Advice on building materials; bricks, tiles etc

[st61]

could you explain this condensation thingy in more detail please.
how and why is it forming in the cavity?

warm air carries more moisture than cold air as if on a cold surface in contact with hot air so you get a condensation such as cold beer in a warm glass = water on the outside of the glass

[poosmate]

Miked :thank you for sharing your pics and I hope they continue.
Could you maybe tell me what you are building?
Holes. concrete and steel do not mean much alone. What you are using them for? what size, roof weight material etc

[splitlid]

this is the way to build. more pictures will be posted.
please note.
base of post 120 x120 cm. re bar 16mm

re bar in post 6 x 16mm. post size 25cm x 25 cm

footings dug 2.5 meters deep 1.5 meters square.

total concrete per footing 2.25 square meters.

total concrete for 15 posts = 33.75 square meters.

SJ and spitlid. look and learn.
miked

maths wasn't your strongest subject at skool was it Miked

[STEVE G]

I know very little about construction but I've seen many houses built around Asia and going down 2.5 meters seems excessive for footings; how many stories will that support?

[hhfarang]

I know very little about construction but I've seen many houses built around Asia and going down 2.5 meters seems excessive for footings; how many stories will that support?

Steve, I'm no expert either, but from things I've read I think it depends on the type or stability of the soil you are building on. Ours were about a meter and a half but I've heard of a kitchen actually separating and falling off a house because the soil was such that pilings were needed to be driven in very deep.

I had an independent engineer look at our soil and foundation before the ground floor was constructed and he said it would support five stories.

[hhfarang]

Here's a question I'm curious about since I haven't built a home in six years:

What is the current construction price per square meter for a top quality western style build? I know it's hard to be exact without knowing specifics or seeing the plan, but a range will do. I'm talking about a premium build using the best materials and qualified craftsmen.

[splitlid]

i think that in the last 5 years construction cost have increased by 10-15%. (15% on the high side)
these costs include:

materials,labour,transportation,fuel,logistics,etc.

as you say each house is site specific, varies in difficulty, materials used, location etc.
so a general price for what you are asking is impossible to give.

material choice has grown also in the past 5 years making more availability to everyone, which means that those taps you saw back home are now available at probably the same price if not more.
so that house you built 5 years ago for 1m could cost you 1.15m now.

add the 10-15% to a increase in land of about the same pecentage.


i think these figures are HH specific and could vary greatly throughout the country.

[STEVE G]

What is the current construction price per square meter for a top quality western style build?

In my opinion this is a very valid point; I'm planning on building a house in Hua Hin next year but it will be to reasonable Thai standards and not top quality western because that would cost more than I'm prepared to spend in a developing nation.
It's not wise to rely on property in Asia being an investment in the way it would be in the West.(Used to be anyway!)
Also as retiring seems to be a thing of the past, it will be forever a holiday home and not a primary residense.

[fft100]

Coming back to roof insulation, It looks as though what i will try is single Bubble, which is a layer of bubble wrap between 2 reflective sheets. It seems to offer the best way of reflecting heat and thermal.

The best make appears to be Prodex which is a sealed version of the above, has an R rating of 15+, and wont deteriorate over time - apparently in normal bubble wrap the bubbles burst....

the stuff is about 5mm thick. Has anyone seen any in the HH area. I would be happy to travel to Petchaburi or elsewhere to order if there were savings as i am looking at buying about 300 sq.m.

Here is some more info and comparisons
http://www.insulation4less.com/Insulati ... ation.aspx

Thanks

[poosmate]

Was wondering - Did Miked finish his building?
Love to see some pics.
Anyone else selfbuilding? Must be some stories to tell.

[hhfarang]

Just as a comment about building materials, we are painting the inside of our house by ourselves, ... er, rather my wife is doing it as I don't have a work permit. I have been very impressed with Dulux brand paint. While it is one of the more expensive ones, I think it actually may save money in the long run as (dealer suggested) we watered it down 10% to thin it and it still covered perfectly in one coat (after a good primer coat). Most cheaper paints I've seen here require two coats.