Counting Your Cost And Things To Be Considered Before Building A House In Nigeria.
A House: A house is a building or structure whose main purpose is to be occupied for habitation by humans and animals (pets).
A Home: A home can be referred to as a building or a place of shelter that a person lives with a personal sense of belonging.
In the context of these articles, the word home and houses would be used interchangeably and would actually represent the same thing.
What Does Counting Your Cost Means?
Counting your cost about something is to consider the consequences of that action on you, your finance, family, friends, lifestyle, environment, etc.
''…For which of you, intending to build a house, sit not down first, and COUNTS THE COST, whether have sufficient to finish it?’'
Building a house in Nigeria is the dream of so many people and it ends up as the largest bulky investment majority of these people will make in their lifetime, so it is important to get it right and avoid costly mistakes.
Many of my clients both home and abroad keep asking me on our first meeting/conversation "What does it cost to build a house?''
As easy as the question seems to be, it’s not an easy question to answer. But we will do justice to it and everyone would smile with the quality of information that would be made available.

This article will take you through the step-by-step complex but made simple process of understanding what goes into designing and building your dream home, impact of the cost on the design, and also making sure that you and your Architect/Engineer are on the same page with you for a realistic design and construction considering a pocket friendly budget.

The anxiety of when and how to start would be a thing of the past when you are well informed and have a comprehensive idea of what you are about doing. As you go through each step along the journey to your proposed house, you may not need to hire a whole lots of experts or professionals from several disciplines, but just one or two who will have to work together to ensure that your new home come together as a whole and as expected. You can also read Roles of Individual Professionals in Building Construction - https://www.nairaland.com/4482238/roles-individual-professionals-building-construction

By having a comprehensive knowledge of what to expect, you will be able to develop a budget that will cover all contingencies and ensure a relatively stress-free and smooth sailing all through the delivery period.

This article will treat the 3 major stages involved for/in the successful delivery of a house in Nigeria:
Stage 1: Planning Stage/Pre-Design Stage.
Stage 2: Design Stage.
Stage 3: Construction Stage.

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Planning Stage/Pre-Design Stage
The planning stage involved in building construction and home deliveries can also be referred to as pre-design stage. Some of the planning involved in building a house includes realizing the need to build, location, securing a land, getting the necessary professionals, etc. The rate of incessant increase of house rent and poor treatment from some house owners or landlords is evidence in Lagos and many other major cities in Nigeria and directly proportional to the rate at which people decides to have their own personal house. It is no longer news that some people due to frustrations and many other challenges moves into their own houses even before the house has been well completed or furnished.

Realizing The Need To Build: Realizing the need to build a house is the first thing involved in the successful delivery of a house regardless of the type of house in question. Nobody starts the building of a house without been convinced or seeing a reason to build. The reason to build could be numerous, ranging from relocation, increase in family size, need for comfort, incessant increase in house rent, business purpose, etc.
An increase in the number of family member is one of the most challenging and triggering factor to consider when building a new house or first house. In Lagos for example, some young men are in position of responsibility to cater for themselves, immediate family and a times extended family member. The more the numbers of family members, the more the need for a bigger apartment and this can also trigger the need to build a bigger apartment as comfortability is key.

Location: Location is one of the most important things to consider when planning to build a house. The location of the proposed building has a massive effect on the cost implication of land, type of house to build, building cost, type of professionals to carry along, lifestyle of people living in the house, etc.
It is a wise decision to sit down and think well on the pros and cons of a particular area before considering buying a house or putting up a structure. It is important to consider nearness to work or office, and also consider its closeness to or availability of some social amenities like electricity, accessible road, water, school, hospitals, banks etc. to avoid some regrets before or after parking into the house, do your necessary findings well before paying for the proposed land.

Getting Necessary Professional: The importance of professional in the delivery of houses can never be overlooked. The help of professionals are needed from the first stage of the building construction to the last stage of house delivery. Buying a land, perfecting all the documents, primary consultations, architectural drawings, structural drawings, MEP, building supervision, etc. are all the roles played by different professionals in the built environment. Follow the link to read more about the Roles Of Individual Professionals In Building Construction And House Deliveries: https://www.nairaland.com/4482238/roles-individual-professionals-building-construction

Design Stage.
The design stage of any building or structure is the most important aspect to consider when counting your cost and cutting your cloth not only according to your size but according to your materials available (money). The design stage is the immediate stage after buying your land and ensuring all documentations done. In the design stage, your Architect or Engineer, spend quality time with you, understanding your choice, the type of your dream house, size, finishing type etc. It is important to let your Architect or Engineer know your budget so you dont end up with a killer design. I often time advice potential clients to declare their budget earlier enough before the architectural design is done to avoid running out of cash while trying to effect some of the aesthetics embedded within the design by the architect. The design stage addresses so many things from aesthetics, functionalities, safety, serviceability etc. The architectural, structural, MEP are the very important drawing/designs that are been prepared during the design stage and must be made realistic. Read more about the various drawings needed for building approval in Nigeria: https://www.nairaland.com/4485423/various-drawings-needed-building-approval

The availability of architectural drawings, structural drawings, MEP etc. makes the bill of quantity (BOQ) possible by the Quantity Surveyor. The BOQ addresses the cost implication of building a particular house or structure from the design and all drawings made available. It addresses the cost of building a house bit by bit without leaving any stone unturned.
With the help of Computer Aided Designs -(CAD), it is possible for the prospective house owners to know exactly what their proposed house(s) would look like even before raising any stone on site or engaging any building professionals.

While waiting for us, you can also do yourself good by reading and following a new thread treating How To Calculate The Numbers Of Blocks and Cements Needed For Your Building Project : https://www.nairaland.com/4491449/how-calculate-number-blocks-cements

It's really worth reading.

It is however important to get it right in the design stage to avoid chaos in the building or construction stage.
Its important to know that the more exotic or customized your design is, the more your costs will go up. Just make sure you get everything well defined and in detail so you know the level or standard of finishing, for example, what kind of floor and wall tiles you're getting, type of kitchen cabinet, fittings, etc.

Don't just go with the lowest price or cheapest contractor because you may find yourself spending more to upgrade things or make corrections later.
When you take sensible approach to budgeting by setting a firm and realistic figure for the project before the design stages begin, you are moving towards the part of success and absolutely nothing can stop you.
Be Prepared.

The next stage to be dealt with while trying to Count Your Cost And Things To Consider Before Building A House In Nigeria is

The Construction Stage.

following. . . this info will help me someday

chaarly:
following. . .
this info will help me someday

Thank you. It will sure be helpful soonest.

Chai.
We still have so many things pending here.
We will be back soon.

We have been away for too long.
It is time we finish what is pending.
Please bear with us.

We hope that this new year futher strenghtens the bond of mutual trust and relationship that existed in the previous years.
Your supports has been the key ingredients to our success.
Thank you sir & ma for being our customer and for all your coperations.
We wish you a Happy and Prosperous 2019.

EBCC.

We would also be uploading designs here occasionally while treating extensively the subject matter for people who might have design request.

Let somebody say Yeeeeeeeeeee Yeeeeeeeeeee.

Drop your design request.

Our Touches Are Always Royal.