Good Morning!!

Welcome to my first thread of the year and the latest since 2021. If you want to visit my last thread, use the link: https://www.nairaland.com/5420117/france-picture-gallery.

This thread promises to be cool, I will try as much as possible to update it. Unfortunately, I am not able to give you live reports. This is because of my location and the location of the site. I have long wanted to start this thread but I am usually very busy, coupled with the fact that the site Engineer is not a picture person, I do not have enough images of the building to make a good thread. I was privileged to visit the site this December. I am currently in the village.

Please note this building started October 4th 2022, six months after I got married April 16th/17th 2022.

To the Mods, Please I do not want this thread to hit front page. Thanks in Advance.

Guys, lets hit the ground running!!!

For those of us who are not very patient, this building has gone far. Attached is the current stage of this building as at December 2023. In case you want to view and leave.

However, I will try as much as possible to give breakdown and high-level details of the costs of each stage and materials used and also the total cost it took to get to the current stage.

My goal is to motivate people who wish to building but struggling to get started due to the economic situation of the country.

Pics1: Right view of the building

Pics2: Front view

Pics3: Front and Back view. Similar to Pics1

Background of the Builder.

Mrphysics is an average Nigerian. I do not have money, I am just an ordinary Joe in the street. A salaried worker with little or no other source of income since the destruction of Fiverr by Nigerians. Yet this building has progressed to this stage due to determination and I am happy for the progress made in one year.

The contract with the site Engr. is to roof this building. Thereafter, I plan to take full control of the finishing of the building.

This same house was being constructed by a friend in Abuja. When I visited his site, I was impressed and motivated. So I informed him that I want to build same but in the village. So he handed me the full plan of the house. The plan includes everything about the house, from 3D to Structural to Mechanical.

At first, seeing the structural design of the house, I questioned my abilities to complete the house. This house came with 29 columns. Some of the walls had double blocks, the foundation of the house took more than 1500 blocks. I later learned that my friend being an architect made modifications to his own house (which I will explain later). Also, he reduced the size of everything, I just hit the ground running building everything as it is in the house.

It was when I complained to him about the materials being consumed that he told me the modifications he made to reduce cost.

Pics1: 3D view of the building
Pics2-4: My friends building before I started mine.

Let me introduce you to my neighbours.

This land is situated in a table land, it's a developing site at the far end of my 'village' (community). It's very close to the next community, in same LGA. Since it's a developing site, the buildings around are built by persons residing in town. There are not much buildings around yet, however, it's fast developing and in the next 5 years, there will be no space.

To my right is a building in construction that was started less than a year. It seems everyone save me had their money packed in the bank. (Pics 1)
Pics 1: Is my neighbour, there's just a plot of land inbetween mine and his. My people took after Anambra Model where people build and build church inside their house. So there's a church, an open bar, inside bar, and then the main building. I know the man, he was already rich when I was still in primary school. He has a duplex in his main compound, I think this new building is going to be his permanent residence.

Pics 2: This is located at the back of my site. The guy had a need for a building, so he built the boys quarter. When I visited him, the compound is build and there's a foundation laid for a duplex.

Pics 3 & 4: To my far left, about 10 meters away is a well built mansion. It was recently built and commissioned. It has a swimming pool at the last floor and another pool on ground. It's beautiful and tastily finished.

I have been quite busy.

I bought this land in 2020 during Covid 19 Lockdown. Things were very difficult for people at the time especially business people. It was bought for N2.5m. But this is not the first land I have in the village, in 2018, I bought another land for N1.6m in another location in the village. There's also another one but it's in a village (within same community) that is not fast developing. The one I bought for N1.6m is situated in a place that is already well developed but some distance to the main road. So when I made a decision to build, I decided to go for this one since it's very close to the main road.

Thanks to Engr. Dave Umahi, our roads are built, both internal roads and main road. The main road is double lane, internal roads are single lane, but all built using the concrete road technology. Our experience thus far is that while we think it's nice, when then mixture is not well done, the roads could fail. So you can get areas of rough surface or edges with cracks, etc. Aside from that, we are enjoying the beauty of the roads. We also have street lights all through, so at night, every where is lit up.

Pics 1 & 2: Our Main Road (Double lane, with cement technology)
Pics 3: Internal road
Pics 4: Driving out of the site. Just directly opposite the white mansion is the road that leads to the site. It's very close.

I think I have given sufficient background about this building and the land itself. Let me now dive into the documentation of the building of this structure.

In my community (just like other communities), we have villages. If you are building in a village that is not your village of birth, you are required (not compulsory though) to join the village. You as a man will go and register with the men, your wife will register with the women. This is usually recommended to as to enjoy full benefit of being part of that village. If you don't want to, it's not a problem.

Therefore, I registered with them, gave them their requirements, N5k, a crate of beer, then for women, I registered for my wife, gave a crate of malt. Now, after you have fulfilled this obligation, you then have to notify them of your intention to build. You will be required to give youths 10k and to cook for them on the day of the excavation.

In summary, the excavation of this building was done by the youths and men of this village. I didn't pay any single money to anyone. They announced it throughout the village and on the said day, though it rained, they all trooped out en masse and excavated the site.

Honestly speaking, they did a great job. They finished it same day. All you need to do is to cook for them and any other thing such as beer or drinks.
It's interesting to mention that unlike many other communities, our community is still pure. There's very little hatred shared among members, so there's no fear of anyone burying anything there. You don't need to begin to build fence before building in my community.

Even if you buy materials, it will be safe to a large extent. The community lifestyle is still there and we are enjoying it.

The excavation was neat and clean.

While the excavation of the building foundation was going on, I had contracted the digging of the Waste Soak-Away (I hope this is the right word). I gained this from this site, the goal is to use the laterite from it to fill the building. Fortunately, there was enough laterite to fill the foundation.