#  >  > Living And Legal Affairs In Thailand >  >  > Construction in Thailand >  >  > Building in Thailand Famous Threads >  >  Building a house in Isaan, for Dummies.

## sabang

I'm well qualified to write this guide because when it comes to construction, I'm a Dummy. I also speak next to no Thai, and have the healthy mistrust of Isaan standards of craftmanship and forthrightness that only a resident expat can have. My sole qualifications to embark on this project were a Thai wife, whom I trust, and a certain knowledge of how business should be done- combined with a healthy cynicism as above, and a functioning 'Bullshit meter'.

The mandate- put up a decent but basic bungalow in a village about 30 km outside of Ubon Ratchathani, to serve as both my mother in laws residence, and our upcountry retreat (the house is in my wifes name). The original budget- 800K baht, plus sundries. The end result- it cost 900K, plus sundries. Say a million baht- but the end product surpassed my expectations, and was in fact completed not on schedule, but three weeks early.



There it stands- 2 bedroom (actually adjusted from a 3 BR plan that I stole- more on that later), two bathrooms, a Thai and western kitchen. More photoes to follow of course, but lets start at the beginning.

Any feedback welcome- fair price, did I pay too much, did I get a good deal?
I'm a Dummy, remember.  :bunny3:

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## HINO

Ok Sabang you wet our appetite for more.

The first picture is a nice view but lets see something closer.

How about the basic floor plan and what quality you believe you got on say a scale of 1 to 5 and 5 being the best money can buy.

Give me "input", I need more "input"

Nice start

hino

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## Butterfly

yeah need more pics to evaluate. Was it 1m with the land ? or without the land ? either way, seems quite good and cheap, and good enough for the MiL I would say  :Smile:

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## JoGeAr

Nice-looking house from the single photo posted to date. Look forward to many more. :Smile:

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## NickA

As long as you didn't let CMN chose the colour scheme it should be OK

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## sabang

Finding a builder we could remotely trust was probably the most stressful, and demanding, aspect of this whole project. You know how it goes- if you ask for an answer whether they can competently do something, the answer is invariably 'Yes, up to you', and the reality all too often the opposite.  :Sad:  Combined with this, you had MIL's proclivity to favour local 'Builders' to do all the work. Early investigations were not promising- of course, local village monkeys could do anything for you, whether you wanted the Sydney Opera House, Versailles or a Bamboo shack. Yeh, right.

I decided a two pronged strategy, quite early-
1- Keep the Falang involvement hidden as far as possible (of course in the local Village, the secret was already out).
2- Give the potential Builders firm plans from which to quote. Uncertainty is not rewarded in this country, even less so in Isaan.  :Roll Eyes (Sarcastic): 

Suitable plans were found by a combination of intellectual theft and cruising the internet. Found a decent looking set of plans from a Builder/Developers website, with the added bonus that it was in Thai. A few adjustments were made to suit ourselves- 2 bedrooms, not three- so more living space, two bathrooms, and a patio area at the rear of the house expanded and enclosed to serve as a Thai kitchen, laundry and general storage area. I was quite obsessive about specifying things in detail, down to light switches, plumbing and western toilets. No doubt I was a pain in the arse- but thats what falangs are for.  :Smile: 

In the end, five companies were invited to look at the job and quote- two local village 'Builders' (whom MIL favoured), two Ubon based builder/developers (who I fancied) and a Khon Kaen based oufit, who a Thai friend of Mrs knew and recommended.

*Builder 1*, Ubon based, sizable company- Mrs visited their showroom, quite impressed. Asked them for a quote. When told where the house was to be built (all of 35km away) they responded 'not interested'. End of story.

*Builder 2*, Local Village. He was given the plans & said he would need to take them to a draughtsman/architect/cost estimator to produce an accurate quote. I was quietly impressed. He came back a few days later with a price of 3.4mm bht.  :Confused:  Sounded way over the top to me- and theres no way I was going to pay that for an Isaan house anyway. When told it was totally over the budget, he came back with a price of 2.5mm Bht.

*Builder 3,* Local Village. Quoted 350K Labour cost, plus we pay for all material costs. When asked what the material costs would be, he didn't know, but said they were 'usually' about twice the labour cost. Six month time frame to build. MIL was quite keen on this one, I was not. Uncertainty is not in my vocabulary, and I have heard too many falang nightmares based on granting contracts this way- always way over budget in the end it seems.

*Builder 4-* Referral, from Khon Kaen. Husband and Wife team (she Office and Marketing, he the Builder), with their own full time workforce. Would they do the job, being from KK? No ploblem. Get to work on the quote then. They came back with an 800K quote (ended up 900K when we added some of our stuff), and a three month construction time. And they sounded sharp- they even gave some value added proposals, e.g we changed our roofing material at their suggestion. I was suitably impressed, but still a bit dubious about getting a smallish KK based outfit to do the job in an Ubon village.

*Builder 5-* Ubon based, medium sized. Last ditch effort to find a local crew that was competitive. Shown the plans, and asked what the budget was. Told 900k- 1mm by Mrs. They said the best price they could do it for would be 1.5- 2mm, so not interested. I think they're too well fed in Ubon Ratchathani.  :Wink: 

So Builder 4 got the job, not without trepidation on our part. MIL wanted builder 3.

*The Contract* (Oh yes, there had to be a written contract, and a payment schedule based on progress made, not time on the job. Who do you think you're dealing with here?) :-

1- 200k bht on signing of Contract [10/3/08] Work was commenced the next day.

2- + 200K when Earthworks, foundations and structural poles completed [25/3/08]. I was actually concerned at the speed of this, so sent Mrs up for a look see (falang involvement still kept quiet)



Looked OK I guess- a fair bit of earth was brought in to raise the place by about 3 feet, I doubt we'll have to worry about flooding. So far so good- I have to say the indirect feedback i was receiving from these people quite impressed me, and even MIL was beginning to think we'd made the right choice.

3- +200K when roof structure complete. [after another fortnight, jeez they were quick]

4- +200K When walls & roof on, & exterior painted. [12 days later]

5- Last 100k When job done & glitches sorted out to our satisfaction. [11/5/08 as it turned out]

So from contract to completion was two months, almost to the day. Took me by surprise actually. More piccies to follow, Bloopers where they occurred, and some sundry stuff.

Of course you don't need to spend 900K on a place in Isaan.  :Smile: 



The building crew were quite appreciative actually that we gave them this place to stay in, just across the Track. Ours is a little family hamlet, about 3km from the local village, and this place is just used for storage these days. Thats the Builders truck.

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## sabang

> Was it 1m with the land ? or without the land ?


Without the land BF- although I reckon the cost of the earthworks would about match the price of this land anyway. 




> Give me "input", I need more "input"


More input to follow, but remember I'm a Dummy.

 :cmn:   :St George: 






> As long as you didn't let CMN chose the colour scheme it should be OK

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## sabang

Heres a few photoes at stage 4 on the payment schedule. The builders had asked for their money a bit early (I subsequently heard). Mrs sabang, bless her, said No. The veneer was off now- I was up there on a visit, the Falang involvement was out in the open. Would problems arise? I'm pleased to say, no- incidentally, they said they had built houses for falangs before, and 'falang quality' was one of their catchphrases.



Rear view, with our 'Isaan porch' starting to take shape-



The interior was a bit of a mess as you'd expect, but I noticed it was somewhat bigger than I had visualised. Could easily have gone for the third bedroom really. That kitchen island you see in front is one of the things we elected to add on, and pay a bit more for- well glad we did.



Starting to look like a House now, innit? We snapped this shot shortly before we departed- and sent them their 200k money same day (only 100K left to pay). That rain you see in the background lasted for two days incidentally- and the house didn't leak, family sources assured us. Mild optimism was setting in, on my part.  :Smile:

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## sabang

No story is complete without it's Bloopers, and there were a few :-

1/ WATER- The Hamlet uses Well water, 'No ploblem' I was assured.  :Roll Eyes (Sarcastic):  Three holes were sunk, no water was produced by the Diviners- and they gave up. This was at Stage One of the Build- foundations and poles. I threatened to pull the plug on the whole project at this point, not amused (I can be a right grumpy SOB). Turns out we got piped water OK- appallingly muddy after rain though. Thats OK- I had designed a seperate rainwater system (we paid for guttering, the builders installed it) as part of the 'add ons'. MIL paid for the water connection, which wasn't a lot.

2/ CARPORT- hopelessly inadequate size, and I had repeatedly pressed Mrs to ensure this was not the case. Not the builders fault though- they worked truly off our Plans. I'll prolly put up a decent carport at some stage. Frankly, the builders showed more common sense than my wife- who's progress visits to the site I came to consider wasted money.

3/ Isaan porch padlock was on the outside, not the inside. Pretty dumb, but easily solved for a couple of hundred bht- we added one on the inside of the door.

4/ Window sealing- some of the glass was inadequately glued to the wooden panes by silicon sealant- it was loose. I should have picked this up, but missed it. Easily solved- we hired a guy to put in flyscreens around the place, part of the deal being that he ensure all the windows were well firm- extra cost to us 500 bht for the silicon sealant. No big problem- and in fairness, that is one of the few jobs the Builder subcontracted to a local.

5/ Bathroom two- the original design of the sink cabinet meant the door couldn't open! Easily solved- narrower cabinet, different sink. The Builder picked this up actually, and it cost us no extra.

6/ Front door glass- showing the exquisite taste and foresight for which Isaan folk are renowned, our nice double fronted doors were surrounded with clear glass, not translucent- and then a curtain and railing paid for to cover it all! Once again, not the Builders fault- specified by Mrs. Waste of money and bad design- especially now that the Fly screen security door has been fitted. I wish the builder had pointed out the folly of this to Mrs sabang, Oh Well.  :Sad: 


So no real Biggies, I'm relieved to say.  :Aussie: 

Down this track is the main road to Ubon, about 3km. Theres a village on the way.



Same track, opposite direction- we are on a bend in the track. Our local village is about three kilometers down here (it's our local because theres family there, and thats where Mrs and MIL were born).



These photoes were taken from the same vantage as the shot of the newly completed house in post #1 above. Bangkok this is not.  :Razz:

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## sabang

Damn, my internet connection is slow at the moment. I'm off to the shop for a couple of beers, will wrap up later. Some phot's of the newly completed house, a shot of a local falang 'mansion' being built (for a price), and of the local haunted, abandoned house that I'm thinking of buying. Plus the extras we paid for, to end up with a basically furnished place for around 1mm.

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## Loombucket

Nice looking place sabang. It seems to be good value for the money and a safe distance from the pollution of big city life. I would love to see more pictures, if you have any, and good luck with the garden.

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## buad hai

The place looks beautiful....

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## Wayne Kerr

Looks just like what I'm saving for ... I'd have thought something like that would cost heaps more  :Smile:

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## sabang

This place is going to be quite something. He's having not just this huge pile built, but a 12m swimming pool, and a biggish fishing pond in the back yard (with an island and sala in the middle, a bridge leading to). Cost so far, 5.7mm Bht and counting- easy to scoff, but the guys from London. You can pay more than that for a carpark there.



It's running late, the story is he hired an Ubon firm to do the work- but they just contracted everything to local village people, and they turn up every now and again to see how it's going. We walked around the site (family connections) - it's big. Fair play to him- realise your dream, for less than a tenement in London. Methinks, once immersed in Isaan, he'll be wondering why he made it so big. No matter- he Could. It's about 4km from our humble joint, and locally renowned. The view-



I like ours better, but rice paddies are cool too. Word is, once his Palazzio is complete, he's putting up another place for his MIL next door.  :Roll Eyes (Sarcastic): 


Our Family Hamlet was once adulterated by foreign blood. Tragedy is part of village life, and one person that lived there died in hospital, the wife of that person died there in the house soon afterwards. The ultimate owner will not go there anymore, nobody wants to know the place because it is cursed or haunted. My wifes cousin farms the attached land (15 rai) on a deal with the owner. The owner is willing to sell for 600K, my wifes family describes him as a greedy old man. One to keep an eye on- I wouldn't mind securing family control of the Hamlet and surrounds (including some virgin forest). No one else will buy- maybe 450K might be the go, and the haunted house has some charm really.






Theres quite a nice lake nearby too. Some chancer (prolly Chinese) has put the lakeside land up for sale at 300k per rai. Obviously, no takers. Still, what does he care? Next life, next generation, there will be takers.

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## dirtydog

Payment 2 was too early and payment 4 was probably really needed at that stage, apart from that it looks good  :Smile:

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## hillbilly

I have really enjoyed the building progress thus far.

However, I have a few questions. What about the septic tank and the electrical wires coming into the home?

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## jizzybloke

A development in Knightsbride recently sold parking spaces under ground for £250,000 each, they all sold very quickly!

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## sabang

So heres the newly completed Joint then. I'll start with my favourite photo. Here's an extremely proud and happy MIL in her Isaan Porch. This is a woman who laboured all her life to ensure her children received the best she could give them, and who also took care of the rest of the family in Ubon on what she could send back from Bangkok on her measly wages. There is no more deserving Happiness- this woman Humbles me.



There was a nice washing machine there when we left.  :Wink: 

Might just enter us in the Chelsea flower show.  :goldcup: 



Kinda ugly from the back, but functional. Nice big water tank- one of our extras.





Well big inside, but who's complaining.







Bedroom 2, small but adequate. Fitted robes too.



Bathroom 2, the one that had to be 'adjusted' so the door would open. It's OK.



Decent cabinetry really- in some ways better then our place here, which cost a whole lot more. Ouch.



And that oh so mundane, yet useful, storage room. One of the things that attracted me to this design in the first place.

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## buad hai

> Here's an extremely proud and happy MIL in her Isaan Porch.


Great one, just great. Well done.

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## jizzybloke

Think i'll get a cage built for my MiL too

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## sabang

> However, I have a few questions. What about the septic tank and the electrical wires coming into the home?


Septic tank is fed by the two toilets (both adjacent, simple). Shower & sink water goes into an adjacent holding tank, then overflows into the forest (it's ours anyway). Dish water just goes straight into the ground. They'd never get away with this in the West.  :Wink: 

Electricity was quite easy- the line to the Village goes past the house. It works, it's prolly shite, ignorance is bliss.  :Roll Eyes (Sarcastic):

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## davearn

Great stuff Sabang. Living the dream, mate.

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## sabang

HB's query got me thinking of one more thing- yes, the house is earthed. Or so I am told, but don't expect me to fly a kite from there during a lightning storm.  :Smile: 

There is a difference between the original 800K quote, and the 900k we finally agreed upon that should be explained-

Better tiles, floors, patio & bathrooms (the original patio tiles were quadraplegia guaranteed) :Roll Eyes (Sarcastic): 
Hot water heater for showers
bigger water tank
Isaan patio/ Thai kitchen & laundry (14.5K)
Western kitchen island
back of house guttering, for rainwater capture
Better toilets
better sinks
Mirror sliding doors on bedroom BIR's
Roof insulation (31K)
Roof fans in the L shaped living area

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## Ciaphas

Great thread, Great looking house. There was a house built around the corner from me of a similar size for 1.5m looks like a good price for yours.

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## jaiyenyen

Great looking house, for a bargain price I reckon, well done.
I love the photo of your MIL, she must feel very proud. One thing I would like to know, do you stand outside the cage and throw peanuts at her? lol.

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## sabang

Cheers Spikey, by all means let us know if you wanna visit remote Ubon.

Thanks Aguda, and you post is quite timely. We are having a bore sunk in the next few days- 15,000 bht quoted price- no water, no money. Then we have to buy a pump and a bit of piping no doubt. So a bit more to follow shortly, including why our original 'water diviners' early in this thread produced no water.

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## a. boozer

> . We are having a bore sunk in the next few days- 15,000 bht quoted price- no water, no money. Then we have to buy a pump and a bit of piping no doubt. So a bit more to follow shortly, including why our original 'water diviners' early in this thread produced no water.


Sabang, Life is certainly cheaper Baan Nawk, just had a bore hole sunk in Ban Chang 70,000 Baht, including pump and pipework.
 :St George:

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## Xray

Any photos soon, Isee?

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## Aguda

Thanks Aguda, and you post is quite timely. We are having a bore sunk in the next few days- 15,000 bht quoted price- no water, no money. Then we have to buy a pump and a bit of piping no doubt. So a bit more to follow shortly, including why our original 'water diviners' early in this thread produced no water.[/quote]

Well, Sabang, did they reach the water table for you. How about some pictures and an update. Hope you will be drinking fresh and clear water soon!

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## sabang

So the big day came. Heres our bore rig-



About 35 metres now, seemed to be going fine-




So we popped to our local forest shop for an early evening beer. When we returned they had gone, leaving only this-



No water. They gave up at 45 metres- still clay, no sign of any gravel or rock substrata, so no water they said. Bugger. So now I've got two holes, and no water.




^ Not many fish in there. These contractors had done work in the vicinity before, and came well recommended. Oh well, at least it was free- no water, no money.  :Roll Eyes (Sarcastic): 

So where to from here? The girls are putting a brave face on it, and saying they will try again. But if there ain't no water down there, nothings going to change that.




> Sabang, Life is certainly cheaper Baan Nawk, just had a bore hole sunk in Ban Chang 70,000 Baht, including pump and pipework.


Maybe we'll have to go deeper, which means we'll need to spend more too. Damn.

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## Aguda

> No water. They gave up at 45 metres- still clay, no sign of any gravel or rock substrata, so no water they said. Bugger. So now I've got two holes, and no water.


I 'am sorry they didn't hit water for you, Sabang. I don't know much about wells,
so can't offer anything but my sympathy. But, deeper may do the trick and you do need a good supply of fresh water for the family and the fish. You know what they say "Third times the charm." Good luck on your next attempt.

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## Isee

> Any photos soon, Isee?


Yes, I will create a new thread in the next couple of days and put the link here so we don't sidetrack sabangs thread.

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## Kewix

Hi sabang!

it seems that your building company have done a great work.
can please PM the name of the company and the address ?

Greetings

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## Loy Toy

> No water. They gave up at 45 metres- still clay, no sign of any gravel or rock substrata, so no water they said. Bugger. So now I've got two holes, and no water.


We had to go down 70 metres before we first hit rock and gravel and within 2 metres we had a gusher.

The Thais believe in the divining rod and to be fair I have only seen once when they didn't hit water. I also would have tested for water along the tree line on the left of the picture mate.

Did you have to apply for a bore license which I know is a must now around the Pattaya and Bangkok areas? Well it has always been a must and when you sink a bore but nobody seemed to worry about it until recently.

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## sabang

> PM the name of the company


On it's way Kewix. I don't have their address (they're near Khon Kaen), so hopefully names and a mobile will suffice.



> The Thais believe in the divining rod


They had the diving rod out here before drilling too.



> Did you have to apply for a bore license


I doubt anyones heard of such a thing out here mate.

Well our third attempt is underway- the girls got hold of another chap and told him of our lack of success to date but he was keen to give it a go. So there is a hole going down, not far from the doghouse actually. If it hits water, a better location than before in my opinion. Anyhow, he had some mechanical problems so had to go and get his rig sorted, two days ago. I wonder when and if he'll be back?  :mid:

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## Nawty

keep going, it is down there somewhere, just deeper in all parts of the country.

They have to keep going till they hit it....fuckers giving up are typical of their lives.

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## Isee

Sorry to butt in here Sabang, but for Xray and anyone else interested in what went wrong with my build with these builders, heres the link: 

https://teakdoor.com/construction-in-...ml#post1319487

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## kiwinev

Great read and a very interesting project. House and outbuildings looking really nice. Will be interested in new developments.

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## MUSTY

Coming to the end of the kitchen, recreation area, etc. building project. The Sabang 2 appears to be going well, with a defined touch of Isaan.  The builder has been fine, after the wife had settled down, he kept on going and will be finished within the next few days.

I must say at this point in time, I give thanks to my father and mother in law keeping a watchful eye.  My mother in law, trusts no one and has provided the balance of power on this job. Her motto, 'You'll get something (baht) after we get something.'

Anyway, here is a few photos in the closing stages of our project.



Magnificent scaffolding.



Front appearance.


Tiled floor and view out the back.  Kitchen to the left. That great
Isaan light blue, good on you .... mum.



Shot of the front entrance. I always like to curl up on top of the tiled rails.
Just fluro lighting and a sub electrical box for this area.  

Final pictures in about 1 week, will check it all out myself at the end of March.
Also the big secret revealed for keeping the Isaan builder in your hip pocket.

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## sunsetter

^ that looks smart, very large open spaces by the looks of it, more pics please

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## MUSTY

Cheers Mr.Sunsetter, have one for me today....



Outside wet area.



Showing height off ground and concrete surround.



U-shape kitchen, twin sinks, gas top, draws and storage.

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## Isee

> The builder has been fine, after the wife had settled down, he kept on going and will be finished within the next few days.


Care to expand on what happened??

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## MUSTY

Well, today the project is now finished. All looks fine. The builder received his last payment today as the job is finished. Here are a couple of photos. 
This is the Sabang 2, and this is the extension to the house. Open area kitchen/dinning area and recreation area.



Photo of rear corner, showing timber shutters.



The MIL moving in. Just a quick clean and then to find a home for all the bits and pieces.



Different angle of kitchen.



Recreation and open eating area. The end wall is the house wall, connected above at the roof.



Shot from the front corner, with house.



As promised, the secret to keeping the builder on side. Just drop the
tools and go fishing. Builder on right with F.I.L on the left. Nice
catch pop.

I will be checking it all out end of March. So, if anything important to say, I'll
post it then.

The problem with the builder's wife, was her insistance in asking for payments before they were due. In the end, just tell her straight exactly how it is going to be .......
Cheers.

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## sunsetter

well done mate, love that big open area

is that a grass carp?

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## Xray

> In conclusion, would we use this builder again, ..... No.
> The honey moon period is over.
> 
> I hope this is some help X-ray.


Congratulations Musty,  with finished project.
I loved the 5th picture, looks like a grand place - "Musty's Grand Palace" ?

Looking back, and now seeing the finished project, do you still feel the same?
If I was your best friend, would you rather see I choose another builder?

Comparing your notes and Isee project, it seems that they promise the world, but deliver far far less. No eyes for details, no respect for contract or agreement made. Did the flow of new farang customers go to their head?
In your opinion, will the average isaan builder deliver more or less than this?

Honestly we have put our project on hold, until we see both project finished and final conclusions from both of you.

Thanks very much for taking your time posting.

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## MUSTY

Firstly, hi there.
The project is now complete and looks great. I wish to pass on some information to you at the conclusion of this project.  Like you and many others, the whole project thing is a learning curve.  Firstly, the home built is for the whole family and I have used what sabang has done and tried to fit it to our desired outcomes.

Because I have not used any other builder, I cannot comment on whether there are better ones out there. Obviously, there are.  I would suggest that you get what you pay for.  If a builder built to western standards and knew it all, would you think that he would be cheap or you could find one in Thailand? I would not think so.

In conclusion, and in my opinion.
1. This builder is average to above average in thai building
2. This builder wants to do a good job for you, using his knowledge and skills.
3. Decide whether or not you want him for for labour hire only, compared to quote on full job. (labour and materials)
4. I would choose labour only and go out with the Mrs.B and pay for things as you need to. (Takes off the pressure on the whole job that Mrs. B will apply.
5. Neutralise Mrs. B. Installments only on various stages, pay for your own materials. Be upfront and iron clad with arrangements, without exceptions.
6. Be on site or your choosen delegate who can speak thai. This becomes your daily risk assessment.
7. Keep the whole thing simple if possible, build a dwelling above ground (600mm or so) or perhaps a two storey place. Much like camping out on higher ground.
8. Don't get involved in using fill to use as elevation. Select your building site carefully. Thus not having to worry about drainage, compaction etc. Don't tempt fate, if it can bite you on the arse it will. (trust me on that)
9. If you don't know any better, you will get the best job you could have possibly thought. Ignorance is bliss.
10. Use the thermal block for construction. Benefits are two numerous to list.
11. Use their concrete, steel, block,tile, rendered, mortared buildiing materials for simplicity and durability. Purchase the best elastic paint, properly prepared. Check all wiring, proper use of junction boxes, earth, connectors etc., 
12.If you are a knit picker don't build in thailand, build in a western environment, whereupon they can sue the arse off someone if they come in under par.
13. Think carefully on exactly what you want to build.

To be continued.... visitors

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## Isee

> If a builder built to western standards and knew it all, would you think that he would be cheap or you could find one in Thailand? I would not think so.


Sorry, but I simply don't agree with this statement. One of the biggest costs factor is labour in the West - one of the very real reasons why construction is cheaper in LOS. The second thing is substandard materials where they may look the same as in the West, but they simply aren't - this isn't due to farangs wanting cheap houses, it because thais want them cheap. But the most specific point is where the builder represents that they will (or pretty much close to it as materials will allow) build "farang quality". 

If a builder says I can build it at farang quality for this price or Issan price at half the cost and you accept the latter - then you can't complain as you got what you paid for. I take people at their word, if they tell me something, then that is what I expect - its not a case of what I expect to get in another country. 




> 4. I would choose labour only and go out with the Mrs.B and pay for things as you need to. (Takes off the pressure on the whole job that Mrs. B will apply.


Brave man imho - buying the materials yourself creates a whole different level of problems. If you want to buy (like we did) the tiles, sinks, toilet etc etc - just make sure you aren't paying twice for it with the builder having allowed those things in their price. A better way would be to get the price of what Mrs B would spend and then upgrade and buy you want and then offset the original allocation on final payment. That also has one downside (always is) however where the builder could start intentionally selecting really cheap items knowing you will upgrade. 




> 12.If you are a knit picker don't build in thailand, build in a western environment, whereupon they can sue the arse off someone if they come in under par.


Again sorry (not having a go at you here), but see the first reply above. People will work to the standard that they think they can get away with. Thais are notorious for it imho - give them the proverbial inch and they will take a mile. Its up to you (as you are going to be living with it for a long time after the builder leaves) and its in your own interests to keep standards up - no matter how frustrating it can get. Thailand has very poor consumer protection laws (now in its infancy) and its not just a case of thais screwing over the "farang" (thats just a bonus), they will easily screw each other over if they think they can get away with it. Try getting money out of a thai if they think they have been wronged in some way - you won't get 100% thats for sure. 




> 13. Think carefully on exactly what you want to build.


Agreed  :Smile:  


Just a quick question - Are you happy with the end result or "happy enough" with it - because you haven't seen it yet in person, just in photos - is that right? 

Don't take anything I've said the wrong way, just entering into a dialogue with you.

----------


## BKKBILL

Well Musty I for one happen to agree with your observations. If you want a “western”  house just build it in the west. You are not alone in thinking your builder was average or above average. Many foreigners building here recommend a labour only contract if possible.

My wife and I had some good and some bad contractors for our numerous builds here. For the most part it has been a rewarding experience. Listening to some posters it seems you are lucky to get out with just the shirt on your back.

Glad to hear your project is complete and looking great.

----------


## MUSTY

Thanks BKKBILL for your kind words.
Hi Isee, I don't take anything to heart. It is all about expressing your opinions and sharing experiences. You are right, I haven't gone over to check out the work myself, but will do at the end of March.

One of the things, I would like to check out, is a roof sprinkler system. Initial investigations show that a 3 minute duration (every hour) on a 4 feed sprinkler system with a 18 litres of water onto an average roof during a mid 30's outside temperature.
Will possibly bring the inside room temperature down to between 26 to 27 degrees celcius. The evaporation would be complete with no run off. The heat energy being obsorbed by the water.  A standard window air conditioner produces about 10,000 BTU. The above scenario produces about 12,000 btu's.

X-Ray, wish you all the best on your possible decision.  You are most welcome to come and have a look at our place near Khon Kaen.  The only thing that matters is that you can make an informed decision based on what you see and how you feel about what you see.  I think Sabang would also open his door to you, if asked.

All the best.


This is a photo of the old place in the village. So for the family, they
are 'happy enough'.

----------


## vanfinkel

> ^ I'm 49, not out. Dropped out of the rat race early, damn lucky to be able to after an expensive divorce, a financial crisis to weather, and various other crap. You don't need to be rich to live comfortably in provincial Thailand, but you certainly shouldn't attempt it on a shoestring budget either- that can be a real horror story. So keep that shoulder to the wheel for a few more years, you're yet young. 
> 
> Some final piccies in the Doghouse-
> 
> 
> 
> 
> There will be a fishing rod or two dangling there one day.  
> And some beers consumed here- had my first farang guest over about a week ago, for the christening-
> ...


I think the interior looks great, don't listen to the mrs.

----------


## Isee

> Well Musty I for one happen to agree with your observations. If you want a western  house just build it in the west.


I'm just curious BKKBILL as there can be a misunderstanding of someones interpretation (or expectation) of western or "farang quality" - in my definition its something above what Somchaislaptogether would be happy to leave you with. Would you consider the expectation of windows not leaking to be a feature of a "western house"?  What about level floor tiles that passes the "coin test" - is that a feature of a western house? Walls to be square - is that reserved for a western house??  





MUSTY - I'm truly happy for you mate - from the pictures, it certainly looks OK. In fact I'll easily go one further and say it does look good all up. How do you think it will fare during the wet season seeing that its so open? 

I can see one thing that they have done which I picked them up on with my house - but on its own it would come across as a bit of a "nit pick" and I'd be curious if you pick it up yourself. However, I can also see something that they have finished off well that they didn't do for me. I reckon reserve your final determination until you can have a close look. 

I like your idea about the roof sprinkler, I have come across the idea before either here or somewhere else. The thais will think you are crazy - but who cares  :Smile:   I take it you are looking at it for the main house and therefore sounds like you are having heat retention problems like myself. I reckon your big problem is having something durable that could sit up on the roof and deal with the UV and heat. I've only seen plastic sprinklers in the places I've looked in LOS and as a general rule, thai plastic doesn't fare well leaving it in exposed sunlight. If you are really serious about it, I'd be trying to source metal or UV treated sprinklers from home and bringing them over with you. The other option is using soaker houses - once again something of good quality.

----------


## Isee

Forgot one thing but for some reason I can't edit my previous post. If you want to set up a timer system, source it from home as well - save you the trouble of trying to find a good one in LOS.

----------


## MUSTY

Thanks Isee, I will resource it before we go.  It was interesting that the Cardif Air system, whereupon a radial fan placed in the roof sucking the air through the house and then through the roof and out the eeves had a possible tendancy to recycle back through the house.(because you need to open windows etc.)  We would be using a timer and the bore water for the cooling. The previous post stated a 12,000 btu outcome. That was an error on my original post. It is actually 120,000 btu's that was stated in the experiment.

You were right with regards the hot house and we got the gyprock with the silver paper side, which makes me chuckle. But I thought that when I went over, I could sought it out.  The new addition has been placed on the afternoon side of the house, it may assist a little. With the open area on the new extension, we are going to try the plastic roll down blinds with the zippers. Similar to the restaurants with outdoor areas. Easy to roll up and out of sight.

Anyway, look forward to checking it all out.  Thanks again, enjoying your thread very much.
Cheers.

----------


## Isee

Musty - I forgot you were Aussie, Eumundi no less - go through there on bike rides once in a while. 

That Cardiff system to me looks like a bit of a maybe in my mind. As I understand how it works, its creating a +air pressure in the roof and forcing the roof air to be expelled down through the eave vents. The real benefit I see it is that its pretty much invisible. Sounds like you've done your research on it and probably know a bit more about it. Why not just use a couple of whirly birds on the roof with vented eaves. That system as I understand it as well, is that its a suction action occurring which seems more efficient to me - as hot air naturally rises. Obviously the birds are more visible and some people don't like them (my wife being one). You're in the same boat as me, a roof that doesn't allow itself to be vented through the normal way in Thailand (as done in your extension) and  ripping out some of your eave panels and replace them with vented ones (the more the better). 

I think Sabang got the silver foil gyproc as well - not sure if he remembers talking about the subject with me. There was a product that we nearly bought (after finding out what the builder was putting in) when we were in Homemart (it was on special at the time) that was your normal roof bat covered in a silver foil. The rating seemed a good balance against its price. We decided to leave it to see how hot the house got with the insulation we put in. Can't remember the name of it but wouldn't be hard to find. Where are you based in LOS - Roi Et? I have a feeling Global House sells them as well.

----------


## BKKBILL

Don’t want to hijack MUSTY’s excellent thread but seeing you asked. I would consider the expectation of windows not leaking to be a feature of a a properly constructed Thai house also the same with level floor tiles that passes the "coin test". Walls being square could be stretching it. Maybe I just got lucky with my builders. If I do run into Somchaislaptogether possibly a pass will be in order, but thank you for the heads up.

----------


## DrAndy

> I like your idea about the roof sprinkler, I have come across the idea before either here or somewhere else. The thais will think you are crazy - but who cares


my neighbour in CM uses a sprinkler system in hot weather; he says it works well and is much cheaper than aircon

strangely enough, he is Thai

----------


## sabang

> I think Sabang got the silver foil gyproc as well


Yep-I checked it up when you called. The reasons my house is relatively cool must have more to do with the aspect (east facing), the fact that the two main sun exposed walls are shaded by the carport and the back verandah, the Q-Con, and open plan interior. Also with no walls around the place and an open outlook, even the slightest breeze gets thru'.

Sorry to hear about the 'Hotbox' issues, and I hope they're sorted out OK Musty and Isee- thats one thing I'm pretty picky about, Mrs sab and the Mil too- they both hate aircon.

As for your 'new addition' Musty- it looks great mate, well done. I think you'll be spending plenty of time out there on hot days, as opposed to the house interior- thats the Isaan way.

----------


## sabang

> The problem with the builder's wife, was her insistance in asking for payments before they were due.


She tried it on mrs once (I mentioned it early in this thread). The answer was a firm 'No'- although DD did subsequently mention he thought the payment (3rd, i think) was well due by then!. But they were the agreed terms. If you don't mind guys, I will feed this back to them, 'cus this sort of thing is infuriating to many a farang. It's *their* job to get their budgeting and cost estimating right on this type of quote.



> Decide whether or not you want him for for labour hire only, compared to quote on full job. (labour and materials)


I've been thinking about this, and I think the answer might vary according to the 'personality type' of farang we are talking about. Now me, I'm a Dummy when it comes to building, plus basically a 'type B' hands-off kind of guy. The certainty of the 'all-in' quote attracted me, as I knew exactly what I would be paying- in fact I did do one or two things better in the end, such as tiles and insulation, but it was close enough. So the main stress for me in the whole excercise was picking the right builder (once again, see the first part of this Thread). Then I pretty much let them get on with it until the finishing stages. It worked fine for me.

Now a 'Type A' type farang, and/or a guy that knows a fair bit about building is probably gonna be different. He wants to be involved or observing at all stages of the process, down to and including picking his own building materials. That way, he both knows exactly what he is gonna get- and only has himself to blame if it isn't what he wanted! So I think in this instance (and contrary to my earlier advice) a contracted Labour price plus materials bought seperately would work better for 'Khun A'. As I mentioned earlier, in my observation most of the jobs I've been privy to that are done this way do run over the anticipated budget though- so it is up to you to get your costing right Khun A, or at least not cry foul if it ends up more than you originally thought. As luck would have it, there is a guy a few km's from me in Ubon who did it this way, and he did well. Then again he must have spent hundreds of hours (by his estimation) shopping around all of the Builders merchants in Ubon and surrounds, comparing prices and seizing on the specials that apparently regularly come up. But he had a decent builder, and got a good job done at what seems a good price too.

There is also a 'Type C' farang  :Smile: . Now he will usually just leave it to the wife and family to sort. Oh my Gawd- we've got one around here. You reckon you've had problems with your wall Isee- his collapsed, twice. On the back wall, they just ended up bulldozing in a few ton of earth and making it a dike instead. There is absolutely no drainage on the side walls either- I doubt they will last. Then theres the electrics, the finishing, the wonky stairs, etc etc. And of course the mounting cost. Yet Farang C, amazingly, is still happy- "well, lets face it, it still costs way less than it would in the UK". I think Isee, in contrast, would have had a coronary! My advice to a "Type C" farang- try at least to become like a Type B for this excercise (TIT). Or hope to hell your wife is a 'Type A'.  You should probably get your price quoted up front, and pay time and attention to getting a half decent builder too (ie not your wifes cousins). But you probably won't.  :mid:

----------


## Isee

> Yet Farang C, amazingly, is still happy- "well, lets face it, it still costs way less than it would in the UK". I think Isee, in contrast, would have had a coronary!


Yep, if I had handed over any money (either labour or materials) I would have certainly gone off my nut if they came back with mai bpen lai as an excuse and I was out of pocket  :Smile:  . I reckon the best you could get might be an offer to do labour for free but would find it hard to believe for them to pay for materials - even if its there own fault. Their way of thinking would be you only paid us for labour - the materials are your problem (even if we've wasted them). 

I also think you've made a good observation about the "type" of people as to whether an all in quote versus a labour quote is suitable. To be buying materials, I think you would need to have a fair knowledge of construction as well as the time AND a place to store materials in advance. The biggest problem I still believe in a labour only deal is wastage or theft of materials. 

The same "3 layer" observation you can also make with the "expectation" of what you will get. 

1. As long as it doesn't fall down its ok; 
2. An expectation of good workmanship; 
3. An unreasonable expectation. 

I would like to think that I fall in the middle, I expected work to be done using proper building methods. Quite a number of times I looked at some work and thought "hmmmmm - ok I'm in Thailand lets see how it turns out". When what they were doing was just downright wrong (in my novice building knowledge), I would pull them up on it. My house was in excess of 10k per sqm - while I don't think I paid massively over the top, I certainly KNOW I didn't get any sort of bargain. That was something I knew at the time of contracting and while I accepted the price, I did so on the reassurances that I would be getting "farang quality" - so I was expecting what I was paying for. 

I simply don't agree with the attitude of comparing prices with "back home" - its a comparison of apples and oranges in my opinion, its that simple. 

I had a similar problem with early payments - I thought most of them were too early but went with the flow to keep the peace. I said no (a number of times) at the end for the final payment as they were a good 10 days out from completion. As it was, in hindsight, I should have withheld the final payment until I was happy with the finishes and not trusting that they would be back to fix everything up (which they said they would do).

----------


## Norton

> The biggest problem I still believe in a labour only deal is wastage or theft of materials.


There is that but when you think about it, there is no incentive for the builder to optimize time on the job.  Unless the buyer is an experienced project manager and is on site everyday, the builder in no hurry to complete the job.

----------


## Isee

Norton, so is that another cross against a labour only agreement?? Thats how I read what you say but not 100% sure  :Smile:

----------


## Norton

> Norton, so is that another cross against a labour only agreement??


Absolutely.  I have done a couple.  Never again.  Oops, take that back.  Built a rice barn recently on a labor only basis.  Three village "builders" at 200 baht a day each.  I bought all the materials and was with them everyday explaining the intricacies of fitting tab A into slot B.

----------


## bobbysan124

Very nice and entertaining thread.  Hope you and Mrs. enjoy for many moons to come.

----------


## sabang

Finally, we have our own Source' Perrier.  :Smile: 

Several things have been waiting on this- not least the fishpond, and gardens. And after three failed attempts on our immediate land, things were not looking up at all. My 'fallback' position was to connect up to the local forest Wat, but it was never one I was happy with. It would have involved around 3.5 km of pipes to be laid- not cheap at all, and plenty can go wrong in that length of piping- not to mention I couldn't be sure how the water pressure might be at the other end. Might well need an auxiliary pump. On the good side, it is nice sweet potable water- we use it as drinking water here actually.

But it was all pretty perplexing- several properties around us have well water, no problem- and their wells are not that deep, 25-35m. Why didn't we? And as I continued a slow process of local enquiries, it got even more perplexing. Those shallow wells locally are fine, but then there are other places that had to go deeper too- oftentimes under a rock layer. But that water varied- sometimes it was great, like mineral water, other times salty and with a vague sulfur smell. So if I went deep- which would involve a more sophisticated and expensive drilling rig, I might just end up with crap water too. It seems the local aquifer is quite complex.  :Confused: 

But in the local vicinity, I did notice that most of these 'shallow well' properties- and they produce good clear water- are roughly linear, you can draw a straight(ish) line between them. And that line passes through another 13 rai of land we have, down the track from the house. Worth a shot? Must be an old river bed down there or something, now an unconfined aquifer as opposed to a confined body of water- where the water, apart from being deeper, can be real good or real bad.. The same boys who did the last, failed attempt to eke water from our barren land were more than happy to give it a shot again, so decision made and off we go. Fingers crossed too.




Our home is to the right, along this track-



Like 400 metres or so.  :Roll Eyes (Sarcastic):  We're just past the bend in the track, and as you can see we pressganged some locals for the pipelaying-




I'm not saying it's perfect, but it is the best we could do as far as this Dummie can tell. The drilling job itself was a doddle- easy drilling conditions, rounded water eroded pebbles started appearing at around 27 meters- and that means theres water down there. The well was sunk to 32m, at which point it was producing crystal clear water. Smiles all around.  :Smile: 

So we now had a well, but pump, power and piping yet to be done, so it was plugged for the night, to be completed next day-




And I enjoyed my beer that evening.   :bananaman:

----------


## sabang

So heres the pump going in next day- it's a 'Lucky Star' brand, never heard of em but they seem to be the main choice around here, and thats good enough for me.



Western standard wiring  :mid: -



Of course, an unattended pump out here in the Sticks does lead to temptation for the light fingered few.



A lick of paint, and presto-




Now if a pump were left like that in a similarly remote place around Pattaya, I doubt it would last three days frankly. But this ain't Pattaya.  :Smile:  We'll see.


The cost of the exercise-
Drilling crew - 8000 bht (+ one Lao Khao). Cheap  :Smile: 
Lucky Star pump- 7300 bht, including a few connecting bits
Water Pipe & connectors & glue- 9000 bht
Electrical wiring- 6900 bht
The pump cage- 2000 bht
The Road gang- 1500 bht

*Total = 34,700 bht*

Of course over half of the cost is due to the fact we've had to go 400m from our house to get water, and then connect it. But get water we did- and good water it is too.

Phew- but lets face it, what would that exercise have cost in the West? I wager the Road gang alone would have cost far more.

Should you have reason to go down the same road as me and put up a house in the Sticks, I have one word of advice. If your wife says 'water no ploblem', *Check*.  :yerman: 

But alls well that ends well.  :Smile:

----------


## Isee

^ There is a design flaw in your cage. It wouldn't take much to unscrew the roof and lift the pump out - could be done fairly quietly. Or alternatively if you've used anchor bolts that are exposed which can be unbolted and the entire cage lifted up. While it would stop the average passerby from walking away with it, wouldn't be hard to quietly to remove it with a little planning. Don't take this as a criticism, just wouldn't want to see someone walking away with it one night. 

I presume its all up and running - pressure good/ flow rate? I take it you're just pumping into your tank and then using your tank pump to provide water pressure to the house?   What is its lift capacity - I would have thought 32m would have be beyond its limits - or at least struggling with it.

----------


## sabang

> There is a design flaw in your cage. It wouldn't take much to unscrew the roof and lift the pump out


Actually there were bars welded under the tin roof to the steel frame later- the wife had picked that up instantly. Just haven't taken a pic yet as it's much the same. Well spotted.  :Smile:  



> Or alternatively if you've used anchor bolts that are exposed which can be unbolted and the entire cage lifted up


They're seemingly good sturdy bolts, but whether they are unscrewable or not I don't know. I'll check that. 



> I presume its all up and running - pressure good/ flow rate?


It's fine, quite strong enough. If we run a couple of water outlets simultaneously that drops the pressure noticeably though. 



> I take it you're just pumping into your tank and then using your tank pump to provide water pressure to the house?


Nope, we're bypassing the tank actually. I'll give it a while to see how it pans out, but if turns out reliable & ongoing decent pressure I'll probably make the tank purely for rainwater. If anything the water pressure is too strong when pumped from the tank by our Mitsubishi pump, although hardly a problem.

----------


## Dilbert

Sabang, Great Thread!  I'm happy to see that both you and Musty have built great homes for your families.  Thanks for sharing with all, and I hope you enjoy many years in your house.

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## Norton

Well done!  Finally. :Smile:

----------


## Marmite the Dog

> Nope, we're bypassing the tank actually.


Don't. Get a tank and another pump. You won't regret it.

----------


## sabang

^ It's set up so we can switch between the two Marmite. I want to bypass the tank for a while so I get an ongoing look at the water clarity, pressure and so on. Mrs sabs attitude is why use two pumps when one will do, fair enough, but we'll obviously keep the water tank full in case of power outages or whatever else might screw up.

Cheers guys.  :Smile:

----------


## sunsetter

well done sabs, keep rolling along mate  :Smile:

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## BKKBILL

Yes well done sabang. Good thing you bolted that pump house down looks so good you could loose it to someone in need of a great dog house.

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## MuckyMan

Hi Sabang , I was very impressed with your house building project.I am hoping to build a house near KK next year,and I'm looking for a good builder(If there is such a thing),I think your guy may fit the bill, I'd be much abliged if you could supply me with his details, could save me a lot of leg work. Or I should say ,save the Mrs' a lot of leg work.

Cheers,
Muckyman

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## sabang

^ I'll send you a PM MuckyMan- good luck with your project.  :Smile: 

Heres a look at those 'security bars' Isee-



 I doubt it would be enough to stop a determined tea leaf, but then again this local chappies wouldn't be difficult at all to make off with-



And of course, nothing can possibly go wrong now anyway, cus Mrs sab bribed the spirits  :mid:  -




A few days later and it's all good- the water runs fine and clear (we're drinking it now actually- although I'm getting the water tested, 'just in case'). Pressures good too- so we're still bypassing the tank, and second pump. I'll be a bit curious to see of it jacks up our electricity bill noticeably, as if we've gone to considerable lengths to get it, and it goes a considerable length to get to us.


Perseverance has it's rewards, and my closest farang neighbours house is looking pretty good-




He built it the hard way- locals & cousins. A load of stuff has had to be redone, but it's getting there now.

----------


## helge

> And of course, nothing can possibly go wrong now anyway, cus Mrs sab bribed the spirits -


Ha  :Smile: 
Since when are we supposed to offer tissues to the spirits ?

----------


## sabang

On the home front, no problems at all- we had a lightning bolt hit very close by a couple of days back, almost shat meself. It zapped out my computer monitor too- but the house was fine. Too ashamed to show you any photos of our progress with the 'garden', because there is none. But now we have a decent water supply.  :Smile: 

A recent visitor to the doghouse- 






Token arty farty shot :mid:  -



And whilst the local avian life like is nothing to speak of, theres plenty of these around locally-

 

The name has slipped my mind, but I'm sure someone will know.  :Smile:

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## nigelandjan

the pheasant or the cow ?

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## nigelandjan

your up late sabang

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## sabang

Yeh, I vary between getting up absurdly early or going to be absurdly late.  :Smile: 

Not a pheasant- a member of the cuckoo family I think.

----------


## a. boozer

> Yeh, I vary between getting up absurdly early or going to be absurdly late. 
> 
> Not a pheasant- a member of the cuckoo family I think.



Nok Capoot, or something that sounds very similar, I believe.

----------


## sabang

It's a Coucal, sometimes called a 'crow pheasant'.

I had an Aussie staying here a while back who has a place between KK & Udon- near Nong Sat. He told me they catch and breed them in captivity around there- apparently they fetch 4,000 bht a bird. No way. Anyway, not around here they don't, and I'm certainly not gonna tell the locals- they'll disappear overnight.  :Roll Eyes (Sarcastic):

----------


## MuckyMan

Hi sabang,  thanks for the info, the Mrs. and I will be back in Thialand at the end of the year, hopefully she'll get the ball rolling. I'll let you know how we get on. 

Cheers,

MM

----------


## kiwinev

Good to see progress, and water at last. Certainly a bit of a mission but worth it in the end.

----------


## jjam

Saybang, would you mind reconmending the name of your builder. Thanks mate.

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## jjam

Sir, would you mind recomending your builder to me. Email jshell2u[at]yahoo.com . thanks :yerman:

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## brian3673

great thread sabang
i built a house for the wifes sister as the cousins next door want her land,,,,cunts..she lived there 29 years until her sister went with me..
so i built here a house for 100 bht nothing special but she has face now and they are leaving her alone...
tried to upload photo but no joy...

----------


## sabang

> i built here a house for 100 bht


^ Thanks. If you've got a builder that can do the job for that Brian, the world will beat a path to your door.  :Smile: 
Assume you mean 1 mill bht?  :mid: 

Message on it's way JJ, remember the usual rules of commerce apply- a bit of haggling doesn't go astray, and to get what you want specify it. TIT and all that. And of course good luck with it.

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## Lucywu2012

That's a great place to live!!

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## brian3673

sorry it was £1000 about 90000 bht  
i will try and get a pic on but cannot yet as i am new on here.

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## jacko69

Sabang, loved this thread from start to end... if there ever is an end. Let me say that the information you dispense here is fantastic.

I too am looking to build in the Suwannaphum area (if possible) in a year, once the savings are in place.. She keeps spending what I'm saving. lol.

We are currently renting a small apartment at the mo, but if you can PM me with the builder you used and the design you used I'd greatly appreciate it mate. 

The layout and size are both ideal for what I am looking at and as there has been a number of lads here employed your builder for the same construction, he'll be an asset to have. 

Cheers bro

----------


## sabang

Well cheers jacko- it's somewhat strayed from a strictly 'building' thread for dummies to a setting it all up (gradually) and living in the Isaan sticks type thread. Anyhow glad you and others have enjoyed it- me also.



> if there ever is an end.


 64K question mate.  :mid: 

I'll send you thru' the details. No plans to be found at this end, sorry. Reckon the builders must have them though, or they  surely _[?]_ couldna done Musty's place.  :Smile:

----------


## kiwinev

Cheers Sabang, I have followed this thru and have learned alot and enjoyed it all.
I will be going thru this build phase in Isaan soon and no doubt will see some of the same problems. Your experience will certainly help me. :Smile:

----------


## tsicar

> great thread sabang
> i built a house for the wifes sister as the cousins next door want her land,,,,cunts..she lived there 29 years until her sister went with me..
> so i built here a house for 100 bht nothing special but she has face now and they are leaving her alone...
> tried to upload photo but no joy...


something doesn't make sense here.
not trying to make waves, and i won't say that you have been had (yet) but how does your investment in a home for your sister in law have any bearing whatsoever on the fact that her cousins wanted her land and how did the investment prevent them from getting what they wanted?


perhaps you could expand on this so that we could learn something about thai legal matters that have not previously been posted on here by people that actually know what they are talking about.


...not suggesting that you were ripped off or conned, just hoping that you can shed more light on the subject so that the rest of us can avoid been taken for a ride, too!

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## brian3673

fair comment tsicar
are you married? i now am,we have a 19 month old boy and are happy,this might be strange in the los..but as long as i have nown my wife we have visited her sister and been made felt like more than welcome.
i have seen there shack they call home and how happy they are,she has a 8 year old girl who i adore.
when we made plans to get married,i offered,not asked to pay a dowrie.
the land her house was on was owned by the people next door,they wanted to make new biulding so made life hard from her,they even stopped her going to the only toilet next to her house.luckely the lady on the other side of her let her go to her one.i asked how much to move her,not my wife..i offered the house as a dowrie.i have done this for them and the diffrence in there life has been amazing..her daughter came home from school with what they had drawn that day..picture of a house her and mum and a big heart.even the falang was on the paper...for me that was worth the money.
i now of the horror stories you read and hear!!!
i could wright a book with my life in thailand so far,and maybe one day i will...
maybe we could start getting stories on td of the positives not just negative ones.
but as my wife would say.....UP TO YOU....

----------


## Thaigerwan

Great thread and thanks to all for some excellent info. I am in the process of designing a house for myself and the good lady about 20 klicks from Kumpawapi off highway2 Khon Kaen Udon road.
Sabang those builders of yours are not to far away, any chance of a contact please ?.
I intend to build (or oversee) the project myself but will need specialist work for the roofing and footings, allso never been good at plastering ( Some cruel people may say I make getting Plastered look easy ) so the rendering is another.
Dont worry I dont intend getting sweaty digging footings, there are younger options available for that. I only have to pick up a hammer and I start leaking, dont know about you guys but the slow Thai approach to work seems ok for me...
 btw... Have any of you Brits thought about getting a UK electric socket from home and installing just one..for the odd time your mates turn up with no adapter

----------


## sabang

I'll PM you with the details Thaiger- I assume you've got a Thai speaker handy? You'll certainly need one, to explain the bits you do and don't want quoted. Good luck- sounds an interesting project. A building thread would be great.  :Smile: 




> UK electric socket from home and installing just one.


Great idea- and why just one? If you're bringing stuff in with you *to* Thailand from a 220-240V country, bring a few local plugs points along as well and you're able to plug in whatever electrical appliances you've brought- no need for adapters. If an when they become redundant, dead easy to change back to local points. I wish I'd thought of that.  :Roll Eyes (Sarcastic):

----------


## johpam

I installed an Ozzie socket in a couple of rooms when I did my extention. No fcuking arround if some friend forgets to bring an adopter. Also I brought a 4 way Qzzie inletboard and put a thai plug on it so when we travel arround Thailand we can plug a few Ozzie electrical appliances.

----------


## Thaigerwan

After12 years travelling in SEA mostly LoS I can speak enough Thai to get by but I will have to check up on tool names etc.
I am currently working out costing.( Hard from UK) and what tools I can get away without or need,can hire/borrow. 
I am used to getting out the SDS or Chop saw/planer.
Or.. do I just make sure I am on site and contract out... £££££££ I will let you know as soon as I do :tieme:

----------


## dirtydog

> Have any of you Brits thought about getting a UK electric socket from home and installing just one..for the odd time your mates turn up with no adapter


The back boxes are a different size to the Thai ones, they are very expensive in the UK, and you can buy multi socket outlets here that will take UK and Thai plugs for less than 6 quid for a double.

----------


## Dreadlord

> 


Now you can go to town and ask the bar girls for money saying your buffalo sick... :bananaman:  :bananaman:  :bananaman:  :bananaman:  :bananaman:

----------


## blodger

Hi Sabang,

Just joined so haven't enough posts to pm you.Could you please e-mail me at yswfb[at]yahoo.com or pm me the builders info, sorry to be a pain.

Thanks & Regards

blodger

----------


## snowey

hi like your house how can i access your photos (new to teakdoor)

----------


## Norton

If you want to download to your computer, right click on the pic and then "save image as".

----------


## Bilbobaggins

yet another great building thread, thanks Sabang, it looks great

----------


## sabang

Quite thrilled with my new toy.  :Smile: 




For 90K baht, a decent buy I thought. They're 200k new, near enough- and it's 18 months old, with under 70 hours running time. A doddle to operate too. No excuses to be lazy on the gardening now.





^ If I can ever get the locals off the damn thing, that is.  :Roll Eyes (Sarcastic):

----------


## Lorenzo

> Building a house in Isaan, for Dummies.


ball and chain

----------


## nigelandjan

Thats nice mate and for £2000 a steal I would say.

Thats the kind of bit of kit I will be after later on for between the rubber trees .

Did you get it private or from a garage / showroom at that kinda price ?

----------


## sabang

It was a private sale Nigel- although I heard about it from a Kubota dealership.  :Smile:

----------


## OhOh

> A doddle to operate too


Pictures of your furrows please?

You will get many years of use with the "snow plough" on the front

----------


## OhOh

> Originally Posted by sabang
> 
> A doddle to operate too
> 
> 
> Pictures of your furrows please?
> 
> You will get many years of use with the "snow plough" on the front


Do they run ploughing competitions in your neck of the woods?

----------


## OhOh

What have you done with the old plough?

----------


## sabang

> Originally Posted by sabang
> 
> A doddle to operate too
> 
> 
> Pictures of your furrows please?
> 
> You will get many years of use with the "snow plough" on the front


If the last winter was indicative of things to come, I might just require that snow plough.  :mid:  But the scoop has several uses as is, such as levelling the driveway, laying down pebbles, removing surface vegetation from where we want to plant, and keeping the ever encroaching jungle within it's allotted perimeter.

Ploughing- lets wait for some rain, shall we. Not a good time to plant yet anyway, unless irrigating. I don't think I'll be using the 'disc' plough much at all- the KRT also comes with a simple ripper plough, and of course tillers that attach to the rear wheels- usually for tilling rice paddies. I figure a couple of runs with the ripper, followed by a run through with the tiller to break up the clods, will be much easier.

We're also buying a trailer for it, and I'll probably get an augur too- partly for post hole digging, partly for tree planting.

----------


## nigelandjan

Has it got a conventional 3 point linkage on the back and a PTO ?

----------


## sabang

^ Yes, absolutely. I'll get some more fot's done in due course. I should maybe start a new thread.

Cheers for the feedback all. Seems every time I check back with this thread theres a few nice comments I've missed.  :Smile:

----------


## OhOh

> I don't think I'll be using the 'disc' ploug


I did think the discs wouldn't be too good for ploughing. I always thought you ploughed when it was dry for most crops, excluding rice it seems,.

Now you have the tractor you will find all sorts of attachments which are a must to own. It's a start on a slippery slope this "gentleman farmer" lark.

When are you starting on the "equipment" barn to store your tractor?

----------


## nigelandjan

> I did think the discs wouldn't be too good for ploughing.


Back in the days when I was tractor driving at 15 yr old we would put some lime on the stubble after the harvest , then I would disc the lime into the stubble ,, let it break down a bit , then i would mole it then plough it crossways to the direction of the mole. That was in the good ol days when we had time to wipe our arse,s after we had a dump ,, nowadays the tractors scream across the fields with a chisel plough bouncing along behind it compacting the ground down so hard so when it rains most of it runs off ,,,,,,,,still we must have progress ,,, ( must,nt we ?? )

----------


## DrAndy

> Originally Posted by sabang
> 
> Building a house in Isaan, for Dummies.
> 
> 
> ball and chain





> followed by a run through with the tiller to break up the clods


very useful

----------


## DrAndy

> nowadays the tractors scream across the fields with a chisel plough bouncing along behind it compacting the ground down so hard so when it rains most of it runs off ,,,,,,,,still we must have progress ,,, ( must,nt we ?? )


but you don't have to do it like that

----------


## nigelandjan

> but you don't have to do it like that


        You are correct Doc but in the UK right now we dont have time to do owt dont ya know ,,government cutbacks

----------


## vipin

One of my neighbours, when our little street turns into a river during heavy rain their rental house floods, so they decided to fix this problem.

The house was being raised 1.5 metres in all, it took 6 days to get it to its height, not a bad effort at all. Now the house has been filled with fill and the floor has been concreted already

Have lived in Isaan country for 5 years and teaching at a private school. Loving life in The Far North East of Thailand

Nong Ja enjoyed this as she got to play with the sand and stone between workers filling buckets.

Thai baht for just the labour, not the materials to have this done. A lot cheaper and easier than back home for sure.

One of the good things in Thailand is the lack of red tape when doing things. You want to open a shop, you just open it. A few people do register them legally but many dont. You want to build something, just build it and again some do the correct procedure and go through the government department but many dont.

----------


## nigelandjan

Sounds good Viper ,, looks like you have reached your nirvana ,, although not quite sure whats its got to do with this thread ,,,,, anyway good on you mate

----------


## Edge

Sabang et al, I was just surfing for info as we are in the process of thinking about building a house near Uthai and I came across this thread. It is fantastic, made me join Teakdoor to keep in touch with you all.
Up there a few days ago and we had a local with a tractor like yours, a bit bigger but the same design, flatten our topsoil and border.
You have some great tips and it will help us no end.
A big thank you everyone.

----------


## DrAndy

so when you start, post the progress

always nice to see how others do things

----------


## bluesky2047

Sabang,

Love your house story! A lot of valuable info. for a novice.
And a beautiful place you built for yourself and the family.

I am from Norway and married to a nice Thai-girl from just north of Khon Kaen
We plan to build a house in the near future on her land.
And I would be happy to know who the wife and husband builders you used are...

Best regards from cold Norway! :-)

----------


## Edge

DrAndy, will do although this looks like a sabang style house thread and although the comments are really helpful for us all, our house will not follow that style of building. 
Working out how to organise the wall around a rai of land right now.

----------


## DrAndy

> DrAndy, will do although this looks like a sabang style house thread and although the comments are really helpful for us all, our house will not follow that style of building.


sure, just start a new thread of your own

----------


## Marmite the Dog

> Quite thrilled with my new toy. 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> For 90K baht, a decent buy I thought. They're 200k new, near enough- and it's 18 months old, with under 70 hours running time. A doddle to operate too. No excuses to be lazy on the gardening now.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Do you you know what the average day rate would be to hire a chap with one of those?

----------


## sunsetter

last i remember about 500 bahts but that was a bigger one

----------


## Marmite the Dog

^ That sounds reasonable. 

I've got half a rai that needs turning into a football pitch.

----------


## sabang

If it is cleared of trees, and just needs ground clearing and leveling, Mrs reckons around 300 bht. Seems cheap.

----------


## Marmite the Dog

> If it is cleared of trees, and just needs ground clearing and leveling, Mrs reckons around 300 bht. Seems cheap.


There's a small mound of soil and just a bit of scrub. Nothing too severe, but too bug for me to do with a spade.

----------


## OhOh



----------


## OhOh

> There's a small mound of soil and just a bit of scrub. Nothing too severe




You will have to mention the slope to him at some time

----------


## twichian

Hi Sabang,

Just read your house build experience, an excellent and informative read plus your writing style is very amusing!

I and my Thai wife of 6 years plan on building someting similar to your abode and I was wondering if I could possibly get a copy of your house plans (the 3 bedroom plan) as it would give me a good starting point, something to work with.

I hope you don't mind  :Wink: 

TW
thawee [at] 4tress dot com

----------


## Makmak456

very informative. Just starting a build neat Renu Nakhon and picked up a lot of tips.
thanks
Mark

----------


## Wasp

[QUOTE=sabang;636742]


> However, I have a few questions. What about the septic tank and the electrical wires coming into the home?


Septic tank is fed by the two toilets (both adjacent, simple). Shower & sink water goes into an adjacent holding tank, then over. flows into the forest (it's ours anyway). Dish water just goes straight into the ground. They'd never get away with this in the West.  :Wink: 

Sabang ............  I enjoyed this Post and I like your house . Also like the warm heart you clearly have for the lady .    BUT   Sabang  " ...... Shower & sink water goes into an adjacent holding tank, then overflows into the forest " !   You shouldn't do that .  You just shouldn't do that .   
I know the Thais throw their crap everywhere .   I know if you pay someone to come in and pump it out they will almost certainly dump it somewhere .   It's bad . And it's wrong . But WE shouldn't do it .  Overflowing your detergent and shampoo residue into a forest --- you shouldn't do that .     Even if you own the forset .

 Great thread .............  spoilt by that .  But great thread .

                                                            Wasp

__________________________________________________  __________________________________________________  __________________________________________

----------


## sabang

> Overflowing your detergent and shampoo residue into a forest -


I'm obviously well behind the ecofashion curve- I thought re-using grey water was all the rage? Anyway, It's certainly good fertiliser.  :Smile:

----------


## bangkokbonecollector

Is it possible to build on concrete stilts about 10ft high and still have the floors and walls concrete ? tx

----------


## Wasp

> Originally Posted by Wasp
> 
>  Overflowing your detergent and shampoo residue into a forest -
> 
> 
> I'm obviously well behind the ecofashion curve- I thought re-using grey water was all the rage? Anyway, It's certainly good fertiliser.



It's not an ecoFASHION .    You have virgin forest there . It might not look like Sherwood Forest but you are lucky to have such a nice setting . A good housebuild , good family .... and a forest ! Which you own .  That's pretty good going - so why be so flippant about pouring detergents and soapwater into the forest ?  You can't truthfully believe that this is a good thing .  When you're wrong you're wrong and taking an automatic defensive attitude or an even worse " I don't really care " attitude is also wrong .
 Do the right thing man !  Don't automatically defend it . Just do the right thing .


                                                       Wasp


__________________________________________________  __________________________________________________  __________________________________________

----------


## Koetjeka

[QUOTE=Wasp;2617879]


> Originally Posted by hillbilly
> 
> However, I have a few questions. What about the septic tank and the electrical wires coming into the home?
> 
> 
> Septic tank is fed by the two toilets (both adjacent, simple). Shower & sink water goes into an adjacent holding tank, then over. flows into the forest (it's ours anyway). Dish water just goes straight into the ground. They'd never get away with this in the West. 
> 
> Sabang ............  I enjoyed this Post and I like your house . Also like the warm heart you clearly have for the lady .    BUT   Sabang  " ...... Shower & sink water goes into an adjacent holding tank, then overflows into the forest " !   You shouldn't do that .  You just shouldn't do that .   
> I know the Thais throw their crap everywhere .   I know if you pay someone to come in and pump it out they will almost certainly dump it somewhere .   It's bad . And it's wrong . But WE shouldn't do it .  Overflowing your detergent and shampoo residue into a forest --- you shouldn't do that .     Even if you own the forset .
> ...


What should one do without a sewer system? Is there any option other than either stop using shampoo or let it flow into the rice fields?

----------


## Wasp

Have a big storage tank and when it's full ask the local guy to come and pump it out and take it away .  Have 2 tanks !  They're cheap enough .

I accept that there are plenty of utter pricks who will pump it out , take it away and then dump it in a ditch somewhere .  Which is also wrong .  But there are decent guys  who will dispose of it properly .

If you get the bad sort then at least you've TRIED to do the right thing.  You can't do any more than that .

............ and if I was forced to make a choice I'd rather see this waste going into a roadside ditch than into a clean forest .


                                                  Wasp

__________________________________________________  ___________________

----------


## Wasp

Have a big storage tank and when it's full ask the local guy to come and pump it out and take it away . Have 2 tanks ! They're cheap enough .

I accept that there are plenty of utter pricks who will pump it out , take it away and then dump it in a ditch somewhere . Which is also wrong . But there are decent guys who will dispose of it properly .

If you get the bad sort then at least you've TRIED to do the right thing. You can't do any more than that .

............ and if I was forced to make a choice I'd rather see this waste going into a roadside ditch than into a clean forest .


Wasp

----------


## Takeovers

You could consider something like this



I don't know what could be used in Thailand instead of reed but they are quite efficient even with grey water from washing and shower. What goes through there you can dump in your forest without long term damage. Not drinking water quality but vastly better than your waste water. You dispose of only the solid waste settling in the first container.

----------


## Wasp

> You could consider something like this
> 
> 
> 
> I don't know what could be used in Thailand instead of reed but they are quite efficient even with grey water from washing and shower. What goes through there you can dump in your forest without long term damage. Not drinking water quality but vastly better than your waste water. You dispose of only the solid waste settling in the first container.


What a lovely answer to the problem !

----------


## Roobarb

> You could consider something like this
> 
> 
> 
> I don't know what could be used in Thailand instead of reed but they are quite efficient even with grey water from washing and shower. What goes through there you can dump in your forest without long term damage. Not drinking water quality but vastly better than your waste water. You dispose of only the solid waste settling in the first container.


Wasp - you started a thread a while back about building a house over water.  

Takeovers seems to have come up with a useful way to deal with the effluent you produce.

Is it the sort of thing you'd consider incorporating in your design, or will you just *TRY* to do the right thing instead by getting a cheap storage tank and having Somchai pump it out occasionally to dump it in a nearby ditch for you?

----------


## Wasp

> Originally Posted by Takeovers
> 
> 
> You could consider something like this
> 
> 
> 
> I don't know what could be used in Thailand instead of reed but they are quite efficient even with grey water from washing and shower. What goes through there you can dump in your forest without long term damage. Not drinking water quality but vastly better than your waste water. You dispose of only the solid waste settling in the first container.
> 
> ...


Why do people do this ?     
Why do people deliberately DELIBERATELY distort something you've said and then ask you to defend a position that they have created with their distortion ?    Is it having too much spare time and a shortage of intellect with which to fill it ?  Is it just a desire to create criticism where there is none to be created ?  Is it entertainment for the hard of thinking ?  

                       Is it all of these things ?


                              Wasp

__________________________________________________  _________________

----------


## Roobarb

> Originally Posted by Roobarb
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
>  Originally Posted by Takeovers
> ...


Sorry Wasp, I must have misunderstood your earlier concerns on how Sabang treats his waste water.  I was left with the distinct impression that it did not meet with your approval.

The basis of my post was:

- You did start a thread about building a house over water

- The water in question was about 3 feet deep which I would guess is ideal for creating the setup that Takeovers has suggested

- You seem highly concerned about the environment and to approve of the suggestion that Takeovers made

Is it not a reasonable assumption that, having been fairly critical of the way Sabang has handled his sewage arrangements, you would be adopting what you see as a more responsible approach with yours?

Perhaps you are no longer planning on building a house over water, in which case my question is largely irrelevant.  If you are going to do so then I do hope you'll make the time and effort to do a comprehensive photo thread about it as I'm sure we'd all enjoy it as much as your recent comments on Nigel's thread leads me to believe that you enjoy reading the building threads of others yourself.

In all honesty I feel a bit bad about cluttering up  the end of Sabang's excellent and friendly discourse with, if not a shitfight, what seems to be a fight about shit so I'll bow out at this stage and leave you with the last say here if you want it.

----------


## Wasp

You're right . I do disapprove of how Sabang is dealing with his waste water .

I loved his thread . I like his construction and he seems a gentle , sensitive guy towards the family .  All good stuff .  But I do certainly think it's wrong and avoidable to be letting detergents , fats and soap water run off into a jungle .     You then asked " Is it the sort of thing you'd consider incorporating in your design" .   Perfectly reasonable enquiry .    But our land is not next to forest .  As it happens - our land is an anomaly .  It was out in the boondocks but all around has abruptly been developed in the last 4 years and our situation is bizarre as we still look as though we're out in the sticks but we are surrounded by development .  Did you ever watch ' LOCAL  HERO ' ?   Where the guy says he's perfectly happy on his beach and he doesn't want to move ?    Well this family could sell for many millions but they are happy living there . Happier living primitively in a location they like rather than have a luxurious farang standard home miles away from their friends and markets.  And what that means is that there are sewage pipes 40 metres away .   We don't have to pump out or build an eco system such as we saw from Takeovers .
    As I say --- it looks like a perfectly reasonable question from you - but you then add a piece of vitriol about getting a " Somchai pump it out occasionally to dump it in a nearby ditch for you? "      Which is not at all what I am in favour of ,  nor is it what I said .  And I'm not happy being distorted in that way .

What actually saddens me though is knowing that if I say detergents shouldn't be run off into a jungle SOMEBODY is bound to leap in with some criticism .   Because nobody is ever wrong any more - apparently .   Nobody says " Yeah .... I'm wrong . I'll fix it ."

Nobody is responsible for any of their decisions or actions any more  - it seems .


                                                          Wasp

__________________________________________________  ____________________

----------


## Thai Dan

Can anyone tell me about water tanks that I see up on a house sized tower?  Namely:
1. What size tank for a small family?
2. Cost of that approximate size?
3. Recommended tower height?
4. Cost of tower?
5. In a village about an hour outside of Roi Et, can I have clean water trucked in to fill the tank from time to time?  Not for drinking but good enough for cooking, cleaning, bathing and washing clothes.

Any help appreciated.

BTW, how do you start a new post on TD?  I've looked everywhere for how to do this and I can't figure it out.  Help?!?

----------


## Roobarb

Aha, Dan, what you need to do is start a new thread.  Here's how:

1) Log in, then from the home page click the bit saying 'Forum Home' (top left)
2) Click on 'Construction in Thailand'
3) Scroll down a bit until you get to the bit on the left side saying 'Threads in Forum'.  Just above that is a button with 'New Thread' written on it.  
4) Click the 'New Thread' button
5) Enter your title (House Water Tank) and cut & paste your post from here into the message box
6) Click 'Submit New Thread'
7) Wait for lots of largely irrelevant posts that don't really answer the question you asked, a bit like my post here...   :Smile: 

Good luck

----------


## Thai Dan

Thanks Roobarb.  Your directions were easy to follow and should be included in the Newbies section or somewhere else easy to find for new boys and girls.  Thanks again!

----------


## sabang

> What actually saddens me though is knowing that if I say detergents shouldn't be run off into a jungle SOMEBODY is bound to leap in with some criticism


I can't 'unsadden' you because we continue to merrily drain our brown water directly onto the land, and stuff grows like wildfire there (ps- it ain't virgin jungle). Perhaps we should have a health warning that our isaan eggplant, basil &n papaya is fertilised by soap!

But I am a bit curious- recycling of brown water was all the rage some years back, people were doing it and proudly boasting of it in cities. What changed? I seem to be a bit luminescent at night these days, but apart from that i'm just yer average isaan peasant.

----------


## Takeovers

> Perhaps we should have a health warning that our isaan eggplant, basil &n papaya is fertilised by soap! 
> 
> But I am a bit curious- recycling of brown water was all the rage some years back, people were doing it and proudly boasting of it in cities. What changed? I seem to be a bit luminescent at night these days, but apart from that i'm just yer average isaan peasant.


There is that little problem with todays hygiene standards. Brown water means faeces and they contain bacteria. Most of them perfectly harmless but some can be nasty to some persons. Todays standards would require that the mixture be heated to above 60°C to kill off potential harmful bacteria.

Fermentation like in bioreactors to produce methane may be able to achieve that.

It may or may not be a real problem. But those city dwelling do gooders who invented the idea of using faeces may be the same people who abhor the bacteria.

If you have gone through a few cases of diarrhea you should be good.

----------


## Wasp

[QUOTE=sabang;2622983]


> What actually saddens me though is knowing that if I say detergents shouldn't be run off into a jungle SOMEBODY is bound to leap in with some criticism


I can't 'unsadden' you because we continue to merrily drain our brown water directly onto the land, and stuff grows like wildfire there (ps- it ain't virgin jungle). Perhaps we should have a health warning that our isaan eggplant, basil &n papaya is fertilised by soap!

Well ...... if you can't treat matters seriously .... you can always choose sarcasm .

Saves you doing the right thing .

----------


## sabang

> Brown water means faeces and they contain bacteria.


Not in our case- it's just shower, laundry and and tapwater run-off.  Sorry, I got the name wrong- 'grey water' is what I meant. I'd endorse it as fertiliser were it not for the ecomafia :Roll Eyes (Sarcastic): . The septic tanks are emptied by the standard shit trucks, and probably dumped in the Mekhong.

----------


## sabang

They've been on the move, and you pay a lot more in urban centres than for rural land, or land on decent arterial roads. I'm out of touch basically, but doubt it's easy to get rural land for less than 50k per rai, and if you want to live in downtown Ubon it's over a million. Still fairly cheap though. But you don't own the land remember- so you've gotta be the trusting sort.  :Smile:

----------


## KKCam

Hi Sabang

Thank you very much for your building (in Isaan) for dummies. I share your cynicism and am very wary of getting ripped. I am going to go a little further than you regarding ripping off other peoples intellectual property, I am going to rip off your whole approach. Hidden Farang, 5 or so formal quotes and everything.

I am thinking of building a simple shoebox in Loei in the next few months as a weekender (in my wife village where she has 2 rai), something REALLY simple. I am also going to build our main house in Khon Kaen in the next 18 months (where I live and work). If you could PM me the name of the KK builders you mention, I would really appreciate it.

Thanks again for your story. Using your approach I am sure I will stress (a little) less. :Aussie:

----------


## comet8

This has to be my favourite thread on thai building thanks..I`m learning and getting ideas for my future build. Hope to get more progress photo`s from you

----------


## Brunswick

People joke a lot about the MIL but you seem very kind about the life she has had . Well done you .

----------


## Brunswick

You know  if I say again that I think you show unusuall kindness to your MIL it also helps me get my count up ! I think I need 10. But I mean what I say. :Smile:

----------


## sabang

> If you could PM me the name of the KK builders you mention, I would really appreciate it.


Pretty sure I missed this- I'll get a PM off to you soon (when the wife stops snoring). Best of luck with the build(s), and sorry for the delay.



> you show unusuall kindness to your MIL


Karma? Anyway, MIL's house/ upcountry retreat became Home, thus freeing up our ridiculously oversized house (for a couple) near Pattaya, for renting out. If I add the rental cash flow to the 'cost of living' savings compared to Pattayalife, I'd say this Isaan dummies house has already paid for itself- so maybe karma works both ways! 

But regardless, it was still worth it. She really is a very good person- and, I am pleased to say, a diligent steward of the house. There is some talk of our hamlet, combined with a couple of other nearby family hamlets, being incorporated into village or 'ban' status. I don't know if that will ever happen (frankly, I think our puny size & numbers doesn't warrant village status)- but if it does, it is basically unanimous who we would want to be Pu Yi Ban. Just some indication of the respect she is held in around here. 

Not a lot to report on the home front really- it still stands, no problems to speak of. I'll take a few snaps anyway- and show you our adopted tribe of reptiles in the process. We have become a haven for tokays!

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## SilicaStorm

Great thread Sabang,,, please send a PM of the builder you contracted out of KK,,, I am looking to build my "Lil House on the Praire" near Mahasarakham.

 :Smile:

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## phinik

Great post Sabang.  I'm also building a house in Issan (Sisaket), and even more of a dummy than you.  your house looks great, and would just like to know if you're still happy with everything, or is there something you would have done different.

I chose to let my BIL do it for me since he is very knowledgeable, and knows a lot of people since he is the village head man.  I have paid about 750,000 so far, and only the walls, floor, and roof are done.  I told him to wait until my wife and I move there from the U.S. in a few months before doing more.  I want to be there for selecting and overseeing windows, doors, floor coverings, and plumbing (water pipes have already been brought to the house.

I think that what I have paid so far is not out of line.  It is 3 bdrm and 2 1/2 ba. about 180 sqm.  I'd like to hear what others might think.  I will attach a pic if I can figure out how to do it.

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## sabang

> supply natural stoned


Ratch's avatar is most interested.  :Smile: 



> is there something you would have done different


Nothing to speak of. When the time comes to replace the wooden window frames, I'll go PVC- but they've got a few years left in them yet. Security fly screen doors on the front and back doors too- but after one false start which I destroyed myself they were so damn flimsy, had some strong and 'functional' (read- ugly) ones made, which do the trick just fine, and we never close our wooden doors, day or night. Could've done without them frankly, but I suppose a house has to have doors, even if you never close them.

My only regret is the ridiculously overcapitalised house I (well mrs sab) owns near Pattaya, in a country that wants to return to third world status. But that's a different story.

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## Nongpas1

> If it is cleared of trees, and just needs ground clearing and leveling, Mrs reckons around 300 bht. Seems cheap.


Could you please tell me who was your house builder

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## Nongpas1

Hello Sabang 

Please help us! Could you please tell us who built your beautiful house?


Please please

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## Nongpas1

Hello Sabang I need your help please

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## John Lennon

Her home is complete but I am looking for a guide as to the current costs of constructing a home about 150km NE of CNX.
Excluding land, excavation costs, built-ins, furniture, curtains & drapes, additional insulation,  termite control, landscaping & electrical appliances.
Norton & Stevefarang (???) were our benchmarks.
Quality - Q-Con, CPAC etc with most sourced in Chiang Mai. 
Surprisingly, I am satisfied with the quality of construction. (My father was a builder in Oz).
Termite control was included.
It is 375sqm, of two levels and excluding car accommodation.
FIL was on site for coordination.
Construction was completed 12 months ago (???) @ B1400sqm (???)

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## Lofty

Great read and lots of insight into building out in the stick'.

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## dsfuqua

Great thread Sabang and Musty.  Can one of you please send me the contact info for your builder.  Can't figure out how to send a PM to you or maybe I just don't have access to that, as I am a newbie.  Can send message to me here on teak door or to my email    sf0771@gmail.com

Thank you!

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## sabang

Sorry dfs, I haven't been on TD for a few weeks. I've sent a message to my ex to see if she still has the contact details, will PM you if so. Last I knew the builders were doing well, but that was some years ago now.

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## PieTi

Hi Sabang,

I am wondering if you have the copy of a floorplan for me? Perhaps the (old) one with 3 bedrooms instead of the 2? 
How is the house now (in 2020?), no big problems or tears in the walls?.

Can I get the name and address sof the company, assuming that they are still active? do you happen to know that?

with kind regards,

PieTi





> I'm well qualified to write this guide because when it comes to construction, I'm a Dummy. I also speak next to no Thai, and have the healthy mistrust of Isaan standards of craftmanship and forthrightness that only a resident expat can have. My sole qualifications to embark on this project were a Thai wife, whom I trust, and a certain knowledge of how business should be done- combined with a healthy cynicism as above, and a functioning 'Bullshit meter'.
> 
> The mandate- put up a decent but basic bungalow in a village about 30 km outside of Ubon Ratchathani, to serve as both my mother in laws residence, and our upcountry retreat (the house is in my wifes name). The original budget- 800K baht, plus sundries. The end result- it cost 900K, plus sundries. Say a million baht- but the end product surpassed my expectations, and was in fact completed not on schedule, but three weeks early.
> 
> 
> 
> There it stands- 2 bedroom (actually adjusted from a 3 BR plan that I stole- more on that later), two bathrooms, a Thai and western kitchen. More photoes to follow of course, but lets start at the beginning.
> 
> Any feedback welcome- fair price, did I pay too much, did I get a good deal?
> I'm a Dummy, remember.

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## sabang

Cheers mate- the house is real good, although I haven't been there for a while. The Builder doesn't do private houses anymore I am afraid- he does industrial stuff, and is doing very well I'm told. kinda big company projects.

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## PieTi

> Cheers mate- the house is real good, although I haven't been there for a while. The Builder doesn't do private houses anymore I am afraid- he does industrial stuff, and is doing very well I'm told. kinda big company projects.



thank you !
We will try to find another option then (building in the Khonkaen/Phon/Chayapum) area)

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## sabang

best of luck- maybe check with some local expats, there are plenty of dodgy builders around. trust means a lot in thailand.

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## Norton

> best of luck- maybe check with some local expats, there are plenty of dodgy builders around. trust means a lot in thailand.


Always that approach but depending on preferred location and budget, buy a new one. Could save a lot of time and headaches.

Affordable 3 BRM, 2 BTH Home For Sale in Khon Kaen, Thailand | Thailand Real Estate, Land, Homes, Hotels and Commercial Properties for Sale in Thailand

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## Pragmatic

> trust means a lot in thailand.


 Trust no one in Thailand. Thais are not honest with the truth.    :ourrules:

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## sabang

There have been some that have demonstrated to me this is not a universal rule- but yeh, know what you mean. Been there. Such as these builders, who have certainly reaped the reward, and fully deserve it. A nice outcome.

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