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In December 2013 we completed the design and engineering of a large two storey, four bedroom home, to be built in Khon Kaen. Our client had a very specific style and look that they wanted to achieve. We worked with them to design a layout that met the requirements of their family, whilst maintaining their preferred style.
This post is an extract from a brochure that we give to clients prior to commencing construction. If you are planning to build your own home in Thailand and it is all new to you, then I am sure that the content of this series of blog posts will benefit you as much as it will our clients.
Project Work Flow
There is a certain flow to projects that gives rise to a variation in the perceived pace of work. At times there seems to be a lot of progress, but then there are also times when progress appears slow, even on a project running perfectly smoothly. If you are unaware of this and things suddenly seem to slow down, it can be disheartening. It is therefore worth giving an overview of the general flow of an average project.
Presumably, you have started with an empty plot of land. You are full of excitement and anticipation. Work begins. Suddenly, there are excavators digging holes, there are workers preparing re-bar for the concrete structures. Within a couple of days, the site has been totally transformed from an empty plot into a site buzzing with activity! First the footings go in, then the columns that come up from the footings to the ground floor beams, then the footing holes are filled in, then the steel work for the beams, then the concrete beams are poured, then the floor slabs go on..... Take a breath! That was quick. It seemed like every day was something new. You can now walk around in the ground floor space and imagine the rooms. If there are more floors to add on, work will still progress quickly, but adding second floor structures is slower than ground floor structures. You obviously have to add in all of the necessary support to cast structures suspended in mid air, so there is already a change of pace.
Next may be the roof frame. It will take some time to prepare all of the metal required for the frame and so progress may appear slow. The excitement of seeing the structure shoot up out of the ground may have settled a bit by now and so the relatively small change in roof structure might seem like a bit of an anticlimax. However, once the roof frame and purlins are ready, the roof tiling will take no time at all and it will seem like a sudden spurt in progress.
Depending on the project, brickwork may start before, during or after the roofing, but whenever, progress will also appear quick during this stage. It is very quick to put up block walls, but then things will appear to slow down as preparations are made for rendering. All edges of surfaces to be rendered have to be carefully prepared to give a straight corner up to which rendering can be applied. It is also in this stage that we have to chase all of the electrical conduits and plumbing pipework into the walls. This is all a very labour intensive process, but it is barely visible, compared to the rest of the structure, so expect some time with not much noticeable impact.
You have now got used to the sight of the new large structure on your land. Even though the rendering process that comes next is relatively quick and turns bare brick into smooth walls, it still might not feel like such a big or exciting step. It hardly matches the excitement of the initial structure appearing.
We now move on to the the tiling and painting. This is exciting. Now we are breathing life and character into the bare shell. You are now seeing the tiles and paints you have chosen spreading throughout the house. It is starting to feel like your own home. Even so, some parts are quick and some slow. Large expanses of floor tiles go down quickly, but intricate mosaic work in bathrooms may be slower.
It feels so close to being finished now, with tiles and freshly painted walls. Surely it will be complete any day now? As we add in all of the fixtures and fittings, things will be really coming together and you will no doubt be eager to move in, now that all of your personal finishing touches are being applied. Well, there may well still be a lot of small jobs to complete, each one small in itself, but time consuming to complete in total.
It is also worth noting that some exterior work such as boundary walls, may also be left until towards the end so that it does not interfere with interior work and hinder access to the house during major construction. So, whilst your home may appear close to completion, there could still be a lot to do outside, which may become more of a focus of attention, thus slowing down progress on the house itself.
We hope that by understanding the flow of the project and the natural changes of pace that occur, it will help eliminate any frustration that may have otherwise been felt during the slower periods of the build.
This is the second of a four part blog post... part three coming next week.
I have recently finished preparing the artwork for two printed company brochures. The first is a brochure detailing the services that our company offers that will be given to potential clients and will also be used during our initial consultations with clients, as we talk through the design and construction process. I will be adding a PDF version of this brochure, available to download from our website shortly.
The second brochure is one that we will give to clients prior to commencing construction. I think that the content of this brochure would be ideal for our blog because it may apply other projects, not just NKD's projects. If you are planning to build your own home in Thailand and it is all new to you, then I am sure that the content of this series of blog posts will benefit you as much as it will our clients.
Introduction
The construction of a new home is very exciting. It is when all of the ideas and dreams that you spent weeks, months or years discussing begin to rise up out of the ground. NKD takes every step possible to ensure the smooth running of our construction projects, maintaining the highest standards of construction. However, every project is different and presents its own unique challenges. You have handed us the responsibility of building your home and so, as your main contractor, these challenges are ours to face.
Of course, we are not going to draw a curtain around the site and only reveal your home to you once it is finished. We want you to be involved and feel a part of the process, which means that you will see every aspect of the build. Whilst we have a vast experience of building in Thailand and so are used to what to expect, we understand that for you it may all be new. We want you to soak in as much of this wonderful experience as possible, and feel that a little preparation for what to expect will enable you to enjoy the process all the more. This brochure is therefore intended to give a little more detail on some of the aspects of a construction project that could lead to frustration, if unexpected.
There are three distinct topics. First is the general flow of a project, to give an idea of what to expect in terms of the perceived pace of the build. Second is a little about our workers and their way of working. These two topics are common to most projects. Finally we cover the topic of the "unexpected" events unique to individual projects.
This is the first of a four part blog post... part two coming next week.
If you were familiar with our previous branding and website design, you would know that there was a large emphasis on the "House builder" side of our business. Whilst this is still our core business, we have increasingly been taking on design of commercial premises and also offering consultancy and construction management services, so we felt that our site needed to be updated to reflect this and also generally just to give it a fresh new look to start off 2014. We hope you like it...
We have already started 5 new construction projects in the first few weeks of this year with additional projects scheduled to start over the coming months. We are also working on the design for six new homes. I will add more details and pictures of all of our projects as they progress.
We completed the excavation of the lake over a month ago and since then, nature has been doing its part in filling it up! The lake has been filling up a lot more quickly than one might imagine as the surrounding land has also been draining into the lake through the top metre of porous soil. The lake will fill up by another two metres before it reaches the limit of the clay soil that retains the water…. certainly, by the end of the rainy season it will be full to its natural level.
Once this level has been established we will carry out some more re-sculpting of the edge of the lake to add a path way just above the water line. In terms of the rest of the land, the excavation of the lake was enough to raise the level of the rest of the land by about one metre. We will allow this land to settle for some time and then we will add another layer of top soil that is more suited for planting. There is another area of the land where the house is to be situated that will be raised up by another meter or more, in places. However, this will be raised closer to the time the home is built, once the design is finalised.
In the mean time, we will be planting about 40 saplings to add to the 35 mature trees already growing on the plot. We will also be transplanting a number of additional mature trees on to the land.
This is another of our stock designs. This house features two large bedroom suites each with walk-in closets and spacious bathrooms. The bedroom suites are linked by a walkway overlooking the large open plan living/dining room. There is also a separate lounge area.
One of our stock designs for a 2 bedroom two bathroom, single story house...
We are close to completion with this modern two bedroom home. We are adding finishing details to the house and building the front and rear boundary walls. Once the walls are complete and the site cleared a little more we will pour the concrete driveway and also build a modern style sala in the back garden, though we have not been contracted to carry out the actual landscaping of the gardens.
We have been a little hampered by heavy rain recently, but the future lake on this project is slowly growing in size. We have now created what is soon to be an island within the lake, once filled with water. We shall be transplanting some additional mature trees on to the island before the water rises, and there is also a lot more excavation to be done.
We have recently begun work on a new large scale project. We will be building a home on a plot of land of just over 11.5 Rai (4.6 acres) in area. We have not yet finalised the design, though have established the 'footprint' of the home and have a high-level plan for the land and landscaping. The plot of land was previously used for rice farming and requires significant re-sculpting in order fit in with the design we are working on. It is desirable to raise the height of the land to various levels. We are digging a large ornamental lake of about 1.5 rai in order to provide the soil to fill the rest of the land. The lake itself will be 10 metres deep and feature a large island. The land is being filled up in layers of about half metre depth, stepping up to two metres in places.
Currently, we have completed about 30% of the lake excavation. We intend to have it completed by mid June. Finalising the design of the home and landscaping, however, will take several more months. This will be a long project with many interesting challenges and intend to blog about progress as we move forward.
NKD was formed in 2009 and employs Thai and English speaking professionals in order to deliver first class design and construction services. We have the experience and capacity to see your project through from the initial concept to final design, structural engineering and then on to construction, interior design and garden landscaping.
Whatever your budget or preferred style, contact us to find out how we can help you realise your dream home.
We also offer complete design and construction services for commercial properties such as restaurants, bars, coffee shops, hotels, resorts, guest houses or offices.
So, if you need an architect, structural engineer, house builder, swimming pool design and construction, interior designer, or garden landscaping, we offer a one-stop-shop solution for all your design and construction needs.
We are based in Nong Khai, Thailand, though we can undertake projects throughout Isaan, including Khon Kaen, Udon Thani and beyond. We also offer our design and construction services in Vientiane and throughout Laos.
Nong Khai Design Co., Ltd. | Prajak Sillapakhom Alley, Nai Mueang, Nong Khai, 43000, Thailand
