KolaShangOne:


Do you know that ALL aluminium sold in Nigeria is imported from China?

Some companies like Tower, First Aluminium, Sumo import aluminium in plain form called STUCCO. They go ahead to emboss (paint) them in their factories in Nigeria through a process called OVEN BAKING.

These ones are generally more reliable because they withstand our weather better.

Some other companies import already embossed (painted) aluminium from China. Those are the ones generally referred to as IMPORTED.

DO YOU KNOW that there are about 3 different grades of IMPORTED China aluminium roofing sheets With PRICES varying accordingly.

This is terrible. What about the aluminum smelting company aladja Has it closed down?

KolaShangOne:


Do you know that ALL aluminium sold in Nigeria is imported from China?

Some companies like Tower, First Aluminium, Sumo import aluminium in plain form called STUCCO. They go ahead to emboss (paint) them in their factories in Nigeria through a process called OVEN BAKING.

These ones are generally more reliable because they withstand our weather better.

Some other companies import already embossed (painted) aluminium from China. Those are the ones generally referred to as IMPORTED.

DO YOU KNOW that there are about 3 different grades of IMPORTED China aluminium roofing sheets With PRICES varying accordingly.

Please i would kindly like to know more about the coated roofing sheets and where is the best place to buy them i.e. ones that will last and not fade cos i noticed that there are many types of coated roofing sheets in the market - Switzerland N3000 per sq feet, New Zealand, Korea about N4K e.t.c although some one said that the original New Zealand roofing sheets are very hard to come by cos they are very expensive.

Thanks

tivta:
Truly, stone coated tiles is just for beautification, the weight is really not good for roofs in Nigeria.

Hello, please why do you say that the weight of stone coated roof tiles are not really good for roofs in Nigeria?

I have been looking for a thread like this. I'm just at the point of roofing my project. I did estimate of aluminum myself, capenter did for wood. But my question is this: which is better roofing sheets out of aluminum and nigerite slates that is very common today. Compare in terms of durability and cost. @ KolaShangOne over to you sir.

Making a neat curve can only be achieved by steel rafters.

EgunMogaji:


Hi Write2Obi, my laymans opinion is that the height will be okay. There are many houses in old Bodija GRA Ibadan that has this roof.

Look at the attached picture, it's of a house currently being built by Bitswork. It's the same style roof that my architect designed for me but I want to see if I can throw a curve into it.

It's up to us to put up structures with interesting components.

EgunMogaji:


Not at all.

The modern roof panels are specially treated now to repel the Suns rays and besides it can always be vented.

Both my structures will have simple solar powered whole house fans. When these pulls in hopefully cooler air from the outside via open windows and dumps it in the attic, the by natural factor any trapped hot air in the attic will escape via discrete roof vents.

Please can you expatiate further on that concept of yours. It sounds so interesting and I'm attracted. I already have fans (ceiling and standing) in every room in the house being powered by solar (those rechargeable solar fans on sale). It sounds they can be of use in your concept too.

More explanations please.

KolaShangOne:


I don't subscribe to weather being the main reason for the trending very high roofs. It's usually done as a copy cat of "abroad" houses. No doubt it's beautiful but it costs so much more in terms of money to cover. We also don't have snow in Nigeria which comes in semi-solid form. It doesn't slide down easily unlike our rain here. So I don't really see the need for 5,6,7 metres roof when you have a span of 10m or less

Exactly, I did a portion of my roof about 2m and the rest I did 3m. Good flow during rainfall.
Minimum roof slope is 22 degrees. I stuck to that with a little adjustment to minimize off cuts.

pragmatistm:
I have been looking for a thread like this. I'm just at the point of roofing my project. I did estimate of aluminum myself, capenter did for wood. But my question is this: which is better roofing sheets out of aluminum and nigerite slates that is very common today. Compare in terms of durability and cost. @ KolaShangOne over to you sir.

Due to the weight of the stone coated roofing sheets, the purlins cave in too fast (sometimes less than a year) and become unsightly and allow backflow of rain water into the building.
If you must use a stone coated roof, you must first consider this and overcome by including another layer of roofing material before the roof tiles. Eg zinc roofing sheets or a thick wood sheets.
It's quite durable, aesthetically pleasing but not cost effective.

EgunMogaji:


Very true.

So using my professional background when it came time to design my house, I did not start with an Architect.

I imagined Nigeria and her unique characteristics (water, light, security - all these things that Fela has been singing about since the 70's with no sustained improvement). I then went out on the net and looked for building plans that will complement that. I have friends that leave in Hawaii, who are totally off grid. They somehow manage to live without electricity.

For my main house I found a plan that has an open internal courtyard, purchased it her in the US and then delivered to my architect to Nigerianize it = make it buildable with concrete blocks, etc It has a 35' X 15' open internal courtyard that will serve as the ecosystem of the house in terms of plant life to exchange oxygen and co2. Just an example.

You know, Baba Biliki the Okada rider may not be versed enough to know alternative to house building, but some Nigerians that have been exposed to modern building style shouldn't come home and build the same old style. I think they are doing a disfavor to architecture.

Anyways that's what I think.

So I design my house with the intent to be disconnected from the NEPA grid and instead want to cuddle solar energy. It's practically free.

Arrgh! We think alike too much. Which one na? ?

Okay. Here is what I already have DIYed in addition to those solar fans I earlier talked about.

Got those mini solar home systems that has 4 or 6 three watt LED bulbs. I jettisoned the bulbs rhat cane with the units as they are so tightly integrated for me to mod. Instead, I modded the usual POP flat panel SMD 2835 LED lights being sold by nna bros from 3 watts to 0.9 watts. That means I get twelve 0.9 watts bulbs from factory four 3 watts. This gives me the same lumen output but with better flexibility in terms of better battery back up and power management.

This way all rooms in the building run independently their own lighting (about 4 or 5 flat panel LED lights/spotlights per room depending on the room size)

Now for the bathrooms, I need to discourage wastage in the form of leaving the lights on after people are done with their business there. I achieved that by hooking PIR sensors to the bathroom bulbs and have the delay set at 2 minutes (of course it still stays on even if you are in there for 5 hours but soon as you exit the place, it switches off after 2 minutes of inactivity).

Now for the security lights, I had a daytime off - nighttime on type of LDR hooked to the light source to the security lights. They automatically turn on at dusk and off at dawn.

Haven't noticed any bugs so far.

Coal roof, its new.

ceaser:


Arrgh! We think alike too much. Which one na? ?

Okay. Here is what I already have DIYed in addition to those solar fans I earlier talked about.

Got those mini solar home systems that has 4 or 6 three watt LED bulbs. I jettisoned the bulbs rhat cane with the units as they are so tightly integrated for me to mod. Instead, I modded the usual POP flat panel SMD 2835 LED lights being sold by nna bros from 3 watts to 0.9 watts. That means I get twelve 0.9 watts bulbs from factory four 3 watts. This gives me the same lumen output but with better flexibility in terms of better battery back up and power management.

This way all rooms in the building run independently their own lighting (about 4 or 5 flat panel LED lights/spotlights per room depending on the room size)

Now for the bathrooms, I need to discourage wastage in the form of leaving the lights on after people are done with their business there. I achieved that by hooking PIR sensors to the bathroom bulbs and have the delay set at 2 minutes (of course it still stays on even if you are in there for 5 hours but soon as you exit the place, it switches off after 2 minutes of inactivity).

Now for the security lights, I had a daytime off - nighttime on type of LDR hooked to the light source to the security lights. They automatically turn on at dusk and off at dawn.

Haven't noticed any bugs so far.

Wait o, are all these for a naija house? This is interesting.

I think i need a lecture from you and egunmogaji...

@EgunMogaji, how do you power your A/C's with solar? How much are you projecting? Won't the costs be too much?

@ceaser, your input is highly craved pls.

Candour:


Wait o, are all these for a naija house? This is interesting.

I think i need a lecture from you and egunmogaji...

My guy, all that came from the strong urge to be independent of PHCH. There are more interesting things I have gotten installed DIY (security apparatuses, automatic water/solenoid valves etc) all running on 12 volts or 24 volts as the case may be.

I stay off toying with 220volt sources, so sadly I still need to depend on inverter guys to do the installations for the power points for gadgets that use 220/240volt sources.

I was still able to get some stuffs like 12 volt pressing iron, USB powered blender & mixer (it's broken now), 12 volt powered mini fridge and heater etc that I still use for now.

ceaser:


My guy, all that came from the strong urge to be independent of PHCH. There are more interesting things I have gotten installed DIY (security apparatuses, automatic water/solenoid valves etc) all running on 12 volts or 24 volts as the case may be.

I stay off toying with 220volt sources, so sadly I still need to depend on inverter guys to do the installations for the power points for gadgets that use 220/240volt sources.

I was still able to get some stuffs like 12 volt pressing iron, USB powered blender & mixer (it's broken now), 12 volt powered mini fridge and heater etc that I still use for now.

You're really a hands on guy.

I got an inverter installed in 2014 which handles all my lighting, fans and TV requirements. My wife even used it in an emergency to blend tomatoes. The snag is that its still dependent on the unreliable discos and gencos or generator with the fuel madness.

How does one wean himself off the power people? How much will it cost to depend solely on solar energy?

unipol:
i have many questions about roofing. why are carpenters selling roofing sheet? why do they sell cheaper than company? and why are many alluminium companies has no good website? even when they have one, they seems to be selling through agents? do you know any good alluminium company in enugu?

please forward the address, phone number or email to me at emmanuel_nwali@yahoo.com. I want to meet a reliable Aluminium dealer in Enugu.

this is interesting... am in for lecture

Am really learning o. when am ready this will help me i guess

Miranda11:


Hello, please why do you say that the weight of stone coated roof tiles are not really good for roofs in Nigeria?

Cause of the weight on the roof beams, like the op said, most carpenters use soft wood and not hard wood. Besides stone coated tiles are far more fragile than aluminum, if the Carpenter is not careful he might break it while installing it, the demerits are far more than the merits, people who use stone coated tiles mostly have lots of money to pay for professional installation hence the reason why it is mostly seen in high brow areas

KolaShangOne:


Do you know that ALL aluminium sold in Nigeria is imported from China?

Some companies like Tower, First Aluminium, Sumo import aluminium in plain form called STUCCO. They go ahead to emboss (paint) them in their factories in Nigeria through a process called OVEN BAKING.

These ones are generally more reliable because they withstand our weather better.

Some other companies import already embossed (painted) aluminium from China. Those are the ones generally referred to as IMPORTED.

DO YOU KNOW that there are about 3 different grades of IMPORTED China aluminium roofing sheets With PRICES varying accordingly.

please is there any aluminum like Ghana zinc

please can one use corrugated steel to roof a house. the factory is given 25years warranty.

ceaser:


My guy, all that came from the strong urge to be independent of PHCH. There are more interesting things I have gotten installed DIY (security apparatuses, automatic water/solenoid valves etc) all running on 12 volts or 24 volts as the case may be.

I stay off toying with 220volt sources, so sadly I still need to depend on inverter guys to do the installations for the power points for gadgets that use 220/240volt sources.

I was still able to get some stuffs like 12 volt pressing iron, USB powered blender & mixer (it's broken now), 12 volt powered mini fridge and heater etc that I still use for now.

Oga mi, pls, Biko, Don Allah, Nitori Olorun, upload picture. this is really interesting. plus contacts of where you got all your energy saving devices.

I really appreciate the OP for this thread. It has been an eye-opener to prospective clients who will be roofing their various projects anytime soon.

No doubt about it, one need to be extremely careful because there are many inferior/fake stone coated roofing tiles/sheets in the roofing industry which get fade and rust very easily.

To make it worse, some clients will request for a 0.55mm gauge/thickness, only for the seller to sell 0.45mm gauge/thickness in return for them (clients) because the clients have no idea of the gauge/thickness. So, different cases goes on and on like that.

CHECK MY SIGNATURE BELOW TO VIEW SOME OF OUR QUALITY STONE COATED ROOFING TILES PROJECTS ALL ACROSS NIGERIA.

KolaShangOne:
The first step to getting a good, durable roof is to use the correct type of Hardwood. Most carpenters buy softer wood so that nailing it will be easy for them.

Even if your carpenter uses soft wood, it's not like your roof is going to collapse immediately. But after a while, say 3-5 years, go inside the roof and you will start seeing powder or moulds.

If your carpenter uses softwood (he will tell you it's hardwood. There's no way you will know), It's better if you use aluminium roofing sheets because it is lightweight.

For those using stone coated tiles, you have to take extra care on the type of wood bought for you. Softwood cannot carry the weight of stone coated tiles (4-6.5kg per tile) for long especially as carpenters use STRUTS sparingly these days.

You can get hardwood supplied for the following prices.
3x4x12- 650
2x6x12- 650
2x4x12- 450
2x3x12- 350
2x2x12- 250
1x12x12- 1450

Please i have a quote from a carpenter about 2x4x18. Please do u know how much it cost & do i really need it for my roofing? please advice

Candour:
@EgunMogaji, how do you power your A/C's with solar? How much are you projecting? Won't the costs be too much?

@ceaser, your input is highly craved pls.

Sincerely, as for powering the air conditioner, I am still at crossroads. The one I have installed just lies fallow working only when the power generator is on. Direct Current (solar powered) air conditioners are available just as for DC refrigerators, but it is still not a common sight in Nigeria and therefore such may have to be imported at exorbitant prices. I have been doing some researched online on ways to tweak an existing 230volt/120volt Alternating Current air conditioner to run 12volt or 24 volt which makes the possibility of it running on solar possible.

Haven't even tried hooking it up to a power inverter cos I know say Na gbege to dey power AC with inverter.

Candour:


You're really a hands on guy.

I got an inverter installed in 2014 which handles all my lighting, fans and TV requirements. My wife even used it in an emergency to blend tomatoes. The snag is that its still dependent on the unreliable discos and gencos or generator with the fuel madness.

How does one wean himself off the power people? How much will it cost to depend solely on solar energy?

Like I said, I totally made the light points in the house independent of a central inverter. All the light points run on 12 volts DC direct. Some decorative LED strips even run on 5 volts USB source. Note that I have some standing fans and ceiling fans solar powered and rechargeable also running on 12volt DC.

As for the 240 volts points (wall sockets), I had all that routed to the 240 volts inverter, and for now, that is what I do. However later on, I still plan to decentralize that inverter as needed. A different inverter and battery bank for the kitchen/fridge and water dispenser, a different set up for the sitting rooms gadgets and at least 2 set ups to handle the four bedrooms.

The reason I think this is better is cos I don't have to always leave inverters on just to switch on lights in any if the rooms or even leave it working while I travel - the portable solar systems handle those ones.

Also like you said that wify powers her blender on the inverter and probably several other heavy gadgets loaded on a central inverter which you couldn't monitor while you were away, and getting home in the morning from overnight work and need to watch TV or something, I realize there is not much juice left in the battery bank. If you decentralize, you need not worry about much about shedding loads. If she like make she exhaust the kitchen supply , I go still get power to watch my TV.

Having said that, totally going off grid is an initially expensive process, but on the long term profitable. My DIY approach and strategy especially to the low voltage range (non-220 volt terrain) has been able to save money and stress associated with broken inverters that you need to always call and wait weeks for the installers to come repair.

Tuktuk:

Oga mi, pls, Biko, Don Allah, Nitori Olorun, upload picture. this is really interesting. plus contacts of where you got all your energy saving devices.

If you are a handyman, then you may be able to do some of those DIYs and mods.

I got the portable solar home systems (btw 11,600k to 35k depending on the mAH and number of bulbs) from sellers on Konga. Got about four units that can power the lighting points of all seven rooms and security lights for 20 straight hours on a single charge.
Solar charge controllers (majorly PWM types) as I plan to reverse engineer some of those portable solar systems and then have them powered by your regular Li-ion power bank battery pack.

As for the energy saving LED bulbs, I went for 1 watt high power Cree LEDs instead of 3watts Cree LEDs since a single 3 watts source can be made to supply 3 x 1 watt LEDs and made to light 1, 2 or 3 rooms depending on the brightness you want.

In case of SMD low power smd LED chips (5050, 2835, 5630 etc), I got the 3watt flat panel POP lights (that's what Igbo traders commonly call it). Note that these are originally designed to be powered by 230 volts AC. You need to jettison the attached AC drivers and then use resistors and diodes as current limiting devices to reduce their power consumption from about 3.2watts to 0.9 watts apiece. The brightness will reduce, but that's what you need to trade for prolonged battery life and also prolonged LED chip life since the current you drive thru them is reduced.

I got other components imported. They are components - hence not sold by your regular Konga or Ibo merchant - that you need in your assemblage or modding process.
: Constant current LED drivers - I later reverse engineered some and proceeded to import the components and have more drivers constructed myself and to my taste.
: Resistors, Capacitors, Diodes, transistors, Inductors, Integrated Circuits, SMD LEDs, high power Cree LEDs, Circuit boards, power banks, buck and boost voltage converters and constant current - constant voltage converters, etc
: For automation, i got PIR sensors, Light dependent switches, solenoid valves.
: Power tools - I tried as much as possible to get those that don't depend on 240v AC. 18 volt rechargeable power drill/screwdriver, 12volt rotery saw cutter. I just came across a USB powered 5volt soldering iron that I'm expecting the delivery.

This is as far as I can remember for now.

Bugatie:


It means never give up, lol

But it's really unfortunate, we have a lot of topics like this with great educational/insightful contents not making front page just because they don't have pictures of snake, Linda, Wizkid, Tonto and co

lolzzz

ceaser:


Arrgh! We think alike too much. Which one na? ?

Okay. Here is what I already have DIYed in addition to those solar fans I earlier talked about.

Got those mini solar home systems that has 4 or 6 three watt LED bulbs. I jettisoned the bulbs rhat cane with the units as they are so tightly integrated for me to mod. Instead, I modded the usual POP flat panel SMD 2835 LED lights being sold by nna bros from 3 watts to 0.9 watts. That means I get twelve 0.9 watts bulbs from factory four 3 watts. This gives me the same lumen output but with better flexibility in terms of better battery back up and power management.

This way all rooms in the building run independently their own lighting (about 4 or 5 flat panel LED lights/spotlights per room depending on the room size)

Now for the bathrooms, I need to discourage wastage in the form of leaving the lights on after people are done with their business there. I achieved that by hooking PIR sensors to the bathroom bulbs and have the delay set at 2 minutes (of course it still stays on even if you are in there for 5 hours but soon as you exit the place, it switches off after 2 minutes of inactivity).

Now for the security lights, I had a daytime off - nighttime on type of LDR hooked to the light source to the security lights. They automatically turn on at dusk and off at dawn.

Haven't noticed any bugs so far.

I guess you are an electrical engineer. You are doing what I plan to do in my house that is yet to be roofed.I want my house to be able to run without PHCN at least for light and fan 24 hours a day. There are small LED lights now available with 3W, 7W, & 10W. I plan to use them rather than energy saving lamps I'm using on inverter now with rechargeable fans. I wish to have a total DC wiring which can also supply power to a low power refrigerator now available. Then a changeover switch can be employed to switch between the supplies.

ceaser:


If you are a handyman, then you may be able to do some of those DIYs and mods.

I got the portable solar home systems (btw 11,600k to 35k depending on the mAH and number of bulbs) from sellers on Konga. Got about four units that can power the lighting points of all seven rooms and security lights for 20 straight hours on a single charge.
Solar charge controllers (majorly PWM types) as I plan to reverse engineer some of those portable solar systems and then have them powered by your regular Li-ion power bank battery pack.

As for the energy saving LED bulbs, I went for 1 watt high power Cree LEDs instead of 3watts Cree LEDs since a single 3 watts source can be made to supply 3 x 1 watt LEDs and made to light 1, 2 or 3 rooms depending on the brightness you want.

In case of SMD low power smd LED chips (5050, 2835, 5630 etc), I got the 3watt flat panel POP lights (that's what Igbo traders commonly call it). Note that these are originally designed to be powered by 230 volts AC. You need to jettison the attached AC drivers and then use resistors and diodes as current limiting devices to reduce their power consumption from about 3.2watts to 0.9 watts apiece. The brightness will reduce, but that's what you need to trade for prolonged battery life and also prolonged LED chip life since the current you drive thru them is reduced.

I got other components imported. They are components - hence not sold by your regular Konga or Ibo merchant - that you need in your assemblage or modding process.
: Constant current LED drivers - I later reverse engineered some and proceeded to import the components and have more drivers constructed myself and to my taste.
: Resistors, Capacitors, Diodes, transistors, Inductors, Integrated Circuits, SMD LEDs, high power Cree LEDs, Circuit boards, power banks, buck and boost voltage converters and constant current - constant voltage converters, etc
: For automation, i got PIR sensors, Light dependent switches, solenoid valves.
: Power tools - I tried as much as possible to get those that don't depend on 240v AC. 18 volt rechargeable power drill/screwdriver, 12volt rotery saw cutter. I just came across a USB powered 5volt soldering iron that I'm expecting the delivery.

This is as far as I can remember for now.

I love this

pragmatistm:

I guess you are an electrical engineer. You are doing what I plan to do in my house that is yet to be roofed.I want my house to be able to run without PHCH at least for light and fan 24 hours a day. There small LED lights now available with 3W, 7W, & 10W. I plan to use them rather than energy saving lamps I'm using on inverter now with rechargeable fans. I wish to have a total DC wiring which can also supply power to a low power refrigerator now available.

I'm not an engineer. You may see me as a tinkerer though. Tinkering is just a hobby that I have had since I learnt to crawl.

3W, 7W and 10W LED lights produce approximately the same lumen output that 15W, 25W and 40W CFL energy saving bulbs respectively produce, maybe even better lumen but at much reduced power consumption. CFL lamps are those small coiled fluorescent bulbs that is a common sight.

If you initially use CFL and have 'em changed to LED bulbs for your inverter, you may almost double your battery life back-up depending on the number of CFL bulbs you were using.

Please what low power refrigerator did you just talk about? Let me in on it.

ceaser:


Like I said, I totally made the light points in the house independent of a central inverter. All the light points run on 12 volts DC direct. Some decorative LED strips even run on 5 volts USB source. Note that I have some standing fans and ceiling fans solar powered and rechargeable also running on 12volt DC.

As for the 240 volts points (wall sockets), I had all that routed to the 240 volts inverter, and for now, that is what I do. However later on, I still plan to decentralize that inverter as needed. A different inverter and battery bank for the kitchen/fridge and water dispenser, a different set up for the sitting rooms gadgets and at least 2 set ups to handle the four bedrooms.

The reason I think this is better is cos I don't have to always leave inverters on just to switch on lights in any if the rooms or even leave it working while I travel - the portable solar systems handle those ones.

Also like you said that wify powers her blender on the inverter and probably several other heavy gadgets loaded on a central inverter which you couldn't monitor while you were away, and getting home in the morning from overnight work and need to watch TV or something, I realize there is not much juice left in the battery bank. If you decentralize, you need not worry about much about shedding loads. If she like make she exhaust the kitchen supply , I go still get power to watch my TV.

Having said that, totally going off grid is an initially expensive process, but on the long term profitable. My DIY approach and strategy especially to the low voltage range (non-220 volt terrain) has been able to save money and stress associated with broken inverters that you need to always call and wait weeks for the installers to come repair.

Thanks bro. Its not a small thing o.

I'll save this your write up for future reference. I really need to shame PHCN and its children.

New Aluminum prices..

First Aluminium
0.45mm Longspan is 1707 per sqm
0.45mm Steptile is 1936 per sqm
0.45mm Metcoppo is 1997 per sqm

0.55mm Longspan is 2078 per sqm
0.55mm Steptile is 2337 per sqm
0.55mm Metcoppo is 2396 per sqm

Cc @hajjmufutau @egunmogaji @meetdopi etc