Thread: Tying the blocks to the posts and windows.....

Good afternoon fine* ladies and gents...

A couple of quick questions I cant get my head around,

Firstly, how do they tie in the brickwork to the upright posts, especially with the lightweight blocks ?

Secondly, why do they insist on forming a concrete surround for the door and window frames ? Obviously there needs to be a lintel cast, but why below and at the sides of the frame.

thank you :-)

PS Im just about to start building a small place on Koh Samui....when Ive got my head round the thai building techniques....

Welcome to the Buffalo Board...And to Koh Samui...

Originally Posted by Gentmartin

Secondly, why do they insist on forming a concrete surround for the door and window frames ? Obviously there needs to be a lintel cast, but why below and at the sides of the frame.

Because that's how they secure the frames. They bang nails into the frame and leave protruding. They then concrete/mortar around and once cured the window/door is fixed. This makes it really difficult in replacing the windows/doors in the future.

Originally Posted by BaitongBoy

Welcome to the Buffalo Board...And to Koh Samui...

Thanks !! I'm still only an infrequent visitor to Samui down to the fact that that's where the all the wife's family are from, but I'm getting short of excuses (apart from the obvious ones I cant say to them directly ;-) ) for us not to move there permanently, so I'm just sorting plans etc and showing a bit of willing at the moment !!

Originally Posted by Pragmatic

Originally Posted by Gentmartin

Secondly, why do they insist on forming a concrete surround for the door and window frames ? Obviously there needs to be a lintel cast, but why below and at the sides of the frame.

Because that's how they secure the frames. They bang nails into the frame and leave protruding. They then concrete/mortar around and once cured the window/door is fixed. This makes it really difficult in replacing the windows/doors in the future.

It does make it extremely difficult, hence the question why !! In Uk, I simply screw and bond frames to the brickwork and use expanding foam to fill any gaps, then plasterboard the surrounds and fit a sill.......am I being too naive to ask why its so different here ?

The bricks here are soft and hollow and not strong until they are rendered. Expanding foam is extremely expensive compared to back home. And you can't buy frame fixers here. Sorry I forgot, forget wood put in UPVC. Far better than wood.

Gentmartin :---

How DO they tie in the brickwork to the upright posts ?

In my case when they cast the uprights, they set steel bar (1/4") perpendicular to the upright at a given height (between the block joints), perhaps every three courses of block, the steel bar already set in the hardened upright is positioned in the cement joint between the joints, tieing the block work to the upright.

Well done Pragmatic you beat me to it.

Anyone thinking of building may want to read through this site. Thailand - housebuilding and construction information

Originally Posted by Wasp

Gentmartin :---

How DO they tie in the brickwork to the upright posts ?

LOL....I didnt think they did, but I was just checking. The fact they dont seem to makes me nervous !!

[QUOTE=Pragmatic;3203205]

Originally Posted by Wasp

How DO they tie in the brickwork to the upright posts ?

It depends on whether they use pre-made posts or cast them themselves.
Drill holes in the pre-made posts and put a small metal rod and lay the bricks over metal rods.
Also as per a wall they will lay the bricks so the they go into the post metal form and then overlap the bricks when they pour the concrete to form the posts.
I hope that helps?


Thats brilliant mate. Thank you :-)

I realise this may be simple stuff --- but I was never on site when work was done . My £££s were on site but I wasn't .

It's interesting to see this.

Thanks Pragmatic ... and jumbo.


W.

Originally Posted by Wasp

I was never on site when work was done

I was and after the workers finished daily I'd go round and inspect. If there was something I wasn't happy with I got them to amend the next day. That's why I feel it's important that you're here for the build. Thais will do it their way regardless if you don't keep a check on them. After all you are only a farang and they know better.

I used the perforated metal strips that cost a few baht, nailed (concrete nails) every two rows of blocks to the blocks and to the column.

For the lintel, I used the shown method, drilling the column and inserting rebar, with the addition however of some epoxy, I guessed it couldn't hurt to use some to avoid an airgap between the rebar and the column, in the drilled hole.

I hope that was clear.

I was there everyday, otherwise I know a lot of shortcuts would have been taken... It is amazing to see how much time is spent correcting mistakes instead of doing things right the first time...

I have cursed this lazzyness this month, having to redo my wooden decking, rotten because it was built with no treatment and protection, I have used plenty of chaindrite and bitumen paint on the unseens parts, I would have saved a lot of time if they had done it the proper way two years ago...

Originally Posted by mevelas

I would have saved a lot of time if they had done it the proper way two years ago...

What is logical to farangs completely flies over the head of Thais. And vise versa.

thanks everyone, this is exactly why I joined :-)

watch out for the next question ;-)

Our builders used something similar to these epoxied into holes drilled in concrete.