₦airaland Forum

Building the house proper

For ease of explanation, I will split the process into 4 major stages;
1.Foundation to flooring + soakaways
2.Block work to roofing
3.Noggin/roofing
4.Finishing (plastering, electrical, plumbing, windows, doors others etc)
At the end of each stage, I included money spent in each case study at that point.

Foundation to flooring + soakaway

Some people advice that a soil test be done to determine the type of foundation required. This is because soils generally exhibit complex properties. For a small scale project, most engineers can estimate the best foundation to suit a soil without the need for a comprehensive soil test. More especially, if there are other houses in the area.
This first stage of the project will involve digging the foundation, laying some blocks up to floor level, and flooring. German flooring is a very popular flooring choice among Nigerian builders.

Case studies

We will be using three real life cases for study. All projects are 3 bedroom apartments in three different locations in Nigeria. We will use actual figures (where given) from these cases to show how much was spent in each stage of the building process.


Case 1 summary
Location: Mararaba, Nasarawa State (close to Abuja)
Year: 2015
Building cost: ₦5,116,350 (80% completed).

Case 2 summary
Location: Ajah, Lagos state
Year: 2015
Cost of land: ₦2.5 million for a plot. Exclusive of other fees.
Building cost: About ₦7 million (95% completed)

Case 3 Summary
Location: Kwara state
Year: 2011-2013
Cost of land: ₦200,000 for 2.5 plots bought in 2009
Cost: About ₦8 million (Completed, main house only)

Price list of building materials in Nigeria.
Price vary depending on location and closeness to materials. Recent increase in exchange rates has seen some prices increase over 100% of what was obtainable years ago. For materials such as cement, price is near-uniform nationwide. Below is the current price of some materials;

N.B: Materials price list depends on your location

Worker’s wages (AKA workmanship), varies with location and goes a long way in determining the difference in building costs. The price of labour in Abuja will be different from what is obtainable in Ikot Ekpene, Akwa Ibom state. In one of the projects sampled in this post, masons charged ₦50 per block laid. In another project, the charge was ₦40. Other workers such as carpenters, painters, labourers will have varying wages. For a guess on worker’s wages in your area, it is important to contact people around who have built recently.

Drafting your building plan

Work closely with good professionals to get this done relaying your designs for implementation. For a standard 3-bedroom house plan, design cost can range from ₦40,000 to ₦300,000.
What you need at this stage is an architect.

Buying a land
For Lagos residents, Omonilelawyer specifies some things to watch out for when buying a land. These are;
Certificate of Occupancy
Gazette
Deed of conveyance
Survey plan of land
The above list is so you don’t fall into the hands of land scammers. These same requirements apply all through Nigeria and it is advisable to include a lawyer in the buying process.
Land price is dependent on location. It is not out of place to see various plots of land within the same state having steep price differences. Locations on the outskirts of the city are cheaper than those in central city areas. High-brow residential areas have jaw-dropping prices while waterlogged and conflict prone areas could be cheaper. A half plot of land is enough to accommodate a 3 bedroom flat as can be seen in this project. However, we will be going with a plot of land for this post.
One plot can go for as low as ₦350,000 to as high as ₦10 million or even higher depending on the area.

You’ve come a long way as a tenant and it’s time to build your house. You’ve started searching for designs, calculating how much you need for the project. Look no further, this post is for you.
I will try as much as possible to demystify the cost of building a house in Nigeria.

A list of price of building materials will also be added. This is to help in cost estimates particularly since tastes are different.

However to help us in arriving at a good estimate, i will be taking case studies of a three bedroom apartment built in three locations which includes: Nasarawa, Lagos and Kwara. The building process will be broken into stages and the amount spent will be included.

For those intending to build sit back and relax while i totally Unfold the cost of building a three bedroom apartment here in Nigeria.

You can also contact us if you want your building project done for you from planning stage to completion stage, Or rather you need advice on how to go about your building project.

You can also ask questions in areas not cleared about. Thanks

But first, let us see what is involved when getting a land in Nigeria.

WHEN TO WORRY ABOUT WALL CRACKS



How do you know when you should start worrying about your wall cracks? The location, direction and extensiveness of wall cracks are a good indicator of their seriousness. There are often other tell-tale signs of a bigger problem that accompany wall cracks.

Changes in functionality of doors and windows are a good indicator of a serious structural problem. If your doors and windows are sticking or can’t be opened or closed and it’s not because of paintwork or other more benign causes, then you may have a structural problem.

Nail popping or visible nails or screws appearing in the walls are also a sign that all is not well. Cracks in places like the ceiling, where the ceiling meets the walls, or even in the slab are also a cause for concern.

An uneven floor should ring alarm bells. If you roll a ball across the floor and it doesn’t travel in a straight line your floor line may be tilting.

Thee twisting of a wall or the wall leaning or bowing are matters that may indicate a problem or potentially in extreme cases imminent collapse of a wall. You should treat it with urgency because it can pose a significant risk to your family’s safety.

REPAIRING AND SEALING WALL CRACKS

There are many options for repairing wall cracks. It’s relatively easy to hide wall cracks if they are hairline cracks. Minor cracking that is purely cosmetic can be repaired or sealed with filler and paint.

However, if your wall cracks are caused by an underlying structural defect then repairs can be much more costly, time-consuming and inconvenient. The longer you wait, the more expensive the problem becomes. Repair options for significant wall cracks necessitate getting an expert assessment of the underlying cause of the crack to be addressed first. The repair process may include:

Reblocking or restumping: This involves replacing the deteriorating steel, concrete or timber stumps with new stumps where the original stumps may have rotted or been attacked by termites or succumb to corrosion damage.
Levelling and underpinning: Underpinning means stabilising your house footings. This process can involve having your foundations excavated and new concrete poured or injected into the site or underneath a foundation wall so as to bring it up to its original level.
Demolition and reconstruction: In some extreme cases, the dismantling and rebuilding of a wall may be the best solution to address the causes of wall cracking where there is a serious underlying structural defect.
Only an expert can advise you as to your best options. This may also call for the involvement of multiple tradespeople including builders, plumbers or tree loppers.



COSTS OF WALL CRACKING

Wall cracks can be very expensive to repair if there are structural problems involved. If you ignore wall cracks, however, the costs can be much greater; you may find yourself with a home that becomes completely uninhabitable or even condemned.

Your insurance policy may not always cover the costs of repairing cracks or addressing the underlying causes. You could find yourself saddled with the costs of relocation and renting an alternative property on top of your existing mortgage commitments. Fixing wall cracks and their underlying causes as soon as you notice them will save you money in the long run.




WALL CRACKS – WHAT NEXT?

Be proactive about wall cracks. Document them by taking photographs and include a ruler in the frame of the photo so that you can compare and track the progress of any cracks over time. Make sure that the obvious causes are eliminated.

Contact a qualified building inspector for an assessment of the severity and likely cause of cracks in your walls. They can assist you to formulate a plan of attack and give you estimation of the likely costs of repairs. Protecting your family’s safety and your financial investment is paramount.

CRACKS IN WALLS – WALL CRACK CAUSES AND COSTS

Cracks in walls are unsightly, but they can also be an indicator of serious structural problems afoot in a home. So, how can you tell if an unsightly little crack will become a great yawning rift in your living room wall over time? The freshly-painted walls you admired at the open-for-inspection might be hiding a potential Grand Canyon of a crack.

It’s essential to know if a wall crack can be easily fixed with a bit of strategically-placed filler and a lick of paint or whether costly structural repairs to your home are called for. Underestimate the seriousness of cracks in walls and you might find yourself without a roof over your head.
TYPES OF WALL CRACKS

Wall cracks fall into three main categories:

Interior wall cracks such as cracks in the plasterboard or gyprock;
Exterior wall cracks such as cracks in the brickwork, surface or rendering of external walls;
Cracks in foundation walls.
All three can be serious and symptomatic of structural failure. How serious the problem is can really only be assessed by looking at:

The location of the wall crack;
Whether it is a jagged, horizontal or vertical wall crack;
Whether there is separation in the materials used to construct the wall or separation of the wall from the framework;
What caused the wall crack;
Whether that cause is ongoing and/or whether there is likely to be a recurrence.
Gaping cracks are a good indicator of a serious structural problem. Zig-zag cracks or stair-step cracks following the mortar line in the brick walls of your property may point to a structural defect in your property.

The problem might be particularly serious if you have a complete separation in the mortar or cement between bricks. If you can see through a crack or if a broken brick is able to be wiggled or removed, it’s definitely time to call the experts as a matter of priority.


THE CAUSES OF WALL CRACKS

Tracking down the cause or causes of wall cracks is the first step in making any assessment as to the seriousness and cost of repairing wall cracks. Likely causes might include some of the following.



SETTLING AND SUBSIDENCE

Some degree of excavation of the soil is usually required when a home is first built. How much excavation work has been carried out will vary with the type of home you have. Some types of homes require more soil disruption than others in the course of their construction. Disturbed soil will become compacted and settle over time, causing a wall to crack. This process can take months or even years to occur. Natural settling will often cause narrow vertical cracks as opposed to big jagged cracks.

Minor settling is a normal process that occurs over time. However, significant downward motion in the soil (subsidence) under a wall may create structural faults. Significant subsidence can occur when soil is washed away (for example through a gradual leak or sudden flooding), compacts too much or collapses. Sink holes are a dramatic example of this.

REACTIVE SOILS

A reactive soil is a type of soil that expands dramatically when moist and contract when dry. Clay is just one example of a reactive soil. Non-reactive soil types include sand and gravel. Soil testing can assist in identifying whether your soil is reactive and might be contributing to your wall cracks.


CLIMATE AND SEASONAL CHANGES

Climate and seasonal changes, such as drought and flood, can cause dramatic contraction and expansion of the soil or changes in the water table far below a property leading to wall cracking.


EXCAVATION AND CONSTRUCTION WORKS IN YOUR AREA

If you live in an area such as a new housing estate or in close proximity to a construction site or a quarry then you may experience wall cracking. The use of heavy machinery, vibration, excessive mechanical compaction of the soil or blasting (the use of explosives to excavate) can all cause your walls to crack. If your wall cracks appear following construction in your area you should seek an urgent assessment of the cracks and legal advice.

Similarly, earth tremors and earthquakes, though a fairly infrequent occurrence in Australia, can also contribute to wall cracks appearing.


POOR INITIAL DESIGN OR POORLY-CONSTRUCTED EXTENSION WORK

Wall cracking can also occur in circumstances where your property or part of it (eg. an extension) has been poorly-designed or constructed. Too much weight on a load-bearing wall can contribute to wall cracks. Inferior, flawed or faulty building materials or under engineered footing design can also contribute to the emergence 0f wall cracks.


WATER DAMAGE

Blocked gutters, flood damage, garden sprinklers, blocked or leaking pipes can all cause wall cracks and they can have the effect of saturating or even washing away soil.


TREES IN CLOSE PROXIMITY TO THE PROPERTY

Trees often have invasive root structures that can also contribute to wall cracking. You should ensure that you do not have anything other than small shrubs or bushes in close proximity to your walls. Aside from destructive roots, trees can also contribute to wall cracking by removing water from the soil and affecting the soil’s moisture content.

The removal of a large tree from an area that is in close proximity to your walls may cause cracking because it can destabilise the soil in the space previously occupied by the root system. It can also lead to changes in the moisture levels of the soil or settling over time.



DEGRADATION OF BUILDING MATERIALS

Nothing lasts forever, and building materials are no exception to that rule. Gravity, weathering, rotting or poor maintenance can all take their toll on building materials. When a building material starts to degrade, its structural integrity might be undermined, causing it to succumb to gravity. This can cause wall cracks to appear. Concrete cancer is another possible culprit of wall cracking. This occurs when the steel reinforcements in concrete start to rust and degrade following exposure to moisture and salt.

10.Gresham Palace

The last entry on this list is the Gresham Palace. Located in the capital of Hungary it is one of the newer buildings on this list. It exudes classic European Architecture and its very presence speaks to royalty. There are many other buildings around the world that deserve recognition for originality, but this top ten list represents the cream of the crop.

9. Burj Al Arab

The Burj Al Arab is just one of many buildings that have recently risen to define Dubai’s skyline. This building is not anywhere near the tallest, but it is the most beautiful. It rests on its own man made island and was constructed to look like a full sail. The result is impressive to say the least and it is surely the only sixty story tall glass sail in existence.

8. Hagia Sophia

The Hagia Sophia is located in Turkey and appears to share some of its design influences with the Taj Mahal. It was originally built as an Orthodox Church, but was then converted into a Mosque. It served as a Mosque for hundreds of years, until 1935, before it was once again converted. The Hagia Sophia is now a museum and deserves a secure spot on this top ten list.

7. La Sagrada Familia

La Sagrada Familia is a church located in Spain. It is the most beautiful church in the world and is still under construction to this day. Work has been ongoing since the middle of the 19th century. Even modern construction methods have not been enough to complete the original architects grand vision.

6. Chrysler Building

The Chrysler Building, located in New York City, is one of the most iconic buildings in America. It was even the tallest building in the world for a brief time. The design is far less extreme than other buildings on this list, but it is a nearly perfect example of the Art Deco style, which ensures its place on this list.

5. Sydney Opera House

The Sydney Opera House is no stranger to attention. It provided the backdrop as the best athletes the world had to offer competed for national glory. It has also been included in countless movies. Like the Eiffel Tower, it has started to define its country. There is no denying that this building deserves to be included in the top ten.

4. Eiffel Tower

The Eiffel Tower is definitely one of the most famous buildings in the world. It has defined an entire city and makes up the mental image that many people associate with the word “France.” Compared to some of the other buildings on this list it seems simple, but there is beauty in its angular and exposed design. It is a symbol of the engineering that is normally hidden behind the glittering walls of a building.

3. Emam Mosque

The Emam Mosque in Iran is a building that definitely shares its influences with the Taj Mahal. Its main feature is an incredible dome that is reminiscent of those found at the Taj Mahal. The Emam Mosque is not white, but completely covered with pale blue tiles. The sheer amount of work required to affix each individual tile to the dome should earn this building a place on any top 10 list.

2. Potala Palace

The winter seat of the Dalai Lama was constructed nearly eight hundred years before the Taj Mahal and is perched high in the mountains of Tibet. It shares much of its style with Buddhist temples, but the details put into this massive building set it apart.

1. Taj Mahal

The Taj Mahal is composed of a complex of buildings that were constructed during the middle of the fifteenth century. The unique style of the famous building combines Turkish, Persian, and other Middle Eastern design influences to secure its place as one of top 10 beautiful buildings around the world.

Architecture is a subjective field. Even so, Just like there are several bizarre buildings in the world today, there are also several outstanding buildings around the world that every person finds attractive. The world we live in today is loaded with beautiful buildings, and this list is just a small portion of what is out there. But a fine selection nonetheless. Coming up with a list like this can be subjective, there are sure to be buildings that you feel would have made this list. We want to know about them, feel free to send us your thoughts and pictures from your trips in the comments section below