₦airaland Forum

olubuffett: Brabus,

Why don't you just tell the neighbour to take is pipe off and fix the problem.

The neighbour cannot afford that at the moment. So, we are fixing it for him.

Degis: Brabus NG,

I don't know you personally but I appluad your level headedness to jettison pride and apologize to those of us that believed in you and your work.

Bros, you all deserve the apology because I failed on my part. The two clients complaining on this thread have given me over N70m in a single year. They deserve better. They are my biggest loss in 2013.

I've already tidied up the next projects with them before the saga. So, it's a very painful loss to me.

Water Problem: Another source found

Waste water drain pipe from the neighbours was directed into the plot and buried underground. The underground drain leading water away from the neighbours building does not have sufficient slope to carry water away because the street is higher than their land. As a result, they choose to empty their waste water in our plot.

The Fix

We intend to introduce a perimeter drain immediately after the final backfilling of the house to redirect all waste waters away from the house.

Just Pix

It's Monday morning! - Day 20

I planned to implement 3 fix, one of which I've just discussed. I'll share other fixes as soon as I tidy up today's work schedule. The team needs me now. Have a fun filled week!

In the meantime, here is my suggested fix to the future owner of the next plot. I also live on water and a sloping site (more than 6ft below the main road level) though we did some earthwork in other to make the house sit properly. So, whatever fix I'm sharing here are based on tested and proven solutions.

My Fix 1

One of the main problem with this plot is the slope. The land slopes toward the house and surface water ponds near the foundation wall. I intend to construct a V-ditch around the house (especially on the sloping side) to allow surface drainage from both the foundation wall and the other yard areas to a storm drain further downhill.

This fix applies to plots where the front street is higher than the land/foundation or when the house is built on the side of a hill.

Pics of the land - before we fill the foundation with earth

Sorry for the late response. The body needs a very good rest.

While we were staking out the lot as seen in the pix earlier uploaded on the thread, we never had so much water on the land. Nature has been doing its part in filling it up! In actual fact, we used most of the water ponding around the foundation to soak the filling sand and the foundation was very dry.

Where's the water coming from? - The Source

Before we begin to find solution, we decided to do the first and most important thing - identify the source. Shocking! The land has been filling up a lot more quickly than we imagine from the surrounding land which has also been draining through the top metre of porous soil.

Adding finesse

Just in

Marine boards for the first floor slab formwork have been delivered to site.
Come 2014, we intend to make building cheaper and easier for our clients by reducing cost spent on woods. The marine plywood for this project was rented. At NextHome, we are already preparing ready-made forms/templates for the parapet, columns and lintels (precast).

Hajji, I'll be back to share my proposed solution to the problem later this evening. Meanwhile, this is open discussion. I'll like to hear from other experts in the house for suggested fix. It's a good thing to share!

Day 19 - Lintels and Columns Poured (29/12/13)

^^^ Thank you!

Now, let's talk real problem. The pix below illustrate a major challenge on my site that I'm currently working on. It's no joke and we need to do the needful now unless we want to build another leaning Tower of Pisa.

And...

More pix

Day 18 - Lintels and Columns (28/12/13)

The Cotonou Boys did justice to the formwork and reinforcement for the lintels and columns. Here are few pix from today's work.

jam04: Thought you said you are doing raft foundation?

We poured the ground beam (raft) on Day 8 - 18/12/2013

Protecting the Foundation - What we did differently and other things we planned to do?

Standing water ponding around your foundation can cause frustrating problems for you. Yes, you! I've had to fix this issue for two different Nairaland clients (client 1 - collapsed fence, client 2 - rising damp). These problems can be both immediate and long term. If it is immediate while the construction work is at substructure stage, you're lucky. For example, standing water are sources of high humidity, which can produce surface condensation, mildew and fungi, musty odors, and an unhealthful environment. Such moisture can cause deterioration of beams, flooring, insulation, and electrical-mechanical systems. Prolonged water around the foundation wall can soften the soil and weaken its bearing capacity, increasing the possibility of wall settlement and cracking. It's far worse when the water is on a side of the building as it can cause differential settlement.

Keep the water far away from the foundation!!!

How?

Deal with all possible source of surface water and ensure they are adequately drained away from the foundation wall. Sources of this water include the following:

1. Roof without gutter
2. Roof with a leaking gutter or gutter overflow because of clogging from leaves and other dirts.
3. Roof with clogged downspouts or drain outlet.
4. Excessive watering of flower beds around the foundation wall as if flower growth depends on the amount of water.
5. Rainwater runoff from the driveway/walkaways if the landscaping forces water to drain toward the house instead of away.
6. Groundwater may be intercepted or dammed up by the foundation wall. (One of the problem in Sir Qc-1's site. The existing foundation has dammed up so much water thus turning the land into a pool)
7. Houses built downslope.
8. Improperly installed, clogged or collapsed drainages
9. And many more.

Less Damaging Setback!

Due to the holidays, our block supplier delayed so much to deliver blocks as needed and as a result, there are lot of times my workers had to wait for block to be delivered. That's good as it allows us some time to cool off and take the much needed rest.


Fresh Update
Formwork for the columns and lintel have commenced. Progress pix to be uploaded later this morning.

Good Morning!

Walls Going Up! - Day 16 & 17

Day 15 - Pouring The Ground Floor Slab (25/12/13)

Day 11 - Backfill/Infill/Surface Treatment (21/12/13)

Pouring the Foundation Walls - 18/12/2013

Day 7 - Due to logistics issue, we couldn't pour the ground beam as pre-planned. So, we had to reschedule for the next day. No pix.

Day 4 & 5 - Reinforcement Detailing

Day 4 - Panelling (14/12/13)

Day 3 - 13/12/13