Am Alone:

@ Demain man,

As much as I'd like to wait for the price of cement to come down during
the raining season, but you know, during the raining season, a lot of trucks
sinks on bad road. And construction is always very slow(the rains disturbs
workers and very where is always damp).

The road that leads to my house is always bad during the raining season
trucks suppling sand and stones and cement cannot operate in that area very
freely because they stands a risk of. . . . .
Oshey!!!
because they may sink

@Am Alone, that's the reason why I buy sand (soft, sharp etc), stones, granite (the 30 tonne trailer bringing granite to my site can only visit in dry season) in the dry season. So, there's never a dull moment or excuse in my site. And for cement, except you are doing German floor or Decking, there's no time you will require more than 20 bags at a go. This can be delivered to the site using Okada/Motorbike.

@MolarMos, good to know that you have a site in Abijo. I was there yesterday, although I was in Lakowe Lakes. My suggestion is this if you can handle it. Get a block maker to bring his machine to your site, give him the materials and the quality you want. Within 2 weeks, you will have over 3000 blocks in your site which is enough to take you to window level irrespective of what you are building. If I'm to handle the job, that's what I will do - no special thing there. There's no problem with Rainy season, its the way we plan and priortize, use this season to get materials (sand, stone, blocks) to yr site. You can build in the rainy season.

^^^^^^ good advice. I am going to buy the sand needed now and wait for rainy season to buy my cement. I am hoping to make some saving as low''KUDI'' is the key word 

Brabus,
Tru talk! Nice idea!!!!
Though I still prefer building in the dey season sha
But now I can buy during the end of the raining season
Then the price will still be low! Also, I notice rods are
also cheap during the raining season too!
I believe if I am building another house I will save a lot
of money. Though the difference with this one I am doing
now won't be that much!
Peaces!!!

Furthermore Brabus
You know some area's can be
so bad during the rainy season
that even you can barely visit the
the site?
Though some may not be that bad !
   

Forget! Lagos road na die during the raining
season!!! and except you buy during the
early dry season. Even you can't visit your site

@ Spyder thank you for your prompt response, the project is in warri delta state. Dry land, toilet and  will be in the master bedroom only and 2 other rooms will share a toilet and bathroom. and a small visitors toilet. wall to wall tiles in toilet and kitchen. POP ceiling in sitting room only, aluminum or aluminum zinc for roofing which is cheaper. just something a bit standard not to big where me and my family can forget landlord wahala.  i love the picture chaircover posted. Thank you

Am Alone,

I asked a question on page 33 on internal POP dressing for Arches and Archives. Kindly provide clarification on the charging is done if you know.

Thanks.

brabus:

My suggestion is this if you can handle it. Get a block maker to bring his machine to your site, give him the materials and the quality you want. Within 2 weeks, you will have over 3000 blocks in your site which is enough to take you to window level irrespective of what you are building. If I'm to handle the job, that's what I will do - no special thing there. There's no problem with Rainy season, its the way we plan and priortize,  use this season to get materials (sand, stone, blocks) to yr site. You can build in the rainy season.

Excellent talk,  thats exactly what I desire to do when I wanna turn my attention to Lag project.

I still cannot feel comfortable buying hollow blocks from block sellers who would sell at cut throat price yet plan to get 50  6" blocks or more from a bag of cement. its absurd,  many biz people are too desperate,  trust no one! lol

if I can negotiate the cost of labour and service for the block machine,  I would prefer it and still do the supervision. just the way I did while moulding my blind blocks,  I can ascertain quality that way. lol

suffice it to add that the mixing of the sand and cement, play 70% in the strength of the block whether hollow or blind,

@ Mikedeoye,
Sorry brodaly, I forgot to reply you!  

For the Arches and Archives, I am doing only one arch which demarcate
my dinning from the sitting room and it it going for 30k!
the arch is  16 feet wide!!!
Though I may still bargain it a little more when the times comes
but 30k is okay for me too!
check out the arch!!!
Peace!!!

@Am Alone

I really appreciate your advice. You are a good man. You have been marvellous on this thread. The advise you have given on the roofing of my house is well taken. I will have the company to do the roofing for me.

Thank you so much for your candid advice.

@ Payless
Please these two woods are also very good for your house
Akun and Itara
Akun is one of the best for your house
It was what I used. And believe me, one of the carpenters that
worked with me fell sick and couldn't resume work!!! The wood
is stone hard and at first I thought the nails I bought were fake!!!

again!!!

nails vs wood

@Am Alone

I have noted down Akun and Itara woods. I did not even know that. I thought the wood they use for roofing are the same. Thanks a lot!

Payless! You need to payless oo!

Please also note that Akun and Itara are more expensive than
normal woods and can last up to 50yrs! if treated!

Also Akun is more expensive than Itara
check-out the price list of Akun.

2 by 2 wood = 250
2 by 3 wood = 380
2 by 4 wood = 450
2 by 6 wood = 750(best price!!!)

Also, you need someone to monitor the company
on your behalf. And that quotation is for step tiles roofing!!!
Bros don't rush it! Take your time. Be the one to tell the roofing
company the wood you want them to use for your roof!!!


And remember I quoted on this thread that my carpenter
went behind me to do some arrangements with some roofing
company to inflate the price of my roofing sheet!!!
THANK GOD I FOUND OUT!!! --- OLUWA CHAMPION
And the difference was 1,100 naira per square meter!!

Please share your experience!
PEACE!!!

These are the pictures of the house before it got to lintel level. As a matter of fact, I have dismissed two engineers that wasted a lot of my money. The engineed/achitect I use now is right here on nairaland. I met him on nairaland. His user name is segci-moore. So far so good, he is doing alright.

@ am alone, my house have archs in four different places downstairs alone. One dividing the sitting room from the dinning, another smaller one could be seen from the stting room in the passage that moves into the rest of the house. There are two outside, both at the balcony outside the kitchen, the other could be sighted from the gate, visible in my house plans.
All these arches have been constructed and the concrete has been poured. My carpenter did them alongside the lintels and they were poured together. I dont think my carpenter took up to N15k for doing all the lintels, plus the 4 archs, though he wasted much time, nearly 8 days.

pix

spyder880:

@ am alone, my house have archs in four different places downstairs alone. One dividing the sitting room from the dinning, another smaller one could be seen from the stting room in the passage that moves into the rest of the house. There are two outside, both at the balcony outside the kitchen, the other could be sighted from the gate, visible in my house plans.
All these arches have been constructed and the concrete has been poured. My carpenter did them alongside the lintels and they were poured together. I dont think my carpenter took up to N15k for doing all the lintels, plus the 4 archs, though he wasted much time, nearly 8 days.

@Spyder! my arch is over 2 times bigger than a normal arch! (16feet wide) all my pillars and lintels(8 pillars and extra 4 round pillars and 29 lintels) were done
for 28k. Considering the fact that the cost of labour here for carpenter is within 2500 to 3000 naira per day! And again for my big arch, it took 2 carpenters two
days to finish it! I think I did really great!!! Most of the job I did on my site, I pay them on contract!!! It helps me save money. Now say for example I was to pay two carpenters per day job for that arch, it would have cost me around 10k for that arch alone considering the fact that they may delay the job. They put in all their
strength because we had a deal. It wasn't that easy for them!!!

What I am talking about that will cost me 30k is the POP work that will be done on the arch!!!
Peace!!!!

@ Payless
That is a very neat job they are doing for you there!!!
Perfect!

pix

I tried to upload more pictures but couldn't do it as the files were too large to get uploaded.

Okay, if its 16 feet then its 6 feet longer than mine in the dinning area. The one outside my kitchen (my wife's kitchen lol) is also around 10 feet long. But I think you are getting a good deal. Just compare all prices before issuing the contract. Each of my pillars were done for N250, (carpentery) and I have pillars in 27 places already done, the ones outside the house has not been formed.

pix

@ Spyder!!

Here our carpenters collect job on daily pay or on contracts! And it is not always advisable to pay them on daily basis! ecause they
intend to delay your job so as to get more pay.

If I had paid them on daily basis, it would have cost me more(I guess!)
And lastly we cannot compare the prices of Enugu to that of Lagos

Price in Lagos is really on the high side. . . .
But I believe I have really learn alot here and
I am sure to do better in a next project!
Peace

payless:

I tried to upload more pictures but couldn't do it as the files were too large to get uploaded.

try to reduce the pics before uploading.To do that do the following:
Open the pics with Microsoft Office Picture Manager
click  edit picture at the upper tool bar
click compress picture at the side tool bar
Click documents and then ok
save the picture, and try uploading again.

spyder880:

@ jaymama, good to know you are ready to embark on this worthy project of building your house, however, a lot of things will affect the estimate, like these factors.
Where is the project located
what is the size of the structure
will the whole rooms have toilet and baths
what is your standard in finishings

when I get these answers, we can help with estimates. Thanks.

@ Spyder thank you for your prompt response, the project is in warri delta state. Dry land, toilet and will be in the master bedroom only and 2 other rooms will share a toilet and bathroom. and a small visitors toilet. wall to wall tiles in toilet and kitchen. POP ceiling in sitting room only, aluminum or aluminum zinc for roofing which is cheaper. just something a bit standard not to big where me and my family can forget landlord wahala. i love the picture chaircover posted. Thank you

@ Payless,

Am not seeing enough provisions for pillars in your pictures.

I see the house big enough to require several pillars to be able to hold the roofing work especially if you are considering the kind of roofing that @ Am Alone is using.

Or is the new builder going to improvise for them in a redesigned form?.

@Apollonio

There are 6 areas that pillars are going to be in the building. I am actually going to ask for few more pillars to be improvised if needed. I need to send another engineer to give me second opinion. Thanks for your observation!

@jaymama, off the top of my head, I know its very possible to do a three bedroom bungalow on dry land with N2.5m and still get some very good designs fitted into the house. Note that I didnt calculate the addition of gutter roof. Good aluminium roofing with two metal doors for the entrances. I remember I once did a four bedroom bungalow with N3m and the house was very beutiful.

spyder880:

@jaymama, off the top of my head, I know its very possible to do a three bedroom bungalow on dry land with N2.5m and still get some very good designs fitted into the house. Note that I didnt calculate the addition of gutter roof. Good aluminium roofing with two metal doors for the entrances. I remember I once did a four bedroom bungalow with N3m and the house was very beutiful.

Thank you very much for this. I will keep u posted as soon as i start. i hear prices of cement go down during raining season, so am waiting.

I went to do window shopping for Jaccuzzi bath tub, toilet seats, washand basins, sinks, standing shower, and bathroom accessories. I can say for sure that the American brands for all this stuff are more sophisticated than the England and Chinese ones you have in Nigeria, in terms of quality and prices. They are just no match for what they sell in America. Checkout the websites below and confirm this.

Pls visit:  www.lowes.com      or    www.homedepot.com