₦airaland Forum

SPECIAL ADVERT

Hello Friends,

No matter the type of house you're trying to build, there are two ways, and only two ways to accomplish your dream home.

You can either figure it out for yourself. . .

. . . .or find someone who already has the experience and expertise and ask them to show you how.

The first way can be highly compelling. . . if
you're the person who enjoys watching people try to figure things out for themselves.

For example, my father loves to do things on his own and if after wasting time and money does not succeed, finds a professional to help him.

On the other hand, my mother will tell him lovingly to seek professional help.

My Father believed he could figure out how to do things--also known as "guessing".

. . . .while my mother knew it would be easier to accomplish his task and save time and money by seeking professional help. . .
(There are certified and experienced professionals and there are laurel carrying professionals without experience)

Friend, what do you think?

[/b]Do you want to build your dream home with "guesses?"[/b]

Or would you like to KNOW exactly how it's going to look and feel and how much money to invest?

Our designs and concepts remove all the "guesses" and empowers you to build the dream home you always wanted and deserve!

Call on us TODAY and we will design, modify and build to suit your style.


Best Regards,

Bosun Davies.
NextHome

We believe in YOU and we are committed to YOUR success!

^^^One man's perspective. Let's have you view on terrace apartments.

But Natudu, there are provision for those things you mentioned o.

@Aventures, Developers! Don't even go there!! That's another topic for discussion in the nearest future.

Ihebrooke, pls call me.

or this?

ogombo initial design concepts

HELP MY CLIENT MAKE AN INFORMED DECISION. SHOULD HE GO WITH THIS DESIGN

Based on the request of sir Natudu, pic updates has find its way to this section. Find below modern terrace apartment.

My wife asked "Why Richest and Everyone else?" No Middle-Class.

For 9ja, nothing like middle o. Except wetin we dey call "Acting Big Man"

TERRACED APARTMENTS - A NEW DIRECTION

Kay, John and Cynthia are good old friends working in a telecommunication outfit in Lagos. Cynthia stumbled on NextHome blog and made a call to me to make service request. We discussed the possibilities of helping her build her dream home in her choice area.
Immediately, our "PlotHunters" went into action and got her a beautiful plot overlooking the Lagoon (with nice views). She loved it and decided to discuss the offer with Kay and John. John is a smart "Ibo" guy, whose senses are always at work while Kayode is a cool guy who' looking to buy or build his first home.

The trio fell in love with the land and requested an extra footage. Unfortunately, the whole land is not more than 1200sqmtrs! Too small for the three friends.

THE SOLUTION

NextHome suggested and came up with a multifamily design concept with value-added amenities and services - offering advantages that a single-family home doesn’t. When we finished up the concept, we were able to get 4 terrace units with parking space of 3 cars per terrace on the 1200sqmtrs plot of land.

THE PLUS FACTOR

A terraced apartment offers several advantages to different set of people (retiree, Lagos boys, first-time home buyers). Find out how?

Retirees/Nearing Retirement Age: A terraced apartment is highly recommended to people who fall within this class as they would need to be in areas with warmer weathers, rich cultural attractions, and easy access to good medical facilities. Moreover, as we age, activities like mowing the lawn and cleaning the gutters may become too hard. Share the burden with your neighbour!

Lagos Boy/Girls: A terraced apartment is highly recommended to many "Big Boys & Girls", who are simply thinking about enjoying their freedom now that their kids are out of the house. This set of people are tired of urban lives – are returning to the cities, leaving behind the single-family houses and the long distance journey to work everyday.

First-time Homebuyers: The last set of people are relatively young geeks who have found that purchasing their first home was more financially attractive and feasible than they anticipated. They want to be accessible to areas where young professionals congregate.

While a terraced apartment is a good stand-alone investment in the cities. NextHome is recommending an investment in Multi-Tenant units in a university community – one that can be used to pay for your child's education.

WHY YOU SHOULD BUILD A NEW HOUSE?

In recent times, there exist so many opportunities to buy and renovate an existing home that appear to be a good deal. But not!
Many people settle for a renovation because of the appearance of a great price in a good location. However, findings show us that the majority of these deals are on distressed properties.

In a distressed property, there are so many unknown risks with regards to repair and upkeep. Too much that buyers tends to spend more money fixing up the home to make it their dream home than they would have spent if they had built a brand new home.

IF YOU MUST BUY A RENO - THINK TWICE!!! NOT ALL THAT GLITTERS ARE GOLD

THE BENEFITS OF BUILDING A NEW HOUSE

Home buying or building is not something to make hasty decisions about. Naturally, building new will take a bit[b] longer [/b]than buying used property, but owning a house that was designed for your needs and wants – down to the very last detail - is really worth the wait to ensure that everything is exactly as you’ve always dreamed.

1. Live Worry-FREE

2. Lower your Repair Costs - a New House always enjoy new plumbing, wiring, roofing, mechanicals, and more!

3. Spend your Free Time the Way you Want - Used homes often require a lot of attention. With a new home, there is no need to spend your time remodeling, repainting, re-anything. Just move in and enjoy!

4. Enjoy the Conveniences of a New Home - Take pleasure in a home with a conveniently-located laundry room, walk-in pantry, and spacious bathrooms and closets.

5. Maximize your Re-Sale Value - you have a CHOICE to site your new home in close proximity to major highways, excellent schools, and community amenities; making it easy for you if you should ever need to sell your home.

6. Protect your Investment - Research shows that new homes appreciate in value more than older homes. Have peace of mind knowing that you’re making a wise investment and a smart choice.

Moreover, watching your dream house being born is an exciting experience, ask my client or Spyder's.

New homes have a longer life expectancy, therefore they have higher appraisal and more favorable resale values than older homes.

NextHome


Next post "Why should you build when there are so many great deals on existing homes?"

Say NO to disparity. Let's work together to bridge the wide gap between the richest and everyone else.

Excellent progress you are making here, bros! Keep it up.

My brother, make una update me when you start receiving CV o

Good and Bad News:

The Good News is that we've signed the Renovation Contract and work to commence from this weekend.

The Bad News is that I lost all the pictures on my memory card including the new ones taken today. So there won't be picture updates.

Too bad! I don ready mysef for Mr Fhemmmy. Anyway we still have tmrw.

An exciting day it is! Let me cool off before posting updates.

Inflation, Transfer, Retirement etc - all noted.

Just as the man was moved to Ikeja, he could as well be moved to Badagry. What happens in such a case?

Ihebrooke, the elders have fined you. Una go do free drawing for one fan on this thread. Winner will be choosen at random.

You gree or not!

Well done my bro.

Learn how to save funds without diverting it. More interesting updates later as I've decide to showcase the LSPDC renovation project here.

Somebody shout Halleluyah!

@spyder880, I'll update soon. I'm presently shopping for materials for the RENOVATION contract we just signed. Its not easy blogging on the move, though.

I love that 50k.

Jide who paid at once did not get the money at once.
He actually save up the money.

Whether you choose to pay at once or instalmentally, you are both paying for something.

The explain the reason why you shouldn't fall for instalmental payments. You end up payong more for less. Save up your money, you might eventually get a good bargain when you pay at once.

I'm back again!

In my last post, I told you the story of my sister who spent 7 years to build a 2 bed apartment for N6m (cost of land inclusive) in Mowe; and the story of Jide, my childhood friend, who bought a 2 bed apartment in Ajah for N8.6m and used N3m to renovate it.

In this post, we'll be examining the 2 cases - who's decision is right?

Jide was able to save a lot in terms of cost and time because the renovation work was done in less than 6 weeks!

TIME
What took my sister 7 years took my friend just 6 weeks.

COST
My sister built a 2 bed apartment (3 toilets/2 bath) in Mowe for N6m, while Jide got 4 bedroom all room ensuite, 1 office for N12m.
Jide didn't do well here, you think!

Let's look at it from this angle.

LAND COST
A plot of land in Mowe usually range between N600k - N2m depending on location. My sister's location currently goes for N800k. This means that my sister actually paid N5m for the 2 bed apartment.

A plot of land in Ajah is between N3 - N10m. Jide's area is valued at N4.5m which means Jide actually paid N7.5m for the 4 bed apartment.

Jide is a winner here!

VALUE
A 2 bed apartment in Mowe is currently valued between N3 - N4m.
A 4 bed bungalow in Ajah is currently valued between N8 - N12m (depending on location/ finishing)

Here again, Jide is a winner.

Does it mean, we should stop building new houses and start renovating existing structures?

What should I do to the lands I already have in the rural areas? Should I sell it off and move to the city?

Read more in the next post.

Good morning!

Welcome back again!

Yesterday, we discussed the problems associated with new builds and the advantages of renovating. Today, let's us probe further into this by examining the position of families.


I find it amusing to tell us that it is only in Nigeria that leadership doesn't come with responsibilities, where citizens had to pay for water, road, school, basic infrastructures and amenities, good health, house, fuel, electricity, even AIR that we breathe and still NOTHING to show for it.

For instance, I remember I had to grade the road to my land (I did it myself) before having access to commence construction. This is the least of the problem associated with construction.

By the time you enumerate those things you had to do yourself on a recurring basis, I think its better to buy and renovate in the city than to build new house in the suburbs.

I have a sister, who used her little salary to build a 2 bed apartment in Mowe. She's now a landlord!

But I warned her before she left her rented apartment in Ajah to reconsider moving to the new apartment.
The fact that you have a new house should not reduce your living standard, I think not. But it should add value to your life.
The concluding part of the story is that she's counting her losses in less than 8 months. The children education suffered a lot, she'd changed job at least 3 times in 6 months - no to mention the heavy traffic she had to face everyday when going to work in Lagos.

Always put your family first in the scale of preference before making any choice.
The kids are the ones at the receiving end - don't play with their future!

The most painful part of this story is that it took my sister almost 7 years to build the house.

_____________

Case study 2

Jide is a childhood friend who is still in his early-thirties. He approached me for a candid advice on what decision to take based on pressure from his family to build a house in his hometown.
Although, I like to make money but I value making friend and building good relationship over money.
I told him he should not do so but asked him to consider building in the village if he's planning to reture in the next 3 - 5 years.

Jide heed my advice and we went for a 2 bed apartment on a 600sqm plot of land for N8.6m in a street off Badore road, Ajah, Lagos.

We spent additional N3m to renovate and remodel the house and also extend the house to 4 bedroom with a home office.

Is it a wise decision?

Read more about the cost savings in the next post.

NEW BUILD VS RENOVATION

BUILDING A HOUSE IS NOT JUST THE FRAME WORK, THERE ARE MORE TO IT

The are two fairly simple and straightforward items that readily come to mind when you think of building a house.

1. The cost of the land
2. The cost of the house

But there are more to Building than the two items listed above.

Tomorrow we will examine the COST of building a new house vs COST of buying a house to renovate.

BEFORE YOU BUY THAT LAND TO BUILD, CONSIDER THIS

Every community is unique, but in Nigeria, the underdeveloped rural areas share devastating circumstances and persistent problems that local effort cannot easily overcome. Not even the developers - quote me!

Insufficient community infrastructures contributes to a lack of adequate housing and essential services such as health care, childcare, education, and youth development. In many rural communities, human capital is underdeveloped, and, consequently, business opportunities is on the low side. In addition, rural areas often suffer from a lack of investment in young people and their careers and lingering class, race, economic, and social divisions.
This explains why there's so much disparity between Lagos and many other states in the country.

Unfortunately, there is no single solution for rural poverty exists.

With all these information, at hand - will you still go ahead and buy that land because it is CHEAP or because they promised you infrastructures?

Always ask "Will There Be Difficulties with the Location?"

If you want to build in a remote site—in the rural area or newly-opened sites—research the availability of electricity, water, and other utility services. Also, consider potential difficulties the location might pose to your builder before purchasing land. And always be aware of restrictions for each area.
I've heard story of a couple that bought a cheap land on NNPC pipeline!


More update soon

NEW UPDATE

LSPDC RENOVATION - From floor to ceiling to the kitchen sink, our interior design experts will make every exceptional detail reflect the personality and style of our client.

Here is an outline of how I expect us to proceed with the new project.

28 - 30th July      - Ceiling and tiles tear-down/removal; Purchase of materials; Removal of Doors/soft frame
1st - 6th Aug       - You will be able to see some major work going at the site. (Preliminary Plumbing, Electrical & Carpentary works, Patch works, Bricklaying, Tiles, Ceiling)
8th - 13th Aug     - Installation of Bath/Kitchen Wares, Fittings, Laminated Flooring, Suspended Ceiling, Wardrobes, PoP, Wall Screed & Painting
15th - 17th Aug   - Final touch up, Cleaning up, Handing over

Once again, we want to say a big thank you to all our clients. You inspire us to do more!

Stay glued for more updates.

Is your project in UK? I do have clients outside Nigeria as well but definitely not UK. If you've given it out, no problem.

I guess at this point I really need to let out the cat - I'm not limited to a particular geographical location or type of client - I have verifiable reference sites spread all over the country.

________________

As for the wall you planned to tear down, you really don't need planning permission for that but let a structural engineer check it out. I'm working on frame structure in the next project, so I can do EXTREMES. Nothin do me

________________

@Aventures, I go vex for you o. Why una leave me alone for here nah?

Let's examine straight-forward issues like comparative cost and value of New Build and Old Apartment.

Generally, building a new home is a better long term financial investment than renovation. But economic crunch, a dwindling supply of buildable land, lifestyle preferences and other factors has complicated this equation and make this decision more difficult than it once was.

COST COMPARISON
For many people, money will play a key role in this decision. In this regards, I'd like to advice that your decision as it relates to budget should be based on the amount of work a renovated or new building needs to turn it into your dream home.

VALUE COMPARISON
For other people, Value is a more critical issues to consider than costs. However, no decision to build new or renovate existing can be complete without comparing the numbers – initial costs, site costs, construction, phasing, moving, operations and maintenance for the lifespan of the facility.
For example, will the new building or renovated building be expected to last 10 to 25 years or 75 to100 years? In terms of life expectancy, a new building should carry the day. But is this really the case? 100 bags of cement today is less than 20 bags of 30 years ago.

For an accurate value comparison, absolute honesty must be exercised in addressing the issue of lifespan, and this honesty reflect in the area of construction materials used in the renovated or the new houses.

Questions For You to Consider before you BUY and RENOVATE

- Does the location play a significance role?
- Do the costs of renovating the building outweighs the costs of building new?
- Can the building be renovated to accommodate features of a modern house?
- Is the building properly sized for my family size of today and of the future?
- Does the environment/neighbourhood impart a feeling of safety and wellbeing?
- What is the extent of changes required to establish the desired fit?
- Will additional space be required?
- If so, how well will the structure allow for such additions?
- What is the expected life span of the renovated building?


On the next post Questions For You to Consider before you BUY TO BUILD

^^^No Hit and Miss. Get a structural engineer to access the structure and an architect to do another floor plan. The beauty of your choice is you don't need a planning permission except you want to do extreme conversions.

The project I'm about to do right now is about the same age or more - that's exactly what I did. Examine the structural integrity of the house. Its very important!

I cannot forget one beautiful makeover we did in Ikoyi for one of the leading Bank in Nigeria - Extreme Makeover it is! What made it Extreme is the timeframe. 4 floors and 2 wing apartment Makeover in less than 14 days!!!

We did everything (Structured Cabling & Networking, VoIP telephony, Security Cameras, Laminated Floors, Painting, Lighting, Electrical Wiring, Partitioning, Plumbing and many others).

I spoke with a friend on NL recently and he made a statement that I will never forget about location. He said "I would prefer buying a slum in Bariga & renovate to building a castle in Ofada".

I begin to ponder why he would say such a thing. Why would someone prefer to renovate a slum in Lagos to building a new house elsewhere? I guess he's not ready to trade in the big city life. Its very hard and near impossible to get vacant plot in choice areas and my friend is not ready to settle for less.

The convenience, the comfort, the cool culture and good schools - not leaving out the amenities and infrastructures readily available are his reasons.

If I may ask, does that give RENO an edge over New Build?

Find out more in the next post