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[Naam]

WarpSpeed, on 2012-01-14 00:14:56, said:

Deke, on 2011-10-30 22:11:36, said:

As a point of reference, a lot of the old housing authority single family homes that were built around Bangkok in the 1970's have walls made of concrete "cinder" blocks without columns.  They also used wooden piles with a concrete pile cap for the foundation.  Most of those that received any kind of routine maintenance are still around and very much habitable today.  These are typically two storey, three bedroom homes.

Built 150 MPH hurricane proof housing for decades back in Florida with no columns just concrete cinder blocks, albeit double the thickness of the local blocks but there you have it, it would be easy enough to double them and leave an air gap for insulation, wiring, plumbing and circulation though the cost will double you'll have a much better built, cooler house then anything else around.

There is a relatively new style of brick (I can never remember the name of)  that even has a press you can purchase to make your own on site and the are cupped and dished to interlock and much thicker then local blocks, it's certain you can use these without columns as they are very dense and thick..

how hurricane proof where the matchstick roof trusses, the plywood and the shingles?

[Kwasaki]

WarpSpeed, on 2012-01-14 00:14:56, said:

Deke, on 2011-10-30 22:11:36, said:

As a point of reference, a lot of the old housing authority single family homes that were built around Bangkok in the 1970's have walls made of concrete "cinder" blocks without columns.  They also used wooden piles with a concrete pile cap for the foundation.  Most of those that received any kind of routine maintenance are still around and very much habitable today.  These are typically two storey, three bedroom homes.

Built 150 MPH hurricane proof housing for decades back in Florida with no columns just concrete cinder blocks, albeit double the thickness of the local blocks but there you have it, it would be easy enough to double them and leave an air gap for insulation, wiring, plumbing and circulation though the cost will double you'll have a much better built, cooler house then anything else around.

There is a relatively new style of brick (I can never remember the name of)  that even has a press you can purchase to make your own on site and the are cupped and dished to interlock and much thicker then local blocks, it's certain you can use these without columns as they are very dense and thick..

Yes but whatever you use what does a roof rest upon.

[Kwasaki]

sezze, on 2012-01-14 06:04:11, said:

There is nothing wrong with working with columns . In fact , everywhere around the world , yes also in Europe , industrial buildings are build with columns . There is less need for a solid foundation with columns , as only the columns need the solid foundation . I do not believe anybody saves 1 satang when not using columns as they are not expensive . They are also quite easy to work with  , fill in the spaces in the middle as you want , because non load bearing . Another thing , and this is told to me in the past when i build my house . When putting on the columns , you can put on the roof allready , so the workers afterwards are not working in full sun or rain . Plenty of advantages working with columns and i do not see disadvantages at all ( strong , cheap , easy to build with ) .

+1

[WarpSpeed]

Naam, on 2012-01-14 09:58:35, said:

WarpSpeed, on 2012-01-14 00:14:56, said:

Deke, on 2011-10-30 22:11:36, said:

As a point of reference, a lot of the old housing authority single family homes that were built around Bangkok in the 1970's have walls made of concrete "cinder" blocks without columns.  They also used wooden piles with a concrete pile cap for the foundation.  Most of those that received any kind of routine maintenance are still around and very much habitable today.  These are typically two storey, three bedroom homes.

Built 150 MPH hurricane proof housing for decades back in Florida with no columns just concrete cinder blocks, albeit double the thickness of the local blocks but there you have it, it would be easy enough to double them and leave an air gap for insulation, wiring, plumbing and circulation though the cost will double you'll have a much better built, cooler house then anything else around.

There is a relatively new style of brick (I can never remember the name of)  that even has a press you can purchase to make your own on site and the are cupped and dished to interlock and much thicker then local blocks, it's certain you can use these without columns as they are very dense and thick..

how hurricane proof where the matchstick roof trusses, the plywood and the shingles?

Is he asking about those or is he asking about the walls and foundation? But in spite of being off topic for a fact it has EVERYTHING to do with the design of those as well and there are many designs and materials that hold up equally well.. Simple really, take a page from automobile aerodynamics what makes them hold together and keeps it on the ground? Apply that logic and you can realize designs that work..

What usually makes roofs fail is not their design but upkeep such as termites in the attic trusses etc. one small weak point in the wrong place can be exploited, especially at those wind speeds.

JFYI anyone who thinks that the current house/s they live in here won't come tumbling down on top of them in the slightest tremor is foolish and naive beyond all belief as the roof trusses here are barely welded together, the tiles even less so mostly with thin, non-rust proofed tye wire and the walls between the columns will crumble like those proverbial matchsticks even if the columns stay in place and they weigh a whole lot more. ....

Edited by WarpSpeed, 2012-01-14 13:07:19.

[WarpSpeed]

Kwasaki, on 2012-01-14 10:07:32, said:

WarpSpeed, on 2012-01-14 00:14:56, said:

Deke, on 2011-10-30 22:11:36, said:

As a point of reference, a lot of the old housing authority single family homes that were built around Bangkok in the 1970's have walls made of concrete "cinder" blocks without columns.  They also used wooden piles with a concrete pile cap for the foundation.  Most of those that received any kind of routine maintenance are still around and very much habitable today.  These are typically two storey, three bedroom homes.

Built 150 MPH hurricane proof housing for decades back in Florida with no columns just concrete cinder blocks, albeit double the thickness of the local blocks but there you have it, it would be easy enough to double them and leave an air gap for insulation, wiring, plumbing and circulation though the cost will double you'll have a much better built, cooler house then anything else around.

There is a relatively new style of brick (I can never remember the name of)  that even has a press you can purchase to make your own on site and the are cupped and dished to interlock and much thicker then local blocks, it's certain you can use these without columns as they are very dense and thick..

Yes but whatever you use what does a roof rest upon.

Trusses and walls? Your statement evades me ? There are thousands of homes in Florida that have stood through decades of massive storms and are still standing..

[Kwasaki]

WarpSpeed, on 2012-01-14 13:01:32, said:

Kwasaki, on 2012-01-14 10:07:32, said:

WarpSpeed, on 2012-01-14 00:14:56, said:

Deke, on 2011-10-30 22:11:36, said:

As a point of reference, a lot of the old housing authority single family homes that were built around Bangkok in the 1970's have walls made of concrete "cinder" blocks without columns.  They also used wooden piles with a concrete pile cap for the foundation.  Most of those that received any kind of routine maintenance are still around and very much habitable today.  These are typically two storey, three bedroom homes.

Built 150 MPH hurricane proof housing for decades back in Florida with no columns just concrete cinder blocks, albeit double the thickness of the local blocks but there you have it, it would be easy enough to double them and leave an air gap for insulation, wiring, plumbing and circulation though the cost will double you'll have a much better built, cooler house then anything else around.

There is a relatively new style of brick (I can never remember the name of)  that even has a press you can purchase to make your own on site and the are cupped and dished to interlock and much thicker then local blocks, it's certain you can use these without columns as they are very dense and thick..

Yes but whatever you use what does a roof rest upon.

Trusses and walls? Your statement evades me ? There are thousands of homes in Florida that have stood through decades of massive storms and are still standing..

I was just pointing out you wouldn't or shouldn't put roof trusses dirrectly on top of blockwork walls.
On top of the walls there is alway a beam, which acts the same as a column whether it's in timber or other material, beam tied to wall, trusses tied to beam.
Sitting a concrete padstone on top of a blockwork column for the truss to sit on is an alternative.
Quite right what you said before " simple really ".

Edited by Kwasaki, 2012-01-14 15:42:59.

[Naam]

WarpSpeed, on 2012-01-14 12:57:00, said:

Is he asking about those or is he asking about the walls and foundation? But in spite of being off topic for a fact it has EVERYTHING to do with the design of those as well and there are many designs and materials that hold up equally well.. Simple really, take a page from automobile aerodynamics what makes them hold together and keeps it on the ground? Apply that logic and you can realize designs that work..

What usually makes roofs fail is not their design but upkeep such as termites in the attic trusses etc. one small weak point in the wrong place can be exploited, especially at those wind speeds.

JFYI anyone who thinks that the current house/s they live in here won't come tumbling down on top of them in the slightest tremor is foolish and naive beyond all belief as the roof trusses here are barely welded together, the tiles even less so mostly with thin, non-rust proofed tye wire and the walls between the columns will crumble like those proverbial matchsticks even if the columns stay in place and they weigh a whole lot more. ....

i was clarly referring to "hurricane proof". having lived in Florida from 1989 till 2004, built four homes, saw what a few hurricanes (among them "Andrew") caused, nobody needs to lecture me on how foundations and walls make a home "hurricane proof".

hurricanes or tornadoes give a sh*t about foundations and walls. the weakest point of most american homes is the utmost flimsy roof structure as well as the roof itself (plywood and asphalt shingles)   and no diversion such as "[here in Thailand]... barely welded together... wires rusting... walls crumbling" changes that fact. by the way, wires are superflous if the local concrete roof tiles are correctly overlapping.

the same applies to "hurricane anchors" which all Florida building departments adopted after "Andrew". even an infinite number of these anchors will not prevent a category 4 or 5 to blow any matchstick roof off the best engineered walls. period!

[sezze]

Naam, on 2012-01-14 15:52:23, said:

WarpSpeed, on 2012-01-14 12:57:00, said:

Is he asking about those or is he asking about the walls and foundation? But in spite of being off topic for a fact it has EVERYTHING to do with the design of those as well and there are many designs and materials that hold up equally well.. Simple really, take a page from automobile aerodynamics what makes them hold together and keeps it on the ground? Apply that logic and you can realize designs that work..

What usually makes roofs fail is not their design but upkeep such as termites in the attic trusses etc. one small weak point in the wrong place can be exploited, especially at those wind speeds.

JFYI anyone who thinks that the current house/s they live in here won't come tumbling down on top of them in the slightest tremor is foolish and naive beyond all belief as the roof trusses here are barely welded together, the tiles even less so mostly with thin, non-rust proofed tye wire and the walls between the columns will crumble like those proverbial matchsticks even if the columns stay in place and they weigh a whole lot more. ....

i was clarly referring to "hurricane proof". having lived in Florida from 1989 till 2004, built four homes, saw what a few hurricanes (among them "Andrew") caused, nobody needs to lecture me on how foundations and walls make a home "hurricane proof".

hurricanes or tornadoes give a sh*t about foundations and walls. the weakest point of most american homes is the utmost flimsy roof structure as well as the roof itself (plywood and asphalt shingles)   and no diversion such as "[here in Thailand]... barely welded together... wires rusting... walls crumbling" changes that fact. by the way, wires are superflous if the local concrete roof tiles are correctly overlapping.

the same applies to "hurricane anchors" which all Florida building departments adopted after "Andrew". even an infinite number of these anchors will not prevent a category 4 or 5 to blow any matchstick roof off the best engineered walls. period!

I agree , many roof systems in Thailand have nice steel framework but extremely bad welding . On top they put mighty heavy tiled roofs , which are not good for Thai climate IMHO and are just to heavy in general . That's why i stick with steel sheet ( like colorbond ) roof systems as they are thermally better , and do not have any weight to speak off .

[WarpSpeed]

Kwasaki, on 2012-01-14 15:35:51, said:

WarpSpeed, on 2012-01-14 13:01:32, said:

Kwasaki, on 2012-01-14 10:07:32, said:

WarpSpeed, on 2012-01-14 00:14:56, said:

Built 150 MPH hurricane proof housing for decades back in Florida with no columns just concrete cinder blocks, albeit double the thickness of the local blocks but there you have it, it would be easy enough to double them and leave an air gap for insulation, wiring, plumbing and circulation though the cost will double you'll have a much better built, cooler house then anything else around.

There is a relatively new style of brick (I can never remember the name of)  that even has a press you can purchase to make your own on site and the are cupped and dished to interlock and much thicker then local blocks, it's certain you can use these without columns as they are very dense and thick..

Yes but whatever you use what does a roof rest upon.

Trusses and walls? Your statement evades me ? There are thousands of homes in Florida that have stood through decades of massive storms and are still standing..

I was just pointing out you wouldn't or shouldn't put roof trusses dirrectly on top of blockwork walls.
On top of the walls there is alway a beam, which acts the same as a column whether it's in timber or other material, beam tied to wall, trusses tied to beam.
Sitting a concrete padstone on top of a blockwork column for the truss to sit on is an alternative.
Quite right what you said before " simple really ".

Yes of course there is a "beam" on top of the block wall but as I understand it he's not referring to THAT type of beam, I read it that he's referring to vertical columns yes?

[WarpSpeed]

Naam, on 2012-01-14 15:52:23, said:

WarpSpeed, on 2012-01-14 12:57:00, said:

Is he asking about those or is he asking about the walls and foundation? But in spite of being off topic for a fact it has EVERYTHING to do with the design of those as well and there are many designs and materials that hold up equally well.. Simple really, take a page from automobile aerodynamics what makes them hold together and keeps it on the ground? Apply that logic and you can realize designs that work..

What usually makes roofs fail is not their design but upkeep such as termites in the attic trusses etc. one small weak point in the wrong place can be exploited, especially at those wind speeds.

JFYI anyone who thinks that the current house/s they live in here won't come tumbling down on top of them in the slightest tremor is foolish and naive beyond all belief as the roof trusses here are barely welded together, the tiles even less so mostly with thin, non-rust proofed tye wire and the walls between the columns will crumble like those proverbial matchsticks even if the columns stay in place and they weigh a whole lot more. ....

i was clarly referring to "hurricane proof". having lived in Florida from 1989 till 2004, built four homes, saw what a few hurricanes (among them "Andrew") caused, nobody needs to lecture me on how foundations and walls make a home "hurricane proof".

hurricanes or tornadoes give a sh*t about foundations and walls. the weakest point of most american homes is the utmost flimsy roof structure as well as the roof itself (plywood and asphalt shingles)   and no diversion such as "[here in Thailand]... barely welded together... wires rusting... walls crumbling" changes that fact. by the way, wires are superflous if the local concrete roof tiles are correctly overlapping.

the same applies to "hurricane anchors" which all Florida building departments adopted after "Andrew". even an infinite number of these anchors will not prevent a category 4 or 5 to blow any matchstick roof off the best engineered walls. period!

Wow! Apparently you do need a lecture as you're clearly sorely misinformed on Florida building codes (having said that it's important to realize that I am a Florida native of 45 years, with a Florida building contractors license not a transient temporary resident) a lot of illinformed generalizations made in your post about mulitple building codes that span mulitple County and city jurisdictions.. Hurricane "proof" was stated at the limitation of 150MPH was it or was it not? And applied to new building structures as it has for decades now not the extreme of a tornado spawned by a hurricane in which winds often exceed 250Mph for which the only real protection is hiding underground.. Furthermore that is taken on the context of a new construction and why your mentioning a code that was enacted IN ONLY CERTAIN districts (in many others it was already law)  post a storm that was almost 20 years ago is beyond me? Completely irrelevant to the discussion of todays codes and building standards..

What you fail to understand is some codes just as in many California codes are expressly written to require lighter building materials to prevent serious injury just like crush zones on a car for instance. In Ca for example when I was in high school over 30 years ago in San Diego they were building a new school and it was all manufactured of lighter materials designed to flex and move and not to crush (victims) if the school collapsed (within reason) where as the 100 year old school they tore down was actually made of much stronger, heavier, inflexible materials I.E. stone, brick and cement that took 20 hits with a 2 ton wrecking ball to crack the paint and came down in massive chunks of death had that been a quake..

The reason I took note of this was because it was a study project I made for myself as I was studying architectural drafting and design at the time with eyes on a future in that field and decided this was a rare hands on learning opportunity and made an A++ report on it..

The roofs you see or saw torn off in Florida were both improperly fixed on some buildings or it wasn't required at the time or in the given district by code and some where corners were cut but, as stated, also many that were in disrepair and knowing which ones failed to do those issues is debatable but certainly unknown with certainty so unremarkable in todays topic and your across the board generalizations.

Plywood and asphalt shingles indeed........ Further proof of very limited knowledge of Florida construction on your part and the purpose of those as well..

In EVERY locale in order for houses to be affordable to the masses instead of a privileged minuscule few some compromises have to be made in their construction otherwise if they're all fortresses no one could afford to own one except maybe Bill Gates ...

[Kwasaki]

WarpSpeed, on 2012-01-16 13:40:47, said:

Kwasaki, on 2012-01-14 15:35:51, said:

WarpSpeed, on 2012-01-14 13:01:32, said:

Trusses and walls? Your statement evades me ? There are thousands of homes in Florida that have stood through decades of massive storms and are still standing..

I was just pointing out you wouldn't or shouldn't put roof trusses dirrectly on top of blockwork walls.
On top of the walls there is alway a beam, which acts the same as a column whether it's in timber or other material, beam tied to wall, trusses tied to beam.
Sitting a concrete padstone on top of a blockwork column for the truss to sit on is an alternative.
Quite right what you said before " simple really ".

Yes of course there is a "beam" on top of the block wall but as I understand it he's not referring to THAT type of beam, I read it that he's referring to vertical columns yes?

Yes but the original OP was asking about using superblock and even in that kind of installation, sometimes columns are required, whether they are in brick, blocks, rein-concrete or steel there is always a question of the way a building is tied within the construction, also opinions went the way of costs etc.
You can build a house out of mud & straw if you want, woosah.

Edited by Kwasaki, 2012-01-16 14:39:32.

[Naam]

Quote

Plywood and asphalt shingles indeed........ Further proof of very limited knowledge of Florida construction on your part and the purpose of those as well.

your yada yada diversion is futile WarpSpeed. are you denying the fact that 99% of Florida homes are roofed using plywood and asphalt shingles nailed to a wooden roof structure consisting mainly of "two by fours"?

come down from your technical cloud nine or i'll slap the "gravity defying toilet flush water" from another thread in your face. you have to realise and admit that once in a while you overshoot the target and if challenged you try to cover up with paragraphs of nothing but yakety-yak interpunctuated with your "centuries of experience". the latter is no substitute for using simple laws of applied physics and basic knowledge of building materials.

Edited by Naam, 2012-01-16 15:42:34.

[WarpSpeed]

Kwasaki, on 2012-01-16 14:29:43, said:

WarpSpeed, on 2012-01-16 13:40:47, said:

Kwasaki, on 2012-01-14 15:35:51, said:

WarpSpeed, on 2012-01-14 13:01:32, said:

Trusses and walls? Your statement evades me ? There are thousands of homes in Florida that have stood through decades of massive storms and are still standing..

I was just pointing out you wouldn't or shouldn't put roof trusses dirrectly on top of blockwork walls.
On top of the walls there is alway a beam, which acts the same as a column whether it's in timber or other material, beam tied to wall, trusses tied to beam.
Sitting a concrete padstone on top of a blockwork column for the truss to sit on is an alternative.
Quite right what you said before " simple really ".

Yes of course there is a "beam" on top of the block wall but as I understand it he's not referring to THAT type of beam, I read it that he's referring to vertical columns yes?

Yes but the original OP was asking about using superblock and even in that kind of installation, sometimes columns are required, whether they are in brick, blocks, rein-concrete or steel there is always a question of the way a building is tied within the construction, also opinions went the way of costs etc.
You can build a house out of mud & straw if you want, woosah.

No one argued that point, my original post you responded to was about concrete cinder blocks as wall structures not super block at all..Different process and animal which requires no vertical pillars or columns only a topping beam which is not either of those as it's horizontal and in most cases not even visible in the roof crawl space...

Super block is glued and cinder blocks are cemented together with a much larger joint which provides the needed support along with overlapping seams..

[WarpSpeed]

Naam, on 2012-01-16 15:41:52, said:

Quote

Plywood and asphalt shingles indeed........ Further proof of very limited knowledge of Florida construction on your part and the purpose of those as well.

your yada yada diversion is futile WarpSpeed. are you denying the fact that 99% of Florida homes are roofed using plywood and asphalt shingles nailed to a wooden roof structure consisting mainly of "two by fours"?

come down from your technical cloud nine or i'll slap the "gravity defying toilet flush water" from another thread in your face. you have to realise and admit that once in a while you overshoot the target and if challenged you try to cover up with paragraphs of nothing but yakety-yak interpunctuated with your "centuries of experience". the latter is no substitute for using simple laws of applied physics and basic knowledge of building materials.

To you it's futile because it's based on too much knowledge for you to form a cogent counter point and JFYI off topic anyways..

Your wrong on the toilet topic too just too poorly informed and hardheaded to understand it.. You just think your right but in reality your being obtuse and don't even know it.. Like now I just got tired of arguing with the equivalent of a concrete wall (hold up really well against 150 mph winds I might add) and have to let you think you're right in order to continue on with the topic at large... For future reference, just because someone leaves you to argue your point to yourself doesn't mean you're correct...

Edited by WarpSpeed, 2012-01-16 22:20:44.

[sirineou]

in Florida where I build a house a few years ago, cement block with out columns is used most of the time.  as the block goes up reed bar is placed inside of some of the cement block  cavities and what in essence is a small column is poured inside the vertically aligned cement block cavities. The inside of the wall is finished with metal or wood furring strips attached to the block wall , and drywall, attached to the furring strips . The space between the furring strips and the block wall is used to run the electrical and plumbing utilities and to install insulation.
I dont see why the same can not be done here.

[Kwasaki]

sirineou, on 2012-01-16 22:45:09, said:

in Florida where I build a house a few years ago, cement block with out columns is used most of the time.  as the block goes up reed bar is placed inside of some of the cement block  cavities and what in essence is a small column is poured inside the vertically aligned cement block cavities. The inside of the wall is finished with metal or wood furring strips attached to the block wall , and drywall, attached to the furring strips . The space between the furring strips and the block wall is used to run the electrical and plumbing utilities and to install insulation.
I dont see why the same can not be done here.

You could do it here if you could get the same blocks that are used in Florida, or use double tied Thai concrete blocks interlapped at corners and wall junctions.

Columns are just a way of making a building even stronger.
As I said before " You can build a house out of mud & straw if you want ".

Edited by Kwasaki, 2012-01-17 12:39:05.

[crazykopite]

Super block is a great material and is available in Thailand ,however when using this product there is a special mixture that you buy in the bucket to replace the traditional cement/mortor ,on saying that I have seen thai builders using cement and that does worry me. Most homes in Thailand are built on concrete columns for severel reasons Flooding and Ventilation are what comes to mind . I see no reason  once you have your foundations and floor in place why you can not complete the project in super block I for one would only use the block on the inner wall ensuring that the outer walls have been well skimmed with waterproof rendering it is great for cutting , a great insulater and an electricians dream as it is so easy to channel through. the other advantage is that with breeze block you can only build up 5 courses at a time but with super bloc you can go as high as you want it is very quick drying providing you use the correct bonding.

[crazykopite]

Thai builders are excellent at building columns and floors of all shapes what they are not good at is removing all the wooden frames to build those supports . through out your build ensure that all these wooden supports are removed by your workers and taken off site. The reason why I say this is that when my property was built due to the location it involved 3 meter deep cellars and as one does not often go into the cellar the workers just left all the wooden shutters on the floors or still on the concrete joists , within a few months the amount of termite that was attracted to all this useless wood came at a great expense and took many moths to eradicate You need to ensure that you tell your foreman that all woods used for supports/shutters need to be removed. It was an expensive lesson so please take note.

[jinjinswing]

Superblock is not new and there are many brand names around the world, in Australia "hebel" is a trade name for an areated block that is light weight and strong, popular with the owner builder in the 80s as simple brick laying skill would allow them to build there own house, there glued together.
One of the main reasons why you would want to use them is that they dont radiate heat, there light to lift, the downside was there cost, i have noticed while doing google search that a smilar product is available in Thailand, if affordable then you should look at it closley.
They didnt take off in AU but i notced in the late 90s that a "superblock" sheet panel was avalibale, some of the up market builders used it, they were around 100mm think and may have come in sizes something like 2.4m by 600mm but dont quote me on that,  they would be best used as cladding on second story as to keep it light weight, these sheets were screwed onto exsisting timber studs and i assum glued to each other as well, all "hebel" walls were rendered.
Since those days Foam has really taken off as a cladding especialy for second story , light, cheap, easy to install and they give you a great insulation rating, i used it on my second story wall cladding again the walls are rendered.
If your looking for alternatives look around for Foam cladding, if you cant find any in building suppliers try the motor industry, they use them for cool van/tuck bodies, cool rooms in supermarkets etc, often with  sheetmetal faces, in AU we can get raw or already primed with reinfore mesh the second will save you on rendering costs as the base coat and mesh  is already done.

[jinjinswing]

ps....."hebel" built homes in AU did not require posts for suport, one of the companys selling pont was that the material was structural, they could supply "lintels" of various sizes that could be easily shortened for window and door openings, we had a rep come out to show us what it was all about for a project we were planning at the time, as i said earlier the costs didnt add up for us.

[thaibeachlovers]

BuckarooBanzai, on 2011-10-29 00:35:17, said:

Was curious about what you were talking about - for the rest of you without a clue look here http://www.superblockusa.com/

Looks pretty interesting but where would you get it in Thailand?

Don't know if it's the same thing, but years ago they were advertising something similar on Pattaya tv. Might not have caught on, as haven't seen any ads in recent years.

[sirineou]

The Op was " Why Use Concrete Columns to Build a house" an interesting question, and one that I am sure is in a lot of peoples minds. In an other reply  I mentioned how , we build houses in Florida, an climate similar to Thailand but different in labor availability, and cost, and Material availability and cost.
I say, when in Rome do as  the Romans do, no reason to re-invent the wheel, Thai people have being building with columns for a long time,the labor force is comfortable working with them, and the material and systems are easily , readily,and inexpensively available . Can you build differently? Sure, but would it be cheaper, and better? I am not sure.
One also has to consider,that at some point, you might have to sell the house, How easy would it be to sell a house that the local market is not comfortable with? I am a construction professional currently working on the erection of the tallest hotel in New York City , and intimately familiar with many different types of construction,As soon as my involvement in this project is finished, about July, I will be returning to Thailand and starting the construction of our new Home, and even though I have considered many different options,  I will be building with concrete columns, filled in with super block, for exterior walls, and will use red brick for some interior walls, and metal studs and drywall for some other interior walls, .

Edited by sirineou, 2012-03-04 22:08:39.