Thread: Aussie Style House Build

Originally Posted by Buckaroo Banzai

Very exciting building your first home here in Thailand where there is freedom to do many things. Since the house was built I have done so many things that back in the US would had been almost impossible and certainly costly , what with submitting plans , getting permits, having everything signed off by licence tradesman etc.
We also did the double wall 7.5 Q-con on all the outside walls ,

Attachment 76392
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and we are glad we did. House is nice and cool, and our electric bills are reasonable.
And you dont see the columns.
Make sure they build a bottom beam a top beam and side columns by the windows. as shown on the second picture,
Also when they cut the grooves on the Q-con,to run the electric, make sure that when they patch it up , they put wire lath (screen) over the grooves they cut to prevent hairline cracks showing up later on. I was not there when they did the rendering on the walls, and now i see a small hairline crack leading from the electric outlets. I can tell exactly where they run the lines. I suspect they did not tape the grooves with wire screen. When I did another bedroom extension later on ,I insisted on taping the grooves with wire screen, and I don't even have one crack on the walls.
excuse me for repeating things that you might already know, but I don't know what you don't know, so better to be safe than sorry

G'day Buckaroo
Appreciate the advice on the wire lath over the wiring channels. Was well aware of the cracking issue, where render is applied too thick instead of a skim coat, but had not come across the cracking around power points etc, although it would be an obvious conclusion. All window frames have been specified with top, bottom and side beams as the builder isn't doing the window installation

Originally Posted by Shutree

Another Aussie, Tony, tracked his housebuild in detail and eventually published an ebook. That could be a useful reference for you.

Building a House in Thailand eBook | Tony in Thailand

Hi Shutree, Tony's a good mate and it was remiss of me not to post an acknowledgement earlier. His blog Tony In Thailand (sadly now not active) and his ebook have been a great reference, not just for the build but for an Expat living in Thailand generally. If I can get a similar result to Tony and Guan's home and gardens I'll be very happy.

Originally Posted by JPPR2

Cheers. Will follow along from the cheap seats in the back.

Thanks JP, if that's what I should call you. No need to sit up the back, plenty of room to sit up the front

Originally Posted by Shutree

I used the thickest Qcon and I find no heat transfer at all, even when the sun hits the west wall. I don't know for a fact if one option is better than the other.

A couple of reasons I chose the single block: It is one wall, not two, so saves some labour time. You can buy Qcon lintels so no need to build a concrete heat sink above the doors and windows. I never bothered with concrete beams and pillars under and beside the windows, the thicker blocks have enough structural integrity to support the weight of the window.

I did ponder the idea of extra Qcon lintels under and beside windows but so far no problems have arisen as a result of my not using them.

Not necessarily better or worse, just the way I chose to do things. The builder had no experience with Qcon so I was on my own here.

As an aside there is a Thai man down the lane building his own house. He has done most of the work himself. He used cinder blocks for the walls and just balanced them over the tops of the window frames. With a bit of plaster on top it all looks fine although if the day ever comes when he has to replace his windows that will be fun.

Went into detail with single v's double Q-Con. Found double was more efficient, so given temps will only increase with the effects of climate change, we went for it instead of singles.

Originally Posted by peciacake

Yuri and I first met in February 2014 at the height of the Yellow and Red shirt confrontations. We got out of Bangkok fast and spent a month touring together. One thing lead to another and before I knew it she accepted my offer to come and live with me in Australia. Still have to pinch myself sometimes - how lucky can a sixty yr old bloke, whose come out the wrong side of an expensive divorce, end up with a smart, very attractive Thai lady who wants to live with me.

Fast forward to Feb 2020: I'm retired and we're heading to Thailand to build our dream home...

...to be continued... (gotta get the post count up)

Thanks for the explanation. I assumed you were cohabitating with a gay Russian.

Originally Posted by peciacake

Thanks JP, if that's what I should call you. No need to sit up the back, plenty of room to sit up the front

JP is just fine.

I very much enjoyed my house build and now continue to do so with landscaping and upkeep.

Originally Posted by JPPR2

JP is just fine.

I very much enjoyed my house build and now continue to do so with landscaping and upkeep.

I have a similar plan JP.

Originally Posted by peciacake

Tony's a good mate

Okay! I went out to meet him at his house one time before I started my build and I did buy his book. Nice chap.

I thought I saw him not to long ago in Makro car park in Nongbua Lam Phu but I wasn't sure and he was gone before I could walk over to say hello.

2nd attempt at uploading an image. The builder's rendering of the interior. Not quite right but it gives an idea...
Pictorial plan view:
Comments welcome on both whether the image actually appears, and the layout

After sorting out the problems with the father in-law we went ahead and demolished the old shed. Given this was his livelihood for many years it must have been like taking a baby away from its mother. The silver lining was the shed was re-purposed just up the road at the town football ground, where it was re-erected to provide a covered viewing area. The village chief was instrumental in making this happen, so we scored some brownie points there.

After the old shed went, we built our own:

Built the shade house too. it will be used to sun-harden seedlings before planting them out under more mature trees.

when enlarging the picture, try using "Full size" instead of "large"

Hi Dave,
Wow, that's quite a list. Thank you. Will do my best to respond.

I like your comment about the little hallway at the entrance of the main bedroom - we may end up doing that. The current plan is to optimize the "venturi" effect to capitalize on the front-to-back breezeway, in keeping with the Aussie Farmstead design. Let's wait and see whether we need the little hallway during construction.

The third bathroom is so after working in the food forest / garden I don't have to traipse through the house to get to the shower. Also gives access to an external toilet.

The internal layout shown is not as accurate as it should be. The kitchen is quite large, and has space for the fridge. It also includes an island bench. Will update this when I locate the correct layout sketch. No need for an external kitchen - we lived in an open=plan apartment in Brisbane and cooking odors were never a problem. In fact our neighbors were envious.

Yes, you're right the small hall is a waste of space and has been deleted - the guest BR's bathroom has been moved to the Eastern wall opposite the door.

North is the back of the house. Wrap around veranda and heavy curtains will preclude early morning sun streaming in. Actually, we're a bit worried it may be a bit dark inside.

Have slept in a number of my own homes with my feet pointing North; so far so good. I was never aware of this until your comment. Now I'm worried...

Raised pad 40 cm above ground level. Ground was raised in July 2020 and has been left to settle. Will be doing soil tests before we get too serious - the builder shares my view on the importance of this, which was reassuring.

Funny you should mention checking site drainage. Comments were made to the mother in-law about the "crazy farang" wandering about on our land during the recent rains. Where the house will be is fine. Will need some more infilling in a couple of other places though, or maybe it will be where we put a small dam (funds permitting).

The days of watching adult content are well and truly past sadly. The study nook will also be the comms hub for CCTV / security system and Solar PV monitoring.

The Bluescope "ZACS" steel roof comes pre-fitted with UPVC insulation plus we're fitting SGC R38 insulation in the ceiling so noise will be less of a problem, although we don't expect it to be as quiet as cement tiles; cooler but noisier.

The car space is actually where the outdoor setting is shown, and the shed has room for a car as well. That space doubles as an outdoor entertaining area for family gatherings etc.

Front and back door alignment, hmmm. We'll just have to take our chances I guess. No little spirit house either, albeit we are directly across the road from the wat (I can see myself becoming an expert in Buddhist chanting...) so any spirits who venture into our place will have to be mighty brave.

Thanks Dave, lots to take in. Very much appreciated and keep 'em coming. I need all the support I can get with this.
Cheers...Greg

Thanks Buckaroo. Still getting the hang of image posting on TD. It's a work in progress.

The father in-law and I while he "supervised" site civils.
After he finished his stint as civil works supervisor we spent about double again to correct the levels. Ended up being a very expensive exercise.
Funny how when reading forums about the fall out from family fractures it is mainly mother in laws or the partner's siblings
In our case it's the father in-law. If I only knew then what I know now...

The workshop. Built this on the end of the new shed. It will be used as a security store during construction of our house.
Once the house is finished it will be where I'll hide from Yuri after transgressing some cultural custom or offending her relatives / neighbors. Note the TV antenna cable coiled in the top corner. Will also have wifi, and most importantly, a fridge. Did I mention I like craft beer?

Originally Posted by peciacake

Thanks Buckaroo. Still getting the hang of image posting on TD. It's a work in progress.

. After 11 years in this forum I am still working on it also.All part of the fan of TD
I think once you figure this forum out you win a price. I don't think anyone has collected yet.

PC (if I may call you that).

Here are my 2 baht worth.

• One thing that many of us typically forget when we have rendered drawings, is that the size of the room gets cramped very quick because floor plans never include closest space and its not common to have built in clothes closets here. I highly encourage you to rethink the bedroom sizes and add them or at least allow for proper size wood ones. Our build I planned for that in our MB but did not in guest rooms and IMHO the rooms (after adding the wood ones) are cramped a bit. My niece lives with us now and we just added one to her room.

• Do not forget that the missus will probably want a chest of drawers with a mirror of some type so consider that. Once the walls are up, its not easy to move them like you can in a western home without having a huge mess.

• On the bathroom doors I also recommend that they be sliding in the MB and guest room. The outside one can be a full door. Opening a door into the bedrooms takes up a lot of space and its not necessary.

Again Just some suggestions to consider.

Originally Posted by peciacake

Did I mention I like craft beer?

Well then, we are going to get along quite well. Me too.

Whiskey/Bourbon drinker by chance?.

Saint Willy will be along soon. He likes his IPA's

Originally Posted by JPPR2

One thing that many of us typically forget when we have rendered drawings, is that the size of the room gets cramped very quick because floor plans never include closest space and its not common to have built in clothes closets here. I highly encourage you to rethink the bedroom sizes and add them or at least allow for proper size wood ones.

Hi JP (if I may call you that)
PC or Greg is just fine. In fact I pretty much answer to anything except"don't be late for dinner."

Thank you for your comments - closet space is a major consideration. Yuri loves collecting clothes so I have a real dilemma. If closet space is increased she'll buy more. We will section off part of the master bedroom to include a built in wardrobe. It already doesn't look big enough albeit it is bigger than the en-suite (see floor plan above recently added). So thank you for your advice, not sure how we can reach a compromise which will suit.

I like your idea on the sliding doors - will discuss with the builder and see if he's okay to fit instead of hinged.

No, not a spirits drinker these days although there was a time when malts were a favourite. A good West Coast IPA, or for something a bit lighter some tropical sours.
Cheers...Greg

Cheers Greg,
Yeah my wife is the same and in general they will never dispose of clothes that no longer fit them.

On the sliding doors use really good quality SST runners and guides. I added a sliding bathroom door recently to join the guest bathroom to the guest bedroom. I did it most for my niece so she didn't have to come out of her room to access the bathroom being that full bathroom is shared by guests upstairs and the 3rd room. My FIL lives with us as well and his room has a full private bathroom.

I prefer the Craft Ales or Wheat beers. Hard to find here so I drink German weissbiers.