We all have dreams of owning our homes someday and for those who already do, would want to have a foothold in the Nigerian real estate business as a profit yielding investment. Even for a miniature foothold, the Nigerian statistics like
- 17 million housing units deficits
- about 50% of the population living in the urban centres and projected to grow to 70%
- 60% of the population below the age of 30
- and the Nigerian population projected to double in the next 30 years.
all support every and any investment in the real estate sector and points to a robust market for investors.

Perhaps you have already acquired a piece of land with all the necessary documents and ready to take this leap to either invest in your own private residence or for commercial purposes; the difference between achieving your building project objectives ( which are execution within scope, time, cost and quality ) or not starts at this point and depends largely on how well informed you are about the processes involved therein.

Stay tuned in as I expose the processes involved for you as a prospective building owner to achieve your desired goals.

DESIGN STAGE

Part 1: Architectural Drawing

As a prospective Building owner, the first step is to engage the services of an architect for a building plan. Now, you can describe to the architect what you want which is called the brief. Maybe you want a three-Bedroom bungalow or a five-bedroom. Here is where you tell the architect that your wife wants a big kitchen or that you want a big living room to entertain your guests or that all rooms should be in-suite (each with its own watercloset and bath).

The architect may aid you to list out some features you may want in the building plan. You might aswell ask the architect to give you a design he deems fit for your status.

While you make these demands, do well to bear in mind that the scope and size of the building project is proportional to the quantity of materials, labor and supervision needed to deliver the job.

I will advise you to solicit the services of professionals irrespective of how tight your budget might be. In my years of experience in construction, i've met a number of home owners with very flawed building plans for their homes. In one of them, for the owner to use the bath or water-closet would have to move from his room into the living room, then out to the entrance porch to a narrow corridor where another room, the kitchen and the bath & water-closet are located. There was no backyard.

Anything worth doing is worth doing well, or so the saying goes.



Ekwueme Frank
Design, Cost & Construction Engineer
frankitangltd@gmail.com

Floor plan

Front view of the plan above

The back view

The right and left side views

Part 2: Structural Drawing

After the architectural design has been prepared to your satisfaction, the next stage is usually the structural design if there is/are suspended floor(s) (multi-storey building) in the architectural drawings. A bungalow may not need a structural design depending on the soil conditions at the proposed construction site and the design features detailed in the architectural plan.

The structural engineer determines the stresses due from all possible loads in the building and provides suitable structural element's (beams, columns, slabs, pad footing etc) arrangement and adequate reinforcements and sections to ensure stability.

In simplified terms, the architect gives You a beautiful looking building while the structural/civil engineer makes sure the building doesn't collapse.

It is important to solicit the services of professionals and I'll tell you why. On the downside, a flawed structural design of a building would most likely lead to instability - collapse of the building. Some flawed design will stand after construction but will become a time bomb biding its time. Imagine the economic wastage, all the sweat and sacrifice reduced to rubbles just because of a tiny fraction of the building's cost you would have paid a professional.

The foundation layout showing The columns, strip foundation and pad footings.

Their numbers, sizes, positions and thickness of the strip foundation.

The weights of the buildings are carried from the column to the pad footings.

The pad footing spreads these loads to the soil.

The floor beam details

This shows the sizes, lengths and the different reinforcements placements in all the floor beams.

depending on the use of the building, The weights of the utilities, humans, animals, furniture, vehicles, tiles, walls, slab etc are all transferred to the beams.

Floor slab(decking) reinforcements detail

Showing how the rods will be placed.

Before i continue on the mechanical and electrical installations drawings,

I'll like to point out strongly that how affordable your home is depends on the architectural and structural designs.
The more features you add into your house like number of rooms, sizes of the rooms, the types of of finsihing materials like tiles, water-closets etc will determine its overall cost.

Having a professional structural engineer do your design will guarrantee the most efficient general arrangements of footing, columns and beams which will proportionally impact on the quantities of concrete and steel reinforcements the building will require.

COST ESTIMATION


After the designs (architectural and structural), the next step is usually to get a cost estimates for your
project. Depending on the scale of your project, it is usually advisable to consult the services of an
independent estimator who is not going to be one of the contractors/builders. His estimates will serve
as a guide in appraising/assessing the quotations of the contractors/builders.

However, since building projects are usually budgeted for, it is best to have a particular amount you
intend to spend on the build in mind prior to the designs. This prevents you from going into the project
blind. With the estimate, you can

 have an idea of the projects expected cost before plunging in

 you can see the stages to which you can breakdown (foundation, blockwall-to-lintel, floor slab
etc) and their expected costs so you can plan for them.

 with the estimates also you will be able to control the cost, timing and quality of your project


Mrs. V is the mom of one of my club members back in the varsity and I got a call from her back in 2013.
She told me that she has a budget of ₦8,000,000.00; that she wants a four bedroom duplex, dining, and
two living rooms both upstairs and downstairs and that the master’s bedroom must be in-suite.

How did I achieve a floor plan and designs that satisfied her needs? I got the average cost of a modest
duplex per square area of floor and predetermined the expected floor area that would likely cost
₦8,000,000.00, then a prepared a floor plan for this calculated square area within appropriate margins. I
the project was completed midyear 2014 and within budget. I got a call for a project last year and Mrs. V
was the one that recommended me.

STAGES IN COST ESTIMATION

Whether you are building a poultry pen, a bungalow, duplex, blocks of flats or an overhead water
storage structure, the work breakdown structure is similar and are the substructure and the
superstructure.

The Substructure is the totality of all activities carried out within the soil to the over site concrete. It
entails activities like

 Excavations (trenches and pits)

 Blockwork (5 inches, 6 inches, 9 inches)

 concrete works (in: pad footing, strip footing, wide strips, blinding, plinth beam, strap beam, tie
beam, column starters retaining walls, rafts, piles etc),

 the reinforcements (rods in the columns, pad footings etc),

 formworks (planks, bamboo, timber And falseworks needed as form to pour concrete)

 earth filling, leveling, watering, compaction and water-proofing

 application of anti-termite solution etc

the substructure is very crucial especially in buildings with suspended floors as any mistake here could
adversely affect the lifespan and durability of the building. Hence, it contributes significantly to the cost
of the building.


The superstructure as the name implies is a compendium of all activities above the soil. From blockwork
through lintel to roofing, painting, maintenance checks to handover.

Guy, I'm feeling this knowledge download.
Please continue ...

One question while you're at It- Is it necessary to take the Architect to the site to have a feel of the soil/topography before drawing, or the contractor alone can sort that out?

cecegorz:
Guy, I'm feeling this knowledge download.
Please continue ...

One question while you're at It- Is it necessary to take the Architect to the site to have a feel of the soil/topography before drawing, or the contractor alone can sort that out?

Not necessary...but it is good to take your architect to physically observe the land. This will give him a better understanding of d land & how best to design & position the structure.

Usually, what the Architect needs to be able to do his job is the site plan.

However, if the topography of the land is not plain; perhaps it is sloping or has some geologic features exposed on the surface, you definitely need the Architect to see your site so he can blend/adapt his design with the existing environment.

Please contact me on 07033544353 or frankitangltd@gmail.com

Evaowokotomo:
This is a wonderful and informative piece. Thank you so much for the kind gesture to enlighten us. Please how much does a bill of quantities cost?

Thank you for the compliment. I've been quite busy lately. Feel free to contact me on 07033544353 or frankitangltd@gmail.com.

@Frank, Thanks for the awesome job for my latest project.

sheg105:
@Frank, Thanks for the awesome job for my latest project.

You are welcome sir.

I'm glad I could be of service.