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  1. #51
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    ^ A good point johpam but painting gives a surface that can be cleaned and can be, slightly, glossy. I am wanting a strong white on the inside, to bounce light off. There are other considerations as well, but you will have to wait and see.

  2. #52
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    Day Nineteen

    There's a rush to get the covers off the last beam and examine it in detail.



    It looks a bit suspect and will need a lot of time to get the bricks right.



    Sing will have his work cut out when he gets back but, for now, the team turn their attention to the back wall. God acts as pug boy and keeps them amused.



    Chit concentrates on working with his old friend the hammer.



    Progess is rapid and punctuated by extra breaks.



    After lunch there is some carefull measuring,



    ...and Jet gets started on the vented blocks. Shame about the rain.



    It looks bad...



    ...but doesn't last for long. Flip flops off to provide some traction and we're off again.



    We manage a couple more courses before tea. This is where the archway will go, hopefully.


  3. #53
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    Day Twenty

    Time to rename this thread "The wrath of Khaan".

    It's in the wrong place, the steps are not right and it is causing a lot of problems for the crew. In fact, the only person, even remotely happy, is me. I restrict the open laughing to a minimum, as I don't want to cause offense.

    We start with carefull measuring,



    ...string lines,



    ...and tentative block placement.



    Somchai makes a start down the wild end.



    Meanwhile, Jet puts the top course on the vented bricks at the back.



    The lower, mid-section doesn't look too bad,



    ... but further up the hill, it's a scape off.



    The boys then enter into a spirited discussion about what to do, not that I understand anything apart from 'Me Die', cannot do. The new pug man, in the fetching blue wellies, does not say a word all day.



    It's late in the day before they finally get themselves sorted out.



    Fortunately, A? pops round with his Son, some beer and news about Sing that brightens the team up a little.



    It seems that Khun Sing has been in Bangkok to see his girlfriend, his second wife and the Mother of his kids. Apparently he likes to hit them, but couldn't understand why they left him. His kids are being looked after by the Woman next door. Anyway, he will be back after another day. Poor kids, I thought.

  4. #54
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    Great thread this.
    I have just had a wall built in cambodia and the difference in building techniques is stark.
    My wall turned into somewhat of an epic but in the end was nearly finished so i shouldnt grumble.
    My khmer bushmen posing as builders used traditional khmer building methods,khmers love building huge walls.
    I had bought the old sliding gate,2.4 high and 3 metres wide that was to sit in the centre of the front wall.
    So the wall was to be 28 courses high,just higher than the gate.
    Khmers pour watery slurry of sand and cement on the ground and then pour a beam on top of the ground about 300mm high with reo for the columns at about 2400 centres.
    So the wall is already 300 higher than anticipated and worse because of the slope.
    Then they pour the columns and lay the bricks to suit.
    Golden rules of khmer construction are then bought into play.
    1.never use a string line,water level or spirit level when laying bricks.
    2.always ensure that some reo pokes out the top of the column,if one used a water level this would not happen.
    3.never calculate quantities properly so there are constantly more demands for extra sand,cement and aggregate.
    The silly barang did the brick quantities so the 10,000 bricks I ordered never needed replenishing and we had about 400 to spare.
    Wall was finished,well nearly because we forgot about those wings you wanted at the front so we built them half height and ran out of cement so we couldnt render them.
    The gate slides and will for a while but the beam that contains the steel angle that is slides on is cracking already as a vehicle has crossed it a few times.
    Oh,you want to bring vehicles through the gate on to your property....I had to buy 12 trucks of fill in order to bring the ground level up to the top of the beam(small truck $12,about 3 metres)
    I am about to build a house on the block which is on the banks of the bassac river about an hour from phnom penh so I will start a new thread next week when I get home to phom penh.
    I have realy enjoyed looms photos and text.
    My wall cost about $33 a lineal metre rendered one side,unpainted.

  5. #55
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    that post will make all those Thai builder bashers a bit sad

  6. #56
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    Quote Originally Posted by cambtek
    I will start a new thread next week when I get home
    Glad to hear it and don't forget to include lots of pictures. I thouht I was having problems, but your story sound a bit of a nightmare.


    Quote Originally Posted by DrAndy
    that post will make all those Thai builder bashers a bit sad
    That's true. We complain about the Thai standard of workmanship, because we are comparing them to our experiences in the western world. It would seem that other parts of Asia are worse than we can imagine.

    Good first post cambtek, why not pop over to newbies and tell us a little about yourself.

  7. #57
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    Day Twenty one

    A? hangs about in the morning, making sure that the pillar shutters go in the right place. Not sure about those passion killers, prezzy from his wife apparently.



    We have three guys on the wall,



    ...Jet on the conduits,



    ....and Chit on case recycling duty.



    Nice to see June back on the case.



    Just before lunch, the guys are starting to slow,



    ...but they have been working hard.



    The view from down by the lake with most of the rear covers in position.



    Jet gets the pouring of the back under way...



    ...and Somchai dresses the tops of the side pillars, ready for the top beam.


  8. #58
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    Day Twenty two

    Blissfully unaware that the sordid details of his private life have leaked onto the webwaves, Sing make a triumphant return and starts work on one of the larger gate pillars.



    This is firmly attached to everything else around it.



    With a crew of ten today, we are looking to knock the block work on the head.



    Chit is still going strong in the case department.



    Here we can see the framework for the top beam, in position on the front wall.



    Carefull measuring is necessary to maintain the correct gap,



    ...and so it goes on away down the length.



    Meanwhile, back at the wall, things are starting to look like they may well finish soon.



    This last bit at the front has caused a few problems, note the little bits at the bottom.



    Time to get some pouring done. We start with the big pillar. It makes a lovely noise as it goes down, like a giant rain stick.



    At the same time, we have a go at the front half of the soi side,



    ...followed by the rest of the back wall.



    Then we start on the front top khaan.



    At this point, Lee notices that the large pillar case is trying to do a runner. No one can stop and help him,




    So he liberates the remaining bits of rebar and starts to shore up the case.



    Top and bottom.



    This proves to be an expensive repair, but it works and the pillar is topped up.


  9. #59

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    Quote Originally Posted by cambtek
    So the wall was to be 28 courses high,just higher than the gate.
    That I assume was your working out, you got it wrong because you didn't take into account the beam, maybe it would have been better to just give them the finished height you wanted and let them work out the materials?

    Anyway loombucket, nearly 2,000 views on how to build a wall, quite amazing

  10. #60
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    Day Twenty Three

    It's another 'leap into action' day and we start with removal of the top beam cases so they can be recycled around the corner.



    The hard part is banging out the distance pieces.



    The covers also come off the back wall. This pillar was not rodded or fully loaded. It's not the end of the world, but it will need a lot of tarting up.



    Back at the side wall, the case is slowly advancing towards the tree.



    If we peek inside, you can see the loose ends of the pillar have been bent over and tied into the little 'railway line' at the top.



    The line reaches the tree. If you look closely, you can see a Black chested Sloth, not normally found in this part of the world.



    Time for a spot more pouring,



    ...and a few more odd pillars.



    After lunch, it's time for a little more groundwork. First some ramps. Note the neat scaffolding passing through holes in the handy wall.



    Next to the ramps, we have some holes.



    This pic is for the benefit of the camera man, who is busting to use the gents. They all will have proper cement bases, just like the other pillars, just in minature.



    Here is the line, suitably planted. The two down the end are playing 'splash my feet if you can'.


  11. #61
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    Nice thread !
    went down that road a couple of years ago and it all rings true !

    PS. There is a complete absence of yellow buckets on site - I feel sure that you could have done a deal on our fellow poster Loy Toy and saved a few baht !

  12. #62
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    Quote Originally Posted by happyman
    There is a complete absence of yellow buckets on site
    They supplied their own buckets, it's the only reason that they got to keep them. I think they chucked the leaky ones over the wall when they left.


    Quote Originally Posted by dirtydog
    Anyway loombucket, nearly 2,000 views on how to build a wall, quite amazing
    Thanks DD, I'm quite impressed myself.
    Last edited by Loombucket; 15-09-2009 at 02:12 AM. Reason: Speeling

  13. #63
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    Buckets are disposable items in Thailand

    we bought 25 for our first construction job; we were left with 5 at the end!

  14. #64
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    Day Twenty four

    Sing charges on to the site like a loony and mounts the back wall, still wearing his helmet. Not sure why but he was agitated about something.



    Nuy and Somchai then arrive and started taking the cases off the beam. Here, Sing is ammused, while the others have one of their famous spirited conversations.



    Shortly afterwards, the lads demonsrate their acrobatic skills, whilst trying to remove those distance pieces.



    Sing then starts to recycle the cases,



    ....Nuy starts filling in the holes,



    ...and Somchai starts the long process of tarting up the edges.



    At some point in the morning, the metal man drops off the runner for the gate. It's just a bit of angle iron, with a few bits of metal welded on, but it looks promising.



    In the afternoon, we get on with more wetting,



    ...and khaan stuffing, up to the corner.



    The setting Sun on the setting pug, for all the art buffs amoungst us


  15. #65
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    Great thread this. Please keep it coming.

    Are we measuring in inches or cm? It would be nice to know when I start planning my own wall next year (or next next).

    Cheers.
    Archer

  16. #66
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    Quote Originally Posted by Archer
    Are we measuring in inches or cm?
    The world uses centimetres nowadays.

  17. #67
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    Quote Originally Posted by Marmite the Dog View Post
    Quote Originally Posted by Archer
    Are we measuring in inches or cm?
    The world uses centimetres nowadays.
    And here I thought it was metric. Silly me.

  18. #68
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    They actually use both here.

  19. #69
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    when you buy wood from a secondhand yard, they sell it in cubits, which was equal to an arm length, in the old days

    nowadays it is known that

    1 cubit = 45.72 centimetres

    however, they round it up to 50cm now. They still call the wood 4", or 6", so it is always a lot of fun
    I have reported your post

  20. #70
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    Hi Loombucket,

    Looking at that one shot with Sing climming over the fence what will you do to make it secure? Glass? Electric? Barbwire? Dogs?

    Cheers johpam

  21. #71
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    Quote Originally Posted by Marmite the Dog View Post
    Quote Originally Posted by Archer
    Are we measuring in inches or cm?
    The world uses centimetres nowadays.
    Then try buy wood in Denmark now a days. I thought we went for the metric system 100 years ago. Same gos for plumbing.

    Quote Originally Posted by DrDandy View Post
    when you buy wood from a secondhand yard, they sell it in cubits, which was equal to an arm length, in the old days

    nowadays it is known that

    1 cubit = 45.72 centimetres

    however, they round it up to 50cm now. They still call the wood 4", or 6", so it is always a lot of fun
    I have long arms - do you think I qualify for additional discount?? 6x6" and 270 cm long - you got it.

    cheers
    /Archer
    Last edited by Archer; 16-09-2009 at 10:10 PM. Reason: Spelling errors. Can I have a new keyboard please?

  22. #72
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    yes, it is a very nice wall

    but what is the point of it?

  23. #73
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    It will keep the cows in or is that out.

  24. #74
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    Quote Originally Posted by DrAndy
    yes, it is a very nice wall but what is the point of it?
    A very good point and a fair question. The original design of the wall was to retain the vast ammount of soil needed to have a flat area around the house for LoomB's formal garden. On the complicated side, of the wall, there is quite a difference in hight between us and the soggy area next door. On the other three sides, there is also a change of level that is not so pronounced.

    Secondly, in combination with a decent gate and a Dog, it will keep out undesireable Cows, Dogs, Sales persons and family tribes. Thirdly, it will make the inmates feel more secure, especially when we get perimeter lights, including families with young kids. I have already had to rescue one Irish boy from a small barbed wire massacre and two German/Thai girls from the lake.

    Later, in my life, I will need a small area that I can manage, all by myself, whilst the hired help, plants and weeds the farm bits to the front and back. Lastly, some parts of it will have murals painted on it, some parts will have backlighting and support paraphanalia for the water features and bits of it will support mirrors and the odd one-sided statue. Other than that, it's just a wall.


    Quote Originally Posted by johpam
    what will you do to make it secure?
    Dogs, thorny bushes and, if necessary a shotgun

  25. #75
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    Day Twenty five

    We have four guys today and the first job is to un-case the left gate pillar, to make sure that it suffered no ill effects after the two things fell out with each other. It needs a little tarting up but is otherwise ok.



    Sing then cleans up the back pillar tops,



    ...Chit beats out another of his percussive solos,



    ...and Goon and June practice a few more moves on the beam.



    A spot of improvised scaffolding work, allows them to set the cases along the back wall,



    ...and a modified large case is errected for the other gate pillar. This one was heavy.



    The belt and braces approach was a great improvement and featured extra support rods and a filling line, to save ruining Sing's spare tape measure.



    Time for a quick mix. Goon is a real apprentice, as opposed to just a pug boy. Chit was keen for him to learn the important art of creating a working mix that didn't have to scaped from the bucket.



    There was a big storm comming our way, so here we are 'getting a wiggle on'.



    Another of those 'quick' dashes to the market meant that I missed the pouring of the other big pillar, but I was back intime to see the Sa-tep pillars blocked and topped up. If it doesn't rain, I thought, it could get really interesting tomorrow.


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