Building My House in Ban Nong Nok Chao, Sisaket

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georgefromcanada

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tmp_21402-6-1270891064.jpg I am very pleased to tell all Natty and I have started to build a home in her village, ten or so kilometers from Sisaket town. The house will be a little over 1100 sq ft with a 400 sq ft covered car park. 2 br, 1 bath and Thai style kitchen. I liked the plan off the internet but wanted to enlarge and customize it, so had the blueprints drawn up in Sisaket for a reasonable 12,500 baht. First Post ceremony was held May 18th and the roof should go up in a week or two, construction is scheduled to be completed Dec.1st.
I wish I could be there for the build but my vacation is not till the end of the year and I have 5 more years until retirement. Natty is taking care of all and I am confident she is up for the task. Here are some photos of the finished product (I pray) , the blue print and my latest photo update from my love.
 
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Best of luck to you George & Natty.
1) Have plenty of power points installed. Us farangs are 'hungry' for them more than Thai's.
2) Toilet cisterns should be fitted to the bathroom wall and not in the middle of the room.
3) Having a "trap' installed on ALL water outlets stops smells and creepy crawlies!
4) you choose the colour of paints. They have some odd ideas over here about this!!!
5) consider planting trees etc for shade.
6) I too have designed a few houses over here & was a Project Manager in a previous life. Feel free to ask questions. Tell Natty!!!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
Good luck, George.
(By "Thai style kitchen" do you mean it is outside of your house proper ?)
 
Coffee, the kitchen is off the living room at the side of the house through a sliding glass door. She wants the exterior as in the internet home and interior paints, ceramic and plumbing fixture we choose. Pot light and a chandelier for the dining area. I will put a mist cooling system under the roof of the carport and ceramic the floor. I have not a lot of land so landscaping and walls will come in the new year. My budget is a million baht.
 
George, best of luck on your project and the suggestions already given are good ones. We built just northwest of Prasat in 2008, and I did a couple of videos of the process if you are interested:


Pity you can't be here for the project, the experience can be a very good (and interesting) one. Be sure to get a lot of pictures, you'll appreciate them in the future.

mario299
 
mario299 said:
Pity you can't be here for the project, the experience can be a very good (and interesting) one. Be sure to get a lot of pictures, you'll appreciate them in the future.
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Interesting to say the very least !!! If that is indeed you in your Avatar pic. Good thing you are grey already.
 
Thank you all for your well wishes, Mario your videos were very interesting, Ivor the Engine, I am sure your expertise will be valued.
 
Ivor the Engine said:
Best of luck to you George & Natty.
1) Have plenty of power points installed. Us farangs are 'hungry' for them more than Thai's.
2) Toilet cisterns should be fitted to the bathroom wall and not in the middle of the room.
3) Having a "trap' installed on ALL water outlets stops smells and creepy crawlies!
4) you choose the colour of paints. They have some odd ideas over here about this!!!
5) consider planting trees etc for shade.
6) I too have designed a few houses over here & was a Project Manager in a previous life. Feel free to ask questions. Tell Natty!!!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
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Re above.

1) I had 84 power points in my home (installed myself) Elec board told me you were only allowed 30 outlets maximum. Was fined..I think 5 baht for every outlet over 30.
They missed 12.
2) I think Ivor is referring to a post of mine some years ago. A small outside toilet/shower 3.5m x 2m where I had specifically marked the location of the pan and cistern, yet the buggers put it slap bang in the middle of the room
3) Don't want the snakes coming for a look-see and more..


I would add to Ivors list.

Tiling........Make sure any patterning etc is laid in the correct manner. Thais seem not to care too much as long as the floor is tiled. Also make sure any tiles ordered all bear the same pattern number, as there are often quite distinct differences in the colour.

make sure that in "wet rooms" there is a slope TO the drainage and not away!

Use different electric circuits for power down and up, lighting down and up, and outside power and lighting

Have small cocks on the water outlets to toilets and bum guns

If you plan to have air cons or a water heater, decide where they are going so that the cable can be buried in the walls. A water heater, (other than a 3kw shower) will require a larger cable. Similarly for an electric cooker.
 
Prakhonchai Nick said:
1) I had 84 power points in my home (installed myself) Elec board told me you were only allowed 30 outlets maximum. Was fined..I think 5 baht for every outlet over 30.
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I was unaware of that rule. I've just counted mine and I have 18 doubles. 84 is one hell of a lot.

Prakhonchai Nick said:
Use different electric circuits for power down and up, lighting down and up, and outside power and lighting
Click to expand...

I would suggest that you also list the circuits that connect to which breaker/switch on the consumer unit.
 
Much depends on who is doing the work, and also who is overseeing it and how experienced everyone is.

My first house build in Jomtien taught me much. I went out of my way to buy wood primer, undercoat and gloss for the wooden window frames. Yet the builders (contract price) would not have it that anything other than gloss was needed. I had to stand over them whilst they did it

Similarly, my sewage disposal was based on the UK building regs of which I was very familiar. 2 deep tanks, the first waterproof, filled with stones etc, then transferring to the 2nd tank for dispersal into the ground No plastic tanks then.. It was all done in a day, and cemented over. I was suspicious. Made the builders lift the cement covering and open the tank. Not waterproofed and no stones.

If I were to build again (unlikely) and had the money I would engage Atb and his crew. No worries methinks from the reports of many satisfied farangs .
 
Just a point regarding the electricity supply. For domestic and small businesses there are three supplies possibly available (single phase). 5/15, 15/45 and 30/100 (If I remember correctly). I believe (but I am open for contradiction) that the figures refer to ampage useage, i.e. the first figure is constant use and the second peak use. The cost of installation increases substantially for the higher supply, however, the subsequent cost of kw/hrs is the same for all cases.

As I say, this may not be gospel and it would be worth checking.
 
I wasn't aware of the limited numbers of power sockets either! We have 28 in the living room alone - and they still aren't enough! I have 5 trailing leads each with 4 additional sockets, plus 5 more sockets on one of those new style tower units. There are eight in the kitchen, two on the landing, 2 in each of 3 bathrooms (which scare me silly, even though they have hinged covers!) 12 more in two small bedrooms, and 14 in the main bedroom. Plus a further ten outside the house. That's around 80 fixed sockets, not including the trailing leads. We should have fitted at least another two double sockets in the kitchen... and there are none in a storage room under the staircase where a couple would have been useful for electric tools and a vacuum cleaner! Maybe I was lucky not to have been fined, unlike Nick!

Mario: Your bar unit is very nice - I need something similar for a room divider. Can you recommend someone to make it please (I'm in Mueang Surin) even if it came from Bangkok?

Good luck George!
 
Merlin said:
2 in each of 3 bathrooms (which scare me silly, even though they have hinged covers!)
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Arrrrgh! Why would you want electric outlets in bathrooms other than possibly a shaver socket? Are the light switches for the bathrooms inside or outside the rooms?
 
Merlin said:
I wasn't aware of the limited numbers of power sockets either! We have 28 in the living room alone - and they still aren't enough! I have 5 trailing leads each with 4 additional sockets, plus 5 more sockets on one of those new style tower units. There are eight in the kitchen, two on the landing, 2 in each of 3 bathrooms (which scare me silly, even though they have hinged covers!) 12 more in two small bedrooms, and 14 in the main bedroom. Plus a further ten outside the house. That's around 80 fixed sockets, not including the trailing leads. We should have fitted at least another two double sockets in the kitchen... and there are none in a storage room under the staircase where a couple would have been useful for electric tools and a vacuum cleaner! Maybe I was lucky not to have been fined, unlike Nick!

Mario: Your bar unit is very nice - I need something similar for a room divider. Can you recommend someone to make it please (I'm in Mueang Surin) even if it came from Bangkok?

Good luck George!
Click to expand...

Merlin:
I will have the lovely wife dig through receipts for company that made the bar unit, shouldn't be a problem...but hope they are still open and doing business. We sourced through a store in one of the malls in Samut Prakan. Might be able to get info tomorrow.
 
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