An overdue project update...

Well, it has been nearly two weeks since my last update about "Baan Sanploen" our first project in Thip Thani. There has been a lot of progress on the build, but also a few setbacks largely as a result of the recent political problems in Thailand. Many of our building supplies come directly from Bangkok and some things we source from local building supplies stores, but they in turn are also generally supplied from Bangkok. The mass protest in Bangkok lasted for over two months, but we felt the effect most in the final week. Delivery of many materials was delayed as they were either unable to get out of Bangkok or, in some instances, the factories had actually been closed completely for safety reasons, where they were situated close to the demonstrators. The stock in local building supply stores dwindled for some critical components. One example is for the cladding for decorative roof 'wing'. It is attached to the frame using a air nail gun and 2cm long nail strips..... the problem? we could not source the nails for the nail gun, so the roof wing construction stopped for two days. The day after the big crackdown by the military in Bangkok I went to Udon Thani to source some light fittings and plumbing supplies. However, as I reached Udon there was ominous black smoke rising up from somewhere in the town centre. This turned out to be from the town hall which had been set on fire. Many of the shops closed as a safety precaution, including my electrical and plumbing supplier.

I don't want to dwell or comment on the politics of the recent situation here, suffice it to say that the majority here hope that a long term resolution will be found and agreed upon by all parties, to save any future unrest.

Politics and delays aside, there has been a lot of great progress made by our hard working staff.

ROOF WING
Work began (then stopped due to lack of nails, then resumed!) on attaching the wood effect cladding to the wing structure... granted, it does not look much like wood yet, but reserve judgement until it has a few coats of wood stain applied! The finished effect should resemble that of a varnished dark wood texture.

Roof wing cladding Roof wing cladding

DOOR FRAMES
All of the door frames have been installed in the house

RENDERING
With all of the door frames installed, the last of the interior and exterior rendering has been completed.

EXTERIOR DETAILING
We have begun to apply the preformed detailing to the exterior of the house, namely around the windows and doors, amongst other places.

Exterior detailing being applied Exterior detailing being applied

PLUMBING
The exterior plumbing for the bathrooms has been fitted. This will be concealed behind decorative columns, as we did with the drain pipes. The concrete foundations for these columns have already been cast.

Exterior bathroom plumbing installed Exterior bathroom plumbing installed

WIRING
All of the first stage wiring has been completed in preparation for the suspended ceiling to be fitted. Any one used to traditional wiring methods in Thailand should notice an immediate difference from the photograph. We are wiring to international standards using grounded heavy duty pvc coated cable. Also note that insulation tape has not been used as the sole method of connection for adjoining wires - another somewhat scary method that appears to be a standard practice in Thailand!

Frist stage wiring First stage wiring

TILES
On my last trip to Udon Thani, I may not have managed to get the electrical supplies I went for, but I was able to order most of the floor and wall tiles for the house, which were delivered a couple of days ago.

Taking delivery of wall and floor tiles Taking delivery of wall and floor tiles

DOOR FITTINGS
We also recently took delivery of all of the door handles and other fittings including the rails and runners for the numerous sliding doors we have in the house.  As with the wiring, you may notice that these fittings are of a somewhat higher quality than the standard that one finds in Thailand.  Certainly, I can say with confidence that you will not find another rental property in Nong Khai with this quality of fixtures and fittings.

Door handles and lock Door handles and lock

TREES
It will soon be time to turn our attention to the garden and landscaping. We had always intended to plant some trees in the garden but had not given much thought to their type, so far. However, our future tenants expressed an interest in fruit trees. We didn't want to just buy saplings as we wanted to achieve the look of a more established garden from the start, so to begin with we have bought a Rambutan tree and Lychee tree which are both 10 years old and yield a lot of fruit as you can see in the picture below. They will be transplanted in the next few days, during which time many of the branches will be cut back. Anyone who has grown anything before in Thailand will know that the branches will grow back in no time given the amazing rate of growth that we get here.

The first tree for the garden - a 10 year old rambutan. The first tree for the garden - a 10 year old rambutan.

Overtime...

Well now, all of the door frames are in.  Almost all of the walls have been rendered.  The roof wing frame structure is complete.  I anticipate that there will be a lot of progress over the next week, as we are working overtime to ensure that we finish on schedule.

Sunset on the site Sunset on the site

Roof Wing structure and door frames...

I last posted just over a week ago.  Since then there has been a reasonable amount of progress, though the workers have had a few days off.  It is the start of the rocket festival season in Nong Khai, and the staff have enjoyed a few days supporting their local village rocket team!  If you have never heard of the Isaan Rocket festival, it is quite a sight to be seen.  You can find out more about the Rocket Festival on our Nong Khai Information site here - http://events.nongkhaiinformation.com/Rocket_Festivals/

Back to the build.... most of the steel framework for the roof wing has been fitted.  Now that it is in place, you can see how much of a shadow they cast and how they will give a lot of much needed shade to the second floor windows and also to the balconies.  This is exactly the effect that was intended with the wing structure.

Steel roof wing structure Steel roof wing structure

All of the door frames have been custom made and today work began on installing them into the house.

First door frames fitted First door frames fitted

It has been a while since I have posted any videos to the blog, however, I shall be taking a few more and uploading them shortly.

More rendering plus 'wing' construction

It's been a few days since my last post, but this is not to say that there has been no activity on site.  Most of the exterior has now been rendered.  The down pipes have been fitted to the roof guttering and today the concrete supports have been prepared for the brick work that will box in the drain pipes.  Also over the last couple of days, work has started on producing the steel structure for the 'wing' which will be fitted to the roof.

Roof wing frame structure Roof wing frame structure

Light switches

Whilst living in rental properties in Thailand, I have encountered a number of instances of faulty fittings having to be replaced, ranging from door handles and locks to light switches and sockets.  I realise that 'every baht counts', but the cost of these essential fittings is such a small part of the overall cost of the house yet they contribute so much to its look and feel. It seems foolish to try and save money in this area.  Also, as these types of fittings are heavily used, it is a false economy to install the cheapest option as you have to consider the cost of all of the replacements over the life of the house.


I have opted for light switches which I think will stand the test of time, whilst also complementing the modern style of the house.   They were several times more expensive than the usual fittings one finds in most houses in this region, but by my reckoning this has added less than 0.2% to the total cost of the build... a worthwhile investment, I think.



Light switches Light switches

Break for Songkran

Yesterday, the scaffolding was erected, ready for the rendering to be applied to the exterior of the house. This will not now be started until after the Songkran (Thai New year) celebrations. Expect more progress updates after 16th April!

Scaffolding made for Eucalyptus Scaffolding made from Eucalyptus

Roofing almost complete

After another couple of days of hard work, the initial roofing has been completed.  However, there is still some secondary roofing work to be carried out to form the "wing" that overhangs by 1m around the perimeter of the roof.  This wing is primarily an architectural feature for aesthetic appeal, but it will also provide some additional shade to the exterior walls and windows.  The 'wing' will be fitted after the walls have been rendered.

Initial roofing complete Initial roofing complete