The Anatomy of Ladda’s House

 

Ladda standing in the middle of what would
soon be her house. Wood frames the outline of 
house and the concrete bases for the posts
are already installed.

Among the several building projects we were involved in with the Pwo Hostel was building a small house for Ladda. Ladda played a critical role in administering the hostel program and in dealing with the students. So she needed to be readily available throughout the day and evening but also needed to have her own life. So it was decided to build a house for her next door to the hostel building.

Yong Yut was selected as the builder and he went to work. Even in the 1980s, American builders and carpenters would have been highly dependent on electric or gasoline powered tools. But in Mae Sariang, almost everything was done by hand. Digging, drilling, trimming, shaping, nailing, measuring, etc., it was all done by hand. About the only power tool I remember being used throughout our time in Thailand was electric planers. Even the legal lumber from sawmills was “rough sawn” and had to be planed if a smooth surface was desired. So the whine of electric planers was often heard when there was a building project in the area.

Trees were cut down, brought to the house site, then
squared up mainly using hatchets.

Ladda’s house was to be a pole style building. So several trees were cut and brought to the building site. The round trees were squared mainly using hatchets. Once squared and cut to length, the required notches were cut so the floor and roof joists and supports could be installed. The posts were then lifted up and placed onto the concrete basis that had been previously installed. The posts were then made vertically straight and temporarily braced.

Meanwhile, the lumber for the floor and roof supports were brought in and cut to length and attached to the recently erected posts. Floor joists and roof supports were then fully installed. Additional lumber was then brought in to form a base for the walls and frames for door, windows, etc.

After cutting notches for various supports, the
wooden posts were put on the concrete bases that
had been previously installed.

Many houses would be built with permanent, wooden walls. In the case of Ladda’s house however, it was decided to install walls made of woven, split bamboo. The bamboo walls were much less expensive, but would only last for a few years before small bugs would burrow into the bamboo, eat their fill and turn the walls to dust. The hope was that eventually, the budget would allow for wooden walls, but the bamboo would have to suffice for the short term.

To make the split bamboo for the walls, bamboo about 6 inches in diameter would be cut to the desired length, then split into. The “nodes” in the bamboo (the ring like joints that separate bamboo into sections) w

Frames for doors and windows are up as well
as braces for the walls.

ould then be removed. Next, the half round piece of bamboo would be split into vertical sections so it would lay flat. Yong Yut’s bamboo weavers then would take the flat pieces of bamboo and weave them into the desired pattern. It made for a nice looking wall!

Thailand is tropical so there is no insulation put in houses and therefore, no interior walls. Electrical wiring was minimal, attaching the needed wires along posts and roof supports as needed to support a few light bulbs and an outlet or two. Ceilings were optional but desired as they would help limit the heat generated by the hot, metal roof. With the constrained budget, I don’t think we were able to provide a ceiling for Ladda.

The bamboo has been flattened and is being
woven into the walls.

So, once the walls were installed and wiring done, it was time for Ladda to move in. The house was complete though it would be improved as time went on.

Ladda standing on the porch of her new house.