You got a point. Looking on the bright side should be my next project....

Our contractor Na Nai earned a place in my heart forever today. He constructed the first of four gable end vents. Just like I wanted, too (pics tomorrow). Hopefully before I leave again ( Feb 12) he can mount that oversized fan up in the attic.

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## Deck Ape

> Originally Posted by blackgang
> 
> 
> I like insulation, in my cabin in Idaho I had R-35 in the walls and R-50 in the roof, triple glazing in all windows and only got a normal snow pack of 12 feet and 24 in a heavy snow year.
> 
> If I would have been able to have that here, you could cool the whole house by leaving the fridge door open in the kitchen..
> 
> 
> Idaho, winter, SNOW... Traveling across the planes of Idaho from Boise to Fairfield, Ketchum & Sun Valley is the only time in my life I've experienced true white-out conditions... White out in all directions as far as the eye can see... Those snow poles on the sides of the road going up through the mountain passes have a whole new meaning once you've been there, done that... I think I know part of the reason you're in Thailand now... 
> ...



Thanks Maudib! Did a winter in Barrow, Alaska once. Brrrrrr     :Smile:

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## Deck Ape

So I enter the homestretch. Here's what Na Nai did with those gables. 3 cm spacing between those cement boards fixed at a 30 degree angle. Should be big enough to let hot air out, but very, very little rain in. There is roof that extends in 50cm under these vents, and I'll keep a close eye on them to make sure they don't leak.



Driveway was finished today, I asked them to finish the concrete and come back with the grinder for the expansion joints. We did a grid spacing 3 meters. It looks good.



I got the whole "lake of cement thing" working. There will be enough room for a sport court, bike riding etc. And when we were kids we had a 'dunk hoop'. An 8 foot basketball hoop, perfectly suited for the isaan physique.



Future site of the barbeque.



For the kid's playhouse (playhouse for the ghosts in the background)


Miss Sexycurtains came back to do her thing. Mrs Deckape picked the colors for the curtains (I gave a few suggestions). The results were horrendous. 



We got this thing installed today. Above counter cabinets will have to wait. I really wanted to make my own, but at the moment am much too lazy.



Case in point. I want to see it go, but not bad enough to breathe glue fumes all day.



Veeeery close. Have to get the interior vents, attic fan and water working. Security doors for house, and for the yard. I have to go back to work in a few days, but don't really feel like moving everyone in until we can break the house in together. Didn't keep us from having our first batch of brownies, though. :Smile:

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## SEA Traveler

Great work Khun DA!!!  Looking good.  So, what type of brownie mix was used?

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## Deck Ape

Duncan Hines, I believe, Khun SEA. And that little Italian oven goes like a motherfucker.

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## jandajoy

Looking good mate, looking good.

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## S Landreth

It seems you have done this before. You surly have thought ahead. It is looking great!

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## Deck Ape

> It seems you have done this before.


That's what they all say






> It is looking great!


Thanks, Seth.

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## maily

Your home is very nice DechApe, congrats on a great job.

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## Deck Ape

> It seems you have done this before. You surly have thought ahead. It is looking great!


Apologies for screwing up your username there S Landreth. The old dyslexia kicking up.

Thanks Maily. Fat lady ain't singing yet but she's warming up/

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## gos

Thanks for a great thread D.A I am the moment considering building in Korat and have been taking copius notes from a lot of the constuction threads and yours has some very good tips,thanks again

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## helge

Very good tread. I was somewhat squareeyed, when page 17 was finally there.
Have you got a number for the total labourcosts ?
I found the numbers a bit high.

How much for the ceremony in march ?

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## Deck Ape

Gos and Helge glad you enjoyed the thread. Gos good luck with your design and build. Helge I really don't know what I spent on labor. I also found the costs a little high. 

No idea on when the party is. It won't happen before my barbeque is built that's for damn sure. Will probably have a keg and we'll for sure have our own kareokae. Hope for something low key, but memorable. :mid: 

And on that note, I'm off again- Long Beach bound. Cheers all. :Smile:

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## blackgang

used to load oil in Long Beach for the Albany paper mill up river from Newport Oregon, we let a river tug have it at the bridge and we go to city dock and crew head for the bars for a week of drinking beer and waiting for our barge.

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## Deck Ape

Oooohh times have changed. Big zero tolerance signs at the gangway. Anyways, I'm kind of on the flip side of that as a barge tankerman. We pump the barge, and wait for the tug to take on fuel. Hey BG, did you know these tugs run on heavy fuel? Not too many tugs do that from what I hear.

Long beach is still better than most ports for us. The seamans center there has these vans, and they'll pick you up and take you where you want to go. Mmmm L.A. cheeseburgers and doughnuts.

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## helge

> No idea on when the party is. It won't happen before my barbeque is built that's for damn sure. Will probably have a keg and we'll for sure have our own kareokae. Hope for something low key, but memorable.


So, you haven't moved in yet, I suppose.
We can't even use the bathroom, until the holywater has been sprinklet.   Have a nice stint.

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## Deck Ape

Bump.

Thanks Helge, my hitch was okay. Due to go back tomorrow, unfortunately.

Well the Mrs. moved in a few months ago and I've lived here about three weeks. It's been busy as ever. Just got the phone yesterday. Here's the pics


Water pressure is almost too good. That's the charcoal filter, particle filter, pump and tank. And a limit switch inside the tank. I'll probably move it all away from the house sometime.



We built a little shop in one bay of the garage. Good Christ it's a relief to de-bucket my tools and have everything on shelves.



Mrs. DA was in charge of this, and it turned out pretty good.



We ran out of time again on this slow cooker. I'll do a thread on it (if it works).



And last but not least, this idea was not very good.




It was supposed to let air out of the top of the room, for convective cooling. It would have let in the beautiful sounds of Thai television as well.

Instead I opted for this.




Just you average wood vent, around 300 baht. I have one of these in the ceiling of every room and I really think they're working well. Anyone with no air-con should consider a setup like this. Paired with roof vents of an equal size they're gold. (installed them myself but need some help with the clean up).

Umm.. no party pics yet. The wife did a tamboon with just the monks and some friends, but this time home I had a full plate and limited funds. So next time I hope.
 :Smile:  :Smile:  :Smile:  :Smile:

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## blackgang

> Hey BG, did you know these tugs run on heavy fuel? Not too many tugs do that from what I hear.


I do know that some of the newer big Diesels do use a number of fuels and heavy oil being among them, what do you use in em, Navy Special maybe, and do you have to heat it to about 300Deg, before it will atomize?  as I know nothing about using it in internal combustion engines.
How many HP are your tugs?
and you are in a ballgame that is completely different than when i was going to sea.

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## Deck Ape

Dunno about the HP, BG. The one I'm on now has controllable pitch props, though. The fuel is your standard smelly heavy fuel and they had to use a shoehorn to get all the purifiers, settlers piping etc. into a tugboat engine room. Also we now sail with three engineers (the Cat boats only had one).

I overlooked a couple of things in my post. I should have had a money shot of the completed house. (out of LOS now so maybe next time).

Also a heartfelt thank you to all the members who lent their advice and support.

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## blackgang

Most Tugs have had CP wheels and KORT Nozzles for sometime now, we did on the Dearborne Marine boats in the Gulf and north sea.
And always have had a guy in the engineroom to keep shit together and treasfer fuel to the day tanks and just general watch, make sure the flash evaps is making water.
I like to see some pics of those boats.
Hope ya get that TQ back this time, I used every bit I had making Hams this last time..

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## blackgang

Deck Ape, do you work for Crowley?
And is your rig ATB or ITB,, been looking and really do not understand how the hook like that and still be able to pitch and roll seperately without tearing the connection all to hell.
But anyway see that some is concidered 1 unit and some is 2 units.. Strange shit really strange shit.

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## Deck Ape

Here's an ITB --integrated tug and barge. As far as tankers they're being phased out as they're all old single hulls. ITB- tug n' barge basically welded together and the tug isn't very seaworthy without the barge connected.



I work on an ATB articulated tug and barge. The tug is connected to the 'notch' in the barge with 50 inch diameter round steel pins. The tug and barge roll together, but pitch separately like a hinge.

The pins are 50 inch diameter and are pressed into the notch of the barge with over 1,000 psi pressure. Depending on the sea state the bushings for the pins can be greased constantly with food grade grease. 

Looking into the notch, the barge is on the right the tug on the left (pin is in the middle). There are 'ladder rungs' for the pin to fit securely into at any draft. 


No, I don't work for Crowley but that's what is painted on the side of the boat. Reason for an ATB instead of a ship of similar size (small) ? The barge is 'unmanned' so the whole rig can run with 8 guys (11 with the heavy fuel boats)- less than half the crew of a similar sized ship. I think they are relatively cheap to build, too. 

Here's my old boat at anchor in Anacortes, WA.

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## blackgang

Thanks Mike, Damn thats quite a deal, all new stuff since I left the sea and pobly since I left the states as I never heard of em before.
Sure will take less men and still under Jones act.
What unions is it under? I sailed under IBU, MEBA and SIU at different times, one trip even NMU.

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## Deck Ape

I think the ATB system has been around awhile. But these ones I'm on are the first on the West Coast. 

The beauty in the picture was SIU, but we gave her to the IBU  :Sad: and as much as I loved her (and that run...scenery like that!) I couldn't switch unions myself.

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## blackgang

So OK, how large are they and whats the tonnage of these?

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## JungleLife

Just read through this entire thread and sounds like you've been through it with this project. An excellent result though and a very nice house. Hope you enjoy many years there.

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## sharon

I like your house a lot, it looks pretty good.  Do you have more pictures? I'd like to see your complete kitchen if you don't mind.

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