brabus:


The revolver might be a better choice. It won't be funny if the birds couldn't finish their meal.

.

I like that idea of being "indestructible" if one is unlucky to have some crazy tenants....

What did it look like?
is this something that can be used in commercial properties?

twinskenny:
was on a site yesterday saw it

Haha, so what was the Bill? share with us please

brabus:


Paint name: Grafix

Price per drum: N7,000

Don't leap for joy o! I was so happy when I got the price and I told them to cover all the lower part of the building that hand can stain. When the bill came, I had to adjust.
But I didn't give up, I still went ahead to paint all the lower part of the building with the same paint but at my own pace.

Oga Brabus.
What kind/type of pain is this? I like this

brabus:


Option 2: Special Painting

Who needs screeding when you have this type of paints? And they last forever.

Very nice. I like it

abdulwastecx:
plastering can also be done to be very smooth that you may not need to screed the wall.
here are some pics from my ongoing renovation work

Haji M, You be Minister already ooo. We know your scope

[quote author=mufutau55 post=40780976]

Bolded above, I think we are too old still following the old ways.. but it has worked for me... my wall does not need to be smooth.
May be our pros are too busy to answer the questions? but you are right with your assumption above... I will keep using "Efun" until... I am appointed as one of the Minister...

Note: I don't doo screeding solely because I am poor.. may be when money comes.. I will also follow the rich guys.

Hajji M.

...

Thank you Oga Spyder. Very nice work. Do you know much about Sumo roofing sheets?

spyder880:


This is first aluminium, step tiles roofing sheets.

Thank you for your words of wisdom. I hope we have more honest contractors like you that maintain high integrity.

lafolabi:
To be fair, builder should be allowed to do there work and get the right materials and right workers when is needed.so that he will do what to do, when it surpose to be done
Is not every builder that cares about his or her integrity like us.choose your contractor wisely and trust him, is the one deciding on what to do. Your's is to drop the materials on site and go to your office. His decision on site is final and it determine the future of your property. Building is life property it has to be well done.

ADVICE.

Thank you. And how can we tell who is an honest builder?
Maybe that will help us choose better in the future.
Thanks

lafolabi:
Is the duty of the contractor/engineer to give specifications of the type of material needed.
and the client representative brought the one he or she feels is cheaper. And is a sub-standard or bad material. Sometime the material is being mixed together both good and bad.the dealer usually do this, as he understand that the client doesn't have the experience. or client representative also do it just to make money

it happened in procurement of materials like weak block, rough wood,etc.
A client representative went to Ijebu ode just to bring rough and patched up wood and almost half of it is wasted.and later buy more. In iron, sometimes the dealer mixed local with imported.and sometimes they removed from the boundle of the iron. We alwas ask them to change it. While the work is slow down.
When God gave you honest builder. The best is to allow him to handle it completely.(advice)

Thats how it should be.
A contractor should be strong enough to tell his/her client that he will only use certain times of materials for certain things that require high quality.
you can't compromise on safety of any structure and any fatality as a result of bad material/bad job will be on the client as well as the contractor.

No excuse....

segcymoor:
How can you give me anyhow materials to use just because u ve liberty of procuring. No way! I used to specify especially type of reinforcement I want for those who wish to 'carry the burden'

Bro, This cant be the same BRABUS now. Come on. Give the guy some credit.
Don't you follow his projects? This guy is super-good ooo. Maybe you got his twin brother, LOL

mavverick:


I get your point Oga Adventures, the fact that you didnt answer some of my questions, would it be safe to say that my assumptions/writings are correct ?

In actual fact, one of the points you mentioned about Engineer deliberately sabotaging things is very true, YOU NEED TO SEE THE BLOCKS THAT BRABUS SET ON MY SITE !!!

Its shocking to say the least, or let me say shocking is an understatement.
I just thank God I have a good team of bricklayers who are putting things right, what should be very simple had catastrophic errors, in fact the bricklayers BRABUS brought to my site probably never used a PLUMB or heard of it. The errors are too basic. I am putting together a blog which i will place on one of brabus pages, It would be very unfair to place is on lafolabi page as he has nothing to do with it.

Bro, Take am easy please. no be fight. Let's just be happy for each other.
God dey

ba7man:
If Ini Edo is your sister with the way you're defending her.............. I'm sorry to say that she's an ashawo. and Akpabio paid her for her services.

Yeah, sorry bro....... at least she's now rich from it.

But I know people like you that automatically respect armed robbers, fraudsters and prostitutes as long as they flash cash.

This is so so funny.
Could not stop laughing here.

Malt drink and Asun. nice one, lol

ba7man:
Godwill Akpabio really try for this girl oooooo.




Yeah........ is she so hard-working that she suddenly became $2million richer without anyone seeing a credible source?

Anyways, she sold her kitty to the highest bidder unlike some girls that do it for malt drink and asun.

Is the so-called White Van still operating in your terrain? You need to put mopo on it

mavverick:
I mean in my own experience, here is how i see it.

We all know how unstable the country can be, with dollar rising at any point in time. If a contractor quotes for a carcass at X amount, 5 months down the line they are ready to do roofing, but guess what the roofing sheet from Wichtech which was N3,4,50 in November has then become N3,700 last last.

Who should suffer the shortfall ?

If it were client - Contractor doesnt have a problem. They simply deal with it, either the client compromises or close eye and buy it like that, not contractors problem.

If it were contractor - How many people think contractor will make up shortfall from thier own pocket and how many people think that the contractor will compromise ??


This can apply to any material. I have just used roofing here as per recent experience.

I have always preferred to supply my own material, as long as its not being stolen or spoilt and its being used in my site (big caveat here as i know a particular white Van with Nexthome builders written on it stealing materials up and down the area ), I dont care if i have to buy extra, and I do not feel the contractor should feel sorry about this. I am currently rounding off my plumbing project, I have had to go to my plumbing supplier 3-4 times even after making a very massive purchase, am i happy at spending extra unexpectedly ? NO
Am i happy that the same quality of material is being maintained everywhere ? YES

I have worked with a particular contractor here (BRABUS) who told my security to tell me that he has bought bags of nails where he hasn't, i mean we are talking of 5 bags of nails here @ 25k. If someone can stoop that low, can you trust them with anything else ? Now i am not painting every contractor like BRABUS but i am just giving an insight into what can happen.

My view is that should materials not be enough, and contractor has committed to a specific amount, they will simply compromise or not deliver at all !! Simple as, very few contractors will put thier hands in thier pocket to cover any shortfall. Notice I didn't say ALL contractors as one cannot generalise.


Just my 2 cents.

Truth is na only God dey help us.
You hear alot of bad press about certain contractors and you wonder how they still get more clients.
I know not everyone uses this forum but even word of mouth should be sufficient enough to declare some people/outfits a no-go-zone.
The burning question is "why is this the case"? is it Greed, wickedness or just damn right evil?
You buy your own materials and you can still suffer. You pay contractor and you can still suffer so what is the best advice for people that are planning on building their own little solace?
I really feel for our bros and sisters in Diaspora. With us on ground we feel the heat but we can react immediately. for those doing this from afar I salute all of you. It is not easy.

I guess we need plenty deliverance in our construction industry. Nah. we need it for the whole country

Aventures:
@ maverick Tx for understanding lafolabi, life goes on easily when you admit your mistakes rectify and apologies.
Back to our topic abt material procurement. I have had so many clients and we have worked wt different styles. My sincere prayer for all clients is that u will not fall into the hands of a wicked and greedy contractor/Engineers. The reason for my prayers is this: you may procure materials your self and end up buying extra unnecessarily as a matter of fact what you ve bought should be more than enough and yet you will buy extra wout anybody stealing from ur site.How can this happens? A greedy contractor can because of the fact that u are the one buying material and deliberately over use material into your project. Yes you may tell me that is not a problem since everything goes into your project! Alas it is a problem 1. it will end up shooting ur construction cost which u won't discover early until you find out that you have overshot your budget. 2. For instance in a decking where 5 tons is adequate he may end up using say like 7 tons by loading irons more than necessary or cutting the iron in such a way that the wastages will be enormous, and as a matter of fact over reinforcement is even more dangerous than under reinforcement because it cost sudden colapse .
May God help us

Thank you. I will pose the question to Spyder880.

Thanks again

Empiree:
I hear about Tower and Aluminum here a lot. Your question could be answered better by spyder880, Hajj mufutau55, EgunMogaji, abdulwastecx, goodyearsam123 and others

Oga Spyder,
Nice work here. love the roof.
What brand/make of aluminum step tile is this?
Sumo, Tower, First Aluminium or ??

Do you know much about Sumo?

spyder880:
Finally........

Thank you.
Do you know much about Sumo or Tower? Do you have experience with different brands? which ones are the best and which ones are value for money? I heard Tower is very expensive.

Empiree:
I would imagine is it bolded one.

Totally agree with you here.
It's the client's responsibility to ensure that his materials are safe when he/she supplies them but we all know there are some contractors (no names mentioned) who go around with their cars to their client's site and steal materials so this also affects the client.
When you buy your materials and the contractor steals them then the client will always lose.

So all in all whichever approach you take na God dey help us.

It's just a sorry affair when you hear so many stories of client/contractor fighting over such issues.

Like someone said earlier on. The contractor should say No if he/she cant work with the client's terms. its a simple as that.

Don't collect the job and then try to sabotage or steal materials because the client has chosen to supply them (something you agreed to).

Aventures:
in a contractual agreement, plus or minus is strictly contractors problem. One thing about contract is this in some area you will make gain even extra and in some area you will encounter loss at the end of the project ie either the contractor make profit, loss or no gain no loss I have every experience all the three.

But in honest truth if client procure material and the contractor/engineer supervises, in this case it will work perfect if the client will take responsibility of putting his own person in charge of dispensing and recording the material so that the contractor is free of allegations if there is a shortage in any material. Otherwise the client must have absolute trust in his engineer/contractor and must be ready not to question is integrity if there is any shortage of material.

Thank you.
Appreciate that.
I know they are step tiles but wanted to know what make?
E.g Sumo, Tower, First aluminium, etc...

Empiree:
aluminum step tiles, i believe.

That's nice to hear. Time will tell. No need to throw a strop.
You should be able to appreciate feedback and work with it.

I don't know which clients you are referring to here but only you can tell from the numerous who have complained.

Again good luck for the future.

brabus:


"If I stick to my words" or "If clients stick to their contract with NextHome." If clients gets realistic with their expectations. If clients stops using cheap blackmails to address less trivia issues. If clients are more professional in their dealings.

Again, NextHome is not a "Baba Risi" the bricklayer. With Milestone Payments, things has never gone wrong with anyone who followed it to the letter.
Milestone payments does deny owners the right to supply whatever they wish to supply. Just ensure you keep to your part of the contract before we move to site.

2016 will be more interesting as we have lawyered up the business. No more "he told me to tell you." We will be here to build for the selected few who can afford the peace of mind that comes with our services.

@spyder880,
What type of roofing sheet is this?
What make?

spyder880:
The inverted 3 steps with a style

That's good to hear. If you stick to your words you will very well by your clients.
Best of luck and hope 2016 brings a much better chapter for NextHome

brabus:
Thanks ahmodu4real. Comment such as this inspires us to do more.

There's nothing Julius Berger than the processes and set rules which her people follows by heart. The people are the same people we meet on our site on a daily basis and the equipment they use aren't heavenly. We will continually improve our processes to serve our clients better.

Well said.
Believe me I have experienced this extremly high over-infaltion by a contractor here.

richardquest:
Not all the time my brother it works for some people and doesn't for some it depends on who the client is, a very knowledgeable client might decide to do the quantity billing on his or her own. but what some contractors fail to realize is that once you start arguing that YOU MUST BUY THE MATERIALS then you have raised a red flag. just simply draft an agreement that the client has chosen to buy the materials on his own incase gbege go happen later, you already have it all documented because we have seen where a contractor inflates prices and also quantity all the dirty practices have made most clients prefer to buy materials themselves considering the fortune made by some contractors on materials. I have seen a project here on nairaland and i laughed when i saw the quotation i shook my head but its business the cost the guy quoted for the raft foundation only will fill the foundation, complete the DPC and also start block work but HEY its business sometimes you meet very rich clients.
THANK ME LATER

@Aventures.
I agree with you here but can I ask one question?

if client agrees for contractor to supply materials and this scenario happens where more cement is needed, who bares the cost?
Are you saying the contractor will use his own money to cover this shortage?

Aventures:
@befto sir, you know yourself and your heart better than any other person, your level of understanding and your kind heart may be far better than others. from experience I want to tell there are different types of clients we have experienced. when there's leftover no problem but moment there is shortage you suddenly become a thief without anymeans to prove yourself. for instance a client buys cement say 500 bags ti be used for a specific target of work and it will be used for a period of time, all the period of use the client is not available to witness the use and suddenly the cement didn't hit the target how would the
contractor be justified? no way because he has got no witness. Client Procuring material is good when he has a store keeper that will take record of material usage. that way both client vand contractor would be protected from any undue accusation.

@Adventures,
I don't entirely agree with your comments here. When it is minus and contractor is supplying does the client benefit from this minus or does the contractor pocket it? Likewise if more materials are needed then its only fair (if materials supplied have been used soley for the client's project) for the client to bare the cost. Afterall contractors are nto father Christmas.. I have borne all extra costs given to me but trust me I have never had a contractor come back to me and tell me here is 100k for materials that were quoted for but not needed anymore.

I am sure others may have experienced this but not me. Maybe my contractors have always under-quoted me hence the need for extra materials not the other way round.

Aventures:
@ Brabus: Your point of providing an estimate for material you are not procuring is very valid. I support it from all angles and from standard contract procurement procedure acceptable world wide. When you provide estimate it is usually plus or minus, when it is minus the client is happy and nobody hears any story and when it is plus wahala go come. The best thing in this case is to have an intermediary that would provide the quantities for both the builder and the client. The client engage such a person and he does not even need to meet the builder. I have done such for a Nairalander in Diaspora (though at a cost) he used it raise the structure even in his absence. But the problem with some of our client is that preparing an estimate is not just a child's play it is time and energy consuming especially for a complex project.

@Brabus,
I dont have any issue with contractors supplying materials. Afterall I cant supply all the material I need so yes in some cases it can help if the contractor supplies this but I do feel iritated when the contractor insists that he/she supplies the material.

Yes this should all be agree upfront but in this day and age I also believe we should be flexible at times.

Now I am not an engineer or contractor but why should estimates change just because the contractor chooses to supply the materials?

If you come in and give me a quote qty/type of materials needed why should it be a problem if I supply exaclty what you have requested for?

These are only estimates and can be over/under quoted. if they are under quoted and more are needed then I have no problem buying more.

I once asked a contractor this question? if you quote me and supply materials for my project and you dont use all the materials quoted for will you be honest enough to tell me so or just pocket the money?

I leave that for all the contractors to honestly answer.

Please note there are both dishonest clients as well as contractors so I am not taking sides here.

I am just going with my experience to date which is very limited to say the least.......

brabus:


Interesting! Life is easier when a simple gentleman agreement on contract can be honored.

A good contractor should bore the risk for all jobs done on site. Not the owner. So he has the right to choose what works for him. Likewise, the owner has the exclusive right to choose a contractor that can deliver a good job at his terms and conditions.

Owners have the right to supply all their materials provided scope of work clearly identify the responsibilities of the contractors and subtrades.

Here's the area I get confused. Why should the contractor provide an estimate for materials he's not providing? Aren't the quantity surveyor to handle such? Providing estimate for materials you're not supplying is a recipe for disaster because when things goes wrong, the contractor will have to take responsibility except he's lucky to have a compassionate client to work with.

For me, I like roles defined and responsibilities clearly spelt out from the very beginning. We don't have to do all jobs. The day lafolabi steps into the project, he has accepted the responsibility to make good all works done by the subtrades. Isn't that a decision that needs to be carefully addressed? Which I believe he did.

Till date, there's no one who can claim I rejected his/her offer to supply materials. We just need to be upfront and clear about who does what and who warrants what.

Oga Befto, I agree with you that there shouldn't be a problem with owner supplying materials. But to avoid conflict, it's far better you allow the tailor who measured you to buy the clothing materials and sew your clothe.

I had this experience with Wichtech in one of my project. They measured the house, gave the estimate and I paid them only for the installers to come back and tell me there's need for extra 30m. My response was "When are you finishing my work"

Nothing new here Oga Maverick.
It's the hidden agenda that causes all this chaos.
You do a job. I supply materials. How hard can it be?
It just seems like a client supplying materials is such a big deal when it should infact be good news for the contractor (unless she/he is planning on scheming things off the side).

They will tell you it is cheaper for them to supply materials and they are doing you a favour by doing so. Who asked for such favour? This is supposed to be a simple business transaction.

Next time I go into work I will tell my Oga that I will supply the SAN/network/CRM solution. Just pay me all the money upfront...

mavverick:
Sir Fastshipping.

I agree with you 100%, its just such a shame. I believe that there should be nothing wrong with supplying materials. Or if the contractor has a problem with it, state it from day 1 and everyone can move on. At the end of the day, its not by force, I am not obliged to give work to anyone and also no contractor is obliged to accept work that I offer them.

What is fxxking shocking about the whole thing is the response he came back with. I am glad its not just me who has had such an experience.

Oga Spyder,
Nice job here. How much did this tank Tower cost?

spyder880:
The completed water tank stand, we are going to buy plastic tanks to put up here.....