Ytechconst:


My sister i will advice you use a professional to supervise your project. You are about to build on an unstable soil and water logged for that matter and you dont want to pay professionals, you want to do it your self.

My sister i dont think any professional will render a free service because it will be put to you that if you can afford to buy a water logged land in Ajah of which is expensive, you can afford to procure materials and pay Artisans fee to build the house, then why is it that the professionals fee that will ensure that the building construction process from design to construction is done in the right and safe manner is an issue.

You can simply get an engineer that will consult for you in stages, he will give the workers a brief of what to do and how it will be done, he will interprete the Architectural and structural drawings where necessary to the Artisans. Then you can pay the engineer per visit. You will still get a good result instead of doing it yourself.

sexyboocalher:
Hajj mufutau, Egunmogaji, brabus, iherooke, and others please help me!

abdulwastecx:


You are welcome ma... I am really happy that you are investing your hard earned money on building a place for your family in this present hard economic climate.

I will like to be know the type of house you will like to build. If you are planning to build a Bungalow, you can managed it yourself with a good builder/engineer/architect help you build the house to your taste.

I like the way you came out open minded seeking for and I know this is the right medium for you to get all the help you need to build your house.

abdulwastecx:


You are welcome ma... I am really happy that you are investing your hard earned money on building a place for your family in this present hard economic climate.

I will like to be know the type of house you will like to build. If you are planning to build a Bungalow, you can managed it yourself with a good builder/engineer/architect help you build the house to your taste.

I like the way you came out open minded seeking for and I know this is the right medium for you to get all the help you need to build your house.

EgunMogaji:


An impeccable answer.

Thank you Sir.

sexyboocalher:
.........



Oga Abdul, it's a 3bedroom bungalow, all ensuite..he thing is, I do not want anyone to cheat me that's d reason i rely so much on u people....

EgunMogaji:


An impeccable answer.

Thank you Sir.

mufutau55:
My sister... we are lurking around here o, make you no think say we no dey here.
All the advises I have read so far are all good and your responses are very nice too... people like you will get good help.
Nobody want to be cheated by some of those people out there parading themselves as Engineers and Builders... money is not easy o.
Just take your time to manage and oversee all the materials and expenses but still have some professionals to do the job not quacks.
Look and read my signature below and let that be a guide... Professionals on Properties Forum, please come out of your shell and lending a helping hand to my sister in need. God help you sister.

Hajji M.

Santa2:
I have been a keen follower on this property section. Drawing loads of ideas and experience from here. so much so that artisans on my site think am an experienced builder.lol even though this is my first build.

I can relate to the op totally cos I find my self in the shoes. I engaged an architect to supervise for me. He currently has several projects around Abraham adesanya - ajah axis. if u discuss with him he might be able to add urs. He isn't very active here on nairaland but he has posted some of his works here. He's handle is @efeej I think

It's my first time posting here, I salute all my ogas hajj, in the house, u guys do not know how many lives u have touched. u no do well. u guyz should continue the good work.

Ytechconst:


Engineers dont just charge. Their are basis for charging fees just like every other profession such as Accounting, legal etc.

If you look at it now you said you supervised the fence and its sitting on raft, fence does not sit on raft but ground beams or retaining walls.

When you did the fence did you get a structural drawing for the fence? Did you consult a structural engineer for the arrangement of reinforcement in the ground beams, also do you know may be the ground beam only will sustain the fence for a life time or it will require spread footing and toe to strenghten it more before concluding on ground beam only.

So my sister engage an engineer. Buying your material will not be any professionals issue because you are even sheading off duties off his neck simply because procurement alone is another workload of which you will not pay him for that if you entrust it on him.

My own firm has done a lot of projects on the mainland and island of which at the start of the project they handle the procurement for foundation stage but moving further they backed out and left everything to us to handle because of the following reasons:

1. Stress of procurement, monitoring suppliers and timing for delivery.

2. Substandard quality supplied( e.g reinforcement quality, cast iron were supplied.)

3. Incomplete quantity (the client only know that 10tyre truck is 20ton they do not know if the bucket is 20ton or 15ton) if we are to engage supplier for granular materials we can measure bucket and determine the tonnage in the bucket.

At the end of the foundation stage clients discovers that they have spent up to additional 20% on the figure in the material bill we gave him to procure for the work stage.

If clients had given procurement to us we would have delivered at the same cost on the bill because we are experienced in monitoring quantity, quality and also timing rightly.

So to all clients here at times you feel you are saving cost whereas you are loosing a lot.

Like i use to say a slogan to most client who calls me for services for free or at a ridiculous fee. IF I DONT CHARGE YOU OR I OFFER FREE SERVICE, WHEN WILL I BUILD MY OWN HOUSE. But i thank God i have my own house now and even building to let out.

Lets not only credit professionals here for job well done, lets value professionals here and also pay them what its worth it when we are engaging them, builders and engineers fee on project are usualy calculated to be between 10 to 20% of the value of your project. If you are building a duplex of 30million paying the builder between 3-6million for professional overhead and profit from start to completion to get things right is not too bad

EgunMogaji:
I've never met anybody on property section that was looking for free supervision. OP is not looking for free supervision.

What she's looking for and what I look for is prudent fees.

All the stories in the world won't negate an exhorbitant and unaffordable fee.

Instead if stories the building industry needs to get together and set a professional fee scheme.

Why would I hire some inept dimwit that can't build a house without it sinking if I can get Spyder880 for the same fee, even if I have to wait for his schedule to open.

You guys are your own worst enemies by not setting standards and it is not the consumers like me that are trying to make heads or takes from this Nigerian building clusterfraud and will ultimately writes the check.

abdulwastecx:


You are on the right track ma.

Three bedroom flat don't really required too much structural work but in your own case, the building will be sitting on supposedly poor soil which make it a little bit complicated.

I suppose your budget is tight and you want to oversee the construction yourself as a project manager, I think that will help you safe cost and also help you ensure quality job is done.

I will give you the following advice to start with.
1. Carry out a detailed soil investigation to ascertain the nature of the soil. Though your building is not that large structural but the nature of the soil demand you understand the soil property so that the best type of foundation can be proposed to you.
People run away from soil test because of preconceived notion of cost but soil test help you design the most economical type of foundation.

2. Discuss your brief, send your survey plan to architect to design your building base on your budget.

3. Get a good builder(not necessarily an engineer) and discuss your design with him, discuss your with, your payment plan, discuss how your want to procure your materials.

From there you can start

Santa2:
I have been a keen follower on this property section. Drawing loads of ideas and experience from here. so much so that artisans on my site think am an experienced builder.lol even though this is my first build.

I can relate to the op totally cos I find my self in the shoes. I engaged an architect to supervise for me. He currently has several projects around Abraham adesanya - ajah axis. if u discuss with him he might be able to add urs. He isn't very active here on nairaland but he has posted some of his works here. He's handle is @efeej I think

It's my first time posting here, I salute all my ogas hajj, in the house, u guys do not know how many lives u have touched. u no do well. u guyz should continue the good work.

sexyboocalher:


Oga Abdul, may almighty God never leave u!
1) I hear soil test is expensive don't know how it is....
If I now use big money for soil test, don't u think my budget will shrink?
2)how much do u think i will b charged for a detailed architectural drawing?
3( yes sir, my budget is very tight but i won't comprise on quality...
May u never lack insha Allah..

Ytechconst:


Dont quote me wrong madam. You can check on all my thread and also ask around especially from my oga at the top Hajj Mufutau, he knows me very well.

I give lots of free advice and consultation especially to nairalanders here, i receive calls for advice almost every week from here and i give the advice and consultation within my reach. But any consultation that will involve leaving my office to a site or prepare sort of cost or interprete what is on the working drawings on ground or anything that will involve putting in my resources then i specify charges and have an understanding.

As clients out here are guarding towards bin ripped off so also we professionals are also guarding against just bin used. I know some other professional would understand better what i mean.

As i have said earlier, its just simple, get a good builder to prepare you a material estimate required, get your working drawings( Architectural & Structural) done by a good Architect and structural engineer respectively.

Then engage a builder to execute per visit, his presence is need in setting out, formwork and reinforcement arrangement for ground beam, laying of dpm polythene and blinding, reinforcement arrangement for the raft slab after dpc and dpm is in place and lastly block forming on ground floor.

You can negotiate the visit of the builder with him for this 5 stages then set the ball rolling.

Ytechconst:


Dont quote me wrong madam. You can check on all my thread and also ask around especially from my oga at the top Hajj Mufutau, he knows me very well.

I give lots of free advice and consultation especially to nairalanders here, i receive calls for advice almost every week from here and i give the advice and consultation within my reach. But any consultation that will involve leaving my office to a site or prepare sort of cost or interprete what is on the working drawings on ground or anything that will involve putting in my resources then i specify charges and have an understanding.

As clients out here are guarding towards bin ripped off so also we professionals are also guarding against just bin used. I know some other professional would understand better what i mean.

As i have said earlier, its just simple, get a good builder to prepare you a material estimate required, get your working drawings( Architectural & Structural) done by a good Architect and structural engineer respectively.

Then engage a builder to execute per visit, his presence is need in setting out, formwork and reinforcement arrangement for ground beam, laying of dpm polythene and blinding, reinforcement arrangement for the raft slab after dpc and dpm is in place and lastly block forming on ground floor.

You can negotiate the visit of the builder with him for this 5 stages then set the ball rolling.