segcy.moor:



...e no easy!..guy is talking from experience! true talk. Ordinarily, this is what they call variation in d BoQ...but can dis client listen to us. Back to jadacorsair issue. what I intend to suggest will benefit u but may put this ur Contractor in problem. Ask d guy to prepare contract agreement based on dis quote and try to employ trusted person as a consultant, because u may not know better. U can't sacrifice more than 100k for this. I tell u this contractor will have nothing left over if not begging u for some coins later........who dare said this bill is much. You see, U guy don't understand what we face with labor and supplier...their price is fixed and no story is not entertain.

segcy.moor:



...e no easy!..guy is talking from experience! true talk. Ordinarily, this is what they call variation in d BoQ...but can dis client listen to us. Back to jadacorsair issue. what I intend to suggest will benefit u but may put this ur Contractor in problem. Ask d guy to prepare contract agreement based on dis quote and try to employ trusted person as a consultant, because u may not know better. U can't sacrifice more than 100k for this. I tell u this contractor will have nothing left over if not begging u for some coins later........who dare said this bill is much. You see, U guy don't understand what we face with labor and supplier...their price is fixed and no story is not entertain.

jaydacorsair:

Thank you so much. This is exactly what i have in mind. I want to involve a lawyer and get the contractor to sign an agreement with me. What do you think guys?

spyder880:

My man, labour is a very big problem in the site. My workers all left the site today because I asked that they collect N1500 as labourer fee for a day.

spyder880: The only way 2000 blocks will be enough for this foundation is if there will only be 4 coaches (levels) of blocks before the German floor slab. I took time out to calculate the block need for this foundation and realized how big this house is. Please dont be decieved because it looks small and innocent on paper, till you dig the foundation and climb into it!

PH is a coastal city, very close to sea level so the tendecy is to build your house to gain a height advantage in case of flooding/dampness. This will mean a higher foundation of like 5 to 6 coaches of blocks high to be safe. 2000 blocks may not be enough for this house, but the builder should be careful and avoid breakages on site. I will be back to look at the labour costs later.

diordaves: Segcy.moor, spyder880, Chekitaut, Brabus are you guys kidding or am missing something? You sanctioned that quotation as ok? The guy may spend well OVER 1 million naira just for aggregate and you call that ok? For "blinding" alone well over 1 million Naira and that is OK? I must be missing something. I mean its a two bedroom four flat with just over 20 columns and for "basket" a little under N500,000 ? Come on! May be its me or PH or there is a professional clan "tribal" territorial protection.

Poster I think there are hidden critical nodes to inflate the cost eg Aggregates, sharp sand, cement etc. I will do my best to tear down the quote later in the day. Good Luck and congratulations.

brabus: Swampy or Not? This foundation at four coaches high will not use anything less than 1800 blocks (minimum) except the foundation go get window and door spaces.

Anyone who thinks otherwise can place a bet on it.

diordaves: Spyder880 long time ! I can see you are keeping the flag flying. That's the spirit, well done.

Now you professionals really need to educate me on how you can see this quote has so "cheap" you need a legal commitment. I see differently. So please educate me.

To start with the poster will spend OVER N1,065,000[/b]to buy aggregates (Granite)to build a four flat of two bedrooms. This MAY be flawed.

Poster lets go through the quote node by node:

FOUNDATION TO DPC Node
Your contractor wishes to spend [b]N123,300 for Rods to build the footings (Basket). This is fair enough. He also wishes to spend a whooping N380,000 for granite. For the life of me, I cannot see how this is possible and fair. If you spend more than N90,000 for granite at foundation level, you MAY not be cost efficient. He only needs minimal granite for blinding and for the footings of the columns and mind you your column is about 23/25 right?

"Excavation Sand" or filling sand will depend on how high your foundation is. For the amount quoted you should be aiming for 4 coaches (courses) high. The quote MAY be about right for 4 coaches.

I will want to assume that the Foundation to DPC also include casting the oversite slab (German Floor) hence the need for 45(?) tons of granite. If this is the case, then that amount of granite MAY be well more than enough to cast the column and lintel. The trouble is if you look at the NEXT node : DPC - Slab, the contractor also quoted for granite again. So deconstructing the quote; it means that the granite in the first node is for blinding and german floor and in the second node, for columns and lintel. I don't agree. This is too much.

Your contractor needs 2000 [9"] blocks from foundation to where? DPC or Lintel level? I will estimate for about 800 blocks for a 4 coaches high foundation and a further 2300 blocks to Lintel level.Now if you look at the next node on the quote, the contractor quoted a further 3200 [9"] blocks bringing his block needs to 5,200 blocks from foundation to Lintel. This MAY be too much. Please probe further. Like sercy.moor said get a quantity surveyor for a Bill of quantity.


At the foot of Foundation - DPC quote, there is a fee for N140,000. What is that all about? Now for labour from foundation to DPC your contractor wishes for N610,0000. I want to believe this is too much. You could do well with N450,000. Please bargain further.

Lets go to the DPC to Slab node later. But DO NOT BE DISCOURAGED; its like that with building, you will surely overcome.

diordaves: DPC to SLAB Node

Like Chekitaut said the unit price of the quote to the best of his experience is accurate. Probably true; but you see the problem is not so much the unit price of materials but the quantity needed of each material. Brabus is willing to place a bet on the quantity of blocks ( over 1800) for the foundation so the jigsaw puzzle should be falling into place for you Jaydacorsair. By now you should know where and how to look at cost efficiency relating to your project. To my own experience and little costing knowledge you should breath easy with "kpatakpata" 1300 blocks and nothing near N400K for granite for just foundation. So there you go! make that move.

Your contractor is quoting for 46 pieces of 16mm Rods and 45 pieces 12mm Rods. This is for lintel and columns but what is not so clear is why the 50-50 inter-play between 16mm and 12mm. I will argue for a dominant 12mm with minimal 16mm but you never know. This may have been recommended by the structural engineer or just another padding of cost. Kindly seek clarification.

Your contractor needs yet another N125K for aggregate (Granite). You already know my opinion about this. Am not sold on this.

Your contractor needs about N180K for planks for the formwork to cast the lintel and columns. You can do that for half the quoted price. Now if you are building straight without pulse from foundation to lintel; you can salvage the boarding planks used for casting the German floor and add about N30K of new planks to cast the lintel/columns. Cast one wing of the flat first; when cured remove planks and use same to cast the other wing.A total of N217K to buy planks for lintel and German floor should not fly if you are building without stopping.

Your contractor needs 3200 [9"] blocks and 400 [6"] . Again why this interplay. You may want to ask for clarification. Its either 9" or 6". Why the extra 400 [6"]? We are saying the ground floor will consume 6000 [ 9" ] blocks? I can't get my head around this. If this is true; it means your four flat will consume easily 10 000 blocks. you may want to ask more question on this.

N600K for labour? well you know my views already. Your labour cost is just under 50% of your materials cost. You can do better and should do better.

gabbytabby:

for (six) 2 bedroom flat we used 6200 blocks from german to linted. 1000 blocks a flat is adequate.

gabbytabby:

for (six) 2 bedroom flat we used 6200 blocks from german to linted. 1000 blocks a flat is adequate.

brabus:

The cavity walls in the attached picture will use

Foundation - 240 blocks
Ground Floor to First floor slab - 500+
First floor to Roof level - 500+

Will 500 blocks be adequate for the remaining rooms? Pls educate us further.


Note: Block size is 9" x 9" x 18"

diordaves: SLAB (DECKING) Node

Before Spyder880 comes up with his promised critique of gabbytabby's drawing lets go through the Slab or decking quotation.

Your contractor needs easily N3 million to "deck" a four flat in PH. If this figure is true; it means Spyder880 is right: your project is very big and not the plan you posted or PH na die.

But I will still say your building plan is normal and PH may be expensive but not so expensive that you cannot deck with around 2 mill or less.

The thing is your contractor is charging you N580k for labour. This is disingenuous to put it mildly. When I posit you can deck with around 2 mill I mean ALL inclusive and NOT 2 million for materials and then N580k for labour. Some may say location matters. True. While am not a commercial builder ( I only build for the family and madam); I can tell you truthfully I have built in Lagos; Ibandan; Asaba; Warri; PH (4yrs ago though) and am currently struggling with Abuja all four flats: None have I spent 3mill for decking so far. So when am giving you prices and figure am giving you warri experience which is about the same in PH or may be plus or minus 15%. If the East - West road is good; PH is 2hrs from Warri.

Lets simplify the assumption: this is how I deck a four flat:

ALL Rods: Budget about N500K

Iron Bender: Budget about N100K

Granite: Budget about N400K

Cement: About N350k

Electrician with materials: N90k

Formwork/panelling: N400k. You hire formwork/panellin which includes carpentry labour to also bring down the formwork. ALL INCLUSIVE.

Concrete mixers: N120K

Floaters: N60K

Site Engineer: in Warri I paid N70k just for decking o.

Miscellaneous? Rice; Soft drinks; pure water; youths; etc and any other segment I may have missed.When decking the only critical labour you worry about is Iron Bender; Mixers and Floaters. All other quotes labour should be inclusive with material cost.

Water ? you should have a well or borehole by now. Transport; loading; off loading ? All inclusive of materials cost not extra. I have inflated these prices by 15% already. So there you go

jaydacorsair: @ All the builders in the house. I thank Everyone for adding possitively to this topic. I want to know if there is any nairalander(builder) who can be the contractor of this project, let him come up with hes own quotation.

brabus:

If I'm building the same structure in Lagos (assuming the same terrain no raft), I'll do

Build Route - Contractor Managed

Foundation to DPC - N300k (labour), N1.2m (Materials)
Block Work to First floor slab - N300k (labour), N1.4m (Materials)
First floor slab - N2m (Material/Labour)
First floor block work to roof level - N350k (labour), N1.4m


can you work in ph?