New pictures to show progress at the Udon Safe House

The renovation of the house for girls began a little over a month ago.  What a difference we see from the hard work of the workers.  They have worked seven days a week since they began.  Cleaning began first to prepare the outside carport and walls for painting.  Then a primer coat was put on after repairs were made to any rotten wood.    A second coat of paint gave a wonderful fresh look to the house. 

Then work began inside with a primer coat downstairs and then a 2nd coat and trim work 

Although the pictures make walls appear to be pink, it is the lighting that changed the actual beige color to look pink.  The floor tile in the house mother's bedroom is a rose color and in the living room, it is more of a brown and beige design. 

  

This is the detail trim work being completed in the living room.

The wrought iron bars were left off of these windows in the upstairs foyer to serve as an alternate fire escape in the event the stairway is blocked.    The tin roof across this area is over the kitchen and not very steep, nor it is far from the ground at one side.     Girls could easily climb out the windows and get to the backyard.   TG will put a fire escape ladder on that side if the tin roof is hot from a fire in the kitchen.  Smoke alarms will be installed and there will be fire drills to train the girls what to do in case of a fire.  They will be taught how to use fire extinguishers too.  Most fires begin in the kitchen so I'm sure there will be fire extinguishers there. 

Now the upstairs bedrooms for girls have had the 2nd coat applied.    

Tiles floors will be thoroughly cleaned soon  

A sink has to be added to the house mother's bathroom.  There is a faucet but there is no sink. 

The drain for the sink will have to be connected to the shower drain which is nearby.   

 The drainage ditch has been dug and concrete poured in the bottom of this french drain.  The grille work is being placed now.  Ron is pleased that they got the pitch close to being perfect and it is coming along so well.  

It was very hard work to dig this by hand, but we have a very hard-working man that can do almost any kind of work.   He completed all of the outside painting, installed the drop ceiling in the kitchen and did many other repairs.  

Another worker has removed the drainage pipe on the other side of the house which was broken in places and completely stopped up.  It was not put in at an angle for water to drain properly so it had to be removed and replaced.  There is a drain at the end of the wall near the street for both sides to drain into.  This system should eliminate the risk of the house flooding when the rainy season arrives. It will take a couple more weeks to complete the drains.  

Today, the electrician began rewiring the house   The government still has not run the 3-phase line to this area, but the electrician thinks it will be done soon and then he can tie the new wiring into the system.  He predicts his work will take two weeks.  

By early January, the furnishings for the entire house will be purchased and delivered.  When everything is in place, we will leave the condo and move to the house.  

The inside of the house should be in very good shape by the end of January.   

The concrete block wall around the property is black streaked from weathering.    I think they plan to paint the wall grey.  Most walls around property are white, but they begin to look dirty and streaked in a very short time.  I would probably paint it black to match the trim on the house if it was my choice.    

Work will still need to be done on the lawn to prepare for landscaping and gardens.   Ron plans to have raised beds for various sections of vegetables to be grown in the back yard.  The land is rough with many holes in the backyard so it will need to be cleaned, leveled and topsoil brought in.   This work will probably take a month to complete.   

As progress continues, I will keep my readers well-informed about what is happening in Udon Thani, Thailand and the new girls' safe house.   The other houses on this street have not been maintained very well.  This safe house is going to be very clean and neat.  It will be a wonderful home for some very poor girls who have never had the luxury of living in a nice house.  I hope they will be welcomed by the neighbors and our work will be respected in this city.   

TG has put her heart into the renovation of this house and taking care of Ron and me.  We are so very thankful for her kind heart and ability to take charge of this house as if it was her own property.   If she accepts the job of the house mother, I think she will enjoy living here with pride in the way the property is turning out to be so lovely.