chyima:
Good evening
Please what's the estimate of doing an high foundation 6 blocks to the ground because of the road as advised by the Engr for a storey building wih 4 flats of 2 bedroom ensuiite and land measuring 50 by 100 ft

I will budget from 8million.

For a quality foundation like your engineer recommended, you need to look out for the following big budget items:

You will need about:

2000 blocks @ 560 = 1,120,000

300 bags of cement @ 10,000 = 3,000,000. This includes blinding and German floor (DPC).

Backfilling/sand filling of foundation = 2,000,000. If you are using sharp sand and close to source depending on price in your location

Iron rod: This is difficult as it depends on the structural design of the building and not necessarily the size.

OkanlawonB:


Waste of Money.

Waste of money as how?

Riosystem:


Please note that the cost of goods has risen significantly over time. There was a time when 10 liters of fuel cost only ₦650. Today, the prices of most solar products have increased by two to five times their previous costs. Even before cars became as expensive as they are now, lithium batteries were already priced similarly to some vehicles. Additionally, we are not manufacturing these products in Nigeria; we are only importing and assembling them, which further impacts costs and accessibility.

Very true. God no go shame us in our quest for constant power supply.

earthrealm:


the 40m quote wasn't for a home...it was for an office complex or so......
2ndly no 2 homes are alike, ac is the major consumer of electricity in the average home, a design without ac and a design with 1 or 2 acs vs a design with up to 5 acs cant be the same. therein lies the physics...doing a proper load calculation vis a vis balancing the solar panels with the battery...if for example a home consumes 20kwh daily,...a good design should hv a battery at least 1.5x this....then solar panels bringing in x2 of this ...if you want a functional, no stories design...a smart installer and client can still tweak with certain aspects of the design to achieve this with smaller budget....but what happens is..a quack installer will just say buy 4 batteries, and 8 panels, it will work, without doing any load calculation.

an acquaintance approached me for a solar job, had fridge.freezer, sumo, 1.5hp ac....totally offgrid, I gave 2 designs, with the least about 4m+ which included a 12kwh lithium battery...the person ran away and went with another installer that gave a quote of 2m+..which included just 4 units of 200ah flooded battery. this quack installer design will fail within 6months...and the owner will now start shouting that solar doesn't work.blah blah blah....when they engaged quacks .in a bid to save money

So from your submission, we can work on the premise that with a budget of about 5 million, using the right professionals, an average family can go completely off grid?

If this is the case, then it makes economic sense. A budget of 5million should be calculated into the total cost of building the house just like we do with borehole, soakaway etc for peace of mind.

topsy23:
Like I always say, buying low grade items and expect a long lasting solution is not possible. For example, we have a lot of LED Light in market and if you are not very careful you will buy avery low grade that will not serve you up a two month. I had an experience sometimes back with one of our brother from East. He gave me 2 items of the same name and said one is fake and the other one is original. He gave me fake as original and original as fake.. Bring my an experience person in electrical field. I picked the original which he called as fake product, it was a drama that day because their prices are not the same..

This guy said the one I picked is the original and told me I must pay for original.

There are alot of things to consider when yselecting the inverter capacity;
- Total load - this total load will determine the size of your inverter equipment.
-Autonomy: This will determine number or capacity of battery, number of panels.
All these can be calculated. We have a lot of solar inverter, solar panels and batteries in the market. The problem we are facing in this country is that Nigeria has no regulatory body., our SON(Standard Organisation of Nigeria) is not working. They have turned this country to dumping ground.

I think you guys are missing the point of the discussion or you are avoiding the facts.

The discussion is not IF SOLAR SYSTEM WORKS.

It is a widely known fact that solar system works.

The discussion is AT WHAT BUDGET CAN A FAMILY HOME GO COMPLETELY OFF GRID RELYING COMPLETELY ON SOLAR SYSTEM.

Complete off grid means the system can power ALL A/Cs at home simultaneously, pump water, do clothes ironing etc at all times of the day. In short; do all family home activities like it would be on national grid.

If that budget is close to 40 million as was previously mentioned, then solar is just a compromise for the average family home. It is not the energy solution yet for families up and down the country. Homeowners must be aware of this before pumping money into a bottomless pit.

gabbytabby:
In lagos if you use machine concrete the concrete machine, mixers and pourers come as a package deal.

This is yet another option worth exploring. However, for a bungalow with very few pillars, this option might not be viable. In this era of high fuel cost, concrete mixers can turn out to be very expensive option due to fuel and transport costs.

Evangelisttj:


Many thanks.
I appreciate the guidance.

Again, please will the money include them casting the pillars and the 1,100 blocks as seen in this image?

The casting of pillars is a different segment. It is not included in block laying.

For pillars, you will need planks for boarding and carpenter to board the pillars. The carpenter will charge for this.

You will need concrete mixers. They will charge for this.

And then you need tappers. They will charge for this. The tappers pour the concrete into the formwork (boarding) and tap it to expel air and void ensuring the casting is properly done.

Evangelisttj:


He said 12 bricklayers.
If it’s 120 per block then I’m trying to figure out the labor charge again. Shouldn’t the 120 per block cover that. Labor are the people carrying the blocks and bringing the cement.

They don't charge per the number of bricklayers. They charge per the number of blocks.

So if for example, you have 1,100 blocks and the charge per block is N120, that is:

1,100 x 120 = N132,000 for the bricklayers.

The bricklayers will normally settle their helpers. This is included in the charge per block.

They sometimes count half block as one block. So your final block count may be more than 1,100.

Evangelisttj:
Hi Everyone,

I am trying to start a building and will be coming here for questions and using the professionals here when the time comes.
Already the foundation is done, and I want to begin laying blocks and I got the below quote for Ibadan:

Propose estimation for the laying of 1,100 blocks
Bricklayer 12 x 10,000 = 120,000
Labor 8 x 6000 = 48,000
Fetching of water 4 x 6000 = 24000

Total 192,000
---
1. What is the best way to calculate bricklaying labor and wage?
2. Should the quotation above include the Pilar’s as shown in the image or it’s a different payments

This is not very clear.

For example: Bricklayer 12 x 10,000 = 120,000. What does this mean? What is 12 and what is 10,000? Is it 12 bricklayers or 12 days? Is 10,000 Naira per day?

Normally brick laying is charged per brick as from 120 per brick depending.

Jaakay:
Good evening, Can someone pls reconfirm the price of 9in and 6in block as 800 naira and 700 naira?

I'm currently buying 6 inches (solid) at N570 in Warri, Delta State.

Where's your location?

Port443:

The secret to enjoying your solar and inverter system is buying quality equipment and "fully" understanding your load. With proper calculation, you can perfectly get your load, and the type of inverter system that can power it. I am currently designing my house to be off grid. My sumo will be inverter sumo, i will be using central water heater which will be powered by sunlight. All my ac and fridges will be interver ac and fridge and I will be buying a quality battery pack and lots of panels to ensure they are well charged. Also my lighting will have max of 5watts each. I see people plugging industrial fan to their inverter and complaining that it doesn't last, some of that fan is rated 300watts

The issue is how much do you have to spend to get your solar system to power your ACs effectively without issues ? Not that solar cannot power ACs. Solar can power AC effectively. But how much?

Comrade, if you are going to spend 40 million to deliver an AC solar system; Ko make sense. This doesn't add up economically.

Riosystem:



To successfully run an air conditioner (AC) on a solar-powered system, it is essential you determine the number of hours you intend to operate the AC daily.

For this setup, you should plan for a minimum battery storage capacity of 60 kWh lithium batteries, which will ensure sufficient energy reserves for stable operation. The overall cost of the system, range between ₦25 million and ₦40 million, depending on the number of hours the AC is expected to run and the quality of components selected.

₦40 million kwanu? Just for the solar system to power possibly just one unit of AC. I've said it before on this forum and I will say it again. It makes no economic sense to spend close to 50 million on a Solar system just because you want it to power an AC unit.

It is better to have a budget of about ₦5 million on Solar. This will power lights, fan, fridge. Then get an Inverter generator to power AC for the few minutes one needs it and invest the remaining ₦35 million that will be yielding income to buy fuel to power the inverter generator.

laptopsforsale:


Very deep and brilliant insight! Thanks so much!

A plot of land here is nearly 10million and i just need 2 units of 3 bedroom flats. I love the idea of having a spacious compound so that I can have a garden where my wife can plant some vegetables and teach my children the principles of sowing and reaping.

So, I think it will be better getting a plot of land and build a 1 storey building comprising of 1 unit of 3 bedroom flat upstairs and downstairs, then have ample space around.

Spacious compound? Way to go. Nothing beats a specious compound.

Sabibouy:
Hello house, pls help me check this quotation for a 4 bedroom bungalow German floor foundation I got from an engineer

This is a classical case why homeowners should build with a Bill of Quantity which will give you the quantity of ALL THE MATERIALS NEEDED AND THE PRICES. With a situation like this, you are at the mercy of the engineer's honesty or lack of it. This is building blindly.

For example, the quantity of sand needed for filling and backfilling is directly proportional to the HEIGHT OF THE FOUNDATION. The higher the foundation, the more sand you will need. Now the situation is open for a dishonest builder to quote and collect money for a four course high foundation (for example), but end up building a two course or even one course high foundation and pocket the rest. This is one example of how builders steal from homeowners.

So the quantity of granite, cement, block and sand needed are dependent on the type of foundation. To be honest, it is a struggle to critique the quote without knowing the type and structure of the foundation. All you will get is guess work which can bring confusion and suspicion. This is not good for anyone.

Malevonent:
HELLO ALL, AM NEW TO building ops, and i want to leverage on the vast experience i have seen on this thread to streamline my upcoming bungalow building project.

1. would love a step by step guide of how to start and run the process, am thinking, set out, digging trenches, digging soakaway, n use the soakaway sand for backfilling...and possible the pit for water storage, then digging borehole for water supply. then getting laterite to raise the lamd, as the area is prone to small flooding

2. i learnt i may be needing a 20ft container to serve as temporary storage on the site, getting such has being difficult, and no neighbours to keep stuff...so how do you recommend i go about this

1. Get a Bill of Quantity (BoQ). This will throw so much light on the cost structure of the project. Most homeowners in Nigeria build blindly - as the spirit led. This blind approach is what contractors and artisans take advantage of to defraud. B of Q also comes handy relating to budgeting and cashflow management. So when you call for quotes for example, you already know the quantity and type of the materials needed and price (subject to price increases) and all you are interested in is the labour charge. It is difficult for a contractor to inflate material quantities to defraud. Share the B of Q with the contractor or artisan so everyone is singing from the same page.

2. You said your area could be flood prone. So know that your foundation MUST BE HIGH, minimum four courses high. If you are doing BoQ, let the Bill guy know this to correctly calculate the right amount of sand for backfilling and filling. YOU MUST DO GERMAN FLOOR or else you risk damp issues in future.

3. Don't bank on digging your soakaway to fill your foundation. You will not save very much as there is the cost of shifting the sand from the soakaway to the foundation. In most cases, soakaway sand is better used to level the compound.

4. If you could achieve a borehole, do so immediately and build a protective structure around the borehole and use the structure for storage. The cost of water will bankrupt you in no time if you don't have a borehole. If borehole is not possible in your location, buy a GP tank to store water and then go on your knees and pray. A site without access to steady supply of water na wahala and gbese.

floshady02:
Guys check out this ridiculously extraordinary outrageous quote for swimming pool. For those who want to construct a swimming pool. The prices in this quote are times 3 of the normal material prices. Beware and don’t fall victim. This period artisans can get really desperate and greedy and will want to use you as an opportunity for breakthrough through the Quotes they’ll give you thinking you won’t have an idea. Well, that’s why jiji is there. Once you get a quote go on jiji to check and compare prices.

I'm just looking at the quote and think there MAY be more scope for further cost efficiency savings in addition to buying the materials yourself.

Where is your location? Is it a water logged area? I asked because I noticed that the quote is for a in-situ/on site concrete caste system. This is a very expensive system. If your land is not waterlogged, may make better economic choice of adopting the block and beam system. (See photos). You can deliver the swimming pool structure for a fraction of the cost of a caste system because with the block/beam system, you don't need that much rod and cement included in quote.

Then you need to understand swimming pool plumbing. What you need are your pump, filter, your chlorination unit, then skimmer and pipping. See photos.

Once you established these prices, you are good to go. It is possible to deliver that quote for far well under 10million.

Rany4all:
'Chamberless' plumbing just means doing it without the 'traditional' block and mortar chambers. It does not necessarily mean doing without maintenance access. The block and mortar chambers are usually replaced by PVC chambers and/or PVC Y-Tee fittings that serve as clean-out points and these fittings aren't any more prone to blockage than block and mortar chambers.

Maintenance, with respect to blockages, is even easier and cheaper in my opinion, and can be completely DIY.

I'm not sure you technically understand what a chamberless plumbing is. What you described is a PVC Chamber plumbing same as a brick and mortar chamber.

A chamberless plumbing DOES NOT HAVE AN INSPECTION CHAMBER . See the attached photos.

Have a look at the attached chamberless plumbings photos; it is not difficult to see why they are highly prone to blockage and high maintenance cost.

Celepope:
I am presently considering either a Chamber or Chamberless plumbing in my plumbing work. I will like to ask the house which of it is better?, what are the disadvantages and advantages of both? Your response will highly be appreciated.

It is not a question of which is better. Chamberless plumbing is not best practice. All soil pipes and drains should have a chamber for easy access maintenance and cleaning. Chamberless plumbing is highly prone to blockage and high maintenance.

laptopsforsale:
Guys, which of this is cheaper and gives more value for money:

1. Building a twin (I.e. 2 units of) 3 bedroom bungalow on a 1 plot of land with a flat roof for relaxation and mounting of solar panels, or

2. Building a one-storey building of 3 bedroom apartments each (on the ground and top floor), with a flat roof for relaxation and mounting of solar panels.

I tend to favour number 2 because of the extra space that will remain from the 1 plot after the whole project, but I am also sensitive to cost.

Please, what do you advise

At current level, to deck a storey building of three bedrooms (about less than half a plot in size) will set you back on average about N8 million. How much is a full plot of land in the area?

If a plot of land is well above 8 million, a storey building is better value for money. When you deck a building, you are essentially creating at a cost more space in the air. So, if a plot of land is 25 million for example, it is more economical to create additional space in the air for 8million.

If a plot of land in the area is well under 8million at current value, a bungalow is a better value for money. What's the economic point of creating additional space in the air at a cost of 8million when you can buy additional land for example for 2 million.

All the above are purely on economic permutations. The situation takes a different twist if you are emotionally attached to the area and there are no additional land to buy. In this situation, you should have bought a minimum of two plots from inception or you weigh the cost of creating additional space in the air against your desire for additional compound space and go for whichever is greater.

The economics of buying a piece of land is if the land is relatively cheap, buy a minimum of two plots together. You never know.

redgem:


The palm trees are much, it isn't worth the stress and funds....

Why do you want to uproot the palm trees? I will only uproot the built area and live with the rest of the trees. It will be really nice for me. I don't fight nature. It is cheaper to live side by side with nature.

MackyNaija:
Fabrication complete and it came out beautiful.

Frameless with top quality grey aluminium, 5mm reflective glass, nets, galvanized pipes and 16mm rods embedded.

Each requirement above came with a large added cost that increased the price way beyond costs for a casement style.

Well done. No be small something.

Skydivine:

With what you have highlighted, I think the best solution is to make provisions for binding wire loops during decking to be attached in situ.

This is normally the approach and also if you want a ceiling fan with your POP. All these are the concept and solutions you envisaged at the planning stage before breaking ground. But most people just start building and go along as the spirit led.

Lack of planning can add up to 20% to to the cost of a building.

bolu1986:


We sabi this work pass our self… not just to mould and fix with binding wire… na


We usually work with welders!! Fix and iron rod to your deck…. Before attaching biding wire don’t use concret nail! No it won’t work

These are extra work but it worth it!

God bless you. Very simple solution that's not very common. Anything that is worth doing at all, is worth doing well.

redgem:
Finally, buckets has been dropped... Building 98% complete 🙏🙏🙏🙏 I want to say a very big thank you to everyone here.....your contributions helped a lot through this journey... It wasn't easy but God came through... 🙏🙏🙏 May God bless everyone one of you....

Congratulations. I dey expect invite for house warming o. My eyes dey road.

gabbytabby:
This reminds me of a roofing problem I had for the better part of 6 years we got about 8 different carpenters to repair it unsuccessfully. We finally cracked it this year. A lot of them don’t trouble shoot properly and/or will not admit their area of specialisation and will take on work they can’t do. Some of them are more furniture carpenter but will say they can do roofing carpentry or construction carpentry which require a different skill set.

Some of them can’t do height and will try to tell you they will repair leak by putting flashband through the ceiling ie under the roof when this is a senseless no no and it should be done on top.

The main way to effectively deal with leakages is to have one on top and another through the ceiling who will spot the leakage and the one on top will use flashband to repair the holes.

The more one ventures into the building trade the more one gets knowledgeable about getting the right artisan for the job.

This is what I'm saying. It should not be difficult to find the right trades person to fix a leaking roof and do it properly and professionally and not all this "try and error" approach. The truth is they are not trained in the profession they profess, or half baked.

EgunMogaji2:


You seem to be a roofing Carpenter and not a finish Carpenter.

Thanks.

So you can see the difficulty in recruiting a skilled carpenter and joiner to do a very basic woodworking job. Then people turn around and say there's unemployment in Nigeria. The fact is what Nigeria is experiencing is structural unemployment. Over the years, there has not been the needed training in vocational qualifications and apprenticeships. Apart from the Ibo nation to a large extent, apprenticeship training is dead in Nigeria. Youths and school leavers no longer "learn work". Before, they go into keke business, now is skits and content creators.

Enough of tertiary qualifications as there is a glut. So so paper qualifications, not enough skills acquisition.

sonnie10:

It’s not that easy. Wood processing/drying takes a lot of time and steps. Averagely , a fresh cut plank would take months or even up to a year to cure if aired in a natural environment . Even when kiln is used for the processing, it takes weeks and a lot of resources ( sealants, electricity, equipment and the know-how) to come out right.
Anything short of these, would result in cracking and twisting down the line.
My question was not about how to know a dry wood but where to find and buy them. Such is extremely difficult to find at timber markets. Most people that do it, don’t sell them. They make use of the wood for their own finished products .
Not that you can’t find such wood. However, the price could be very expensive. A 1 x 6 feet plank depending on the wood could go as high as #30k. A homeowner might spend up to #3m on woods alone for a standard kitchen.
Compare this to the cost of HDF and you know why people don’t bother anymore with the stress.

To be honest with you, to achieve a dry wood for woodworking is not difficult at all. One just need time. The issue with wood in Nigeria, is that short termism culture of majority of Nigerians. Invest in the right tools and training. Dry wood for woodworking and joinery is not rocket science.

My grand mother's house was built in late 1969. The windows and doors are all wood. The house is still standing today with the original doors. No warping, very straight cut, no cracking. Very very solid door. How did the carpenters in 1969 achieved a dry straight cut wooden door warping free?

Quick money. Now now now. Gestation period na alien concept for Naija.

VanuatuWycombe:


MDF wardrobe cannot hold heavy loads (clothes and bags), except the owner is the type that doesn’t keep loads.

MDF wardrobe will tear when climbed or stepped on, to bring down loads.

You furniture people won’t tell clients the bitter truth because of quick cash you want to make on them.

If the owner doesn’t plan to move around the wardrobe, hardwood is cheaper and better than MDF - even better than HDF.

Most of our furniture guys don’t invest in better woodworking tools and it makes their work look bad on hardwood. That’s why they push most clients to finished ‘woods’ like HDF, MDF etc. and they don’t last. Most of these finished woods have been greatly reduced in sizes from China factories before they get here which reduces their how strong they could be.

Invest better carbide ripping and finishing saws from known brands like ORIGINAL (not imitated) Makita, Dewalt, Milwaukee, Festool etc. and better sanders like ORIGINAL 3M, Festool Rotex sanders, Mirka sanders etc and other accessories and you would do wonders with hardwoods.

Well done 👍

This same argument can be made for wooden internal doors as well. Nigeria as a nation doesn't have skilled craftsmanship labour market. All there is are just journey men, cut and nail pretenders. The advent of okada/keke business in the late 80s and early 90s killed "handwork" apprenticeship. Instead investing time learning a trade, youths and school leavers jumped into riding keke for quick bucks. The days of celebrating freedom from learning work are no more.

Phenmeson:
Good evening all.
I just want to ask opinions of how to manage properties perfectly in Nigeria for someone who reside abroad.

* What to do in getting rent payment promptly and how to manage properties repair through Estate Agency or any reliable Third party company's in Ogun state area.

Thanks 🙏

There should be reputable estate agents in Ogun state. Ask around. Try Jide Taiwo. They have offices in the Southwest. They normally charge 10 percent.

Regarding maintenance for rentals, there is really nothing to maintain as a landlord if you've built properly. All arising maintenance issues are built into the tenancy agreement and security deposit.

So tenants are responsible for maintaining the internal fixtures and fittings, suckaway evacuation and refuse disposal and replacement of the pumping machine when burnt.

As a landlord, you are only responsible for repainting of the building or leaking roof. If you've built properly, these are issues you may not deal with for years.

So all you need is an agency to look for and vet the tenants and issue the tenancy agreement and periodically visit the property to ensure the property is being put to proper use.

There is the conception that rentals in Nigeria is problematic but this is not my experience. My experience is very pleasant with really fantastic tenants. I'm a fantastic landlord as well I must praise myself.

Aforxzy:
Happy new month everyone.
This month of August shall favour us and there shall be no lost.

Amen o our lady engineer. Wishing you Happy and Safe peaceful protest.

Billions123:

What do you prefer?

H-pipe

twinskenny:
Overload?


https://www.instagram.com/reel/C-DWCG6uvsj/?igsh=bGt6b29pNTdzM205

Bravery, he wanted to stop the damages.... almost 🤣

Thank God no loss of life. The Galvanised pipe is not suitable for the amount of load.H-pipe or oil field pipe are highly recommended in such situations.

I'm never a fan of galvanised pipes for water tower.