Interesting contributions, very informative

I guess this is getting more and more interesting. I think I need to share my project as well. So far so good, over N4.5m have entered into the project.

I'm so grateful for the useful contribution from people like aasog. It has really helped the project. Thumbs Up for Nairaland!!!

Project details
5 bedroom duplex (all room ensuite with terrace)
2 sitting room
Porch
1 Waiting room

Roofing completed last week. More pic later.

@ brabus,

Thumbs up to you!!, I can see your land is solid ground. where is your project situated.

nice thread, guys keep it up

Hey Brabus,

Nice house. Good job man!
Please include the break down of the expenses you made at each stage of the project.

@ brabus very nice work. what is the size of the land you are building on? i am trying to make comparism with a plot i am about to buy as i may not be physically inspecting the land myself. thanks

Nice building,

Can you tell us about the cost of Painting and Furnishing?

Thank ya all

Location: Sagamu, Ogun State
Why? 1. Proximity to Lagos, Ibadan, Abeokuta, Ijebu-Ode, Ajah, Epe (all within 30 - 1 hour drive)
2. Land is very cheap. I got 2 plots of land for less than 1 million, opened it up into a small mini estate, got approval for a street name (all for less than N1.5m)

Breakdown Expenses

Land Acquisition, Survey, Building Plan & Approval - N1.2m
Site clearing, Grading (Road/Built up area) - N250k

Foundation/DPC Stage: (all thanks to wonderful contribution from nairalanders).
* This is the most important stage of the house and I'm so happy the way it was handled. I saw a site just last week and I'm very sorry for the US guy (afterall what he wants to see is the picture showing progress made not the quality of job done)

Anyway, here's a straight breakdown of what I was building for myself in Sagamu (a 5 bedroom duplex) on 2 plots of land:

Materials:
100 pieces of 2X6 @ #900 per 1 = #90,000
50 pieces of 1x12 @ #500 per 1 = #25,000
1 bag of 4 inches nails @ 5k per bag = #10,000
About 7 Kilogram of 3 inches nails = #5,000
1.5 tonnes of 12mm @ #120k per tonne = #180,000
Transportation = #10,000
3 trucks of tonnes Granite @ 100,000 per 1 = #300,000 (I used the remainder for fencing. The whole fence work was completed within 3 days)
3 trucks of Sharp Sand @ #26,000 = #78,000
50 bags of Elephant Cement @ #1800 per 1 = #90,000
Labour work: N120k incldg fencing of the 2 plots.


FILLING:
Because I've used a grader to level the ground, I didnt do much filling. After throwing laterite worth #80,000, we have a solid DPC (Damp Proof Course), sitting. A solidly built DPC can take as much as 4 to 5 story building. And thats the hardest thing to accomplish when building. It is also the most important part. I remembered one of the aboki working on site telling me "Oga, ten stories, dey go". I'm so happy for this.

GERMAINE FLOOR:
120 bags of cement @ N1800 = N216,000


Level 2: BLOCK WORKS
4000 Blocks @ #110,000 = #440,000
200 bags of Elephant Cement @ #1800 per 1 = #360,000 (Not used up, we still have cement left for the columns and beams)
2 trucks of Sharp Sand @ #26,000 = #52,000
2 trucks of Soft Sand as they call it here @ #8,000 per truck = #16,000
1 tonnes of 12mm steel @ #120k per 1 = #120,000

NOTE:
I sank a well first thing before the project commence (N120k). Less worries, as we have water to work with all the time. To wet and do all other things.
I also employed the service of a site boy at N1.5k per day to monitor materials being delivered onsite
Project Supervision was done by myself.

Level 3: More update to follow soon

more pics

@ brabus, its like the sequence of ur pics are last to be d first, I guess the pics shown are of same building?

@ thread owner, thanks so much for this thread, quite educative, especially in the area of gravel and granite. issue, well done, I would want to ask @ this point, its like most of the blocks used are hollow blocks, , is it possible to get blind blocks made in a place like Lagos?

@brabus

You said you have spent N4.5m. Does that include land aquisition and roofing and fencing. That is an excellent price indeed.

I should have seen this kind of thread, TEN/FIFTEEN YEARS AGO!
You know how it is now, you have money but not much motivation to do something you can call "sound investment" (Stocks blew-up in my face! )
Its so inspiring

@brabus: Is that a well/borehole in front of the building? (close to that spot that woman is sitting, in the unfinished house picture)

Where is that same well in the finished picture inserted? Just curios to know how you or others deal with such issue (concealment of the well, aesthetics, safety when cars pass over it, if its is later buried underground, e.t.c). Mine is at the back of house and l still have safety concerns (maybe am just phobic about "wells"; maybe l fell inside one when l was small  )

Again, l would like to ask everyone: Is it better to use "buried/conduit" electrical wiring OR surface/Structured Cabling for wires?
What are the merits and demerits of each?
I used the latter as l also made provisions for complete "Data and Network points" for all rooms.kitchen, e.t.c

I think it is something that is often overlooked in this age of "technology and modernization". Most people only cater for "electrical points" in private housing but l think (from my experience in the I.T industry) increasingly, data communication among household gadgets/people may make such necessary.
of course, "wireless communication/WIFI" make make it less needed as time goes by, also (but wired cable is by-far faster than wireless).
Also, once you have the points in place, you can easily "move an connect" equipments (phones, Laptops, Internet enable TV, Networked Printer for ur household, Skyy Boxes, e.t.c) as you wish, without needing help. (I am putting the needs of my kids into consideration also! bloody rascals )

How about trouble-shooting when there is a problem with conduit wiring? Is it easy without breaking walls?

@ Demain_man,
N4.5m exclude land acquisition, roofing, plastering, painting, finishes but fencing is included.

The N4.5m includes Building plan/survey, Foundation/DPC, Fence, Block work (Level 1), Decking, Block work (Level 2), Conduit piping (for Electrical/DSTV/Internet/Intercom/Plumbing work), Septic tank and Labour. Update on other stages to follow soon,

@Kuntash, I'm sorry for the order the pic were uploaded. You are right, its the same building.

On gravel vs granite, I used granite but if you have an experienced bricklayer, you may hardly notice the difference. The only area I have problem is when people mix the two together. I've seen a case where the Foundation and Level 1 was built using gravel only to use granite on the deck. I don't buy that idea.

Because of the quality of materials used, I was able to experiment a cantilever (deck portion of the house spanning about 10ft without supporting pillars though we have in-beams).

@lastpage, the finished picture inserted was a prototype. It wasn't the main building, there were little modifications. As for the Well, the plan is to put a slab. Who needs a well afterall, when there is borehole.

All I can see in these beautiful pics is stress. So much of it building a house. The picture doesnt show any of the aggro

Thanks brabus.
I added some lines to my post. Can you review it PLS?
More grease 2ur elbow.

@peenywise.
if u'r a "manager/small fry" like me, you have to go through the stress but if you're a "big-man", you simply "pay people" to assume the stress on your behalf! No Pain, No gain

Just try the "stress of Mama landlady" and compare the two

@brabus
Thanks for the info.

@Lastpage,
When builder is done if I like it I might negotiate with the owner.

brabus,

I am not questioning the veracity of your assertions but I am sceptical that you only used N4.5 million up to the current state of your house.  I am into property investment in Nigeria and I am incredulous as to how would have gotten to this level of the house (including fencing) with 4.5 million. Initially you stated "over 4.5 million" has been put into the house.  This assertion would have ranged from 4.5 to infinity. However, when someone asked if the 4.5 included land, your story changed to now be 4.5M to get house to the level excluding land.


Educate me please because we are all learning from each other, perhaps I am the one that has been wasting money on materials, labor etc.  If you actually used N4.5m, you've done very well.  I am currently building a two story 30 self contained hostel by the university of PH in Choba and first decking alone consumed N3.5 million.  I might post pictures if anyone is interested!


From my analysis of the breakdown of your expenses, it appears that the cost of decking is missing but I could be wrong.

omonuan:

brabus,

I am not questioning the veracity of your assertions but I am sceptical that you only used N4.5 million up to the current state of your house. I am into property investment in Nigeria and I am incredulous as to how would have gotten to this level of the house (including fencing) with 4.5 million. Initially you stated "over 4.5 million" has been put into the house. This assertion would have ranged from 4.5 to infinity. However, when someone asked if the 4.5 included land, your story changed to now be 4.5M to get house to the level.

,
Educate me please because we are all learning from each other, perhaps I am the one that has been wasting money on materials, labor etc. If you actually used N4.5m, you done very well. I am currently building a two story 30 self contained hostel by the university of PH in Choba and decking alone consumed N3.5 million. I might post pictures if anyone is interested!

I think the amount of 4.5m is reasonable for getting a duplex up to upstairs lintel after decking as Brabus has posted. I was surprised when Am Alone posted a downstair apartment without a roof. I am still building and computing costs here. Will post pictures later. I think I will do better on costs than Brabus, but lets wait and see. Building is about knowledge and experience, you learn more as you build more.

Spyder,

Thanks for your input but I have noticed more inconsistencies on the pictures brabus posted.  He stated that all the pictures were for the same building. However, if you look at the completed building, you will see that lintel casting was done at individual doors and windows and not round house casting as one of the pictures show with whole house iron work preparation for casting. 

Further, fencing foundation was cast with iron in some pictures but this was not apparent on the finished fence so I am wondering if the pictures are of the same project but may be I am missing something.

Check out the last two pictures from brabus, the DPC is about 3 feet above the ground but on the finished house, the DPC is on level ground or just a little bit above.  Based on my own analysis, I can safely conclude that the last pictures are not of the same project with the  first set of pictures.

More disturbing is that the plan of the last two pictures is not the same with the finished project. Also, the scenery is not the same. I have to expect explanations for the inconsistencies or I would make up my own conclusions.

omonuan, you should read the post well b4 replying. an earlier post by brabus states the fact that the finished house is not his house it is only a prototype. and i think these guys are trying to help us with all the information they are giving so lets not be so much on the offense with them, its not a court of law. whatever you learn here may not apply directly to your project but a thing to note and work with.

Ok, ok,
@ omonuan, soks, maybe you guys have a point, am only viewing the pics from my phone, maybe I will have a detailed look when I go home. But the costs makes sense to me.

@spyder880

Base on what brabus had posted, me mysef I am confused
If he had spent 4.5m on that duplex. That means in a way I must have being spending too much on many thing(perhaps).

But let me make some things clear here. As before, I posted the size of my house. And you can't compare it to every house

The man that wants to do the POP came today and gave me the total m2 of the interior
and it amounts to 196m2. And I must confess, even most 5bedrooms bungalow don't have up to 196m2 for the interior.
Even the bricklayer confirmed that it is the actual size of two 2befroom flat.

My younger brother who is building a 4 2bedroom flat here in Lagos spent 4m to get to the German floor(thought it was not a level ground).
I am building in Lagos. Where everything is being inflated.
My foundation is 8inches high, and also 4 blocks before the German floor.
The german floor is 3 inches high. and I have the bricklayers set about 4 coaches of blocks after the lintel.
Sorry to say
but bungalow pass bungalow

The insert brabus was talking about being a prototype is the one inserted into his fifth picture, he implied that these are the pictures of his project except the inserted picture of the finished project on the fifth picture but I will leave brabus to clarify the pictures.

However, this does not change the fact that the pictures are not of the same building as asserted by brabus whether it is the actual project or prototype. If the picture is a prototype-would they now be two separate prototypes that don't actually look alike? My rudimentary English tells me that prototype means "replica." 

The inconsistencies are glaring for everyone to see.  If Brabus' posted pictures are not the pictures of the project, then his accounting is misleading.

If the pictures are not the project pictures, why would brabus state that he would use slab to cover the well in front of the house as shown by the pictures? Enquiry mind wants to know

last friday, the beginning of the foundation

and on and on we went

more pics

@ SPYDER880

Nice pics,
Keep em coming!!!

more pics

more pictures