[b]5. NON-CONSTRUCTION OF GROUND FLOOR BED (LOCALLY CALLED DPC OR GERMAN FLOOR)

This is a quite popular, but improper way of foundation construction. In a bid to cut costs or sometimes fast track the progress of a project, builders sometimes in conjunction with clients, on completion of filling of the foundation, continue the construction of superstructural walls without first completing the foundation by casting the ground floor bed. They would then continue with constructing the superstructural walls and roof carcass/covering, before returning back to cast the ground floor bed within the room spaces, most times reducing the thickness of the bed.

A floor bed is supposed to be monolithic in nature i.e. cast all together as a whole in order to maintain its rigidity. However, with this faulty method, the floor bed is broken up into sections or compartments and thus, non-monolithic. It must be said that in the final analysis, this method does not actually reduce costs, even though they think it does.

Casting the ground floor bed after laterite/sand filling is the proper and professional way of completing the construction of any foundation, as taught by every construction book and in every school of higher learning in the construction sector.

POSITIVES
- It saves the client and/or builder little money only in the short-term
- It enables fast tracking of the progress of the project.

NEGATIVES
- This act would eventually expose the building to cracks appearing at the joints between the superstructural walls and the floor bed, due to uneven or differential settlement occurring in the foundation which causes the walls and the floor to separate since the floor bed is not monolithic.
- Ingress of water, moisture and/or termites into the spaces in the building through the resultant cracks mentioned above[/b]

samadola:
I have property for sale 6 two bedroom Bundalow appartment

Location and price?

saxwizard:



the closest to it- 3.5kva

3.5kva/48V with 4 200ah battery
4 solar panels of 200W
48V charge controller

thats wat we would be supplying
or you go for 5kva.

u can contact us on 07030306355 lets talk price

NOTE u can increase the numbers of batteries and solar panels for more efficiency.


thanks

Please let's discuss price here. For the benefit of others also

olumide4christ:
4. OMISSION OF DAMP PROOF MEMBRANE

In trying to cut costs to the barest minimum, some builders with or without the consent of their clients, decide not to place the damp proof membrane otherwise called ‘nylon’ in the floor bed during the casting of the concrete. The purpose of the damp proof membrane in the ground floor bed or ‘german floor’, construction-wise, is to prevent water ingress from the foundation into the superstructure of the building.

POSITIVES
- It saves the client and/or builder little money only in the short-term

NEGATIVES
- The building will surely be exposed to a phenomenon called ‘rising damp’ where soil water/moisture moves by capillary action from the foundation walls upwards to the upper superstructural walls, resulting in damp/moist walls, mould/algae growth on walls,etc.

This is very common.

In the current estate where I just joined in the FCT here, there is serious worry going on as even the most uneducated can see what's going on.

The paint's on the houses are peeling off, materials placed inside the houses are getting wet, foams that some worker use to sleep overnight are getting soaked up.

All because one irresponsible builder/Foreman thought it unnecessary to put nylon (DPM), because the estate lies on high ground.

The way some people think ehn.

[b]7. OMISSION OF ROOF BEAM OR HEAD BEAM

Some clients and builders see the construction of a concrete roof beam or head beam on top of the last course of the superstructural walls, before the roof, as an unnecessary additional cost to the project and on many occasions, opt to leave it out. This could prove problematic and a wrong decision in the future, when the weight of the roof carcass and covering bears down on the walls, since the roof sits directly on the top of the walls.

The purposes of the concrete roof or head beam in a building are:

1) To serve as a final tie to the top of all the columns in the building, thus increasing the rigidity of the building

2) To effectively carry the weight/imposed load of the roof carcass and covering, and transmitting such loads to the columns and onward to the foundation, due to the fact that the reinforced concrete roof beam is strong in containing tensional and compressional forces exerted by the roof.

On the other hand, the block walls do not have the capability to resist such tensional and compressional forces, when directly in contact with and receiving the weight of the roof and as such, when there is no roof beam, cracks begin to appear in the walls sooner or later.

POSITIVES
- It saves the client and/or builder little money only in the short-term.

NEGATIVES
- This practice eventually exposes the building walls to vertical cracks, which usually start from the upper part of the walls.[/b]

[b]8. USE OF LOW GAUGE ROOF COVERING

This is commonly done by the builder/contractor, in cases where he has foreknowledge of the fact. Aluminium roof coverings come in various but common gauges, being 0.70mm, 0.55mm, 0.45mm. There are lesser gauges, but those listed above are acceptable and recommended.

However, to save cost or cut corners, lower gauges of 0.35mm or less are used, though the client may have been informed that the aluminium roofing was of a recommended gauge. Of course, the lower gauges are far cheaper than the recommended gauges. Prospective clients are therefore encouraged to ensure that the recommended gauges are used on their projects. Vernier calipers can be used to determine the exact gauge of any roofing sheet.

NEGATIVES

- Usage of lower (not recommended) gauge aluminium roofing results in leaking roofs within a short period after installation due to its low quality.
- Lower (not recommended) gauge aluminium roofing is easily blown away by strong winds due to its extra light weight.
[/b]

[b]9. USE OF THIN (150MM/6 INCH) BLOCKS AS LOAD-BEARING WALLS

Load-bearing walls are described in lay man terms as walls that directly bear the load/weight of the slab or roof immediately above them. They are used in buildings with no framed structure i.e. where there are no columns (pillars) or beams supporting the building structure. In other words, the walls are the support of the building structure.

It is recommended that in a building without a framed structure, at least 225mm (9 inch) blocks should be used all through in order to sufficiently carry the weight of the imposed loads. However, in order to save some costs, some people make use of thinner blocks like 150mm (6 inch) blocks which though they are cheaper, have a lesser capability to bear imposed loads. As such, when these thinner blocks are used, cracks begin to appear after a period of time.

POSITIVES

- It saves the client and/or builder some money only in the short-term.

NEGATIVES

- This practice eventually exposes the building walls to cracks arising from the weight of the roof or slab above, which usually start from the upper part of the walls.[/b]

[b]10. REDUCTION OF COLUMNS ON THE UPPER FLOORS

I have seen this phenomenon on some occasions, where some clients after obtaining structural drawings prepared by competent structural engineers, which show column layouts, amongst other important information, would opt to reduce the number of columns/pillars on the upper floors.

They do this with the erroneous belief that only the pillars on the ground floor are designed to carry the imposed loads and as such, columns/pillars on the upper floors are not necessary or should be fewer than those on the ground floor. Every qualified structural engineer would agree with me that such beliefs are erroneous and dangerous.

POSITIVES

- It saves the client and/or builder some money only in the short-term. The reduction of the number of columns would mean less concrete, formwork and reinforcement and hence, reduction of some cost.

NEGATIVES

- This practice renders the building structurally unstable due to the omission of some columns. Every column in a building has been designed by the engineer based on his structural calculations and removal/omission of any column alters the structural balance of the building, which could lead to failures such as cracks, or even building collapse. I believe the qualified engineers in the house can attest to this fact.[/b]

Hello Nairalanders,

I'm happy to say that I am back to Nairaland properties section after a long while off, with a BIG BANG! You shall understand why I say so as the days go by. We have set up a construction services firm to provide construction services with a spectacular and professional difference.

Expect more threads by which we will showcase new services we have to offer you and offer more knowledge to you on the world of construction and consultancy. As has been my usual practice, feel free to ask me your questions on anything and everything about construction and properties. I believe that we shall learn a lot from each other.

Remember, questions, comments and criticisms are always welcome.

Watch out for this space. Stay blessed and stay safe!

BACK WITH A BIG BANG!!

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