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  1. #151
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    Quote Originally Posted by sabang
    150,000 seems closer to the mark than 200k at this point.
    Famous last words.



    Nobody deemed it worthwhile to tell me the extra cost of this rather expensive wood above ('mai sabang' or something like that) and it ain't cheap- 36,000 bht or so has been spent, to get a decent sized outdoor deck. When they said they 'may' need a little more than the original 11.5K purchase, I guess they weren't kidding.

    So the cost of the job is back to around 200k- might be some change out of that, might not. I did have a few grumpy words to say about Isaan communication, but nothing major- my own fault really.

    The salutary lesson was contained in my own advice at the beginning of this thread- get the price fixed up front, or expect things to run over budget! But the end product doghouse will be better than my original concept, which was basically an identical reproduction of the grungy old wooden village house. I failed to get a true accounting of costs upfront or even a true design, so the outcome was predictable.

    The carport poles are being bricked prior to plastering- they will end up looking like the poles you can see in front-



    Seems a sturdy enough job-










    ^ And that, I'm afraid, is the last we'll see of the carport for a while.
    Last edited by sabang; 17-06-2009 at 02:44 PM.

  2. #152
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    As will these shots of the wooden house thingy- we're down in Pattaya until mid September. Shame not to be around to see the end of the job, innit.



    At least it's looking a bit more than a twinkle in daddy's eye now.






    As Pierre Cardin (french poove) once said, "the quality is remembered long after the price is forgotten". I doubt I'll regret paying a bit more to get a decent sized outdoor deck. But don't tell Mrs sabang.











    I did get my way in one important regard- Mrs sabang had originally wanted a toilet/ shower & storeroom attached to the wooden structure above. I thought that would look hideous. The builder agrees with me.

    So an old fashioned Aussie outdoor dunny block is still to follow. And the back porch, and various small items like wiring, plastering and so on. Isaan for Dummies is not yet finished, not so sure about sabangs wallet.

  3. #153
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    chassamui's Avatar
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    Your little retreat knocks the traditional 'garden shed' into a cocked hat. Well done mate, hope it all comes to fruition for you.

  4. #154
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    Your little retreat is going to be 'the mutt's nut's'. I'm really looking forward to seeing some water in that pond.
    This must rate as one of the best threads on TD.
    Good luck to you sir.

  5. #155
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    Thanks indeed.

    I'm looking forward to pulling my first fish out of the pond, the family of course to devouring them. Patience is the key however- if the pond requires coating with plastic as I suspect, it may not end up being established until next rainy season. Reports back from Mil in Ubon say that we've has a fair bit of rain, and the pond is now half full- but that sounds a wee bit optimistic to me. I think she just wants to throw some fingerlings in.

    I reckon the Doghouse will be nice enough, and I'll certainly be spending some quality time there, but for a wood 'purist' who wants to see some real dogs bollocks wooden construction check out Hillbillies & Dr Andy's threads- very nice indeed. In my case, having got most of the wood for free from our derelict village place, it's satisfying to be both able to use it, and gain a nice little retreat and guest bedroom in the process.

  6. #156
    Excommunicated baldrick's Avatar
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    the dogs are going to love the underneath of your shack - will be a flea breeding area for sure

    the deck looks fcukin excellent

    would have thought EV-DO would have been a better internet choice than ipstar

  7. #157
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    Isaan and lovin' it

    How time flies- it's been over four months now, and time to press on with the dummies thread. Been back about six weeks now. The jobs are nearly all finished but there has been a bit of a hiatus- with our permission (and my blessing really) the builders packed up and left for a while- sadly Mrs builders mother was dying with liver cancer. She has since passed away, funeral is over and done with and we should be seeing them back in the next week or so for the finishing touches. It was more than fine by me because apart from the humanitarian aspect, it means they will come back when I'm actually around- theres always one or two more jobs you want done, more on that later.

    We do get some magnificent dawns here. Now it is the season of mists and mellow fruitfulness.



    When we got back around the 20th September was late rainy season. Tracks in terrible shape- in Isaan we don't drive Ferrari's.









    ^ Deceptively deep that one. After heavy rain, those without 4WD are struggling around here. Those are all within .5km of the ranch, and I should add were not taken right after heavy rain- when it's much worse. Rains pretty much behind us now- winter coming up. I'm looking forward to it, so I can finally pull some of my moulding cool weather gear out of storage.
    Last edited by sabang; 26-10-2009 at 12:19 PM.

  8. #158
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    Nice.

    Only thing is the roof material you chose....sorry, me no likes that stuff.

    Wood is expensive, so we have found, but hunting around and you can certainly find some beautiful old stuff and resurect it.

  9. #159
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    How's the pond look??

  10. #160
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    Quote Originally Posted by sabang
    Course it ain't all insects. Check out these Mekhong prawns. Yum.
    Dont think I ever seen prawns this big

  11. #161
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    Quote Originally Posted by Nawty
    sorry, me no likes that stuff.
    Me neither, but it's el cheapo.

    Quote Originally Posted by shunpike
    How's the pond look??
    Pretty ragged, but wet. Coming oop.

    ^ next time you're in Ubon let us know- we'll get yer some, or take you to a nice place to eat them.

  12. #162
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    Doghouse

    Wiring yet to be done, outdoor decks yet to be coated, but...







    First glimpse of the Dunny block- two birds with one stone really. The locals always felt a bit uncomfortable using our indoor toilets anyway, plus it will service the doghouse and whatever guests stay there:-









    ^I'm thinking to put a window on that side- waddya reckon?



    The process of greenifying the surrounds has yet to begin, so plenty of bare earth around. Oh, should point out- I'll be having a verandah added, prolly on the pool side- sheer practicality really, otherwise our outdoor furniture will just perish in the rain and sun, plus I'll still be able to sit outside on the deck, Leo in hand, when it's pissing down- or blazing hot.
    Last edited by sabang; 26-10-2009 at 01:40 PM.

  13. #163
    Thailand Expat AntRobertson's Avatar
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    What a great thread. Bit puzzled as to how I've managed to miss it up until now??

    Place looks great, sabang.

  14. #164
    On a walkabout Loy Toy's Avatar
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    Yes mate a great thread and a bit of paradise for you and the missus.

    We hope to be up your way one of these days and that invitation for those prawns I hope extends to the Loy Toys!

  15. #165
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    So what started off as our upcountry bungalow has become a kind of higgledy piggledy compound, now we've decided to live here in the sticks.




    The dunny block is hardly an object of beauty, but neither should it be .



    The bathrooms fine-



    The store room is fine too, except I 'wish I was there'. I would've specified they make it about five feet longer, so it could serve as a second spare bedroom at a pinch. Oh well, at a pinch it can still serve as a cramped bedroom.





    The back verandah- yeh I know, it's ugly. But oh so practical, shading us inside from the hot afternoon sun, and plenty of shelter from the rain for those domestic chores that the locals prefer doing outside.



    The house is nice and cool- it was before actually, except for the afternoon sun. We've never even bothered putting aircon in, and not missed it yet. We will be having the doghouse and our bedroom airconned in due course (Mil won't have it in her room- she hates air conditioning). Our electricity bills are negligible.
    Last edited by sabang; 26-10-2009 at 03:56 PM.

  16. #166
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    Quote Originally Posted by Loy Toy
    invitation for those prawns I hope extends to the Loy Toys!
    You can always come the raw prawn up here cobber,

    Off to join the yokels for a beer, more and sundry to follow later.




    Quote Originally Posted by AntRobertson
    Bit puzzled as to how I've managed to miss it up until now??
    Me too- were you in jail?

  17. #167
    I am in Jail

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    Any plans for the garden?

  18. #168
    Cacoethes scribendi
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    I really love that Doghouse. I can just see me living, full time, in a slighty larger version of one. Mind you, the toilet/bathroom would need to be a tad closer.

    Great to read about your continuing exploits Sabang. The place is filling out nicely. Please keep the updates coming.

  19. #169
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    Quote Originally Posted by sabang
    Tracks in terrible shape
    Let's hope you've got a new concrete road down by the time I arrive.

  20. #170
    Thailand Expat AntRobertson's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by sabang View Post
    Quote Originally Posted by AntRobertson
    Bit puzzled as to how I've managed to miss it up until now??
    Me too- were you in jail?
    Actually looking at the dates again now I think I might have been.

    Still odd though as that's only posting restrictions not viewing.

  21. #171
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    Love it..I think the doghouse could use an extra window, as you suggested. The pond has filled up quite a bit. Has the rain ended up there yet? A couple more good thunderstorms might just top it off. Great thread!

  22. #172
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    Prawn offer sounds good.

    Shame UR is so far away from civilisation.

  23. #173
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    Quote Originally Posted by Nawty
    Shame UR is so far away from civilisation.
    Well yes, it's a bit of a distance to Laos.
    But thankfully it's a damn long way to Bangkok.
    Ubon quite happily juxtaposes Khmer & Laos, and of course is politically a part of Thailand in more recent history.
    The locals like it that way, as do I.

  24. #174
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    Great thread, just come across it, how did I miss it?


  25. #175
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    Quote Originally Posted by Travelmate
    Any plans for the garden?
    Indeed, but definitely Isaan style. I don't think nice, manicured English country gardens would be the thing out here- even if we didn't have chooks, cows and buffalo to contend with.

    Our emphasis is to grow stuff we can eat, as well as some colourful flowers to brighten things up. Theres a lot of bare earth to cover from the various building activities, as well as about a rai of land that we want to try a few things on. Nothings in a hurry though, I'm quite content to take a hit and miss approach.

    Around the dunny block and doghouse, the plan is to go low maintenance. We have some tough plastic type material which, fortuitously, was lobbed in with our other stuff when we came over from Oz- so we can finally use it. Level the ground, coat with the plastic, put rocks on top. Simple. Then we'll put a few pots down with flowers and maybe some herbs. I might even scrawl some Zen type squirlys in the pebbles.







    On the sunny side of the doghouse, same basic approach, but I'm probably going to put down a couple of fan palms too- they grow pretty fast here, and will provide shade:-





    Around the pond, we've already planted some lemongrass, banana trees, chilli & papaya. But the urgent need here is for a hardy ground cover, for both aesthetic purposes and holding the soil together. Also, the fish, depending on species, can nibble on it. Morning glory is meant to be pretty hardy, with the added benefit you can eat it, plus theres also a hardy ground cover plant with 'pretty' purple flowers that grows like wildfire and daesn't mind shade- so that will prolly be put down in the shaded area adjoining the doghouse.








    It's pretty obvious that if we are going to keep this a 'natural' fishpond (my preference), we are going to have to deal with substantially different water levels according to the seasons- it has already dropped about two feet. I'll be jerry rigging some guttering, so rainfall off the roof will go into the pond. We also have the option though of pumping in arterial water from Auntie's place across the track- so it won't totally dry out and cost us our fish at the height of dry season, hopefully. Right now, the pond is teeming with frogs. Sometimes 'they over the road' come and catch some Kermits for dinner, as did our Khon Kaen builders when they were last down.
    Last edited by sabang; 28-10-2009 at 01:04 PM.

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