Thread: Distance Between Posts

What is the recommended distance between posts in building a home in Thailand? Does it vary depending on single story or two? Thanks in advance for all replies.

the old column question.
well i believe it is 4m to answer your question quickly, but, there is a nicer, more relaxed answer.

it all depends on what area of the house you are thinking about.
are you thinking about the columns in the walls or are you thinking about spans in open areas?
construction in thailand in the past 6 years has really moved forward. if you are going to use a load bearing block for construction, then you can eliminate columns in the walls altogether (mostly).if you are thinking about spans for open areas, then you are limited by your designer and engineer.(of course you dont have these or you wouldnt be asking).
it also depends on where you are building and what you are building.

if your building a small bungalow for the wife and family then use columns at 4m spans in the walls, and limit open spans to 5m (as most country folk,would have worked to thos dimensions, i'd hope.)this will also satisfy the local govt, who would probably also be pretty set in thier ways.

if your building to satisfy your needs then employ someone who can give you the best that you require.

so it depends:

where you build
what you build
what materials you build
whats ya budget.

^ Good advice splitlid and I might add to your "Depends on" list, load bearing.

Originally Posted by splitlid

the old column question.
... if your building a small bungalow for the wife and family then use columns at 4m spans in the walls, and limit open spans to 5m... it depends:

where you build
what you build
what materials you build
whats ya budget.

Thanks, splitlid and Loy Toy. I'm sorry to have asked such a basic question, but even though I've lurked around the forum for quite some time, I never came across the length marked definitively, although I remember 4m being mentioned.

I'm just looking to build a small house next to the family house; 2bdrm w/bathroom, inside kitchen, living room, glass windows, lockable garage. We're outside city control, so can build without gov't restriction. Not to say I would want to build outside normal -- and proven -- building practices. I DO want it built as cheaply as possible.

5 meters is more or less standard maximum distance that will yield a good sized room of 5x5. keep in mind that the farther the distance the larger the beam must be to support the second floor. Ergo, if you want to stretch to 6 meters - you can - but your will need a 70cm beam. this makes an ugly ceiling where you might have to duck down to change rooms or you can make your ceilings much higher - say 3.4 meters to compensate. you can also use post-tension flooring which tends to be pricey. in that event however, you can stretch your beams to 8 meters.

Single story ie bungalow doesn't matter that much.
Posts only support roof.

if you are using iron supports for your roof, it would need to be heavier than normal to get over the bigger gap, so more expensive again

the posts may also need to be larger to support the extra weight

Originally Posted by DrAndy

I have done away with any columns in the centre of my house in Mae Rim (no seperate rooms, just a large space), so needed very thick concrete beams to support the upper floor, and a more complicated set of roof trusses to support the roof...worth it though

Out of curiosity, the alternative is having a post in the middle of that single open space right... Why is that so bad? I know it's like an architect's holy grail for some reason, every time I'm at Suvarnabhumi I notice you have this huge terminal building with the roof sky-high and without a single internal post, but.. who notices that even? There's going to be 'stuff' in that open space anyway, who would notice a post there?

Same in a basic house.. Ok there's a post in there, but if you keep an open roof structure then it should still look pretty roomy. And you could integrate some sort of furniture at or around that post, like a round display case, a table or bench around it, etc?

Originally Posted by WhiteLotusLane

Out of curiosity

as they say "it's up to you"

it also saves you banging your head into the post when the lights are low

a nice big open space gives you more flexibility with your interior; no post in the middle also makes the space look bigger

if you are going to divide the space into rooms, then a post is useful

Thanks, Guys... I'll be building as cheaply as I can, so I'll be working to incorporate the posts into the design without load bearing extras... You've heard of "Cheap Charlie"... Well, he can't compare to "Cheap Malcolm".

Originally Posted by LegendarySurfer

I'll be building as cheaply as I can

Then best to go with a 4m x 4m grid in single story layout.

ref the load bearing walls. not a good idea in thailand, and may not get gov approval.

thailand is in a earthquake zone so a infill panel is the only way to go, this is the build on all floors. never seen anything different in any quake zone. well except third world. they're learning the hard way too.

Originally Posted by lob

thailand is in a earthquake zone

Where in Thailand would that be? Nearest active quake ares are in western Burma and Southwest Sumatra. Both too far away from Thailand to cause more than minor tremors.