Good work and well done Oga Brabus. I am glad you and your client are doing something about the road.. there is no alternative, you gotta get the materials to the site. Is it also a rainy season now? Keep at it.. you will get it done eventually.

Hajji Mufutau

segcy.moor:

...Observation: are u doing piling foundation here...pls educate us with piles of rebar

We are not doing piling. "Piles of rebar" as in quantity of reinforcement stacked together in a heap.

Today in pictures

More Pictures

Things are getting better

After series of delays on this project due to weather, things are finally moving again at scheduled pace. It's been raining in Ile-Oluji in the past one week and the effect it had on this project was significant. The heavy rain made it impossible for our suppliers to drop materials closer to our building site. Frustratingly, we had hoping for a break in the rain for five clear days so that the ground would be firm enough for the suppliers to deliver blocks, sand and chippings to the site, but for a week now it was not to be.

Today, we have completed the blinding of the foundation and installed some of the starter columns and we hope to commence setting of the foundation walls from tomorrow.

Expect some magic going forward.

No longer in the bush

We've opened up the site for clearer visibility.

It has been almost a day since my last post, but this is not due to a lack of site activities. In fact, its quite the opposite, I've been extremely busy arranging materials for The Chateau. Yesterday, the foundation was laid, foundation walls have started going up and the iron bender has commenced work on the column extensions.

I shall add separate posts detailing progress made yesterday. Sorry for the wait, to those following along with our projects.

10 tons of iron rods purchased at Akure Building Market. We got to site late last night and had to switch on the generator to offload the rods.

This is a very intresting project. What is the cost of the project please? We are following you religiously.

esoorita: This is a very intresting project. What is the cost of the project please? We are following you religiously.

Thanks for your interest in this project. I may have to seek the consent of my client to disclose the project cost.

Construction Update

It's a brighter sunny day today. Our block supplier has been able to deliver 1000 blocks to the site today as we have the weather to our advantage. The iron bender is busy preparing the 42 column extensions. The bricklayers have completed all of the starter columns and are block walls are been rounded off. Without any further delay, we have commenced backfilling of the footing holes in areas where the walls have been completed, so moving forward with the project, the rain should be less of an issue. Accessibility has been a major concern in this project and whats more worrisome is how we intend to fill the foundation. As a workaround, we have commenced digging of the septic tank and soakaway. We are hopeful that we should get some sand to fill the foundation. However, there's a caveat to this approach in case you're following this thread religiously and planned to employ the same method in your project. We will commence the block setting of the septic tank immediately to prevent collapse.

Caught in the Wood

What I look for in the woods apart from livelihood is going on expenditions. I hate caged-up animals that don't reflect the true habitat of the animals because I love hunting. A hunter's trap caught this animal live.


More update later this evening.

Pic Updates

@brabus I hope that not big cat? Be careful

Really, Oga Brabus. Is that a cat? If not what is that animal name? Even in Yoruba sef.. I go understand.
Thanks.

Hajji Mufutau

weldone oga..everything going on pretty well

brabus:

Striped Hyena

Thanks Oga Brabus. Glad work/project is progressing nicely.

Hajji Mufutau

Pic Update

Construction Update

The iron bending crew are busy preparing the column and beam reinforcement structures. The carpenter is warming up to commence boarding of the starter columns. The excavation team handling the septic tank/soakaway have gone about 3ft deep and loads of fine graded sand (good compacting soil) have been dug out. Our foundation wall is now 75% complete as at close of work today. And total number of 3100 blocks have been supplied for the foundation and the ground floor block work, we are still expecting more.

Challenges and Work Around

1. Sharp sand: The type of sand supplied to us has not been the fine graded type of sand that we are used to and we really don't like the texture, colour and quality. In this regards, we have ordered 20 tons of stone dust to mix with the sand supplied for the casting of the columns and the DPC. Hopefully, our guys at Stoneworks (supplier of the granites) will deliver as promised early tomorrow morning.

2. Filling Sand: In the afternoon, I mentioned that we are digging the septic tank to get some sand to fill the foundation and I understood so well that the sand won't be adequate to sand fill the foundation and we are also going to have some issues moving sand uphill the driveway. Seems, we are bricked!
Unfortunately not, we need to find a workaround and one of the suggested solution is to dig the foundation for the fence. Of course, the sand dug out of the 1 acre of land will be more than enough to sand fill the building foundation and thereby putting paid to our growing concerns (how to get filling sand to the site). I'm yet to discuss this with my client though but I know its the best and cheapest alternative we have now. We get to save cost, time and also achieve more for less.

Mr Next good job. Stay motivated!

With you we in the stainless steel business and other building finishing companies have hope. So you have free prayer from us.

2. Filling Sand: In the afternoon, I mentioned that we are digging the septic tank to get some sand to fill the foundation and I understood so well that the sand won't be adequate to sand fill the foundation and we are also going to have some issues moving sand uphill the driveway. Seems, we are bricked!
Unfortunately not, we need to find a workaround and one of the suggested solution is to dig the foundation for the fence. Of course, the sand dug out of the 1 acre of land will be more than enough to sand fill the building foundation and thereby putting paid to our growing concerns (how to get filling sand to the site). I'm yet to discuss this with my client though but I know its the best and cheapest alternative we have now. We get to save cost, time and also achieve more for less.[/quote][quote author=brabus]Construction Update


Brabus, if u ask me I will say u wont get much filling from fence compare to soakaway considering the fact that u will still backfill the fence after blockwork. Anyway, weldone
.

]

^^^Sure, you are right, I may not get as much filling sand as what will be gotten from the septic tank but I can get what will be enough to complete the foundation work without having to go through rigorous task of getting trucks uphill thus setting the project back. I can always start the fence construction during the August break when the driveway will be fit for use and buy sand to back fill the fence or use the topsoil which we planned to remove when we are ready to do the landscaping to backfill the fence.

Just my thought! We need to fix immediate challenge.

Thank you for your observation and comments. I do appreciate them always.

Edit: I only need to backfill the fence when the block work has started and not before the block work. So, I can choose to hold the fence work until dry season. Beside, there are so many other source to get sand to backfill the fence. I can use the sand dug out from the perimeter drainage/gutter to backfill the fence.

Brabus, I'm enjoying your projected solutions to the impending problems of sand-filling the foundation without having to
buy sand at least for now. Well done! It demonstrates your ability to keep building cost down as much as you can.

esoorita: Brabus, I'm enjoying your projected solutions to the impending problems of sand-filling the foundation without having to
buy sand at least for now. Well done! It demonstrates your ability to keep building cost down as much as you can.

Thanks for your time on this thread. My intention wasn't to cut down cost or avoid buying filling sand but there's a major challenge to be addressed and that's accessibility. The driveway is not fit for use now and there's nothing we can do about it as mother nature is doing her thing. As a result, I'd already anticipated time loss and progress to appear slow over the next few days if we do not make early plans for the filling sand (which is the next thing in the project schedule). Hence, the reason I choose to dig the septic tank, soak away and the fence. Hopefully that option should put the project on track without any time delay.

Great thread. Good job.

Picture Update

New blocks delivered and excavation of the septic tank ongoing

Walls Up, Filling Started

We have now completed all of the first stage ground works and are up to ground level.  Tomorrow, we will be backfilling all of the foundation walls and also pour the starter columns, so moving forward with the project, the rain should be less of an issue.

weldone oga.. i wish am closer to come and help out..

Pictures from the Chateau

Septic Tank

Pouring the Columns and Filling the Hollow Blocks