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