Building a house in Isaan, for Dummies.

[Edge]

DrAndy, will do although this looks like a sabang style house thread and although the comments are really helpful for us all, our house will not follow that style of building.
Working out how to organise the wall around a rai of land right now.

[DrAndy]

DrAndy, will do although this looks like a sabang style house thread and although the comments are really helpful for us all, our house will not follow that style of building.

sure, just start a new thread of your own

[Marmite the Dog]

Quite thrilled with my new toy.




For 90K baht, a decent buy I thought. They're 200k new, near enough- and it's 18 months old, with under 70 hours running time. A doddle to operate too. No excuses to be lazy on the gardening now.





^ If I can ever get the locals off the damn thing, that is.

Do you you know what the average day rate would be to hire a chap with one of those?

[sunsetter]

last i remember about 500 bahts but that was a bigger one

[Marmite the Dog]

^ That sounds reasonable.

I've got half a rai that needs turning into a football pitch.

[sabang]

If it is cleared of trees, and just needs ground clearing and leveling, Mrs reckons around 300 bht. Seems cheap.

[Marmite the Dog]

If it is cleared of trees, and just needs ground clearing and leveling, Mrs reckons around 300 bht. Seems cheap.

There's a small mound of soil and just a bit of scrub. Nothing too severe, but too bug for me to do with a spade.

[OhOh]

[OhOh]

There's a small mound of soil and just a bit of scrub. Nothing too severe

You will have to mention the slope to him at some time

[twichian]

Hi Sabang,

Just read your house build experience, an excellent and informative read plus your writing style is very amusing!

I and my Thai wife of 6 years plan on building someting similar to your abode and I was wondering if I could possibly get a copy of your house plans (the 3 bedroom plan) as it would give me a good starting point, something to work with.

I hope you don't mind

TW
thawee [at] 4tress dot com

[Makmak456]

very informative. Just starting a build neat Renu Nakhon and picked up a lot of tips.
thanks
Mark

[Wasp]

[QUOTE=sabang;636742]

However, I have a few questions. What about the septic tank and the electrical wires coming into the home?

Septic tank is fed by the two toilets (both adjacent, simple). Shower & sink water goes into an adjacent holding tank, then over. flows into the forest (it's ours anyway). Dish water just goes straight into the ground. They'd never get away with this in the West.

Sabang ............ I enjoyed this Post and I like your house . Also like the warm heart you clearly have for the lady . BUT Sabang " ...... Shower & sink water goes into an adjacent holding tank, then overflows into the forest " ! You shouldn't do that . You just shouldn't do that .
I know the Thais throw their crap everywhere . I know if you pay someone to come in and pump it out they will almost certainly dump it somewhere . It's bad . And it's wrong . But WE shouldn't do it . Overflowing your detergent and shampoo residue into a forest --- you shouldn't do that . Even if you own the forset .

Great thread ............. spoilt by that . But great thread .

Wasp

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[sabang]

Overflowing your detergent and shampoo residue into a forest -

I'm obviously well behind the ecofashion curve- I thought re-using grey water was all the rage? Anyway, It's certainly good fertiliser.

[bangkokbonecollector]

Is it possible to build on concrete stilts about 10ft high and still have the floors and walls concrete ? tx

[Wasp]

Overflowing your detergent and shampoo residue into a forest -

I'm obviously well behind the ecofashion curve- I thought re-using grey water was all the rage? Anyway, It's certainly good fertiliser.

It's not an ecoFASHION . You have virgin forest there . It might not look like Sherwood Forest but you are lucky to have such a nice setting . A good housebuild , good family .... and a forest ! Which you own . That's pretty good going - so why be so flippant about pouring detergents and soapwater into the forest ? You can't truthfully believe that this is a good thing . When you're wrong you're wrong and taking an automatic defensive attitude or an even worse " I don't really care " attitude is also wrong .
Do the right thing man ! Don't automatically defend it . Just do the right thing .


Wasp


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[Koetjeka]

[QUOTE=Wasp;2617879]

However, I have a few questions. What about the septic tank and the electrical wires coming into the home?

Septic tank is fed by the two toilets (both adjacent, simple). Shower & sink water goes into an adjacent holding tank, then over. flows into the forest (it's ours anyway). Dish water just goes straight into the ground. They'd never get away with this in the West.

Sabang ............ I enjoyed this Post and I like your house . Also like the warm heart you clearly have for the lady . BUT Sabang " ...... Shower & sink water goes into an adjacent holding tank, then overflows into the forest " ! You shouldn't do that . You just shouldn't do that .
I know the Thais throw their crap everywhere . I know if you pay someone to come in and pump it out they will almost certainly dump it somewhere . It's bad . And it's wrong . But WE shouldn't do it . Overflowing your detergent and shampoo residue into a forest --- you shouldn't do that . Even if you own the forset .

Great thread ............. spoilt by that . But great thread .

Wasp

__________________________________________________ __________________________________________________ __________________________________________

What should one do without a sewer system? Is there any option other than either stop using shampoo or let it flow into the rice fields?

[Wasp]

Have a big storage tank and when it's full ask the local guy to come and pump it out and take it away . Have 2 tanks ! They're cheap enough .

I accept that there are plenty of utter pricks who will pump it out , take it away and then dump it in a ditch somewhere . Which is also wrong . But there are decent guys who will dispose of it properly .

If you get the bad sort then at least you've TRIED to do the right thing. You can't do any more than that .

............ and if I was forced to make a choice I'd rather see this waste going into a roadside ditch than into a clean forest .


Wasp

__________________________________________________ ___________________

[Wasp]

Have a big storage tank and when it's full ask the local guy to come and pump it out and take it away . Have 2 tanks ! They're cheap enough .

I accept that there are plenty of utter pricks who will pump it out , take it away and then dump it in a ditch somewhere . Which is also wrong . But there are decent guys who will dispose of it properly .

If you get the bad sort then at least you've TRIED to do the right thing. You can't do any more than that .

............ and if I was forced to make a choice I'd rather see this waste going into a roadside ditch than into a clean forest .


Wasp

[Takeovers]

You could consider something like this



I don't know what could be used in Thailand instead of reed but they are quite efficient even with grey water from washing and shower. What goes through there you can dump in your forest without long term damage. Not drinking water quality but vastly better than your waste water. You dispose of only the solid waste settling in the first container.

[Wasp]

You could consider something like this



I don't know what could be used in Thailand instead of reed but they are quite efficient even with grey water from washing and shower. What goes through there you can dump in your forest without long term damage. Not drinking water quality but vastly better than your waste water. You dispose of only the solid waste settling in the first container.

What a lovely answer to the problem !

[Roobarb]

You could consider something like this



I don't know what could be used in Thailand instead of reed but they are quite efficient even with grey water from washing and shower. What goes through there you can dump in your forest without long term damage. Not drinking water quality but vastly better than your waste water. You dispose of only the solid waste settling in the first container.

Wasp - you started a thread a while back about building a house over water.

Takeovers seems to have come up with a useful way to deal with the effluent you produce.

Is it the sort of thing you'd consider incorporating in your design, or will you just TRY to do the right thing instead by getting a cheap storage tank and having Somchai pump it out occasionally to dump it in a nearby ditch for you?

[Wasp]

You could consider something like this



I don't know what could be used in Thailand instead of reed but they are quite efficient even with grey water from washing and shower. What goes through there you can dump in your forest without long term damage. Not drinking water quality but vastly better than your waste water. You dispose of only the solid waste settling in the first container.

Wasp - you started a thread a while back about building a house over water.

Takeovers seems to have come up with a useful way to deal with the effluent you produce.

Is it the sort of thing you'd consider incorporating in your design, or will you just TRY to do the right thing instead by getting a cheap storage tank and having Somchai pump it out occasionally to dump it in a nearby ditch for you?

Why do people do this ?
Why do people deliberately DELIBERATELY distort something you've said and then ask you to defend a position that they have created with their distortion ? Is it having too much spare time and a shortage of intellect with which to fill it ? Is it just a desire to create criticism where there is none to be created ? Is it entertainment for the hard of thinking ?

Is it all of these things ?


Wasp

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[Roobarb]

You could consider something like this



I don't know what could be used in Thailand instead of reed but they are quite efficient even with grey water from washing and shower. What goes through there you can dump in your forest without long term damage. Not drinking water quality but vastly better than your waste water. You dispose of only the solid waste settling in the first container.

Wasp - you started a thread a while back about building a house over water.

Takeovers seems to have come up with a useful way to deal with the effluent you produce.

Is it the sort of thing you'd consider incorporating in your design, or will you just TRY to do the right thing instead by getting a cheap storage tank and having Somchai pump it out occasionally to dump it in a nearby ditch for you?

Why do people do this ?
Why do people deliberately DELIBERATELY distort something you've said and then ask you to defend a position that they have created with their distortion ? Is it having too much spare time and a shortage of intellect with which to fill it ? Is it just a desire to create criticism where there is none to be created ? Is it entertainment for the hard of thinking ?

Is it all of these things ?


Wasp

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Sorry Wasp, I must have misunderstood your earlier concerns on how Sabang treats his waste water. I was left with the distinct impression that it did not meet with your approval.

The basis of my post was:

- You did start a thread about building a house over water

- The water in question was about 3 feet deep which I would guess is ideal for creating the setup that Takeovers has suggested

- You seem highly concerned about the environment and to approve of the suggestion that Takeovers made

Is it not a reasonable assumption that, having been fairly critical of the way Sabang has handled his sewage arrangements, you would be adopting what you see as a more responsible approach with yours?

Perhaps you are no longer planning on building a house over water, in which case my question is largely irrelevant. If you are going to do so then I do hope you'll make the time and effort to do a comprehensive photo thread about it as I'm sure we'd all enjoy it as much as your recent comments on Nigel's thread leads me to believe that you enjoy reading the building threads of others yourself.

In all honesty I feel a bit bad about cluttering up the end of Sabang's excellent and friendly discourse with, if not a shitfight, what seems to be a fight about shit so I'll bow out at this stage and leave you with the last say here if you want it.

[Wasp]

You're right . I do disapprove of how Sabang is dealing with his waste water .

I loved his thread . I like his construction and he seems a gentle , sensitive guy towards the family . All good stuff . But I do certainly think it's wrong and avoidable to be letting detergents , fats and soap water run off into a jungle . You then asked " Is it the sort of thing you'd consider incorporating in your design" . Perfectly reasonable enquiry . But our land is not next to forest . As it happens - our land is an anomaly . It was out in the boondocks but all around has abruptly been developed in the last 4 years and our situation is bizarre as we still look as though we're out in the sticks but we are surrounded by development . Did you ever watch ' LOCAL HERO ' ? Where the guy says he's perfectly happy on his beach and he doesn't want to move ? Well this family could sell for many millions but they are happy living there . Happier living primitively in a location they like rather than have a luxurious farang standard home miles away from their friends and markets. And what that means is that there are sewage pipes 40 metres away . We don't have to pump out or build an eco system such as we saw from Takeovers .
As I say --- it looks like a perfectly reasonable question from you - but you then add a piece of vitriol about getting a " Somchai pump it out occasionally to dump it in a nearby ditch for you? " Which is not at all what I am in favour of , nor is it what I said . And I'm not happy being distorted in that way .

What actually saddens me though is knowing that if I say detergents shouldn't be run off into a jungle SOMEBODY is bound to leap in with some criticism . Because nobody is ever wrong any more - apparently . Nobody says " Yeah .... I'm wrong . I'll fix it ."

Nobody is responsible for any of their decisions or actions any more - it seems .


Wasp

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[Thai Dan]

Can anyone tell me about water tanks that I see up on a house sized tower? Namely:
1. What size tank for a small family?
2. Cost of that approximate size?
3. Recommended tower height?
4. Cost of tower?
5. In a village about an hour outside of Roi Et, can I have clean water trucked in to fill the tank from time to time? Not for drinking but good enough for cooking, cleaning, bathing and washing clothes.

Any help appreciated.

BTW, how do you start a new post on TD? I've looked everywhere for how to do this and I can't figure it out. Help?!?