Thread: Building our Retirement Home in Nan Province

Originally Posted by BoganInParasite

All noted Klondyke and HH, with thanks. One point in particular, need to ask Mart our builder what his intent is regards positioning of the house water pump. Regards, BiP.

Not sure whether you have mentioned before how is your water supply managed. If by drilled well you might get similar problems as I have.

Difference of the incoming water and the resulting water:





reporting about my ingenious research and handling of ironised water in:


https://teakdoor.com/construction-in-...ml#post2853328

Anyway, the gutters and a collection of the rainy water I would surely recommend. Not only to protect your walls and windows against rainwater from the roof but to get a water storage for watering garden(s), washing car(s), dog(s), feeding a fish pond, perhaps also a swimming pool and even addition to the house general demand.

Originally Posted by Klondyke

Anyway, the gutters and a collection of the rainy water I would surely recommend.

That's what we do @ the Farm ... drink the rain-water.

A few processes from cloud to cup, but it's fine.

We've got a strong flow of village water sourced from the perennial Yo River that runs out of the world heritage rain forest covered mountains to our east. Call me fussy but I won't be drinking it. We'll get in those big plastic bottles of filtered drinking water. Mind you, in my teenage years I drank little else than rain water and it didn't kill me. As an aside, the best city water I ever drank from a tap (and by a long way) was in New York a couple of years ago.

Originally Posted by BoganInParasite

big plastic bottles of filtered drinking water.

Big or small, there is always a question how good the water is...

This is bathroom 2. We understand this now has three coats of the decorative cement and has been sanded. Next step after cleaning to remove all dust is to wax it. We are liking it. Already there is a texture and depth to the surface that we think will be enhanced when waxed. We're expecting the waxing will make it look darker and more shiny.

He is now working on the finish in bathroom 2.

A second floor tiler is now working as well.



The original floor tiler.

Last photo for today. Off to Phrae again on Wednesday for a medical thing for the wife. Next site visit is likely to be Thursday or Friday.

nice photo's B.I.P.just a quick one,have they [builders] put in an underground system to combat TERMITE'S.

Hi HH, no, I didn't request it because quite frankly I didn't know about such systems (until I read the Thai Dhupp thread). What was done was the fill they used in the foundations is apparently not liked by termites and I had that treated. Before the carport and concrete aprons are put around the house I intend to have an entire ring around it injected with some of the nasty stuff. Regards, -BiP

Originally Posted by headhunter

nice photo's B.I.P.just a quick one,have they [builders] put in an underground system to combat TERMITE'S.

Contract Payment Schedule

Noticed this interest in contract payments in Thai Dhupp's thread and posted mine there. Here is it. Google Translate has left me with a few challenges which I've made educated guesses at.

15% - Building plan approved, contract signed, mobilized to site including delivery of bulk materials for foundations, foundations complete.
10% - Beams, pillar and floors for both level complete.
10% - Roofing complete.
10% - Structural work/walls, water supply/electrical piping complete.
15% - Walls rendered and ceiling complete.
10% - Tiling complete.
10% - Doors and windows complete.
10% - Plumbing, sanitary and electrical complete.
10% - Painting, cleaning and defects clearance complete.

Approximately 70% of the builders profit is in the last payment. My payment schedule doesn't have the incentive for the builder to remedy defects identified in the immediate period after hand-over.

Regards, -BiP

Coming along nicely BiP, one question, is the balcony at the front of the house ?, im trying to work out where is your carport going to be erected ?

Originally Posted by BoganInParasite

Contract Payment Schedule

Noticed this interest in contract payments in Thai Dhupp's thread and posted mine there. Here is it. Google Translate has left me with a few challenges which I've made educated guesses at.

15% - Building plan approved, contract signed, mobilized to site including delivery of bulk materials for foundations, foundations complete.
10% - Beams, pillar and floors for both level complete.
10% - Roofing complete.
10% - Structural work/walls, water supply/electrical piping complete.
15% - Walls rendered and ceiling complete.
10% - Tiling complete.
10% - Doors and windows complete.
10% - Plumbing, sanitary and electrical complete.
10% - Painting, cleaning and defects clearance complete.

Approximately 70% of the builders profit is in the last payment. My payment schedule doesn't have the incentive for the builder to remedy defects identified in the immediate period after hand-over.

Regards, -BiP

Maybe it varies from province to province or by the builder, when we built a couple of years ago in rural Chiang Rai the builder wanted 4 x 25% payments, 1st payment was when the groundworks/slab was done, 2nd payment was when the roof was on, 3rd payment when walls and rendering were complete and final payment on completion of the house.

Hi Rivo, welcome back (I have a memory you've visited before). Short answer to your balcony question is yes, or no. The most common shot I post is this one taken from near the access road, so technically you are looking at the front of the house and you can see the main access door right there in the middle as you would expect for the front of a house.



However we purchased the land because of the views to the north and the house design is focused on delivering those views to both levels, but in particular level 2. If you look below you will see the 8m covered deck on level 1 and the 13m covered deck on level 2. Often you would find at least the upper level deck at the front of a house but while there are some mountain glimpses to the south, the main views are to the north. So decks at the back or north side of the house.


The carport will extend across the whole front of the south side of the house, the first picture above. It is shown in the image below although we've requested the middle two supports be removed. (We're currently discussing with Mart our builder whether the contract price has the front edge of the carport 6.5m or 7.5m from the house.) The carport base, driveway and approach apron will be 15cm concrete. Hope all that helps.

Originally Posted by Rivo

Coming along nicely BiP, one question, is the balcony at the front of the house ?, im trying to work out where is your carport going to be erected ?

Site Visit 14 December 2018

Went back to the site today after four or five days. In the interim we went to Phrae on Wednesday and the wife finally saw a medical specialist. Got to take some ultra-strong medication for a week ahead of a procedure next Wednesday back in Phrae. Getting to know the Nan-Phrae route very well. After the medical appointment we went to HomePro and picked up the 11,000 baht credit voucher from the kitchen supplier. We had a bit of a shopping list and blew the voucher plus another 3,000 odd baht in short time. The most notable purchase being a water sediment filter that will filter the village water before it enters the house. It had to be ordered and we pick it up next Wednesday. As we had packed for a couple of days in case the wife had the procedure immediately, we made a spur of the moment decision to drive to Chiang Mai and look at some 'exotic' fencing I'm considering for the boundary. Glad we did, we will use it but not until perhaps Feb-March next year. Will post detail of that another day. We stayed in Lamphun overnight then decided to drive back to Nan via the Chiang Rai road, then Phayao. Had lunch in Phayao in a Thai restaurant overlooking the lake and mountains. Saw some really nice mountain scenery yesterday and a ton of winding corners.

Today we had three floor tilers, two painters, the bathroom decorative cement guy and the general cleanup guy onsite. Floor tiling on level 2 is perhaps 98% complete including the covered deck. Quite a bit of the painting fine detail work had also been done. All of the bathrooms now have a least one coat of the decorative cement. Some of the bathrooms look like they are ready for a final clean and wax. On level 1 the floor tiling in the dining room was underway and the floor tiling in backroom 2 was near complete. All of the house with the exception of internal areas near the stairs has been painted.

Floor tiling in the level 2 bedroom 3, living room and bedroom 4 is basically complete.

Floor tiling on the level 2 covered deck just needs grouting. The same tiles will be on the level 1 covered deck and external steps from the front entrance door, side door and level 1 covered deck.

Noticed our painter had his extra grip steel capped safety flip flops on today, and the invisible safety harness.

BiP
How are they going to fit the barrier around the top of the stairs now that they have already laid the tiles. Are they going to drill/cut holes in the tiles or are they going to bolt the post to the walls at the edge of the tiles?
You have me curious regarding 'exotic' fencing.

Cheers

edit as you posted while I was typing, I love the tiles you have used on the balcony