Did I tell you we had a budget?
We're going back to talk about the final house design today and the first thing we found out was kind of inevitable.
The 'dream' designs we had put together ourselves crept over the desired budget, then kept on running a little bit further. Who could have imagined that?
From time to time I've watched those home improvement shows and shook my head as people blow their budget in super-quick time thinking, 'I'd manage it much better than that'. Well, we've barely even started and we're going over on the first (and biggest) expense.
From the sketches we sent the architect chose version one, which had much more outside living space. Since then we've had a little bit of back and forth, including our attempt to cut the budget by reducing outside sections. All this managed to do was make spaces a little awkward, and the changes little effect on the overall cost, so we went back to the architects first version 2 drawing.
It's pretty close to our drawing and we're really pleased. I never mentioned this last time, but the room sizes were based on our place in Bangkok, which we love and it just the right size for us. The house is a bit bigger, but the proportions are pretty consistent.
It feels kind of weird being able to say 'this is what we want our house to look like' and then, by some minor miracle, we are able to get it.
We have made a couple of changes to this. We've cut the living room space and added a storage cupboard - for some reason houses built in Thailand rarely have storage, so we put that right. The guest bedroom will also have access to the bathroom, as a number of people, after seeing these drawings, requested an en-suite. I fully expect them to visit once we can all travel the world again! Finally, eating will be outdoors. Planning to buy a 3m long wooden table as it's Thailand, and I expect we will eat often, and with lots of guests.
As long as people bring good food all are welcome!
There are still a lot of outside details to cover, especially at the eating space. Hot sun, heavy rain, and strong winds means it needs a bit of protection, and we think we've got a good solution that keeps it light and airy as well as keeping the more extreme elements at bay.
We're still waiting on the final approved drawings but below you'll get an idea of how the house will look. What do you think?
Above: Steps will move to close off eating space.
Above: Plan to build a little BBQ area off the back. We'll also screen this area off. It faces due west, so we'll have some nice sunsets while having dinner. (Horse not included)
Above: This is the back of the house, but the main entrance/car park. Just had a thought - we don't even need the door in the middle. Hmmm.
Above: on the right is the main bedroom, with a private balcony. Yep, so I can get some thinking space, and it will be perfect for watching sunrise in the morning with a coffee. Or should I be out working the land at that time?
So that's it. Building begins on January 14th. Just 9 days away.
These posts have been playing catch up but from now we will be pretty much in 'real time'.
Leave a comment, but any that start with 'you should have done ....' may not be welcome, especially if it's a good idea!
Budget, you ask. Yep, we've gone over budget on the build by about 15%, so not too bad really. I won't reveal the total cost yet, but we went for a prefab manufacturer to try and control costs, which have a tendency to escalate in Thailand. Let's see what happens.
Now we just need to find some water and electricity,
