abdulwastecx:


Lol...Do you expect them to lay blocks, do formwork or plaster house?

Yes, yes I do. This said in the most serious manner.

It's a disconnect between what I'm used to and what is available. Here in the USA I employ artisans that does the work themselves leading their crew.

It's my fault for assuming that I would find the same in Nigeria. I agree, but that is my unwavering expectation and why I'm ending up being the GC on my build.

EgunMogaji:

http://www.harborfreight.com

Simply contact ChinoSXL (if he's still active), sign on to Harbor Freight and ship to Chinos Texas address and he will ship to Lagos for you and even offers door to door shipping inside Nigeria though associates.

My Oga, the days of needing hook ups are long gone, just be armed with your PayPal account that is now available in Nigeria, go to your favorite cybercafe or buy a MiFi at Smile.Com.NG and you can shop mostly worldwide and ship to Nigeria.

SMiFi Router Starter Pack One SMiFi router + one SIM + 5GB data 16,000 http://smile.com.ng/products-services/

Egun "Dirty Rotter" Mogaji

@"Dirty Rotter" LOL!!

Don't forget "Northern Tools" also at:

http://www.northerntool.com

Hajji M.

abdulwastecx:


I will like to get your contacts... I will love to know i we can get some of these affordable tools.
This list will be of help
1. theodolite for leveling
2. concrete smoother like the one you display above
3. simple block making machine etc.

i will like to see their price sir... Thanks

DUnno if you think this is cheap or not
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/NEW-PETROL-CONCRETE-POKER-/231274244891?hash=item35d904eb1b
http://www.amazon.co.uk/ACTECMAX-ELECTRIC-CONCRETE-PLASTER-MACHINE/dp/B00NWJ8JW2/ref=sr_1_7?s=diy&ie=UTF8&qid=1441046222&sr=1-7&keywords=concrete+mixer

abdulwastecx:


Project manager (aka general contractor can be a quantity surveyor with experience in structures, building technology and architecture) his major work is to organize other professional involve in the construction of a building. Job size is a factor to the choice of the general contractors. A simple bungalow don't really need serious job planning and organization, hence the owner if around can be the general contractor

thanks a bunch

peaceland:
@ Dominionng
Thanks a lot for this.
apart from decorative purpose is there any other reason (supportive/structural) for its use with chandeliers?
Thanks

That's correct Sir. The idea was to have something to hide chandelier hooks. Since chandeliers now comes with top covers, it became irrelevant

abdulwastecx:


You are right about the weight of solid block.... weight may not of structural advantage when you are building higher floor building because of tendency to constitute more dead load to the structure.

i like to do away with heavy partitions on my beam because it will automatically increase the design load there by increasing the concrete section and reinforcement of the structures. For example, a simply supported beam carrying a uniformly distributed wall load will have, M (design moment) = w ( weight) x l2 ( square of effective length)/8. The weight is a function of dead load (self weight of beam and weight of block wall on top of the beam) and life load ( the intended use of building, i.e its functionality)

you see sir.... heavy block is not really structurally advantageous

Ye I think we are both saying same thing in diff ways, so ideally a storey building should have its top floor partition with hollow blocks and a Bungalow and a ground floor has no business with hollow blocks then

abdulwastecx:


I think the major advantage of solid block to hollow block is bullet proof nature of solid blocks

do you honestly think that six inches solid blocks can offer some measure of resistance to the type of handheld machine gun often used by Fulani herdsmen( i think AK47 is their favourite) what number of blocks per bag would you recommend?

erico2k2:

Ye I think we are both saying same thing in diff ways, so ideally a storey building should have its top floor partition with hollow blocks and a Bungalow and a ground floor has no business with hollow blocks then

yes sir....only when you build on the assumption that the ground floor partitions are load bearer....And i am of the opinion that it will be a very bad idea giving the relative poor strength of our sancrete block.

abouzaid:
do you honestly think that six inches solid blocks can offer some measure of resistance to the type of handheld machine gun often used by Fulani herdsmen( i think AK47 is their favourite) what number of blocks per bag would you recommend?

lol.....I'm not really bothered about fulani herdsmen.

Miscellaneous:
Abdulwastecx or any other, do u consider the level of sound from one room to another when using blocks? or is there a calculation for dat?

It's been proven that noise is higher when you use 6 inches wall for partitioning juxtaposed with 9 inches block. In applications like studios, the walls are padded with thick foams to prevent sound escape.

abdulwastecx:
check out these bamboo structures

@Abdulwastecx
Can you post a web link to those bamboo structures... I need to see the pictures bigger. Thanks.

Hajji M.

abdulwastecx:


yes sir....only when you build on the assumption that the ground floor partitions are load bearer....And i am of the opinion that it will be a very bad idea giving the relative poor strength of our sancrete block.

How about in the case of a bongallow ?

KolaShangOne:


It's been proven that noise is higher when you use 6 inches wall for partitioning juxtaposed with 9 inches block. In applications like studios, the walls are padded with thick foams to prevent sound escape.

I think sound will travel far fru solid block than hollow block due to resonance

.

erico2k2:

I think sound will travel far fru solid block than hollow block due to resonance

Yes. Transmission losses include both reflective and adsorption losses. Coupled with the fact that Mass is indeed a more important parameter for sound travel than density. Although adsorption losses is due to density.
Also, hollow blocks have 2 reflective surfaces so its better than solid blocks.

A porous material like foam or foam blocks will absorb sound better.

abdulwastecx:


lol.....I'm not really bothered about fulani herdsmen.

I'm asking because I'm researching on how best to incorporate a safe room in an existing design without breaking the bank. i have a lot materials already but i haven't seen any on the use of solid blocks.

abouzaid:
I'm asking because I'm researching on how best to incorporate a safe room in an existing design without breaking the bank. i have a lot materials already but i haven't seen any on the use of solid blocks.

the safe room should be made with reinforced partition walls

abdulwastecx:


the safe room should be made with reinforced partition walls

The best proof would be made of clay which is the humble red bricks of England .they last for up to 300 yrs b4 they need polishing .putting a nail fru one is almost impossible.

abdulwastecx:


the safe room should be made with reinforced partition walls

please can you give your own idea on how best to construct one here, i have seen a few from American sources but there are not detailed to my satisfaction.

erico2k2:

The best proof would be made of clay which is the humble red bricks of England .they last for up to 300 yrs b4 they need polishing .putting a nail fru one is almost impossible.

that's a great suggestion, it would probably need to be plastered in order to blend in with the rest of the house. I'll research that.

abouzaid:
please can you give your own idea on how best to construct one here, i have seen a few from American sources but there are not detailed to my satisfaction.

send me your dimensions and i ill help you design a detail safe room with the reinforcement and concrete section

abdulwastecx:


send me your dimensions and i ill help you design a detail safe room with the reinforcement and concrete section

it's actually two neighbouring toilets that i want to fortify as safe rooms. the first, a visitors toilet is three feet by seven and half while the second is four feet by seven and half. the total exterior dimensions would then be eight and half by eight and half feet since it would be built with six inches blocks although i don't mind increasing the wall thickness. the toilets would have a six inches reinforced slab on top that would also serve as the overhead water tank stand. thanks a million

abouzaid:
it's actually two neighbouring toilets that i want to fortify as safe rooms. the first, a visitors toilet is three feet by seven and half while the second is four feet by seven and half. the total exterior dimensions would then be eight and half by eight and half feet since it would be built with six inches blocks although i don't mind increasing the wall thickness. the toilets would have a six inches reinforced slab on top that would also serve as the overhead water tank stand. thanks a million

Just thinking.....in case of any Fulani herdsmen attack or any attack for that matter, what do you plan to use for the windows and how do you plan to ventilate the space in case of a prolonged siege?

Onuokwu:


Just thinking.....in case of any Fulani herdsmen attack or any attack for that matter, what do you plan to use for the windows and how do you plan to ventilate the space in case of a prolonged siege?

As well as fire, etc

Occupants of ill prepared safe rooms have been known to be smoked out of hiding.

I came accross this machine, what do you guys think of it

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d2Aq82WTFH0

erico2k2:
I came accross this machine, what do you guys think of it

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d2Aq82WTFH0

Wow!!

EgunMogaji:


As well as fire, etc

Occupants of ill prepared safe rooms have been known to be smoked out of hiding.

Exactly......plain vanilla strategy we used to dislodge grass cutters from their hiding place in those days.

TLAX:


Exactly......plain vanilla strategy we used to dislodge grass cutters from their hiding place in those days.

I have a safe room in my build that will be built to US spec, not just a room with a door. In fact it's the epicenter of the controls for my house and if in there I'm prepared to murder anyone outside its door

Onuokwu:


Just thinking.....in case of any Fulani herdsmen attack or any attack for that matter, what do you plan to use for the windows and how do you plan to ventilate the space in case of a prolonged siege?

I'm thinking of getting bullet proof windows from onitsha. good old burglary proof iron work would prevent entrance but won't prevent them spraying the place with bullets through a broken window. I'm really thinking hard on how to design this without breaking the bank.Gun concealment is another headache since children would be inhabiting the house too.

KolaShangOne:


It's been proven that noise is higher when you use 6 inches wall for partitioning juxtaposed with 9 inches block. In applications like studios, the walls are padded with thick foams to prevent sound escape.

my oga don enter acoustic.

EgunMogaji:


As well as fire, etc

Occupants of ill prepared safe rooms have been known to be smoked out of hiding.

concrete is largely fire proof, a normal fire could easily be put out with fire a extinguisher from the kitchen store while a Fulani setting the house on fire(it's actually their favourite strategy) won't be too effective since the whole room is encapsulated in concrete with the roof been a six inches thick reinforced concrete slab. you need to understand that in Nigeria we don't design those things because of fire or tornados/hurricanes rather i want to develop the expertise in it due to the security challenges in this country especially here in the north.

abouzaid:
concrete is largely fire proof, a normal fire could easily be put out with fire a extinguisher from the kitchen store while a Fulani setting the house on fire(it's actually their favourite strategy) won't be too effective since the whole room is encapsulated in concrete with the roof been a six inches thick reinforced concrete slab. you need to understand that in Nigeria we don't design those things because of fire or tornados/hurricanes rather i want to develop the expertise in it due to the security challenges in this country especially here in the north.

It's funny but over here in California where I live we don't have tornado or hurricane.

Safe room is not just about weather.

abouzaid:
I'm thinking of getting bullet proof windows from onitsha. good old burglary proof iron work would prevent entrance but won't prevent them spraying the place with bullets through a broken window. I'm really thinking hard on how to design this without breaking the bank.Gun concealment is another headache since children would be inhabiting the house too.

Teach your kids about guns so they'll respect it.

I want my child, when of age, to be able to shoot and very well.