First electricity poles arrived to get power to the land

This morning, exactly at 10 AM as promised, there was a truck driving in front of me after I came from a building materials shopping mall. It seemed to be the truck with the first electricity poles to our land. 

So actually, at the last day of the year our process or building journey (not project) started. A good feeling. 

Normally the Provincial Electricity Authority advises to put this 8 meter long poles for 1.5 meter in the land. To be sure (ricefield land and in the rainy season the top layer is muddy) we asked for digging 1.8 meters. The workers did, to satisfy me ;), 1.9 meters. The poles have 'to rest' and settle for about one month and after that will be put totally straight and on level and the electricity lines (we choose for 35 mm2 instead of the regular 25 mm2) will be connected.  

Also we nearly finished to put the picket poles (land markers) in the land. In practice we had to made a bit a change in the land plan but my 'pendulum' showed it was totally right. And for both of us it feels great. 

Finally we can see first basic things arising. 

Frans Captijn

e-mail: pyramidhousethailand@gmail.com

First land surveying and spirit leveling

Today we started with the first land surveying and spirit leveling. 

As far as I can remember, behind a drawing table (or in the present time a computer with a drawing program) it is wonderful to create plans and ideas but to check it in practice is much better. 

The landscaping as we had in mind need to have some rescheduling and redesigning. It worked out the pond at the land has a bit a different shape as we saw before. At that moment the grass was high and it was hard to see the exact form. Now, with the grass cut (or better to say eaten by the cows and buffaloes) we got the right shape.  

Also the Petite Chartres Labyrinth gets a little bit a different place but not to much away from the place we planned it before. 

It is nearly impossible to get the land-markers with a big hammer in the soil. The land is very hard and dry. The land we want to start building (about 2200 m2), more than 10 years ago already, was raised nearly 2 meters above the surrounding rice fields. So this afternoon we bought some metal pins  and marked their heads red with spray paint. These will make it easier to do our land surveying again tomorrow. 

Kadhow today enjoyed running around (in the morning) and playing with a picket post. Because it was warm today in the afternoon (33 degrees C) at a certain moment he went for a sleep next to the car into the shadow. 


Frans Captijn

e-mail: pyramidhousethailand@gmail.com

We decided to GO for it.

A message to share.

Today we worked on the land for a large part of the day (taking and checking measurements and calculating and directing electricity lines, poles and the idea that we have checked). Also to check the supply route to see if a truck (concrete / sand / building materials and the truck to deliver the site office). The temperatures during daytime over 30 degrees and yes that causes sweating. Happy not to suffer this time of the year of any allergy. Actually, my main reason to have a last check to get a go or no-go.

Kadhow again loved to be free on the land. But… he also wanted to cool down a bit. So he jumped tonto the pond and rolled in the grass totally happy and crazy. After that he found the shade of the car. So far nearly the only shade on the land now.

This afternoon we went to introduce and share our plans to the future neighbors. We also went to the so called “Pujaj Baan’ (the headman or mayor of the village) to introduce and share our ideas. Also to ask if there are any problems or questions immediately to share and discuss to find a good solution.

One more time together we talked about the plans, individual wishes and ideas and decided to give the process a GO. No hurry, building as meditation and enjoying every step. It will be a process that takes years. And we are sure it will not only be a road full of roses to go. Challenges will come enough…

The first electricity posts are placed on December 31^st already and we ordered this afternoon the site office / temporary place to stay.

Tomorrow we bless the land with the idea to ask for a happy and healthy future there together and to ask for no or no serious accidents to happen.

So certainly a ‘landmark’ on the road of our process to share.

Frans Captijn

e-mail: pyramidhousethailand@gmail.com

Permission for Knock Down Home / site office / temporary living place

This morning we got permission from the so called Obotor, to place a site office annex temporary living space on the land. 
An Obotor is a department of the local and Thai national government that is responsible for building permissions and keeps sight on building activities. 

So we offered a company already six drawings to make a quotation for our shipping container idea, as I wrote about in my blog of December 10th. On the picture the idea of the floorplan.

We intent to place this container beginning March 2020.

Frans Captijn

e-mail: pyramidhousethailand@gmail.com

Transportation

For our project we need for about four till five year a lot of construction and garden materials. And... we need to move from Chiang Mai and Bangkok to Surin. 
Sure our great Mazda 2 is not able to carry that all and will be damaged a lot. 
So we made a calculation about the costs and compared with the expected costs we can calculate so far. 

It worked out it's much more practical to buy a small truck and if we want to sell that one again after the project is finished. 

This is what we found. A nearly brand new mini truck still with company guaranty and not even 6000 km on the clock. In January we have to pick it up.


Frans Captijn

e-mail: pyramidhousethailand@gmail.com

Progress in preparation and development

Just a short update.

Preparations are going on and so far going well. 

We got quotations for the electricity lines from 3 companies. 
The basic land plan still is the idea we want to go on with.
Architectural and constructional drawings are more and more developing. 
I bought welding equipment and will get a welding course soon. 

End of December a small excavator will visit the land and will dig some holes to check the soil. Also the place for the labyrinth and Buddha statue will get its first land preparation. That's why we made already the landmarks as you see on the picture. 

These landmarks we will also use to mark the places where the company have to put the 15 concrete (Provincial Electricity Authority standard) poles to cover the around 300 meters distance to the land. 
The company also will connect the first two 35 mm2 electricity cables. We start with a so called 'one phase' and 220 V connection. After some time possibly it is necessary to switch to a three phase (380/400 V) connection so we have to add another two more lines and transformer. 

We are discussing the idea to put a shipping container (see the picture as an example) for temporary use on the land. They are ready made, isolated and installed by a Thai company and just gives us a cool (AC) place to stay, sleep, store some hardware and not to forget have a good shower and toilet. 
A calculation Phatsamon made showed at the long term this can save us money instead of living temporary in a resort or even rent a house. Afterwards we can sell it again or use it as a storage or something else.

If we decide to make use of this option we will make an isolated metal roof above the container that also covers a small terrace in front. We will raise the container to get some space underneath and a nice sun covered space for dog Kadhow. 


Frans Captijn

e-mail: pyramidhousethailand@gmail.com

Planning without time schedule. No S.M.A.R.T. quality planning and goal setting but quality building as a meditation.

For our building project and ideas, we do not work S.M.A.R.T. at all.

During my former work I had to deal with this management tool (Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant/Realistic and Timely).

In my opinion it always was, and for me still is, a source in creating stress, restrain creativity, offering less real attention and soul engagement to quality, a tremendous workload with flowcharts, etc., and giving all kind of abilities for everybody to complain and criticize. So… all negative energy I do now want to deal with anymore.

Our goal is the journey of the process. And maybe you cannot call it a project anymore in a ‘management setting’ because possibly it will be endless. An ongoing process of improvement and engagement as we hope.

And yes, there are ‘critical’ factors in that. Like health, cooperation, weather, grant factors, let’s face it also our moods, and not to forget money.

We only start every time with a part of the project if the money to finish it is available at the start. A safe way of planning. And yes, be sure we made (and will even more make) a calculation for every part of the project and administrate our expenses in Excel.

So, building without time schedule and I see it as a meditation. And I am sure we will need meditation during the process because not everything will be smart (in another way as S.M.A.R.T.) as we have in mind now.

So, although there is no, and will never be, a flowchart there is a kind of follow up row in things that need to be done.

# Step 1:

Some landscaping (around pond) and building preparation on the land (positioning).

To create some shade and storage space we start with the 2 cars carport.

Actually, an easy thing to build because it is only flat concrete with a steel roving on a metal frame.

Also, we need a small flat concrete plateau for the 1.500 L water storage tank, the water pressure pump and the temporary building electricity outlet.

At the same time we will poor the concrete for the ‘Petite Chartres’ labyrinth. 8.5 meters in diameter. Possibly together with the foundation for the Spirit house (facing North-West) and the Buddha at the east side of the labyrinth (facing East).

During this phase of the project also the electricity line needs to be made and after that the drilling for water.

# Step 2:

Install waste water treatment system.
Building Guest pyramid room A. This is the guest room that is the nearest to the main house. The intention is to build this as our temporary place to stay during the building process of the main house. It saves us costs of a hotel or rental we need during step 1. Maybe we will find a way to use the finished carport as a temporary shelter.  

Land scaping around Guest pyramid room A.

# Step 3:

Building the main house.  

Landscaping around the main house.

# Step 4:

Make partly the road on the land before the main house and guest pyramid room.

# Step 5:

Building Guest pyramid room B between the carport and room A.

Landscaping around Guest room B and finish the road on the land.  

So, as you can imagine… it will all take some time.

It is finished when it is finished. 


Frans Captijn

e-mail: pyramidhousethailand@gmail.com

Progress in designing

We made some progress in designing and hope the government (Obator) will accept our ideas beginning 2020.

In general:

All pyramids will be covered by classic (ceramic,) roof tiles on a steel construction. The roofs will get thick (10 and 7,5 cm) mineral wool isolation. Inside walls will be of so called ‘Metal stud’ and ‘Q-Con’ blocks. All doors 100 cm in width. The roofs will get at several places Velux roof windows. Most on the North side. Maybe the first in Thailand but we contacted Velux and it is possible to get them here including sun protection.

The top of all pyramid is of sun protected glass. For the main pyramid, looking up from the ground floor, it creates a square ‘window’ of 80 x 80 cm. For the smaller ones of about 50 x 50 cm.

These windows create daylight inside the pyramid, offer the possibility for ventilation and in the evening, with light coming from inside, shows the project from a distance.

As used in the countryside of Thailand we also will work with an have to install a wastewater treatment system with sceptic tanks.

Landplan idea:

I posted already this idea.

Guest rooms:

The floorplans of the separate pyramid guest rooms, size around 6.5 x 6.5 meter) were ready already about four weeks ago. Like it seems now one will be the mirrored concept of the other one.

They both have a sleep/living space and a bathroom with toilet, washstand and hot water shower.

The bed will be ‘queen size’. For a possible third person there is a bed (80 x 200) under the top roof. Accessible by a revolving stepladder. An idea I got studying in the eighties at the Fire Service College.  

They both have one aircon, two wall fans, mini-fridge, safe, and not to forget have a sunroof covered space to relax outside.

Main house:

The main house is a combination of one big pyramid (around 10,5 x 10,5 meters) connected with, on the first floor above the private car and bike park, a smaller pyramid (Private Buddha, yoga and meditation room) of around 6 x 6 meter. The house has three aircons.

The ground floor covers the main entrance, hallway, guest toilet, stairs to the first floors corridor and inside atrium and balcony, kitchen, living room, master bedroom with walk in closet and bathroom with toilet, washstand and hot water shower. The living room (at the South) has, covered by an isolated sunroof, a glass wall of about four meters including sliding doors to a terrace and faces rice fields and a provincial road (at about 700 meters).

The first floor covers a corridor with connection to the Buddha/yoga/meditation room, inside balcony and outside balcony (on the North) facing the pond, garden, labyrinth and guest rooms.   

Now we are working and have to work on:

# Façade views

# Cross sections

# Details

# Construction drawings concrete (foundation, columns, prestressed solid plank slabs, rebar, floors, concrete construction stabilizers.

# Construction drawings steel

# Construction drawing staircase

# Construction drawings wood.

# Metal stud and Q-Block design

# Water, electricity and sewage (wastewater system with sceptic tanks) drawings (no gas because country site Thailand is used to gas bottles).

# Main electricity line design (310 meters)

# Constructional and updated financial calculations

# etc..

So still a lot to do 😉. 

Frans Captijn

e-mail: pyramidhousethailand@gmail.com

Basic idea land plan

(Updated December 4, 2019/2562) 

Different designs passed already and now we are working at an idea, the eleventh in row, that fits us both well.
This evening we felt good by the floor plan of the main pyramid house. Second floor is on its way.
The two separate rooms (pyramids) for guests/visitors are in the second (deeper) stage of design and calculation.

Because the ideas of the outside structures of the buildings are born now, we were able to make a basic idea of the land plan. This plan suits in Thai building regulations in relation to distances of land borders / neighbors.

Find the idea: 

Frans Captijn

e-mail: pyramidhousethailand@gmail.com

Hay fever as possible buzzkill and feathers as a possible spiritual sign?

Since the age of 16 I am suffering of hay fever. I think I am one of the persons in the world that really checked out everything to diminish the effects. And yes, the best way is not to get in touch with, for me, dust and pollen.

In Thailand, so far, the effects are less bad than in The Netherlands. And although, because rice harvest time is coming, I am always a little bit prepared this time I forgot.

Without giving it attention in shorts I walked through the fields, a bit sweating because of the temperatures. Wind blowing…

Back in the car I got a sneeze attack and on my unprotected arms and legs itching red spots arrived. Not a good sign and immediately, but too late, I had to take my medicines.

On the way back to Chiang Mai I still had to sneeze because of hay fever because all the rice fields around were flourishing. Harvest time in Chiang Mai starts a bit later.

Last year’s December visit at the same place did not cause any problems. But… a warning. We have to find out more about this.

Walking on the lands tree times I found a feather.

It remembered me on a book, written by Jacky Newcomb, I got from my former secretary after I stopped my former job. Good spiritual signs?

Frans Captijn

e-mail: pyramidhousethailand@gmail.com

Water and electricity

The nearest connection to the Provincial Electricity Authority (PEA) is about 310 meters. To connect in this way with the network we need to cross the land of our neighbor and to have an official signed paper to cross his land. 

The other way is to follow the so far 'dirt-road' what takes a much longer way. 
Happy the neighbor already agreed to cross his land. 


So we visited the PEA to get information and advise. The PEA allows us to install that connection by our selves or to hire an external company to install it for us. After that they check and will connect to their network with the electric meter.

Also water is not available. At the residences where I live now it is the same. We get our water by a well. Several homeowners use a filter to also use it as drinking water. I am used only to use this water (as most parts in Thailand) for washing, flush the toilets, taking a shower, watering the garden or wash my car. Drinking water we use from bottles. 

So if we start to build at the place we found we also need to have a well, drilling the way showed on this picture. We got already contact with a company and discovered we are allowed to drill at the land and use water for free. We got an offer from them including a pump to complete our calculation already.

Frans Captijn

e-mail: 
pyramidhousethailand@gmail.com

   

Local authorities visit

Next step in the process is to investigate in advance about the building proces and regulations.

As an former architect and constructional engineer I want to develop the design myself but regulations in Thailand are at some points different as in The Netherlands. 

So we went to the so-called 'Obotor'. A kind of department of the City Hall for the area we possibly want to build. 
First of all to learn more about the specific building regulations and also how to 'translate' the drawings I want to make myself into Thai.

We discovered we can get permission to build on the land. We got the basic regulations and the Obotor (Building regulation department) offered us the opportunity to 'translate' the drawings. We got all the paperwork in Thai, so happy my girlfriend is a native citizen and can speak, write and read Thai fluently ;)

Frans Captijn

e-mail: pyramidhousethailand@gmail.com

More land pictures Pyramid house Thailand Villa-Asia

As promised: 

Frans Captijn

e-mail: pyramidhousethailand@gmail.com

Land visit and checks in Surin province

Monday October 14^th together with dog Kadhow my girlfriend and I went to visit her mom in Muang Surin (Surin city) in Surin province. Just to help a bit with redecorating her house and to have the chance to visit and feel some land again as written in my blog of September 2.

Surin is a province of a part of Thailand called ‘Isaan’. It is in the North-East part of the country close to the border of Cambodia. It is not a real touristic area. It is mostly flat country side and well known as the rice shed of Thailand, wonderful Thai Silk, and the Thai elephants (with its yearly so-called Elephant Roundup).

We visited some land plots and both discovered one of the plots feels very good. So we want to go on exploring more about possibly starting to build and live there in the future.

It is a plot of 9.372 m2 rice field land (about 52 x 180 m). My girlfriend’s dad, over ten years ago, heightened about 2.250 m2 of that plot for more than 1.5 meters with good soil. No rice production on that piece of the land. So to say after this long period it is ‘untouched soil’. Maybe it will give us the opportunity to build with concrete strip foundation.

This heightened land looks and feels as a kind of terrace above the lower rice field. A pond of about 400 m2 is part of this raised area.

About 100 meters away is a rubber tree plantation and a small forest. There are 5 cows as neighbors who have shade of a shed. The next neighbor is about 250 meters from the land and it is about 350 meters away from a provincial road.

Also Kadhow, the times we visited to check the measurements from the land paper, felt enthusiastic running around in the huge field.

Soon some (more) pictures.

Frans Captijn

e-mail: pyramidhousethailand@gmail.com

Visit to a concrete factory

This afternoon, together with another Dutch man who is living nearby and is also in a ‘building mood’, we visited a concrete firm. We had a nice chat and got some good ideas to work with concrete solid plank slabs for the floors. It worked out this will be a little bit more expensive (calculating only the material costs) but safes work and also weight.

An engineer and a staff member of public relations accompanied us during a guided walking tour to the production areas and stock storage.  

All together good ideas to bring into our project plans.

Frans Captijn

e-mail: pyramidhousethailand@gmail.com

First new hardware to start building

Yes, I know, maybe (I am sure) this is all very premature. Still… it feels great and gives me even more energy and fun.

Last week I started to buy some first hardware. Living in The Netherlands I had a lot of hardware to repair things that broke down in my house. Moving to Thailand I left everything to my son.

Being in the process, the journey, of developing our project, just out of fun, I started to build up my personal ‘hardware store’ again.

Good quality hardware is 50% of the job, my daughter told me and also my son encouraged me in his reply. Still a long way to go to get ‘in charge’.

Frans Captijn

e-mail: pyramidhousethailand@gmail.com

Back in time. Picked up my former profession again. Inspiring and super fun to do.

In my youth I have had many opportunities and many I picked up. One of them was my study as a constructional engineer. I passed for the degrees of constructor as well as architect. Until 1982 I worked for a company building a huge housing project in Noordwijkerhout (The Netherlands) and for Ballast Nedam in Saudi Arabia. After that I went to the Fire Service College and I worked for over 30 years in the (inter) national world of safety, crisis and disasters.

After more than 7 years in Thailand it started to ‘itch’ again. Fortunately, I have two right hands. I am grateful that I am still strong and healthy to this day.

I just wanted to build something again here in Thailand. A small private project that is certainly not common for Thailand. My two children reacted spontaneously and my girlfriend no less. So… I started.

It is actually very inspiring to see your mind suddenly starts to think in a different, former, direction again. And the experience that everything, really everything, is still stored in that mind and that it is not even a matter of blowing off the dust, surprised me the most. Structures, construction types, details, possibilities and impossibilities. They all come back in detail. The experiences from Saudi Arabia, especially in relation to the climate, are doing well here.

It actually all works a little bit addicting. Your mind keeps thinking and looking for, sometimes even very creative, solutions. By the way, absolutely not under any pressure. It is now a professional hobby and for my/our own use. Really super fun to do.

I still remember how during my studies my father sometimes in the middle of the night came to my room after he visited the bathroom. Light in my room was still on and he asked me if I still did not sleep. No, I was drawing.

Sometimes I suddenly got inspiration or an idea in relation to my graduation project and with the large drawing table in my room I worked that out that night. It gave me energy and after I finished, I could sleep. I now have those experiences and that feeling again.

And yes, that is the only thing I have encountered so far. Drawing with the Rotring pen on a so-called "Chalk” nowadays is almost impossible. And with more than 37 years out of this profession, I have to refresh my former drawing skills. Making drawings now on the computer with a so-called CAD program.

YouTube, where would we be without YouTube, offered and offers advice. And that too is a super fun experience. To learn by doing. And old-fashioned scratching a wrong line of your paper with a razor blade now is a piece of cake.

Sitting still? No, not for me. It is great to fresh up my old profession and to do something with it again in practice. This former study pays back double.

The prospect of start building myself and with my own hands in a while, and all the preparations for this right now, give a blissful energy and keep my mind creative and young.

Frans Captijn

e-mail: pyramidhousethailand@gmail.com

Visit to the lawyer

Yesterday we visited a Thai Lawyer.

Plans are all wonderful but as a foreigner it is good to first of all inform yourself good before you start with building and buying here in Thailand.

I think this Thailand really lives the slogan ‘Own people first’ and although many people have problems with that, I think the governments in Thailand made the right decisions with that. For a foreigner for instance it is not possible to own land or to have more than 49% of the shares of a business. You can buy everything but…

As I learned out of my religion and also from Buddhism nobody owns anything. You only can use things for a short (life) time. That’s nice but still…

We really had a nice chat and good information in how to deal together with a situation we both want to build a house and buy land.

I am allowed to build our own house but my girlfriend need to arrange a legal paper I am allowed to build a house on her land. So the land need to be on her name. She needs to agree me to live at and to use that land in a lease agreement for thirty years (with a possible extension). It is a kind of secure base for me to use that property and land together. And even if she dies, although within one year there need to be done some things, I can stay at that place. The only thing is she cannot use her land-paper for that lease period to get any loan on it (if she should want).

I need to change my last will as well to arrange how to arrange things if I pass away.

So, to begin three legal documents need to be made.

It was nice to have this chat with the lawyer together. He spoke in good English and many things (more than I mention in this blog) were clear and can be arranged.

Where I live now, I have the same construction. A thirty-year lease with a possible extension of thirty years and my own house. Yes, used to totally different rules and regulations in my home country it took some time to understand and to accept. But indeed, I will not live for ever 😉. So what can I actually really own? It is all temporary.

Frans Captijn

e-mail: pyramidhousethailand@gmail.com

New land opportunities

My girlfriend, when she was young, got from her parents a piece of land on her name.  

In rural Thai culture this is very common. It is a kind of life guaranty for a new born child. You can see as a guaranty for food (rice). Also her other family members have.

Most of the time this is farm land and to have the possibility to build on land this land needs to have a so called ‘Chanot’.

This is a so called ‘Land Title Deed’ issued by the specific Land Department that shows a person’s rights to land (ownership) and registered encumbrances. Foreigners are not allowed to own land and cannot be named as the owner of land in Thailand but they can be the holder of certain rights like lease, right of usufruct, habitation, etc., which can be registered in their name on the title deed.

The land of my girlfriend has this Chanot and there is a house on her land where her mother is living.

This land is not big enough to build the things we want and we do not want her mother to disturb living in the environment she already knows for the biggest part of her lifetime.

After visiting Ubon Ratchatani, her mother called my girlfriend to ask her why we actually want to buy land. As a surprise we discovered her parents arranged some other land with Chanot as well. More than big enough to realize our ideas. 

Somewhere the next months we will go and have a look and especially feel the energy.

In the mean time we go on developing, calculating and drawing.

Frans Captijn

e-mail: pyramidhousethailand@gmail.com