₦airaland Forum

@Am Alone, I dey envy you o. N5m to that stage is not too bad but myself and Spyder880 are Bargain_Masters in some areas. Your bricklayer go don HAMMER o. Take a look at yr labour charges. You can do a lot better than you are doing presently. I mean you should try cut down, afterall you are paying them cash. Street hard, dem no go fit reject and dey are also looking for some good projects like yours to identify with. You get the gist.

The iron bender (an alfa) who did my deck collected just N23k with special prayers. The same applies to my roofing which was done for N70k.

Still a great thread!

Demain_man:
Guys! The difference in the number of bags of cement required for the german floor in the case of Am Alone/Brabus houses when compared to Mr Spyder house is too much ooo,

Can nigeria contractors be that calous as to reap people off sometimes upto 100 bags of cement?

Na wa for WAEC oooo.

Please, how then does one guard against this type of reap off? ehh.

At the rate Mr spyder is going it will probably cost him less than N800,000 to bring this house to lintel level.

When I compare it to how much i spent to bring my house in the village to the same level(mind u, the design are very similar). I go just begin cry

These people don finish me ooooo

I said it earlier that a friend of mine said he used 100 bags of cement to deck his 4 flat. I told him "It is your house not mine". The difference was just too obvious but I thank God I'm the one cheating myself.

spyder880:
You are right, I noted the wide variance. But my floor space seems very little compared to theirs. Another place where these things differ greatly is the thickness of the German floor. Some lay floors that are as thick as 8" to 10", especially in water logged areas.
Take heart and look foward, this thread is meant to guide us all as we progress.

Good job. More bricks to your project!
Try get water to wet the german floor and allow it to cure very well to prevent cracks.

Many thanks to all for the way and manner the issues between Spyder and Am Alone were resolved.

@Spyder, please accept my apology if I've slighted you by any means. Keep the good work! I thought you were out making some plans for tomorrow. You're my man.

@fmtom, I'm not a developer neither am I looking for clients. I'm a home builder with passion. The project showcased here on nairaland is mine. I'm following the thread as well but not just as observer. I'm monitoring critical areas just to be sure Spyder is following industry standards and to make comments where need be. What was done and why? Just to make sure he knew his onions. I'm not really interested in the cost and I dont think there's anything wrong is questioning each other.

@Am Alone, keep the good work! Lets keep it the way the thread owner wants it.

@Violent
The thread owner said "I want to know the total cost of building my house and get suggestions, advice from other experienced people." He didnt say "I want you to know the total cost of building my house. Sit back, relax and follow this thread for more information"

Reference my post #137 on page 5 of this thread.

Pictures no dey lie.

spyder880:
This guy told  very big white lie here, and I caught him red handed. Lets briefly go back to post number 137 on page 5 of this thread. He said he used 120 bags of cement for his German floor and on this post, he is saying only 80 bags? Why do we like lying?
We should please state the right accounts about our buildings and not play to the gallery as to make people think we are rich. That was very childish.

Sorry to disappoint you, the house has an extension at the back. 80 bags for the main building.

spyder880:
How could anyone use 100 bags to do a decking of 4 flats?

I wonder o! Just as I am shocked to hear say you use 23 bags of cement do your Six Bedroom Duplex. I think this thread needs a new title.

Speaking from first hand past experiences it is recommended to never enter this blindly, which is exactly what I did some few years back when I entered construction. This just isn’t the manner by which to go about things, save cost, never count on trial and error, do not throw away your time and money by making things up as you go.

The wise man learns from someone else’s mistakes, the smart man learns from his own, and the stupid one never learns.

The only thing that can be said of a man who use more materials in building HIS house is that he is too wasteful and nothing more.

Read more in "Who Builds Your Home?"
http://bosundavies.blog.com/2011/03/12/who-builds-your-home/

@Spyder880, Small House, Six Rooms!

1.2.4 concrete mix for foundation and ground floor slab.  Cement/Sand/Granite

@Am_Alone, It is in the attention to details during construction that sets us apart and produces homes of quality without compromise.

I used 80 bags. I can still recollect that 16 bags was used in one of the rooms (a room measuring 14ft x 14ft). I even paid N70k for the concrete mixer and the aboki's who did the job.

A friend of mine said he used 100 bags of cement to deck his 4 flat. I told him "It is your house, not mine"

Thumbs Up!!! Great Thread here.

^^^ Thanks, lastpage. Lol, eating enuf "Akpu". For some weeks now, I've been off the site to supervise another project (which is my Akpu) in Sangotedo, Lagos. Building a house no be small thing o. But we thank God.

@Spyder,
Just like lastpage, I sunk a well, bought 1,500l tank, did some pipe work, bought a pumping machine and good length of hose first thing before the foundation laying. Its the best option.

@Am_Alone:
Keep the good work. Thi$ is beautiful

@lastpage:

The best time to do your septic tank is now. As for the "Plastic Tank", it is still being researched. Most of the tanks we have here in Nigeria are upright designs and are not suitable for the job. I have 2 sites where these have been implement but the results are not ok.

The best time to do your septic tank is now.

more pics from Brabus 5 bedroom duplex,

@ lastpage, See pic below.

You can see that precautive measures were taken from the foundation stage to level. Rodents, rats, snakes will be trapped in any of the level even if they find their way into the block during construction.

See 3rd picture below. Notice the beam is continuous.

As my father used to say "Rats dey Buckingham Palace, just do your best"

@Spyder, N4.7m incldg land is not too much, considering the level of work done so far.

spyder880:
Thank you bros, the real need for non hollow blocks is because hollow blocks are easier to gain entry into. I have seen a house where the owner has all the latest security gadgets, the thieves just used sledge hammers to crush the walls of the house and gained entry easily. It wont happen in a solid block house.
Fumigation is only a temporal solution to rats and snakes, the pemanent solution is to deny them a living space in hollow blocks.

Another reason one should not go for solid block. Who knows when one might decide to make readjustment (I mean like expanding the kids room or making simple conversions).

I have seen estates with 10,000watt security fence (with precast concrete) being robbed, so solid block house is not an exception.

@All,

We are not in competition. Atimes, Learning is Fun.
Spyder, just need to convince us. And I hope we learn something new from it.

@Spyder, congratulations on your 300th post on Nairaland.
Good to know that you agree this platform is to update and learn new things.

Problem Meet Solution:
Rats, roaches enter through wires and electric cables from the roof which neither hollow nor non-hollowed blocks can prevent.

My Solution:
After the foundation, the[b] german floor [/b]seals up everything (termite, snakes, etc) that may want to pass through the floor.

After the block work, a ring beam seal up the hollow blocks thus preventing unauthorized tenants through the roof.

Now, the next thing to do is to prevent the unauthorized tenants from gaining entry through the windows, doors, ceiling by fumigating the house.

Why do you need non-hollowed blocks, when:
1. You are still going to have beams for windows and doors.
2. You are having a german floor
3. You are going to have windows
4. PHCN has not guarantee regular power supply (HEAT)
5. You are going do some plumbing work

Is it because of the strength (which doesnt count as you still require beam and colums) or just because you want to prevent snakes, roaches and rats?

spyder880:
The solid blocks are the old fashioned types. People started making hollow blocks for its light weight, but it has some limitations. Rats, cockroaches and bats can find a ready abode anytime a hollow block cracks in your house, and it always cracks, try mounting a wall hanger or hanging a nail for picture etc and see how it just opens up wide.
I just like using solid blocks, on the top I will use reduced sizes like 5" to finish up.
I dont do what construction companies do, and they may just be doing that to cut costs, actually, its cheaper to use hollow blocks.

@SPYDER, Why do you have german floors? No rat on this planet can dig a solid floor especially one made with granite. Aren't you going to plaster the house? What about beams? Hollow Block, are you doing surface wiring? The hollow centres of the blocks suffice for electric conduit piping and water piping from roof to preferred placing on the wall. What about heat insulation? Solid blocks or bricks in Nigeria, when we are not in Antartica. You plan to have 2hp AC in each room or 8ft wide windows

Please kindly attend to this questions. You may have good reasons

@Spyder, Welldone.

@Am Alone,
Speaking of the guy (Sunny_bobo) that used N15m to build 4 bedroom bungalow in 2006. I will say its OK but things have changed o (design & technology) and are even cheaper now. But lot of the money went into finishing and not the construction.
Just stay glued and see my finishes in the next few weeks. Electrical fittings (all imported from UK). Don't ask me the cost? What the elder use to eat Eko, is kept under the leaf.

As for locations, in the 80s, it does matter. But nowadays, it doesnt matter. You agree? If not, where was Ajah, Lekki, Mowe in the 90s. A plot of land in Ajah was sold for N50k in 1999, the same area goes for N7m now.

What's your take on that?
No hard feelings, just trying to keep the thread alive.

@ Oyinbogoju,
Your wife is right and I support benimeogu. 2nd design, no way!
The 3D design looks simple but not cheap o. Tell the designer to give you a panoramic view of the house (detached). Cost? Let see the plan

@nin001,
its time to go out, i'm very sorry i couldnt go into details. Just type your question into google search engine "What is Penthouse?" Penthouse do have staircase.

@Omion,
You may need to share your ebook with us on this thread. This is where we need it most. When we talk of rebranding Nigeria, it starts from here

@nin001,

Bungalow irrespective of your location but you could choose to have a penthouse if you like. I didn't say I'll finish a duplex for N4.5m but I said I've spent N4.5m up to level stage.
Let me make it clear, no one can finish a 5 bedroom duplex for anything less than N12 - N15m irrespective of location except the person is using substandard materials and unskilled labour.

I do tell my clients that Roofing stage is just 40% of the whole project. Inbox me bosun.davies@live.co.uk for some beautiful bungalow design but I love this 3D concept from Mahal (See pic below) or visit http://www.mahal-goldfingers..com/ for other beautiful designs.

I love nairaland!

Interested in Tag Heuer and Swatch but I need to see the pic and also give details of the watches. Are they chronograph?

@Spyder, Well done! Credit at this stage is not good o. I pray God will provide for you.

@Am Alone, you wan know the KOKO, ask Bargain Champion. He will tell you more!
Take time to visit your site more often, also visit other people's site. Ask questions. You will make new discoveries.

Au revoir!

Feed your eyes and pray to God. I love this pic and have already seen some things that interest me.
Thanks

Has anyone seen this before! Make a lot of sense for those buying lands in marshy areas

@DCGUY

This is the pic showing the raft at the back and the block section.

@Am Alone

What happens to the N200k wood? Cant they be reused? Is 1 bag of nail too small for carpentary works? I'm not roofing yet o. What happens to the nail? Cant they be reused?
I told you am a builder myself so you expect me to be throwing money on bricklayer as if am a politician. They are better areas to spend the money (the finishes (stonewall, architectural finishes, glassblock, stainless steel rail, marble flooring, suspended ceiling, interlocking tiles etc).

Building size: 15.25 x 18.28m
Main Sitting room: 54m²

@Lastpage, Thosedays is just trying to straight things out.
Concerning your question, I'm happy to inform you that is my area of core competence. We call it Triple Play or Quad Play services (Voice, Video, Data, IPTV). It can only be found in modern designs and I've done a lot of them for residential estates, malls, hotels and office apartments in Lagos (Osborne, VGC, Lekki, Ikoyi, Ikeja etc).
I do conduit wiring in all my projects and I don't have issues with any of them. Conduit wiring provides seemless interconnectivity within the building without defacing the aesthetics of the building.

You dont need to troubleshoot if a professional handles the project. I can give you list of verifiable deployments I've handled recently.

@Am Alone, I'm just trying to educate those aspiring to become proud home owner and those living abroad who have been ripped off, am not trying to flex muscles. Let stay on course. I pay what need be and exercise my right where need be. I dont just pay because somebody can shout. Believe it or not, the house is still mine.

@DCGUY, the back is very close to small stream which I intend to turn into a fish pond. I use raft at the back and the rest is block.

@Omonuan, I like dealing with specifics. You dont know me but I must tell you I dont compromise standards and quality. The pic is of the same building. If there are areas which seems unclear, be specific. The cast was for the building and not the fence.

@Am Alone, N4.5m to that stage is not too low.
Lets do it the layman way, assuming I am using the following:
1. 10,000 blocks which is too much for the project @N120 (Sagamu price) = N1.2m
2. 1,000 bags of cement (to the stage shown in the pic)@ N1,800 =N1.8m
3. Granite, Sand, Laterite = N.8
4. 3 tons of Iron @N120k = N360k
5. Wood = N200k
6. Labour charges (direct labour) =N500k

Is it overpriced or underpriced?

You said your foundation is 8 in high. How do you compare that with the one shown in the pic? And for the german floor, the pic can also speak for itself. In terms of size, the building is occupying 1 plot out of the 2 plots and it has just 5 rooms that should explain the magnitude.

There are few areas where your cost are way too high. Though some materials cost less than Lagos prices here. But I must confess, I love your project. Your builder and mason are very good.

@Soks, thanks for your contribution. Omonuan is just playing the devil's advocate.

@Thosedays, thanks alot.

For clarification sake, more pic will be update. Though if I am doing this for a client, it may cost a little higher than that but I am very reasonable with my costs.