A hillbilly shack in the jungle...

[man with no head]

You expect them to actually maintain something?

[Rigger]

Hillbilly do plan on lining the inside with gyp rock or are you going for the wood look inside and what about kitchen what’s your plan there are you going to close in the bottom section
Place is looking good mate

I will be getting something built in the future out on the new block the wife just bought nothing flash just more of a day house to sit and enjoy the peace and view with a few beers and a fishing rod

[sho1994gun]

us folks in missouri like your fence.

[hillbilly]

Rigger to answer your question is I don't know. Personally, I think that there is to much of a wood look on the inside of the home. The bathroom (that is coming) however is going to be a tiled job.

And no, I am not going to close the bottom section if I understand your question correctly. The home while trying to maintain the old Thai style also will have an open-California-style about the place. I am trying to keep the interior walls to a minimum.

[Fingers_in_pies]

Its going to look great, how many weeks ago was the project started and how many weeks to completion?

[hillbilly]

Well the land was purchased over 3 years ago. First I had to clear the land, my B4,000 weed-eater did not work as planned.

As our budget has allowed we have had dirt brought in and spread around along with planting a few trees from time to time.

But to get to the meat of the issue here is the answer you are looking for.
The house builders showed up in the last week of June 2006 and were only supposed to take 6 weeks. Well, here it is the first of Sept and the builders are gone but we are still cleaning up their mistakes. As a foot note we have not yet paid the final 33% of the bill. Yesterday, I learned that the kitchen roof leaks. The saga continues...

[dirtydog]

I believe I read in an earlier post you had budgeted 300,000baht for the house, I really don't think you could have done it within budget although following this thread I am more and more tempted to build a wooden house now, but initially just start with 3 rooms and one bathroom.

[Rigger]

I am not going to close the bottom section

Good idea mate as some of the Thais that built nice wooden home fuck up the whole look by building the bottom section in with blocks. Plus I think it would keep the house cooler with the air flow under the house
And gives you some where to park your tak tak

[hillbilly]

I sorta like the way the front gate is coming along. Hopefully, we will end up with basically a 2-meter double door. Plenty big enough to walk through, but a car aint going to come in.


Now we go to the back of the house. I wanted tile in the bathroom so hence the concrete foundation and floor. The workers had completed all of the foundation work and ask me what I thought. My reply? Not bad if you wanted the bathroom floor higher than the kitchen floor. The next day they lowered the bathroom floor framework by 10cm.

Patience is a virtue?

[buadhai]

I built a wooden house in the tropics once. I intended to use concrete as it was in a heavy typhoon zone, but the banks wouldn't lend, so I had to do it myself. It was a pole house with all treated lumber and a lovely cedar interior. It made it through a dozen or so typhoons and is still standing. Sadly, my ex didn't like the excess of wood and recently remodeled with dry-wall.

[hillbilly]

I believe I read in an earlier post you had budgeted 300,000baht for the house, I really don't think you could have done it within budget although following this thread I am more and more tempted to build a wooden house now, but initially just start with 3 rooms and one bathroom.

DD, you are right. The B300,000 was my estimate. After all, i get by on the Thai language and have had a few years of higher education in an American university. So I should know, right?

I have been dreading this moment, but I finally asked the better half where we were at with the money situation. She gave me one of those 'falang ba' looks and then brought out the paperwork.

Well, guys I was way off base. Currently, we have spent a little over B900,000 for both the house and the fence and we ain't done yet.

[hillbilly]

TD family this is K. Pa at work. Here is where my Teak home thread is going to take a little detour for awhile. If any of you had the chance to visit my Kwae Noi thread in TD's Traveling section you may recognise this elderly gentleman.


Below is an example of what this worker does for B200 per day.


What would a Teak coffee table like this cost you back in the states or the UK?

Stay tuned, and we will go visit K. Pa's home...

[Spin]

^UK 20,000 - 50,000 baht

[klongmaster]

If any of you had the chance to visit my Kwae Noi thread in TD's Traveling section you may recognise this elderly gentleman.

linky would be nice...I just bought some carved furniture but nothing like that coffee table....it looks varnished HB...thought it was not a good thing to varnish the teak??

[Thetyim]

Unless I am mistaken, the hammocks in that picture are the ones made from a single length of bamboo.

You might like to put up a picture of them sometime 'cos they are damn fine hammocks.

[man with no head]

Well, guys I was way off base. Currently, we have spent a little over B900,000 for both the house and the fence and we ain't done yet.

Do you have a breakdown on materials versus labor?

If not how much of a % do you think labor is going to be?

[Fingers_in_pies]

Any regrest Hill Billy? i wouldn't, the house is going to look great and you'll have alot of enjoyment from it.

[friscofrankie]

HB...thought it was not a good thing to varnish the teak??

Technically, nothing wrong with varnishing teak. Not necessary and many folks think teak's natural beauty is occluded by varnishing. Teak develops a greyish patina with weathering that many fokls find attractive. A light, clear oil will bring out the grain patterns and protect the natural color.

[Marmite the Dog]

I'm sure the Thais would just paint everything lime green & pink if they had their way...

[hillbilly]

...it looks varnished HB...thought it was not a good thing to varnish the teak??

Actually, that table is not even finished. The top is not on and nary a stroke of varnish or paint has been applied. I am trying to go with the natural look, just hang on...

[hillbilly]

Well, guys I was way off base. Currently, we have spent a little over B900,000 for both the house and the fence and we ain't done yet.

Do you have a breakdown on materials versus labor?

If not how much of a % do you think labor is going to be?

Give me a day or two and I will try to present something. Truth is my scanner is broke...

[hillbilly]

Let's go visit K. Pa's house. This is the deal. He worked in Saudi for many years and made a lot of money. He came back to his wife, built a new home and then got divorced. This is his life now.


Let's walk through the front door of his mother's home that she had given him when she died.

[hillbilly]

Here is his kitchen.


His bathroom.

[hillbilly]

And this is where he sleeps. He loves to read but goes to bed when the sun goes down. Which is probably what I would do if my house did not have electricity.


When he does not have a job he relaxes here.


This same gentleman can make this beautiful coffee table while working for B200 per day. With the problems that popped up later you will see why this 73-year old Thai guy was the hero...

[hillbilly]

Let's head back to the house. The work on the bathroom begins. The thai worker you see smiling is truly amazing. More on him later. In the middle of the photo can you see the Thai wood square?


The sander for the wood busy at work. He did love his music. This local radio station he listen to played Thai country music. K. Boom would frequently stop working and telephone the radio station and talk about the 'falangs' home.


K. Boom is actually a family member working for B200 per day. And he did keep an eye out on things that were wrong!