Welcome to Nairaland.

So you're a prospective homeowner? You're researching builders, materials, etc

Nairaland is a trough of good information but you need to be able to sort the chaff from the wheat.

There are many builders on Nairaland, many are extraordinarily good and in fact in my opinion constructs buildings equal and in certain cases better than in the USA (the most common benchmark). Unfortunately, as in real life, there are builders that continuously misses the mark, and some on a consistent and predictable basis. I can cut straight to the chase and name at least two builders, but the fun is for the serious prospective builder to have skin in the game and do his own research.

So how do you know who to hire and who to pick race comot from?

1) Spend a lot of time reading the properties section. I specifically wrote read because at this time you don't need to post, but please register. The number one reason why fraud continues to perpetuate is that clients are not doing the necessary background work which includes proper research. A bit of blaming the client but sometimes life is not totally fair.

2) After you've spent time reading and can inquire intelligently on a few builder names that has bubbled up, then ask via PM of recommendations.

3) Okay, so maybe some people like me, admittedly, have some strong opinions about a few builders on here but the best way to sort this out and give an unbiased opinion is to use the Nairaland search function on that specific builder and read the reviews and past information from prior clients of that builder.

In the first image simply click on the search box which will take you to the second image.

On the second image

a) simply insert the search term, in this case, the builder name (note that some shyster builders hide under many identities in order to carry out their nefarious activities)

b) select the section that you want to search on. Most likely you will select properties but you may select other sections or leave it unchanged in case you want to do a site-wide search in case you want to make sure that the builder who is going to build your investment is not an uncouth character in other sections, for example, religion, sexuality or politics. No one should want to expose his/her family to a pervert or zealot.

c) click on each search result and read the thread. Some threads are lengthy but it is far easier to read lengthy threads than to have to do battle with an inept or worse a criminal builder. I use the word criminal specifically and I'll explain. Let's say that you assumed ownership of the structure and the builder intentionally omitted important structural elements either due to ineptness or greed and the building collapses in the future. Who is going to be held responsible in the Nigerian context?

Good luck on your project. All the answers and solutions are here, all of them.

PS: As an addendum, of which there might be many, so please check the thread often and in fact you should bookmark it.

Addendums:

A: This is strictly about selecting a builder off of Nairaland and is not meant as all inclusive. Other things of extreme importance that were not mentioned in this write-up are builders education, experience, insurance, training, proof of actually completed structures, etc

Once you have selected a few builders then you can move onto using these things as an interview material including and specifically reference from clients - (it is critical to ascertain that you are being referred to a real client and not a fellow scam artist that is masquerading, pun not intended, as a client).

Do you know that there is a builder on here that

* Procures fake approval plans - FACT
* Buries charms on customers site - ALLEGED
* Omit structural element like pillars on houses - FACT
* Built a house that is sinking - FACT
* Built a house using 6" for foundation - FACT
* Steals materials from job site - ALLEGED

Do a search and you'll find it.

PS: I'm not a disgruntled customer by the way.

EgunMogaji:
Do you know that there is a builder on here that

* Procures fake approval plans
* Buries charms on customers site
* Omit structural element like pillars on houses
* Built a house that is sinking
* Built a house using 6" for foundation
* Steals materials from job site

Do a search and you'll find it.

Only one name comes to mind

Bosun shoyeye
Brabus, next
Naira landers beware

Nawa o

EgunMogaji:
Do you know that there is a builder on here that

* Procures fake approval plans - FACT
* Buries charms on customers site - ALLEGED
* Omit structural element like pillars on houses - FACT
* Built a house that is sinking - FACT
* Built a house using 6" for foundation - FACT
* Steals materials from job site - ALLEGED

Do a search and you'll find it.

PS: I'm not a disgruntled customer by the way.

@bold there is nothing wrong with building a foundation with 6inches block sir...

skelefish:

@bold there is nothing wrong with building a foundation with 6inches block sir...

Excellent. So you've done your research and six inch block is okay for your foundation. Thanks.

To others, please be certain before going along with any builder that will use a 6" block for your foundation, especially if the approved building plan calls for a 9" block foundation and if that's what you paid the builder for.

I'm certain that someone at SCOAN also felt that there's nothing wrong with adding extra floors to the building that eventually collapsed.

Sometimes we are our own worst enemies.

...

EgunMogaji:


Excellent. So you've done your research and six inch block is okay for your foundation. Thanks.

To others, please be certain before going along with any builder that will use a 6" block for your foundation, especially if the approved building plan calls for a 9" block foundation and if that's what you paid the builder for.

I'm certain that someone at SCOAN also felt that there's nothing wrong with adding extra floors to the building that eventually collapsed.

Sometimes we are our own worst enemies.

dont digress sir... SCOAN building collapse got nothing to do with this.
6" blocks are used from foundation to head level for bungalows.
solid 6" can also be used for storey building, but it must not be hollow. any renowned engr can attest to this. so the way u say using 6" block for foundation is wrong is specious...
u should be specific.

skelefish:

dont digress sir... SCOAN building collapse got nothing to do with this.
6" blocks are used from foundation to head level for bungalows.
solid 6" can also be used for storey building, but it must not be hollow. any renowned engr can attest to this. so the way u say using 6" block for foundation is wrong is specious...
u should be specific.

Please share with us examples of those foundations that you've built along with the accompanying engineering plan.

Thank you.

Following

Interesting

USED 6" INSTEAD OF 9" BLOCKS

Further to the issue of foundation, I present this sample thread on which the who is who of builders on Nairaland participated.

https://www.nairaland.com/1269713/lets-build-house

I'll let the thread speak for itself. It's only 12 pages long but it is highly enlightening for anyone serious about home ownership via Nairaland.

Pay close attention to the builders usernames and use that to search so that you can get good personal reviews.

PS: Nairaland suffered a significant data loss a few years back. You can still find some of the discussions on Google if you include the search word Nairaland to your search.

Enjoy.

A RETIREMENT HOME THAT IS SINKING

Here's a thread on a house that was built with an incorrect foundation and is now sinking.

https://www.nairaland.com/2486191/ikorodu-mansion-diy-report

Follow up to this issue on another thread with current status

https://www.nairaland.com/2550211/off-topic-thread-discuss-anything-everything/266#45954068

A MULTI STORY BUILDING WITH MISSING AND UNALIGNED PILLARS

Part 1.

I culled this from Nairaland and was done by a builder right on here.

I'm going to let the pics speak for themselves

Happykay:


Only one name comes to mind

Bosun shoyeye
Brabus, next
Naira landers beware

Oga please stop calling someone's name

PROCURED A FORGED BUILDING PERMIT

Look carefully, this is a building plan with a fake approval on it.

A builder on Nairaland produced this forged/fake approval.

How can we turn around and start blaming the government for nefarious acts done by a #ShysterBuilder

Oga Egunmogaji with all due respect, i don't think you created this thread with the sole purpose of enlightening us, But to taunt brabus. He clearly has not had any direct business with you, so stop attacking him, cos it's becoming childish.

You are busy pointing out all his errors, why are you ignoring all the beautiful houses he has built on this forum?.

write2obi:
Oga Egunmogaji with all due respect, i don't think you created this thread with the sole purpose of enlightening us, But to taunt brabus. He clearly has not had any direct business with you, so stop attacking him, cos it's becoming childish.

You are busy pointing out all his errors, why are you ignoring all the beautiful houses he has built on this forum?.

Thank you for your opinion, but you don't have to respect me. It's not necessary, totally

The floor is yours for adding any of the beautiful and completed houses that you referred to.

There's a whole lot more to come, so if you're already angst then you might want to sidestep this thread. Or not, your choice.

Thanks for validating the bolded. I'm not sure that any one that works hard for his money will want to entrust it to a builder that makes repeated and documented amateur level building mistakes. Some of those alleged mistakes are solidly criminal.

PS: I also would like to thank you for validating that I don't have any business relationship with any builder on Nairaland

write2obi:
Oga Egunmogaji with all due respect, i don't think you created this thread with the sole purpose of enlightening us, But to taunt brabus. He clearly has not had any direct business with you, so stop attacking him, cos it's becoming childish.

You are busy pointing out all his errors, why are you ignoring all the beautiful houses he has built on this forum?.

Show me one beautiful house that brabus built for a nairalander that's not sinking
And I will show you five building that the owners are still grieving over
A 27 million house is still sinking right now

Whether this is done in good faith or not
I could careless

There's no new materials that are being added to the thread that doesn't already exists on various threads on Nairaland.

But instead of if being scattered all over Nairaland it will all be captured right here, in one single location.

I will give readers easy access to the information that they need.

Much later, I will then showcase good builders, unblemished builders with stellar reputation and showcase highlights of their successful builds.

Remember two things. First, nothing new is being added on this thread that doesn't already exist on other threads on Nairaland. Secondly, this is a collection of data to assist folks in making the right choice.

EgunMogaji:


Thank you for your opinion, but you don't have to respect me. It's not necessary, totally

The floor is yours for adding any of the beautiful and completed houses that you referred to.

There's a whole lot more to come, so if you're already angst then you might want to sidestep this thread. Or not, your choice.

Thanks for validating the bolded. I'm not sure that any one that works hard for his money will want to entrust it to a builder that makes repeated and documented amateur level building mistakes. Some of those alleged mistakes are solidly criminal.

PS: I also would like to thank you for validating that I don't have any business relationship with any builder on Nairaland

I'm not saying brabus is a saint, But you don't have to carry the matter for your head like Jerry coil , He has made mistakes and i'm sure he had learnt and is still willing to learn more from his mistakes. If you keep keep doing this, how is he going to get the chance to actually prove to all of us that he has leant from his mistakes?

write2obi:


I'm not saying brabus is a saint, But you don't have to carry the matter for your head like Jerry coil , He has made mistakes and i'm sure he had learnt and is still willing to learn more from his mistakes. If you keep keep doing this, how is he going to get the chance to actually prove to all of us that he has leant from his mistakes?

You're not going to be successful at deflecting this, sorry.

I'm not doing anything that doesn't already exist on Nairaland.

I'm still waiting for those beautiful completed houses that you threatened to display.

By the way, why are you also carrying my matter for head like Jerry coil?

Stay tuned for a whole lot more.

EgunMogaji:


You're not going to be successful at deflecting this, sorry.

I'm not doing anything that doesn't already exist on Nairaland.

I'm still waiting for those beautiful completed houses that you threatened to display.

By the way, why are you also carrying my matter for head like Jerry coil?

Stay tuned for a whole lot more.

You follow for one of my Oga's for this section, so your matter na my own.
But i still think this is highly unnecessary.

write2obi:

You follow for one of my Oga's for this section, so your matter na my own.
But i still think this is highly unnecessary.

I understand how you feel but it's not going away, sorry.

You really should do your oga a favor and post the positive builds. Post just one

Hello folks.

Today is going to be a day of quotes and accolades.

I'll be sharing the good, bad and ugly quotes of accolades for various builders on here.

Be warned though, some builders only collect anguish and serious generational curses. Hmmm... maybe that's why no serious successful build has ever been completed by some.

Check back often as I'll be cut and pasting the quotes and curses.

Remember, all information is coming from Nairaland

EgunMogaji:
Hello folks.

Today is going to be a day of quotes and accolades.

I'll be sharing the good, bad and ugly quotes of accolades for various builders on here.

Be warned though, done builders only collect anguish and serious generational curses. Hmmm... maybe that's why no serious successful build has ever been completed by some.

Check back often as I'll be cut and pasting the quotes and curses.

Remember, all information is coming from Nairaland

This gonna be interesting. As the Americans will say 'bring it on'.

So let's get started shall we

Exhibit 1 - Accolades and even recommendations on September 18th, 2014

Exhibit 2 - The thing don happen on May 25th, 2016

Exhibit 3 - Someone giving thanks that they didn't fall into the, what was that word, "quake" but I think he meant to type "quack". I'm not sure.

Exhibit 4 - not an accolade but I thought I should share this one picture before I move onto another dossier

Let's start in 2011.

A Tiger never changes his spots.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kjHfoj1jSHM


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oq7reIR3zUY

More accolades.

We started from 2011 and went to 2016 and still the same recurring trend. Oh my

We'll let this soak in for a while.

More to come

Remember, all of this came from existing threads on Nairaland. The issue here is that it's all scattered all over the place. Not to worry, they will be catalogued

skelefish:

dont digress sir... SCOAN building collapse got nothing to do with this.
6" blocks are used from foundation to head level for bungalows.
solid 6" can also be used for storey building, but it must not be hollow. any renowned engr can attest to this. so the way u say using 6" block for foundation is wrong is specious...
u should be specific.

6'' solid or hollow may not be ideal for a duplex or storey building because of our method of construction.. .. We safe ourselves the stress of eventual problem by spending N20 more on block