Thread: Building a mini-resort in Phuket - The Country Resort

Coming on Simon well done , nice to see some sun in the pics.

I think the guests washing line will need some attention before the grand opening day

The latest update:



This rather mundane building that currently looks like a typical Thai market building will shortly become 5 guest rooms. The roof tiles are in place, (except for sealing of the ridge and placement of ridge tiles). during the weekend, the workers laid the concrete floor which is now ready for tiling. But prior to that, they will build the walls of the building - sides, front and back, and leave openings for the sliding patio doors at the front, and install a window in the rear wall and coloured glass blocks in the bathroom area.

The glass blocks are in the brown boxes on the floor of each room area. On the right hand side, (leaning against one of the concrete pillars), you might be able to make out each of the windows that will be installed.

The floor of the bathroom still has to be laid with concrete. This will be at a slightly lower level and with a slope, to ensure that water does not enter the bedroom area.

coming on well...where is the queue of guests?

good stuff, keep it coming Simon!

Simon, are there any "Lessons Learned" from your previous hotel that you are building in (or building out) of the two hotels you are constructing now.

I'd be interested to see where you've improved on snags from your old place and at what stage in the build you have to address them.

Actually, the 'lessons learned' list is very short, not because I'm making the same mistakes again, but because (thankfully), there were not too many mistakes made last time.

- Do not use sand-wash for paths. With ground movement, it will eventually crack and can never be repaired to give a satisfactory appearance. Better to go with stamped concrete or brickwork paths

- Install more power points (and wiring) than you think you'll use - you can never have too many power sockets.

But the most important lesson that I've learnt is:

'If you can do or directly supervise the work yourself, or can buy the materials yourself - then do it!'

I have saved myself a fortune by avoiding the mark-up that building companies add onto buying of materials, or for inflated labour charges. As an example, my previous project had a charge of 200,000 baht for purchase and installation of the external 3 phase cabling from electricity switch-box to each customer room. The total cost this time, (when I bought the cable myself and supervised the installation), is about 30,000 baht.

Another example - sliding glass patio doors cost me 20,000 baht per room last time. This time - for the exact same product ==> 6,000 baht.

So I was naive last time and did not keep a tight control on the expenses. This time round, since I am both tighter than a sparrow's arse and poorer than an Issan alcoholic - I am monitoring all costs continuously.

[at]DrAndy - the first guests are already booked in! I have firm room bookings for next Spring (April 2012), which thus gives an incentive for me to finish the projects on time

Simon

One important lesson that I've learned from this project is:

'Never use a condom that is too small'

Take a look at this photo:



What this shows is the yellow pvc piping into which the heavy 4-strand cable for the 3 phase electricity supply is threaded, to protect it from the elements. This piping is made up of 4 metre lengths, plus joints, Tees and corner pieces. The 3 phase supply from the Safe-T-Cut switch is routed inside the piping to the various customer rooms, teeing off the correct phase and neutral line for each room. In all, the length from Safe-T-Cut to final consumer box is about 90 metres.

I can say that threading these cables, especially when they have kinks in them, must be one of the most strenuous tasks of this project. It is akin to trying to insert my enormous farang cock into a small Thai condom. I needed the help of 3 Thai workers to achieve this, (I mean 3 workers to thread the cable, not to insert my dick into the condom).

The pvc piping diameter was 1 inch, but were I tasked with this project again, then I'd opt for at least a 2 inch diameter, (just like the condom size I use...)

Simon

Originally Posted by Simon43

The pvc piping diameter was 1 inch, but were I tasked with this project again, then I'd opt for at least a 2 inch diameter, (just like the condom size I use...)

Thinking of making a booking next year Simon ,,,er,,,,,,,,,are you gonna have good secure internal locks on the bedroom doors ?

Originally Posted by Simon43

I can say that threading these cables, especially when they have kinks in them, must be one of the most strenuous tasks of this project. It is akin to trying to insert my enormous farang cock into a small Thai condom. I needed the help of 3 Thai workers to achieve this, (I mean 3 workers to thread the cable, not to insert my dick into the condom).
Simon

Would it have made sense to have threaded the 4 metre lengths of piping on to the cableing one at a time (prior to joining the piping and joints all together)?

^ or even to cut the cable into bite size pieces and put them through a mincer before pouring them in?

Would it have made sense to have threaded the 4 metre lengths of piping on to the cableing one at a time (prior to joining the piping and joints all together)?

Yes, that's what I did. But even threading 4 metre lengths was very difficult, especially when a Tee piece had to be used, (when branching off for each room supply).

The task was akin to an Olympic tug-o-war event, with one worker grasping the cables and pulling them taut, whilst another worker did the same at the other end of the cable run, and a third fed each 4 metre length of pipe along. I ... er .... supervised by trying not to laugh too much at this spectacle.

[at]Nigelandjan - bedroom doors? what doors??? - this is a 'country' resort - au naturel


Simon

Hello,

Great post !

May I ask you:

- How deep should be the foundations ? Someone told me that 50 cm is enough for a small house ?

- Can you estimate the price for a wall which size is 80 m x 40 m ? Or can you tell me how much cost the wall around your land ?

(and as I have seen different wall that collapsed here in Thailand, can you tell me how it should be done to avoid a disaster in case of flooding or landslide ?)


Thank you so much for your expert advices !

hi, i'm interested to know too because i plan to build a concrete house in Krabi, 110sqm, 1 floor raised of 1 meter to be protected against flood. Thanks

- How deep should be the foundations ? Someone told me that 50 cm is enough for a small house ?

- Can you estimate the price for a wall which size is 80 m x 40 m ? Or can you tell me how much cost the wall around your land ?

(and as I have seen different wall that collapsed here in Thailand, can you tell me how it should be done to avoid a disaster in case of flooding or landslide ?)


Thank you so much for your expert advices !

The foundation depth and type will really depend upon how many floors the building will have and what the composition of the soil. For our single storey buildings I used 1 meter deep foundations for the supporting cement/rebar columns.

For boundary walls that are about 1.8 metres in height, I use an approximate price of 1,000 baht per linear metre. Actually, the wall cost can be quite high when you include the cost of metal rebar for the wall foundations.

The boundary walls that I build certainly will not withstand either a landslide, nor a full flood! I think it would be far better to research your proposed land plot first, and not build if it's liable to excessive flooding or landslides.

... And I'm certainly no expert!

Simon

What happens when your dozy workman connects a high-current arc welder to the electricity supply, but fcuks up the wiring connections???




The answer is that the 60 amp breaker and weather enclosure are consumed in flames and burn away to nothing.....

Yesterday evening I was disturbed from my close relationship with a large bottle of Chang by my workman, shouting 'fire fire'. (Well 'mai fai mai fai actually).

Since the country resort is built of concrete blocks, I couldn't fathom how he had managed to set fire to it, and so I proceeded to drive (at speed) from my rented hovel to the resort, some 5 minutes away.

Indeed, there were flames and fire! The electricity supply breaker and weatherproof enclosure that the electricity company had installed on a wooden pole were now in flames - as was the wooden pole.

I quickly ascertained that it was not an electrical fire, but merely the plastic of the breaker and enclosure burning.

After isolating the supply (==> pull out the cables and leave them live and dangling), I went back to bed.

Today, me and my ex went to the electricity office to report this 'offence', the ex with her tail between her legs and me not giving a fcuk to be honest.

The chief honcho, upon hearing the news responded with that timeless Thai expression 'mai ben rai', and sent his guys to repair the damage - free of charge.

(As an aside, I'm wondering if I committed mass murder of the entire population of amphur Thalang, whether the police response would be 'mai ben rai' - imagine the response from the electricity company in the UK if you had just destroyed their breaker switch and box???)

Simon

It's an omen sent by that solitary ghost who was watching you the other night.

Go visit a wat - and quick

That's qute an impressive picture - do you have a before?

Hey simon I thought the frigging rainy season had finished down here and I think there's a glory hole on my ceiling

and I think there's a glory hole on my ceiling

I am advised by a gay acquaintance (meaning I do not know him carnally...), that a glory hole is an orifice where those of the uphill gardener bent insert their members, for subsequent sexual activity with the unknown occupant of the adjoining room.

How does one shove a dick through a hole in the ceiling????

I suspect you are trying to get a reduction on the room rate, (whereas many would be willing to pay a premium for a hole of this type)

I will return post-haste tomorrow and inspect this hole (not too closely) myself.

Simon

PS - @ Bettyboo - no before picture I'm afraid - I didn't think to photo a breaker switch because I didn't think the worker would be so completely twattish stupid as to connect live to ground and to then run away when the sparks started to fly.

So sorry, I'll take a photo of the toilet bowl, in case one of these idiots tries to set fire to it tomorrow

I bet that has put Betty Boos mind at rest with his new housebuild lol
Loving it here Simon, spotlessly clean room, we popped out for an hour and someone had cleaned the room again, I did 3 beaches today, theyre spotless too and the water, I can see my feet. Doin the 4 island hop tomorrow, on a longtail, should I not be so tight and go for the speedboat ?

Hi Simon I miss you new posts... Did you give up with picturing and comment the project.. ?
Thank you very much for your up to now interesting Blog!
Sawasdee krap
Hardy

Actually I lost my new camera!! I need to buy a (3rd) camera, or borrow the ex's.

I will post some more photos because progress on both projects has been good.

I'll see if I can post next week

Simon

Right - bought a new camera and so I can upload a few new photos of this little resort.

Work has been going OK, albeit rather slowly, mainly due to the small number of workers who also have to work on the City Resort project.



This first photo is of the restaurant/kitchen building. The small kitchen is at the rear of the building, with some typical Thai ventilation tiles on the wall. (There is also an overhead extractor fan that I'll install.)

The roof tiles are installed, (except for the edging tiles). After a heavy rain storm I decided to install guttering to channel the rain away, since without the guttering, the rain was flooding into one of our dry wells.

The roof of the restaurant building is being installed right now.

The building exterior walls have been painted with the overcoat, and are now ready for the top coat of paint.



This is the 5-room guest building. The sliding glass doors are installed and the paint undercoat applied. In the foreground is some Malay grass which has rooted well, whilst there is some Japanese grass further back which looks in a rather bad state!



This new camera has no wide-angle lens, so it's difficult to get good interior shots.

The undercoat has been applied to the walls, and cracked areas have been patched up, ready for the top coat of paint. The floor is already tiled. The power points are all wired up and operational, (with the consumer unit peeping out below that small window.)

In the bathroom the tiles are on (both walls and floor), and the sliding door is installed. i've installed the basin, toilet (out of view on the left) and shower fittings (idem on the right side). The bathroom fan is installed but not yet wired in, (my ex decided for some reason not to tile up to the ceiling, but to save about 100 baht by painting an area around the fan...

What is not visible is all the plumbing and electrical work that's been completed on the rear wall of this building. I planned that all utilities would enter the guest rooms from this rear wall, so that it would be easy to install and maintain all services, out of view of the hotel guests.

The ceiling tiles for these guest rooms will be installed very soon, and then the top coat of paint can be applied. I'll then wire in all the lighting and switches, TV cable etc.

Although it still looks far from finished, I reckon that we might be able to open for customers around the end of February, (we already have bookings)

Anyway, I'm off on a visa run tomorrow, but will snap off some more photos later

Simon