Third air-conditioning unit installed

Holidays in Chiang Mai are over and we are slowly getting back on track of our building activities and the further, by the local government asked, completion of the request for building permit of our main house in Surin. 

Today we got the third inverter air-conditioning unit at our place installed. 

Not easy for the firm to reach our place. Yesterday, after a huge tropical shower, we were in lockdown again because the dirt road to our site was only mud. The company had to turn around and tried, with success, to reach our side through less mud after one day no rain again.

Where we choose Panasonic for the TED's place (9.000 BTU) and first guest pyramid room (18.000 BTU) we made the choice for a Samsung Windfree Lite inverter system of 18.000 BTU for the second guest pyramid. 

This unit, for us, has the right conditions for now and also a good air clean filter system for our guests. 

For the main house we need two more systems but this will take around two years and we will look around what fits us best at that moment.

Frans Captijn

email:   pyramidhousethailand@gmail.com

Request for building permission so far not approved.

Today we went to the Or Bor Tor to deliver four sets of design and construction drawings to get permission to start to build our main house in November this year. 
Although the drawings themselves were OK and better than the local government building division most of the time received they cannot be approved so far the government official told us. 

We want to build in a Dutch / European way and Thailand is not used to that. Thai building designs (and even law) work with a structure of 20 x 20 cm concrete poles and beams to be filled up in between with most of the time a thin plastered wall. The maximum distance between the concrete poles (grid) is 4 meters. Our walls are 4, 6 and 12 meters (For the 6 and 12 meters walls with reinforcement but not well known in Thai building). 

We do not like this concrete poles in the private house and want to work with so called 'load-bearing walls' and a strip foundation (as we also did with the two pyramids). Reason why we do not use 'normal' quality wall blocks but an extra strong quality. 

The other thing is that our building will be 7 meters high were max 4 meters is allowed for private (without a Thai architect/constructional engineer) design.

So, we are some steps backwards in the process and have to make construction and weight calculations now first. I also have to copy my Dutch degree of being an architect and constructional engineer. We hope after this hick-up we will get permission. Not sure... step by step. In the mean time we go on finishing Guest Pyramid room two. 

Frans Captijn

email:   pyramidhousethailand@gmail.com

 

Design and construction drawings for our main house ready

Yesterday, after a bit more than five weeks work during our holidays in Mae Rim (Chiang Mai, Thailand) we succeeded to finish 23 A-3 pages of design, information and construction drawings for our main house. 

The Or Bor Tor (local building permission) asked us to deliver them in four sets together to start the process to get building permission. We got the sets today from the printshop. 

Our intention is to start building our main private house in November this year. I guess it will take between 2.5 and 3 years to finish this new part of our process building everything together. 

Not to get any problems with the Thai Immigration, advised by a Thai lawyer, we need to get the building permission on my name. I already got an official land lease agreement from the Landoffice and a so called 'yellow-book' as registration for our address. 

Second half of August we will go to the Tambon (sub-district) government hall to sign all kind of papers and deliver signed copies of my passport, the land paper and the yellow book and, off course, the four sets of drawings. From that moment it's waiting. 

Fingers crossed. 

Frans Captijn

email:   pyramidhousethailand@gmail.com

First drafts of our main house to give an idea

To give an idea of our main house, Western Style House Ban Na Sam, we are designing at the moment just two pictures of two draft drawings of many we are working on. Many things still can change.

The North side idea of the house:

The ground floor plan: 

The first floor above the entrance will be an open (but covered by a roof with glazed terra cotta tiles) meditation/yoga space looking over the garden labyrinth and the two created pyramids. Around the house will be a sun/rain covered veranda. Rain water will fall into surrounding U-diches around the pavement to make. Inside and outside kitchen facilities and sliding doors between the inside living space area and veranda on stilts. 

Frans Captijn

email:   pyramidhousethailand@gmail.com

Last developments before a short summer holiday

We changed our plans and decided, starting June 30th, to take a holiday at Mae Rim for a couple of weeks. During that time we will enjoy visiting several friends, take care of the house there and work on the drawings for the main house we want to build. Around 24 design and construction drawings we need to deliver to the Or Bor Tor. 

After being back we think we need about six weeks to finish the second pyramid and will start with the preparations of the main house to build. We hope we get permission from the local government to start in November this year. All together the building period will be around 2,5 years. 

Some pictures of the last developments of the second guest pyramid before we left. 

Frans Captijn

email:   pyramidhousethailand@gmail.com

Lots of progress to share.

In a relatively short period we could do a lot. 

This time on maintenance we had to cut 8 big trees. Picking up the electricity bill (under our electricity meter every 17th of the month) I discovered eight trees and many climbers surrounded the electricity lines to our site. So we cut these trees last Saturday. It took us around five hours to cut the branches (many of them more than four meters) and take the climbers off. Happy with my Dutch Altrex stepladder but still a tricky business working in trees so high and also in a temperature of 38 degrees C. 

The second thing we had to do was to clean our 'grease trap' of the kitchen sewage water supply. We do two times a year. Not a nice job but really necessary to keep the soak away field as 'clean' (and without to many problems working) as possible. 

The weather forecast is even not stable but in between the rainshowers (and only when we could use the road) we managed to buy several construction materials to finish the second guest pyramid. 

We managed to finish the outside ceiling. We also levelled the inside floor with a sand/cement mortar. The outside door is prepared and will be installed tomorrow. Phatsamon yesterday painted a special anti termite coating and today a first layer of gloss. 

We prepared our third sewage system with septic tank and soak away field. Again the soak away field pipes are surrounded by gravel and covered with a special fabric to diminish sand and soil to fill the perforated drain pipes. 

Today we asked our friend 'digging machine' to help us out and to level the soil around the second guest pyramid and prepare a sand-bed to install the pavement around. We started at nine and were just at five PM finished. Puppy dog Cupid had to stay on the leash during the day. Kadhow was in charge as first 'security officer'. Both did a great job. 

Happy only we had a few drops of rain so far. Time for a beer, some relaxation and a nice dinner. Tomorrow another day. 

Frans Captijn

email:   pyramidhousethailand@gmail.com

 

Second bathroom finished and basic design for the main house born

Last period we managed to finish the bathroom of the second guest pyramid room. Tiling and joint filling of the walls and floor are done. Sanitary ware, electric shower, hair dryer/shaver outlet, wall exhaust fan and towel rack installed. The ceiling with another 7,5 cm thick layer of rockwool Stay Cool isolation, mirrors and lights are in place. 

Because of a new law in Thailand soon people are not allowed anymore to take pictures of other people without permission. Security cams running need a warning sign. Because our place is watched by several security cameras we needed to place extra warning signs (CCTV) around our area so we did not to get problems with this new law.  

Still we have to deal with many rain showers and because of that temporary lock downs because we cannot use the dirt road after that for a while because of mud. 

Last week we bought two loads of new construction materials. Unfortunately we had to unload them at Phatsamon's mothers place because of an unexpected tropical rain shower and had to walk through the mud with our two dogs home. The next day the road, still very muddy, we could use again. We had to reload the truck to bring planks, pipes, thirty roles of isolation, a third septic tank and more to our place. This time we succeeded. 

In the mean time we have the basic design of the main house we want to build. It will take a long time to make all (around twenty) drawings ready for the orbortor (local government) to get building permission. If possible we want to start end of the year with building. This will take another two till three years of the process we are in. 

Like everywhere in the world prices are shocking rising. Nothing to do with a war as many people think but just clever thinking of companies to raise prices now after a low economy during a pandemic (my opinion only). We started already to, step by step, buy some things for the new house to build. A 10 group Siemens consumer unit for electricity and a boiler for instance doubled in many shops already in price. Happy to still have them for the 'old' price. 

Our friend Kingfisher uses the rooftop of the second guestroom daily as watchtower. Sometimes he/she leaves a mark 😀.

Frans Captijn

email:   pyramidhousethailand@gmail.com