Time for a break! A short holiday

After another around five months of working, learned from our last end of the year experience not to take a rest and get a 3 month unwanted break because of a herniated disc, we decided to take our regular two times a year short break again. 

Yesterday morning the last installed steel got an anti-rust primer. The steel that will be inside a professional Red Oxid coat. The steel staying at the outside a grey two component primer. 

Still a lot of steel we need to buy, cut and install. At the moment, no joke, our Kia Jumbo truck again for more than a week is at the workshop/garage for maintenance and as every year there need to be a lot of renewal of parts that cannot be repaired anymore. So, actually new unexpected costs.

Temperatures during the day 35 degrees Celcius. Hot to do cutting, grinding and welding. Not possible to puttying and/or paint the steel. You could not even touch the steel in the sun with bare hands.  

So I placed  a tarpaulin I several times changed from position to create some shadow. This time I have to do most of the work by myself because I do not want Phatsamon to work at this base roofconstruction while installing. Sometimes it's really a bit unstable before welding and I have to use clambs to hold.
The 'house' is swept and stepladders and scaffoldings stored. 

Early this morning we arrived, after a long night trip with the car, together with our three dogs to our holidays place in Chiang Mai to celebrate Christmas and Newyear with many friends. 

We thank you for folowing us and wish you a happy end of the year celebration and good and healthy 2567 / 2024. We will go on publishing about our activities because we have atleast another year to go (before we start our next process ;))

Frans & Phatsamon

email:   pyramidhousethailand@gmail.com

Frans & Phatsamon.  

Higher and higher and more and more steel

The floorbeams for the yoga/meditation space at the first floor of our house are in as well as the balconies welded. The first roofbeams also are placed so the shape of the 'middle-roof' starts to become visible. More and more steel we picked up with the truck but we have to wait for about ten days because the basic beams we need for the roof (actually the corners) are out of stock. 

The construction is getting higher and higher. 

Climatechange? The winter starts but still, during the day, we have to deal with temperatures of around 34 degrees C and higher. A lot of sweating though...

Frans Captijn

email:   pyramidhousethailand@gmail.com

Stepladders, scafolding and steel. Up to the 6 meter level.

Tomorrow the third load of steel already. We are going up to the six meter height level now. 

The first load I bought together with our 11 years young friend Kadhow. 

Starting our truck makes all our three dogs very excited. They look at each other who's turn it is to join. 

Every day on a row, one of them has his or her 'special' day. The meaning is, that day one of them can go with us at the scooter to join to the dinner at the village restaurant in the evening and join shopping if we have to make use of our truck. 

November 16 it was Kadhow's turn to join buying the first load of construction steel to cut, weld and install for the main house. On the picture he took the driver seat ;).

We managed to weld the base steel plate to the front 6 meter high steel columns to fix with the already installed four bolt-anchors for each pole. It was a hard job to get this heavy poles up (vertical) together but we succeeded and used the spirit level and laser to get them right in space. The first lightning protection is connected. 

After installing and connecting the floor frame for the yoga/meditation space at the first floor level, we put non-shrink grout around the floor plate and anchors after painting the steel with a special two component anti rust coating.

The meditation space floor frame we connected to the eight pre-installed wall anchors for the roof to weld. The pictures shows just after welding and before taking care of the joints (grinding and special coating). It's nice during the day many birds. close, come to take a look what we are doing (see picture). A couple of pigeons already started to make a nest. A bit too early ;). 

All the vertical steelwork we closed (welded a 4 mm steel lit) to protect of possible rain water to go in. Happy we did this because two nights ago, unexpectedly, we got a huge tropical rain shower again and, the next morning, I had to take hundreds of liters rainwater out of the house again. 

The column next to the veranda already got blockwork and the basic structure for the veranda balcony to weld. On top we poured a waterproof concrete hat with a small 'gutter' on the underside to protect rain water directly to connect with the tile work to put. Sad because of rain this one was damaged a bit in the night. 

The other column need to wait a couple of months because we need to install the outdoor stairs to the first floor balcony first. Priority now is to prepair the roof during the dry season. 

Going up higher now we make use of a scaffolding on wheels and several step-ladders. The last picture of this blog shows late afternoon's situation of today.

Things are still going smooth and the weather is wonderful now to build. Great to continue the steel structure for the roof.

Frans Captijn

email:   pyramidhousethailand@gmail.com

Steel roof 'foundation' details

Slowly we make progress with the 'foundation' of our steel roof construction to weld.

Slowly, this time, not because of the weather, that's actually good to work now and make progress. The slowlyness now is due to all kind of paperwork we have to arrange for our wedding. For that I also had to go a couple of days to Bangkok. Back on track again now. 

Several people who follow our blogs are interested in the construction details of our work. So this time a bit a more 'technical' blog. 

 

We needed to install a 19 cm high reinforced structure on top of the already 3 meter high walls. All to spread the weight of the ceramic rooftiles roof equaly over the load bearing walls finally to the foundation of the house. 

First thing we had to do was to glue another layer of 19 cm heigh blocks on top of the North side walls. Under this layer we brought in a double pack of 6 mm rebar.

On top of the East, South and West walls we glued another layer of around 10 cm G4 (load bearing) blocks. We managed to have enough blocks to do that but had to cut all these (20 x 15 cm thick) blocks in two pieces of around 10 x 15 cm. So, a lot of work (and dust) but happy not much left overs of this blocks. 

The East, South and West sides of the walls did not get this rebar at the place the North wall got. We placed this rebar on top of these 10 cm layer blocks. In the two back corners strengthened with double 10 mm rebar. 

As tried to explain in our last blog the centre frame of the steel roof structure will be fixed to the square middle structure (all North side) of the load bearing walls with steel hook anchors. We brought in 8, 40 cm long, M12 anchors. The hooks of all of them are anchored under the in rebar strings we brought into the wall. So also the walls are an anchor for the anchors. 

At the East, South and West side walls now we had a 9 cm (19 cm high minus 10 cm high wall block) to fill. All around this three walls first, vertical, we brought in 6 mm thick vertical 20 cm long anchors/pins into the under laying walls. All to be sure of great connection between the walls and the concrete layer to pour. 

At the top level we brought in a steel frame/beam (50 wide x 25 mm thick) and put this frame on (welded) 'feet' in a way the top level of the frame (by using our laser instrument) is spirit level. The rebar (double 6 mm and double 10 mm) we connected to this stands. 

We filled up with high and strong quality self made concrete so the frame, excluding the top level because we need that for welding) is also part of / connected and strengthening the concrete structure now.  

The 12.2 meters long backside (south) wall is devided in two parts. One of 8.10 meter and a part of 4.1 meter. At the 'expansion joint line' we brought in the special created steel expansion joint construction. The idea I got from the rail connections of my former Märklin train when I was young.

At the picture still covered against water of rain coming in. 

The fixed steel roof beams to install and weld, are fixed at the the centre steel construction. They can expand and contract (gliding construction) on rail on top of the side and back walls. 

A nylon strip to support gliding will be brought in between. A steel strip will be put 'free' around thiese beams and only fixed to the steel frame. All and only to keep the floating beams on place (sidewards and upwards). 

Frans Captijn

email:   pyramidhousethailand@gmail.com

Ready to start with the roof and first floor meditation space preparation

Yesterday we managed to finish the blockwork for the load bearing walls of the main house up till a height of 3 meters.

Next step is to do the preparations for the steel roof and first floor balcony structures. For that, on top of the 3 meters level blocks, I need to install a 19 cm high reinforced structucture in a way the walls can deal with the expanding and contracting of the steel (because of the weather / temperature conditions here) without being damaged. 

Around the first floor balcony the roof beams will be fixed (welded and anchored) on a steel framework that also will carry the balcony/meditation-space floor. 

The same roof beams will be 'floating' (sliding support) on the East, South and West outside walls. 

An ingenious system that will bring the roof weight and forces without problems for the walls to the foundation. On the other hand anchored in a way expansion and contracting is possible and stable enough to deal with storms. 

Some pictures of the progress of last two weeks. 

  

Frans Captijn

email:   pyramidhousethailand@gmail.com