MY house build to begin.

[Barney]

Stardate 04042015
Well I have read and followed others with their threads on house building here in UT, so why not me. I'll try and keep it simple.
About to start and the first delivery has begun with piles. Concrete that is
An early snapshot of the house model to start with. Little bit different but you will get the idea.

[Drunk Monkey]

Hope it all goes well Barney ..good luck and keep us posted .

DM

[old timer]

House building is always interesting so I look forward to following this thread. Any thoughts on how long it will take and budget?
I think stress is part of the construction process here in LOS. It will be interesting to see what you have planned for in terms of stress and the actual, well worth monitoring and keeping record of.


OT...............

[Alchai]

Looks nice. I also like following people's builds and although I have already built our house, I wish I could do it again. Instead I'll be following you Barney!

[Aardvark]

I'm looking forward to it also ...

[maaka]

yes I have flown in to do a site visit and expect the results of our Stage 2 build, and I got much out of reading about other guys building projects here in Siam, and presenting mine n UM, in order to share ideas, so look forward to your future pics, and running commentary Digger..

[Barney]

Thanks for the encouragement guys.
I am sure some who have gone through a build will be thinking your f.....g crazy, especially adding a pool, but life is an adventure and I do need something to keep the mind thinking and processing, this is not a hobby to keep me off the p..s but it's also not a full stress activity.
I have the advantage of living in an old house on the land so the pressure to rush and finish is not there.
Things naturally wont get into to gear until after Sonkran and I get home for my roster leave next Saturday.
OT
Realistically I would like to be well past the lockup stage and all but complete by next songkran but we will see. Budget is in the millions and like every one I would like to not reach the budgeted ceiling, won't happen but that's ok.
There is a secret hidden detail not seen on the model shot. Looks a single level house but, not really. It is a simple 3 bed/1 utility and office room and pool design I have had in my head for some time.
Hopefully , but, not to soon this is the residence where they will put me in the back of the pickup for the last ride to the Wat oven.

All advice thrown at me in any format is welcome and considered, have comfortable onsite consulting and viewing room set up, because I love work and could watch it all day, so please throw your thoughts/ideas my way.

[grievous]

Good luck with your build mate looking forward to updates. Have a think about putting in a dunny accessible from the outside.

[Barney]

Good luck with your build mate looking forward to updates. Have a think about putting in a dunny accessible from the outside.

Thanks Grievous, Have the dunny planned and incorporated into the waste water/effluent plan with pool shower area stage 2, along with the outdoor undercover BBQ area. Have to save up for that.

[mickojak]

Hi Barney,
Great timing for me.
I am starting a house in Nong Wua So in October.
I have selected a builder but not quite sure of pool supplier yet.
It will be great for me to learn your experiences.
Hope it all goes well and I will follow intently.
Mick

[TJ]

Here are a couple interesting threads on house building. Lots of comments on the technical aspects of construction. Look for the thread titles with fortress in them.

http://forum.thepattayaclub.com/index.p ... i-culture/

[FrazeeDK]

some key points:

1- find a reputable and reliable contractor. Check at least 4-5 previously built houses and if possible get input from the owners. Check to see how the Contractor response has been to any post-build issues. Draw up the phased payment contract so that each phase of the construction is clearly defined and payment stated and with any construction warranty clearly stated and its expiration date.
2. Remember you're in Thailand, the standards are probably not the same as your home country.. Always take that into account when dealing with the contractor, building foreman, and building teams. If you have high blood pressure, take your meds regularly!!
3. Ensure your standards are clearly understood. If you have specific plans, ensure the building foreman knows he cannot deviate one bit, not even if your plans, to him, are not "beautiful"...
4. As each phase is completed, make sure you closely check the work to ensure it meets the contracted standard. If not, have the contractor/foreman get it fixed to your satisfaction.
5. Upon completion of the house, before final payment make sure you go over it with a fine toothed comb. Make sure that ALL site cleanup is done with the trash/junk hauled away from our property and not dumped in a construction hole on your land. Absolutely anything not up to the contractual standard must be fixed then before giving them the last money.
6. Most new builds have at least a one year guarantee/warranty for building defects. Make sure you've got solid phone numbers for the contractor to get them back to fix anything that goes wrong..

[Galee]

7. Have contingency plan ready when 1-6 go tits up.

[neeemu]

mickojak, my brother in law is a contractor who makes pools. Worked with JD Pools last time I asked and I can vouch for his work. His English isn't great but he has built houses and pools for several farang in the past. Let me know if you want his details.

[old timer]

7. Have contingency plan ready when 1-6 go tits up.

OT................

[mickojak]

Hi Neemu,
JD pools were the one that I was considering.
I would appreciate your brother in law's contact details for sure.
Can you post them on here?
Mick

[pf-flyer]

Be prepared to have disappointments and failed expectations. We had building plans drawn up but expect some of the workers not to pay any attention to them. Our contractor had several builds going on at the same time. Our contract was for labor only. We bought all of the materials. It was the best decision that we made. On one of the other builds that the contractor was working on, the owners set up a contract with him to take care of labor and materials and the contractor spent all of the money spent before the build was finished. Have a written contract with the contractor and a completion date for the entire project. Our contractor had several builds going on at the same time. Sometimes we would not see him for 3 or four days. Have the contractor sign off on payment of each building phase. Our contractor would only give his workers partial pays and he had a problem of keeping workers on site. We started paying the workers directly at each completion of the building phase so that they would stay on the job and we gave the contractor what was left and had him sign off on that phase of the contract. Be on site everyday that work is being done and keep an eye on everything . We discovered a lot of the roofing tile was just laid down and was not anchored to the steel frame. We had to constantly keep an eye to ensure that all of the roofing tile was anchored. The contractor eventually stopped showing up for work several weeks before the expiration date of the contract. Our neighbor the Poo YaBan told us that he would help us if we wanted to sue the contractor but we decided not the sue the contractor and to work directly with the workers. The workers and tradesmen stayed with us on site because they knew that they would get paid. It turned out well for us in the end because the workers and tradesmen that stayed with us such as the Ceiling work, Electrical and Floor tile did excellent work.

[Barney]

some key points:
Thanks for the submission FraeeDK
1- find a reputable and reliable contractor. Check at least 4-5 previously built houses and if possible get input from the owners. Check to see how the Contractor response has been to any post-build issues. Draw up the phased payment contract so that each phase of the construction is clearly defined and payment stated and with any construction warranty clearly stated and its expiration date.
Hopefully I have all that covered in my agreement
2. Remember you're in Thailand, the standards are probably not the same as your home country.. Always take that into account when dealing with the contractor, building foreman, and building teams. If you have high blood pressure, take your meds regularly!!
Have built 2 homes in Vietnam and expect a similar standard here, watching as others have also said will help, I am on heart medication but not blood pressure, I use beer and Gin for that.
3. Ensure your standards are clearly understood. If you have specific plans, ensure the building foreman knows he cannot deviate one bit, not even if your plans, to him, are not "beautiful"...
I will be strict but do hope I am flexible enough to listen to a builder or tradesman as I am not a builder. I would try to make compromise where required.

4. As each phase is completed, make sure you closely check the work to ensure it meets the contracted standard. If not, have the contractor/foreman get it fixed to your satisfaction.
Work will be done in milestone completion stages and money comes after I am smiling.
5. Upon completion of the house, before final payment make sure you go over it with a fine toothed comb. Make sure that ALL site cleanup is done with the trash/junk hauled away from our property and not dumped in a construction hole on your land. Absolutely anything not up to the contractual standard must be fixed then before giving them the last money.
Agree will monitor this.
6. Most new builds have at least a one year guarantee/warranty for building defects. Make sure you've got solid phone numbers for the contractor to get them back to fix anything that goes wrong..

The QA checks will be done at each stage. If return visits are warranted then hopefully I have chosen a good and honest subcontractor.

[Barney]

7. Have contingency plan ready when 1-6 go tits up.

Galee

There is only one thing I want tits up in my life and it ain't the house build.
My contingency is unknown at this stage. Just keep moving forward I suppose.

[maaka]

yes agree with PJ Flyer
our builder was paid in three installments during each Stage..at agreed times.
the Girlfriend is on sight everyday after work, or in the mornings, and goes with him when buying materials..
they have changed my Plans without my knowledge, and now I have had to rework half the plumbing, and septic to fit in with their ideas..indeed, everytime I raised the question of cooking on a gas hob , the missus poo pooed the idea as dangerous, she wanted a stove even though she has never been within miles of one, and so I left it to her out of frustration, now I notice we have no wiring in the kitchen for electric stove, so no means of cooking..now we are going back to my gas idea..so yes keep an eye on things..they will nod in agreement even if they dont understand what the hell your talking about, so double check everything..test the water pipes for leaks before covering them with concrete or whatever, and double check the wiring goes from A to B..some of mine just went around in a circle..

we told them that if they want to drink, then dont come to work the next day..that worked well..
everytime there is a death in the village, everyone takes afew days off, and we have had four..so expect delays.
shop around for a good aluminium window man...its high noon for our guy this morning..he couldnt make a ruddy window if he tried..they will last about one year before the drop out..but the missus likes him oyiiiiiiiiii...

all in all I am happy with were we are at with our build, not up to western standard, but I have had to roll with it afew times, and only managed to save some disasters due to daily contact..yes have a Plan B, C and D ready..