Following on from Ciaphas' great effort, ta-da, here is the beginnings of our very own Little House on the Prairie..oops Rice Paddy. Wood is mostly from father-in-law's 30-40 year old Mai Daeng trees, cut 12-18 months ago and left to season under the pig-shed roof. A few bits of wood to be purchased here and there including some floorboards cos the father-in-law underestimated and didn't cut enough. Land raised up 2 metres 2 years ago and settled through 2 rainy seasons.

We have no electricity and no running water, although plenty laying around in the paddies. This is a real country-style build, with a toothless foreman and a bunch of village guys being ordered around by my partner, who has visions of the house being the same quality as a 5-star hotel villa....

When we started 2 years ago we budgeted 400,000 baht but will probably be closer to 600,000 once I add in all the bits I forgot before (the wood milling, transport for the traditional roof tiles etc). Building expected to take 2-3 months depending on the weather and my finances!