Well 7 years have passed since the initial build so perhaps there is interest in an update! .....after lots of hard work!
The original house was fitted with Aluminum double sliding lockable glass windows and fly screens inside the shutters. The wooden walls have been internally lined with plastic film 75 mm fiber glass insulation and internal plaster board. This has almost stopped the gecko invasion through the cracks! ...and also vastly improved the insulation and air conditioner efficiency.
The external timber has required re staining every 3 years to protect the timber and keep it looking good (not unexpected)
We have had no termite issues (used salt under floor slab! termites don't like salty environments!)'
An outdoor kitchen, a large rendered brick garage with roller door and carport, have been added, along with the construction of 2 Thai style, matching raised wooden single story self contained buildings, facing onto "the water lilly and fish pond" for the use of visiting family and friends. Each visitors cottage has a large western style bathroom and is lined, insulated and air conditioned.
Most of the many fruit trees planted are now producing fruit along with 5 different types of bananas, and this year our first coconuts have sprouted!
The house and facilities are an ongoing project and being reasonably close to a large Tesco Lotus and many quite good inexpensive restaurants and shopping has made it a slower paced and pleasant place to live, but with something happening (parades, festivals, markets, etc} every day, and excellent touring in the local National Parks, nearby Laos by car and the coast of Vietnam by bus just a couple of hundred kilometers away.
Substantial 2.5m rendered brick side fences and a rendered brick and panel front wall with large sliding stainless steel gates, have solved the problem of most of our ripe fruit disappearing! and provide much better security from curious wanderers and unwanted sales people.