Thread: Building our Retirement Home in Nan Province

Thanks for the feedback David48atTD, JPPR2 and TD. I've given the wife the heads up on planting from seeds and she muttered darkly she would talk to some people. I wasn't aware of the male/female date situation but it is interesting the vendor insisted the wife must buy two plants and she did. And he took each from separate group. Maybe just maybe we've been sold a male and female plant. I'm going to remain slightly skeptical because they are less then 30cms high and gut feel suggests to me they would need to be a bit larger and more mature before sex could be determined. But I'm happy to be told otherwise. On a more positive note I only nibble the odd date or two and would not be devastated to not get fruit. Would be more unhappy we could have used the spot for something a bit more certain and delicious.

Ants...not previously aware of fruit tree and concrete liking. Forewarned is forearmed. Given every type of flying insect in Thailand appears to find me tasty I'd rather not make the place particularly attractive to anything else that could bite me.

Hi Bogan,
Plant sex is determined when nearing maturity. If all plants in a group are female, some will turn male.

Missed out on commenting on the outside kitchen JPPR2. Neither the wife nor I are a fan of them. In truth I've never used one but I've never seen one I would have been comfortable to use. The wife on the other hand grew up using one at her family home but once she started visiting me in Singapore and then living with me in Dubai, Brisbane and Phoenix, she developed a preference for internal kitchens and ruled out us putting in an external one. I'm afraid our only outside cooking will be BBQing which we both enjoy. In fact I can see us BBQing a couple of times a week when the temperature and insects permit.

Thanks for the info P76. I'm not going to give over more spots to date palms so think I'll tell the wife we plant them to be ornamental and if we get lucky (or more to the point the plants do), we get some dates. Regards, -BiP

Originally Posted by P76

Hi Bogan,
Plant sex is determined when nearing maturity. If all plants in a group are female, some will turn male.

Site Visit 14 November 2018

Went out to the site this morning after a break of five days. Quite a bit of activity and a large team of ten plus the two electricians. Since our last visit there has been more electrical work but the biggest change was in the cement rendering. Externally the east wall was complete and the north wall will be today. Both covered decks on levels 1 and 2 were done. On level 2 bedrooms 3 and 4 and one side of the living room were done. The main activity today was on rendering with the large wall above the stairs and the same side living room wall being worked on and the laundry alcove the same. We noticed maybe about five new faces today. I suspect they have been bought in to accelerate the cement rendering, they seemed pretty good at it. Hope to see the old team members back soon.

After some subtle feedback last visit we switched back to the original Pua bakery for the snacks we bring on each visit. The ladies in the team were quite pleased we'd taken on board their feedback.

We made out final paint colour selections and advised Mart the builders supervisor. I'm pleased to advise I got half my way, the wife got half her choice as well. I'll not be sharing the colour selections yet but once you start to see it you will no doubt comment on the wisdom of the external walls colour, and the questionable choice that is the colour of the inside walls.

A view from the road.

The shower wall has been extended 25cm in bathroom 1 and is being worked on in bathroom 2.

Cement rendering underway in the laundry alcove.

Rendering the wall above the stairs which is also the west wall of the level 2 living room.

North wall. Both covered decks now rendered.

Lower north east corner.

Rendering the last portion of the north wall.

This gent seems to do the bulk of the finer finishing work. I've watched him quite a bit and been impressed with both how he does it and the results.

Level 2 covered deck.

Level 2 bedroom 4.

Final photo from the visit today. Level 2 bedroom 3.

Originally Posted by BoganInParasite

Missed out on commenting on the outside kitchen JPPR2. Neither the wife nor I are a fan of them. In truth I've never used one but I've never seen one I would have been comfortable to use. The wife on the other hand grew up using one at her family home but once she started visiting me in Singapore and then living with me in Dubai, Brisbane and Phoenix, she developed a preference for internal kitchens and ruled out us putting in an external one. I'm afraid our only outside cooking will be BBQing which we both enjoy. In fact I can see us BBQing a couple of times a week when the temperature and insects permit.

I thought I would send along a few pics as I understand there are many perceptions about "Outdoor kitchens". We have a neighbor down the street who has a table along a wall as their outside kitchen.

Here is ours;



It is a fully detached kitchen.



My wife keeps it very clean. She does all the cooking and prep inside. We eat outdoors underneath our house and never eat up in the house. Far more convenient, quick and easy.

When my wife and I lived in the states she did not care for a kitchen in the house much at all. I was surprised but then again I had never known a detached type kitchen or an outdoor kitchen. She stated inside kitchens are usually small and depending on what she cooked would have windows and doors open to keep the house from smelling. Now that I have been here I LOVE a detached kitchen.

How do you get the food back to the house when it's pissing it down?

Thanks JPPR2, I must admit I was not thinking detached kitchen, all of the Thai external kitchens I've seen including my wife's family home are largely as you described, benches/tables up against the external house wall with maybe some extra overhead protection. Yours is certainly an impressive setup, we won't have anywhere near that space. Having said that I'm still happy with what we are building. We are putting in a powerful hob to deal with cooking fumes above the gas cooktop. If that does not prove sufficient to keep fumes and other cooking smells inside the kitchen I'll invest in a strong exhaust fan and vent them outside. Regards, -BiP

Originally Posted by JPPR2

I thought I would send along a few pics as I understand there are many perceptions about "Outdoor kitchens". We have a neighbor down the street who has a table along a wall as their outside kitchen.

Here is ours;



It is a fully detached kitchen.



My wife keeps it very clean. She does all the cooking and prep inside. We eat outdoors underneath our house and never eat up in the house. Far more convenient, quick and easy.

When my wife and I lived in the states she did not care for a kitchen in the house much at all. I was surprised but then again I had never known a detached type kitchen or an outdoor kitchen. She stated inside kitchens are usually small and depending on what she cooked would have windows and doors open to keep the house from smelling. Now that I have been here I LOVE a detached kitchen.

Originally Posted by armstrong

How do you get the food back to the house when it's pissing it down?

We eat in the kitchen. There is a small table for just those types of events.

Another view of the south wall.

West wall, from left to right...two windows for the master bedroom, the a high narrow window for the walk-in-robe and the same for the ensuite.

North wall.