Typical house construction - little clay bricks

[JimmyGreaves]

i am having a house built using 9 inch blocks for the whole house they are great for keeping the house cool

How do you know this Percy? Are they solid blocks bought locally in HH?

[PeteC]

i am having a house built using 9 inch blocks for the whole house they are great for keeping the house cool

How do you know this Percy? Are they solid blocks bought locally in HH?

Percy's post was way back in July so if he doesn't surface to reply, I think I know what he's talking about but no direct experience. I see them advertised in the Pattaya Mail newspaper here, as well as houses built from them. I want to say they are German made and imported but not sure. They do advertise that they keep the house well insulated. If I see an add in an upcoming issue, I'll post the details or BC you if the Mods prefer. Pete

[JimmyGreaves]

Thanks for that Peter

[Burger]

In Hua Hin you can buy the 'thermalite' blocks, white in colour and have much better thermal and strength qualities than red bricks and 'breeze' blocks (so I'm told, maybe one of the experts can confirm ??)
Not cheap obviously and only seem to be used in higher end priced properties.

Burger

[JimmyGreaves]

There is a big house going up near Tippawan on 2 rai (Foundations only at the mo) but the chinese guy who is building (He's an engineer btw) is going to use dense bricks the same size as available in the uk. He's says he will do a cavity wall with insulation and wall ties (Not 100% about the insulation or wall ties as communication was a bit strained). Never seen the type of bricks before around HH but he had about 50 there. Gonna keep my eye on his build.

[Jaime]

In Hua Hin you can buy the 'thermalite' blocks, white in colour and have much better thermal and strength qualities than red bricks and 'breeze' blocks (so I'm told, maybe one of the experts can confirm ??)
Not cheap obviously and only seem to be used in higher end priced properties.

Burger

Thermalite blocks are insulating blocks and there are many different versions in their range, for use in different situations. I doubt if they will keep your house cool by themselves but if combined with insulation in the roof they will likely make your air con run more efficiently.

Very unlikely that they will have a higher crushing strength than dense concrete 'breeze' blocks though - unless the breeze blocks are of very low quality. Generally and put very simply, the stronger the block the poorer its insulating properties are.

To give people an idea of how soft a Thermalite block is, you can carve the lower density (high insulation) blocks easily with a butter knife.

Details here:

http://www.thermalite.com/

[STEVE G]

Hi Jaime, I just read this on the Thermalite site that you kindly provided, what is the “U-valueâ€

[Jaime]

In Thailand 'U' value would be described as 'k' value.

The U value is a measurement of heat loss described in terms of W/M2K or heat energy lost (in Watts) per metre square of area considered across an internal/external temperature difference of 1 degree centigrade.

The lower the figure, the better the insulating properties of the product or of the combined construction of a number of products.

[STEVE G]

Thank you for the information, Jaime.

[fremdulo]

Anybody know if you can get structural insulated panels anywhere nearby?

[NikkiSixx]

Thermalites are also a darn sight lighter to carry aswell(three or four at once!)
I've just built a cottage in the UK out of them!

[Limey711]

Jamie, do me a favour mate and get a life.

[Big Boy]

Limey711 wrote:

Jamie, do me a favour mate and get a life.

I assume you're referring to Jaime's comments on this thread. I'm sorry, but I know Jaime often does a great job of winding us up from time to time (it keeps things interesting), I just can't see what he's said to wind you up. Not knowing much about the building trade, what he has said looks very helpful to me.

[Jaime]

Thanks for the vote of confidence BB and as you say, no wind ups in this thread!

I don't know, there's nowt queer as folk, eh?

[deepee]

One risk with heavy air-con use in the humid tropics is the formation of a "dew point" within linings,walls and cavities.
This can lead to fungal growth,decay of materials,corrosion of fastners and termite intrusion into often unseen or unaccesable areas.
What I'm suggesting is that if you build in the tropics, it may be prudent to consider this possibility and allow for adequate venting in suspect areas.
Common thermal foil insulation can aggrivate this problem.Be aware that breathable foils are now available.
Too many good homes are constructed into "sealed tombs" due to the use of non-breathable materials nowdays. Finishings such as paints being some of the worst offenders.Just check around,many substitute breathable products are simple and cheap e.g lime washes.