For overall project management use professionals with multiple backgrounds and bias within environmental field, or the ones who are qualified in one discipline but has bias or experience in other related fields, especially when you are looking for project manager .e.g. planner-architect, architect-engineer, estate surveyor-lawyer e.t.c especially the one who is in to project development management with at least 10 years of experience. This may help reduce consultation fees.
Visit the site with development consultant to know development implications of the land before you purchase.
Visit your proposed site during the peak of raining season or extreme weather season applicable to your geographical location to understand the condition of the site in such situation
the site is rapid slope make sure it is towards road direction except if the land is a corner plot bounded by two roads forming a junction
Visit the site independently to interact with the social environment and pick up any rumour concerning the ownership rights and disputes on the land. This is important if you are residing in developing world.
if you can use measuring tape, measure the land by yourself
You can get a government official in charge to help confirm if the land is free from government acquisition
if the land has a master layout plan sheet ask for photocopies
Upon completion of transaction on the land immediately take 1st step towards physical possession get your surveyor to put beacon pillars. If you can’t afford a surveyor do it your self (it may not be accurate, yet it can be adjusted by a trained expert later.
10. Take second step of physical possession after the accurate dimension and orientation of the land is settled, by erecting dwarf “four corner” wall, physically demarcating the four points defining the boundary of your land
if you are digitally learned you can use the GPS feature of your smart phone like blackberry to know the geo-reference co-ordinates of the four points defining the boundary of the parcel of the land.- this is usually in longitude and latitude, however it can be converted to UTM format which is the industry standard. This can help in having access to so many web based cheap and free land information services.
Try and do the necessary title documents if you can afford it.
If you can’t the best form of security on the land is physical possession.
If you can afford a survey do it and get registered with land information obtained on the land to ascertain if its free of any government acquisition
A further step into physical possession is to offload gravel or any other material that is not easy to evacuate. Such as blocks, granite and sand
When you want to start building operation, target at least backfilling stage of foundation.
Start during dry season, if the fund is limited; wait until next dry season to continue.
Before you start, write down your brief on the type of house you want and review it with your spouse and siblings.
Give your brief to your consultant design professional.
Be modest concerning the size of the building.
Be futuristic in your approach
Engage the service of 3d computer graphic modeling of your building project. It shall enable you understand and give a clearer picture of the proposed building project and avert wastage in terms of incessant cancellation of already erected structure.
Think of the possibility of converting the house to investment asset in the distant future.
Engage the service of professional at the foundation stage if you are building story building, and this also applies to the construction of the upper floor slab (decking) in story buildings.
Use direct supervision at the finishing level if you cannot afford professional.
get a rough idea on construction if you cannot afford the comprehensive cost estimate. Get cost idea on the stage you want to embark on e.g. foundation
Do not stock pile large quantity of cement that you are not going to need within a space of three months maximum.
If you have a secured space for storage you can buy materials such as sand granite, gravel, iron rods, tiles in large quantities
If available use the services of artisans with multiple bias and skills e.g bricklayer-tiler, carpenter-furniture-maker
Engage worker will directly do the work and not the one acting as an agent who will contract the job out.
Use 10mm iron rod instead of 12mm for your lintels (provided the window span is a standard one). The 10mm iron rods are more in quantity per ton (133nos). Lintels do not bear much load.
If you can get a good carpentry workmanship, you can make use of “fairly used” wood but not “spent out” wood, for pillars and lintels construction.
Engage artisans on recommendation of your consultant or close associate.
Insist that the formwork (wood used to contained concrete) be removed before it sets (solidified) and redress the deformation, this will save you undue cost at the plastering finishing stage and ensure delivery of good job.

Get the service of multidisciplinary outfit to do your construction building project management.

While the work is still in progress pebbles, broken blocks, rubbles are all reusable materials don’t evacuate them from the site.

It is cheaper to get the floor levels accurate at substructure wall levels, rather than at floor slab level.

Insert every pipes for openings in the concrete before concrete casting work. It saves labour cost on concrete breaking.

Use smaller size of brick/block such as 100mm,150mm for non- load bearing wall. Use can use it throughout if you are contemplating a frame structure, a technique of supporting all the load of a structure with an integration of columns (pillars) and beam.

If you want to procure your building materials yourself from manufacturer, go through an accredited dealer of that manufacturer and ask for discounts. Else, you may be buying at uneconomical retail rate.

The relationship among three major factors affecting project management namely (1) cost (2.) time (3.) Quality must be balanced. IF Time is over- shortened THEN quality may be compromised ELSE cost may have to increase.

Be moderate in terms of the option you choose for finishing. Of course there many options.

Use cheap and alternative structural materials such as gravel, sand etc. for construction of non-critical load bearing element of the building, such as non-load bearing floors. Lintels, window hood etc.

Use high quality pressure pipe for all conduit pipe work and minimize joints and elbows designs.

Relate the design of the house to site, in terms of shape of the land, natural slope and natural habitat. Do not attempt to inject drastic change to the natural feature of the land.

Use DPM material to control damp, instead of very thick layer of expensive materials such as concrete and sandcrete.

If the site has constraints such as low bearing capacity, swamp, slope etc, consult qualified, talented and experienced professional, else refrain from extensive and unnecessary consultations.

Look out for site prospects, such as gentle slope toward public sewer, or access road, firm soil with high load bearing capacity, existence of valuable construction materials on or around the site such as laterite, sand , rubbles , stone rock trees etc.

Look out for economy of proximity in material procurement.

Allow for spirit of team work and the workers of various category.

BE courteous and considerate with workers

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