Thread: Aussie Style House Build

Looking nice and very Aussie! In the shade of the veranda looks like a great place to down a few tinnies.

Thanks for your comment Cal. I agree with you 100%, under the verandah on the Eastern side looks like the ideal spot to kick back and relax with a couple of coldies.

peciacake
Its looking very nice, I am jealous. Its almost like you have broken all the Thai rules about how a house should be designed and as CalEden says it looks very Aussie outback.
Door openings on the east and West and up off the ground would have made it almost a Queenslander.
Good luck with the rest of the build.

Thanks Ootai. The Queenslander influence is very deliberate. We've incorporated all the typical cooling features of the traditional Queenslander - so far it's going to plan.

Originally Posted by Buckaroo Banzai

Make sure they put some sort of wire screen over the electrical conduit cuts before rendering, otherwise you might get hairline cracks in that area.

Hi Buckaroo,
The conduit channels along with window & door corners will have stainless steel mesh placed over them prior to rendering to prevent cracking around these areas. This being part of the normal process they use prior to rendering.

The wrap around verandah works a treat, particularly in the afternoon. With the the house aligned on an East - West axis and only one West facing window, plus good insulation we may just end up achieving our goal of a cool house.

Originally Posted by peciacake

Queenslander influence is very deliberate. We've incorporated all the typical cooling features of the traditional Queenslander - so far it's going to plan.

really coming along, i too thought Queenslander. Now do you thing your veranda is big enough for family meals? we eat outside most of the time.

Update on Progress 30.01.23
Rendering the internal walls commenced this morning after the edges were completed last Friday.
The team a lot more relaxed after the careful, patient job ensuring all the edges were square. Three rendering while the forth prepares the pre-mixed skim coat. She works hard too, as the three renderers are very quick. It's a pleasure to watch them after the tedium of getting the edges just right. The main bedroom, started at around 10:00 this morning will be finished today.

The image below shows two of the team applying the skim coat, smiling for the camera, but not stopping. The third member has the hard job, ensuring the finish is just right. The man in the corner is the Chang - he has worked for Khun Pu for over 10 years. He leads by example both in quality and output.




















































The below image shows the lady responsible for skim coat preparation; she can mix a load of concrete just as quickly as any of the men. She has a great temperament, quick with a smile and a laugh no matter what she's doing or what time of day it is.


















































This image shows where the render is mixed. Pretty windy today - not a pleasant place to be working but it didn't stop her from laughing and joking with the team. The image also shows the edge render on the columns and windows. Each one done with painstaking patience. Not a job for anyone wanting to do things in a hurry.


















































This image shows the Western wall of the house where the TV and stereo will sit, hence the four GPO boxes that will include cable & streaming / satellite TV. Note the stainless steel wire mesh. Pleasing to see the attention to detail - all window and doorway corners have mesh on them too.



































































It's pleasing to report the overall quality of the work remains highly satisfactory, albeit the Electricians caused an aberration when they cut in the conduit to quickly. Apart from this we are very satisfied with the overall job. Although we are on site daily, I'd be surprised if this makes any real difference. Since day 1 the different teams have all performed well, a testament to their Boss Khun Pu, who treats his team very well.

More to follow as the next stage occurs.

Looking really good Peciacake. Cheers

Thanks Stumpy. Appreciate the comment very much.

Originally Posted by Buckaroo Banzai

I guess you are not going to paint the house pink, accenting the columns purple ?

No Buckaroo, not that we've got anything against a purple on pink combination, but we'll be going with white on white. Guess that makes us pretty boring eh...

Originally Posted by peciacake

No Buckaroo, not that we've got anything against a purple on pink combination, but we'll be going with white on white. Guess that makes us pretty boring eh...

brown and beige are my colors also
They say "you know you are getting old, when your favorite color is beige" LOL

It's coming along nicely. No headaches?

Originally Posted by DrWilly

It's coming along nicely. No headaches?

G'day Willy, Nothing major with the build so far. The Electrician used by our builder is not at the same level of quality as the rest of his team. Apart form that, being on site makes it easier to resolve if anything is amiss. Plus we are not pushed for time to complete the build, so consistency and attention to detail are drummed into the team, who are generally very good to begin with.

The Obotor is a different question - we are finding one particular person (the elected representative) a real left hand thread. He is difficult. We take comfort from the fact that he's like it with everyone, including fellow staff.

Originally Posted by peciacake

he Electrician used by our builder is not at the same level of quality as the rest of his team

we got/get ours from the PEA, just ask in the local office and they can usual recommend or put you in contact with someone qualified to run cable inc earth who'll do it on the side.

Thank you for your advice Mike. Much appreciated. The builder has assured us the contractor who does his electricals will do the job satisfactorily. I'll be keeping a careful eye on them when they do the first fix in a couple of weeks time.

I brought light switches over from the UK (inc a couple of cheeky three pin sockets for my UK electricals) as i hate the Thai light switches, all channelled and rebated into the walls using boxes i brought over. I also understand why Thais have their sockets 3 - 4 foot off the floor but i hate that too - ours are all 1 foot off the floor.

I have read this thread and it is very informative, so thanks. Two questions please -what material have you used for the roof ? It doesn't look like tiles. Is it a form of sheeting, please?

One more - did you have any hassle regarding registration with the provision of the well?

Originally Posted by Bob Mason

Two questions please -what material have you used for the roof ? It doesn't look like tiles. Is it a form of sheeting, please?

One more - did you have any hassle regarding registration with the provision of the well?

G'day Bob, appreciate your comments and apologies for the delayed response. Been busier than a one legged man in a bum kicking contest over the past week. Today's the first day I've switch the computer on.
To answer your questions:
1. The roof is Bluescope ZACS pre-fitted with PU foam insulation. Not the top of the line Bluescope roofing product but a close second. Colorbond is the best steel roof but a bit out of our price range.
2. We don't have a well but I believe there is a requirement to register it if you do have one.

"1. The roof is Bluescope ZACS pre-fitted with PU foam insulation. Not the top of the line Bluescope roofing product but a close second. Colorbond is the best steel roof but a bit out of our price range.
2. We don't have a well but I believe there is a requirement to register it if you do have one."

Thank you for the reply. I will raise questions about wells when my probationary period is over and I am allowed to.

Update on Progress 18.02.23

The rendering team are well on the way to being finished by Wednesday 22.02.23. The quality of their work continues to be highly satisfactory, however as we all know, rendering problems can take up to 12 months before they become apparent. Our builder Khun Pue has confidence in his team and assures us there will be no cracking either inside or outside. All rendered surfaces will be finished with a skim coat - this being the last part of the rendering process.

See below image of today's progress.

Western wall will be completed today - Northern and Eastern walls plus eight columns to be done and the rendering will be complete.







































Below image of the two bosses discussing installation of the attic, an on again / off again project SWMBO and I are still to agree on. Yuri has her eyes closed as she listens intently to Khun Pue's thoughts on how to easily access the attic space, making it more useable. Watch this space for further updates on whether or not the attic eventuates.








































The image below is a schematic showing the proposed attic space. Compressed fibre cement sheet for the floor, allowing a fair bit of weight should we wish to make it a closet bar with a view out over the local reservoir.

Originally Posted by malmomike77

Thais have their sockets 3 - 4 foot off the floor but i hate that too - ours are all 1 foot off the floor.

Ours will be 40 cm off the floor to make it a bit easier on the knees as we get older.

Originally Posted by peciacake

1. The roof is Bluescope ZACS pre-fitted with PU foam insulation

PC any PU foam steel sheets i've seen installed have a tendency to delaminate after a few years

Originally Posted by malmomike77

any PU foam steel sheets i've seen installed have a tendency to delaminate after a few years

Yes, I've seen that first hand here at the mother-in-law's place. Thai metal sheet & PU foam parted company 18 months after installation. Hoping Bluescope's manufacturing process takes into consideration the different rates of expansion & contraction between PU foam and steel sheet. Other alternatives are laying SS mesh underneath the roofing to hold the foam in place, which we haven't done. If de-lamination does occur I can see myself up there with spray foam and SS mesh...

I was wondering whether smart board under the sheets was an option, its not just the delam but crumbling.