Advice on building materials; bricks, tiles etc

[fft100]

as someone who is considering starting a personal build, i find this topic very informative and useful. If everyone always agrees, you dont normally find out very much. when people disagree a lot more info comes out.

Question.

One of the big problems appears to be radiated heat. The metal foil placed in the roof can reflect upto 95% of this and therefore keep the roof space a lot cooler. I was wondering how useful this would be in wall construction.

What i was think of was using a block and brick ( or 2 bricks) combination with a 5cm gap. In that 5cm gap i would place foil. Therefore, the inner brick should stay cooler while the outer brick may get warm. Instead of foil, i was more thinking of something i have seen recently that was about 1-2cm thick that had a reflective surface on one side, with the rest being insulation with an R rating that seemed quite impressive (exact details and numbers are on computer that is down at the moment). I saw someone using it in the roof near Cha-am, but was thinking it would also be useful in walls.

anyone any experience or thoughts ?

[splitlid]

plot size,location and orientation have a considereable factor on this.also, prefered materials, cost, availability, ease of use and application and maintainance, blah blah blah.

however, given a workable site, and a budget, and a client with a total open mind.

then i may be looking at reverse brick veneer construction, maybe not throughout the house but definately on walls that are going to be exposed to the sun. i would be looking at large overhangs,large openings, directing breezes, materials that reflect the sun, landscaping, ponds that catch breezes and blows cool the air into certain areas, so many other things which im sure Miked will know about.

[crazy88]

Be careful with the ponds splitlid. Not only are they breeding grounds for malarial mosquitos, cholera, typhoid and various other waterborne potential epidemics but they could contribute to "sinking damp" as I assume you will have them 2m up in the air at house level. I strongly suggest you check the regulations on amount of guppies or other livebearing toothcarp required per sqm in order to combat mosquitos. Don't go cutting corners to save money by supplying koi carp which are not as efficient and produce more waste that forms nitrates which could lead to premature birth and deformities in people living nearby. Or is that electric pylons? Either way check the regulations, once they have been posted here, and make sure you are quite clear whether your furniture packages include some plastic cutlery and paper plates for emergency BBQ's so as you do not mislead your clients.

Crazy 88

[deepee]

One of the big problems appears to be radiated heat. The metal foil placed in the roof can reflect upto 95% of this and therefore keep the roof space a lot cooler. I was wondering how useful this would be in wall construction.

Solid reflective foils are excellent in vented roof and ceiling spaces fft100 but you need to be careful as solid foils can provide a "dew point" and dew points can lead to all sorts of structural and health problems in buildings especially within small cavities like walls.

Buildings with large temperature and humidity variations between the indoors and out are most likely to have this potential problem and ,in the case of Thailand, it's commonly associated with indoor air conditioning and poor ventilation.

The cold air inside hits the warm foil's inner surface and moisture condenses on it.This often leads to corroded structural fasteners , mould problems, increased termite activity and mistaken rising damp problems.

Tyvek brand radiant barrier is a breathable foil and is a good for in-wall use.
I do like splitlid's thinking re the reverse veneer construction tho as long as the outer skin is breathable

[deepee]

BTW in my search for these elusive Thai building codes I did actually find them , mostly in Thai with references to the Australian building regs. They are somewhere in this link but lost em

http://www.eppo.go.th/link_thaigov.html

This site is a very handy resource for all sorts of other info too!

[poosmate]

Foil under tiles in my opinion may not be the best way to insulate. Steel supported roofs can move and cause cracks in cement fixed ridges and hips. Foil can make it very difficult to locate and therefore quickly fix a leak. I prefer the foil insulation on the reverse of the gypsum ceiling boards. Heat in the roof space is still reflected and is assisted by the airflow from the eaves and other roof vents if fitted.Cold expensive air is also reflected back into the living rooms and does not escape so quickly.

[lindosfan1]

poosmate I am no expert on this. but as hot air rises are you not reflectig the hottest air back into the room. No way is this an expert view and probably wrong but just curious as to how it works.

[poosmate]

The temperature of rooms is usually controlled by ventilation or conditioning. As electric air conditioning is expensive my main concern is to insulate against cool loss. Ventilation is free or cheap and will soon balance any increased temperature.

[Super Joe]

BTW in my search for these elusive Thai building codes I did actually find them , mostly in Thai with references to the Australian building regs. They are somewhere in this link but lost em
http://www.eppo.go.th/link_thaigov.html
This site is a very handy resource for all sorts of other info too!

This site is very useful for finding construction materials, plant & equipment ... HERE

Examples related to this thread:
ACC blocks (Q-con/Superblock/Smartblock etc) ... HERE
Insulated Glass ... HERE
Reflective Glass ... HERE
Reflective Foil ... HERE
Thermal Insulation ... HERE


AND...steelworkers erecting a Cha Am ground beam system look on mystified as owner risks life checking for water ingress ... HERE


SJ

[deepee]

Foil under tiles in my opinion may not be the best way to insulate. Steel supported roofs can move and cause cracks in cement fixed ridges and hips. Foil can make it very difficult to locate and therefore quickly fix a leak. I prefer the foil insulation on the reverse of the gypsum ceiling boards. Heat in the roof space is still reflected and is assisted by the airflow from the eaves and other roof vents if fitted.Cold expensive air is also reflected back into the living rooms and does not escape so quickly.

poosmate,
if solid foil is laid correctly directly beneath the roofing material starting from the lowest edge at a point out beyond your exterior walls and on upwards with good overlaps the foil can assist to divert any leaks away and out of the roof space .
As you say further insulation should be installed just inside the ceiling but I would prefer bats which are breathable to avoid this "dew point " issue.

[poosmate]

if solid foil is laid correctly directly beneath the roofing material starting from the lowest edge at a point out beyond your exterior walls and on upwards with good overlaps the foil can assist to divert any leaks away and out of the roof space .

It is very difficult to place a foil to act as a waterproof blanket. Joints, overlaps, new rolls, tears and sloppy fitting. Tearing is common due to sharp edges on the steel and wind when fitting.
I would wish to fix a leak rather than divert the flow from it
Another method in addition to ceiling insulation and "guaranteed" to cover leaks up is a blown foam effectively gluing the tiles in place. I know of developments who have used this method ( one in particular after many leak issues ) but I am not convinced long term if the foam would deteriorate and break down if wet. I would also question if near coconut trees for example a tile is broken how easy it is to replace or necessary? I would like to hear from a Hua Hin resident as to how much this foam reduces temperature. Anyone had one leak ?
I think though once Thailand copies the west and starts to embrace environmental issues many better ways to insulate will enter the market and be affordable to use in everyday building.
Until then it will just be us Farrang trying to fix what many Thais - including the builders do not think is broken.

[deepee]

poosmate,
this blow in stuff could be a good solution towards primary insulation. But I can see it also adding some real structural strength to a roof. Another plus is that it could help prevent break-ins through the tiles as they would be bonded together.....Interesting.

[poosmate]

I agree and apparently it is claimed to be able to be applied to a finished building. At a cost of around 100000 Baht for a average villa the price is not prohibitive either if it can save electricity and prevent leaks. Along with the added bonus of better security.
I would like to hear from anyone who has fitted this product. I think if the foam is all it claims to be then I would have thought it would be widely used and probably become cheaper. It is only a chemical and a compressor.

Another use in a new build would be to use lightweight roofing sheets which are cheaper and lighter but have the disadvantage of little sound insulation. A coating of foam may insulate acoustically. The cost of the foam would easily be offset by the steel savings of the lighter roof along with the price of the tiles.

[hhfarang]

Seeking advice on building materials, specifically bricks/blocks and floor and roof tiles. What is recommended and why, what are the price differences and advantages/disadvantages of each type? If anyone has any pictures of different types available here it would also be a great help.

Thanks in advance.

OscarMike,

Aren't you glad you started this topic. In just a few days it has grown to five pages which is further proof that there are more building experts in Hua Hin than any other profession (including the oldest one ); and so far we have only covered cement blocks/bricks and insulation!... and people wonder why we get white hair and age 20 years (in 5 years) when you decide to build a home here...

A good friend of mine who has built three houses here (for his family) over the past eight years keeps saying that when he builds the next house he will get it right!

Good luck!

[poosmate]

hhfarang

I think a thread like this and some others that have been started recently have created interest because they are relevant to people who live and work here. They also involve newer members, Unlike conspiracy rubbish which can be found all over the web and must bore many people searching HHAD for .........well..........Hua Hin.