Land development with wall and house...photo thread..first effort.

[koman]

I shot a few pictures of the roof from the inside, for anyone who can't resist roof photos. It looks a bit complicated, but it's really not....at least to people who design and build roofs...



This is looking from just inside where the front door will be, toward the back of the house, where the kitchen will be.....






In this shot you can see the big metal trough which is placed under a roof joint at the bottom of a "valley". I suppose that T bar thing is there to support it?



Close up of the support beams. Again you can see one of the metal troughs up there.



Looking towards the front. That big open triangle will be the gable over the front porch. It will have a big louvered vent to allow the hot air to be expelled. When the roof spaces are properly vented the air can come rushing out of the vents like a jet engine when the weather is really hot.

Nobody was impressed with my blanket...? Fuck me, you guys are hard to please....

[patsycat]

I like your blanket.

[Bettyboo]

That is an amazing roof. I have been looking at pictures of Paris, so called Art Architecture:





I reckon your place is better. I'm shocked how good a job they can do; the inside and outside of that roof, frame, tiles, etc, is a thing of great beauty. In fact, I've given up Japanese AV sites and have just started to focus more on this thread. The quality of workman and workwomenship is astounding for your average Somchao and Porntip...

[Koetjeka]

[drool mode]
The louvre, one of the most wonderful buildings ever.

I like your blanket too but as always I don't really trust the Thai welders, it's all so fragile (not the steel, the weldings).

[Bettyboo]

^ For the money, I reckon Koman got a much better deal...

[Marmite the Dog]

It seems someone forgot to install the reflective heat barrier under your storage heaters (tiles).

[koman]

Funny that Paris and that pyramid thing should show up here......my project manager told me (ages ago) than one of his professors at university was a French engineer....from Paris... it actually nearly put me off hiring him at the time, but then I recalled that the Frogs do manage to put up some pretty nice buildings, and when it comes to steel erection they are really quite good....

I'm greatly relieved to hear that my blanket has met with some approval....thank you Patsycat... These guys have no idea how hard I had to work to win an award like that.

Marmite; you must try to get over your hatred of cement tiles...

They don't put a reflective barrier under the tile.....the insulation (with reflector barrier) is placed on the ceiling (on the top side....don't wish to confuse anyone)

The cement tile will absorb heat, but the underside is kept cool by the air currents flowing through the attic. Any heat which radiates down is radiated back up by the top of the insulation barrier. Strong convectional currents are generated and the heated air is blown out through the vents. Some people install thermally activated extractor fans to speed up the process, but I've not found this necessary in previous houses with this arrangement. If it should become necessary, then I will do it....but we get very good cooling breezes here most of the time so that helps a great deal with the attic air flow.

I picked up one of those tiles that had been out in the sun all day. The glazed size was pretty hot but the underside had stayed quite cool, and that was without the benefit of any air current....so this idea that glazed cement or ceramic tiles are unsuitable for this climate is just not the case. When it's finished, come visit, bring your thermometer and check it out....

[helge]

Our house design uses Q-Con blocks for all the walls, even the bathrooms.

Not a problem if you treat them correctly afterwards

Koman :
I notice your "walley". How wide is the metal ?

And I see that they let the stones go together.

Could be a problem over the years with leaves and stuff blocking the water flow

I'm curious: Have you had a solid downpour yet ?

[koman]

Koman :
I notice your "walley". How wide is the metal ?
And I see that they let the stones go together.
Could be a problem over the years with leaves and stuff blocking the water flow
I'm curious: Have you had a solid downpour yet ?

I think the metal trough is about 40-50 cm wide but I've not been that close to be sure.

Not sure what you mean about the "stones" being together? If you mean where the tiles meet at the seam.....yes they are butted together and cemented along the seam....then the metal trough is underneath as a precaution against any possible leakage. Not much chance of leaves blocking anything around here....

...and as a matter of fact we did have a huge downpour...just a few days after the tile was finished. It rained heavily all night and much of the following day. The place was like a lake....but the roof held up and all the workers had abandoned their shacks to take shelter inside the house.... About as good a test as we could have hoped for.

[helge]

About as good a test as we could have hoped for.

I agree

Just never seen it done like that

[koman]

I'm shocked how good a job they can do; the inside and outside of that roof, frame, tiles, etc, is a thing of great beauty. In fact, I've given up Japanese AV sites and have just started to focus more on this thread. The quality of workman and workwomenship is astounding for your average Somchao and Porntip...

I'm sure my guys will be delighted to hear that their work is outperforming your Japanese AV sites...

Bear in mind that these guys are not your regular "village" crew. They are experienced builders and a few would actually meet the definition of "tradesman" or "artisan" Most have worked on sites in developed countries under the supervision of western site management. My two welders worked in Libya on a project for the Colonel, overseen by a Canadian engineer from Toronto. Apparently he was an outstanding guy, who treated his crews really well, so they think all Canadian's are demi-gods.....which probably helps my case a bit....so I sharpen up my Pacific NW accent when they are around....

The real secret is the project manager. Nobody can oversee and direct a bunch of Thai workers like another Thai who is highly educated, refined and socially connected. It's just the way things seem to work here.

[stevefarang]

Our house design uses Q-Con blocks for all the walls, even the bathrooms.

Not a problem if you treat them correctly afterwards

Would you mind clarifying the "treat them correctly afterwards" ?

Thanks !

Steve

[Marmite the Dog]

Marmite; you must try to get over your hatred of cement tiles... They don't put a reflective barrier under the tile.....the insulation (with reflector barrier) is placed on the ceiling (on the top side....don't wish to confuse anyone) The cement tile will absorb heat, but the underside is kept cool by the air currents flowing through the attic. Any heat which radiates down is radiated back up by the top of the insulation barrier. Strong convectional currents are generated and the heated air is blown out through the vents. Some people install thermally activated extractor fans to speed up the process, but I've not found this necessary in previous houses with this arrangement. If it should become necessary, then I will do it....but we get very good cooling breezes here most of the time so that helps a great deal with the attic air flow. I picked up one of those tiles that had been out in the sun all day. The glazed size was pretty hot but the underside had stayed quite cool, and that was without the benefit of any air current....so this idea that glazed cement or ceramic tiles are unsuitable for this climate is just not the case. When it's finished, come visit, bring your thermometer and check it out....

I'd love to get the Midget to bake some bread in your loft when finished.

[koman]

I'd love to get the Midget to bake some bread in your loft when finished.

Damn, why did I not think of that.....I just spent a load of cash on a goddam convection oven.....wonder if Global would take it back?....

[koman]

I think I've probably done enough roof photography for a while. Actually this thing is progressing so fast, I seem to be running out of things to take pictures of....

Today they were rendering the outside walls. Rendering is a pretty tedious business and not very photogenic. I had to try really hard to produce anything that might be worth looking at.

I've also included a few miscellaneous shots of this and that....

RENDERING THE OUTSIDE WALLS



The first thing to know about outside wall rendering, is that it is mostly done by cowboys. This is Sombat from Casper, Wyoming. A fine renderer when not on the Rodeo circuit.



This poor fellow looks scared shitless by the sudden appearance of his shadow.....



Once he made friends with his shadow, they worked very well together.....two workers for the price of one...no wonder this place is so cheap to build...



Rendering always looks like shit at first....good thing they smooth it out a bit....


INSIDE RENDERING and other things inside....



The inside walls are mostly finished and still drying out.



There's the conduit for the electrical connections to the main panel.



More conduit....for various kitchen outlets. All wiring is run through conduit....fully grounded with GFCI (Ground Fault Circuit Interrupter with 30 mA setting) protection for bathrooms and kitchen. May as will try to avoid electrocuting oneself I always say...

Notice the gap between the top of the wall and the roof beam.....I learned something here. My designer/builder told me that you should never allow the beam to rest on top of the wall. The steel beams expand and contract with temperature changes and the flexing can cause cracks to appear in the wall. The big support pillars are there to handle the roof load....not the walls.....I think we've touched on this before, but here it is again...



This is a close up of the double wall supporting a large panoramic window in the dining room. It's a three part thing, and pretty heavy so the manager though it best to double up the wall support.... good man Jeeves.



There's the dining room window.... We arranged to put all the big windows on the North side because they will be under a big roof extension and never get the sun on them, but still let in lots of light. All the windows on the South side will be smaller to mitigate the effects of having the sun shine on them most of the day. Fiendishly clever..wot... The North side also has views of the hills whereas the South windows just have views of the neighbours house....

SOME OUTSIDE STUFF..



The 2000 liter water tank arrived today. Looks OK for a water tank I suppose....



A close up of the roof trough that Helge was wondering about.... The roofers defiled our nice facia board when they cut it to install this thing. I was about to launch a law suit.....but then realized that this will be hidden behind an eaves-trough (Gutter) or whatever you call those things in your part of the world, so I told my lawyer to put it on hold...



Best of all, I found some Marmite approved roofing material on site....

[helge]

Would you mind clarifying the "treat them correctly afterwards" ? Thanks ! Steve

Well, building regulations says that use of Q Con for "wet rooms" is ok, as long as the walls is sealed. With glossy paint for example

Wet zones should be sealed with "rubber sealant". Goes for concrete walls and floors too (esp upper floors)

I doubt that Thailand uses these regulations

[Marmite the Dog]

Well, building regulations says that use of Q Con for "wet rooms" is ok, as long as the walls is sealed. With glossy paint for example

Or tiles, as per 100% of bathrooms.

[helge]

Well, building regulations says that use of Q Con for "wet rooms" is ok, as long as the walls is sealed. With glossy paint for example

Or tiles, as per 100% of bathrooms.

Hmm

Some bathrooms haven't got tiles from floor to ceiling, but has the upper meter or so painted

Knowing my 'technical english' is very limited, let me just say that Q Con absorbs water easily and that you can have fungus problems if not careful

Even with tiles in your shower area, you should apply (?) the 'rubber skin', cause tiled floors and walls are not waterproof

In theory

[Marmite the Dog]

Well, building regulations says that use of Q Con for "wet rooms" is ok, as long as the walls is sealed. With glossy paint for example

Or tiles, as per 100% of bathrooms.

Hmm

Some bathrooms haven't got tiles from floor to ceiling, but has the upper meter or so painted

Knowing my 'technical english' is very limited, let me just say that Q Con absorbs water easily and that you can have fungus problems if not careful

Even with tiles in your shower area, you should apply (?) the 'rubber skin', cause tiled floors and walls are not waterproof

In theory

So, you're saying the upper part of a bathroom that isn't tiled (but rendered) gets more exposure to water/moisture than an outside wall?

I don't think so.

[helge]

Get your point

Maybe that's why q-con isn't used for outside walls anymore

At least not in the rainy cold climate I originate from


Apart from that, yes, I do think outside walls dries up faster and better than poorly vented bathrooms


Still...bathroom walls that are untiled should be painted with "waterproof" paint unlike outside walls/facades, which must be able to 'breathe', or your paint will peel off

It's painting for beginners

[Marmite the Dog]

It's painting for beginners

Best not let a Thai do it then.

[stevefarang]

Get your point

Maybe that's why q-con isn't used for outside walls anymore

At least not in the rainy cold climate I originate from


Apart from that, yes, I do think outside walls dries up faster and better than poorly vented bathrooms


Still...bathroom walls that are untiled should be painted with "waterproof" paint unlike outside walls/facades, which must be able to 'breathe', or your paint will peel off

It's painting for beginners

All my walls are Q-con, interior and exterior. And I do believe PD House has been doing this for quite a few years, with no problems. The houses they built, that we toured before doing ours, looked fine and no signs of fungus in bathroom or exterior walls.

But all our bathroom walls are tiled anyway.

Steve

[Wasp]

................

koman ................ with my little knowledge of tiling a roof in England they put a nail through the tile into a wooden batten and then overlap .

On your rather spectacular roof do you know how the tiles are attached ?

I'm guessing they put a bolt through or some kind of metal clip .

And that means some pretty accurate lining up of the battens .

Do you know how they attached them ?

.... and no I don't like the hard-won blanket.


............. Wasp
........................

[Wasp]

............
Forgot to say it's still an outstanding build .


Wasp

[Wasp]

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