The world is full of interesting people — but extraordinary people are few and far between!
I recently met and befriended one of those extraordinary people through my workplace, and she’s got quite a story behind her.
![Sipaphay in front of her extreme dream home Sipaphay_in_front_of_her_home_in_Pakse_Laos.jpg](https://homebuilding.thefuntimesguide.com/files/Sipaphay_in_front_of_her_home_in_Pakse_Laos-thumb.jpg)
Hard times, courage, determination, patience, and dreams are some of the elements that have made Sipaphay the person that she is today.
She’s also the extremely proud owner of a very nice home in her native country of Laos. But that hasn’t always been the case…
Sipaphay (pronounced Si-puh-pie) is from the southern portion of Laos (land-locked between China, Vietnam, Thailand, Myanmar, and Cambodia).
Her dream of becoming a naturalized United States citizen is about to become a reality within a month or two. She moved to the U.S. back in 1979, with a sponsor’s support — after living in a camp in Thailand for many years as a refugee from the Vietnam war.
Laos is a poor nation and many of the Lao people pretty much fend for themselves without much in the way of government aid. People struggle to get by… but they do get by with much, much less than we Americans do.
(Hint: hover your cursor over the photos for a brief description and left-click to enlarge)
![traditional thatched roof in Pakse, Laos traditional_thatched_roof.jpg](https://homebuilding.thefuntimesguide.com/files/traditional_thatched_roof-thumb.jpg)
![Here's another example of a traditional home in Laos another_traditional_style_home.jpg](https://homebuilding.thefuntimesguide.com/files/another_traditional_style_home-thumb.jpg)
![Sipaphay standing in front of a house on stilts house_on_stilts.jpg](https://homebuilding.thefuntimesguide.com/files/house_on_stilts-thumb.jpg)
![You can stay in a traditional style home while staying in Pakse, Laos Pakse_Laos_hotel_room.jpg](https://homebuilding.thefuntimesguide.com/files/Pakse_Laos_hotel_room-thumb.jpg)
![Here's another "hotel room" in Pakse another_Pakse_Laos_hotel_room.jpg](https://homebuilding.thefuntimesguide.com/files/another_Pakse_Laos_hotel_room-thumb.jpg)
She currently owns a home in Pakse, Laos about 2 miles from the Mekong River as well as living in a home here in Marietta, Georgia. She (and her husband) send home whatever money they can afford to family members on a monthly basis to keep the house up and help with expenses.
She has told me a few extraordinary things about the way that she and her fellow countrymen live in Laos including how she used to live before she was able to afford to build a new home for her family in Pakse from her earnings here in the U.S.
![Sipaphay standing on the stairs of her former tree house Sipaphays_former_home-a_tree_house.jpg](https://homebuilding.thefuntimesguide.com/files/Sipaphays_former_home-a_tree_house-thumb.jpg)
Basically, she lived in a tree house built from scratch like many Laotian citizens do. That is extreme — but that’s the way many homes are built in that part of the country for privacy and to fend off unwanted creatures of the night. It’s a pretty nifty way to avoid floodwaters, too.
Apparently, living in a treehouse isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. (Fun for spending the night with the kids, but not on a regular basis.) Because Sipaphay’s dream of owning a [regular] home on the ground was a dream that she made a reality with the help of her husband and family — and what a house it is!
The photos I’m including here came straight out of her photo album. I feel honored and privileged to have been allowed to see them and share this with all of you, with her consent.
![Sipaphay working in her backyard Sipaphay_working_in_the_backyard.jpg](https://homebuilding.thefuntimesguide.com/files/Sipaphay_working_in_the_backyard-thumb.jpg)
![This is a photo of her home soon after completion early_photo_of_Sipaphays_new_home.jpg](https://homebuilding.thefuntimesguide.com/files/early_photo_of_Sipaphays_new_home-thumb.jpg)
Sipaphay started out by purchasing approximately 15 acres and fencing in about an acre for the yard.
They farm the land out back growing leafy greens, etc. and sell them on the open farmer’s market in town.
They have sold a few acres on both sides of the house and now have some neighbors — but they have built a nice, tall wall around the inner property. They have also installed a magnificent wrought iron fence in front painted in black and gold.
![An extraordinarily beautiful gate Beautiful_wrought_iron_front_gate.jpg](https://homebuilding.thefuntimesguide.com/files/Beautiful_wrought_iron_front_gate-thumb.jpg)
![Sipaphay watering her plants Sipaphay_waters_her_plants.jpg](https://homebuilding.thefuntimesguide.com/files/Sipaphay_waters_her_plants-thumb.jpg)
![Beautiful doors and windows adorn Sipaphay's entry to her home Sipaphay_on_her_front_porch.jpg](https://homebuilding.thefuntimesguide.com/files/Sipaphay_on_her_front_porch-thumb.jpg)
The house itself seems to be under constant modification to suit their needs — which is what a lot of homeowners do.
Here are a few of the outstanding features:
- 4 bedrooms
- 2 interior bathrooms with dual shower stalls
- 1 exterior bathroom (for workers or whatever)
- kitchen with 5 wood-fueled ‘burners’ lined up side-by-side
- several outdoor porches with mosquito netting
- 500-gallon water tank (perched atop a water tower) supplied by an on-site water well
- large carport
![It's nice to have dual showers dual_showers_in_the_bathroom.jpg](https://homebuilding.thefuntimesguide.com/files/dual_showers_in_the_bathroom-thumb.jpg)
![wood-fueled burners are used to cook on wood_fueled_burners.jpg](https://homebuilding.thefuntimesguide.com/files/wood_fueled_burners-thumb.jpg)
![Sipaphay and family prepare a meal Sipaphay_and_family.jpg](https://homebuilding.thefuntimesguide.com/files/Sipaphay_and_family-thumb.jpg)
![The water tower holds 500 gallons pumped from a well rear_of_the_house_and_the_water_tower.jpg](https://homebuilding.thefuntimesguide.com/files/rear_of_the_house_and_the_water_tower-thumb.jpg)
![Sipaphay's husband atop the water tower Sipaphays_husband_atop_the_water_tower.jpg](https://homebuilding.thefuntimesguide.com/files/Sipaphays_husband_atop_the_water_tower-thumb.jpg)
The water tower (seen in the photo above) is supplied by an on-site water well.
There are a few more rooms used for various purposes.
As you can see, it is a 2-story home with fantastic views of the countryside, and they have very high ceilings. I think the ceilings being high may keep the heat away from the occupants.
The home took approximately 1 year to build and the labor cost her $1 per day. That is NOT a misprint! Sipaphay mentioned that labor has now increased to $2 per day since the house was constructed back in 1998.
The approximate total, thus far, is $40,000 — including labor. Her brother-in-law was the general contractor on the original project.
![Farming the land for food and profit farming_the_land.jpg](https://homebuilding.thefuntimesguide.com/files/farming_the_land-thumb.jpg)
![Sipaphay ready for a ride into town Ready_for_a_ride_into_town.jpg](https://homebuilding.thefuntimesguide.com/files/Ready_for_a_ride_into_town-thumb.jpg)
![Scooters are kept indoors to avoid being stolen Sipaphay_on_a_scooter_in_dining_room.jpg](https://homebuilding.thefuntimesguide.com/files/Sipaphay_on_a_scooter_in_dining_room-thumb.jpg)
![It's nice to have a customized van to ride around in Sipaphay_rides_in_style_in_her_customized_mini-van.jpg](https://homebuilding.thefuntimesguide.com/files/Sipaphay_rides_in_style_in_her_customized_mini-van-thumb.jpg)
There are exactly 75 windows in the house. (She ought to know!) There is air conditioning in only one room in the entire house — her bedroom, but there are ceiling fans throughout.
The windows and doors are my favorite features of her house. The electricity for this home runs around $10 per month, but it runs closer to $14 per month when Sipaphay stays there. (A/C in the bedroom… Hey, she’s got her priorities in order!)
They are connected to the outside world with cell phones (no land lines), and they’ve installed a satellite dish.
![Sipaphay retiring for evening retiring_for_the_evening.jpg](https://homebuilding.thefuntimesguide.com/files/retiring_for_the_evening-thumb.jpg)
![Sipaphay and her niece ready for a shopping trip Sipaphay_and_her_beautiful_niece_under_the_carport.jpg](https://homebuilding.thefuntimesguide.com/files/Sipaphay_and_her_beautiful_niece_under_the_carport-thumb.jpg)
She is proud of all of her hard-earned possessions, but she is especially proud of her antique table and antique sofa.
She has many handmade chairs that line the walls for family gatherings — but they all (customarily) sit on the floor. I especially like the BIG chair. It’s a hoot!
![Sipaphay relaxing on her chair beautiful_furniture.jpg](https://homebuilding.thefuntimesguide.com/files/beautiful_furniture-thumb.jpg)
She has a couple of cars in the driveway — but when she wants to get around town, it’s fun to take a taxi. An elephant taxi, that is! At $1 per mile, that’s a lot of fun to be had.
Sipaphay mentioned that the only problem with taking an elephant taxi is that sometimes they like to stop and take a snack break — finding their favorite leaves to munch on. ‘You have to sit and wait.’ she says.
![Take an elephant taxi for fun elephant_taxi.jpg](https://homebuilding.thefuntimesguide.com/files/elephant_taxi-thumb.jpg)
![Notice the bridge in the background needing repair elephant_taxi-ride.jpg](https://homebuilding.thefuntimesguide.com/files/elephant_taxi-ride-thumb.jpg)
I’m glad that Sipaphay and I have met because it has opened my eyes to a much different world from what I live in.
Sipaphay mentioned to me that she “never forgets where she came from!”
Forget the house for a minute…
If you met Sipaphay you would be very impressed about her consistently upbeat personality and cheerfulness. She has much to be thankful for. Who can blame her???
Life is good.
I started as a home-stalker… visiting brand new homes under construction in the neighborhoods near my house. That inspired me to write about home building and home renovation projects — chronicling homes during different phases of construction from a consumer's point-of-view. Basically, the tips you'll find in my articles are a collection of checklists for what I think should (and should not) go into building or remodeling a quality home.