@Spyder880,

This explains the reason why I like your style. Spend less on the structure/carcass/framework. Save more money for the finishing stage.

When I say, "Spend less", that's not to mean the same thing as compromising on standards or quality. An idea would be - To use granite only if you can afford it and not because others are using it. To rent planks instead of buying (I remember I bought planks worth over N200k for my personal project and all had been stolen). The only reason most people do the above is because they want to achieve a solid house but I've come to realize that a house is the sum of its parts and not just few parts. You can use the best of materials for the framework and still miss the goal while plastering the walls or doing the paint work.

More updates later on this thread.

NextHome:

@Spyder880,

This explains the reason why I like your style. Spend less on the structure/carcass/framework. Save more money for the finishing stage.

When I say, "Spend less", that's not to mean the same thing as compromising on standards or quality. An idea would be - To use granite only if you can afford it and not because others are using it. To rent planks instead of buying (I remember I bought planks worth over N200k for my personal project and all had been stolen). The only reason most people do the above is because they want to achieve a solid house but I've come to realize that a house is the sum of its parts and not just few parts. You can use the best of materials for the framework and still miss the goal while plastering the walls or doing the paint work.

More updates later on this thread.

Brilliant! Do well to educate your clients on this before embarking on a project, especially the first time owners. One thing I noticed back home is lots of home owners wanting to impress and then run into cash-flow constraints a few steps down the building journey (road). This not only affects them (clients) but also you the project manager in respect of your cash-flow projection.
Building is a marathon, not a dash.

[i] So where is my naming ceremony Ogogoro and kola? I be warri man remember? I no wan hear say na christian ceremony o! so no apeteshi!

Project Advice

How Much Will Your Project Cost? How Does Build Quality Affect Your Costs?

Find out the how's and why's in a definitive guide to help you come up with a budget as well as showing the effect of your choices on your project.

More updates on Nigeria Property Centre. See link below

@ Am alone, can you send me your engineers contact?
@ all; I need a structural engineer. if you know of a good one with experience pls contact @ lamecci@yahoo.com. PLS NOTE; NO CONTRACTORS NEEDED. I have my own workers all I need is an engineer.

4 got to add location-this person must have building experience in Lagos

@Brabus, PrinceOxn, Spyder888, Demain, omobashua, etc, good day.

while i'm happy to be back,i must express my suprise that our popular thread 'Real Cost of Building six Bedroom house' is no more !!!.I sincerely beg to know why and what credible and authentic have we out there? That this happen withut notice is disappointing. i hope you all are no conspirators in this act. our most valuable materials are no where to be seen, they are most valuable and should not be taking away from the 'Real People' However it nice to see you are also part of this new thread. whilest i can still track you, pls i need suggestion re: list and contact Nos of reliable iron rod machant/depot, cement and granite suppliers in Lagos (around Berger, ojodu, ojota, ogba etc). i need this as i am preparing to do my decking in next few wk . i can confirm that i've received valuable info in the past through men like Prince oxn, omobashau, and spyder; here i'm again for help. Princeoxn how goest thy project in lagos?. looking forward to your response.

^^^
Good to have you back and am happy to hear that you're already at the decking stage! hope your belt is tight because that's where most of the money will go! As per the old topic which you mentioned is still up and running with the same name and "reloaded" added to it so look for "The real cost of building a six bedroom duplex reloaded"
My project is going good, am planning on moving my siblings there by the end of this month or sooner. Their present rent of N350,000 just went up to N400,000 so I decided to stop work on the upper level which is around lintel level to completely finish the two flats downstairs. The plastering, protectors, all windows, all doors, plumbing, and electrical are all done already. My brother will pick up the floor tiles by Saturday and after that painting (inside only) and they're good to go.
As for your questions/concerns, am not up to date with the decking materials/prices because I did mine way back in March/April but am sure folks like Spyder and other that did theirs recently would be able to assist! All the best!
By the way I spent just a little less than N2m for all materials and labour for mine! (I think N70+ thousand less). Visit the original thread of the six bedroom duplex for break-down and detail. (post #1335 page 42)

Welcome bisanjay, you must have gone very far and enjoyed so much that you forgot us, because if you dey around, you no go say our thread is lost,loll! looking forward to see updates on your project. Welcome back.

so how much have you spent so far. thats a nice looking house.

The gurus in the house -@Brabus, spyder880 and omobashua

Thanks spyder880 and Princeonx. Sill awaiting your answer to my initial post- i mean contact number of reliable iron rode, cement, and granite seller in lagos. l intends to speak to him/her re-prices. i'm trying practice what i'm learning on this thread (buying qty at unbeatably price), and being able to explain how i arrived at my decision when i shall be reporting back on progress of my project latter. The deck is oct, and i've got quotations from my builder which i'm cross checking. your resposes are most welcome

@bsanjay

For the iron rod sellers,i will suggest u go loco on that.i know that area very well as i have a building there.As for the granite,i will suggest u go to kara area on lagos ibadan expressway,i am pretty sure u are farmiliar with those area,it is right around the place they sell cows,sheeps n goats,they have a station there for granite etc.Pls try not to buy from trucks that has been sitting idle,most of the time their loads ain't always full as they have already taken some out either to reduce the load on the truck or also to make more money by selling d extras.I will advice u to wait by d entrance on incoming trucks,u will see alot of them coming and going.Bargain with any incoming truck b4 they park.this trucks are usually full because d driver is just coming from d quarry and hasn't had a chance to take some out.You should expect to pay about #130,000 - #135,000 for a full 30 ton granite.size matters as well.i will suggest 1/2' for d granite size u will use for the decking.You should also look into d gaun sharp sand,it is excellent and just as good as the abeokuta sand.The problem is that it is a hit or miss sand depending on the season.They are cheaper as well,u should be able to get a double tipper for about #26,000 -#28,000.Send me your email address,i will send you one of my supplier's contact details and u guys can take it from there.Bless

cinzo:

@Brabus, how many liters is the water heater in the bathroom?

That's 15 litres water heater.

LSPDC Renovation

I have been very busy on so many projects in recent time and here are some takes on the project during the final touches stage.

Pictures below spotlights the new

More

LSPDC Renovation: This week

- Kola the woodman will be installing the doors, wardrobes and kitchen cabinets. Kola is also a busy guy and tracking him down is not an easy task.

- Kola the painter will be putting finishing touches to the walls.

- RSK the electrician will be visiting one more time to double check connections.

- Peace, the plumber will also be doing same.

The most difficult part of this project is the flooring aspect. My clients intends to rug all the rooms - so all finishes must be at 99.9% completion before the rugs can be laid. This explain the reason we've been going forth and back to double check installations and fittings.

The cost of not doing so is a dirty rug!

^^^This is lovely, nice job.

Neat, professional, and matured. Well done Lord NextHome.

^^^
Lord Brabus

Hi nairalanders,

iron rod contractors/ dealers usualy present quotaions in tones when bidding for contract ; pls anybody in the house who is able to decode tones in actual numbers. For example; how many pieces of 10mm, 11mm, 12mm, & 16mm makes a tone ? omobashua, syder888 & Prince0xn over to you again.

Nexthome,

Caught you on line, your expert opinion on how many iron rod can one expect in a tone of 10, 11, 12, & 16mm rod.

Good question begging for answer.

I'm in transit right now - 12mm is 93 lengths, 16mm is 54 lengths.

I'll explain this further later today. The quantity is based on different factors

Well done, sirs!

bisanjay:
Hi nairalanders,iron rod contractors/ dealers usualy present quotaions in tones when bidding for contract ; pls anybody in the house who is able to decode tones in actual numbers. For example; how many pieces of 10mm, 11mm, 12mm, & 16mm makes a tone ? omobashua, syder888 & Prince0xn over to you again.

This is one question I spent about $65 on calling-cards in two days to get the answer but the more I ask, the more I get confused. Yours is the tons/numbers that you want to know but mine was which "mm" is the best or better to use for the decking. Some told me to use only 16mm and 12mm, some said it will be too heavy for the house. some said use 11mm and 12mm throughout, some said its not strong enough. Every suggested way of doing it has been seen, done or heard of by my contractor, iron bender, and rod supplier. At the end of the day we ended up mixing everything from 11mm, 12mm, and 16mm for the job. All I know about the quantity is the smaller in mm the more quantity in pieces. I think mine was about 123 pieces for 1 ton of the 12mm, while the 16mm was like 90+ (don't quote me) I did all that numbers and calculation thing in April. Also open you eyes for the measurement in length because the quantity might be enough but shorter in length. A friend bought a ton that was 1 piece morethan mine in quantity but his rods are all about 4ft shorter!

For now I have never bought rods in tons, I count manually because naija strong sha. I have also had reasons to measure the lenght of my rods, I found out they are an average of 38ft. If it is shorter, I will not buy from there. Another one I noticed is that some rods are bigger in diameter than others of same size, when its from different manufacturers. I heard our govt officials from the S.O.N. Agency blabbing about enforcing the right size of rods in the market, saying some building collapse is as a result of substandard rods.
Its a jungle out there, good point bisanjay.

There are 2 types of Iron Bars.

1. Mild Steel Bar
2. Deformed Steel Bar

Deformed bars are rods of steels with ribs or deformation on the surface of bar, these bars minimize slippage in concrete and increases the bond between the two materials. They are always in 40ft length.

I do not encourage the use of mild steel bars in Reinforced Concrete designs as it is highly susceptible to cracks that may develop around the steel bars due to stretching of bars and some lose bonds. A deformed bars, on the other hand, have ribs and are twisted to improve the bond with concrete.

In Lagos, there is Lagos States Materials Testing Laboratory - I really don't know of other states in Nigeria. This agency/bureau sees to the strength and quality of building materials used in construction. Its highly advisable that prospective home owners visit them for more information.

Another important point to take note is the weight of iron rods. When we want to purchase iron rods from the market, we always inquire about the length of steel in feet or meter and the quantities in  tonnes but we are ignorant about the weight of steel.  
This is the easiest way you can be ripped off.

Lastly, use a professional structural engineer and not a "What-I-think-is-right" project supervisor.

I always rely on their expert opinion and advices in my projects.

But why are we so corrupt in this country? You can hardly do anything without someone trying to rip you off! The other day my wife went and bought some bags of cement and lo and behold it had been tampered with by the seller! He removed cements from the bags! The guy selling iron bars for the lintel supplied 12mm irons with shorter lengths! And I can't but wonder at the desperation of these people.

LSPDC Renovations

The Bedrooms now has doors.

Kola the woodman yet to show up to install the wardrobes and kitchen cabinets. Grrr! This guy is my headache.

@brabus, bros pele!

Brabus, I love that door. What is it made of? Wood? PVC? Made in Nigeria? Imported? and what is the average cost? Cheers

@brabus, which is better pls,made in naija PVC or imported?

Thank you sirs. Many thanks goes to my client who has afforded us the opportunoty to showcase this project.

The doors are imported made of boards and woods. It is not PVC. I love the door for the kind of finish and look it will achieve on the project.

What you are seeing here has been worked on by my woodman to further strengthen the door. Imported doors are not as strong as Nigeria wooden doors o - take that from me!

@diordavies, the quoted cost of the door in this project is N18k. Breadown is as follows:

- Removal of the old door. N1k
- Purchase/Transportation of the new door. N11.5k
- Working on the soft frame N.5k
- Purchase/Installation of the door, locks and hinges. N4.5k
- Painting. N.5k

I hope say I no cheat my client sha!

Its all about Passion! I can go to the extreme to satisfy my clients

@cinzo, Naija made is stronger but I'll rather use imported doors for my bedrooms and areas with less traffic. The doors are inviting.

Our local workmen can do same but N25k or more will not achieve the same finish - Quote me!

Back to New Build vs Renovation

Its easier when you build a new house than when you are renovating. Its not easy bringing the past to catch up with the present.