Can you not read

Please read Assog tread of 25th of December 09;

A solidly laid 20mm concrete raft for a 7 bedroom duplex foundation on a straight land in Lekki would cost 2.2 million (materials including fees)

I will never say something stupid like that.

Point of correction i never mentioned steel in my tread and when you are responding to treads always read carefully.

Guys

We are all here to share ideas

This is new year and can we open a new chapter for the year.

No offences guys.

Please Sir. You can drop me an email here: adetund19@yahoo.com I will send you about 10 pictures of my several projects sir.
I did most of them between 2007-2010 hopefully you can connect me with some big time project. Residential projects are too stressful, and the pay off isnt much, but it keeps me busy. I hope we can work something together. Thanks. T.

Between "babadudd" and "asoog", l like the mending of fences!
I knew all along that it was a "typo error" on asoog's part to put 20mm in relation to concrete when he meant to use it for steel.
I actually took my ruler to check when l read the thread and then l realized the typo-error

, and to you, "2klong", l hope by now you would have realized that its not a good idea to jump into a fight between "husband and wife" and take sides.
Apologize quickly to "babapupa" and next time, look before you leap (there is a tub of hot oil just behind that wall )

From what you have in your tread;

4200 x 3600
7050 x 4200

They are  in mm not in cm. you can check the side notes on your drawings (if any?) some usefull info can be there too.

Kind regards

Thanks Barbados04, that's my dilemma there is no side note to say the unit but i really appreciate your help.

you are welcome

Any idea of the cost of a drawing a 3bedroom plan
secondly where in lagos can one get an achitect for this purpose pls?

Somebody please explain this to me. I was at ifo today, then passby a family's site at foundation level, Here is what i saw: the land was digged according to d plan then blocks were placed from where d digging end, then dey continue laying the blocks. So i asked someone dat is dis how foundation is done? They said yes, then later they'll fill the middles with red sand then concrete, Is that true? Though its a 3 bedroom bungalow but is that what is called foundation? Dey said the person spend roughly 200k on that

Architects fees varies depending on whom you are dealing with but i think some of them are very reasonable when it comes to charging their client.

The location of an Architect does not matter you can arrange to me either in their office or your office/home.

Speak with this guy aasog 08036685576 as is a builder he might get you a good one and their other Architects in this forum too.

@babadudu04

e nomal make this kin thin happen sometimes.total apologys.all of us here good for our job,though some people get mouth pass some.i hail.

@aasog

no more fight o,and abeg,try email me here:survivor8929@gmail.com i go send you the hotel plan na 2010 make we work abeg

Nobody answer me ooo

Sunboy,
I am not an architect but what you experienced was the "local way" of doing it
Depending on the "texture" of the soil in that place, the bungalow might just survive Iav seen it done over and over again and the houses are still standing straight, more than 25years later BUT it has to be one of those "red, hilly clay soil" areas!

Try that in a swampy environment and that house will sink to lintel level in less than 5years.

Do something that will stand the weather and give you rest of mind, an additional 75K for granite and cement could make the difference.
cheers

@lastpage: thank you for the reply. Yes its a red clay hilly area, i think i just got sense from what you said. I was wondering of even telling them that my foundation must be at least 3-4 blocks in the ground, but i just bought your idea. And if u dont mind me asking, will they concrete the digged floor before placing the blocks ? though a professional may still be inspecting mine but still worried. Can u help me about this ?

Again, l repeat, l am not an expert o!
Now, to your question.
I will go through the motions and hope l can give u an idea.

*Artisans (Senior Bricklayer and like 4 recruits) digs the trench representing where the walls would "grow" from.
*The firs layer will be a mixture of sand and cement of about 5-inch thickness, called "blinding". But if u want to be a bit "safer" and u have a few coins in d purse, you can mix some "gravel" (not granite) with it to make that "base stronger (l will advice this)
*Nxxt comes the 9" blocks which will now be placed on the "blinding" above, to go round the trench.
*About 3-coaches of 9" blocks is done (2-coaches below ground and one above)
*The inside of the 3-coaches is filled-up with red laterite/clay soil.
*Those who dont have 'much' will "floor with a mixture of sand & cement", the 3-coaches after filling-up the inside. Those who can afford more will add gravel stones (those brownish looking stones that are cheaper than granite) to the sand & cement mixture, to do the flooring and the wall will sit on this base, lik u have done a mini-raft foundation!

If ur soil is the dry, red clay type, and u are building a bungalow, the above style will save u money and it will stand kampe.
I have seen i done and the houses are still commanding good rents close to 30yrs after

Cheers & good luck

Insert Quote
Again, l repeat, l am not an expert o!
Now, to your question.
I will go through the motions and hope l can give u an idea.

*Artisans (Senior Bricklayer and like 4 recruits) digs the trench representing where the walls would "grow" from.
*The firs layer will be a mixture of sand and cement of about 5-inch thickness, called "blinding". But if u want to be a bit "safer" and u have a few coins in d purse, you can mix some "gravel" (not granite) with it to make that "base stronger (l will advice this)
*Nxxt comes the 9" blocks which will now be placed on the "blinding" above, to go round the trench.
*About 3-coaches of 9" blocks is done (2-coaches below ground and one above)
*The inside of the 3-coaches is filled-up with red laterite/clay soil.
*Those who dont have 'much' will "floor with a mixture of sand & cement", the 3-coaches after filling-up the inside. Those who can afford more will add gravel stones (those brownish looking stones that are cheaper than granite) to the sand & cement mixture, to do the flooring and the wall will sit on this base, lik u have done a mini-raft foundation!

If your soil is the dry, red clay type, and u are building a bungalow, the above style will save u money and it will stand kampe.
I have seen i done and the houses are still commanding good rents close to 30yrs after

Cheers & good luck

Mr Lastpage,you said you are not an expert but you sound like you got some experience which is not easily gotten even in the 4 walls of the school.
with the above report itotally agree with you but a friend of mine used the above kind of foundation to build a twin duplex in asese,ibafo.
The only difference is that he had between 8-10 pillars holding the top floor,he made 2 coaches above the 2 under.
my question is that,will the structure last the test of time(the owner of the house is a quantity surveyor)

@lastpage: exactly what i was expecting and exactly as it is going to be done. I was deceived by my ignorance and now i know. They are using gravel althrough with sand and cement, i was wondering if its necessary to put pillars around coupled with all you stated. I was told by the contractor that its voluntery, only if i like it or not, So was wondering if its necessary. Im glat at ur reply bro.

My pleasure "Sunboy". I wish you more grease (l mean more money in your pocket) at your elbow

@Kingboy, (na so so "boy" dey build house? be like say l go change my name to "lastboy" )

I am just an inquisitive brat. I poke my nose in anything of interest and when l see builders doing their stuff, l ask questions and pay attention.

In the 70's, my parents did something similar and l have tried compare the result with other people who did the same thing (over time) and try not to fall into the not so obvious pits.
Thats why l make it clear that my 'round head' is not an expert one o!
By the way, l will not trust this arrangement for anything higher than a Bungalow!

Reason being that "decking" is a lot of weight whose tilt, torque or "cant not be totally predicted if there is no pillar to support it under.
Once you deck, u must have Pillars (with iron or bamboo inside).
What you now place those pillar on is now the question. If your Pillars are placed on a "base" that shifts, or not firm or is sandy, you can imagine if Third Mainland bridge Pillars is placed just on those swamp!
Abeg, life is too precious to be stingy about, l wont spend too much time visiting your surveyor friend.

By the way, l read Computer Engineering back then but life experience has made me diversify into other fields, as time went by so, l am no expert when it comes to buildings, just a curious lay-man.
Cheers.

@lastpage; yes a curious lay-man like i am who dont mind asking the stupidiest question just to gain knowledge.

Like you said, No question is stupid since the end (gaining knowledge) justify the means!

I have also learnt a lot by asking questions, listening to other people and reading what others say.
Thats the whole idea of meeting online on a forum like this.
I've also noticed that our guys are very generous and are always willing to help others, in the true "Nigerian spirit".

May you succeed in all you lay your hands on this year, God willing.
Same goes for kingboy and "lastpage-boy"
cheers

I think we can summarize everything as " if anything is going to carry WEIGHT as much as that of a decking, there MUST be concrete Pillars behind it".

And anything above a bungalow, will bear "decking weight".
Even if it is a bungalow in a marshy area, u still need good foundation with cement/gravel mixture so that it would not start "sucking water" up from the ground. This doesn't happen in very solid clay areas.
It will cost you more money to do repairs than to do it well, the first time.
Please ensure that foundation are very good, once done, you cant correct it without incurring heavy cost.
With a good foundation, all other maintenance cost that would show up as years go by are actually very minimal, same goes for have strong pillars if you are going beyond a bungalow.

As per beams, they prevent cracking of the block structure, especially when the foundation starts to settle and shift a bit (u might not see it physically when it is happening but it happens). But window & door beams dont have to be as reinforced like vertical pillars that carry the decking.

There is a way u can use strong wire mesh (like the types they use in smoking fish in my village in those days ) instead of using some 12mm iron rods, in the beams passing over windows and doors. It saves cost and does the job equally well, l have asked engineers in construction companies, when l saw them using the wire mesh with concrete mixture, for flooring (big projects, l mean).

Depending on the soil texture of ur site, if marshy, its better to use concrete beams as that would give it a stable foundation and it wont start shifting as the black soil disintegrates.
And another thing: For anything, avoid buying a marshy land or swampy area, except you are very very rich.
Its not worth the effort at all, even if its very cheap. Believe me on this, l have a first hand experience as my \mum made that mistake when we were still kids. I hope l made a little sense in all these sha?

Am off now, the weather is really awful in the last three days

Cheers.

[b]@sunboy

please be careful of what you wish for. Some of the people building within ifo, if carefully reviewed are just the extremely poor who are desperate to throw anything on their inherited plot of land, and even go to the extent of getting some quacks to get them drawings, or sketches.
I still have 2 projects im handling within ifo, though one is just the fencing of a 10 acre land along Oshosun Village, and the other is down along Father Road. Please be careful of DIY (Do it yourself), I believe its better you do things the right way, rather than do it twice. Get me the picture of your land, email it me, and I will give you a standard estimate of what you will spend. Thanks.

A'ASOG Nigeria Ltd
(Builders & Construction

I dont blame the peeps for doing that o!
In Lagos especially, if you leave your land vacant, some peeps will build on it and then COURT CASE GO BEGIN!

That is, even if they dont resort to hired Killer!!

AASOG, I think you are the one making mistake please go back and read what you wrote about 20mm raft foundation and stop cofusing the whole house, people like 2klong should read from the beginning of posts before contributing.babadudu04 was only offering a very cheap quality advise which will be supported by any building and civil engineering professional. Infact from my vast experience in building and civil engineering work in Lekki - Ajah axis of Lagos , Nigeria i agree with every bit of babadudu04s contribution he is truly what he calls himself.And you aasog or what do you call yourself? pls always keep quiet where babadudu is talking, he is more experienced than you as far as construction is concerned,people like you are going to change your company names after 15years when most of your jobs will be collapsing.Pls you are advised to keep your practices to Alagbado and Abuleegba where your bullshits can be tolorated.You may actually know a bit of 2\3bedroom buildings but as a glorified bricklayer pls dont you ever ever try to interprete a structural drawing or build a story building without a structural engineer. I will only tolorate you if you only apologise to babadudu04 and if you do not i will on your behalf.

Aasog has apologised because he knows he is wrong. I don't blame those building their houses the way they like, common knowledge always wins. People hide under the guise of professionalism to dupe people, you pay them 2.2m to do a foundation for you and they end up hiring those same 'glorified' bricklayers who will do a shoddy job and the foundation is covered before you come back. The job will cost only N900k but you will pay 2.2m. I have seen plenty in this field, note am not an engineer, am just a real estate investor that hires enginees/artisans to do my work.