Low Budget Village Build For In-Laws

[runrunshaw]

"Nothing worse than having to get down on ones hands and knees to try to plug things in."

"My idea height is around 900mm, just adjacent to where my hand swings to the side.
Then one can just " shove it in right there".

LOL!!! Is this a build thread, or a Pattaya Soi Six thread???

[runrunshaw]

Also if you don’t want to chase the walls you could use metal conduit down the walls that looks the place instead of plastic.




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Barney, I love the look of the concrete walls. Kind of a post-industrial modernism with the metal conduit. Go into Moon's place, Country Bar, on Soi Sampan, and you can see what Previn did with the concrete wall finish from his place Phoenix Bistro.

Also, I really like RJ8 Coffee and Bakery on the road to Nong Kai.

We wanted to go this route with this build, but then discovered how expensive it is, and time consuming, to get the desired finish. I'm saving it for if I build a house for myself. I also love polished concrete floors and will have question re that for you guys.

[Niggly]

With the high tech world we live in no matter how old or young, buy some power outlets with the USB port incorporated I the outlet plate.
I ended up changing quite a few in my house in bedroom and the kitchen instead of having extra pieces of kit and additional leads and outlets.
Some one is always charging phones.
Didn’t cost much.
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Interesting, I've taken the opposite route. I hope i haven't missed the bleedin' obvious
My electrician asked me if I wanted some of these outlets & I decided to just go for the standard twin power ports & use a B50 USB adaptor. That way I have the option to plug a normal appliance in

[bluejets]

1200 seems a bit high for outlets.
General height for us is 1250 to 1300mm for light switches BUT there is a reason behind it in Aus (to do with noggins)

Nothing worse than having to get down on ones hands and knees to try to plug things in.
Even worse trying to fit off those at B****dy skirting board height.
My idea height is around 900mm, just adjacent to where my hand swings to the side.
Then one can just " shove it in right there".

Noggins are easy enough to put in at any height to provide fixing.
I definately agree plugs at skirting board height can be completely stupid. In a new build , most people will know where there electrical appliances will be . A bit of thought beforehand can make a big difference.

Would be nice BUT if we have to move each and ever bloody noggin it would be a time consuming PIA.
As far as forethought, these customers ( and their Wally architects) actually insist on skirting board location.

[bluejets]

Also if you don’t want to chase the walls you could use metal conduit down the walls that looks the place instead of plastic.




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....and the associated earth conductor would be ...where...??

[Barney]

Also if you don’t want to chase the walls you could use metal conduit down the walls that looks the place instead of plastic.




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....and the associated earth conductor would be ...where...??

Earth wire is Terminated in the metal box for the outlet or switch, of course ...
Run run had employed a recommended electrician, and, as advised earlier the installation will be tested. Hopefully with a 30ma RCD trip test?


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[runrunshaw]

The electrician is at work as I write this. Will post photos soonest. Simple job. 4000 for his fee and about 8500 for materials, I think. I'll check re the inspection.

[ajarnudon]

.... 'the installation will be tested. Hopefully with a 30ma RCD trip test?'

I wonder if anyone out there remembers a Megger Tester? If you are under 50 and/or haven't worked on industrial installations, then probably not.

[Barney]

With the high tech world we live in no matter how old or young, buy some power outlets with the USB port incorporated I the outlet plate.
I ended up changing quite a few in my house in bedroom and the kitchen instead of having extra pieces of kit and additional leads and outlets.
Some one is always charging phones.
Didn’t cost much.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Interesting, I've taken the opposite route. I hope i haven't missed the bleedin' obvious
My electrician asked me if I wanted some of these outlets & I decided to just go for the standard twin power ports & use a B50 USB adaptor. That way I have the option to plug a normal appliance in

Things can always be retrofitted to suit all applications.
This is what I installed after the initial build, not what everyone needs.




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[ajarnudon]

'Also, I really like RJ8 Coffee and Bakery on the road to Nong Kai.'
Well, I never .. I go past this place every time I go to my build site, but it isn't like I want coffee when I drive by at 7.40 am. But I think I might have to drop in when I sometimes go to Do Home or the steel merchant up the road at lunchtime. I could have a coffee back on site, but I think the aesthetics and the range of products up on the wall might entice me in soon.

[ajarnudon]

'Also, I really like RJ8 Coffee and Bakery on the road to Nong Kai.'
Well, I never .. I go past this place every time I go to my build site, but it isn't like I want coffee when I drive by at 7.40 am. But I think I might have to drop in when I sometimes go to Do Home or the steel merchant up the road at lunchtime. I could have a coffee back on site, but I think the aesthetics and the range of products up on the wall might entice me in soon.

[runrunshaw]

'Also, I really like RJ8 Coffee and Bakery on the road to Nong Kai.'
Well, I never .. I go past this place every time I go to my build site, but it isn't like I want coffee when I drive by at 7.40 am. But I think I might have to drop in when I sometimes go to Do Home or the steel merchant up the road at lunchtime. I could have a coffee back on site, but I think the aesthetics and the range of products up on the wall might entice me in soon.

They seem to open around 0800, give or take. I've taken a ton of photos there, but now I can't find them. But I took my wife and one of her uncles there earlier in the house build. I wanted him to see the concrete finish because at the time I was considering doing that for our build.

Her uncle loved the look, but had no idea how to do it. But the Thai owner of RJ8 was there, and kindly walked us all over the property and talked about how he and his staff perfected the technique. Unfortunately, it's quite expensive per SQM. I'm surprised he spent so much cash because he has a very high number of SQMs with the finish.

He doesn't speak English, but explained that there are two ways to achieve the look. He showed us where he and his staff used a rear wall for their first attempt. The more they did, the better-looking the finish. For me, even the "practice wall" looked pretty good.

I'd definitely stop for a coffee or snack. They have air-con inside, a large patio under roof, and a separate Thai cafe. You'll notice a lot of cars parked out front, and that tells you everything.

Here are some photos from inside Country Bar, which has the same finish.

Anyone have experience doing this kind of finish? Would love input re costs and time spent. Also, pigment can be added for color. They have some exterior walls that are slightly green and look great. Amazing what people are doing with concrete these days.

[Barney]

Runrunshaw
We had our front fence done in this style of finish. Probably not up to an interior professional standard but pretty good all the same.
My wife and project manager organises the workers, so she is the one to talk to.
Have another dwelling soon to be completed in the same style of concrete finish.
I’ll be back from Vietnam soon so if you are around your more than welcome to have a look
Photo front fence




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[ajarnudon]

containers.jpg (40.99 KiB) Viewed 3863 times

[ajarnudon]

I have posted this pic which RRS put up of his storage containers a couple of days ago in case some missed it. I sent Ed a PM with another pic - he saw the funny side of it and suggested I share it here. His pic immediately put me in mind of something I had seen in Kalgoorlie, a Western Australian mining town out in the desert, while on a round Australia tour in 2000.

[ajarnudon]

[ajarnudon]

If you do a Google Image search for 'Hay Street, Kalgoorlie' you will get the idea quickly.
Yes, it and many other premises in Hay Street Kalgoorlie were/are establishments of ill repute (this site won't allow the use of a particular word beginning with b and ending in el). The one in the picture was reported to be the longest operating such enterprise in the world - 100+ years. The facade is newer of course, but the premises have been operating for a very long time. Ever since Paddy Hannan kicked a rock in the desert in the 1890s, Kalgoorlie has had a huge imbalance in the male/female population ratio, and these establishments were a necessary 'relief valve'. All around the world, gold and and such establishments have gone hand in hand. However, things these days have become much more civilized. Many workers at the Superpit today work in airconditioned heavy machinery and have a wife and kids at their company-provided aircon homes. For that matter, a lot of the heavy equipment operators are now female - companies see that they tend to treat the equipment kinder. The lady in the picture is the 80+ yo madam and business became so sparse that a few years ago, recognising its historical significance, she ceased operations and it now gives her a comfortable income as a museum.

[runrunshaw]

If you do a Google Image search for 'Hay Street, Kalgoorlie' you will get the idea quickly.
Yes, it and many other premises in Hay Street Kalgoorlie were/are establishments of ill repute (this site won't allow the use of a particular word beginning with b and ending in el). The one in the picture was reported to be the longest operating such enterprise in the world - 100+ years. The facade is newer of course, but the premises have been operating for a very long time. Ever since Paddy Hannan kicked a rock in the desert in the 1890s, Kalgoorlie has had a huge imbalance in the male/female population ratio, and these establishments were a necessary 'relief valve'. All around the world, gold and and such establishments have gone hand in hand. However, things these days have become much more civilized. Many workers at the Superpit today work in airconditioned heavy machinery and have a wife and kids at their company-provided aircon homes. For that matter, a lot of the heavy equipment operators are now female - companies see that they tend to treat the equipment kinder. The lady in the picture is the 80+ yo madam and business became so sparse that a few years ago, recognising its historical significance, she ceased operations and it now gives her a comfortable income as a museum.

Thanks for sharing! There's more than a few reasons why I've always liked Australians...

[runrunshaw]

Runrunshaw
We had our front fence done in this style of finish. Probably not up to an interior professional standard but pretty good all the same.
My wife and project manager organises the workers, so she is the one to talk to.
Have another dwelling soon to be completed in the same style of concrete finish.
I’ll be back from Vietnam soon so if you are around your more than welcome to have a look

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That is a great-looking fence. Please let me know when you return and I'd love to visit your build.

[runrunshaw]

Well, our simple electrical job is done. The man said his name is Nana Plaza, so we know he has a sense of humor. He worked a full day and two half-days for his four thousand baht, plus a small bonus since he did a few extra things for us, and we had him change some things that he had to redo. Speaks English, very polite, on the quiet side, and and came fully prepared.

Well, almost. When he hooked up the power lines to the house I was in one of my containers. I came out and saw this:

Three points of contact at all times, right? Two feet on the top step and one hand holding electrical lines. I would have intervened, but he was moments from finishing that little piece of Houdini-like ballet.

Anyway, inspection next week.

I had him run a line in flex conduit out to my container roof, then conduit to an outlet. I'm not going to wire the containers, just run in heavy duty extension cords since they are only temporary.

Anyway, 30 amp throughout, all wire in conduit. I wish everyone was as easy to work with as Nana.

So this post pretty much catches me up to the current state of the build. We have more primer to apply and some caulking, then the topcoat. I have one container refurbished, one more to go. And I'm still installing the foil insulation to the underside of the container roof.

Anyway, it's a process. Looks like I'll be off on another deployment soon, so we'll see how far we can take it.