This is how to build a Khmer house during COVID-19

nemo · Post by **nemo** » Wed Dec 16, 2020 9:29 pm

One of the best threads ever.

jaynewcastle · Post by **jaynewcastle** » Wed Dec 16, 2020 10:07 pm

Always like these threads, but this is unusual

Whats the reason for not building with new materials ? is it a lot cheaper to buy old houses & re-use the salvageable timber ?

Its got me puzzled

Bitte_Kein_Lexus · Post by **Bitte_Kein_Lexus** » Thu Dec 17, 2020 1:40 pm

jaynewcastle wrote:Always like these threads, but this is unusual

Whats the reason for not building with new materials ? is it a lot cheaper to buy old houses & re-use the salvageable timber ?

Its got me puzzled

Refurbished wood is quite nice, and it can often be salvaged/sanded and so on.any old houses also used timber that's no longer available or prohibitively expensive. Plus, the design of many of these houses allows for easy natural ventilation. Brick and mortar buildings absorb a ton of heat. The only thing I never found great was the roofs. I always felt the eaves were too short/narrow.

Kammekor · Post by **Kammekor** » Thu Dec 17, 2020 3:50 pm

Bitte_Kein_Lexus wrote: ↑Thu Dec 17, 2020 1:40 pm
jaynewcastle wrote:Always like these threads, but this is unusual

Whats the reason for not building with new materials ? is it a lot cheaper to buy old houses & re-use the salvageable timber ?

Its got me puzzled
Refurbished wood is quite nice, and it can often be salvaged/sanded and so on.any old houses also used timber that's no longer available or prohibitively expensive. Plus, the design of many of these houses allows for easy natural ventilation. Brick and mortar buildings absorb a ton of heat. The only thing I never found great was the roofs. I always felt the eaves were too short/narrow.

Currently wood is crazy expensive and the quality is generally mediocre to poor.

I am building a wooden house on concrete stilts in the Northeast. Illegal village wood sells for 900.000r per M3, but it's illegal of course. The quality is decent to good, and the wood has been dried. You have to know where to look though to find it. These are no signs 'wood for sale' when you drive past.
Wood from the 'legal' depot starts at 370 USD per M3 at the moment, you have to dry it yourself before using. It's the price for shorter pieces. Pieces longer than 6-7 meter sell for 570 USD per M3 at the moment.

The guys building my house are from Kampong Cham. They think I am the cheapest Charley around complaining about the wood prices, the same wood selling for 370 USD in the Northeatst goes for 650 USD per M3 in Kampong Cham. The problem is stock to flow. Stock is nearly depleted. Deforestation has been massive and hardly any tree has been replaced after harvesting. Real good old tropical hard wood is difficult to find these days, so I can understand the choice for second hand wood.

jaynewcastle · Post by **jaynewcastle** » Thu Dec 17, 2020 9:00 pm

Thank you for the replies, didn't cross my mind that new wood would be expensive

peacock777 · Post by **peacock777** » Mon Jan 04, 2021 12:09 pm

jaynewcastle wrote: ↑Wed Dec 16, 2020 10:07 pm Always like these threads, but this is unusual

Whats the reason for not building with new materials ? is it a lot cheaper to buy old houses & re-use the salvageable timber ?

Its got me puzzled

good question. For one, new wood logs are not always legally available, and secondly, high quality wood in general was a great deal more available in the past comparing to now as now much younger trees are being cut down to be made use of before their time. One of the old houses I bought had small wooden window frames that easily weighed 50kg per piece, very rare nowadays.

peacock777 · Post by **peacock777** » Mon Jan 04, 2021 12:35 pm

December update.

Now that 1st floor tiles were done

Since I had columns of better sizes and shapes from latter houses, I decided to use those from the very first house to make a columned wall instead

It came out rather nice, old and nice

Kitchen area in process

By now viewed from neighbour's land

Cleaning of the garden started

and a slated path created

Installed one AC for the 2nd bedroom just in case weather isn't cool all year round

Had a wardrobe built in the master bedroom

Interior walls panelled for the bedrooms

Kitchen nearly done, this I would say is a bit western standard with Khmer characteristics

Looking quite okay now

However, meanwhile not without occasional mischiefs such as yesterday my delivery fellow drove my steel pipes into the Mekong and his tuktuk was announced beyond repair. I did feel sorry.

The whole project is hoped to complete by middle January.

phuketrichard · Post by **phuketrichard** » Mon Jan 04, 2021 1:19 pm

looks great>>
where will u park the car?

AndyKK · Post by **AndyKK** » Tue Jan 05, 2021 1:34 am

phuketrichard wrote: ↑Mon Jan 04, 2021 1:19 pm looks great>>
where will u park the car?

Not in the same parking lot has the delivery driver one would hope, house looks good, keep those photos coming.

peacock777 · Post by **peacock777** » Fri Jan 15, 2021 6:48 pm

Final update, project completed.

Master and second bedrooms:

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