Mae Sai Re-Model 04/25-27/2010

Well, the re-model project is going pretty mellow with only a few minor upsets for me.

With the bathroom all laid out they cut the existing tile on the upstairs floor. That made a mess all through the place as the tile saw threw tile dust everywhere.

They removed the old floor tile and laid a cinder block walls up to the height of the doors. Then they poured the first door in place.

When I say poured that is exactly what I mean. They built a frame around the door with some steel rod in it and poured cement down from the top of the door jam sides. This morning they took off the wood frame and spent most of today getting ready for the next door as well as getting ready to start putting on tile.

The kitchen cabinets are now ready for the concrete top to be poured. After that is done they will tile everything, the cabinets, the counter top and the walls.

Daeng and I moved one of the light fixtures were the bathroom wall is going to meet the ceiling. We will move the electric plug in the new bathroom area early in the morning so we can turn off the electric to the house.

Here the electric power is 230 volts so I need to be careful and not stick my tongue on the wires.

The electrical system in this part of the world uses "delta" transformers. What that means is one wire to neutral is 230 volts and the two power wires together are still 230 volts. With a "delta Y" transformer one wire to neutral is 115 volts and two power wires together are 230 volts. As far as ground wires, what are those? :(

We did put a ground rod in for the Internet wiring system. We have lots of thunder storms here so grounding the telephone lines is pretty important. I would think that grounding the electrical equipment would be just as important but no one, including the electrician seem to worry about it. It maybe because life is not valued here as much as were I was brought up.

My only wish on this re-model is that the men could work a little cleaner but TITwBT. This is a good example of what my boss, when I was about 18, would say: "If you go to a person's home and see how they live, that is probably how they will work."

One of the things that really pissed me off was they took one of the new stools we bought last week and stood on it to pour the concrete around the door. That part was okay but look at the way they left it!

We did have an ice cream sandwich in the afternoon. When I say sandwich that is exactly what it is, a piece of white bread with ice cream in it and the bread folded over. I think it is "Wonder Bread". I'm only kidding but it does taste like Wonder Bread, that white spongy kind.

I think tomorrow is going to be busy around here as the holes have to be made in the concrete ceiling, pipes run, new cesspool dug in garage/outside cooking area with concrete rings installed and sand around them. That is just the major stuff besides the other door put in place, block walls installed to ceiling of upstairs second floor and the concrete kitchen counter top poured.

Oh, the other thing that got me today was someone wrote on my sketch of the new kitchen.

Tomorrow will definitely be a "Picture Opportunity Day".