A family intruder: A battle you can't win as a contractor.

There's a battle you may find difficult to win as a construction engineer, a contractor, or anyone working on a construction project, and that's the battle of relatives. There's nothing you can do; we all know that blood is thicker than water.

The moment a relative comes to give contrary advice to the client, start packing your things because you will soon leave. They always come with the angle of saving costs and rendering free services. Some of them will be available purposely because of an ulterior motive, while others will make themselves genuinely available.

At the end of the day, the client is always on the losing side. Anyone without professional experience cannot advise you rightly on any construction issues. Most of their concern is reducing costs; the structural stability, the durability of that project is not in their minds and concerns. When you're getting advice from a relative, younger brother, or father that does not even have any professional experience in that aspect, understand that they are leading you to your doom. Even though sometimes they have a clear mind and want to help, it's just not possible. Nobody gives what he or she does not have.




Imagine a brother that doesn't have any professional knowledge in the medical line advising you to sack the doctor treating you for years just because he considers the cost is too high or that you should leave the hospital and go home, that you will be treated better at home. We always know the results of some of these things.

Please, when you want to take advice from a relative, take it only when they have the prerequisite knowledge in that area and are professionals with track records.

"That I've supervised one work before does not guarantee them." If they don't study the particular course, don't take them for what they make themselves appear to be. The only thing they'll use to bamboozle you is that they want to help you reduce costs. Cost reduction is not the major thing in building construction. Remember, you are the one spending the money. If every error made by them comes to play, you will be on the receiving end.

One thing I'll advise any construction engineer or contractor to do is that when these wars rage against you, I mean the relatives, they know how to fine-tune all these things to their family member; they've been together for years, so they will know how to manipulate them well. Just give your last advice as a professional, withdraw from the work, and then drop a letter that you are not going to be held responsible for the job because 99% of it ends in premium tears, and the client is always the one to bear the loss.

Please, always get a letter that will back you up. Imagine what happened in Ikoyi years back; if the structural engineer does not have a backup of his withdrawal letter, what do you think would have happened to him or even his company?

Always have a letter you can refer back to as a reference.
©️ Copied

Let me share some experiences briefly; started a building project at finishes stage (the stage which the family members plan to chop plenty money from). They were shocked to see a company (our firm) handling that project. They proposed a bad offer which I turned down immediately; every since then it has always been one complain to another. There was a lot of exploitation from the carcass work; his brother almost finished his building, the sister got enough money to change her car, all out of the carcass. There was a time they complained to the project owner that the Pop ceiling is so thin to the point that it's transparent; they can see the roof through the Pop ceiling. A two month project took 12 months to complete.