Thanks to y'all: Chaircover, Davedavy and Appollonio.

@Elsafema

@last page
you have just done a good job for me here , thanking uuuuuuuuu

No my bruv, NO THANKS now!
Until the day you pay for/deposit for YOUR OWN LAND. Thats when you will make my day.

Speak with some people in the know, they would help you to get land (not V.I. sha ) that is affordable and like chaircover said, everything will boil down to "this block" and "that Plank".

"Every good deed (and bad ones too!) and important decision is first conceptualized in the MIND and then realized in the PHYSICAL".
Have a nice day.

onyinbogoju,
The first design is much better, except that you will have to change the roofing design to what is contemporary, The pent house is good , but it has to be made invisible from the front elevation. relocate the balconies of the pent house to the rear elevations. you already have a balcony in the front elevation, which i think is good enough.
The second house is shapeless and outdated, i have no contribution to make on that plan.
But all the same , do not be afraid to start, and i wish you the best of luck.

@ Oyinbogoju,
Your wife is right and I support benimeogu. 2nd design, no way!
The 3D design looks simple but not cheap o. Tell the designer to give you a panoramic view of the house (detached). Cost? Let see the plan

love this!

@Am Alone,
Speaking of the guy (Sunny_bobo) that used N15m to build 4 bedroom bungalow in 2006. I will say its OK but things have changed o (design & technology) and are even cheaper now. But lot of the money went into finishing and not the construction.
Just stay glued and see my finishes in the next few weeks. Electrical fittings (all imported from UK). Don't ask me the cost? What the elder use to eat Eko, is kept under the leaf.

As for locations, in the 80s, it does matter. But nowadays, it doesnt matter. You agree? If not, where was Ajah, Lekki, Mowe in the 90s. A plot of land in Ajah was sold for N50k in 1999, the same area goes for N7m now.

What's your take on that?
No hard feelings, just trying to keep the thread alive.

@brabus where did you get your electical fittings from? Hubby has pulled me round B&Q, Homebase, Dunelm etc but I havent quite found what I like and this is keeping things up. He made the mistake of asking me in the first instance & he shouldhave just bought what he wanted jeje

You are right about finishing and being a decorator I have an eye for the slightest 0.02mm tilt in a light switch etc and I will tell them to remove it. The workers are all fed up of me now, but I just tell them that I am the one going to be pissed off seeing that crooked light switch everyday

We lost a lot of money after we were advised to put PVC in the main house but after it was all done, it didnt look quite straight to me and it all had to come down and then the whole house had to be POP'ed instead with the PVC going to waste.

Re location, my main concern is is it accessable by good roads and what is the traffic like in that area. The very fist plot of land was bought in Mowe for N20k, (twenty thousand naira) the baba even gave half a plot free. Gone are the good old days LOL

My advise From Experience is that for a first house, just build something moderate. You will make mistakes and you will learn from them ready to tackle the next house.

You will also finish it quite quickly especially if you are a salary earner and dont have lump sums lying around. If you try and build a white elephant as your first house, you will loose the incentive because it will take much longer to build and with a lot more problems which can be very frustrating. The last thing you want is to run out of cash in the middle of these projects.

do remember to get your quotes for electrical wire and cables here. maxndianaefo@yahoo.com. happy buillding y'all!

the thread seem confusing now, the original intent of this thread seem derailed, , @ poster you seem to have answered my question on using blind blocks,

I would prefer ur thread is aligned for easy follow up,

so far, you have given details of what you have used so far and the pics, was there any job 2day on site?, I see u r online, lets have the update, thanks and keep it up

kuntash:

the thread seem confusing now, the original intent of this thread seem derailed, , @ poster you seem to have answered my question on using blind blocks,

I would prefer your thread is aligned for easy follow up,

so far, you have given details of what you have used so far and the pics, was there any job 2day on site?, I see u r online, lets have the update, thanks and keep it up

Yes, we worked yesterday and the total labour cost was N13,200.00. We are still working to fill up the foundattion after casting the foundation pillars. I will upload current site pics later. In the evening, I will update us on current expense.

I also spent the following yesterday.
20 bags of cement N33,000.00
transport and loading N3000.00
roll of hose for watering the foundation N5000.00
labour as stated in earlier post N13,200.00
total as at yesterday = N54200.00, add it to the previous cummulative expense of N397,650 = N451,850.00.
I will add today's expense later.

Today's labour costs are as follows:
filling the foundation with sand = N6000.00
other sundry labour costs = N3000.00
sharp sand 3 trips for german floor N18000.00
gravels and stones for german floor N36000.00
water for sinking the foundation N5000.00
add this to the previous N451,850.00 = N519,850.00 as current total expenses.

picture1

picture2

picture3

picture4

picture5

picture6 They are covering the blocks with sand, ready for stones before the german floor

another one

More grease 2 ur elbow my broda,nice thread

@Spyder, Welldone.

@Spyder:

Today's labour costs are as follows:
filling the foundation with sand = N6000.00
other sundry labour costs = N3000.00
sharp sand 3 trips for german floor N18000.00
gravels and stones for german floor N36000.00
water for sinking the foundation N5000.00
add this to the previous N451,850.00 = N519,850.00 as current total expenses.

Spyder, 3Trips of sand for that price (18K) => One Trip => is 6K?
What size of Tipper is this referring to?
10Tons? 5Tons? 20Tons?
I am asking because l was buying a "10 Ton" of Sharp sand for 25K, in Lagos and am wondering whether l am missing something here?
Cheers

lastpage:

@Spyder:
Spyder, 3Trips of sand for that price (18K) => One Trip => is 6K?
What size of Tipper is this referring to?
10Tons? 5Tons? 20Tons?
I am asking because l was buying a "10 Ton" of Sharp sand for 25K, in Lagos and am wondering whether l am missing something here?
Cheers

I just confirmed from my tipper driver it is 10 ton capacity. And 25k for sharp sand is too expensive, especially in Lagos where I feel the sand will be cheap due to sundry water and beaches.

@oyinbogoju please can you email me these plans to ib75usa@yahoo.com.

Good day " Am Alone & Spyder"

from what I can deduce from ur projects, , Spyder so far is using washed gravels while Am Alone is granite all the way,

Question:

@ Spyder, pls do u intend to use this washed gravel all the way or u would be using them for the german floor and foundation (DPC) correct me if I am wrong pls, ? and use granite for pillars and beams?

@ Am Alone, what was the total cost of the German floor alone?

@ both of u, WHY GERMAN FLOOR? is this compulsory? whats the worst case scenario if excluded in a building such as a 4-bedroom bungalow in a place like Lagos??

@ all, why the sharp variations in the cost of the sand? , do you have them so cheap elsewhere ?, Enugu for example?

kuntash:

Good day " Am Alone & Spyder"

from what I can deduce from your projects, , Spyder so far is using washed gravels while Am Alone is granite all the way,

Question:

@ Spyder, pls do u intend to use this washed gravel all the way or u would be using them for the german floor and foundation (DPC) correct me if I am wrong pls, ? and use granite for pillars and beams?

@ Am Alone, what was the total cost of the German floor alone?

@ both of u, WHY GERMAN FLOOR? is this compulsory? whats the worst case scenario if excluded in a building such as a 4-bedroom bungalow in a place like Lagos??

@ all, why the sharp variations in the cost of the sand? , do you have them so cheap elsewhere ?, Enugu for example?

Yes, I intend to use washed gravel through all the stages of the project. This is how it is done around here and our structures are solid, what matters is the concrete mixture.
German floor is very important in a house, especially those built in Lagos. It is the seal a foundation need for coverage. It is also the 'real' floor of any house on the ground floor so it is supposed to be thick as to withstand pressures like your wife pounding yam in the kitchen. It is highly recommended.
I am surprised about the wide variance in sand prices b/w Lagos and Enugu, we buy 10 ton tippers here for N5500 to N6000 per trip and nothing more. I think the variance in materials accounts for differences in total costs.

Thanks Spyder,

meanwhile I hope u realize what you have gotten urself into on nairaland now, lol

you might just have to be available here for a very long time O, cos some of us would just keep throwing questions

this thread would sure reveal many things to prospective house owners.

on the German floor, even though I asked Am Alone the initial question, what would it cost to make a german floor spanning on a building space of 45X50 ft building? , and what is the average thickness for a bungalow?

Elsafema:

@oyinbogoju let say 200m

Don`t scare me now,

with the likes of spider880 around, i must bargain to the last,

benimeogu:

onyinbogoju,
The first design is much better, except that you will have to change the roofing design to what is contemporary, The pent house is good , but it has to be made invisible from the front elevation. relocate the balconies of the pent house to the rear elevations. you already have a balcony in the front elevation, which i think is good enough.

The second house is shapeless and outdated, i have no contribution to make on that plan.
But all the same , do not be afraid to start, and i wish you the best of luck.

I have heard you bro, i will get in touch with my designer and come out with something better. thank
@Second house, chei my wife go win me again.

brabus:

@ Oyinbogoju,
Your wife is right and I support benimeogu. 2nd design, no way!
The 3D design looks simple but not cheap o. Tell the designer to give you a panoramic view of the house (detached). Cost? Let see the plan

ok sir. i will get in touch with you guys later, let me negotiate with my mind first.

kuntash:

Thanks Spyder,

meanwhile I hope u realize what you have gotten urself into on nairaland now, lol

you might just have to be available here for a very long time O, cos some of us would just keep throwing questions

this thread would sure reveal many things to prospective house owners.

on the German floor, even though I asked Am Alone the initial question, what would it cost to make a german floor spanning on a building space of 45X50 ft building? , and what is the average thickness for a bungalow?

Anything between N180k to N250k depending on the thickness of your german floor. Some german floors could be as thick as 8" while some of us who build on dry, stony and hilly areas will do german floor of 4"-5" depending on what number of floors will sit on top of the german floor.

@ spyder880, sir i noticed your foundation blocks are of the holeless variety. Are they better than the ones with holes?

Thank, and may your waist be strong!