[b]Land issues won’t be treated as our prestigious one and only Lawyer here has been so very invaluable on the topic; just the technical part of how homes are been built and cost of building materials and labor within the country will be discussed; so when the estimate comes from your contractor, you should expect what to see and what to question.

Most importantly after securing your plot, you should get the following things done.

- Select the Right Building Contractor when Building Your Own Home
- Having a good plan that’s achievable. Meaning: your plan must comply with the measurement of the land, if you want a 5 bedroom duplex, with a small BQ at the backyard, and a good swimming pool, a tennis court, and basket ball courts, then you definitely need more than a plot of land.
- Have a good architect or contractor who can give and advise you on a feasible and nice plan, and who can make positive contribution, and get the plan redesigned if there be any need with all the dimensions outlined.
- If the construction will be more than a bungalow, the service of an engineer is vital. (In Lagos, a registered or certified structural engineer is required to make structural calculations after the plan and survey of the property is ready. The engineer would also acknowledge the structural drawing with his official stamp or seal).
- Create exclusivity: fencing your property is expensive, but it will also keep several unwanted attention away from it. Like the thugs, and area boys who collect illegal tolls from workers and from the land owners whenever work commence. If you fail to do this, you spend roughly half of what you would have spent on a good fence getting rid of touts and trouble. A good fence and a gate keeps a lot of stress and delays away.
- Making up your mind about the time frame, the length of the project, and discussing it with your contractor and working out an agreement that should be signed.
- Most importantly, it’s much more advisable to build during the dry season than during the wet season.
- Don’t cram too much structure on a your land, as this could always lead to problem in the future as the cases with some partially demolished houses with shops or their fronts extending to the road in Lagos. Allow your architect to include parking space, if your street doesn’t have a gutter, have it in mind there would be one in the future, and consider the space for it. Don’t overbuild.
- Listen to experts and don’t go against their advice.
- If you can’t afford a structural engineer fee, and your plot of land is close to a train station, or a place with heavy duty machines that causes serious vibrations, please build a bungalow with solid foundation, as strong vibrations are majorly the reason for house collapse.
- If you are building on a muddy or swampy land like in Lekki, a raft foundation with higher PVC of about 5/6 feet is necessary in case of flooding. Where the soil has a high consistency of clay or water or salt, enough filling will definitely be required after the raft.
- If your house won’t be a bungalow, you are going to spend plenty on steel.
- Cements: it’s unprofessional to give a tally on how much cement should be used on a project so don't grumble over this, but keep accounts, and tell your contractor to keep the bags of the used one for you. Cements shouldn’t be spared for any construction, as the ratio of cement to water should be 5:1. The more the cement, the lesser the water, the stronger the house. Dangote Cements are about the best in the market, and it’s proudly Nigerian.
- You spend more when building on a land with demolished structure. As your contractor will spend more time concentrating of clear the damaged structure foundation.
- DIY: Do it Yourself always leave several mistakes that always translate into more bigger expenses in the future. Find someone with building experience and skills to build for you.

The Process:

Building a home could be an adventure or a nightmare. It depends greatly on you, and the person handling the construction. Good contractors usually start with identifying key problems that needs to be solved before starting any building. First and foremost, there’s the problem of budget. Quality greatly depends on budget. Meaning: a simple gate of a residential home could cost #100,000 to #2,500,000 as it all depends on the taste of the owner. Meanwhile, some extremely low budgets are just totally out of the question. Patience could be meaningful if the funds can’t get the work done. You can get the foundation done, or the fence done, and take your time. Whenever another boon comes, you can proceed from the foundation to the lintel, to the roofing, plastering, etc. Building is about the easiest engagement. You need to rush as long as your land is safe. So don’t engage in DIY because of low funds, or go to the extent of managing materials, as some contractors might not care and encourage this. This usually lead to future dilapidation and quick collapse regardless if the home is bungalow or going up.

Estimate:

So, after getting the above steps checked, you proceed with getting a total estimate of the building from your contractor.
The function of an estimate is to give a reasonably accurate idea of the cost of a desired building. And there are 2 types of Estimates:

1. Approximate estimates: An approximate estimate is an approximate or rough estimate prepared to obtain an approximate cost in a short time. For certain purposes the use of such methods is justified.

2. Detailed estimates: A detailed estimate of the cost of a project is prepared by determining the quantities and costs of everything that a contractor is required to provide and do for the satisfactory completion of the work. It is the best and most reliable form of estimate.

When planning to build, it is advisable you get a detailed estimate from your contractor. Most detailed estimates usually have (a). Unit quantity method, and (b). Total quantity method. The quantity method usually include a detailed list and explanation of (I) Materials (II) Labor (III) Cost of transporting materials (IV) Cost of Service Including Contingency. (V) The total cost outline.

A detailed estimate splits the building into steps:

1. General Construction: Building from foundation to roofing.
2. Site Work: Clearing, digging of foundation, filling, the plumber and electrician laying piping and floor plugs for water and conduits respectively. Etc.
3. Carpentry: Rough carpentry and smooth carpentry (furniture work): doors, cupboards, etc
4. Utilities: Tiles, Plumbing (taps, toilets, sinks, etc), Electrical work, pole fitting, plastering, painting, etc.
5. Landscaping: planting of flowers, interlocking stones, etc.
6. Total Work Estimate: total amount for materials required for all work, and labor including supervision and administration (S&A).

And the estimate should outline the materials required for all this processes and the units, and cost per unit, and the total amount need, and the total cost.

Materials:

- The best blocks to use should be 9x9’ blocks since most 6’ in blocks aren’t strong, in most cases where people use 6’ blocks, they end up using several columns/pillars for reinforcement. 6' blocks are fine if the supplier is reliable, but in most cases, its more encouraged to add a lot of pillars to your home regardless if you are using a 9' or 6' blocks. Block makers in Nigeria should be subjected to ISO (International Standard Organization) rule like the ones in India, Dubai, China and other developed countries. But right now, the Nigerians block makers are not. So, get plenty reinforcement for your home regardless if it’s a bungalow. A good contractor will encourage this. Some dont simply care.

For 1 unit of a 2 or 3 bedrooms flat, 6,000 to 7,000 pieces of blocks will build the entire house. Kindly note that the 6,000 or 7,000 don’t include the fence. A fence tends to require x2 of the amount of blocks spent on building your home. Why? Check a fence and see if there’s any window or door.

- 12 MM steel remains the best for bungalows. If your house is going higher, it’s advisable you use 16mm. Some engineers go as far as advocating 20mm, it doesn’t hurt to be extra careful, but 16mm will hold anything like 3-4 story building, if its going higher, then higher options aren't bad. If you are building a bungalow on a solid ground, you will never go beyond 1 tons of steel. If you are building a 2 units of 3 bedroom flats, you won’t use more than 3-4 tons. The reason you might go beyond 3 tons is simply if you are adding some extra touches to your windows fenestration and fence.
When it comes to using steels, have a sharp eye as a ton of 12mm alone cost a whopping #100,000 or more depending on location. Take time to visit your site, meet the welder and have a little chit chat and learn things from him.

- Rings & Binding wires: The 12 or 16 mm steel purchased will be cut into different shapes and lengths, the rings and binding wires are the materials used in holding them together. For a bungalow, you will never use more than 5 dozens of both.

- (Woods): The second best woods for rough carpentry is Abara. The best is Afara, but it would be insane for any contractor to advocate such quality, since its senslessly expensive. Its about the 2nd most exported commodity in Nigeria as Americans swoop on it. They call it Mahogany. In most cases, it’s advisable you get plenty of Abara instead right away, because they can be reused for fenestration, pillars, etc. Abara can be used for two to three different building constructions if well kept.

- Buy a Geepee tank on the site so you won’t spend double on getting water. The Geepee would eventually be used as the water tank for the house.

- Digging a well doesn't come cheap, and its never a contracted thing. You keep spending as long as the digger hasn't reached water. Your well will serve much longer than boreholes. Boreholes sooner or later develop lots of problem, and alot more difficult to maintain than fixing your water pumping machine inside the well. Digging a well shouldn’t go beyond a #100,000 on a soft land or location like Lekki.

- For a 2 units of 2/3 bedroom flat, if you are using aluminums or slates from Nigerite, your carpenter won’t go beyond using 350 sheets of slates. The normal calculation is 300 sheets of slates, but its advisable to include a 50 extra because of the fragile nature of slates.

- Roofing a double unit of 2/3 bedroom flat shouldnt take more than 3 tons of steel. Question any request for extra. You should have some left to take care of the stairways.

-You can always check your building plan to know how many doors, window frames, etc you will need. So the utilities estimate can be scrutinized if over blown.
ROOFING:
Asphalt Shingles - A typical asphalt shingle roof may last about 20 years. It’s the most attractive so far.
Metal Roofing - Reflects heat very well, and last longer than any known roofing materials, unless you are want to cover your roof with concrete.
Tile Roofing also called Step Tiles- Made from clay or concrete, tile roofs are extremely durable with warranties typically covering 50 to 75 years. Tile roofing is heavy, so if you are replacing a lightweight material with tile, be sure that your roof supports are strong enough to bear the weight. If not, reinforcing your roof structure can add significant cost to installing a tile roof. Tile roofing are incredibly expensive as covering 2 units of 2 bedroom flat would cost about 1.2 million naira. Usually, the costs are measured per sq ft.
Slate Roofs: Easy and cheap. Nigerite and some other Chinese manufacturers are mass producing this, and the amount you would use for a 2 units of 2 or 3 bedroom won’t exceed 300 slates, or at most, 350 because of cracking. Slates have their limited strength, but they could go as far as 40 years or more. Please, buy from authorized dealers as some fake slates are known to cause poisoning. So when purchasing, go with your carpenter or contractor.

PS: Don’t allow either an orange or a mango tree to grow beside your roof or above it. The dropping fruits measure about 2 ounce or sometimes a little more. The constant landing of these fruits on the roof tend to damage them considerably . Especially slates.


This little tips is strictly for residential and small scale commercial construction only and should never be applied to other lines of construction like civil or industrial.
This is not supposed to be perfect guide, but just an intro to the uninitiated.
Good questions would be entertained. There are several professionals here whose further contributions would also be welcomed. Happy Building everyone to those planning or currently doing so.[/b]

My structural drawings show the following labels on the steel reinforcement and beams. They are 23-R1001-200c/c 79-R1002-200c/c, 2Y1203, 3Y1603 amongst others. Can you please shed some light on what they mean so I can determine or read the drawings appropriately.