Looks fantastic!
Last edited by Froggy; 24-05-2023 at 04:15 AM.
Did you have the recessed lights installed yet? If you have not consider "surface mounted LED" (Do a search for them in Lazada) they create the same effect as recessed lights but you do not have to cut a hole in your ceiling , with the associated problems we discussed earlier. Sorry i did not mentioned earlier, I just thought of it now.
The sooner you fall behind, the more time you have to catch up.
Update on Progress.
This video shows progress on our build from the start of block work through to power on and fans installed & working.
Update 01.06.23
Progress continued at a steady, albeit reduced, pace. Reason for the slower pace - allocation of labour by the builder to other projects. He knows quality is what counts and we are willing to wait for the right crew to be available.
The path around the outside has been completed, along pipework for the guttering downpipes installed as per the images below
Yuri and Nhy discussing down pipe placement. "Can you make the down pipe invisible?" "Hmmmm...not sure about that." says Nhy
Teak Doors have arrived and will be coated with clear epoxy to retain the natural colour.
Yes, they have.
Coincidentally, I had a house built in Bangkok many years ago with a very similar design to peciacake's except it was two stories due to smaller block of land. The inspiration was Qld country pubs with the 3m verandahs all around and above ceiling ventilation.
When it was first built it was out on its own and the soi was called Soi Farang by the locals. Unfortunately this did not last long and we soon had neighbours all around us.
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Further update 21.06.23
Teak doors on Teak Door
One of the key features of the aesthetic for the house was the use of teak doors. We had them in the plan from Day 1, and these look great.
Very happy with the door quality and the install - the three builders who did the install knew how much it meant to me & made sure these look and fit just right.
My plan is to finish these in good quality Teak preserver. It will be an annual task to re-oil them but I'm keen to retain the natural colour rather than finishing them in clear epoxy. Any suggestions on a good brand of Teak preserving oil would be very much appreciated.
Attachment 103858
Häfele double dead locks are fitted to the three external doors Yuri is happy to know these are a very strong lock, with a solid case and a 26mm dead lock tongue. No fancy digital keypads, just solid, functional dead locks that will last and last.
Attachment 103869
Chang Nhy took on installation of the waste water system. He is the hardest worker on the crew, leading by example. He could easily have delegated this job but took it on himself, digging out wet sticky clay that had washed into the settling tanks. No easy way to get it out, just hard back breaking digging. Every time I see him working I give thanks to Khun Pu for having him as the Chang for our build. His sidekick is less impressive - more often than not I see him doing a great impression of a statue, something he does with style.
Attachment 103870
More to follow soon as we ease onto the home straight.
G'day Helge,
Yep, you were talking up the back of the class again. Not that you missed much. We are staying with the in-laws about half a k from our build. Not ideal, but it's working.
The update on the buffalo shit wars is somewhere between pages 19 - 20 from memory (not the most reliable part of me these days). The problem hasn't completely gone away, but is a lot better, particularly with a new water treatment plant coming on line soon.
peciacake
Looking good so far, on the home straight just don't try and get to the finish too quickly.
Have you decided on how many downpipes you are going to have?
My rough calculations have your house roof as 18m x 14m which gives you 250sqm of roof. So if you got 30mm of rain you would have 7.5cubic metres of water running off the roof.
As you probably know that sort of downpour can happen in a very short period of time.
If it was me I would have 4 across the front and back with 1 in each corner and plus each side of the stairs and then one in the middle on each end.
In my mind having one each side of the stairs would give a more balanced look than just one on one side but your Missus probably would give a toss about looking balanced.
I see it looks like the downpipe position shown will have a drain pipe at the end to take the water beyond the steps. where are you planning to send the water to?
We're in no hurry Ootai. Quality is more important than a hasty completion.
The guttering is a cluster f*ck caused by my inattention / lack of planning. Four X 2" down pipes across the front including 2 either side of the stairs. Two either side, in the corners and two across the back in the corners. All 2" which I think is too small given the volume of water coming off the roof when it really pours. I'd prefer 4". We were going to do rain water harvesting however that isn't going to happen. Rain water will be channeled into rubble drains leading into 4 X soak-aways approx 20 metres from the house. Not my preference but there are other battles I need to win.
Progress Update 03.06.23
Apart from finishing the concrete path around the perimeter of the building and rendering the edge of the verandah, two exterior doors were fitted and the two bedrooms had the floors levelled ready for installation of "Smartmatt" flooring. This is composite flooring which we want in preference to ceramic tiles in the bedrooms.
The doors were fitted while we were off site and both done incorrectly. The side door opens against the kitchen window, blocking half of it. The back door has been hung so it doesn't open fully. It was a good lesson for us not to be away at critical times. We'll definitely be around when the remaining six doors are hung.
The pathway around the house looks good as does the render albeit there was no inclination by Nhy and his team to keep wetting down the concrete as one would expect for proper curing. Yours truely has taken on this job. To be sure, to be sure... Also no expansion strips were installed - these will be cut-in later, which is something I'm keen to see given expansion strips in AUS are usually done when putting the formwork in.
The anti-termite / insecticide pipes were left standing proud in the middle of the path. Nhy assured Yuri and I it will be finished properly, convenient to service, and would not be a trip hazard.
Some images from the last couple of days:
Back door looks great, but doesn't open fully - hinges set too deep into the jamb.
Pesticide pipes in the middle of the path. Not sure what the plan is for these so they can still be easily serviced and are not a trip hazard.
Despite a few hiccups we are still very satisfied with the overall build quality. Attention to detail is good, notwithstanding the stuff up with the doors. No build is perfect - our remains very high quality. Being on site and having detailed plans for all aspects of the build are key to minimising stuff ups.
More to follow soon.
Progress Update 12.06.23: CCTV & Data Cabling Installation
It's been pretty quiet on site over the last couple of weeks. The only building activity in June being the installation of the perimeter concrete path and septic tanks. We expected to see the building team today, however the builder gave us a call this morning to say several of the team have COVID and not to expect then until late June at the earliest.
In the meantime the CCTV cameras, data cabling and satellite TV antenna were all installed. The work was done to a very high standard: 8 X cameras in total including one aimed at the gate, one in the shed, four around the house, one inside and one aimed at the back fence. HIK ColorVU cameras provide excellent resolution, both day and night. Additionally they incorporate a small microphone that records sound as well as motion-activated vision onto a separate hard drive.
Normally I would do this work myself, however the BIL has a good mate who specialises in security systems so it was a no-brainer. A high quality job at mates rates.
The images below show the quality of the ColorVU camera lens via the HIK app for iPhone and iPad. It's the same quality at night.
1. iPhone
2. iPad
We've got a similar camera. Can send your voice to it as well which is always fun when I'm at work and I see the kid leaving late for school.
I love our CCTV system. Can remote access in from our smart phones anywhere with the talk feature. 4 of the 10 cameras are motion sensor activated and follow a person or a dog or whatever. They also alert us to movement. We have 2 across the pool diagonally for safety reasons and one looking at the gate with HD zoom capability on all. The others are scattered in strategic locations. I personally do not look at them all that much but my wife does frequently. But the times I have looked, they are a very nice. Its a much nicer security feature versus putting bars on doors and windows which will never happen at our place.
Nice Job Peciacake. Place looks very well built. Now comes the landscaping part and some good shade trees.![]()
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