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