Necessary change of plans

In my last Blog I mentioned that we had the intention to ask a specialized firm to finish the roof for us. To do this from the outside a bamboo scaffolding is needed and I have no experience working with that.
So we asked specialized companies for their possibilities. It worked out the job to do (around 60 m2) is not big enough. For at least 150 m2 they are willing to come and see and possibly make an offer.
So, a change of plans was necessary.
 
We have to do the job ourselves and for that I want to work partly using the first floor (yoga/meditation studio) and build a scaffolding on the outside on the roof beams of the ‘middle roof’.
We needed to buy several materials for that.
 
April 13, 14 and 15 Thailand celebrated the Songkran festival (Thai New Year celebration). Most factories and shops were closed for 5 days (12 up and till 16 April). Reason to buy this stuff quick enough so we can go on.
 
The steelwork of that floor needed to get the final two component protection layer. To be sure I planned  the middle beam of the floor to be strengthened to carry without any problems the weight of an inside scaffolding and construction materials needed for the job.
 
Temperatures are still crazy and amazing high. 43˚C (nearly 110F) at our veranda in the shadow this afternoon. Lowest temperature in the morning is 28 degrees (around 82.5F) between 5 AM and 6 AM. The weather forecast shows temperatures even going further up end of this week. It’s not healthy anymore to make long working hours. Actually, only in the morning and late afternoon we can do something. The temperatures slow the process down a lot.
 
So, for 7 days in a row, I started to paint at 5.30 AM for one and a half hour to decorate the steel for the floor only. The floor planks got a two-layer special fiber cement top coating and the underside two layers of TOA Supershield coating for the ceiling.  
We placed the floor planks (they still need to be screwed) and started with installing some windows and ventilation units for the ceiling of the living room/kitchen. Also a storage for the yoga/meditation studio will be made. 

We bought already the Shera Splendid planks as wall cover and started to paint them. Finally we will isolate this ‘walls’ with Stay Cool (rockwool) isolation.
 
This morning we finished the strengthening of the floor beam.
 
Depending on the weather we hope we can finish the side walls and around end of next week start with the scaffoldings to finish the top-roof (and after that the middle roof).

During Songkran (April 15 in the afternoon) The mother of Cupid, Phatsamon's most favorite dog Joke (see picture) passed away after five days of not eating. She was living in the village and visited us a lot. Always great for Cupid and us to see her mom again. She was always very interested walking around to see the progress of our building process. 

A sad day for us and we hope she will rest in peace. Thank you Joke for all the wonderful moments together and lots of fun. You are a great mother!

Frans & Phatsamon

email:   pyramidhousethailand@gmail.com

Half way with the rooftiles and...

At the moment we are half-way with installing the rooftiles. We try to close the roof before the rainy season starts. 

We bought another amount of construction materials also to fix the floor of the yoga/meditation place. 

It's very, very, hot and we can only work four till five hours a day.

We painted and placed the cement roof moldings (Fascia) around the 'middle roof'. On top, against birds who want to make nests under the rooftiles in the future, we installed so called "eaves filler units' and installed half of the metal SCG brand batten. Only half because we need space to build scaffoldings to install the top roof. 

Note: We decided to ask a firm to finish the top-roof because special, possibly bamboo, scaffoldings are needed and I have no experience with that.  

During installing the rooftiles again I got a 'wasp-surprise'. Only one one wasp sting troubled my left hand for three days. 

Frans & Phatsamon

email:   pyramidhousethailand@gmail.com

Main supporting structure finished. Ready for the roof installation.

The main supporting structure finally is finished now. All the welding to prepare roof installation is done and all the steel got an anticorrosion coating. 

A hard job. We only work about five hours a day because of the tremendous high temperatures. Many times wearing a safety harness with a line to secure (that does not make working very easy but still) and climbing up and down the ladders many times a day. The work asked for some creativity to reach all places. Happy, already for around forty years I can make use of my Dutch Altrex stepladder. 

 

Last week I thought I felt rain on the back of my work shirt. I was wrong. It was sweat dripping from my head into my welding helmet and on my back. And also my shirt and trousers are wet all through after around thirty minutes working with thick clothes and long leather gloves.

After weeks of this hot and sweating work I am really in to do something else again than welding. Happy the time for that is there now although the next few weeks the temperatures will not only rise even more but also the humidity will be higher. Sauna work is waiting again for several months. 

Still we have to do some welding to create and finish the downstairs veranda and the lower sunroof/screens. Not sure yet when that will be. Maybe beginning next year. 

Tomorrow morning only some small repairs and after that 'shopping' for new construction materials again. 

The next day I want to strengthen some connections between the steel base and load bearing wall in the center of the house. Just to be sure the weight of the roof spreads equally over the walls finally to the foundation. For that I will use general purpose hydraulic grout. 

First we need to buy the roof moldings. We will prepare and paint them downstairs. After that we have to install them at the steel roof beam ends. Before we can do this we have to rent extra scaffoldings and platforms. The moldings are too heavy and we cannot install them with stepladders. I already have two sets of scaffoldings but we need at least four sets more for about one month to create the ability to work safe at around 6 meters high. 

We already bought the first amount of galvanized (SCG) battens but need more of them in some weeks. 

The Green Jadeite, SCG, Excella Classic ceramic rooftiles, a collection of round ridges and fittings are already waiting one year at our land. We ordered them more than a year ago because of expected high rising prices. 

The first rains and (thunder)storms will arrive soon. We hope the rooftiles are installed before the real rainy season starts (around May). 

But still... no hurry. We have to listen to our bodies first. Today we installed a new water cooler (the old one I repaired several times but could not do anymore) and we also have plenty of sport (isotone) drinks to keep our bodies ongoing hydrated. 

Frans & Phatsamon

email:   pyramidhousethailand@gmail.com

New electricity lines and highest point reached

March 2nd we reached the highest point of the roof steel construction of our main house. Still some work (steelwork, welding, grinding and painting) to do on that highest part but it feels good we reached that level. 

Last Thursday we had a power break because the provincial electricity company, in our village, had to change a high voltage concrete pole. This gave me the opportunity to prepare and change our main electricity inlet and the connection with the main switch to the house we are building now. It took me half a day to change it but it worked out perfect. Just only a matter of changing the main inlet cable after the new 50 mm2 lines are installed and the new 30-45 Amp. electricity meter is placed. 

Just this morning, very quick after ordering, a crew of four men came to install the new cable. At 1 PM (Thai Time) everything was installed and connected. So now only a matter of going to the Electricity Authority for a request to change the meter. For us this can wait for a while. The cables are in now before the rainy season starts so no need to enter the fields anymore and no hurry because finishing the house will take another about 1,5 years. 

We do not know if the change of the cables, at the moment, really will help us. For this, in the future (around two years) the Provincial Electricity Authority need to change their main line to the meters. Last Saturday there was a party at a house connected on the same line. We were there as well. Being home we could see the lightbulbs of the LED's shining on the rhythm of the music. So not a good sign. But this problem will be solved in the future and we already are prepared. 

Frans & Phatsamon

email:   pyramidhousethailand@gmail.com

Up to the higher roof and higher electricity capacity

It's dry, very dry. And not even that, it's hot, very hot. Although still winter..., temperatures raised during daytime to 40 degrees C (104 F) already. We are not looking forward to even higher temperatures soon with higher humidity as well. It is what it is and we have to deal with it. 

We finished the steel framework (main beam structure) of the big 'middle' roof. Only some small anti corrosion painting work has to be done today. Because of too high temperatures we need to wait till around 5 PM because the steel is too hot. 

Some explanation about this structure for people who are interested in the way we are building. 

So, as told before, we made a kind of floating steel roof structure. Around the center part of the house the steel is connected with heavy anchors. The load bearing outside walls got a reinforced concrete top beam. Part of this concrete beam is a 2" x 1" steel beam. 

The 'floating' part is constructed by welding a 1.1/4" x 1.1/4" square small pipe, on each side of the horizontal steel roof frame beam only connected to the steel beam being part of the concrete wall topping. 

So, because of the high temperatures and the changing of temperatures the horizontal beams can expand and extract. To guarantee the beams long term doing this we installed Under each horizontal beam a slice of 4" x 6" nylon. 

One of the pictures shows the details. 

The corner structure is on the South-East and South-West side made of a double steel beam. Both 25% thicker steel than used for the other beams. Both sets of beams got a anti rust coating first before also connected together with bolts. 

All the welding is done for this middle roof now. The still visible joints in the finished house got a special grinding and two components putty already. As told before, all the inside steel got a special red coating. The steel on the outside an epoxy grey coating.

So, we are ready to start this week with the higher roof. The roof in the middle of the house above the first floor (yoga/meditation) space. Yesterday we bought the steel for this part already. We need to clean and put the first layer of grey coating first and build a temporary safe construction to work. And again, because of the high temperatures we need to slow down. 

Just after Carlien and her boyfriend left we went to the Provincial Electricity Authority (PEA) in Surin to check and be sure about the asked advise from PEA in Mae Rim some years ago. 

Because of that advise we installed the (310 meters long) electricity lines in 35 mm2 aluminum and with a 15 Amp. electricity meter. 

The same information we brought in two weeks ago in our discussion with PEA now told us actually this was not the best primary advise. To connect our house as well on the line we need to have higher electricity capacity. 2 New cables of 50 mm2 aluminum and a 30 Amp. meter. A bit sad because we could have saved ourselves not only money but also all the new effort again. 

Because the house is not at all ready yet (will take about 1,5 more years) we do not need this to be done immediately. For now, we have enough capacity. 

But still... because it's very dry now, trucks and a crane can reach our private electricity poles 'easy'. So we asked our former installation firm to come to discuss the best option and maybe will put the cables in within two or three months. 

Frans & Phatsamon

email:   pyramidhousethailand@gmail.com

Holidays are over. Just an overview of the present situation.

Yesterday Carlien and her boyfriend left to Australia again after being witness at our wedding and celebrate holidays together. Yesterday I also could arrange my visa extension till end of February 2025/2568. So, time to go on now and go back to our last four years 'regular' living pattern. Today we slowly start up our building activities again. During daytime it's already getting very hot so we will see how to adapt and make progress again. 

Because Daniel brought his drone we also have a nice overview of the present situation of our activities. Thank you Daniel. 

I published already some pictures in my former blog but this whole series make things complete. Be aware we are at the moment still in the 'cold' dry season so nearly all pictures show dry grass fields now. Starting May the colors will change in great green. 

So, enjoy our present view. 

Frans & Phatsamon

email:   pyramidhousethailand@gmail.com