New 600,000 baht house

Post by **GT93** » February 1, 2016, 1:46 am

Hey, maaka did you meet Stickman recently? At the end of his column this week:

"This week I found myself in the Hawkes Bay, on the east coast of New Zealand's north island. It's a lovely part of the country with fabulous weather, food & wine. I made my way to the top of Mata Peak where you get fantastic views across the region. Just a few others were milling around, taking in the views when the serenity was broken by a familiar ring tone. I didn't register at first that it was not a standard iPhone ring tone, nor was it a common Samsung or Nokia tune. I recognised it but couldn't place it. It was a sound I used to hear often in Thailand....and then the penny dropped, it was the distinctive ring tone of a call being made on the Line app - which is ultra popular in Thailand. I looked across and saw that the phone belonged to a Maori guy with an enormous belly. I resumed looking through the camera viewfinder taking photos when I realised something was not right. Someone was speaking Thai, not great Thai, but definitely Thai. I looked in the Maori dude's direction and he was having a conversation with someone in Thai. I tried not to tune in to what he was saying but intrigued, it was impossible not to. Obviously he was chatting with his special someone. When he ended the call I walked over and surprised him as much as he had surprised me by greeting him in Thai and complimenting on his linguistic ability. We got to chatting and it turns out he rents a house in the north-east of Thailand and had basically checked out of life, living a rustic lifestyle in Thailand because, I his words, New Zealand was a giant rip-off. Who would have thought that on top of a mountain in far flung provincial New Zealand I would overhear a fellow countryman of mine speaking Thai with his beloved in Nongkhai?"

I think I'm probably wrong as from memory I had you noted as "athletic" rather than "enormous".

Post by **maaka** » February 2, 2016, 6:09 am

Kia Ora Mate..

I was / am reasonably toned Mate, but that ruddy rice soon gives one a spare tire around the guts, or is it love handles?
Well yes I was born south of the Ongaonga in the Hawkes Bay, so the Maori fella might be a distant Kahangungu rally..good to see some of the bro's in my neck of the woods in Udon..maybe we can have a hangi...

there are alot of similarities between Maori and Isaan..the sniff kiss is almost a hongi, and the Ban Chiang art is the same as Kowhaiwhai, and the lingo is almost the same, and now DNA, Maori are traced back to Taiwan and then on to the Himilaya's, so I wonder if my cuzzie bro is aware of that when God was a boy, we may have migrated down thru Isaan on our way to Aotearoa....

Post by **maaka** » April 10, 2016, 3:02 pm

There you go...I design and have built a new house for my village Princess, with tiled bathroom with hot and cold shower, a kitchen with triple gas burner, and ceiling fans thru out...we just move in and alls good before I head back home to the farm for 3mths...when I arrive back, she is showering outside with a bucket and tub, and cooking rice outside over a fire, and instead of using the roof fans, she buys a little portable one and sits/lies in front of that...oyiiiiiiiiiii...oh and we have this nice looking house, and she puts a bamboo fence around thats held together with string and looks like something from Soweto ...but we laugh

Post by **Nigglyb** » April 10, 2016, 3:23 pm

It must be hidden deep down in the genes
When wifey moved in with me, she wanted some chickens. There was a bit of barren garden where nothing ever grew so I got in a contractor to fence it off with nice unobtrusive black nylon mesh fencing & put a proper gate on. I bought a solid wooden chicken hut & Bobs your uncle
She then started bringing bits of pallet, plastic sheeting, barrels & buckets home from work & just lining the area with them, just a bit at a time. After 2 years I gave up. It's just like a shanty town now, but there's actually nothing wrong with the original stuff if I move the crap out of the way to inspect it

It's just like its in her nature to stack & hoard rubbish

Post by **socksy** » April 11, 2016, 8:27 am

Hardly surprising really. My estranged 'boiler' done the following. Like going back in time.

individual sized bed - regularly slept on the floor.
Dining table and chairs - ate on the floor.
Ironing board - ironed on top of a folded towel on the floor.

Post by **maaka** » April 11, 2016, 11:06 am

oh I get those same things too Socksy..
this morning she harped on about me needing a shower, but outside in a bucket if you will, with my new jocks on, so as not to offend any prying eyes.I grumbled but went with it, as you do....we thought we had run out of village water( she keeps a tub full spare) but on inspection she had turned the mains off at the gate after watering her garden....ohhh the trials of a man deep in Borneo..

Post by **maaka** » May 12, 2017, 11:25 am

new roof extension as the hot concrete wall made living inside hell
[attachment=0]stage_5a.jpg[/attachment]
[attachment=1]house_Stage_4__Jan_2017 (1)a.jpg[/attachment]

Post by **parrot** » May 12, 2017, 12:00 pm

Water and fertilize those 4 palms and they'll provide good shade as well.

Post by **vidmaster** » May 12, 2017, 2:15 pm

Where is it?

Post by **maaka** » May 12, 2017, 3:12 pm

out in the badlands close to the Nongkhai / Udon border.

Post by **farlong68** » May 12, 2017, 7:58 pm

nice add~on more shade always better in issan enjoy cheers

Post by **maaka** » May 13, 2017, 8:33 am

Thanks...yes it has cooled the house down by half, but still alot of heat coming down thru the ceiling, as the original roof was not foil insulated..but now we can sit out front under the new roof as another option, and you dont get wet putting your shoes on in the rain, and tit makes a clothes line for the missus who can walk uncover with the laundry, and indeed she is looking at that garage and new roof on that side as a future open classroom for weekend lessons, or a wee village shop, or coffee shop in her old age....whatever.

as to the plants Parrot..it was your original comments that got us those palms, and the dear lady does water, and tutu around with them, so Big Ups there mate

Post by **Barney** » May 13, 2017, 9:45 am

I think it gives the place that HISO style.
The actual tie in to the existing roof is seamless.

Are you going to put in insulated ceiling batts?

Post by **maaka** » May 13, 2017, 10:25 am

seamless .. I am a man of short funds , asset rich, but cash poor, and I am what us kiwis call a ' Number Eight wire ' sort of bloke, am use to making do with whats available, making old cars and generators run on scavenged or broken down parts etc etc..

I always had envisaged a roof on that side of the house, but monies meant cut backs on the original build, but living with the heat, even with aircon, forced my hand, so a new roof. The palm trees wouldnt grown fast enough..

I could have tilted the new roof upward for a different look, but me I stood there in the afternoon sun and watched its reflection creap up the wall almost to the windows. So at its worst I held a stick up to create a shadow on the wall, and then said my roof has to be this low to keep the sun completely off the wall, and yet still get a future pickup truck in that garage...it was cheaper, and worked better just to follow the slant from the original roof.. At the front I am testing a section for looks...I wanted to still show off the Roman porch and pillars, and let the air flow thru to the front door, and I like looking up the road from the door, but my builder wanted to enclosed the hole where new roof meets old porch.. we settled on half way to see how it looks and feels..jury still out..

yes I think I will be forced to insulate the ceiling one day, but with the recent purchase of a new bull and an extra 17rai
of land, and the need for a future pickup and fencing for the new and old land, and stainless fence for house, insulation is down the list somewhat..depends on where my next monies come from..

Post by **Randall** » May 17, 2017, 12:57 am

I think the roof line looks great. now you have that shady drinking porch. I guess this highlights to everyone the need for much thought on shade. I cant wait till solar panels are so cheap that all sunny sides of houses have solar panel coatings rather than siding.. IT looks like there will be a concentration of rain drainage in that front area. Any care taken there? water the palms.

Post by **maaka** » May 17, 2017, 7:30 am

Thanks Randall for your comments.
The new shade roof has improved the look altogether, and seen us use that side of the house more often now. The missus has even moved her concrete table and chairs that no one ever sits on, to the front steps area in the furlong hope that people with sit there...

yes we never gave much thought to shading during our build, indeed, the bedrooms are on the wrong side, the setting sun side, and I never thought concrete and aluminium and glass could get so hot, me coming from a colder country..so yes all you home builders out there need to consider it in your design..

as for the rain drainage..that near side off the house was jungle once, then rice /swamp land until we filled it with truck loads of dirt to house our septic system. Even then there was a pond due to water coming off the garage 2 roof. So end of last year and before the new shade roof, I shovelled and barrowed six truckloads of dirt, and spread it over that area in an attempt to direct the water away more from the house. I have sloped it slighty, and after yesterdays hell rain, it seems to be working ok..its a work in progress as the drunk sister tends to rope her cow and my wee bull so that they stomp huge holes in my newly laid and levelled and sloped dirt....thailand can be a frustrating place at times

Post by **MOLAP** » November 30, 2017, 9:05 am

An enjoyable read & lesson into getting things done in Thailand

Post by **joesixpac** » December 18, 2017, 5:31 am

great project. thanks for sharing. your SO got a lot of house the the baht. My wife and I are building a house for her mom this year and we are looking for a builder in the nong khai area. would you mind sharing the name of your builder? you can message me if you want. Thanks. Joe.

Post by **dang34** » December 19, 2017, 9:46 am

Looks like a decent slab with good sub-slab prep. Must be masonry walls and not steel studs given the little footings for under room walls. Correct?

What are the longer diagonal bars up on the dobe blocks in the sand?

Looks like good work. Congrats to her!