Thai Dhupp and Princess Joy's Thai House Build

[Thai Dhupp]

And a fine job it is.

Replicating traditional Thai house windows whilst accommodating aircon space complicates things. With windows/shutters open how are insects kept out? Unless I am missing something no screens in sight.

Thanks Norton..to start with, most probably the shutters will mostly be open and the windows will mostly be shut.

However, if you look between the two, if both were shut there is a gap between them in the frame.

This was deliberate - depending on what is needed, this can receive some insect screens or even some security panels for when we are away.

Either of these can be added as needed with no disruption to the existing window / shutter arrangements.

No need for K.Pot to be doing this - I am more than capable!

[Norton]

Either of these can be added as needed with no disruption to the existing window / shutter arrangements.

Good thinking. Sure to use especially in cooler season.

[NamPikToot]

TD, with hindsight i should probably have copied and pasted your list of jobs and i confess i have no idea what is left to do. Are you in the mood to steel yourself and do an old man a favour and list what you have left to complete? Garden excluded.

[Thai Dhupp]

TD, with hindsight i should probably have copied and pasted your list of jobs and i confess i have no idea what is left to do. Are you in the mood to steel yourself and do an old man a favour and list what you have left to complete? Garden excluded.

No problem ol' timer... (lol that's me an'all, BTW)

1. complete the boundary wall
2. paint the boundary wall
3. install the boundary wall lights and bosses
4. boundary wall gates, including the electric motors
5. install the 3000 Lit. water tank incl mains connection
6. complete external water pump and connections
7. connect the water heater.
8. fit and connect the 2 distribution boards (consumer units)
9. fit all light switches and sockets
10. install the ceiling LED's
11. connect the main incomer
12. testing and commissioning of electrical system
13. testing and commissioning of water system
14. testing and commissioning of the CCTV system
15. complete the skirting board installation, including painting
16. complete the floor painting / sealing
17. finish the master bathroom - tiling, shower glass, shower seat, shelving
18, final painting as required
19. turn the door into the main living room, zone 2 around (it was mounted opening out into the landing, which is totally wrong)
20. complete the internal door painting
21. render / paint the zone 2 downstairs outside kitchen wall.
22. construct the second downstairs, zone 2 wall, plus render and paint
23. clear zone 2 downstairs and clean / seal the terracotta tiles
24. full clean up of all internal rooms - floors, walls, windows, etc
25. removal of the Chonburi Hilton camp
26. removal of the C.H toilet tank
27. site clearance of all building wastes

might have forgotten something?!...

[Norton]

might have forgotten something?!...

28. Final payment.
29. Wee party for builder.

[Thai Dhupp]

28. Final payment.
29. Wee party for builder.

not so sure about that finmal payment Norton.. hes just f#@k#d up the master bathroom shower tile mosaic pattern!

pictures will follow once i calm down

basically.. instead of mosaic pattern, he or his 'oppo have done blocks of differing single colour...

OMG i thought we would escape the idiocy.. lol

it would be|:

28. stage 8 payment
29. 6 week snagging identification and rectification
30. final payment
31. paaaarrrrrrtry - timeeeeeeeeeeeee!!

[NamPikToot]

TD thanks for the list.


Looking at it, the home straight is well in sight. You mentioned moving in in April so it could be cheeky trying to get that all finished by then - i assume the internals will will taken precedent and then see how far you get with the rest.


Rains starting (some already) may-june so plenty to keep you refreshed whilst toiling digging the moat errm pool.


Is PJ excited or is she too close to it all?

[Thai Dhupp]

Skirting boards

He's made a start on another item on the list... skirting boards.

Stained / treated before fixing


Heres one of the delivery bundles


looks pretty good stock...


Of course, I had to explain to PJ what 'skirting boards' were... out with the trusty sketch pad n pen


...and here is some actually placed

[Thai Dhupp]

TD thanks for the list.


Looking at it, the home straight is well in sight. You mentioned moving in in April so it could be cheeky trying to get that all finished by then - i assume the internals will will taken precedent and then see how far you get with the rest.


Rains starting (some already) may-june so plenty to keep you refreshed whilst toiling digging the moat errm pool.


Is PJ excited or is she too close to it all?

we wont be moving in April, NPT!

I am still here saving enough cash for the various payments for this and the Philippine projects so... no rush.

You are right though - he wont finish in time. Even if he did we still have the 6-week snagging list to identify and fix.

Shes excited though she's controlling it! I think there have been a few 'disappointments' in life long before I came along and she will only really believe it after shes been in a while, cooking, sleeping, gardening 'the dream'. lol

[NamPikToot]

TD, the not moving in April is probably for the best, not heard you chuntering ref idiots and overbearing managers so assume they've backed off or you, like me have found a way to let it sail over you. I think the nearer you get to an end date the hard it becomes at times. Hang in there!!!

Great for PJ. Been through it with mine and although she already had a place, the first one we completed (albeit a hovel in comparison to the Towers) still gave her enormous pleasure. My Mrs had a lot of family problems which saw her taken on the matriarch roll in her late 20's; thais are like giggling school girls usually at that age but she had to grow up fast and always went without in favour of the family and certain indolent ones at that. She's had money and could get stuff herself but never really did until we kinda did stuff together and then she felt it wasn't just her being extravagant

[Thai Dhupp]

... not heard you chuntering ref idiots and overbearing managers so assume they've backed off or you, like me have found a way to let it sail over you.

Well.. after losing an arguement and embarrassing himself with my management team (who all think he's a tosser ) the incompetent, anti-social manager told me he was 'no longer talking to me', and I was to deal with his subordinate (lol talk about delusions of grandeur, coupled with a total lack of understanding on team development or team-building) and then with a show of petulance he put the phone down on me (lol the ultimate childish act, but as everyone says, he is immature). All i can say is thanks! stay away, suits me.... but i know one thing. hes big on gestures not big on following through. He will crack before i do cos, if i never spoke to him again it would be a day too soon! lol counting the days....

Meanwhile in the real world... i.e what really matters

PJ had a lot of problems to sort out when her dad passed relatively young and older siblings had moved away. Like yours, she had to grow up quick and went without a lot in those years. Life was tough but she made the best she could of it.

It hardened her and sometimes she can be wary, suspicious even but it's because a lot of bad happened before.

She's coming out of it though and moving to this house will be a major step in the right direction.

[NamPikToot]

TD, that's a result ref the manager. I hate work politics, i've got a reputation that follows me for not suffering self important idiots, particularly those "above" me. I like working with more "junior staff" and taking time to help develop them through coaching, responsibility & delegation - you usually find those like you describe add very little to the wider company and its staff.

I have to say that PJ seems to share some of my Mrs traits. Although she is a very caring person, most won't see that til she gets to know them better.

All the talk on the house is building and the garden aside have you and PJ kitted it out - furniture etc or is that good stuff to come, accepting you'll probably bring stuff with you.

[Thai Dhupp]

TD, that's a result ref the manager. I hate work politics

Too right but i just know he will call or email. nothing he likes better than email ping-pong where he gotta have the last word! I also cant stand the politics but sadly these days it comes with the territory

All the talk on the house is building and the garden aside have you and PJ kitted it out - furniture etc or is that good stuff to come, accepting you'll probably bring stuff with you.

Well actually..... we are not transferring much!

I dont really want much out of the lil' apartment we are currently in.

i sold all my Abu Dhabi furniture before I moved to a serviced apartment in Dubai... the only things i shipped to Thailand were my dolce vita pocket sprung orthopedic mattress (best sleep ever) and the Sony 3D 46 " TV (already out of date!)... plus a few boxes of clothes and knick-knacks.

no.. we will be content shopping once we are in sight of getting the keys finally. We already checked out a v nice bed frame in Lamptitude, also a dining table and chairs.

As I said before though... we are not going to rush to fill the house with stuff quickly... after the essentials, ie beds for the girls, a fridge, me setting up the induction hob we already bought, thats sleeping and eating taken care of, we will take some time to source compatible pieces as we go. I will be on with sorting out the kitchen units, and also the dressing room fit out.

[NamPikToot]

TD, I recall Klondyke kindly providing piccies of his kitchen and other furniture he'd crafted and in Thailand you'll know the North,CM / CR etc are the go to places for getting wood stuff made. Norts I think got some great work out of a chap he knows and is soon to retire. Ant also showed some really nice furniture on his "Classic Cars" thread he'd got in CM.

The reason i mention some posters above, its likes house builders and reputation - word of mouth works.

I think if you are going to invest in solid crafted wood its worth taking your time on designs and also then the craft-person(s) to make it; bit like a dog really, you're in it for the long term. With a house like yours you could throw in almost any design from Modern to Classic (European) or Oriental - Unless you've already got ideas in mind I think the workshops in CM will have a a range of "brochures" or design books you can peruse and would warrant a week long break looking into it.

Weirdly, the furniture we've got which is mostly passed down through her family but some bought - the biggest challenge has been......cushions and material. The correct foam that will last and on the material front we opted to get the cushions made very reasonable in CM using raw silk - fuking tarts boudoir.. only joking but we loved the range of colours and the two tone raw silks so opted for different shades , none repeated and it kinda works.

PJ will love this bit i would imagine - women and nest feathering..

[Thai Dhupp]

TD, I recall Klondyke kindly providing piccies of his kitchen and other furniture he'd crafted and in Thailand you'll know the North,CM / CR etc are the go to places for getting wood stuff made. Norts I think got some great work out of a chap he knows and is soon to retire. Ant also showed some really nice furniture on his "Classic Cars" thread he'd got in CM.

The reason i mention some posters above, its likes house builders and reputation - word of mouth works.

I think if you are going to invest in solid crafted wood its worth taking your time on designs and also then the craft-person(s) to make it; bit like a dog really, you're in it for the long term. With a house like yours you could throw in almost any design from Modern to Classic (European) or Oriental - Unless you've already got ideas in mind I think the workshops in CM will have a a range of "brochures" or design books you can peruse and would warrant a week long break looking into it.

Weirdly, the furniture we've got which is mostly passed down through her family but some bought - the biggest challenge has been......cushions and material. The correct foam that will last and on the material front we opted to get the cushions made very reasonable in CM using raw silk - fuking tarts boudoir.. only joking but we loved the range of colours and the two tone raw silks so opted for different shades , none repeated and it kinda works.

PJ will love this bit i would imagine - women and nest feathering..

lol you got that right, NPT... she says 'up to you' but in this case the thai-to-english translation is 'up to me!'

luckily shes not into the mismatched set of plastic chairs so we are saved from that.

i would consider getting furniture made, but the downside is of course...the cost of hauling it several hundred km to Chonburi....

i know there are some great craftsmen up in that neck of the woods, so maybe we will look into it a bit more..

so...

1 x 10-seater dining table + (not surprisingly...10 chairs. chairs will be upholstered, base and back

2 x wooden steamer-type chairs for our bedroom balcony, plus a small table to go between them

bedside tables x 2 for master bedroom, but have to match....

.....wooden bed frame for super-king mattress.

2 x bedside tables for bedroom 2

lol hope u (and the others) are getting this.!!!

and lastly... i want a pair of single beds that later can be joined together to make one king size double. i was going to make this myself - i see the bed frame ith mattress retaining on 3 sides, and the side without being against the wall. the mattress would be sised to be right up to the bed edge on that open side. then, to join them, reverse the frame positions so that the 2 open sides where then butted up and so were the mattresses. mattresses to have a joining band, and bed frames to have through bolts on frame at each end. lol it could work. would need a flat, horizontal head and tail board so the single to double bed transformation would not look crazy when joined.

all classic designs, i have a the ideas/ pictures etc. not modern-looking. not light wood colour, eg the dining table HAS to match the wooden floor and red walls so anything light will definitely not go.

other stuff will come later

jeeeez... i think i got carried away with this email.. is this the longest one i ever typed!?

[Thai Dhupp]

Floor preparation - master bedroom

K.Pot finished the sanding and leveling so now its on with the staining and sealing.

here's the main bedroom action....


corridor into the bedroom


I actually quite like this finish but there is more to come to make it a little darker and more shiny


The view from the dressing room / en-suite corridor. there is skirting board work going on too






looks darker and more shiny now...PJ will be pleased!








Looking back towards the bathroom door

[Thai Dhupp]

Floor Preparation - living room

More of the same. he seems to be finishing the floor sealing and skirting boards at the same time


Floor before sealing. Again...I actually quite like this finish


Some skirting board in place...


...'' oh.. you didn't paint yourself into the corner... did you!?''


Floor done skirting boards to fix




Et..voila!! flooring and skirting boards all completed.

[NamPikToot]

TD that wood is worth the investment imho, you can't beat it for of look and comfort, tiles i find too cold.

I agree that actually less shiny is better and gives it less of brand new out of the box look, more lived in. Still not keen on PJs curtain choice.

[Thai Dhupp]

TD that wood is worth the investment imho, you can't beat it for of look and comfort, tiles i find too cold.

I agree that actually less shiny is better and gives it less of brand new out of the box look, more lived in. Still not keen on PJs curtain choice.

Thanks for that, NPT, yes... i suppose the 'super-shiny' will fade back a bit with use, unless she has fixed a maintenance contract with the builder! Thais love squeaky-clean shiny and new!!

As we are not now opening an upstairs ice-cream parlour, those curtains will be 'disappearing' you can be sure but what to replace them with? I did not think past the room finishing itself and usually I only have a limited say in things like curtains! for example... down to cill, or full length to floor? i like full length but maybe it would not suit.

Curtains will be bright leaf gree....... a pastel shade to suit the walls, and thick enough to make a difference if drawn in the day time. PJ stop typing on my thread!

[NamPikToot]

TD, having kept the Thainess in one of the bathrooms I think you should very deliberately make a point of including at least one thing or item in each room. It'll act as a visitor barometer; if it brings a smile, as it should they are friendly forces, a frown or comment and you'll know not to extend further invites -they won't even be aware.

Are you going to name you residence? I always recall passing a faux Spanish hacienda going into work, clearly they aspired to live the lift of the siesta but what struck me was the house name which was I assume an amalgam of their first name, hence; Casa De BevRon top Bendidorming there.

[Airportwo]

When it comes to the final finishing, western kitchen, curtains etc I found that it was best to take the lead as the average Thai has very little experience in furnishing western style, which is quite understandable if they have lived "Thai style' all their lives, if they have been bought up in a western environment obviously a different story, as an example I wanted an oven in the kitchen, wife agreed but stated i had best choose as Thai people have no idea about ovens as they are unaffordable to the majority.
Moving along nicely now, April/May are the hot months, given the job list you have given yourself be better off moving in once its cooled down a bit
Cheers

[Thai Dhupp]

....Are you going to name you residence? ...

Ahhh I was wondering if that would be a good idea...

We are calling it TD Towers at the moment.

I'm not into 'Dunroamin' or anything like that

lol.. it will probably end up as 'The Dog House' because I will be in it most of the time...

Feel free to suggest alternatives.... if it's brilliant i might well go with it!

(No.. we;re not calling it 'Brilliant')

[Thai Dhupp]

When it comes to the final finishing, western kitchen, curtains etc I found that it was best to take the lead as the average Thai has very little experience in furnishing western style, which is quite understandable if they have lived "Thai style' all their lives, if they have been bought up in a western environment obviously a different story, as an example I wanted an oven in the kitchen, wife agreed but stated i had best choose as Thai people have no idea about ovens as they are unaffordable to the majority.
Moving along nicely now, April/May are the hot months, given the job list you have given yourself be better off moving in once its cooled down a bit
Cheers

She's left the kitchen to me, AP2, thank God so no tiny fridge stuffed up with tit-bits n left overs, medicine, plastic bags, etc. No charcoal pot BBQ (that can be out side), no gas anything, induction all the way... we already bought the hob in December, proper pull out baskets for veg, not keep it all in carrier bags. outside. tonnes of storage, a matching set of knives, etc etc. wooden units, Black galaxy granite work tops. we are having an oven and she wants it too for baking fish, after trying it in Abu dhabi

Furniture-wise we are on the same wavelength so I'm not too worried. Shes been to enough nice hotels to have a good idea what looks good and goes together. we want a mix of classic pieces with some trad i.e old Thai / far east furniture and decor items... bring it on!

Actually i am quite looking forward to this shopping experience. Hope my optimism is borne out!

[Thai Dhupp]

Floor Preparation - dining room

To close today's pictures, here are the shots of the dining room floor undergoing the 'treatment'.


He's hard at it. Not sure what 'it' is though...


and.., a totally different photo taken 1 nano-second later


a little later...


Part way through - you can see the before and after but don't ask me which is which!


you probably worked out that I have no clue what he's doing


he seems to be on the right lines though...


...because it looks pretty good.

[Airportwo]

Actually i am quite looking forward to this shopping experience. Hope my optimism is borne out!

Plenty of shops in your area & close enough to Bangkok to have a good choice, when we moved up to Udon I was surprised how little choice there was, abysmal to say the least, we don't have a lot of furniture in the house! can't find much up here i want to live with everyday, regretted including contents when selling previous houses.