#  >  > Living And Legal Affairs In Thailand >  >  > Construction in Thailand >  >  Building in Khonkaen

## Mantadive

This thread carries on from my last thread where I was considering organising the complete build myself.
I found that while I have the necessary experience (40+ years as a builder in AUS) I dont have the necessary contacts for the trades and suppliers. 
So I decided to get a few local builders prices and then manage the build in conjunction with the builder.
I designed and prepared the construction plans myself, engaged the services of an engineer (recommended by a colleague). The engineer redrew my plans and incorporated them into his engineering drawings all in Thai.
I then prepared a contract and specification which I had translated to Thai. This I gave to the builders to quote
A little hiccup at the government office. I needed an architect to sign off on the plans. After some negotiations by my wife and the engineer and a little bit of tea money the plans were passed.  
I proceeded to get 4 quotes with prices for my design and specification. The quotes varied by some 40%.
I asked for addresses of their current builds and went and visited them and to talk to the owners. 
Eventually I chose a local builder TC Builders, his price was not the cheapest but it was nowhere near the dearest, he can speak reasonable english and is open to my ideas and building methods ( he is keen to learn new processes). we negotiated on the contract draw-downs as I had biased them in my favour. 
All signed up and ready to commence.

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## Mantadive

Constructions Starts 
I arranged to demolish the existing house (photos to follow) 
then Dook (TC Builders) and myself set the house out ( I know that it is square, of the right size and in the right spot) 
That done the piles arrived the next day and were installed that week, I am very impressed with the foundations as the house is now founded in soil 6m deep where the moisture content is stable so I can expect to have little or no movement.
The workers commenced to prepare the top of the piles for the footings and columns cutting them off at the required height. 
I noticed that there was no steel connecting the top of the piles to the footings 
I rang the engineer and advised him that in order to minimise heave (lifting of the structure due to the clay expanding) we should tie the tops of the piles to the footings. 
We agreed on 16 mm bars embedded into the tops of the piles. All done
Next issue, I had tried to source reo bar chairs to no avail so I bought some 100mm pipe and a steel dropsaw and proceed to make my own which I gave to the builder. 
Once he understood their use he was very impressed and began to make his own for other areas. 
The next issue was there was no detail for the steel column footings for the patio.
I spoke to the engineer and we agreed upon a 400mm dia hole 1200 deep with 2 vertical y12 bars
I told the builder of this and he was not sure on how to dig a hole 400mm round as the post hole shovels are only 200 mm .
I said get a crowbar. Now I discover that you cannot buy a crowbar in Khonkaen. They have never seen one. In desperation I went to a local engineering shop and had a crowbar made. 
That done I meet Dook and his workers on site and proceeded to show them how to use a crowbar to dig a hole 
He was impressed to the extent that he went and had his own crowbar made. 
Piles in - post holes dug (approx 2 m deep) steel in place for pile cap and cages made for the columns.
All work stopped as we now had to wait for the designated day for the land/house blessing.

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## Mantadive

The land/House blessing
Pam and I had visited the celebrant (fortuneteller) a couple of times to get the best date arranged.
That done we decided on the 30th Jan 
No work on site that went above the ground up to this point in time. 
Pam worked tirelessly in conjunction with her mum and relatives for a very successful day.
Next day - concrete poured steel placed for columns

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## Mantadive

land Blessing completed
concrete poured for below ground pile caps/column steel
This week above ground footings are being prepared and will pour on Friday
Septic tank on site and hole dug (by hand) 
I have designed the sewer/septic system especially to incorporate a trap on every fixture and a venting system so that the water gets away quickly
Every house that I have been in has bad smells in the bathrooms. There are no traps used for their showers and vanities. 
I gave this design to Dook and he understands the principle and will install accordingly.
Next week prepare and pour the lower slab
Install the drainage pipework
Install the termite barrier system 
I sourced some plastic sheeting ( as close as possible to UM200 that we use in Aus) to be placed under the footings and slab. This should stop the rising damp issue which is prevalent here. 
Now to figure out how to post some photos

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## Mantadive



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## Mantadive

What a pain to upload photos this is. Other sites are just a couple of clicks find your photos and all done.

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## Mantadive



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## Klondyke

^Use the 3rd icon from right hand side, downloading a photo from your PC

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## Mantadive



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## Mantadive

havent figured out how to rotate the photos yet sorry

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## Norton

Photos are fine. Thanks for sharing. 
Appears you have done all the right things so all should progress smoothly.
Look forward to more.

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## Mantadive

Schematic of the pipework system (I designed using Revit) 
Note the use of traps and the venting
I had my plumber from Australia look over the design. He said that I went overboard on the venting, that I could save myself some cost and effort, but I would rather put in more now as once it is built it cannot be added later

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## Norton

> He said that I went overboard on the venting, that I could save myself some cost and effort


Cost and labor not much here so agree. Best do it now.

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## Thai Dhupp

Off to a good.. (second!) start *MD*...

Certainly progressing this time...* good luck* with it all.

Have you got a good *contract* in place with the builder? i hope so.

I am looking forward to being a spectator on this one... keep the photos coming!

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## David48atTD

> 


*Mantadive* ... great start to your building thread.

A clean slate (vacant block, after demolishing) and the perimeter fence is existing !

Oh, the guys here are aren't anal.  You can come back more then an hour or two later and change (add photos) to a previous post.

Most people found that lower res photos work well.

Do you have any drawings/sketches of what is going to be built?

Good Luck and looking forward to more.

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## baldrick

> I had tried to source reo bar chairs


I think we had discussed this in another thread and that plastic ones are available if you know what you  need to ask for

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## Bettyboo

Good luck with the build.

I'm looking forward to this thread; I wish the OP well and am sure everything will end up brilliantly, but suspect there may be some raging and arguing along the way due to Aussie quality expectations meeting Thai realities...

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## rickschoppers

See below.

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## rickschoppers

MD, good luck with the build. I did similar to you and became my own project manager with a lot less building experience than you, so you have a good headstart. Also, the building materials are now much more available than when I started building near Udon Thani. I learned a wealth of information on this site that helped me a lot since the building methods in Thailand are much different than in the west. Patience is a big virtue here and if you are not expecting perfection, that will help greatly. I have listed the link below where the story of my own build is, if you are interested. And yes, pictures are a pain in the ass to post on this site.

https://teakdoor.com/construction-in-...don-thani.html (New Build Near Udon Thani)

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## Shutree

> Schematic of the pipework system (I designed using Revit) 
> Note the use of traps and the venting
> I had my plumber from Australia look over the design. He said that I went overboard on the venting, that I could save myself some cost and effort, but I would rather put in more now as once it is built it cannot be added later


Mantadive, your schematic is a thing of beauty! Are you sending your black water (toilets) and grey water (sinks) to a single point? 
I was thinking of two septic tanks, the black water septic tank draining into the grey water tank and the grey water going to a drain field. I know that is not standard practice in Isan.

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## BoganInParasite

Best wishes Mantadive. Looking forward to watching your build...photos, commentary and explanations. Between you and Thai Dhupp, I'm feeling like a complete amateur in terms of knowing the trade. In regards to photos I took thousands and at least 98%+ in landscape mode because of the site flipping the portrait photos. In fact it now feels weird to take a portrait orientated photo on the iPhone. Regards, -BiP

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## Thai Dhupp

> Best wishes Mantadive. Looking forward to watching your build...photos, commentary and explanations. Between you and Thai Dhupp, I'm feeling like a complete amateur in terms of knowing the trade. In regards to photos I took thousands and at least 98%+ in landscape mode because of the site flipping the portrait photos. In fact it now feels weird to take a portrait orientated photo on the iPhone. Regards, -BiP


Hey *BiP*! I bagged that '*amateur*' role long ago! :Smile: 

OK I do know a bit more now than at the start

But there again, you finished first!

Agree with previous posts above...*Teak Door members*  are  wealth of experience in all things build-connected, and are willing to share... I certainly learnt a lot from the forum and am grateful for that.

it was mentioned above by *Baldrick* about the chairs.. that was on my thread , but in the end my builder made his own, similar to what *MD* is doing.. probably the quickest and cheapest and no worse than plastic ones.

*Let's go....Bring on the Build..!!*

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## Shutree

> I think we had discussed this in another thread and that plastic ones are available if you know what you  need to ask for


Rebar chairs were discussed elsewhere and a picture of a plastic chair was posted. Maybe someone more competent than I usuing the search engine can find the links.
I remember someone suggested cutting up those small red bricks to use as chairs. Seemed to be a practical solution.

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## mikenot

> Rebar chairs were discussed elsewhere and a picture of a plastic chair was posted. Maybe someone more competent than I usuing the search engine can find the links.
> I remember someone suggested cutting up those small red bricks to use as chairs. Seemed to be a practical solution.


There is a new condo going up next to my place in BKK, they are using all brand new shuttering and scaffolding, all the good modern equipment .....except those chairs. Early in the proceedings they had half a dozen Lao women making thousands of the usual concrete “doughnuts” ! I guess the chairs are not readily available, even for the big boys in construction.

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## Mantadive

Thanks Yes I wrote the contract myself (that was a part of my role in AUS) I kept it pretty simple and structured the payments so that I would be in front most times. 
The specification was detailed and I had it translated to Thai for the builder.

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## Mantadive

Shutree
I would only install a grey water tank if you were considering using the water for irrigation., and you would have to keep the tank pumped every couple of days otherwise it will really smell. I had that issue in AUS. 
Having the grey water into the one tank helps the sewer lines to flow better. 
Unfortunately I am on a very small block and the treated waste connects to the street pipe (basically a large storm water pipe) I would have preferred to install soakage /evaporation trenches but no room.
Importantly 
The system has traps on all fixtures to stop the smells from coming into the house and it is thoroughly vented which will allow the waste water to get away without any effort. 
I also included a cleanout at the head of the line and an ORG (overflow relief gully) at the base of the line. If I get a blockage then the s--t will come out of the ORG and not the downstairs shower.  :Smile:

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## Mantadive

Klondyke
Thanks I have sorted it out but still cant figure out how to rotate the photos

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## Mantadive

Norton 
Yes better to add more than required while I can 
I hope to alleviate all of the drainage Issues that plague most.

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## Mantadive

Here are my plans. I had to save as JPEG files and add to the photo album

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## Mantadive



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## Mantadive

Footings being poured with a Thai concrete pump 
Plenty of Reo
Septic tank in - hole dug by hand (with my crowbar)

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## Mantadive

Re the bar chairs:
I meet a Thai who owned a factory in Khonkaen tha  makes steel mesh sheets for construction, and I thought he would know where to buy or maybe he had some !!!
No luck, but he thought it was a good idea and was going to investigate stocking some. So maybe in the future they will be available

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## Mantadive

Here are the bar chairs that I made simple but effective

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## Mantadive

I tried to find a 100 mm PTrap.
I found a couple of very long ones at a small hardware But too deep so I made my own

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## ootai

[QUOTE=Mantadive;3897544]I tried to find a 100 mm PTrap.
I found a couple of very long ones at a small hardware But too deep so I made my own [QUOTE]

Mantadive
Thanks for making this thread I always enjoy someone else starting the journey.

As for the traps I had to also make my own when we built 9 years ago however I found out 1 problem and that is how do I get access to get my wife's ring back?
I am used to having a trap you can unscrew and gain access to the inside. So when you install them make sure you can cut them out and re-join them if needed in the future.
Maybe I'm trying to tell my grandmother how to suck eggs but maybe you haven't thought about that issue.

Also I am having trouble identifying the upper level from your plans, is it the level with the bedrooms as I think it is?

Good luck with the build.

Cheers

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## David48atTD

> Here are my plans. I had to save as JPEG files and add to the photo album


North?  South?  Which bedrooms get the morning sun?

As we age, a downstairs bedroom option and toilet option is recommended.

Three bedroom with study ... how many people will be living there?  Kids?

Just thoughts.

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## Mantadive

Given the size of the allotment It was difficult to optimise the energy efficiency of the house. 
I am an accredited Energy Efficiency analyst in Australia. I found a good web site that gives you the suns path at any point and time in the world. I used that to optimise the buildings layout.
You will notice that the western walls are all 200 mm QCON blocks That is to help with the energy efficiency. 
Go here PD: 3D Sun-Path    It is an excellant tool.
 I would have like to incorporate more of the Thai outdoor cooking living areas but with a very small house lot it was difficult to attain. 

As I age I will do what my 97 year old uncle has done in Aus, he recently installed a stair chair lift which gets him up and down the stairs.

And yes it is a good size house with 3 bedrooms up and a study/bedroom lower. It is a house designed to be in town and as such it will be very liveable and will grow in value with time.

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## Mantadive

Ootai
These particular traps are in the sewer line and once installed they are underground and not accessible.
I did however incorporate a clean out riser so that I can remove any blockage etc.
I will install traps under the sinks /basins with screwed access points so that rings etc can be recovered

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## Mantadive

Todays effort
Drains all laid
I helped with the installation I made sure of the falls, the pipe was bedded in sand and the fittings were in the right spot. 
Very hot on site.
One of the boys glued a vent pipe Dook and I had a laugh, That was the thai standard. see if you can pick it.

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## Buckaroo Banzai

Hi Mantadive
Congratulations on your new build, It looks like a nice plan I am sure you will be happy living there. 
You made a good choice of builder, TC House Khon Kaen is a good company and owner Dook is very professional, and a good guy. He built our house also in Khon Kaen , and did a very good job with very litle drama. He was recommended to me by another  expat whose house Dook build also, and he was very happy with them , so good choice.

Feel free to mention Steve and Nuy to him,. I am looking forward to your build

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## Buckaroo Banzai

PE: septic tank . make sure they run the vent pipe to over the roof of the house so that you dont get septic smells where you hung out. Our septic was also next ro the perimeter wall which is 2 m high, when I saw that they were running the vent pipe to the top of the retaining wall 

Not the best picture but notice the blue pipe behind the man with the blue shirt. I am 5ft 10" tall and the vent would had being about head height . I mentioned to Dook and he immediately made them move it to roof height. 
 By the way that's him in the picture in the white shirt, he was like pitbull jumping in there and  making sure things were done right. I hope he is not so busy now and his time is divided.

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## rickschoppers

> Hi Mantadive
> Congratulations on your new build, It looks like a nice plan I am sure you will be happy living there. 
> You made a good choice of builder, TC House Khon Kaen is a good company and owner Dook is very professional, and a good guy. He built our house also in Khon Kaen , and did a very good job with very litle drama. He was recommended to me by another  expat whose house Dook build also, and he was very happy with them , so good choice.
> 
> Feel free to mention Steve and Nuy to him,. I am looking forward to your build


BB, a very nice house indeed. I wish builders like that were around when I was looking for one. The only negative I see is the color of your fence slats. Are they really that red, or is it just the camera?

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## NamPikToot

> Here are my plans. I had to save as JPEG files and add to the photo album


Manta, great thread, thanks for taking the trouble to post it.

Ref the house design is there any reason for not having overhanging eaves to shade out the sun hitting the windows?

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## Buckaroo Banzai

Not really that red. It was the color that the wood tone cera "wood" came with as you can see from the screw holes it was never painted..
  Working in the US right now under contract, will be back in Thailand end of may, and will paint them the same color as the house  brown/red. 
Can wait to be back, working in the west is like doing time in jail. As soon as my contract is over (august or september)  I am retiring, and if I never see new York again it will be too soon! Not even in pictures LOL

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## rickschoppers

I did the same as you BB, worked in California and finally retired full time in 2011. The house was being built back then and I made several trips to Thailand to give direction to my building team. Good luck with the build and I know the color of the Shera wood which does appear more red in pictures.

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## Mantadive

> Manta, great thread, thanks for taking the trouble to post it.
> 
> Ref the house design is there any reason for not having overhanging eaves to shade out the sun hitting the windows?


NamPikToot

The windows actually do have eaves either the roof of concrete parapets. What you are looking at I think are the louvres windows which are on the boundary. They will be tinted and security screened. There are there primarily for light

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## Mantadive

Thanks Buckaroo Banzai, 

I found that Dook was very open and straight up. I was able to discuss the costing and ways to help reduce the costs. ( I brought a lot of Australian standards to the table which I think scared all of the builders quoting)  He is open to learning new ideas and ways of doing things. We had him digging on the site Saturday helping with the drainage.

Re the septic tank vent pipe, yes I agree, I was at my mates place yesterday and walked past his tank and Phew what a smell. I am going to help him shift his outlet and I will make sure that mine goes to the house wall and up and thru the roof. 

I will remember you to him

Nice house, good colour to the fence! 

Kind Regards

Paul




> Hi Mantadive
> Congratulations on your new build, It looks like a nice plan I am sure you will be happy living there. 
> You made a good choice of builder, TC House Khon Kaen is a good company and owner Dook is very professional, and a good guy. He built our house also in Khon Kaen , and did a very good job with very litle drama. He was recommended to me by another  expat whose house Dook build also, and he was very happy with them , so good choice.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Feel free to mention Steve and Nuy to him,. I am looking forward to your build

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## Mantadive

The job is progressing nicely
Slab is in !!!

A few things on the way 
Termite treatment system in. I asked that it go around the pipes as that is always an entry point for termites. No issues, we had to ensure that there were no kinks in the pipe at all. The standard pracyise was to put drippers at 1 m centres, I asked that this be closed up to 500 mm centres for better spread of the termicide, again no worries all done see photos

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## Mantadive

We next prepared the slab 
very strong design with a lot of steel - much stronger than in Aus - I'm impressed. They placed the steel on the bar chairs that I made. All the plastic was laid as I requested. we didnt put plastic over the beams/foundations as we had already placed plastic underneath them.


A bit of rain on the day (finally) 
I had Dook bring his dumpy level and we checked the height of the boxing and height markers that they had placed. 
This was good in that they were using string lines from the boxing and had not checked any levels since preparing for the foundations. we made the necessary adjustments and all was ready for the pour

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## Mantadive

A bit of an issue on the day, I had designed and laid the septic/sewer system and it was complete ready to go. I noticed that one of the workers was working on one of the pipes. upon investigation he was changing a 100 mm pipe to a 50 mm pipe ( with a reducer under the slab ) He thought that it was a vanity waste and as such needed to change. I pointed out that it was in fact the WC pipe and he put it back to the way it was. I had put 100mm pipes thru the slab for the vanities as I will put a reducer on after as the vanities go all the way to the floor. They were a bit confused. Glad I caught it though as it would have involved a jackhammer afterwards. 
One thing learnt is that I have to be on site every day (not all day) and check whats happening. Some of the ideas / procedures are new to them as I am incorporating some Australian methods and standards in the construction

Slab was poured ( we had a large storm in the middle of the pour) typical for pouring a slab - happened all to often in Aus as well.
Slab pour was very reminiscent of pouring slabs in Aus in the 70's and 80's - very wet and flowing.  still it will get up to strength - it will take a bit longer than the usual 28 days. 
The finish here is not as critical as in Aus as the tile floor will be bedded ( in Aus we would glue the floor)

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## Airportwo

Good luck with the build Manta, be interesting to see what ideas you incorporate from your past work experience in Aus. I like the design of the house, very functional for the city.
I'm about 100k away from you, we also got rain yesterday, first time I have ever seen rain that heavy or even rain at this time of year, first decent rain we have had since September, sign of good luck to come  :Smile:  though not ideal when laying slab, sure the workers were surprised.
Cheers

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## Mantadive

> Good luck with the build Manta, be interesting to see what ideas you incorporate from your past work experience in Aus. I like the design of the house, very functional for the city.
> I'm about 100k away from you, we also got rain yesterday, first time I have ever seen rain that heavy or even rain at this time of year, first decent rain we have had since September, sign of good luck to come  though not ideal when laying slab, sure the workers were surprised.
> Cheers


Thanks for the comment, yes the only day we get rain I am pouring the slab.

It looks good today, we went back last night and gave it a very rough broom finish for the tile mortar bed later on.

Column boxing was done today, tomorrow I will be checking their positioning against the set out. Once that is done we will pour. then onto the upper floor structure. 

Regards
Paul

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## Buckaroo Banzai

Very exciting to see your dream taking shape! Good for you!!
A litle rain will not hurt it, especially since you are not concerned about the finish. because it will be tiled.
 Actually keeping it wet and cool while it cures increases its strength. Same with the columns, when poured after the forms are stripped, they should be wrapped in plastic wrap ,especially if it is hot and dry, to keep it from losing moisture and decreasing its strength.

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## BoganInParasite

Funny, in my ignorance I thought the plastic wrap at our place was some sort of protective measure from knocks and scrapes, etc...feeling a little silly now.



> Very exciting to see your dream taking shape! Good for you!!
> A litle rain will not hurt it, especially since you are not concerned about the finish. because it will be tiled.
>  Actually keeping it wet and cool while it cures increases its strength. Same with the columns, when poured after the forms are stripped, they should be wrapped in plastic wrap ,especially if it is hot and dry, to keep it from losing moisture and decreasing its strength.

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## Buckaroo Banzai

> Funny, in my ignorance I thought the plastic wrap at our place was some sort of protective measure from knocks and scrapes, etc...feeling a little silly now.


Not at all silly
if I did not know , I would think the same, and I did not always know, I learned the same way you do  or we all do, That's why we are here.

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## David48atTD

> Funny, in my ignorance I thought the plastic wrap at our place was some sort of protective measure from knocks and scrapes, etc...feeling a little silly now.




I still remember scratching my head the first time I saw a ware sprinkler on a day old laid slab


The Basics of Concrete Curing For Higher Quality Slabs | Maxwell Supply Blog

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## Mantadive

A lot has happened since my last post. We had just poured the lower slab.
After that we proceeded to box and pour the lower columns, I ensured that these were placed to the setout string lines.
Dooks team were great again, they made sure that the columns were plumb before and after pouring

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## Mantadive

Once these lower columns were poured we proceed to prepare and pour the upper beams






Note the use of the spacers for the steel, this was a carry over from the bar chairs I requested
We made provision for the upper drainage to go thru  the beams so as to not have a dropped ceiling downstairs.

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## Mantadive

Next we prepared and poured the upper slab

I had requested extra steel rods around the perimeter beams to tie in the upper slab. These were place at 500mm centres with similar at 900 mm centres in the internal beams 

Once the upper slab was poured we then went onto boxing up the stairs, we ensured that the risers would be even taking into account the different floor finish thicknesses on the upper, lower floors and the steps themselves.

We had a bit of an issue with the concrete mix. Dook had ordered a slump suitable to pour the steps which are on approx 30 degree angle. Of course the concrete came far too wet. So we simply sent it back as not as ordered.

 The plant manager came out to check and he agreed to replace the defective mix with. we had to wait another 1.5 hours but all done.

At the same time we poured the upper columns. 


















So that where we are at now

Next: walls and roof

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## Mantadive

I bought some paint samples and tried out the paint scheme
The photo is a bit dark but you can get the gist.
Builders white walls
Terracotta trim/gutters fascia
Grey feature panels 
All in a semi sheen exterior paint (TOA)

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## Shutree

Looking good, Mantadive. Coming along nicely.

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## Norton

> All in a semi sheen exterior paint (TOA)


I have this on all my exterior house walls and property walls. Very good.

https://www.toagroup.com/en/product/...-elasticshield

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## Mantadive

> I have this on all my exterior house walls and property walls. Very good.
> 
> https://www.toagroup.com/en/product/...-elasticshield


Thanks for the info

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## Mantadive

Today the QBlocks showed up along with the roof steel framing
The gang is on site hand digging the sewer and stormwater to the street by hand and the Brickie is there. 
I went to the hardware and bought some cavity brick ties because I am having double 75 mm cavity walls to the west and south facades 
I also tried to buy some dampcourse but no luck ( no wonder they have rising damp everywhere) so I had some plastic roll left over from under the slab. We proceed to cut this into 200 mm wide strips for under the lower walls. 

I have also tried to buy some zinc based metal primer but no luck so far all red oxide.

Should see a lot of action this week

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## Airportwo

> I have also tried to buy some zinc based metal primer but no luck so far all red oxide.


You can get zinc primer on Lazada, not cheap here, probably why they are still using archaic red oxide!

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## Buckaroo Banzai

> Today the QBlocks showed up along with the roof steel framing
> The gang is on site hand digging the sewer and stormwater to the street by hand and the Brickie is there. 
> I went to the hardware and bought some cavity brick ties because I am having double 75 mm cavity walls to the west and south facades 
> I also tried to buy some dampcourse but no luck ( no wonder they have rising damp everywhere) so I had some plastic roll left over from under the slab. We proceed to cut this into 200 mm wide strips for under the lower walls. 
> 
> I have also tried to buy some zinc based metal primer but no luck so far all red oxide.
> 
> Should see a lot of action this week


Not to worry too much about wall cavity ties, Dooks concreet team is some of the best I have ever seen, and I have have 30 years experience working for a concrete company involved in the NY high rise building industry, Local 212 NYC  (concrete carpenters) .
Dook builds a fortress. 
We also used a cavity double wall.

Notice the horizontal (below and above windows) and vertical (sides of windows) concrete tie beams
before these beams were poured the cavities were in places  filled with small pieces of superblock, and the outside and inside walls were glued together,

If I was to do this again instead of the fill pieces I would had placers a course of the superblock on the flat (laid on its side) bridging the outside and inside wall. regardless our walls are solid, quiet, and cool. 
some more pictures from our build to ease your mind, 


Everything at our build went great except or wood front door, Just came back  from the US yesterday after being away for about six months,  The wood has shrunk and cracked, door is crap, will have to be replaced. As much as they look great , I don't think i will go with a wood front door again . tomorrow I will be looking for a fiberglass or metal door set.

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## NamPikToot

Buckaroo.coming along great and you have set a very high spec, but Q Con + cavity seems a little unnecessary imho.

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## Buckaroo Banzai

> Buckaroo.coming along great and you have set a very high spec, but Q Con + cavity seems a little unnecessary imho.


Though Q Con + Cavity seems to be a bit of an overkill there is a very good reason behind it.  Q Con has being coming down in price making it a very competitive in price alternative, in addition to being  and a hands down winner in  sound a heat transfer insulation. Not to mention the fact that it is very light jb weight and easy to work with. 
  Originally we were going to use the 100 mm block (if I remember correctly)  but we had three issues . One was price , two was availability (at the time we had to order it and wait ), and three was astheticas, it leaved part of the column exposed in the corners.
 So I proposes to our builder  that we use  the ubiquitous 75 mm , available in every home improvement store, two of them were almost the same price as one 100mm while providing more insulation, and hiding the columns. the only negative was a slight increase in labor.
as it turned out the labor component turned out to be insignificant. Since then , unless otherwise requested, I think TC house uses the double 75mm cavity wall method for all its exterior walls.

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## Norton

> The wood has shrunk and cracked, door is crap


Common prob here. Primarily due to using wood not properly cured. 




> fiberglass or metal door set


Upvc doors available as well.

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## Buckaroo Banzai

> Common prob here. Primarily due to using wood not properly cured. 
> 
> 
> Upvc doors available as well.


even though the house is one year old, Dook the builder came over  immediately, agreed that the door is crap and that it is not repairable. He is giving us credit for the wood door, and we are making up the difference for an Aluminum door, that unfortunately has to be ordered because it is a special aluminum design that looks like wood.
Our house , though modern, has the look of a traditional Thai house and the design  requires the wood look.

Not the best picture, but all I could find
Anyway If MantaDive likes the wood lood , I highly recommend them, I should had made the front door the same to begin with, and saved some grief and aggravation.

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## NamPikToot

BB, thanks for the response and power to you. You are right the QCon price is very good now, even 5 years ago it was quite high. Regards the sound insulation, i get that but if you have single glazing you'll find that undoes this. Anyhow its a great spec compared to the houses 10 years ago that were with brick or concrete block. Coming along great.

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## Buckaroo Banzai

> Next we prepared and poured the upper slab
> 
> I had requested extra steel rods around the perimeter beams to tie in the upper slab. These were place at 500mm centres with similar at 900 mm centres in the internal beams 
> 
> Once the upper slab was poured we then went onto boxing up the stairs, we ensured that the risers would be even taking into account the different floor finish thicknesses on the upper, lower floors and the steps themselves.
> 
> We had a bit of an issue with the concrete mix. Dook had ordered a slump suitable to pour the steps which are on approx 30 degree angle. Of course the concrete came far too wet. So we simply sent it back as not as ordered.
> 
>  The plant manager came out to check and he agreed to replace the defective mix with. we had to wait another 1.5 hours but all done.
> ...


Remember a few years ago. that we got excite when the builder showed up with a level?
LOL

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## Tanlic

> Though Q Con + Cavity seems to be a bit of an overkill there is a very good reason behind it.  Q Con has being coming down in price making it a very competitive in price alternative, in addition to being  and a hands down winner in  sound a heat transfer insulation. Not to mention the fact that it is very light jb weight and easy to work with. 
>   Originally we were going to use the 100 mm block (if I remember correctly)  but we had three issues . One was price , two was availability (at the time we had to order it and wait ), and three was astheticas, it leaved part of the column exposed in the corners.
>  So I proposes to our builder  that we use  the ubiquitous 75 mm , available in every home improvement store, two of them were almost the same price as one 100mm while providing more insulation, and hiding the columns. the only negative was a slight increase in labor.
> as it turned out the labor component turned out to be insignificant. Since then , unless otherwise requested, I think TC house uses the double 75mm cavity wall method for all its exterior walls.


It's well worth the extra expense for the added comfort although there's a limit to U values but if the price was right!!!. I designed my own and instructed my builder throughout but a bit different to yours. I hate the sight of columns jutting out so I used QCon outside then formed another wall/cavity using Gyproc with a vapour barrier (no real need in Thailand) to get a smooth finish inside plus I dry lined every wall as I have never met a decent plasterer yet LOL. The inside walls in bathrooms and kitchen I used itblock filled with cement to get a good fixing for sinks etc. No matter what time of day the house walls are cools to the touch. Love your build it makes a nice change to some of these dreadful 300,000 baht things you see on youtube..are you sure you have enough rebar :Smile:  :Biggthumpup:

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## Buckaroo Banzai

> It's well worth the extra expense for the added comfort although there's a limit to U values but if the price was right!!!. I designed my own and instructed my builder throughout but a bit different to yours. I hate the sight of columns jutting out so I used QCon outside then formed another wall/cavity using Gyproc with a vapour barrier (no real need in Thailand) to get a smooth finish inside plus I dry lined every wall as I have never met a decent plasterer yet LOL. The inside walls in bathrooms and kitchen I used itblock filled with cement to get a good fixing for sinks etc. No matter what time of day the house walls are cools to the touch. Love your build it makes a nice change to some of these dreadful 300,000 baht things you see on youtube..are you sure you have enough rebar


I was thinking of doing the same. QCon on the outside, metal stud and drywall the inside,unfortunately at the time of the build and even now, I was bouncing between the US where I work, and Thailand every few months and I did not have the time to do it myself, metal studs are so easy to work with when you have the right tools, I could do it in my sleep, and I can drywall and tape like nobody's business, but I could not trust them to do it right on their own. So I went with the "when in Rome do as the Romans do" .
  Metal studs and drywall also works well with running mechanical, such as electric and plumbing, and easy to get access to them if need be repaired. Cut an access panel, do your repair , put the piece you cut back  with a couple of metal stud pieces for backing,, tape it and you are good to go. I would use mold resistant drywall though.
Another good thing about drywall is No echo.

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## Tanlic

Agree to be on the safe side anyone thinking of using the system for an extra 60 baht or whatever  per sheet use mold resistant. A good tip is don't allow the metal frame to touch the outer wall and there's little chance of condensation like you get in colder countries. I've taken drywall off walls that has been there for 10 to 15 years and never had a problem except once with termites where they had used timber studs but never with metal.

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## bronatony

Good luck Mantadive..

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## baldrick

> it is a special aluminum design that looks like wood.


any info on these ?

I need to replace the front and back door and what I see at homepro looks pretty sad

exterior doors need to be solid for security

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## Buckaroo Banzai

> any info on these ?
> 
> I need to replace the front and back door and what I see at homepro looks pretty sad
> 
> exterior doors need to be solid for security


I agree , I saw some steel doors at global house in Khon Kaen that looked solid and attractive,

Sorry no luck so far with the aluminum guys, the window we got were great so when the front door started cracking I thought they would make a door for me also . Unfortunately all  their doors looked like a Mini mart door with wood  grain. I  am heading for the US next weekend to start a new project (my last one I hope,)  I will deal with the door when I come back end of Fall. If you come up with any good options please let me know, I will do likewise.

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## Mantadive

I have checked out most of the Hardware shops in Khonkaen Global has the best range of doors

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## Mantadive

The job is coming along nicely with most of the lower walls bricked and the roof structure started today, The septic and storm water systems are in 
More photos soon.

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## Buckaroo Banzai

> Rebar chairs were discussed elsewhere and a picture of a plastic chair was posted. Maybe someone more competent than I usuing the search engine can find the links.
> I remember someone suggested cutting up those small red bricks to use as chairs. Seemed to be a practical solution.


 Red bricks are a realy realy , really bad idea, you might as well use sponges.
The problem with steel not having proper coverage (being too close to the edge of concrete) is that moisture will get to it , it will rust, expand, and crack the concrete, allowing more moisture to infiltrate the system , further rust the steel, more steel expansion  , etc etc. It creates a vicious cycle.
Red brick is water permeable, and eventually disintegrates.
Plastic chairs are impermeable and a good option , steel chairs with plastic shoes 
 
are the standard in the industry but the problem with them is that often the plastic shoes fall off, and you and up still having steel near the edge, and creating a possible moisture pathway to the rebar.  But that's what we use in the high rise industry because of expediency, (when you are on a two day cycle and have thousands of sq ft of slab you don't have time for litle concrete cakes" 
IMO as a professional in  the industry, the litle concrete cakes are the best, because they consist of the same material as the rest of the concrete   creating a plug of the same consistency.

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## Thai Dhupp

It's looking good *MD*... mine's slowed down to a crawl so its good to have yours to keep me going until i am there next month.

Agree with the *last poster.*.. the concrete cakes, or '*chairs*' as they are known  are the simplest and most effective., but anything that keeps air and water away from your re-bar is a good thing.

You don't want the slab *rusting* from within!

*Good luck* for the rest of it...

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## Essexboys

Hi mantadive, I'm just sorting out my house build in khon kaen, would you mind giving me your builders contact details please.
many thanks
essexboys

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## Buckaroo Banzai

> Hi mantadive, I'm just sorting out my house build in khon kaen, would you mind giving me your builders contact details please.
> many thanks
> essexboys


MantaDive's  builder has also build our house and the house of  a few other friends
and  did a reasonably good Job. Except for the front door, that I need to replace. I am happy with the rest of the job
His info is:https://www.facebook.com/dooktanakorn7772/

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## Essexboys

Thanks buckaroo banzai, I will be giving him a call,
many thanks
essexboys

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## Mantadive

The works are progressing slowly at present, the roof is on. I opted for a zinc alume tin roof for the following reasons:
 I wont be seen
In one years time I will have it painted with a solar reflective paint
I had insultaion foil installed under the sheeting 
It is the thickest roofing metal 0.42 mm same as Australia,s standard material, which menas that you can walk on it without fear of damage
I am installing 75mm foil cvered batts at the ceiling level.
I am also instaliing a couple of whirlybirds to extract the heated air - these work on natural convection.
The soffit sheets will be ventilated.
The external walls are cavity bricks, so in theory the warm air between the walls rises into the ceiling space and is vented out.
I had to show the roofers how to weather the ends of the sheets which is stanard practise in Aus. This involves turning up the ends of the pans at the ridge line. This stops wind driven water from entering.
On the 5 degree roof we also turned the bottom pans of the sheets down to stop capiiary action of the roof water.

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## Mantadive

Brickwork is at approx 70% complete. the brickies/blocklayres are doing a reasonable job. 
I have ensured that the QCON blocks are reinforced according to specs and that the correct glue/mortar was used.
I also bought some cavity ties to tie the inner and outer skins together.
I am glad that I made the decision that all of the external walls would be cavity, especially in the current heat, I had originally drawn the plans with only the western wall cavity.

While the blockwork is a bit rough, it is better than some brickwork in Aus when the brickie knows the house wil be rendered.
I had one occasion in Aus as the Building manager of a large building company (300 + homes a year) of making a brickie pull down all of the brickwork on a two storey brick (rendered) house because it was so rough. 
It was reasonably true and straight but the perps and joint beds were no where near standards. they basically stand back and throw the bricks at the walls. The brickie didnt argue just went ahead and replaced all of the bricks walls at his expense.

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## Mantadive

I find that most of the workers are skilled labourers rather than tradesmen. TC Builders has a good team of people. I find that he (Dook) is easily approachable, will always meet on site, and understands English.
I have to visit the site every day to ensure that the quality is kept up and I am introducing them to some new practises and ways of doing things. I always try to explian the reasons for this.
E.G. I made sure that we installed a moisture barrier under the slab as well as a dampcourse layer under the external walls. 
I ensured that the drainage had the correct falls, that P traps were installed where required as well as venting the system correctly. I also had an ORG (Overflow relief Gully Trap) installed. This was a new concept to Dook but he understood why. 
So hopefully - no rising damp and no smelly drains inside the house. and if the drainage system blocks up the s_ _ T will be outside by means if the ORG. 
I also had an inspection port fitted at the head of the drainage line in case of a blockage. The system can be rodded clean from there.

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## Maanaam

> I am installing 75mm foil cvered batts at the ceiling level.


I've wondered about this in other build threads.
I don't know, I'm just pondering: In temperate and cold places, we insulate to keep the heat in and thus put the insulation on top of the ceiling. But in the tropics we want to keep the heat out, so would it be better to have the ceiling uninsulated and stick all your batts under the roof. With proper ventilation, the space should not get too hot.

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## mikenot

^ After retro-fitting the ceiling batts into my house in Australia where it gets at least as hot as here in Thailand (many days each year of over 40 degrees C ) I can assure you they work both ways. Internal summer temperatures were cooler, and warmer in winter. In the tropics the sun is overhead during the hottest part of the day so the vast majority of heat transmitted into a house is via the roof and then through the ceiling if not insulated.
 Of course, when building from scratch a combo of both under tile and over ceiling would be best of all options.

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## Mantadive

> I've wondered about this in other build threads.
> I don't know, I'm just pondering: In temperate and cold places, we insulate to keep the heat in and thus put the insulation on top of the ceiling. But in the tropics we want to keep the heat out, so would it be better to have the ceiling uninsulated and stick all your batts under the roof. With proper ventilation, the space should not get too hot.


The bulk insulation will stop the conductive heat transfer so being on the ceiling works ok.
I installed reflective foil to the underside of the roofing iron, this reflects the radiated heat  and to a small degree the convection heat. 
I also installed foil wrapped bulk insulation to the ceiling
The relective insulation on the ceiling does the same job, the bulk keeps the conductive/convection heat in the roof space allowing only a minimal amount thru to the rooms below. Thus it is important to ventilate the roof space. I am installing whirlybirds and vented soffit sheets to accomplish this. 

I used a product in Australia called Anticon:
https://www.bradfordinsulation.com.a...ations#current
Bulk insulation with foil directly under the roof helps to resist heat transfer as well as noise transfer, so it is a good idea. I could not find a 1200 wide long roll of a similar product here in Thailand. 
The drawback with Anticon is that it is installed between the roof battens and the roofing iron. anything thicker than a 50 mm batt would push the iron back up, so you tended to use more screws to force it down. (every rib every batten)  also the batts were squashed at that point. 

Go here for an explanation of different types of heat transfer 
https://www.greenteg.com/heat-flux-s...heat-transfer/

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## JournalistsAreLiars

> The works are progressing slowly at present, the roof is on. I opted for a zinc alume tin roof for the following reasons:
>  I wont be seen
> In one years time I will have it painted with a solar reflective paint
> I had insultaion foil installed under the sheeting 
> It is the thickest roofing metal 0.42 mm same as Australia,s standard material, which menas that you can walk on it without fear of damage
> I am installing 75mm foil cvered batts at the ceiling level.
> I am also instaliing a couple of whirlybirds to extract the heated air - these work on natural convection.
> The soffit sheets will be ventilated.
> The external walls are cavity bricks, so in theory the warm air between the walls rises into the ceiling space and is vented out.
> ...



Any photo of the roof please ?

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## Mantadive

Some recent Photos
as you can see not much of the roof to see.
will take more tomorrow as the job is progressing 
Scaffolding is going up (well the Thais call it scaffolding, I call it absolutely scary external bush sticks. )

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## David48atTD

> 


Roofing profile is   :coolio: 

Are you going to install louvres to the vertical face where the roof lines join?

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## Mantadive

> Roofing profile is  
> 
> Are you going to install louvres to the vertical face where the roof lines join?



I will be installing whirly birds on top of the roof, They actually work with natural convection. I will put some venting in that face, it will all help.

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## David48atTD

^  So you won't be having a vaulted ceiling?

It will be a ceiling void?

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## Mantadive

> ^  So you won't be having a vaulted ceiling?
> 
> It will be a ceiling void?


Yes I will have a flat ceiling with a roof space. I have a couple of raised areas with recessed strip LED lighting 

I had a discussion with Dook re the construction of the roof, They had only made a truss at each end of the roof structure, so rather than fotce the issue myself I got the engineer to inspect and we put 2 more truss units in to stop the main support truss from rolling. I personally would like to see more but I will abide by the engineer. The ceiling is suspended on metal battens.
I am used to building with timber framing. 
I did make them adjust a fair bit of the roof as it was not straight or plumb in a couple of areas,
Always chedking

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## Airportwo

> In one years time I will have it painted with a solar reflective paint


Moving along nicely, good that you are getting along with your builders and they are open to improvements.

I have a flat roof area that I coated with reflective paint, made a lot bigger difference than I expected - product made by "Three Bond" they make some good products though on the pricey side.

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## Shutree

> Red bricks are a realy realy , really bad idea, you might as well use sponges.
> The problem with steel not having proper coverage (being too close to the edge of concrete) is that moisture will get to it , it will rust, expand, and crack the concrete, allowing more moisture to infiltrate the system , further rust the steel, more steel expansion  , etc etc. It creates a vicious cycle.
> Red brick is water permeable, and eventually disintegrates.
> Plastic chairs are impermeable and a good option , steel chairs with plastic shoes.


A fair point. I hadn't thought about the permeability of the bricks.

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## Klondyke

> Red brick is water permeable, and eventually disintegrates.


Do you truly believe that the red bricks disintegrate during the concreting process? Then, will create an empty space there? 
BTW, when looking around, in this and/or in the old world either, we see so many red bricks exposed for centuries to the changing weather, I would not classify them as "disintegrated" (almost)...

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## Mantadive

> Moving along nicely, good that you are getting along with your builders and they are open to improvements.
> 
> I have a flat roof area that I coated with reflective paint, made a lot bigger difference than I expected - product made by "Three Bond" they make some good products though on the pricey side.



As long as it does the job

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## Mantadive

I have no experience with red bricks though they do look very permeable. I dont believe that they would disintegrate for a long time there are literally thousands of homes built here using red bricks. 
The drawback with red bricks is their lack of strength, their lack of solar performance. I personally would not build with them. I chose QCON blocks 75 mm for the internal walls and double 75 mm for the external with a cavity.

The double external with cavity has a very good solar efficency. Using double 75 is cheaper than using a single 200 mm block. Labour is more but with the wages paid here (approx 10% 0f a brickie in Aus) it is not a problem. 
Also there are no unsitely columns to see.

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## Mantadive

The house is moving along nicely now. 
Painting commenced on the external walls all render finished
internal render started
Some issue with the roof flashings, they just didnt turn up for weeks, in the end I drew the profiles required and worked out the quantities and gave them to Dook. They turned up the next day. The house is a bit different and they were unsure.
Have to watch the carpenters (fitting the soffitts) had them pull down some planking and gave them a lesson in how to install it. hopefully it will go on correctly this time. If not pull it down again !!
The young couple doing the render are doing an excellant job, I highly recommend them. 
All electrical and plumbing pipes in.
I have to source 3 core insulated wire for the electrician. not easyto find. 2 core is easily available.

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## ootai

Mantadive
I am sure you are on top of it but when we built I just ran ordinary blue pvc like what you show in the above picture but then when they laid the tiles they used about 2 inches of concrete over the pipes under the tiles. The house is about 9 years old and in that time there has obviously been a small movement in the house floor which has caused a minor fracture in one of the pipes. This has resulted in water coming up from under the tiles, it forms a small puddle before it drains back down the drain hole which is nearby but the main issue is that it makes the pressure pump cycle on and off every minute or so. I don't know why but the missus won't or can't get it fixed and she controls it by cutting the power to the pump when it is not required.
So in hindsight I would have run the small pipe inside a larger pipe to allow for small minor movement in the floor which wouldn't fracture the actual water carrying pipe. Or I would have run all the delivery pipes under the floor (it is raised 75cm off the ground) and then just poked them straight up through the floor to where they were required.

If you get time it would be nice to see some pictures taken of the inside of your house.
Good luck with the rest of the build.

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## parryhandy

> Shutree
> I would only install a grey water tank if you were considering using the water for irrigation., and you would have to keep the tank pumped every couple of days otherwise it will really smell. I had that issue in AUS. 
> Having the grey water into the one tank helps the sewer lines to flow better. 
> Unfortunately I am on a very small block *and the treated waste connects to the street pipe* (basically a large storm water pipe) I would have preferred to install soakage /evaporation trenches but no room.
> Importantly 
> The system has traps on all fixtures to stop the smells from coming into the house and it is thoroughly vented which will allow the waste water to get away without any effort. 
> I also included a cleanout at the head of the line and an ORG (overflow relief gully) at the base of the line. If I get a blockage then the s--t will come out of the ORG and not the downstairs shower.


How is this done exactly do they bore a hole into the storm drain ? 

I have rented  2 houses on an housing estate for over 10 years in Khon Kaen and at no time have we ever emptied the septic tanks or have I known any of the neighbors  to have done, is this right ? If you should empty the tanks I cant see why anybody would as its out of sight out of mind and wont the untreated waste just flow out in the storm drains anyway. I talk to the mrs about it and shes like why give a toss ? If the grey water is flowing into the septic tank won't the bacteria that breaks down the waste be killed by cleaning products ? I'm pretty sure our grey water goes straight into the drains by design.

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## Neverna

> I have rented  2 houses on an housing estate for over 10 years in Khon Kaen and at no time have we ever emptied the septic tanks or have I known any of the neighbors  to have done, is this right ?


It's possible the house owner arranged it without your knowledge, possibly while you were away for the day. It doesn't take long to do.

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## HuangLao

> It's possible the house owner arranged it without your knowledge, possibly while you were away for the day. It doesn't take long to do.



Seems more likely.
Can't imagine a Thai configuration/system going on up to 10 years without emptying - less being refashioned over that kind of time stretch.

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## parryhandy

> It's possible the house owner arranged it without your knowledge, possibly while you were away for the day. It doesn't take long to do.


lol not a chance in hell, seriously I've never seen one of those trucks on our estate. It does flood regularly when we get heavy rain which I'd imagine gives the tanks a good clear out. Seriously though why would most care as long the waste is disappearing, I know its not right but....

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## Schuimpge

> Seems more likely.
> Can't imagine a Thai configuration/system going on up to 10 years without emptying - less being refashioned over that kind of time stretch.


Housing Estate I live (Rangsit Pathum) was built in 1995, so fairly old. It's all blocks of shophouses, with mostly small 1.50-2m area behind the houses.
The wastewater system (as far as I can see) has a septic tanks and a grey water tank. Overflow is draining into the storm-drains which then go to 6 large tanks at the front of the estate.

This means that there's hardly, if ever, a need for individual emptying of tanks, unless you dump everything down the drains..

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## Mantadive

Time for an update:

The house is progressing slowly, the external render is complete and painted, Internally the walls are nearing completion (rendering) they have been primed and first coated. Ceilings are battened out. I had an issue with the battening, they use a 50mm x 5mm very light channel supported from the upper floor and the roof structure. I insisted that the battening be supported at 500 mm centres maximum. This meant more steel has to installed in the  roof structure. Dook (The builder acknowledged this amd it is being installed) 
I attend the site every day and I am glad that I do. I pick up problems as they happen, I am ensuring that a quality job is being carried out. ( I am not a perfectionist but I do like the construction to be sound, true ,straight and plumb. )

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## panthira

You havent really talked about the electric. If you need advice. I can help
Jack

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