[quote author=Marilo post=58472034]Just for block manufacturers (and home owners alike)... This is what can be achieved aesthetically and cost savings-wise (savings on screeding/plastering/painting )when your blocks are strong and durable [/quote
These are not kid friendly

erico2k2:
These are not kid friendly

I understand what you mean but believe me these are "polished" blocks....The same way the touch of a candle feel is the same way the blocks feel.

I used to laugh at EgunMogaji when he didn't import all the stuff he said he would, but given what I know now, his new approach is the best. After this my first and only build, I have decided to go back to buying completed houses provided they were built by reputable companies or their Cooperative societies.

I made a lot of regrettable mistakes like:

Trying to renovate rather than build afresh cause Qs said it was way cheaper.

Demolishing part of the structure cause a reputable NL Builder said structure would fail simply cause 6" blocks were used which limited the size of the columns and that the footings were 2.75x2.75 instead of the minimum standard of 3x3 without factoring that the reason was because the avg span of columns was 2meters and max span about 3m in one or two places.

Using 4mm cable for sockets and 2.5mm for lighting and 35mm amoured for supply resulting in cost of 3.3mil for a 4bed duplex plus now I have to crack walls to add new piping for any amendment as no extra wire can pass through the conduits.

Going by Brabus advice to cast 4feet below ground around entire fence to keep water from a nearby man made pit from getting to the house foundation. It didn't stop the water but filling the pit did.

Using stone dust for block and interlock moulding.

Using Spanish tiles which turned out to be very slippery while the Nigerian look alike was not slippery at all.

Not bonding my lightening arrestor with my house earthing system which costed me millions in damages.

Oversizing of overhead water tanks which meant it took 5days of max water usage to empty tanks and did encourage coliform bacteria growth

Not supervising the work myself and having engineers and supervisors build what suited them. Plus they carelessly broke a large screen tv

Installing my main gate during construction which meant much repairs and modifications during landscaping and interlocking

And the list goes on.

Marilo:



I understand what you mean but believe me these are "polished" blocks....The same way the touch of a candle feel is the same way the blocks feel.

Bro how can you call rough block polished? they are rough and the edges will def cut you, and if you decide to polish it does that not amount to screeding

hello house, I want to fence the property whose plan is attached. pls assist me with the material requirement. thanks in advance.
Note: The perimeter is 226.97meters.

EgunMogaji:




It was a story that was shared by one of our more quiet participants, I forgot his username but he is overseas too.

Just like you asked, I asked too

PS @Eriko2K2 do you remember who told the story?

yes Ohh realy sad,I cant remember the name of the person, but this is happening time after time.My close friend at work was a victim of this.He went home 2010 to sort it out.As for me I thank God for my own case that I have my other half there and I have made it jobsworth to be there anytime I have to build a part that involves supervising.

filcast:
hello house, I want to fence the property whose plan is attached. pls assist me with the material requirement. thanks in advance.

Bro quick question, are there existing building around your plot? do they already have survey plan like you?

filcast:
hello house, I want to fence the property whose plan is attached. pls assist me with the material requirement. thanks in advance.

The dimensions are not legible

There's a saying which goes by "sew your cloth according to your size". Concrete stamping serves the same purpose as interlocking stones stones it certainly will have varying cost since the processes differs. Apart from applying the chemical which gives it a befitting look and the mat cutting it into desired shape/design floor concrete stamping bears no difference from doing your usual concrete floor just the same way you do floors for exterior purposes. The cost is usually between #1600-#2500/sqm and it's working patterns varies from one artisan/engineer to another.

This thread is a place where people share ideas but it appears certain persons create multiple ids just to ask questions to pull up a quote to give to a client.

44chux:
I used to laugh at EgunMogaji when he didn't import all the stuff he said he would, but given what I know now, his new approach is the best. After this my first and only build, I have decided to go back to buying completed houses provided they were built by reputable companies or their Cooperative societies.

I made a lot of regrettable mistakes like:

Trying to renovate rather than build afresh cause Qs said it was way cheaper.

Demolishing part of the structure cause a reputable NL Builder said structure would fail simply cause 6" blocks were used which limited the size of the columns and that the footings were 2.75x2.75 instead of the minimum standard of 3x3 without factoring that the reason was because the avg span of columns was 2meters and max span about 3m in one or two places.

Using 4mm cable for sockets and 2.5mm for lighting and 35mm amoured for supply resulting in cost of 3.3mil for a 4bed duplex plus now I have to crack walls to add new piping for any amendment as no extra wire can pass through the conduits.

Going by Brabus advice to cast 4feet below ground around entire fence to keep water from a nearby man made pit from getting to the house foundation. It didn't stop the water but filling the pit did.

Using stone dust for block and interlock moulding.

Using Spanish tiles which turned out to be very slippery while the Nigerian look alike was not slippery at all.

Not bonding my lightening arrestor with my house earthing system which costed me millions in damages.

Oversizing of overhead water tanks which meant it took 5days of max water usage to empty tanks and did encourage coliform bacteria growth

Not supervising the work myself and having engineers and supervisors build what suited them. Plus they carelessly broke a large screen tv

Installing my main gate during construction which meant much repairs and modifications during landscaping and interlocking

And the list goes on.

Is using stone dust for blocks a mistake? Can you explain how it turned out to be a mistake?

Kadiri07:


I considered interlocking, but was told by my bricklayer that my land isn't waterlogged so there is no need for interlocking and also interlocking is expensive.
I was charged # 80,000 by my bricklayer for the plastering of the fence and flooring of the compound (stamped floor inclusive).
So i wasn't charged based on sqm.
Its over 2months now and no damage yet.

Thanks

At that price you got more than a bargain.
But am guessing at that amount neither mini compactor nor iron mesh was used. I hope you had given the land sufficient time after leveling to settle b4 this.

Even if done improperly, failure should not be expected until the 2nd year when the soil has had time for differential settlement/subsidence. And even then, depending on slab thickness, might require vehicular movement for failure to occur.

Marilo:


Is using stone dust for blocks a mistake? Can you explain how it turned out to be a mistake?

Stonedust is better when cost is not an issue.

There was only a marginal increase in strength achieved by using stonedust. And compared to the cost, it was waste as such strength could also be achieved by vibrating the blocks.

It would only make sense in areas where sharp sand sourcing is challenging.

For casting, adding a waterproofing additive (just to N700/bag then) was more effective compared to stonedust waterproofing ability.

44chux:


There was only a marginal increase in strength achieved by using stonedust. And compared to the cost, it was waste as such strength could also be achieved by vibrating the blocks.

It would only make sense in areas where sharp sand sourcing is challenging.

For casting, adding a waterproofing additive (just to N700/bag then) was more effective

That's a new one for me but there is this arguement about stone dust offering better protection on the iron rods as sharp sand may contain from element of salinity.

erico2k2:

Bro quick question, are there existing building around your plot? do they already have survey plan like you?

yes there are so many existing building but I am not sure they have survey plans. its rural setting

klark3:

The dimensions are not legible

oh sorry. let me see what I can do to make it legible

filcast:
yes there are so many existing building but I am not sure they have survey plans. its rural setting

cos if land grabbing is not a threat plz use the money to start the building unless its not necessary.

klark3:
The dimensions are not legible

the perimeter is 226.97meters.

erico2k2:

cos if land grabbing is not a threat plz use the money to start the building unless its not necessary.

I understand your genuine concern. Yes there is no such threat. Actually part of the property is presently occupied with some old buildings that require replacement. so the plan is to fence it and gradually commence dismantling and replacing the old structures

mufutau55:


Will be really good for discussion... as many people never say anything about this or landscaping in general in this forum.

cc: @EgunMogaji

Hajji M.

Contacted a popular Nairalander (landscaper) to discuss pros and cons of stamp concrete and interlocking, but he wasn't giving me the information i needed. He was rather more interesting in convincing to forget about stamp concrete and do interlocking without telling me why. So i let him be.

coming

filcast:
I understand your genuine concern. Yes there is no such threat. Actually part of the property is presently occupied with some old buildings that require replacement. so the plan is to fence it and gradually commence dismantling and replacing the old structures

cool beans

Marilo:


That's a new one for me but there is this arguement about stone dust offering better protection on the iron rods as sharp sand may contain from element of salinity.

Yes it does as saltwater is a better electrolyte(compared to freshwater) to aggravate corrosion. However the stonedust does not eliminate the galvanic corrosion, only reduces it. But waterproofing with suitable additives is 100% corrosion protection as without moisture there will be no electrolyte and no corrosion.

If not for the abrasion and possible erosion of the rods circumference during casting, it would theoretically have been easier and better to just coat the rods with grease or paint before casting.

This would make a good project topic shaa.

44chux:


Yes it does as saltwater is a better electrolyte(compared to freshwater) to aggravate corrosion. However the stonedust does not eliminate the galvanic corrosion, only reduces it. But waterproofing with suitable additives is 100% corrosion protection as without moisture there will be no electrolyte and no corrosion.

If not for the abrasion and possible erosion of the rods circumference during casting, it would theoretically have been easier and better to just coat the rods with grease or paint before casting.

This would make a good project topic shaa.

An eye opener I must say.


Thanks for bursting the bubble behind the stone dust myth.

filcast:
hello house, I want to fence the property whose plan is attached. pls assist me with the material requirement. thanks in advance.
Note: The perimeter is 226.97meters.

160 bags of cement = 424,000
6400 blocks x 180=1,152,000
Excavation 60,000
Bricklayer 380,000
Blinding 50,000
sand 40tonnes 60,000
granite 20tonnes 50,000
100,000 contingency
Total =N 2,276,000

tevanso:
160 bags of cement = 424,000
6400 blocks x 180=1,152,000
Excavation 60,000
Bricklayer 380,000
Blinding 50,000
sand 40tonnes 60,000
granite 20tonnes 50,000
100,000 contingency
Total =N 2,276,000

Nice analysis.
how many coach did u use sir?
but i am not seeing any provision for water. that thing can gulp money if provision like borehole or well isn't made. All these GP tanks will just turn buckets when work starts.

44chux:
I used to laugh at EgunMogaji when he didn't import all the stuff he said he would, but given what I know now, his new approach is the best. After this my first and only build, I have decided to go back to buying completed houses provided they were built by reputable companies or their Cooperative societies.

I made a lot of regrettable mistakes like:

Trying to renovate rather than build afresh cause Qs said it was way cheaper.

Demolishing part of the structure cause a reputable NL Builder said structure would fail simply cause 6" blocks were used which limited the size of the columns and that the footings were 2.75x2.75 instead of the minimum standard of 3x3 without factoring that the reason was because the avg span of columns was 2meters and max span about 3m in one or two places.

Using 4mm cable for sockets and 2.5mm for lighting and 35mm amoured for supply resulting in cost of 3.3mil for a 4bed duplex plus now I have to crack walls to add new piping for any amendment as no extra wire can pass through the conduits.

Going by Brabus advice to cast 4feet below ground around entire fence to keep water from a nearby man made pit from getting to the house foundation. It didn't stop the water but filling the pit did.

Using stone dust for block and interlock moulding.

Using Spanish tiles which turned out to be very slippery while the Nigerian look alike was not slippery at all.

Not bonding my lightening arrestor with my house earthing system which costed me millions in damages.

Oversizing of overhead water tanks which meant it took 5days of max water usage to empty tanks and did encourage coliform bacteria growth

Not supervising the work myself and having engineers and supervisors build what suited them. Plus they carelessly broke a large screen tv

Installing my main gate during construction which meant much repairs and modifications during landscaping and interlocking

And the list goes on.

Men I feel your pain, all this your regrettable mistakes is what makes all us here became builders over night. Please don't think you are the only one oh, if I opened book on my experience in this house building business from buying lands, documentation, omo oni iles scammers, even government inadequate information that give scammers opportunity on procedures. Materials supplier artisans, with some of those know nothing parading them self's as engineers. My brother it will be a best selling book. Puck nosing in every aspect of low end homes is still the best option, if one put his trust on some of these guys. Don't be suppress after spending millions on a project, you may just see one side of the building came down after a short time. That may be to late then.

@44CHUX, its seems you are very knowledgeable on water loge lands. One can see from some of your writing, they say experience in the best teachers. Can you please write more from your experience in wetlands, from foundation to the building its self so many of us can lean one or two things from your experience. We need more people like you with practical experience here. Thanks

@kopell
@44chux

Guys you two have given a fabulous insight into the world of building house and this is the point of having a wonderful thread to share info and ideas.
I can only pray for you two and myself . It is not easy oooooooooooooo

44chux:


Yes it does as saltwater is a better electrolyte(compared to freshwater) to aggravate corrosion. However the stonedust does not eliminate the galvanic corrosion, only reduces it. But waterproofing with suitable additives is 100% corrosion protection as without moisture there will be no electrolyte and no corrosion.

If not for the abrasion and possible erosion of the rods circumference during casting, it would theoretically have been easier and better to just coat the rods with grease or paint before casting.

This would make a good project topic shaa.

or wrap the rods with polythene cuts cos they are non biodegradable.

44chux:


Its sensitive to our routine floor mopping with water.

The alternative is to use polystyrene which is ready made and simply glued to the wall and has far more beautiful designs to choose from.

But the cheapest is to use wood, but the finishing is highly dependant on the skill of the carpenter.

Wood ke how?

Marilo:



An eye opener I must say.


Thanks for bursting the bubble behind the stone dust myth.

Ahah so true, but for me if I want a well defined curve stone dust the winner, but I got the biscuit stones I have reserved for that work on my site.

kopell:
Wood ke how?

yeh laminated ones should do