Thread: New Build Near Udon Thani

Originally Posted by Nabeel

Can you space the paras.....bloody hard reading otherwise

what are you a broke english teacher!

Originally Posted by Marmite the Dog

Originally Posted by rickschoppers

Originally Posted by nigelandjan

I know you probably dont want to say exactly where you are Rick but what area roughly are you in ? ie N/S/E/W of Udon

East off the road to Nong Bua Lamphu.

Before or after the Khyber Pass (gong to NBLP from Udon)?

Before Marmite, on the 210 just before Nong Wua So.

Originally Posted by Smithson

Really nice plan, I like the height, open areas, room underneath and outside kitchen - design features that have worked here for centuries.

Not only will the place be cooler and more pleasant all round, but you'll save money. Have you considered putting in some ventilation in the roof ends?

Also, you could wait before doing the downstairs living area, you might find it's really nice to leave it open and put in some potted plants as well as cut flowers like heliconias (bird of paradise) that you could grow on the property.

All good ideas Smithson. As for the room ventilation, I was thinking about getting a couple of small teak panels to cover the holes on each side of the roof, but am not sure if they would keep out the rain. It just depends on how deep the eaves are once the roof is on. I also like the open areas, and was thinking about living space downstairs. My plan is to have 2 or 3 accordian doors about 4 meter wide to open up the space. That should make it feel more like you are outside rather than inside. Do like bird of paradise along with other flowers found in Thailand.

Thanks larvidchr and hillbilly. I will keep all informed on my progress along with lots of pics. I am hoping to put some of what I have learned on TD to practice and am looking forward to the results.

Hi,
Good luck with such a lovely looking house. By the way the top up land will not have settled by October. They say three years! Just make sure the piles ( sows) are down through the previous surface.

I dig holes in my garden after 5 years and still find holes where the clay has not bedded down; and again I water a bush and find the water runs away making a bigger and bigger hole. I dont know where its going but for sure its cutting a passage below the surface to somewhere.

Oh yes another thing. The Thais put banana leaves down the piling holes, after the bed of concrete has been poured, for good luck. They say they remove them before the next pour but I never found any trace of the removed leaves, so my founds have a layer of organic material in one corner...............:

2 things I will advise is using the "superblock" instead of red brick or standard cement blocks; especially if you plan to have any AC units. They are close to an R-9 factor if properly installed. I also have attic r-12 on my drywall ceilings. Not great but makes a huge difference. I plan to add another layer on a couple areas later.
2nd I used syler pipe (available at tool pro and home pro) for all water piping in the walls. I run about 30 Psi on and 48Psi off on my water pressure from a submersible well pump and a pressure tank. Have had 0 problem in 4 years.

Originally Posted by lounger

Hi,
Good luck with such a lovely looking house. By the way the top up land will not have settled by October. They say three years! Just make sure the piles ( sows) are down through the previous surface.

I dig holes in my garden after 5 years and still find holes where the clay has not bedded down; and again I water a bush and find the water runs away making a bigger and bigger hole. I dont know where its going but for sure its cutting a passage below the surface to somewhere.

Oh yes another thing. The Thais put banana leaves down the piling holes, after the bed of concrete has been poured, for good luck. They say they remove them before the next pour but I never found any trace of the removed leaves, so my founds have a layer of organic material in one corner...............:

Thanks lounger, I would agree the longer fill dirt can set without construction the better. I have heard of new houses being built immediately after the topsoil is brought in but hope they dig deeper to set their posts as you mention.

Beautiful plans. Lots of luck.
Have you experienced any slowdown in price appreciations. I thought I'd be in Udon Thani by now but who would have thought if you built a home in the USA in 04 it would be worth 1/3 less in 11? At least I got "stuck" on 25 wooded acres in the mountains.
I had to put screens up for a wrap around porch because of the mosquitos. My wife just got back from Udon fine but last time she got malaria.(and she's Thai, go figure) Do bugs present a problem?
Ota

Originally Posted by ota

Beautiful plans. Lots of luck.
Have you experienced any slowdown in price appreciations. I thought I'd be in Udon Thani by now but who would have thought if you built a home in the USA in 04 it would be worth 1/3 less in 11? At least I got "stuck" on 25 wooded acres in the mountains.
I had to put screens up for a wrap around porch because of the mosquitos. My wife just got back from Udon fine but last time she got malaria.(and she's Thai, go figure) Do bugs present a problem?
Ota

Bugs always present a problem in Thailand Ota. I do not have plans to add screens to my windows and will be using the Thai logic. I do have some Black Holes to combat mosquitoes and will be adding an anti bug system for about 20,000 baht. It allows you to disperse bug repellant under the house through plastic piping and is well worth the money. There are other threads on this site that go into detail, but I will have pics once I have mine installed if you are interested.
I got out of the real estate market in 2005 just before the crash and never got back in after that house was sold. I feel your pain, but it does not sound like you are stuck in a dump.

I like the look of that design, keep up the good work Rick!

Originally Posted by jizzybloke

I like the look of that design, keep up the good work Rick!

Ditto.

Hope everything goes well for you and the family Rick.

Thanks Jizz and Loy Toy. I appreciate your support and I am looking forward to the build. It is always great to be able and share it with someone else and hopefully members may learn something new from documenting it.

I think your wise to be building and living in the Udon thani area.I have wanted to do the same thing but it looks like it'll be in the korat area instead.I will definitely keep visiting the area.Good luck,keep us posted.

Originally Posted by rickschoppers

Currently, I am planning to run the water lines outside the walls. I know this is against western norm, but it makes it a lot easier to locate any leaks and you don't have to tear out a portion of the wall. Also, a lot of mistakes can be hidden in the walls as well.

Good idea. From experience I can say the lack of headache far outweighs the lack of esthetics.

Originally Posted by thrilled

I think your wise to be building and living in the Udon thani area.I have wanted to do the same thing but it looks like it'll be in the korat area instead.I will definitely keep visiting the area.Good luck,keep us posted.

Thrilled, keep us posted on your progress in Korat. As I explained in my opening statement, the trip to Udon was not on my radar initially, but as you alreay know, things change.

good luck rick with the build,good idea you being project manager as you need to super vise your worker"s constantly or you will end up with something that does"nt even remotely resemble your design,thai-builders will cut coners and always look for the easy option unless you state otherwise...do not tolerate any worker who drinks alcahol on the job during working hours as this will prove very costly later....GOOD LUCK and looking forward to seeing the end result.

Thanks JamieJambos. The only alcohol allowed on the site will be the lao cao that I will treat the team with ONLY after a good day's work. I hope to turn them all into Pavlov Dogs so that they will work harder.

Looking good Rick, like the plans...

Good Luck.....

Thanks Airport.

good stuff, keep it coming


oh and good luck mate

Cheers Sunsetter.

Originally Posted by rickschoppers

Thanks JamieJambos. The only alcohol allowed on the site will be the lao cao that I will treat the team with ONLY after a good day's work. I hope to turn them all into Pavlov Dogs so that they will work harder.

VERY WISE. also on the subject of earth refill, i built my up my plot of 332 talangwa by 80 cm and let it settle for at least 8 months which is the norm here in issan before i started the build 2 months later and made sure the pillars were concreted in below the original level,have not encountered any problems as yet so far,but i am keeping my fingers crossed on that one..Good luck once again Rick ,hope every thing goes well for you and i wish you a happy retirement......