A budget house. No loans. It's do-it-yourself home building.

Welcome to my new thread! I'm not a billionaire but I love good things. I'm starting this thread to keep my friends and followers up to date as I finish my house project. I do a lot of DIY projects in this house. Some of our DIY projects are complex (involve my construction workers) and others I do on my own with my family. I will be posting a bunch of our DIY projects that can be done in a weekend and more importantly, I'll be sharing the cost!

Hope this thread will inspire you to DIY.

You can't build your dream house without secretly stalking the fabulous ideas of other great houses, right? I get my inspiration from modern house design websites. Check them out below. These website offers breathtaking design inspiration!

Houzz (houzzdotcom)
Dwell (dwelldotcom)
Freshome (freshomedotcom)

and so many more. I'll update the list as we progress.

This house was designed taking design cues from finished houses in the website listed above, with a custom floor plan specific to my family requirements.

We want the major rooms on the ground floor while the upper floor becomes the entertainers' paradise. The house has 225 sq.m of internal area and features three large bedroom ensuites on the ground floor, plus a studio on the upper floor. There is also a completely detached guest accommodation (24 sqm) with bedroom, bathroom and a terrace.

Weekend 1: Automatic Motorised Gate

These DIY Motorised gate installation is our first DIY project on this thread. My family and I, the house help and 2 masons joined us in the last weekend to install the gate frames and pillars.

We intend to build a gate pillar similar to the one in the picture below.

Budget: N70,000 (excluding the motor and the gear equipment)
Duration: 3 weekends

Material list

3 lengths of 16mm iron rod @ N2,300 - N6,900
2 lengths of 12mm iron rod @ N1,300 - N2,600
Binding wire (NA, we have one full roll in the store)
Cement - 20 bags - N32,000 (We want a very solid column. We do not want to spend money repairing the column because our gate is very heavy)
Stone - (We decide to use grave mixed with stone dust in order to lower cost)
Sharp sand - (NA, we have one full load of sand)
10 pcs of 1 x 12 Planks @ N900 - N9,000
4 pcs of 2 x 3 wood @ N300 - N1,200


Tools

90 litres Concrete Mixer (I've been using this mixer for my DIY projects (interlocking stones, walkway etc) for a while now)
2 shovel
2 buckets
Spirit Level version 3.6.3 (an iphone app for checking level)
Garden hose

The Gate

Dimension: 8 x 15ft

The gate track, roller and stop end.

We started excavating early in the morning and we went as deep as 1.5m for the pillar base.

Meanwhile, the iron bender is preparing the pillar base, ground beam and the columns using various sizes of rods. We used 10mm iron rods for the 1ft x 1ft rings, 12mm iron rods for the ground beam and 16mm for the columns.

The 2nd picture is showing the man excavating the column base at 1.5m depth.

Mixing and Pouring the Concrete

Pic 1: My baby brother handling the hose

Installing the roller track and checking the levels with my iphone app.

Curing the concrete the next day. We now have a rock solid base that's safe to drive on.

Hopefully next weekend barring all hiccups and busy schedule, we are going to install the gate!

.

heheheeh handsome boys my regards to them all.....

^^^Thanks bro!

I forgot to mention that I got a very nice gate light for this project. I was actually inspired by the gate light that I found online via Flickr. I was able to get something close or much better at a very good bargain.

Picture will be updated later today. I'm also shopping for a video phone for the gate. Gone are the days of door bells. I don't want to be opening my gate for every Tom, Dick and Harry pressing the bell.

Gate Light Inspiration

Gate light pictures from Flickr and Google

My Gate light bought in an electrical shop in Lagos. This is not a Chinese product. It's a product from a company called Progress Lighting, in Los Angeles. I paid N10,000 for the two gate lights.

www.progresslighting.com

^^^^Hi Brabus, How much would the china imitation of this your beautiful gate light cost? I just need to know for comparison sake. Rgds in Advance.

OilSubsidy: ^^^^Hi Brabus, How much would the china imitation of this your beautiful gate light cost? I just need to know for comparison sake. Rgds in Advance.

China imitation could be about the same amount or cost more because I got it cheaper than the company price. It cost $259.35 on the manufacturer's website

brabus: China imitation could be about the same amount or cost more because I got it cheaper than the company price. It cost $259.35 on the manufacturer's website

What voltage is this? 110V or 220V. USA products are mostly 110V

egin:
What voltage is this? 110V or 220V. USA products are mostly 110V

If I can understand your question perfectly well, you are asking what voltage is the light. As I can understand, lights are either Low Voltage (which may require transformers) and Mains Voltage (110V or 220V). This product is not a Low Voltage lighting. It connects direct to the Main supply.

brabus:

If I can understand your question perfectly well, you are asking what voltage is the light. As I can understand, lights are either Low Voltage (which may require transformers) and Mains Voltage (110V or 220V). This product is not a Low Voltage lighting. It connects direct to the Main supply.

I mean the main voltage. In the US, it is 110V and in Nigeria, it is 220V. Can this work with 220V?

Just seen this Oga Brabus. The thread will be very helpful. Thanks.

Hajji Mufutau

egin:
I mean the main voltage. In the US, it is 110V and in Nigeria, it is 220V. Can this work with 220V?

Yes, it can work with 220V. It's not the only light fittings that I purchased from the store. There are other light fittings and I've been using them without worries.

mufutau55: Just seen this Oga Brabus. The thread will be very healpful. Thanks.

Hajji Mufutau

You're very right sir. My DIY projects can help you to save money and will also provide the reward of completing a DIY project all by yourself.

It will also help you in choosing items that should be quality upfront in your building project.

Last Weekend at Chateau De Brabus.

brabus: Last Weekend at Chateau De Brabus.

Very good and nicely done. Chateau fit for Oga Brabus.

Hajji Mufutau

Chateau De Brabus - Uniting the built and the natural environment

The time is ripe to landscape this project. However, I'm doing it small because it's better to be proud of a small garden than to be frustrated by a big one! Watch out this space

I got 24 pcs of this pathway solar light (with day/night sensor) from Westinghouse for the Chateau. I just love it simple. Meanwhile, the tiler is doing justice to the gate pillars with Country Clay tiles from Home Depot and my kids are supervising this stage. Hopefully you'll like it when I update this thread with finished pictures.

brabus: I got 24 pcs of this pathway solar light (with day/night sensor) from Westinghouse for the Chateau. I just love it simple.

Oga Brabus.. I have seen some of this lights around here too.. Do they real last?
I could bring some home for my use if they are really good.. Thanks.

Good Tiles from Home Depot. I am watching the developments here. Thanks.

Hajji Mufutau

mufutau55:

Oga Brabus.. I have seen some of this lights around here too.. Do they real last?
I could bring some home for my use if they are really good.. Thanks.

Good Tiles from Home Depot. I am watching the developments here. Thanks.

Hajji Mufutau

Of course they do. I have some bulb in the house that I've been using since 2010