Good evening my Nairalander, I present to you the construction of a low cost three bedroom flat in suleja ( niger state), a satellite two close to Abuja.

Name of designer = abdulwastecx
Client = abdulwastecx (a Nairalander)
Location = suleja gra, back of city link/golden touch hotel.
Duration of work = unknown.
Building type = small three bedroom flat (with two toilet).

Building location : the building is situated on a 50x 50ft plot of Land, in a very good location for meddle to low income earners.

The infrastructure is this area is outstanding and it includes, stable electricity, 24 hours water supply and a very secure location.

The layout is great, hence, materials are easy to get to site.

Building design : the house is designed to accommodate a small middle class family of four to five, with the following information
1. Living room =15ft x 16ft
2. Master's bedroom = 15ff x 12ft
3. Children room =12ft x 12ft
4. Visitors/ study room = 100ft x 10f
5. Master bedroom toilet and bath = 5ft x 8ft.
6. General toilet = 4ft x 12ft
7.kitchen and dinning
8.small entrance porch

wow!
this is lovely...

See one: site clearance and setting out using profile board.

Flr this small setting out, we use the following materials
1. Three bundle of 900mm high peg.
2. 20 profile board ( 2 x 2 soft wood)
3. Nail, builder square, line, 6ft plumb, claw hammer etc.
4 . carpenter and one Labour

following..learning.

Day one: setting out using profile board.
Question: how do we transfer what we have on our paper to the ground without any noticeable errors

We have a building plan ( as shown below), we do the following to get our setting out done within 3hours.

1. Remeasuring the plot to conform what we have on the site plan using a 50m plastic tape.

2. We set out the building line ( front of the building) by offsetting 9ft from the fence.

3. We use these two point from the building line ( front to set out the other two point at the back.

4. We offset 1.2m from these four stations ( four peg point) to get four corner point of our profile.

5. Lines are placed from these for point to get all the pegs on which the profile will be placed run the building .
6. The pegs are spaced in such a way that each profile take three pegs.

Then, the building plan is transfer to this profile from the drawing

abdulwastecx:
Building location : the building is situated on a 50x 50ft plot of Land, in a very good location for meddle to low income earners.

The infrastructure is this area is outstanding and it includes, stable electricity, 24 hours water supply and a very secure location.

The layout is great, hence, materials are easy to get to site.

Nice plan. No ensuite. Seems open plan though so concerned with kitchen ambience.

I don't see the 2nd exit in an easily accessible place, seems to be inside the master. I think code requires direct access from all occupants.

I like the plan though very petite.

abdulwastecx:
Day one: setting out using profile board.
Question: how do we transfer what we have on our paper to the ground without any noticeable errors

We have a building plan ( as shown below), we do the following to get our setting out done within 3hours.

1. Remeasuring the plot to conform what we have on the site plan using a 50m plastic tape.

2. We set out the building line ( front of the building) by offsetting 9ft from the fence.

3. We use these two point from the building line ( front to set out the other two point at the back.

4. We offset 1.2m from these four stations ( four peg point) to get four corner point of our profile.

5. Lines are placed from these for point to get all the pegs on which the profile will be placed run the building .
6. The pegs are spaced in such a way that each profile take three pegs.

Then, the building plan is transfer to this profile from the drawing

Nice step by step and precise lecture, keep on the good work.

EgunMogaji:


Nice plan. No ensuite. Seems open plan though so concerned with kitchen ambience.

I don't see the 2nd exit in an easily accessible place, seems to be inside the master. I think code requires direct access from all occupants.

I like the plan though very petite.

Good observation.
Only the master bedroom is ensuit, the children room and occasional guess room will use the toilet/ baths along the corridor.
The space to the left will be use to access the 50 x 50 at the back, hence the owner demand to have one exit door in the master bedroom.

The kitchen and dinning are open to each other in a good way. Traditionally, most home don't use dining room again, it's better to have them joined together with the kitchen to save partition wall and money

Abuja and it's environs is a good place to sources for building materials like gravel.
30 tonne gravel goes for around 65k
30 tonne sand around = 35k
30 tonne stone dust = 55k
Cement plus transportation = N1500

Material purchase to site
1. 30 tonne of gravel (19.5mm)
2. 30 tonne sharp sand
3. 50bags of cement

Excavation of foundation: the excavation was done manually.
Total gird to be excavated : 196m
Width of excavation 675mm
Depth of excavation = 600mm

Due to the nature of the soil, it was very difficult to dig more than 450mm to around 500mm. The soil is stiff clay and the site is relatively higher than the road.

Casting of foundation
1. Total length of strip footing =96m
2. Width of footings =675mm
3. Depth of footings = 150mm
4. Mix ratio =1:3:6 (by mass)

Foundation block work.

More from the foundation block work

abdulwastecx:
Due to the nature of the soil, it was very difficult to dig more than 450mm to around 500mm. The soil is stiff clay and the site is relatively higher than the road.

Casting of foundation
1. Total length of strip footing =96m
2. Width of footings =675mm
3. Depth of footings = 150mm
4. Mix ratio =1:3:6 (by mass)

Sir, I've asked a question concerning the relevance of head courses in structures but you never replied my mention. That aside, as a young civil/structural engineering graduate who has interest in building construction and wishes to learn (cos he's a substructure novice), is it necessary to place reinforcement bars along the strip before placement of concrete?

More from foundation block work

karleone:


Sir, I've asked a question concerning the relevance of head courses in structures but you never replied my mention. That aside, as a young civil/structural engineering graduate who has interest in building construction and wishes to learn (cos he's a substructure novice), is it necessary to place reinforcement bars along the strip before placement of concrete?

I am sorry for not answering your mention.
To answer your first question.
1. Head beam/course is compulsory in a building because it serve as horizontal tie to link all the columns together, help to distribute roof load to the supporting columns and wall and also also tie the roof to the structure through a connector that is placed on the concrete.
For load bearing wall, it help to distribute roof truss load which may serve as point load on top of the sancrete portions. this point load when not distributed courses wall cracking.

2. Is it necessary to place reinforcement on the trip footings before placement of concrete?

There are two types of strip footing
. Normal strip footing
. Reinforced wide strip footing
The normal strip footing doesn't require reinforcement and it is used when the soil is relatively strong ( high bearing capacity, low settlement etc) and when wall load intensity is low.

Reinforced wide strip footing is a footing design to carry load bearing wall and it'a reinforced to cater for bending and settlement along the foundation length

abdulwastecx:
Due to the nature of the soil, it was very difficult to dig more than 450mm to around 500mm. The soil is stiff clay and the site is relatively higher than the road.

Casting of foundation
1. Total length of strip footing =96m
2. Width of footings =675mm
3. Depth of footings = 150mm
4. Mix ratio =1:3:6 (by mass)

very neat job as usual my able engr.

my questions;
is it 196m or 96m?
how many bags of cement, tons of sand and gravel did u use for the footing?
thanks.

johnson232:

very neat job as usual my able engr.

my questions;
is it 196m or 96m?
how many bags of cement, tons of sand and gravel did u use for the footing?
thanks.

96

@abdulwastec
Thanks for the tutorial.
Watching it till it pans out.

Please can you share the technical and architectural plans of the project.

Will like to replicate this project .

What is the projected cost for everything excl land

abdulwastecx:


96

what about other questions sir

johnson232:

very neat job as usual my able engr.

my questions;
is it 196m or 96m?
how many bags of cement, tons of sand and gravel did u use for the footing?
thanks.

96m
Bags of cement = around 30bags .
Can't really tell Bouton sand because we bought 30tonnes and we still plenty left, likewise for gravel.

Note: site conditions vary, dry land with good soil property supporting a light partition wall consume much less material than those built on poorer soil.

abdulwastecx:


96m
Bags of cement = around 30bags .
Can't really tell Bouton sand because we bought 30tonnes and we still plenty left, likewise for gravel.

Note: site conditions vary, dry land with good soil property supporting a light partition wall consume much less material than those built on poorer soil.

thanks.

If the final picture shows the final coach of the foundation wall them I'm jealous my oga

You'll need very little filling. I've spent N300k (340 tons) on laterite on my "little garage" site

fkj950ax:
@abdulwastec
Thanks for the tutorial.
Watching it till it pans out.

Please can you share the technical and architectural plans of the project.

Will like to replicate this project .

What is the projected cost for everything excl land

You know it will not be polite to do share someone building plan. I can produce similar one for you at reasonable cost.

The projected cost of the project will vary greatly if this house is built I the east or west because so any variable like cost of materials.
Here 30tonne of gravel is 65k, similar gravel will cost me 165k in anambra and about 200k in Port Harcourt.

Digging of the foundation was done for 20k, it will cost up to 45 to 50k in the east.

In summary, this building will cost between 4-6million to achieve what I have on the three dimensional drawings.
1.long span aluminum roofing sheet
2 . sliding Windows,
3. Tiles of around N1200/square meters
4. Pop ceiling for living room and dining, and pvc ceiling for other rooms.
5.polyatyrene fascia
6.interlocked compound

EgunMogaji:
If the final picture shows the final coach of the foundation wall them I'm jealous my oga

You'll need very little filling. I've spent N300k (340 tons) on laterite on my "little garage" site

That is one of the problem with the way we built.
There is a terzaqi equation use to determine depth of foundation and such depth is control by water table and some other soil parameters.

If your site is relatively higher than the access road you don't need to raise your house too high.

If your site is not a sloping terrain, you don't need to raise your house too high

If your area is not prone to flooding, you don't need to raise your floor too high.

If I have a soil strata where, say from NGL to say 2m the soil is firm clay and the water table is around 3m below. Assuming I want to build a small bungalow with wall load of say 10kN/m, such foundation can be founded between 600mm to 2000mm.

EgunMogaji:
If the final picture shows the final coach of the foundation wall them I'm jealous my oga

You'll need very little filling. I've spent N300k (340 tons) on laterite on my "little garage" site

The biggest problem with your type of foundation will be lateral pressure building up on those sub structural wall above ground level. these walls will act like retaining walls and they are not thag strong to retain the filled foundation, this may cause ss them to shift away.

You may need to ring/tie them up with a beam and filled the block below with week concrete. (oga spyder is doing excellently well with in this regard)

Another problem is settlement, most filled experience settlement after sometimes due to poor compaction. The higher the filled the more likely to settle

abdulwastecx:


That is one of the problem with the way we built.
There is a terzaqi equation use to determine depth of foundation and such depth is control by water table and some other soil parameters.

If your site is relatively higher than the access road you don't need to raise your house too high.

If your site is not a sloping terrain, you don't need to raise your house too high

If your area is not prone to flooding, you don't need to raise your floor too high.

If I have a soil strata where, say from NGL to say 2m the soil is firm clay and the water table is around 3m below. Assuming I want to build a small bungalow with wall land of say 10kN/m, such foundation can be founded between 600mm to 2000mm.

You're absolutely right.

My builder said the same things that you did but I bought a plan that I loved and didn't want to modify it so I ended up forcing a round peg into a square hole.

This has been a great personal learning experience and I continue to thank you pros in the house for pulling us along as understudies.

abdulwastecx:


The biggest problem with your type of foundation will be lateral pressure building up on those sub structural wall above ground level. these walls will act like retaining walls and they are not thag strong to retain the filled foundation, this may cause ss them to shift away.

You may need to ring/tie them up with a beam and filled the block below with week concrete. (oga spyder is doing excellently well with in this regard)

Another problem is settlement, most filled experience settlement after sometimes due to poor compaction. The higher the filled the more likely to settle

What I ended up doing was doing a double wall and introduced pillars strategically. I'm also going to let it compact naturally for a while.

In restrospect I should have created an underground space.

But it's a learning process

Thank you Sir.

Time to learn...
Already in class.

How is podosci doing bro?