Thai Dhupp and Princess Joy's Thai House Build

[Thai Dhupp]

Hi TD , no we have rescheduled , life gets complicated.
Mother is 92 and going down hill fast. Doesn't like foreigners ! Wouldn't come to my wedding (7 yrs ago ) and doesn't want to see my wife, ever again.
She has become a silly old bat , but what can I do, its my mother. I go shopping for her once a week.
I should just walk away but she is on her last legs and I know if I leave now it would hurt a lot, and because she bought me into this world I'm going to maintain the status quo, but the end of this year I will be back in LOS, next year we need to be building. Lets be serious non of us have too long left anyhow, I reckon about 15 to 20 yrs max !
My wife is fantastic and fully supports me, brilliant little lady.

I hear you DM... my mum is coming 91 next month... but shes in UK and I am here in UAE and I live in Thailand, not UK. She's OK with that, we keep in touch as best as possible. other family are there so she's not without support. I too thought about putting stuff on hold, quitting the job and going back to UK but probably, my mum would be 'what are you doing still here!!?' after a few days. She's got used to living on her own and does not like people fussing after her!!

That fits in with my plans too... I really could not wait for the house any more... its started now with reasonable control even though I'm not there with it.

If i had quit and gone back, maybe the house would not have started for another 2-3 years.... oh..and I would have got stung for a years worth of personal taxation too after 90 days.

I'm building with her full support, BTW. Mum's want to see their kids settled, right!?

[Stumpy]

I have planned ahead though

Me too, Downstairs I had a Laundry/storage room built which is a large and fully plumbed (Electrically and Water with Bathroom and shower). That could be mine later if I can't swing the stairs. However my FIL does the stairs at 79 every day and says its good exercise. At this time I run up the stairs so all good but I do have options.....

[Thai Dhupp]

It never hurts to build future-proofing into the design, if it is not price-prohibitive.

My office was extended to double as bedroom 5, we have a similar plan in the cinema room with clever use of the existing seating. (very temporary sleeping but could be useful), I have the office could later become a downstairs bedroom, or... by lining up the windows in that same office and the corridor between out bedroom and en-suite, we could construct a basic but totally usable lift between ground and first floors. not building the lift so no expenditure. plumbing / small bathroom is fitted anyway for the office itself.

Or...I could just sleep on the back seat of the pick-up under the car port, once I get too old to climb the stairs. Sorted!!

[Dead Metal]

Hi Norton, I believe that all the land ( because the family have a fair bit of land in the village plus all the farm land approx. 1 mile away ) has been dealt with legally whilst the mother was still alive and after death they all went to town to have all the paperwork updated.
Sorry if I sound vague, but I have never got involved I wouldn't be of any use anyhow. Don't speak the language and don't know the law. But my wife is a clever girl, the youngest , but smart. But to be on the safe side I will ask ( asleep at the moment ).

[Stumpy]

It never hurts to build future-proofing into the design, if it is not price-prohibitive.

My office was extended to double as bedroom 5, we have a similar plan in the cinema room with clever use of the existing seating. (very temporary sleeping but could be useful), I have the office could later become a downstairs bedroom, or... by lining up the windows in that same office and the corridor between out bedroom and en-suite, we could construct a basic but totally usable lift between ground and first floors. not building the lift so no expenditure. plumbing / small bathroom is fitted anyway for the office itself.

Or...I could just sleep on the back seat of the pick-up under the car port, once I get too old to climb the stairs. Sorted!!

Or we can just die and everybody moves on...

Sorted.....

I told my wife when I reach that age just make me up a special cocktail and I will check out. No need to upgrade any room

[Dead Metal]

The wife wants a 1 bedroom bungalow ? I said we should have 2 bedrooms for visitors but she said No, they can sleep on the floor ???

DM your wife's opposite mine, she wanted a bedroom for for each family member, I said it wasn't going to happen, we settled on an extra bedroom on the main floor we'll be up on 2nd floor, until I can't climb the stairs then it will be our bedroom.

Hi Dennis I think it will be a 2 bedroom, doesn't make any sense having only 1.

My wife has been a constant source of surprise. I have read so much about guys being stung that I'm always wary, but she has never made demands and is very canny with money, don't like me to spend/waste it !

[David48atTD]

I was looking forward to rebuilding the Teak house on stilts but the wife doesn't want to. The wife wants a 1 bedroom bungalow ? I said we should have 2 bedrooms for visitors but she said No, they can sleep on the floor ???
But she also said that, that part of the land was one of her sisters, ours is further down, nearer to the road .

Norton's advice, as usual, is spot on.

• Bungalow is good idea but insist it be 2 br.
• Sounds you have to sort title deed as well.
• Make sure it is chanote in your wife's name.

Couple of things.

If SWMBO only wants 1 bedroom, simply say OK.

Also say Honey ... I'll need a separate room to some Dead Metal time.

Make it bedroom size ... but call it a 'Study'.

She saves face by having a '1 bedroom' place ... and you get your 2 bedroom home.

---

If tact doesn't work ... I'm assuming you're paying for it?

Money talks

[Thai Dhupp]

Or we can just die and everybody moves on...

Sorted.....

I told my wife when I reach that age just make me up a special cocktail and I will check out. No need to upgrade any room

I told PJ that if I get to that stage, she was to try mouth-to-c...mouth to check if I've come or gone, before booking the temple BBQ. I hope she understands!

ok... At last... on with the constriction... I mean.. construction....

[Thai Dhupp]

Guess whats been delivered...





ok.. no need to guess 'cos I posted the clues...

[Thai Dhupp]

Blockwork

Yes... K.Pot has decided to crack on with some of the walling. I don't have issue with this, it all has to be completed under the contract.

[Norton]

External and internal Qcon block. Will soon be looking like a house rather than the Stonehenge. Moving right along.

[Thai Dhupp]

Yeah Norton... the wall construction always is a milestone... that RC-frame thingy on you stuck up on the land becomes a reall 3D type shape, looking a lot more like a dare I say it...'house'

Thing is, he was supposed to do the roof next so need to find out why the change of plan...

He never asked permission...

[Thai Dhupp]

Blockwork

All OK so far...




These blocks are light...


Yep.. looks about right


Where inner meets outer

[Thai Dhupp]

Blockwork - detail


Mixing the block mortar


Wall-plug into the hole drilled into the column


Wall tie in place ready to be secured


Screw through the wall-tie into the column. 2 screws per tie...


...and two nails through the wall tie into the block below




Same for the other end


The finished piece - this is the outer wall for the office

[Norton]

Thing is, he was supposed to do the roof next so need to find out why the change of plan...

Should make no difference as 2nd floor has been poured above so will keep sun and rain off ground floor. Perhaps roofing materials have not arrived or welding crew is busy elseware. Good progress is being made.

[Airportwo]

Looks like you are using the same size blocks as I did, happy with them though I never thought I would be saying that I was happy with blocks!!
Mine as you can see went up in the same sequence, once the roofers arrived they concentrated on that!

[dennis4558]

Good to see blocks are strapped, wind shouldn't blow your walls down

[Thai Dhupp]

Should make no difference as 2nd floor has been poured above so will keep sun and rain off ground floor. Perhaps roofing materials have not arrived or welding crew is busy elseware. Good progress is being made.

Just got to watch how he manages it though, Norton... each specific stage completed is a stage payment. not so good if he does 20% of a stage the 35% of another stage, etc..

It can be sorted just got to manage him. I don't want him to have too much of a free hand.

However... I made a mistake on the window location information which, if he had followed, would have been a disaster.

Room is 3m tall. window height is 1.5m (widow width is 1m. ).

I told him to measure the window 1.5m down from the ceiling, so that the window was well under the overhang, but... if he has done that, the window cill would have been at ... 1.5m from the floor!!

i.e, most would not have been able to see out of the window!!!

I had a panic moment yesterday when i realised what I had instructed but he also realised the error and made the window cill at just over 1m from the floor

[Norton]

Just got to watch how he manages it though, Norton... each specific stage completed is a stage payment. not so good if he does 20% of a stage the 35% of another stage, etc..

Point taken. He should have discussed the change.

1m from the floor

I probably would have centered on wall but 1m above floor ok.

[Thai Dhupp]

With the final arrangement: 1m up from the floor, then 1.5m window height, then 0.5 under the eves.

As a 'construction professional', I am mindful that a fall from 6m or more is almost guaranteed to be fatal, and 3 -6m will more often than not result in serious injury.

Construction guidelines say an upper safety handrail should be at 960mm so, almost 1m. Our window cills are a little over 1m.

Some of our upstairs windows can fall straight to ground, 4m or more in height.

Just reducing the risk a little.

Continually wearing safety harnesses / lanyards for the kids was not really an option....!!

[Thai Dhupp]

This arrangement also fits better with the 'wood paneling' design which will be applied to the upper floor

[Thai Dhupp]

Interlude - yeah.... things can and do go wrong sometimes


Did any of you spot was was not quite right about this picture?

[Thai Dhupp]

Yeah.... the pile of rubble on the floor, in front of the wall.

That should not be there ...unless.....

[Thai Dhupp]

I was admiring the blockwork pictures and thinking.. yes.. another quality job from K.Pot when...



WTF happened here!!??

K.Pot went off to check another job he's on and quick as a flash, the crew sprang into action to 'fcuk up' the excellent job so far...

[Thai Dhupp]

I was 'somewhat disappointed' , as you might guess...


Talk about where good meets bad...

I told him I was not happy.. he acted immediately.





Then re-built it



Peace and harmony restored. Hopefully not too many more like that.

Good to know he also was not happy. I did not even need to tell him what was needed - he did it himself