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  1. #226
    Newbie UbonFarang's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by sabang View Post
    Tilapia, Nile Perch, whatever- I googled it once, and this hardy fish goes by several names and has several species.

    As I understand it, Pla nihn is a type of tilapia, so yes thats a definite. It grows like a proverbial weed. And Snakehead.
    Hi Sabang
    Where abouts in Ubon did you build. We have a place in town and wife asked how far away you are from the city.

  2. #227
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    We're about 25km from Ubon city, off the Trakhan Road. Near enough to go for a meal or a drink when we feel like it, far enough not to be tempted too often.

  3. #228
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    From humble beginnings

    Hi Sabang,
    Thank you for all your pictures and ongoing projects on your new Thai diggs.
    Thought I would drop you a picture of our place. We bladded the house area with a tractor and filled a 100mm plus driveway with stone.

    With your garage, I thought I might use the same design and use the structure as an outdoor room and open eating area for the family. So, stage one would be the six posts concreted in, concrete slab with starter bars and a finished roof.
    Four plumbing connections in the slab.

    May I ask the dimensions of the car port?

    Approximate cost, if not too personal.

    Appreciate your imput here Sabang.

    Many thanks...
    Last edited by Marmite the Dog; 08-12-2009 at 04:51 PM.

  4. #229
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    So you thought the Internet was fast- I'd already heard you were looking to get some more work done Musty. The Jungle Drums beat you to it.

    Now my measurement are not 'true' because bear in mind the structural steel poles were then bricked and plastered, but:-
    Width between the outer edge of the rendered posts- 4.14 m
    Length between the outer edges of the posts- 8.32m
    The roof then flares out from the outer pole edges 80cm or so

    Give or take a coupla cm.

    As for costs, well having got this done the Isaan way (letting 'em work it out as it went along) they've all become a bit of a muddle- seperating the carpotty from the rest of the stuff and so on. It would've been pretty damn close to 100k bht though- including the electrics & concreting.

    Your driveway looks great btw mate- I'd better not let the Mrs see that.

    I'm having some camera problems it seems, or mebbe I've just had an exceptionally bad run with shit Thai batteries. I bought a pack of 6 shite Tesco Lotus batteries- can you believe it, I got a grand total of two phot's from them (all 6), before 'low battery'. So Mrs picked up 4 shite Thai Panasonic batteries- well, I managed to get three nitetime shots of the now wired doghouse on flash, low battery again. I'll put in the remaining two fresh ones and see how I go today, but I'm thinking there must be a ploblem with my previously trusty old Samsung.

    So to cut a long story short, technology issues are delaying the update of the Dummies thread. And I'm a bit pissed off with batteries and camera's right now.
    Last edited by sabang; 08-12-2009 at 12:22 PM. Reason: '& concreting'

  5. #230
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    Thank you very much

    Thanks Sabang for the details. It is greatly appreciated.
    We hope to construct a similar structure, with the matching roof.
    Have half the structure as a small air conditioned bedroom with toilet and shower.
    The other half as an eating area under cover.

    There is a company that makes small swimming pools in Bangkok. Fibreglass, at about 4.5 metres by 2.5 metres. 1 metre to 1.5 metre in deepth. So looking at this to put in front of this structure and then fence it in. Anyway, that is the
    plan.

    Dropped you a couple more photos. We just finished the bore and found water at 41 metres. (25,000 baht for the cased hole) Then suspended it from the 35 metre mark. The stainless pump is about 9,000 baht, with a control box. About 1 h.p and pumps out at about 3,000 litres an hour. This water is very drinkable, clear and without smell. So now putting into the houses water supply.

    Thanks again


    Last edited by Marmite the Dog; 08-12-2009 at 04:52 PM.

  6. #231
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    Shop stuff

    Our tiny shopette has surprised everyone- most of all myself. It's actually doing pretty well really- I mean I honestly don't know what we're making from it- not much obviously, and who's counting- but it's more than I would've thought. The mainstay of the biz is Lao Khao (pissheads around here), and we're getting through about 5 cases of large bottles per week- which at 240 bht profit per case, is OK . We sell large bottles for 95bht, small at 50bht. Theres plenty of small size Lao Khao sold, then theres the beer- 45bht Leo is pretty much the monopoly seller here, we keep some Archa too (the locals don't like Chang and snub Isaan beer). We sell SangSom & HongThong whiskey, just a few bottles though- but Xmas & New Year coming up. We also get back 11 bht per case of bottles from the Recyclers- gotta think of these things, because quite a few of the locals like a drink here, and we're bribing some kids with sweets to bring in more empties- why not, we go into Ubon with recyclables, head back out with supplies for the shop. Bunch of pissheads here, like I said.

    Booze aside, sweet and snacky things for the kids and soft drinks, energy drinks, & milky things are regular sellers, as are instant noodles and wun sen noodles- these all go pretty quickly. We sell a lot of ice too- but really thats just something you've got to carry, not much dosh in it- the Iceman cometh two, usually three times a week. Tobacco of course- Krung Thip is no.1, and some rolling baccies. Other stuff just trickles out, but you've got to carry it to call yourself a convenience store- shampoo, dried chilli, tooth paste & brush, MSG, sugar, soup bases, tampons, talc & itchy heat powder, stuff like that. Eggs are our only perishable.

    Oh, and we're fully licensed you know- many local shopkeepers don't even bother with that, but with 'falang' in the house- you know how it is. The cost of the annual License, which allows you to sell cigs & booze, is a mind boggling 41bht! But for that fee, you are not allowed to split the cig packets and sell them individually, or open the Lao Khao and sell it in 5 or 10 bht measures. We would never dream of such a thing, obviously.

    Anyway, this day started like any other. Our first customer was 'Stickman', a local- who fashions sticks for broom handles, scythes, whatever else you might want sticks for, as a sideline. He's pretty good with sticks too, as was to be proved. Not long after 6 a.m, he's in a beer mood- and the Sheik of Araby from over the road (aka Cousin KK) joins him, as do I. It's a cool morning, as you can see.



    Maybe thirty seconds after this fot was taken, I get up and head to the verandah to get my cigs. Behind me, all hell breaks loose.



    All that time, I've been sitting on a venomous snake, it's kind of pinned below the mat- which we were too lazy to move. Now unpinned it comes racing out, somewhat irate. But Stickman swiftly dispatches him.

    So that bit of excitement sorted, well they always like some food with beer, happy to oblige.



    Todays seeds to be planted- cauliflower around here? H'mm, we'll see.



    Along comes Joy, another regular. Our first customer to become well drunk too- we took her home in the motosai sidecar, no ploblem.



    I help out as impromptu shop assistant when they're off shopping, Schlepper of full bottle cases, and occasional delivery boy. It's quite pleasant running a little shop really.

    Helping out is the village way- heres me helping them out over the road schlepping sacks of rice while the rice threshing machine is here. Time is money you know- you rent these things by the hour, so all the locals help each other out to get the job done fast.






    Hard yakka (you're going at quite a pace) but good excercise.
    Last edited by sabang; 08-12-2009 at 01:18 PM.

  7. #232
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    Well heres the Shopette, not much too it-



    I'd never have dreamt I'd be having a shop at the front entrance to my house, but it's there now, and no ones bothered moving it. We keep some bottles cold in the kitchen fridge, and if we get a bit of a run we chuck some in the chest freezer to speed up the cooling process-



    Total capital in (not including stock) is quite modest. We picked up the chest freezer second hand for 5K bht, and the two steel display racks for 420 bht each- may buy another one. Apart from that it's just unused junk we already had. Mrs is thinking to go and talk to the Coke or Pepsi people, and see if we can finagle some deal to get a glass fronted display fridge out of them.



    My puter launch pad is just around the corner, so I'm on hand when they're off shopping. Bit messy, as always.



    Menu, price lists, and Food glorious food. Food sales have dropped off a bit now the rice harvest has finished, but we still sell a few meals a day.











    I'll not bore you with the shop anymore, promise, but heres an interesting thing. On average, we buy our stuff a bit cheaper than the shops around here. It's because we have enough Capital to go and buy in modest bulk at the cheaper, wholesale oriented places in Ubon- but they're mostly operating from a modest cash flow, and encumbered against that their freezers, fridges and quite often shop racks are paid off monthly on hire purchase- so they end up a Lot more expensive, plus they've got to pay the bills and feed the family from cash flow. And we've got the wheels- some shops get a lot of their stuff delivered, which you pay more for, or are restricted to shopping locally- to the nearest market town, or the nearest small Tesco at Trakhan , a surprising amount of small shop stuff is bought there.

    So today the old 'snake' table set is being sanded back and varnished, and will soon be moved to the now tiled small ex-carport (where the bikes are behind), which will become the impromptu Pub & eating in area.

    Last edited by sabang; 08-12-2009 at 01:25 PM.

  8. #233
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    Doghouse complete

    Cheers Musty, we may yet get a proper Bore done- you may recall we had some local diviners who put down three holes, produced no water and gave up early in this Thread, and I was a bit miffed. If we get the 'professionals' in, I'm sure we can do something- and we've got a fish pond to think of now, maybe another catfish pond to follow, plus a growing veggie garden- so it might well be justified. For now, I've called a halt on all Cap-ex until New Year- we''ll get that out of the way first.

    Because the fish pond, I'm afraid, is a pathetic puddle again. The last great unresolved issue.




    We left off with the sparkie around and doing his wiring thing. So here he is at work, with cousin KK looking on, and his rather pretty girlfriend scampering away- she got camera shy. Sorry lads, at least I tried.





    So here is the Doghouse, all lit up. We had a few beers here last night- it's gotta be one of the more pleasant drinking venues around here, if I must say so myself. Shame about the 'fishpond' though.








    Now it's time to get the interior the way we want it.



    ^ Well, it's a start. Next trip to Ubon we'll buy a sofa bed. We've installed a decent Panasonic hot water shower in the dunny which I tested yesterday- it's fine, and I wasn't zapped, surprisingly. Time to get some stuff out of boxes- my old cast iron Gargoyle chess set might look nice around the lateral wooden centre beams, some pieces-



    And my old African thingy surely just belongs in there. Made of raffia, extensively chewed and rolled on the voluptous thighs of the nomadic Ungabunga Tribe you know, said to be quite old. Well thats what the lady said who sold it to me at the Lost City in Sth Africa, and I'm glad to finally get a use for it.





    The verandah is looking quite civilised.









    And that I reckon is about it for the Doghouse. Gardens, possible catfish pond, maybe a bore will be ongoing works in progress. Whew.
    Last edited by sabang; 08-12-2009 at 02:33 PM.

  9. #234
    In transit to Valhalla

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    The place is looking very good and tranquil Sab.

  10. #235
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    Quote Originally Posted by sabang
    cauliflower around here?
    Easy, but you should've sown the seeds about 8 weeks ago.

  11. #236
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    ^ Well we planted them about ten days ago mate- we'll see how it goes. I mean, just because the stuff we've put down has been mostly doing pretty good doesn't mean we really know what we're doing!

    I think the time of year and an ample supply of cow dung are really more at the root of our success. Anyway, a quick look at the still fledgling vege efforts:-



    ^ Here be loose leaved lettuce, coriander and dill. Doing fine. Mrs said she 'thinks' she might have planted some cabbage too. She can always move it, she says, if it starts getting crowded. Whatever.

    Our 'Isaan eggplant' tree, which I don't think is eggplant at all, has basically done great. It's planted next to the septic tank, on a side of the house I hardly ever venture (secret womans business). I'm afraid against a backdrop of the forest nothing stands out, but we get enough tiny faux eggplants from that for both us and them over the road. Some pretty white flowers too-



    You may have noticed 'real' eggplant in the seed packages a few posts previously. I hope they take- I do like eggplant, aka aubergine.

    The side vege patch continues to flourish, although strangely the Isaan rocket- which started off like a rocket, has kind of fizzled- not dead, but stalled. Looks like we're going to get a decent crop of spring onions, but theres quite a few things on the go- some basils, dill, loose lettuce, blimey a few more things too. We're already getting more food from there (lettuce & basils) than it's puny appearance would suggest. I almost feel sorry for the plants, being held back by human plunder.



    The spring onions are starting to look like small spring onions-



    Edit ^ & ^^ the patch above also contains cucumber (saw our first cucumber this morning),

    coriander (struggling), another type of Isaan eggplant, snake beans, and a fledgling papaya. The cactusy plant on the fringes is good for stomach ailments, and also helps keep insects at bay. Aloe?

    And the front (bodgy picket fence) patch is shooting now. Dunno what they've got there, surprise me.

    This mornings activity- time to trellis the snake beans apparently:-



    Last edited by sabang; 09-12-2009 at 08:10 AM.

  12. #237
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    Cucumbers do well, so do eggplant and papaya and a few others, with very little effort, even ours grow.

    But try for some things a little different and it all turns to shit, for us at least.

    Tomatoes were crap, got a few, but not enough.

    Corn was ok, some kind of giant squash was ok, long beans good.

    Snowpeas crap, carrots crap, rock melon crap, normal beans crap.

    Water melons ok, pumpkins not so great got about 6 only.

    Bananas great.

    As for a shop.....glad its you, I would get mighty tired of the drunks around every day. Not for this little black duck.
    I like poisoning my neighbours dogs till they die cos I'm a cnut

  13. #238
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    Glad to read that the shop is going well - no wonder I haven't seen you for ages!

    No worries about a coke firdge as long as they deliver out that way. They gave us one with no hassle at all, and we gave it back to them a month later as we were ripping ourselves off selling takeaway drinks. Be careful though - some of those fridges are quite old and cost a bit to run.
    News is what someone, somewhere is trying to suppress - everything else is just advertising.

  14. #239
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    Yeh, we've been a bit preoccupied here. Since I've last seen you MM, I've only been into Ubon twice for RnR- nice meals at Spago's and Sincere, and a terrible brekkie mistake- the buffet at the Nevada/ Ubon International (don't go there). But I can feel a kickass pie and mash yearning coming on- funnily enough I was talking to the wife just this morning about getting into Ubon for a couple of meals.

    Quote Originally Posted by Nawty
    As for a shop.....glad its you,
    I know what you mean mate, but basically everyone that comes here we know, they're all very pleasant- most take away their booze anyway. It's not been a problem, but if the shop were in a larger village it might be.

  15. #240
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    Quote Originally Posted by sabang View Post
    I'm well qualified to write this guide because when it comes to construction, I'm a Dummy. I also speak next to no Thai, and have the healthy mistrust of Isaan standards of craftmanship and forthrightness that only a resident expat can have. My sole qualifications to embark on this project were a Thai wife, whom I trust, and a certain knowledge of how business should be done- combined with a healthy cynicism as above, and a functioning 'Bullshit meter'.

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



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

    Any feedback welcome- fair price, did I pay too much, did I get a good deal?
    I'm a Dummy, remember.
    I reckon you got a good deal, it looks great too, tidy!

    People keep asking for me to put up pictures of my place in its finished state...I can't, it will never be finished, it is like the Forth Road Bridge.

    I should have done what you did, and built something sensible.

    The only benefit I see from this place is, I can rip the lot down and sell the wood when times get hard!

  16. #241
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    Quote Originally Posted by Missismiggins View Post
    Quote Originally Posted by sabang View Post
    I'm well qualified to write this guide because when it comes to construction, I'm a Dummy. I also speak next to no Thai, and have the healthy mistrust of Isaan standards of craftmanship and forthrightness that only a resident expat can have. My sole qualifications to embark on this project were a Thai wife, whom I trust, and a certain knowledge of how business should be done- combined with a healthy cynicism as above, and a functioning 'Bullshit meter'.

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



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

    Any feedback welcome- fair price, did I pay too much, did I get a good deal?
    I'm a Dummy, remember.
    I reckon you got a good deal, it looks great too, tidy!

    People keep asking for me to put up pictures of my place in its finished state...I can't, it will never be finished, it is like the Forth Road Bridge.

    I should have done what you did, and built something sensible.

    The only benefit I see from this place is, I can rip the lot down and sell the wood when times get hard!
    And let's be honest here, what you can get for a million! (The last time I went back to the UK - 3 years or so, my mother had just had a "bathroom" built on to the side of her place, about 2M x 3M. it cost her MORE THAN YOUR HOUSE!

  17. #242
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    all those years without a bathroom, your mother should have invested in one when they were cheaper.

  18. #243
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    Poms never miss what they dont use.

  19. #244
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    Quote Originally Posted by Missismiggins
    it cost her MORE THAN YOUR HOUSE!
    I shouldn't complain then, really. Reckoning as best I can, we've come out at 1.25 mill when you add on the Doghouse, carport, back verandah, Dunny block, bathroom fittings & electrics.



    We're throwing a New Years Eve bash, and theres the Karaoke machine stage right before you. Another use for the Doghouse.



    The main party area being cleared, the old fashioned way. My latest inspiration is to get an area properly levelled and grassed here for takraw, volleyball and badminton.







    Mainly up to mother nature now, and some judicious flower planting, to make it green and presentable. Adieu.

  20. #245
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    Marching on

    After recent contact with Sabang on his great home project, we contacted his builder again and wished to build an area for outdoor cooking and an area for eating, lazing and recreation. Plus an outdoor toilet and rice/tool storage area.

    So thanks Sabang, here is the start of that project. The Sabang 2 marches on.





    Here are the two mud maps I sent the builder. It is partially enclosed with two walls, around the kitchen. The rest is open plan.




    Ground work within 1 week of the builder receiving the mud maps.



    Great form work.



    The area in the back ground is for the outdoor toilet and storage area.



    The demensions of the structure are 8 metres by 6 metres. The end of the
    roof off this, will go over the existing roof at a similar pitch. The end stage involves cutting through the wall of the house where the windows are,
    to create the doorway and entrance into this area. This is day 10 of the
    project. I will add more photos later down the track.
    Agreed project price is 340,000 baht. This includes all electrics, gas kitchen,
    all tiled areas. 10 metres of enclosed walls for the kitchen and decorative
    bits and pieces.

  21. #246
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    Nice work, keen to see how this comes together.

  22. #247
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    just to say
    thanks for all these posts
    April I start a renovation - see my thread https://teakdoor.com/construction-in-...ouse-tips.html (Renovating 40yr Thai village house - tips?) I'm scouring all the building threads for ideas/inspiration. Looking at the various building materials/costs etc here on Phuket so i know what to order when i get to Sa Kaeo as doubt they'll have the same range in stock.
    The pics are a great help to get the gf thinking beyond just a re-paint and tidy up.
    cheers

  23. #248
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    Quote Originally Posted by genghis61
    Looking at the various building materials/costs etc here on Phuket so i know what to order when i get to Sa Kaeo as doubt they'll have the same range in stock.
    I'm pretty sure you'll find labour and wood costs (if you need any) cheaper in Sakeao than Phuket. But your house looks in pretty good shape- doubt you'll need much wood, if any. When we cannibalised our wooden house a fair bit of wood had to be discarded, as it had been derelict for 10+ years.

    One thing the locals rarely think of, but you might, is fly screens. As for the roof, I think the one you have does the job- but you might just want to put some insulation between the roof and ceiling.

    Good luck with it genghis. Looks like that set up will be a nice party arena Musty. Our New years party went fine btw, but in typical Isaan style the karaoke gear was not set up on the doghouse verandah as planned, rather the carport- which is where the party happened. The wooden verandah was the chill out area, soon commandeered by the two farangs present.

  24. #249
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    Marching on

    Just after 2 weeks of construction, a couple of photos to show the progress.
    The boys work well.







    In the background the storage room and toilet are well under construction.
    Very happy with the job to date. The tiles will be 600 x 600 mm porcelain.
    Post more photos as we march on.

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    Sabang: can you please PM me the name/tel no, of your contractor?
    I am located 50 km south of KK direction Chaiyaphum, and look for a good contractor.

    Musty: great photos Keep them coming for inspirations for us all.

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