Loombucket's Paradise on earth

[Loombucket]

mrs Brickie is quite cute.

Yes, but she has a voice that would cut through armour plated steel at a thousand yards.

I bet she's got nice hands.

A very good point Marmers. All the Girls have been wearing those thin style gloves, to protect their tandies. I noticed that Mrs. Brickie had worn her finger ends away and, in an effort to promote a greater understanding, I have been trying to get a decent shot of her hands. This is the best that I can manage for the mo. Judge for yourselves.

[Loombucket]

After lunch, we find half the team clustered into a corner. Mrs. Brickie's 'Horse' is on the verge of collapse. Instead of trying to mend it, they gather round to hold it up, so that She can finish.



Khun Udom is busy sweeping the front of the house wall. You can just make out the smoke from Loong's bonfire, through the windows.



As the day draws to a close, we welcome two new members to the team. This is Somchai and his Son Somchai. Years ago I would have been amazed, or possibly confused, as to why a bloke gives his Son the same name. These days I just nod and grin stupidly. They proceed to make a scale drawing with the aid of a bit of old plasterboard and a Carpenter's pencil. I let them get on with it. The finer points can be thrashed out later.

[Loombucket]

Day Seventy and the team are concentrating on the living room.



Mr Brickie has made it to the foot of the stairs.



Khun Udom spends a lot of time fiddling with his phone implant. Somchai & Son are struggling with the concept of three wire electrics. I invite them round to our place to get a jolt from the toaster. They don't understand but they will come over tomorrow.



Here is a closeup of the wooden door frames. It looks a bit rubbish, at the mo, but should look OK once it has been rubbed down a bit. Wood, red, they all said, I dunno but it is very hard.



The arrival of Khun Eek, armed with a hammer, leaning over the front balcony, means that they are going to bung some cement up there, very soon. It also means that the front 'grass' will be full of sharp bits tomorrow and I should consider some sensible shoes.



Actually, he wasn't up there for long. He spent about twice as long, relocating the drinks area to a safer place. Safer for the water perhaps.....

[Smithson]

Today we had a trawl around some of the tile and granite places in the Pak Chong area.

We did the same thing a while ago, worst part is if you have an idea of the price beforehand then it's impossible to know what's a good deal.

[SEA Traveler]

Enjoying your style and good tastes Khun Loom. Keep up the good work.

[Panthip]

Loomie it’s amazing what they have done in only +2 months. How many have been working through the different phases?
You must have had more than 2 bricklayers fore sure.

[splitlid]

errrrrr......electrics?????????


errrrrr...plumbing????????????

[Loombucket]

Loomie it’s amazing what they have done in only +2 months.

Yes, it's hard to believe that back in May, It was a pile of dirt and a twinkle in the Eye of the Architect.

How many have been working through the different phases?

Khun Udom, the Builder, does most of the complicated stuff. We have two 'Boys' and two Girls that dig holes, mix pug, run buckets and clean up. Mr & Mrs Brickie are sub contractors, for the duration of the bricking and rendering. When we have need of extras, like for dealing with large ammounts of premixed cement, we hire from the moo ban over the road.

[Loombucket]

Ok, it's actually the same day as it says it is. This is a tad confusing, as I have been running behind for so long. Today, Mrs Brickie's eldest is having bullying probs at school, so She is off down to the local office for a quick shout. If you are local, and you notice a school with many broken windows, it is likely that Mrs. Brickie did her shouting there. Mr Brickie has gone into hyperdrive, to make up for the shortfall in womanpower. Here he tries to do all of the kitchen in one go.



Loong is busy in the living room, digging the trench for the er...waste pipe. You can tell that he is loving every moment.



Upstairs, over the balcony, Khun Udom is rapidly bricking up the last anoying hole, as they need the scaffolding to reach the front of the balcony wall.



Back at the trench, Loong is complaining to anyone who will listen. No-one is too keen to listen but that does not stop him complaining.



With the last of the bricklaying done, we need to get rid of last nights rainfall, so we can spread a little more pug about. Now they understand what I meant by 'a roof drain', and remove a brick or two to enable the water to get out.



Water all gone, to the ground below, and they make a start on the inner wall of the balcony.



I pop back downstairs to check on Loong and he has dissapeared. Then I notice the acrid stench of the local hand rolling tobaco and I discover Loong hiding in the downstairs loo. He seemed very pleased with himself. Key, key, (sh1t, sh1t) he said. Smells like it, I thought.

[splitlid]

errrrrr......electrics?????????


errrrrr...plumbing????????????

the reason i ask is cos these things should be first fixed before the rendering is started.Its in the book

[Nawty]

Just saw the Pak Chong mention. If you are looking for sandstone I can steer you towards some stonemasons off the beaten track and prices reflect this.

Cheaper than the Pak chong main road shops I think by far.

I got some prices for solid sandstone blocks.

Pm me if you are looking for sandstone, as this is all they had but in several colours.

[Loombucket]

errrrrr......electrics?????????


errrrrr...plumbing????????????

the reason i ask is cos these things should be first fixed before the rendering is started.Its in the book

I will be doing features on the plumbing, and the electrics, at a later date. Don't forget that this is a Thai style house and there is no way I am running cables under the rendering. The upstairs plumbing all comes in through the overhang, at the back of the house, and will be hidden by the tanks and stuff. The downstairs plumbing will be more amusing but you must wait and see.

Meanwhile... We have got to the stage where most of the labour intensive stuff is coming to an end. This means that most of the crew will be going back to their farms and won't be appearing, again, in this thread. Today was Part one of the 'Office' party, where they all had megga noodles and vile green pop. I have some pics but we are having a few probs at this end, and the kids have just come in from school.

[DrAndy]

Don't forget that this is a Thai style house

It is a nice house, but I don't see any connection with Thai houses!!

[splitlid]

^exactly what i thought.

if its an oversight then it can be rectified now easily, just stop the rendering now, some walls may need to be chipped off, but some sockets and switches can be brought in from behind if walls behind are unrendered.

got to look at resale value also when building a house, and proper electrics are a definate must...even if you dont think you will ever sell.....never say never.

just advice

[andy55]

wheres the chimney?

[Loombucket]

It is a nice house, but I don't see any connection with Thai houses!!

Yes, sorry my comments were badly worded. There are a few houses that look a bit like mine, in this neck of the woods. Perhaps I should have said, will have Thai people living in it for most of the time and they don't trust anything that they can't see.

got to look at resale value also when building a house, and proper electrics are a definate must...even if you dont think you will ever sell....

Thanks for the advice. I have noticed that the Thai workers love to make something nice, and then knock a hole in it, and make it nice again. I'll have a better Idea, what's going on when we meet with Somchai and Somchai, and the English Teacher.

wheres the chimney?

Drats, I knew I had forgotten something important!

[Loombucket]

Today we have had a visit from the tile fairy, although judging by the weight, she must still be knackered and lying in a tree somewhere.



This is the first of two 'Office Party' type days, and the staff are keen to get the work done so that they can get on with having some fun. This inpromtu 'water feature' on the stairs means that someone is about to start on the stairwells.



Khun Udom is soon up there but the splatter area is huge, so it's not safe to use the stairs



Mr. Brickie is in the downstairs 'bathroom'.



Mrs. Brickie is in the 'porch'.



Work stops with the arrival of a temporary noodle bar, which is quickly set up in the crew shed. That's the Gardeners's Sister between Mrs LoomB and BIL.



Everyone gets one or two bowls of this, there are some noodles in the bottom, plus vile green, strange red or otherwise pop. They will get beer tomorrow.



Condiments are set up in the back of BIL's truck. Khun Udom looks well pleased with his lunch.



We don't have chairs, so the crew improvise. Not a fair picture, but a good example of someone trying to keep noodles in the gob, whilst eating as quickly as possible.



In true Isaan style, the others squat on the floor. Loong tries to get his nose as close as he can, possibly to save the spashes down his shirt.

[Loombucket]

Today is the last of the, original crew, working days and there is a rush to finish off before the cement truck comes with the floor. Mr. Brickie is putting the finishing touches to the front balcony.



Everyone else is preparing the floor to take the cement. Here you can see a small rebar frame covering a layer of sand. The bars have been tied together to keep them in shape. There is a barrier layer beneath the sand and the wall has been marked at the appropriate hight.



The team finish just in time and there is a scramble to find both wellies and buckets that don't leak. I think we started with twenty buckets and five pairs of wellies.



There is no order, no bucket chain, this time. You fill your bucket and then you chuck it.



Mr. Brickie has been doing a splendid job on the float, he got the most weakproof wellies.



As the team reach the kitchen, they employ the bucket in the door, empty out the window chain and this is the best arrangement that I have seen. There was a lot of giggling but, despite my best efforts, I was not able to capture it.



Shortly after this, we ran out of concrete. I popped home for a bite, and some fresh batteries. When I made it back, the floor laying was over and the party was in full swing. Khun Udom, Mow and two blokes that I had never seen before, were well hammered already and talking very loudly. I left them to it. The crew, however, were having an Isaan style thing. Sitting on the floor, huddled out of the wind they were grilling wild Boar over a campfire and drinking Leo out of sawn off pop bottles.



After a few drinks, they started to relax a bit.



After a few more, they started to enjoy themselves. It was nice to see the Apprentice, he even brought his own ciggies.



Then it was time to put away the camera and join in the fun myself. Despite the fact that my Thai would disgrace a three year old, they made me welcome and bade me join in the throng. Fortunately, there are no pictures of me staggering accross the field and falling over my bike. Unfortunately, there are no pics of one of the girls falling over and covering herself in water she took for the dunny. I laughted, and drank, far too much, but would not have missed it for the world. Isaan Farmers, bladdy good bunch.

When the floor has 'gone off ', and Khun Udoms's hangover has abated, we will be starting over again.

[Propagator]

Great photos LB and narrative.

[andy55]

great thread loomie they look real nice people

[Panthip]

Loomie, how so you get in such large photos into your thread? Mine are either the standard view from the gallery or enormous ones if I click an image.
Your photos are great and you’re a good story teller. Been into this trade before have you?

[Nawty]

panthip...I had that problem, when you resize them firstly make sure they are no wider than 800 pixels.

Then save them here and when you click on it to get the link details to put into your post...you should double click it and open it to full size, then copy the link details.

If you do it while still in the album or clicked once and in the single pic viewer they both come out small in your post.

Douple click it, it should open full size in new window, then copy link details.

Worked for me.

[Panthip]

Cheers mate; I’ll try to reduce to 800 and see if it helps. So fare I have gone for the larges possible, 1024, in hope of getting a large image to post.
O what do you know; the smallest size makes the best picture. It’s sensibly isn’t it? Anyway I ‘ll have a go at it. Expect some new photos tomorrow.

[Panthip]

Sorry this was the wrong thread. Can anybody remove my mistake and delete this post.

[Loombucket]

^No probs. Thanks everyone for your kind comments. I used to tell stories, in the days when you didn't get arrested for talking to other peoples children. I s'pose I have a childish outlook, on life, combined with a vivid imagination and the fact that there is humour in everything, if you know where to look. If I thought I stood a chance, I might consider writing kids books but competition is heavy.

I resize my pics down to 640 x 427 pixels, and then compress to about 80% of the original. That gives me a decent pic and a small file, about 70-100kb.