New safe house under renovation for girls in Udon

Yesterday, I went to the house to take pictures.    Our translator TG (Tao Gieo), took pictures and sent them to Ron's phone.  Ron will never find time to download them and forward them to my email, so I decided to take my own for the blog.  It was in the 90's yesterday (as it is every day).  There is one plastic lawn chair there so Ron and I took turns sharing it when we got tired of standing or walking around.   

I will describe the house first and then add the best pictures.  The house is 40 years old.   It has a metal (tin) roof, and it is in excellent condition with a leak in one area.   The neighbor says the house floods during the rainy season as it is low and flat.   With a concrete block wall all around, there is nowhere for the water to drain.   The neighbor has a tractor and other equipment, and he will work with Ron to create a drainage ditch around the property so they can direct the water from the house to a drainage area.   Ron sees some termite damage and it will be treated by a termite specialist.  The electrical system is very old and perhaps needs more voltage.   An electrician will be working to restore it to a safe condition.  

The house has tile floors in the entire main level.   It is not the color or the tile I would have chosen, but it is in good condition.   The wood stairwell and floors on the 2nd floor which will be bedrooms for the girls, are wooden and lacquered and in good condition.   The walls are concrete.   The windows have screens and wrought iron safety guards on all of the windows (even on some upstairs 2nd floor windows).

Under the eve of the house, the wood has rotted on the backside of the house.   It is being replaced and all of the exposed wood around the roof edge and the beans underneath the carport area will be painted.

The carpenter is already working on these things and some women are cleaning windows and areas that will be painted.  The entire house will be painted on the outside and inside.   

The kitchen needs shelving or cabinets above the sink and countertop to hold dishes and staple foods.

Some doors need to be replaced and one door facing in the kitchen has rotted and has to be rebuilt.    

Ron and TG have priced the various materials at home supply stores and compared for the best savings.  They are picking up supplies for the workers.   Large things will be delivered.  They have priced and will choose furniture for the living room, dining room, housemother's room and bunk beds for the girls' rooms.  A fridge, cooking burners, and many kitchen items will need to be purchased along with bedding and towels. There is a lot of expense in just the furnishing of a house that will be comfortable for 20 girls and a housemother.

TG is 36-years old, single and a strong Christian girl.    She knows our workers in Laos and the minister in Bangkok.   She has been working as an UBER driver, but she's devoted all of her time now to helping Ron with this house renovation.   She is an excellent driver.  Driving is on the left side here, but everyone drives slowly and courteously.  There are many motorbikes, but they don't even lock them when parking.  TG is very smart, and her English is better than average.  She and Ron use their phones with the translation app, and they do very well together.  She does not know construction materials and that takes time for Ron to explain what they need to price and purchase.  It is rather complicated to someone who has never dealt with these items.  She helps him with the banking and currency, setting up accounts at the stores to get discounts, etc.  Since we have not heard much English spoken here, certainly much less than in the other cities of Thailand, TG is greatly needed and appreciated.

I am not concerned about Ron with TG helping as she is very caring and takes good care of him.  She knows what to do.  She is communicating well with Ron to carry out the duties of supervising the work. She has expressed some interest in becoming the housemother for the girls and we are in favor of that.  With this possibility in mind, I think she is paying a lot of attention to the work and knows exactly what is needed in the house.   I believe she does an excellent job of whatever she chooses to do.

If anyone has questions, please send me an email to patbrown10@gmail.com.

Here are the main photos.   I will post more in upcoming blog posts.   It will be interesting to see how this house looks when completed.    I should have posted in reverse order as the front of the house is the last phone.    I think you can see what a spacious and good house this will be when painted and cleaned.

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