₦airaland Forum

Please do we still have this kind of blocks available ........

Mayor78:
Really?

Please don't give wrong information like Trump, there is no approved vaccine yet for covid-19.

And there may never be an approved vaccine by any health organisation that will be acceptable by all developed countries.
Understand the Chinese.

n3xt:
Seen bro.

https://www.quora.com/Is-it-true-that-the-concrete-inside-used-to-create-the-incredible-Hoover-Dam-is-still-drying-to-this-day-and-will-be-for-another-300-or-more-years?ch=10&share=54db924a&srid=sVa4U

Interesting piece, reading the thoughts of professionals in the field.

n3xt:
I’m not well o Nobody should quote me.

By the way, where’s Badger14

This topic is one of the reasons I enjoy structural construction works.

https://www.quora.com/How-long-did-it-take-the-Hoover-Dam-concrete-to-cure

JustCryptos:
Thanks for your contribution
@bolded, what's the difference?
On average, how many bags of cement should be used for a 3.6*3.6 room?

Also, I don't get the logic behind using sharp sand instead of plastering sand.

At the bold I'll figure out a simple explanation without making it lengthy.


Average is 3 bags for that size of room. I think you should ask your engineer what mix ratio he intends to use. Better you be at the site to check the work methodology on the first day or keep a trusted eye.

I checked your profile and it reads Port Harcourt. PHC has 2 types of plastering sand-- gum and power form. The gum is mixed with soft sand(sharp sand), the other is used alone. If he intends to use only sharp sand(soft sand) probably it's not completely sharp meaning it does not have teeth enabling you to have a smooth surface after shining.

JustCryptos:
Guys please, I need help.

The engineer on my project sent this as a quote for plastering a 3 bedroom flat (all ensuite) with a visitor's toilet.

Labour
Ranging plastering
Inside plastering is #120,000. Outside plastering is #90,000. Windows dressing is #45,000.

Not Ranging plastering
To plaster all the houses is #170,000. Inside and outside. No window dressing.

Materials
Two trips of gum sand and two trips trips of shape sand and 110 bags of cement.

When I asked the difference between the two, he said in the first one they'll dress the plaster and plum it to be level. This won't be done in the second case. I can't wrap my head around plastering a house and not making sure it's level.

Secondly, I thought plastering a room takes 3 bags of cement? I did my calculations with 4 bags to be on the safe side. However, the engineer is saying each room of around 3.6*3.6m will take 5 bags using ranging method.

Experts please what's your take on this?
CnC n3xt, spyder880, saydfact, lastpage, rotecch77

Except I'm mistaken the term he ought to use is "guage plastering and range plastering".

Most people take quoted and end up doing the second one.

As to the number of bags of cement....if your already formed wall is not aligned you'll use more bags of cement to bring to level. The other one is the mix ratio he intends to use per room to give a satisfactory job.

smallsmall:
Who is the gateman opening the gate for?
Whose vehicle does he wash (if he does)
Who sends him around to buy things?
Whose Car does he watch over, at night?
There lies your answer.

I am not a gateman so please dont quote me, i am just standing-in for Yakubu at the gate.

The work of the gateman is strictly at the gate and by extension move around the external surrounding within the compound.


Why do Nigerians prefer their gateman to do the bolded.....

omanzo02:
It's obvious you are ignorant to what vaccine is and the safety procedures it goes through before approval for safe use,.... Nigeria don't have the laboratory to certify vaccines nor develop an ingredient to make one.
You haven't seen a covid-19 patient, so that assertion and assumption is complete rubbish.
Grafic curve shows infections in age groups.

You can keep up with your graphic curve.
Probably you'll get a foreign acceptable vaccine from 2023.....if it's even possible.

Abudu2000:
shut up there, don't u ever try to undercut curing process. I sound angry but i had to coz curing has resulted in so many dealths and its still causing more because many want to by pass the process by maybe increasing the mix ratio

Please make use of the internet about this subject matter to clear your doubts.

n3xt:
Hmmm! Here’s my statement again “Improper curing is one of the major reasons for concrete failures in columns, beams, slabs ...”
That’s not generalization. It’s actually one of the major reasons.

Here’s what I’ve recently observed in the field of construction, especially the unregulated ones like we have in Nigeria which is why I made mention of all the Construction/Building Regulatory Bodies in my earlier post, things largely defers from what should be done and what is being done generally. So my answer would infer from what should be done (acceptable standard) and the best practices.

In a standard construction, how many days should it actually take to cast slab after column?

The answer for it is “the concrete should only be subjected to loading after 28 days or it attains its full strength.”

So if we are to keep formwork intact for 28 days while awaiting the concrete to attain its full strength, how then can we deliver a fully furnished house within 30 - 45 days? Crazy scheduling, I guess!


____________
The industry standard

Beams, girders, or slabs supported by columns or walls shall not be cast or erected until concrete in the vertical support members is no longer plastic.

Crazy Scheduling........Indeed.
We are thankful that while trying to meet client's needs within this 30-45 days project in an unregulated industry the job being done is within the acceptable limits for habitation by man.

kingzsoul:
Good evening house. I asked about how possible will 1million fly for raft foundation for a 2bedroom apartment with a penthouse. but got a very few response. I've increased my budget to 1.5m. Please can it still fly?

It would be better to take a look at the design plan before one can give a quote.
But since we're basing our decision on budgets, add an extra #300 to your upgrade just to be safe.

davodyguy:
It is well.

Once there's vaccine for COVID-19, things should get better.
The carpenter first billed me ₦150,000 to set up scaffolding. I asked him again: Baba sey ₦150 or 150k? Cos I was upset.

I think I ended up paying him ₦50,000.

The ₦650,000 isn't bad. But with the economic condition now and Labourers hardly getting jobs as they're pre COVID-19, I should be able to get it lesser, my thoughts though.

I intend starting on Monday, 12th October with external part First.

I ordered finishing materials, which are yet to arrive Nigeria, since June that includes Kitchen hood, table top Gas stove, lightings and switches, Distribution Boards etc. Hence, we can't do internal plastering for now

There's an existing vaccine of the bold already in Nigeria but most of us are waiting for WHO vaccine. Covid-19 is just an extra illness that affects aged people having symptoms of other underlying diseases.

EgunMogaji2:
Technology is the way.

Also is proper scheduling of the correct artisans on site.

My current crew of masons prefers to sleep on site and they work sometimes till early hours of the morning including Sunday’s. In the past I’ve had crews that maintain banking hours

Bold 1 is the way to go.
Bold 2 a touch of project management.
Bold 3 as long as they have sufficient rest/sleeping time I can allow that. As a person i'm good with 3 hours of sleep/day.

I have 2 masons who resume work to site by 6am-5pm especially when there's block work to be done at the site.

n3xt:
Hmmm! This is valid but...



In as much as the industry do not care so much about enforcing best practices and investors/homeowners do not have x-ray vision to know the difference between a versatile and a cowboy engineer-contractor. I think it’s safe to say construction work shouldn’t be rushed

Why?

The following are loads acting on the beams/slabs:

1. Self weight
2. Construction load
3. Weight of upper floor (from props)

For most developers, they play with spans of the slab to achieve fast projects (that’s why you see them build compact houses). When the span get larger, the self weight portion will start governing and this will require higher number of days of propping for the concrete to achieve maximum strength.

Propping might fix slabs and other horizontal structural members but what happens to the most victimized vertical member (the column) if it did not attain maximum strength before imposing loads.
Improper curing is one of the major reasons for concrete failures in columns, beams, slabs and a major cause of visible cracks in most house.

So instead of making people to assume it’s safe to build a house within 30 days, I think professional builders should caution homeowners and investors who want to tow that path to allow more time for their project.

______
LASBCA/LSMTL cares so much about cube tests which is fine but doesn’t guarantee safe construction if the builder failed to consider the significance of concrete curing for the durability of the structure.

______
Unfortunately all the association and bodies that are supposed to enforce best practices only care about generating revenue from stamping and affixing seals on drawings. They don’t care about what happen on project site. ARCON, COREN, NIOB, NIA, etc.

Yet we blame SARS

As regards the bold 1 for effective curing the form work holding the columns needs still be intact with appropriate bracket/braces holding it at intervals/sections.


With regards to bold 2&3....I think it would not be fair to generalize that improper curing is a major reason/cause.................I believe for failure or cracks to appear on concrete it takes about 3 other elements to be of low quality/standard being used before such will occur.

Chekitaut:
Curing process. Oga no toy with am ooo. When you are not doing a precast structure.

There are addictives that will aid the curing process and you'll still achieve a better result.

n3xt:
I actually did 2 building within 30 days but focused on 1 when we got to first floor slab level.

It’s more like a prefab construction as almost every component needed were already on ground.

Most developers don’t spend more than 6 weeks on their builds but it’s not the BEST.

What limitations do the industry have against the bolded......

n3xt:
I think 45 days is more like it. I tried 30 but the speed was tooo much.
We’ve finished plastering before roofing the house
Even the POP guys have started screeding before we roof. I had to use aluminum parapet.

It was a crazy approach.

The client was under pressure to vacate his former house and we had to deliver the new build within 30 days.

Built environment does not have boundaries or restrictions as long as the engineer-contractor is versatile in thoughts and approach to job.

rotecch77:
Hmm with finishings ?

Yes, 45 days it can be done.

To keep your mind at rest.
Finishing and inclusive of landscaping let's keep it at 60 days.

EgunMogaji2:
I’ve proven to myself, that I can build a 4 bedroom bungalow in 30 days flat.

Here are the disclaimers :

1) Reasonable soil

2 Totals funds in escrow

3) Weather

I think bold 2 is the only parameter that can make it a reality .1&2 are not actual disclaimers.

Chekitaut:
4bed room Bungalow, can be done in 3weeks, am talking of duplex & Terrace structure.

Im taking a case from Ikoyi, Victoria Island, Lekki, Ajah. Lots of properties without no occupants in it.

Only build & sell makes crazy profit(not 30% in a month as the op said) but it takes long to get buyer, many developer is killing the industries. You see substandard structure built here & there,

Multi million structure of lekki garden structure put down because it lacks integrity test. Likewise so many others,

I think a simple duplex/terrace structure can be done within 30 days but I'll just keep it at 45 days. Rates for labour may not necessarily be the standard used.

[quote author=Chekitaut post=94724592]@sam1919

The question that should come to your mind is
1. Are peoqple really buying houses?
2. Are people actually renting?
3. How long will it take to build one
4[b]. What is the financial implications of a house.[/b]

These days we see lots of empty houses everywhere, we see lots of advert of houses for sale, 3bedroom duplex or terrace@₦40-50m, rent is ₦2.5m-3m/annum

A building cannot be completed within a month.


Bold 1&2=YES
Bold 4=Depends on client's taste.
Bold 3 and last quoted question= For starters a 3,4 ,5,6 bedroom bungalow building can be finished completely within 30 days if funds are available.

kingzsoul:
Hello house. Please can 1m be enough to do raft foundation for 2bedroom ?

I hope this raft for this 2 bedroom is going vertical(GF+1 or 2)............

Except you've done the main building and probably this 2 bedroom is just for those who help with domestic work in the house.

temi4fash:
Oga me,

See below as requested

Well like I said the sin of your engineer was not abiding to your instruction.
Nevertheless if I were him I would have added 1 more course(block) to that before running the oversite concrete.
Due to my terrain and certain other factors I try to do a minimum of 4 course off the natural ground level to mitigate capillary action.

If you have 3/8 (coarse sand) at your area and depending on it's price difference to granite, you can lay your DPM and do a rich concrete mix adding water seal cement to the mixture.
You can determine the thickness to do since you'll still do screeding on the floor at the time you intend to lay tiles.


Also remember the advice n3xt or lastpage gave regarding the exterior of the build.

Good luck on your build.

temi4fash:
Thank you very much for your advise

We would be adding the DPM and do another flooring on it.

God bless for the insights

It's quite unfortunate that your engineer did not keep to your instruction when you insisted.

Nevertheless I just want to know what's the height of your DPC to the natural ground or if possible you can post a pix of it........
Thanks.

JWTheocracy1:
Good morning great engineers in this thread. I have a question because I'm lost by the pace I'm told materials is finished.

What's the normal ratio a bag of cement with sand and granite in ground flooring? It seems there is something fishy about who is handling supervision of my site.

Well I would say everyone is conversant with 1:2:4 for general purpose concrete works.
What you should tell us is what ratio is the person handling your work using for the ground flooring ?

shewefad:
What can one do with half a plot?

You can do a 4 bedroom duplex, 3 bedroom, etc, etc......all depends on your thoughts.

n3xt:
No ma. I actually used C35 Concrete Grade (1:1.5:2.5 Cement/Sand/Aggregate)

Beam Depth: 500mm
Span: 5400mm
Column Width: 450mm
Column Height: 2550mm

The question GoodFaith is supposed to ask is the reason for using this mix rather than the regular known mix generally used by workmen



I once did a job with this mix for a culvert running 2 sides of a 3 plot of land though the client insisted I use it for his job and he was always around to monitor it. The boys who did the casting job were very happy at the end of the project.

adanny01:
I support Buhari on relegation of the road. We have far more important roads to build than spend money that will encourage the diversion of imports destined for Nigeria to that country. Besides, the road is targeted by ECOWAS.

Its like government shooting itself in the foot.

I traveled on the Abuja-Kaduna express yesterday, the finished section is like silk. Anyways, I believe that road is more important than the Badagry Road. Cost is another issue. Yes, North gets more roads but do you know why? There's only one reason, it is far cheaper to build a road in the north than the south and the roads in the North last longer too.

If the North and South were allocated ₦100billion each for roads, the north will get close to twice the distance using same amount.

Not only cheap because of terrain but there's no such thing as matching ground/settlement in the north from community youths and chiefs to the best of my knowledge........

valencia2012:
Following the successful mission to my village site by Michlins and our extensive WhatsApp chats, there are two factors that would determine the kickoff of the job.
1. Quotations
2. Re-scheduled date/approval of my vacation.
While I prefer to be on ground for the job, I could initiate the preliminary stages as soon as the above factors are done with.
Kudos too to Michlins whose dedication and commitment to what he does best made his PR look like a child's play.
The pics as shown in 1,2,3 are part of our chats so far.
I'll keep trending as we proceed.

Nice one.
We all pray and hope michlins can meet up your expectation and the expectation of the wonderful forum so that his business can grow beyound what it is now.
If I may ask please what materials will he be using for yours that will last.......

Thanks.


I like the second pix......to be used for window burglary.

BankOfCalabar:
https://paradisenews.ng/55940/what-you-dont-know-about-the-cross-river-garment-factory

A good development. The most important thing is that it remains sustainable by any means necessary and possibly self sufficient on the long term basis.
If only respective State governors will spring up MSMEs to grow their respective IGR and engage the unemployed through various resource business programs, outfits/outlets there will there will be minimal interest in getting allocation from even the FG.

BrabusNG:
The same thing happened to one of my former landlord. It was as if the kids were waiting for the man to die.

They were just selling everything sellable after his death.

Hmmm such a wonderful family.
One of my cousins wanted to sell one of the property his late dad willed to him in Port Harcourt because he was resident in Calabar. Well according to him his father appeared to him in the dream and told him if he tries selling it that he will die and he should also warn his siblings too.
Lucky enough the buildings have been put for rental purposes and no one is complaining.

rotecch77:
They have fantastic doors, here are some of there products.

Tomb up bro for bringing this here

Almost same as those guys I mentioned earlier

Are these doors really bullet proof?
How does one actually know that a door is bullet proof apart from trying to test it with a gun?

I once had a discussion some years back with a foreigner who told me if a bullet proof door does not come with a certificate backing it's proof(yness) then it's not bullet proof but just a grade of armoured door.


Is there any contrary view?