₦airaland Forum

bixton:
I have followed on the posts and to the point of the architect being the one to source for quality of store bought items.

Nevertheless if he is not bearing any risk(s) whatsoever on all aspects of the the project to be handed then I think a 20-25% fee is okay for him.
I would want to believe his experience and expertise on the job is way way above 15 years.

First, his role is strictly limited to producing the technical documentation and supervision of the work. I have already paid a separate fee for the 'Market Survey,' which covered the time and effort required to research current prices for the BoQ. Therefore, I should not be charged again for that same effort via a percentage fee.

Second, I will be handling the sourcing of all store-bought items, appliances, and electronics personally. My procurement standards require a level of due diligence—specifically dealing directly with manufacturers and authorized representatives to ensure warranties—that goes beyond a standard open-market purchase.

Third, since I will be executing these purchases myself, and because the BoQ estimates likely already include a standard market buffer, these items must be excluded from the calculation of his Professional Fee. The 35% or now 20% fee should apply only to the construction works he is directly supervising, not to goods I am procuring myself.

GloriousGbola:
As you said you can buy most of your store bought direct from fouani etal

Who is doing construction - you or him? Because of defect liability.

I am the contractor of record.

I am mandated to stand by everything done for the next 1 year, and to remedy and rectify any and all issues at no cost the organization post-contract award during that time

GloriousGbola:
Google professional scale of fees construction Nigeria

Will do that and follow up with him. Let me tidy up the document for submission first.

When I raised the issue of 35% being exorbitant, he came down to 20%

When I raised the issue of store-bought items, he said it was because of the quality of the products he is sourcing.

I have been doing contracts since God knows when, but this is my second foray into construction-related stuff, he will be limited to the construction side of things only.

First, this one did not need an architect; this one does.

GloriousGbola:
35% is insane imho

Professional fees are usually in the 10% range and are based on the construction costs. Also I am not sure how you can change payment scheme - first being paid outside the professional scale of fees for render, drawings boq etc and then insisting on these for supervision

More importantly he is not your partner - he is a person providing you a service. He wants to share profit when he is not sharing risk

Thank you very much.

In summary:

The 35% fee is not a "Professional Fee."
That is a Profit Margin for a Design-Build Contractor.
He is surreptitiously trying to act as the Main Contractor, not just the Architect.

Architect Fee Dispute: 35% on Appliances & Demands for Profit Sharing?

Old regular here, showing face once more. I need a sanity check on a situation with an architect I hired to help prepare a bid for a remodeling contract.

The Background:

I engaged this architect to produce a pitch for my client. I’ve already paid for two specific bills:

Visualization: A 3D model (billed per sqm) plus an "express delivery" surcharge.

Technical Documentation: I requested a full technical suite (As-Built, RCP, Elevations, Demolition Plans, Schedules, etc.) to make the proposal solid. I received a separate bill for this documentation, which I paid.

The Issue:

Now that the final BoQ is ready, I have two major concerns regarding the fees and the payment structure:

1. The 35% "Professional Fee" on Store-Bought Items:

He has applied a flat 35% Professional Fee to the entire project cost. This includes store-bought items like appliances, ready-made furniture, and electronics.

My Question:

Is this standard practice? I assumed the 35% fee was for managing construction/artisans. Should I really be paying a 35% "design fee" on a microwave or a TV that I can pick up from a shop myself?

2. The "Profit Sharing" Demand:

Since this is a bid for a contract, I proposed paying a portion of his fee now and the balance once the contract is awarded. He agreed but is now demanding a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU). I have zero objection to the MoU.

However, instead of just securing his outstanding balance, he wants to know "the percentage of the total contract sum that will come to him."

My Question:

He seems to be asking for a cut of the profit or the gross contract sum rather than just his fixed fee and an interest fee for the delay between his delivery of the document and the award of the contract.

Is it normal for an architect to pivot from a service provider to a "partner", expecting a percentage of the deal just because I am deferring part of the payment?

I would appreciate advice from the pros in the house.

I am in the market for a 10kVA inverter.

I am thinking about SRNE but what other brands would the house recommend that I consider?

raumdeuter:
Anyone who still has both parents or any parent alive try to call them and chat with them. Even if they are annoying or voted against your choice try mend fences with them

I heard of my guys lost his parent. A reminder of our mortality. We are getting closer everyday. I saw a cemetery one day and I was reminded that everyone in those graves meant the world to some people at some point and we will also be that one day

Copied from LinkedIn

David Oyelowo's entire family lived in one bedroom in Lagos.
His mother dreamed of her Mercedes-Benz for decades.
She got a brain aneurysm the day they moved into their Hollywood dream home.

I need you to understand something

One bedroom. Parents on one bed. Three boys on a bunk bed. Every wall telling the same story: We can't afford this life, but we're going to buy it anyway. With education. With sacrifice. With tomorrow's promises.

"I can't wait till I have my Merci Oloye,” his mother would say.

That Mercedes-Benz wasn't just a car. It was vindication. Proof that choosing school fees over food made sense. Evidence that poverty was temporary if you paid the right price.

She paid in full. Never collected.

The day success arrived was the day she left.

Not gradually. Instantly. Brain aneurysm on moving day. Like life said: "You can have the dream or the dreamer. Not both."

Two months before David would play Martin Luther King. Three years in a vegetative state. She never came back.

This is what Chika Uwazie calls timeline grief: When the life you finally arrive at doesn't include the people you were building it for.

David's mother wasn't asking for much. Just to see what she built. To sit in that house she sacrificed for. To watch the movie she prayed into existence. To drive the car that would prove the suffering meant something.

Instead, she got three years of silence while her son became the face of civil rights in America.

"No one prayed into Selma happening more than my mother," David told me.

The person who wanted it most was the only person who couldn't see it.

We tell ourselves pretty lies about delayed gratification. That our parents understand. That they're proud of our progress. That there's always next year for that visit home.

David's mother had no next year.
No next visit.
No next anything.

Just three years of her son's success echoing in an unconscious mind.

This is immigrant mathematics: Every achievement multiplied by absence equals regret.

David still builds for her. Every project carries her DNA. Things Fall Apart will shoot in Nigeria because she taught him authenticity matters. Mansa exists because she taught him ownership matters.

But here's what he knows that we pretend not to:

He'd trade every award, every role, every accomplishment for five more minutes. To tell her what he thought he'd have decades to say. To show her the Mercedes he can now afford but she'll never drive.

Timeline grief is realizing you spent so long becoming who they wanted you to be, they never got to meet who you became.

Your parents aren't waiting for you to "make it."
They're waiting for you.

The Mercedes can wait.
The mansion can wait.
Success can wait.

Your mother can't.

What conversation are you postponing until you're "ready"?
What if ready comes after goodbye?

Watch David tell this story.

Call them today. Tell me what happened.

If this resonates with you, share with your network.

Three elderly nuns (ages 82–88) — Sisters Bernadette, Regina, and Rita — left a Catholic nursing home in 2023, saying they were sent there against their will.

They broke back into their former convent at Goldenstein Castle near Salzburg, Austria, with help from locals, a locksmith, and former students.

Since returning, they’ve shared their daily life on Instagram, posting about activities like candlemaking and even boxing lessons.

Church officials accused them of breaking their vow of obedience. Their superior, Provost Markus Grasl, offered a compromise: they could stay at the convent “until further notice” if they gave up social media and returned to a cloistered religious life with structured care.

The nuns rejected the offer, calling it “legally worthless” and attempts to silence them “laughable.” They insist they will not accept the agreement.
-
Their legal representatives have not yet responded, but church officials argue that social media doesn’t reflect true monastic life.

In short: the rebel nuns want independence and visibility, while church leaders want them back under stricter religious discipline.

baconline:
A joke or what? Every thing has changed,u are on your own now if u ply any road in nigeria

SO I asked AI this same question and this was its response, please see the pictures attached

Could the key to resolving Nigeria's persistent security crises lie in moving beyond military solutions to a focus on understanding the psychological drivers of violence and radicalization? We must apply the science of human behavior to design security strategies that effectively target recruitment, grievances, and community trust, making solutions more resilient and long-lasting.

Part 3

Could the solution to Nigeria's security challenges involve understanding human psychology and applying that understanding to the approach we take in solving security challenges?

Part 2

Could the solution to Nigeria's security challenges involve understanding human psychology and applying that understanding to the approach we take in solving security challenges?

Part 1

dollarnaira:
@Fegeitok and androblaze what is the video all about? Video is no longer available.

Based on popular request and demand

HeavenlyBang:
Video has been taken down or is private.

I was fortunate to watch it before it was taken down.

I will share something on the video later today

AndroBlaze:
Its been quite a while since I've come on this thread, but a certain video jumped into my feed and I couldn't help but smile that my Solar community would love this soon to be roforofo fight between two well known "solar influencers"

I am only going to post one of their videos on this thread seeing as it summarises what the whole fight is about and if people have really been paying attention to the free interactive university that is this thread, you will see who is erring ( more than the other party) and repeating it with gusto.......

Experienced gurus, please lie back and let the newbies take a shot at finding what is glaringly wrong before adding your own tuppence oooooo... abeg


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MQFJV3Rw25I?si=W7y8T5CYGjeFxzv0

Does the internet forgive experts who come online and spew heresy on a subject matter they are supposed to be Subject Matter Experts on?

Is the advice here still current?

Has anything changed in 2025?

Once a case enters court, the parties must refrain from making public statements about the matter.

It is an affront to the court not to do this.

Also, when going against a well-resourced enemy, you do not announce your plans in the market.

All the best OP and best of luck

Trippledots:
Once you mention remote monitoring just look into smart breakers, smart shunts and contactors for large current or DC switches.

You can connect these devices to do whatever your heart wishes.

YOu can come DM let's design something that should work for you.

I will contact you.

Additional details:

I was correct; my Powmr 60A Charge Controller tripped off with Fault code 63, meaning it was overcharged.

If I had ever encountered this error, I would never have traveled and left my solar setup as it was.

However, I now believe this is due to overpaneling, a factor that was not present previously.

Mykcool:
I got it from an electronics shop that had on a street not far from mine.

When power was restored, it oscillated for a minute but stopped. The problem is if it oscillates to the left it’s unable to move to the right.

When a product is popular, fakes of it will abound.

Think Oraimo charging cords as an example, I think QASA is no different. Hence, I worry extensively about getting a fake.

Mykcool:
Got the Qasa rechargeable fan barely 3 months ago, it stopped oscillating today.

Part of the reason why I want to write my review but I have been busy!

Where did you get yours from?

ibietela2:
is it a fan? i searched and it was a fan coming out

Yes, it is a fan.

I got the QASA QRF-7918 thanks to the advice from HeavenlyBang.

Actually got 2.

Tomorrow I will provide a review of the buying process and my impressions of the company and its staff.

My solar system appears to be overgenerating power. I suspect this is due to the DC battery breaker (located between my external charge controller and the main inverter battery bank) being switched OFF. This has happened two days in a row. Note that I also have a separate array connected to the hybrid inverter's internal charge controller.

Key Goal: I need a solution to remotely monitor the system's performance (voltages, current, generation) and, crucially, to have the ability to remotely switch On/Off specific breakers (like the main DC battery breaker).

What hardware/protocol would you recommend for this level of remote control and monitoring?

I chatted with the QASA official WhatsApp line.

It has been days with no response.

Did you buy directly or from Jumia?

HeavenlyBang

bassdow:
When you BUILD, you decide what goes into it and it's quality
BUT
When you Buy, someOne else decides what's it contains + quality.

Just like in House Building, you often hear it's better you MOULD your own BLOCK and there's a reason for that - you decides quality (how strong or weak) of the blocks.

Valid points made.

Especially after spending millions renovating a property as a tenant for my can I can relate.

In short, I should be in no hurry.

bassdow:
When you BUILD, you decide what goes into it and it's quality
BUT
When you Buy, someOne else decides what's it contains + quality.

Just like in House Building, you often hear it's better you MOULD your own BLOCK and there's a reason for that - you decides quality (how strong or weak) of the blocks.

Valid points made.

Especially after spending millions renovating a property as a tenant for my comfort I can relate

dollarnaira:
Not bad but you need to know the voltage of each cell. Since you didn't have the right devices to work this process effectively, disconnect all negative terminals and observe again for self discharged cells after some days. IT IS VERY IMPORTANT.

Without needed patience your build will turn bad.

I waited for more than 3 weeks in my case just to be sure of things.

Who dey build lithium ion pack no dey hurry o.

Pros and cons of build versus buy

dollarnaira:
This thread is NOT for ADVERTS but strictly for diy experience under building safe lithium ion battery packs. Cylindrical LifePO4 diy also included.

So did you DIY your own battery?

Trippledots:
QASA DC ceiling fan remotes are trash though... I have bought two units and installed one. So far I have used both remotes for the one I installed and they both died natural deaths after a couple of months. Called the distributor if I could get a replacement remote, they said no, except I'm buying a new fan again.

I am getting a standing fan not a ceiling fan.

Any review on the remotes for that.

Similar to how you cannot get batteries for telco supplied mi-fis, you just need to get another new one!

Sad

omotoda:
Both mine are aluminium and they have been worknng with no issues

Mine worked well until recently

dollarnaira:
Aluminum or the new models without fan?

the alunimum.

I feel like it goes to sleep and doesn't realize that the shade is no more, and it has full sunlight on it unless there is manual intervention, which is very annoying