Hi guys,
I am building a 6, 3 bedroom flat in 2 storey building in water log area of lekki, strong foundation has been put in place.
There is a dilemma between the builder and the plumber in regards to conduit piping. The plumber argues that he can lay unbreakable pipes whilst the remaining 2 deckings are done…. (Too late for the foundation as it has been put in place already). This will prevents him having to break through concrete to put the pipes in once the decking and the building is in place, his argument is that breaking through the concrete to put in the pipes will cause the house/foundation to weaken.
The builder on the other hand says putting the pipes in at an early stage could lead to pipes breaking e.g when workmen step on them etc…. which could be a problem when building Is completed and there are leaks in the house – if it happens….
Guys what is your opinion on these? Are there unbreakable pipes out there….? Can the house weaken if the pipes are to be inserted afterwards therefore the plumber having to break thru concrete?

Thanks,

.

When are we going to learn to do things right in this country . Ant01 if u are not new to this forum u should remember that we av been advised to contract our building works to competent & reliable company with a trace & prove of previous engagements, from your explanation it clearly shows that u av done otherwise. Now the info u require is professional u might likely not get here especially FREE. Please get a professional to sort u out & stop wasting our time here.

@onyx20

Don't make assumptions mate!

FYI, i am not new to property building and have competent builders with over 30 years experiece and have built top of the range houses,
I dont owe you an explanation but wanted opinions of other builders which i know you are not one!
Having new contractors on site with new ideas can be helpful hence the question i raised ,

@ yemtech

thanks for your reply,
building with pipes outside the is not my style, may consider it in other cheaper projects in future.

This can be fixed but your builder will need special tools like the concrete cutter and concrete drill bit. I've seen these things used in the States and boy this stuff works like magic. It cut and drill thru concrete and steel so smoothly with no vibrating effects on the foundation or the entire building. Oh boy, how I wish our professionals can invest in high tech tools like this.

@ poster,
Your builder is certainly inexperinced. Even your plumber seems to know more than he does. Pls do away with him or get a consultant to monitor him.
The pipes MUST be inserted at the early stage before the casting of the groung floor slab. Anything asides this is rubbish.

Pls NEVER consider putting your pipes at the surface. I mean NEVER.

In case the damage has already been done, Never mind, there's a solution.
SOLUTION;
1) Run waste and sewage pipes as surface pipes along the ground beam directly into a chamber. (It must be below the ground floor slab. Immediately the pipes reach the ground floor slab, divert it back into the walls with Elbows. You can now cast the exposed portion below the ground floor slab into something like a Flower pot or any fanciful thing such that no will notice it.
2) Run the water supply pipes directly above the ground floor slab. It doesn't have to be beneath.

Be careful so as not to make other expensive mistakes. Cheers!

ajileko:

This can be fixed but your builder will need special tools like the concrete cutter and concrete drill bit. I've seen these things used in the States and boy this stuff works like magic. It cut and drill thru concrete and steel so smoothly with no vibrating effects on the foundation or the entire building. Oh boy, how I wish our professionals can invest in high tech tools like this.

Proper planning and experience has no substitute, and I have constantly told Nairalanders that they will always get what they pay for. Ajileko, do you understand the concept of the raft foundation? I will suggest that you search google for some education regarding this. If you were aware of it, then you will know that the foundation concrete integrity must not be compromised because it is solely responsible for keeping the house in place. It acts similar to an overturned bowl (upside down)on water. You will find it hard to push down on it. But as soon as you make holes in it, it will promptly sink.

To suggest that a raft foundation should be drilled or cracked is similar to making holes in the upside down bowl, which will allow it to promptly sink, All plumbing pipes should have been previously run, crushed stone was to have been in place to buffer sub surface water, steel, and proper waterproofing membrane should have been installed. Nigerians have a way of undermining the efforts it takes to do things and each person becomes an instant expert in everything.

A Home is not a toy and it is unfortunate that people will allow others to use their projects as learning tools. There is no better value than an experienced professional.

Recently there was plumbing work complete in the rooftop, and the entire building was on still to notice, yet they just turned off the step. It was the ideal open access, so I spent 30 minutes testing and identification every one of the valves that I speculated influenced my component.

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