Thread: Buying a village house to move to our land

Originally Posted by robtherich

Remember to soak it before you dismantle it.

Need a big bowl for that

Originally Posted by Carnwadrick

^ why soak it?

Helps prevent splitting when they dismantle it. You'll save a lot of wood.

Got to be a good buy for that price. Check it out for bugs!

If you reset the floor the gaps will be minimal ( if the joiner tidies the edges) failing that use corking.

I dont know what it is but I got a string of it its like white horse hair and easy to pull off enough strands, twist it and force it between the planks. Its natural so sticks together and doesnt unwind. I got it in a rural village where they used it as stuffing. It was dirt cheep but bits came out eventually, although easy enough to push back.

A friend here used a silicone based filling compound. It was a dark colour and looked ok.

Originally Posted by wimpy

Managed to talk them down another 10,000 baht. Sold, for 35,000 baht. Will begin dismantling and moving next it week.

Wow ...... that is a steal. Better hurry up and move it before the real owners get back from their holiday

THose who have never lived in a wooden house fear termites the most.

Take a look at a few Queenslanders and you'll pick up some useful hints on protection. Termites cannot eat concrete although they will make "tunnels" along the surface.
They will LOVE to burrow up through any cladding.

Most Aussie houses have an upturned saucer arrangement at the top of the stumps - this is enough to confuse or deter most borers who make it up the stump. You also need to look into the type of wood and the most suitable proofing for it.

I don't like the look of the asbestos roofing though!!!!

Originally Posted by wilko

THose who have never lived in a wooden house fear termites the most.
I don't like the look of the asbestos roofing though!!!!

Will have to see how they survive the dismantling. They don't look so bad with fresh paint and wood battens under the eaves. If I put a new roof on, it will be metal.

[quote=wilko;1990639]THose who have never lived in a wooden house fear termites the most.

Take a look at a few Queenslanders and you'll pick up some useful hints on protection. Termites cannot eat concrete although they will make "tunnels" along the surface.
They will LOVE to burrow up through any cladding.

Most Aussie houses have an upturned saucer arrangement at the top of the stumps - this is enough to confuse or deter most borers who make it up the stump. You also need to look into the type of wood and the most suitable proofing for it.

I don't like the look of the asbestos roofing though!!!![/quote



Yep, i have an old timber house in Queensland, bloody termites everywhere, and each stump has one at the top where the floor joists sit. Made of thin galvanised steel to avoid rusting rusting, the dish like design points downward just in case any termites try to 'track' up. this stops the little bastards.

Originally Posted by wimpy

Originally Posted by wilko

THose who have never lived in a wooden house fear termites the most.
I don't like the look of the asbestos roofing though!!!!

Will have to see how they survive the dismantling. They don't look so bad with fresh paint and wood battens under the eaves. If I put a new roof on, it will be metal.

Can you get 'Colourbond' roof cladding here, its an aluminium type material, and comes in a range of colours, once again avoiding eventual rusting as happens with corrogated steel.

I think I read somewhere that there is a Colorbond distributor in Chiang Mai.

[quote=wimpy;1990676]I think I read somewhere that there is a Colorbond distributor in Chiang Mai.[/quote

OK but too far north for me, i will just have a look around Samui, might find a distrubuter.

robtherich knows what he is talking about. The local woodworkers are telling me to wet it down for two days prior to disassembly. Especially since rather large nails were used to attach the siding. So that is what we're doing. Deconstruction starts on Wednesday. Sourced a local contractor to do the building. Seems like a decent fellow. He and his crew are willing to work by the day rather than a fixed price for the job. This is my preferred method based on several bad experiences in the past.

Here are some drawings I did of what I have in mind for my " budget country cottage".

On the first floor we have a workshop / storage room, and open air kitchen. It will be built from a combination of colorbond metal siding and Shera siding - as will the upstairs attached bath.


The three visible support posts will be 40cm diameter teak. They can be "procured" at a reasonable price. Just have to be sure to install them quickly.


This is the side that will face our teak plantation, fruit trees, rice fields, and the Northern Railway in the distance.


The large covered balcony will be concrete and tiled with terracotta tiles.


Upstairs interior will be an open plan with an office and wet bar. 1/2 and 3/4 height walls will obscure the sleeping area when entering or sitting in the living area or on the balcony. Should still be able to enjoy the view while laying in bed.


More as it develops.

Disassembly commenced at 8:00 a.m.



With 5 guys working on it, by the afternoon we had made a serious amount of progress. I was quite pleased, as there was almost no damage to the wood. The workers were very sensitive to treating it properly. The fact that they are being paid by the day, rather than the job, may have played a part.




My little Ford got a serious workout today. That wood is heavy!



The wood at its' new home. As soon as we remove all the nails, it will go into proper covered storage. Construction is scheduled to begin on Monday.

^How many truckloads did you have?

The picture of the pile of wood, is that the total, if not have you a picture of the total amount when it arrived at you new site?

We haven't finished. Today we did about six truckloads including the roof tiles. I figure we will do another two or three tomorrow. Right now it is in several different piles, and I couldn't get it all in one photo. Over the next couple days we will remove all the nails and stack it according to size. I should be able to get a photo that shows it all then.

Thanks, have you factored in the cost of a new truck?

It would be useful to see the amount of wood one could expect from an existing building.