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  1. #101
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    Great thread Ootai, thanks for all the effort. I'm watching with more than the usual interest as I will be finding myself in a similar position in the near future; she who is to be obeyed will be the foreman on our project down South in Krabi and I nwill be offshore working most of the time to keep up with the payments.

    I hope when my turn comes the thread will be as entertaining as yours...
    de gustibus non est disputandum

  2. #102
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    Nice thread, good looking house too. I like the long low look. Will be keeping an eye on this build.

  3. #103
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    Hello to all I'm back,

    Well I'm not sure if I have made the right decision or not.

    Over the past 4 weeks I have quit my job , packed up the house and loaded the stuff into a container which is due in Bangkok on the 4th or 5th August. Spent sometime in Adelaide sorting out some business and then drove for 3 days across the Nullabor to Perth. Spent a week driving around WA catching up with my family and people I hadn't seen for years

    Anyway got on the plane in Perth at 12:05am Monday 19th to fly to Thailand via Singapore. Bloody seats on the Jetstar planes don't lay back so they were very uncomfortable to try and sleep in. Got the Bangkok at 9am and met up with the missus and her niece OK, they had just arrived 10 minutes earlier so that was well timed.

    Next on the way home stopped to get fuel and then something to eat and guess what, first case of food poisioning for me, finally after spewing my guts up started to feel better later that night.

    Next day this place tried to cook me, it really is close to hell. When you walk into an airconditioned room (set on 30c) and feel like you're walking into a fridge you know its bloody hot outside.

    Wednesday comes along and its humid like you wouldn't believe, by early afternoon we had the thunderstorm from hell, cyclonic winds blew down trees all around the place, closed the highway just south of us, rain like I've never seen before, then the power went off. I was standing out the front of our house and lightning struck a tree about 50m away it made me crap myself.

    So I wake up thinking Thursday's got to be better but now we have power but no internet cut off from the world.

    So finally after a week we now have the internet back up and running so hopefully I can catch up with where the house is at. I must say that being here makes things seem to go very slowly (checking up on progress each day is like watching grass grow). Maybe that's not true in Thailand as right now the grass is growing like mad.

    Here's some photo's which the missus sent while I was in transit but I will eventually get up to date.











    When I seen this I thought what have they done putting little bits of blocks in the wall. But they have acrtually done a good job of not lining them all up together. The length of the wall must be just not quiter right to fit a half brick in.


    This wall shows the blocks nicely offset by half a brick.


    This will be the "living" area


    This is looking the opposite way to the previous picture into and through the kitchen


    Looking into the kitchen from the verandah


    These will be the ensuite and walk in wardrobe


    The front steps. Had a discussion (through the missus) about the width of the steps and he assures me that they will be 300mm tread width when they are finished. At the moment they are just a little bit short for my liking as I can't get more than the front of my foot on them.

    Until next time.......

  4. #104
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    More photo's of further progress, albeit slow.


    The view of the rear with the walls almost completed.


    Looking from the kitchen out through the carport.


    The third bedroom.


    The steel work for the slab which will form the roof of the patio outside the main bedroom.


    A different view of the main bedroom patio roof to be.


    The roof capping.


    Looking down into the living area toward the kitchen.


    The main toilet and bathroom.


    The ensuite (left) and the WIR of the main bedroom.


    Until next time......

  5. #105
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    Hopefully people don't think I'm posting too many photo's, if I am then please let me know. Sometimes I think that while it may be interesting to me seeing some small progress it may not be the same for others. Its like the parents opinion of a new baby "beautiful" but to others "ugly and wrinkly". Anyway until I get complaints of too many I'll keep posting them.

    Today there are quite a few but at least I will then be up to date to the end of July and at this rate caught up in real time by the end of the week.

    So here's today's offerings.

    Most of you are probably sick of this view but it shows the overall progress each time.


    This shows the skirting which has been fitted around the whole house. There is still some debate (with herself) by the missus about whther to paint it or not.


    The carport columns, I'm not sure but I think they end up getting covered in sandstone type tiles.


    Another view from inside the carport. The storage space is for??? At the moment its where the damaged bricks have been "stored".


    View through the carport to the kitchen and verandah.


    The front entrance.


    The sunken electrical conduit.


    This shows how much grout they will be putting on, I was surprised it was so much. Its not this thick everywhere through.


    Looking out through the carport from the verandah


    More sunken conduit. Had to ask what the bit sticking out above the top switch box was for. I thought it was acting as a spacer but in fact its for the fan controller.


    More of the same (maybe this is why I seem to post too many photos?).


    This shows what happen when they trench on the other side of the wall without being careful, they knock a big hole in the wall which is quickly patched up.


    Another view from the kitchen to the living area. I am sure that more "living" will be done in the kitchen than in here.


    Another view from the front to show overall progress.


    Lastly "my" house complete with bathroom and dunny.


    Until next time....probably tomorrow!

  6. #106
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    Do keep posting the photos. It makes it much more interesting seeing it all and to see so much detail.
    It should turn out to be be a very good-looking house.
    Fred.

  7. #107
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    Yes, keep posting the photos, good to see the bulild thru the stages.

  8. #108
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    Quote Originally Posted by DrAndy View Post
    Quote Originally Posted by ootai
    As for the pond, the missus is against having any water around the place. In the last 6 months her cousin's son (9years old) and a friends child (2 years old) have drowned in the village. The youngest one fell into one of those large urns used for water storage, must have seen someone get some water and tried to reach in.
    I understand that; a kid in my village in Portugal drownded last year in another neighbours pool

    water and kids don't mix too well; I am having to think hard about security for my kid too in my Mae Rim house
    Pool security regulations are extremely strict in Queensland , due to child drownings. Everything has to be fenced with special childproof locks on the gate.
    Child drownings are happening all over the world due to people not considering the dangers of open pool areas.
    Congratulations on your thoughts on this one !

  9. #109
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    Quote Originally Posted by justincase 13 View Post
    it's looking good so far joined in a little late on this one, as for the primer not sure if it would make a difference just make sure they primer the welds as they need it the most..maybe ask the misses if she can scratch it off with her finger nail if soo i would say he cutting corners (again) If the rebar and round stock is a big price difference deduct it from the final cost or tell him you will if he doesn't follow the plan's as they are....just a thought, It must be hard to build a house and not be there..It does seem that your wife has a good head on her shoulder though.. good luck
    I have worked on many 'high rise' construction jobs in and around Brisbane and the Gold Coast over the last 30 years, and never seen that smooth steel bar used, always the other rough surfaced stuff ?

  10. #110
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    Quote Originally Posted by Buckaroo Banzai View Post
    You are probably right Dirty Dog, that is why I qualified my whole observation.
    I follow this, and other forums reading about variety of subjects and point of views trying to get an inside on the prevailing attitudes in Thailand.
    One thing I know is structural integrity, and in my opinion (and from my perspective) these welds dont look structurally sound, and I would think that at $5 per day, it might be a good idea to spend an extra day doing a better job.
    Again I want to stress that my assessment is one of limited information and with out the context of the whole structure.If with in the context of the whole roof trust structure , these weld are structurally adequate , then fine.if not , then I think a closer look is warranted.

    I tend to agree with you Buck ! If they intend coming back on those roof truss tacks and complete the welding, why did they bother to paint them, surely paint comes when its finished !

  11. #111
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    Quote Originally Posted by ootai View Post
    Quote Originally Posted by Norton View Post
    Well worth the relatively small cost to keep A/C spaces cooler. Easy to install after the house is finished. Convince the boss. She won't be that stingy with the small added cost as I see you have reflective aluminum under the roof tiles.
    Norton
    I'm sure we will end up with it in there but it will take a bit of negotiation first. Its just that she reckons if it ain't in the plan and therefore part of the overall quote then we don't need it. In the end I'll pay for it if I have too.

    Just yesterday I asked her to check with the builder as to whether we have gutters "in the plan/quote" and it turns out we don't. When she asked the builder he (and she agrees with him) said that gutters would spoil the look of the house.
    At the start of this thread I spoke about my cheaper functional plans but she reckoned they were fugly.

    So I asked her how are we going to catch some rain water for drinking and cooking? Are we going to do what I see all the time, tie some doubled over corrugated iron from the eaves and direct it into a pot/urn. So now we will have guttering along the north side of the carport and along the back of the roof. Gives us water but maintains the "looks pretty" bit as well.

    Sometimes its a struggle, but you just have to persevere and I wouldn't miss it for quids as its so much fun sometimes seeing the light come on.
    To me thats a lot of BS! a roof without a gutter looks half finished. Next time she goes to oz tell her to just look around ! no gutter, unheard of. My house in Queensland has 2x5000 gal underground concrete tanks fed from the gutters . Town water never used. No gutters, probably one of the first things i noticed when i came here.......ugly. and when it rains, all that water just gushing off the roof.

  12. #112
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    Try and get european (uk is best) imported electrical sockets for your home so much better than the thai ones

  13. #113
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    fredlk and kiwinev
    Thanks forthe comments its nice to know someone is appreciative of my posting the photos.

    Happy Dave
    She has agreed to put up gutters as we have found some nice plastic ones which I reckon I can fit myself. As I said before I too hate the way the water just runs off the roof everywhere.

    The next 6 photos show the house from directions different to what I've posted before. Sorry if the pictures are slightly distorted as I reduced them with software that was in Thai so I guessed what I was doing.












    The next 4 are of the slab that forms the roof over the main bedroom patio. The patio is shown in the picture above. I haven't yet checked the slope and we could end up with a shallow swimming pool over our head.






    The wall and door frame for the bathroom are going in.


    The carport floor being prepared, I wasn't happy about this and got them to make some changes which I'll show in the next post.


    Until next time...............

  14. #114
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    Quote Originally Posted by ootai
    Hopefully people don't think I'm posting too many photo's
    You can never have too many pictures!

    Coming along very well Ootai.

  15. #115
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    The gutters will be good, a chance to save the water for a less than rainy day.

    Keep posting the pics.

  16. #116
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    cracking thread any idea of a finish date ?

  17. #117
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    I concur. Keep the piccies coming Ootai.

  18. #118
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    crackers - I don't think I'll have much luck with your suggestion as she thinks Thai is best (even after spending most of the last 10 years in Aussie where she seen things can be better) so it'll probably be Thai sockets.

    jizzybloke, kiwinev and mrbojangles thanks for the encouragement it is needed at times.

    sunsetter - the original timeframe given by the builder was 6 months to finish. We started April 14th so that would take it out to october, however the other day he said he may be close to finished at th end of this month. He obviously allowed for some delays etc that haven't happened so far.

    Anyway here's some more pictures.

    This is the common bathroom wall has been rendered


    The wall of the main living area, the sections which have wiggly lines on them are to be covered with sandstone brickettes/tiles as a feature wall same as parts of the outside columns


    This is a repeat from my last post showing carport floor about to be concreted. I wasnn't happy that the fill hadn't been compacted and there was only minimumal steel being put in. This combination over time will lead to the floor cracking as the fill subsides underneath and the steel isn't strong enough to take the load from above. They made a handheld compactor (which I wish I had taken a photo of) from a large square piece of wood with 2 handles and a flat board on the bottom. 2 guys used this to compact the fill in the carport, not as good as a whacker packer but better than nothing. I also got a second layer of steel mesh put into the floor offset to the first sheet.

    This is the edge where I made them dig a trench down to the hard ground level and form a beam along the edge.


    Dug down to solid ground


    Steel reinforcing for the edge beam


    The finished floor


    The finished edge


    The stairs from the carport to the patio and kitchen


    Notice he has made these wider as I asked for.


    This what happens if you mix dogs and wet concrete, no big deal this time as there are tiles going on top.


    Well that's it for now up to date until the 8th August. Haven't had much time at home recently spending it chasing up tiles, toilet seats, fans. lights, bore drillers, pumps, tanks etc etc.

  19. #119
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    Looks like it will be a great house,
    good luck, with the completion.

    Regards
    Ivan
    PS
    Please keep the photos coming

  20. #120
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    Great thread ootai, keep it going much appreciated, photos are good as well.

    Thanks for the effort.

    Regards
    ragandbone man

  21. #121
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    Quote Originally Posted by ootai View Post

    Don't think you will find many houses in los without this K9 signature.

    Keep up the photo's as they help tell a good story.

  22. #122
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    Time to post some more pictures, to those who have commented thank you and to those who haven't "why not?"

    The carport pillars getting rendered. We have asked the builder to extend the stairs down to the current ground level rather than build the level up to match them as they are now. There will also be a tank stand out from the stairs to catch the rain water at this end of the house. We will also have another tank at the back of the house for rain water, 4000 litres all together.


    Inside the carport, still haven't decided what I will store in this "cupboard".


    The gap below the floor being closed in. She won this one (again!!) as I wanted to leave it all open for air flow under the house. Her consession is some vent blocks with stainless steel mesh covering them and a trap door so if I want to go under the house I will be able to. Will I want to is really the question, but my idea is if something happens to any water or sewerage pipes etc they are able to be accessed to repair without digging up a concrete floor.


    Looking through the kitchen


    Looking through the main living area.


    This is the main bedroom and one of our stuff ups. The main bed is meant to go between the 2 windows and if we had a normal sized bed it would fit. We have had our bed for nearly 4 years now and we love it but it is 2m wide and 2.5m long and the gap between the windows is only 1.8m. So the learning for anyone out there plannong on building a house and they have a particular piece of furniture they intend to keep and use make sure you include its requirements in the design.


    The WIR of the main bedroom


    A view from the south with the new rice barn in the foreground. I will start a new thread about it soon as to me it was a fascinating story.


    Its slowly moving along


    This was what we started with. They are just starting the put the roof framework onto my shed.


    Now we have this, running out of room to build anything else thankfully.


    till next time..................

  23. #123
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    Quote Originally Posted by ootai
    she thinks Thai is best

  24. #124
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    Apart from anything else I think your wife has to be congratulated for working and saving so hard to fund this project !
    Had a few issues with the missus over the window size and placement in the plans for our humble little abode ( nothing as grand as this ) think its because of the mix of east + west with the old Thai style houses having many large windows to vent the place , but with aircon and the insulated buildings now , IMO the much smaller windows are a better bet , especially if your a bit remote from a security point of view if nothing else.
    Good luck with it all mate I am sure you will have many happy days there
    I'm proud of my 38" waist , also proud I have never done drugs

  25. #125
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    use it for storage for a nice hosepipe and some car cleaning stuff,oil can etc

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