Second floor beam scaffolding
Project: Amoon on the Mekong
Posted By Alec on December 4, 2011
Having poured the ground floor beams and columns, we are now busy preparing the scaffolding that will support the shuttering for the second floor beams.
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Ground floor beams
Project: Amoon on the Mekong
Posted By Alec on November 30, 2011
We recently poured the concrete for the ground floor beams and are have prepared the shuttering, ready for the columns to be poured later today.
Main house construction underway
Project: Amoon on the Mekong
Posted By Alec on November 26, 2011
After a very long delay on this project due to weather, things are finally once again moving along at scheduled pace. The rainy season this year lasted a lot longer than normal and the effect it had on this project was significant. The heavy rain made it impossible for the pile driver to move around on the site and complete all of the piles. Frustratingly, we had only been waiting for a break in the rain for four clear days so that the ground would be firm enough for the pile driver to drive the remaining small number of piles, but alas for many weeks it was not to be. Finally, however, at the end of last month the rains stopped, at least in this region and we were underway again. Since then, we have excavated the pile heads, pried the concrete footings that sit on top of the piles also the columns that join these footings to the ground floor beams. We have also prepared all of the steel work for the ground floor beams and completed all shuttering, in preparation for the concrete pour that will be happening today.
Garage frame complete main house structural framework begins
Project: Amoon on the Mekong
Posted By Alec on September 10, 2011
We have completed the basic concrete frame for the garage and are soon to begin adding the steel roof frame structure.
We have been somewhat at the mercy of the weather, and pile driving has been on hold for a number of days. Fortunately, with such a big project, there a a lot of jobs that can be done in parallel to the pile driving, so ultimately our schedule should not be adversely affected. Currently, we are preparing the hug he number of steel reinforcement cages that are required for the footings, columns and beams. We are also fortunate that the site is so large and we are not short of space to store these cages. One potential issue of stop piling these components is the oxidation (rust) that can occur if they are exposed to the elements for prolonged periods. The steel re-bar has already been sprayed with light oil once on leaving the foundry. However, through handling from foundry to stock holder to site, and then then cutting and forming it into the cages, some of this oil has inevitably worn off, exposing it to the risk of rusting. To prevent this, once complete, the cages are sprayed with light oil.
Another task on this site was to reposition the main access point into the site. First we had to obtain the necessary permission from the local government department, as there is a government owned strip of land between the plot and the road. Once approved, we installed the necessary drain pipe, as required, and have built up the new road way. We shall allow this to settle for several months before applying the finished road surface, using the existing access in the mean time.
Pile driving continues – Garage construction commences.
Project: Amoon on the Mekong
Posted By Alec on September 2, 2011
After a delay due to extremely heavy rain and bad weather, pile driving has now recommenced and is going very well. In fact, despite the delay, we are still on target to complete all pile driving on schedule. There are many issues that can be encountered during pile driving, from hitting impenetrable ground and fractured piles, to simply slow progress due to ground conditions. However, in this case, we have not encountered any such issues.
While pile driving is underway on the main house on the elevated section of land, we have also been busy constructing the separate garage unit on the lower lying land. We have already constructed footings and grade beam and are now preparing the reinforcement structure ready to pour the concrete floor. As the floor will be taking a relatively high load, we are not using pre-cast slabs, but have back filled with sand and will be casting a heavily reinforced slab in place. In casting directly onto sand, it is important to ensure that the underlying layer is adequately compacted. If not compacted this layer of floor support may settle over time and ‘sink away’ from beneath the floor. This may then lead to cracks and other structural weaknesses in the floor slab. With the garage, we used a mechanical compactor on the supporting sand to minimize problems in the future.
Pile Driving
Project: Amoon on the Mekong
Posted By Alec on August 22, 2011
We have begun pile driving, amongst other things, and this video shows the process of adding single pile. We are using 15 meter piles, driven to a depth of 16 meters. You will see in the video that once the pile is driven as far as it can go, and extension is added and it driven the additional meter to be at the correct depth. We will later excavate around the pile head in order to cast the concrete pile head mounting that will transfer the load from the columns and beams of the structure onto the piles.
Site preparation for an exciting new project
Project: Amoon on the Mekong
Posted By Alec on August 8, 2011
After a long period of design, development and refinement, we are now set to begin construction of this spectacular luxury home and guesthouse in Sangkhom. Over the past week we have been preparing the site by clearing the land, building a temporary camp and materials store, and also ensuring good road access to the site. The main building structure is to be situated on top of the 3 meter high raised section of land you can see in the pictures below. The actual structure will sit on top of a large number of piles, driven 15m into the ground below. You can see in the pictures below that we have marked the position of all of the piles. Piling is scheduled to begin on 16th August but in the mean time we have to prepare a temporary earthwork ramp up to the raised area of land to give access to the large piling crane that will be used. It will take approximately 2 weeks to add in all of the piles, though piling work will stop for 19th August when the official Buddhist ceremony will be held at which time the first two columns of the house will be erected.
“Amoon on the Mekong” – Luxury guest house design
Project: Amoon on the Mekong
Posted By Alec on May 22, 2011
I have not blogged about this project before, however it is one that we have been working on for over a year, now. I enjoy all of our design and construction projects, but this one has been particularly thrilling to have been a part of so far. ”Amoon on the Mekong” will be a luxury guest house in an idyllic setting amongst 13 Rai (5 Acres) of mature trees on the banks of the Mekong River, backed by the rolling hills of Sangkhom and enjoying wonderful views across the river to Laos.
When we were first approached, the design project was well underway. Our client had already been working with an architect in Australia for a number of years developing an architectural concept. This concept has remained largely unchanged, so I can not take credit for all of the architectural design, however we have worked with the client to make tweaks and alterations to achieve a final design. We also carried out all of the necessary structural analysis, electrical and plumbing engineering work to produce all of the necessary construction drawings and documentation.
We are still working with the client to look at additional potential refinements to the final design. The construction phase of the project is due for completion before December 2012.
- 5 Bedroom Laos Home
- Amoon on the Mekong
- Baan Sanploen
- Ban Lao – 4 Bedroom Home
- Fao Rai – 2 Bedroom Home
- General
- Haad Kham – 3 Bedroom Home
- Isara Bottle Boat
- Korean Barbecue Restaurant
- Laos Condominium
- LiveInn Nong Khai
- Modern 2 Bedroom 2 Storey Home (Thip Thani)
- Modern Office Renovation
- Modern Style 2 Bedroom 1 Storey Home (Nong Kom Ko)
- Nong Wua So – 3 Bedroom Home
- Other Projects
- Phen – 3 Bedroom home No.1
- Phen – 3 Bedroom Home No.2
- Thip Thani – 4 Bedroom Home
- Thip Thani Project 2
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