₦airaland Forum

EgunMogaji2:
Yeah I have three individual voltage stabilizer. Prag came up during my research for a whole house voltage regulator. I don’t have in house solar yet but aim to get one done this week.

First add up the capacity of devices and provision for future power draw from additional devices to determine both the capacity of your inverter and how many panels you need to charge it.

Next, think of planned runtime, also called days of autonomy, for your planned power draw, aka independence from the grid to determine battery capacity.

Then we will use all the above to determine what capacity of solar panels to buy, inverter and batteries.

EgunMogaji2:
I bought HiSense but haven't really used it more than a few hours. The LG that I have has been working almost daily for 3 years with zero issues.

Just make sure that it's installed correctly. Some "Engineers" don't like to use levels and trust their Trophy beer induced eyes too make judgement.

I have three individual ones right now but I am opting for a household one soon. I forgot the brand but will post again when I remember.

The brand is Prag. Check out there website.

Here's the post I was referring to

EgunMogaji2:
Me? Not me. I sell AIO street and flood solar lights only.

Oh you said your perimeter lighting is off-grid. Maybe I am mixing up the two.

EgunMogaji2:
Interested in DIY’ng a small starter solar system this week. Anyone that’s done one recently should teach me.

Thanks.

But you said you already have a Prag.

Gptech:
This is what happens when bodies like SON are redundant. My Nexus started rusting from that same spot barely 2 years after purchase. I think virtually all manufacturers of house hold and other items in Nigeria cut cost by using inferior materials because they know that they are answerable to no one. If its possible, its better to get foreign used of certain items just to be sure of getting good quality.

Quality doesn't come cheap

Those mass market items are built to go bad after a while.

Quality is higher with brands made for another market.

Same thing goes for cookers made for the Nigerian mass market.

Guaranteed to rust between 5 and 10 years

sonnie10:
The part you missed is that sometimes you could be initially contracted to do only one job in a site that requires 4 to 5 more previously undetermined jobs.

Let’s say to fix bathroom shower, but by time you started you discovered that pipes are broken.

By the time you agree out of good will to fix the pipe you discover that you have to tear down a concrete wall to do so.
By the time you break the wall , you realized that you have to build the wall back because “na you break am”
Is that how you met the wall when you came? Then you must paint it.

Las las, two days job you bargain for has turned to a week or two extra jobs with no agreed contract.

You dare not complain because you are a poor contractor who must satisfy oga homeowner. Whatever he likes, he pays you. After all, you already signed an agreement him. Or would you abandon the job halfway and risk being disgraced on Nairaland ?

As promised.

All these issues arise because of failure to follow a defined process and best practice.

They also arise from believing that goodwill alone is enough to make business go right, it is never enough, hence the need for defined terms of contract. It is when it gets to a stage of my word against yours that you come to appreciate that goodwill alone is insufficient basis for sustained business relations.

They also arise from poor documentation.

I am now providing some documents/images to help.

After you have agreed to defined terms and some issue arises, you have a variation.

You must discuss the variation with the client, you must also discuss the increase in costs as a result of the variation, the client has to sign off on the additional work.

If the client doesn't, then apply the principle of quantum meruit and walk out of the contract.

Alternative solution, bill enough to absorb the minor shocks of variations and finish the contract.

Back to my own example, my client was given a training outline, a contract was awarded per the training outline. At the end of the training, the participants (not the same persons as the awarder of the contract) said that what I taught was not what they expected, but remember they saw the outline and it was on the basis of the outline that the contract was awarded, I said ok, so what do you want me to teach instead? They gave me a list. I went back to prepare and came back and delivered the training later. I have enough buffers financially from the contract to absorb it, and I was not willing to lose millions over some mere misunderstanding.

I know a friend who hired a training venue in Lagos, and made arrangements for all the supporting logistics, paid flight tickets from trainers and when the team arrived from all over the country, the head of the department did not like the venue, this guy had to lose all the money paid for the week and had to come back to Abuja and hire another venue and repeat paying for the same logistics he had earlier paid in Lagos and deliver the same training.

Sometimes you lose today because of tomorrow. It is part of business. Business is never win win and profit all the time.

If variations involve less than 5% or 10% of the contract sum or profit, one may seriously consider if it is worth it to walk away or go ahead and build a relationship that can provide enough funds to absorb those costs or lead to introductions that will result in the same outcome.

Life of a contract picture is courtesy of legalgrind. com/littlelawbook/chpt07.html

Second image is courtesy of
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OTlwMJyo2xE

Third image is courtesy of red-bag. com/general-procedures/82-cm-pe-313-procedure-for-the-control-of-project-variations.html

Some here have more than a dozen accounts and that is just being conservative.

To be forewarned is to be forearmed

rmx:
You have been acting sanctimoniously , we all have conscience . I tell you most sincerely and with all humility that I do not think you pay half of what I pay for all my constructions, and I am talking labour charges . I use one of the foremost engineers in my location , that same Person / organization construct for a tier one bank and various state govt including private residences of state chief executives and I hope you know there are just five tier one banks
, fugaz

The size and scale of my various constructions should give you an idea of what I can do and afford

I cannot extrapolate my situations and make it mandatory for everybody Else under the guise of conscience and what I can afford , there is an economic side to things , we have different pocket sizes , resources and value . Those tiling alone are done for 1000/ sqm , I can easily get the norm of 400 to 600, there is a lady that post here I could have gone with but I dint and e get why though she was much cheaper , topsy is handling one of the projects , that I can afford to engage him says a lot , the other engineer doing the electrical of the other project is the same guy doing all jara projects

When some of us don’t talk , it’s because we know there are different levels to this wealth thingy and how do we even begin to show off when you see bigger things others are accomplishing and the potentials ahead . I do not engage in online fight or drama , I have enough drama in real life running my various businesses and enterprise , i Channel my energy to my executions

There was another guy yapping earlier today that quoted me . Am 100% sure he has not done ANY project that pays as much as mine . I Just let it slide , I no get energy for non productive engagement

Everybody should do what makes them happy , is reasonable and they can afford legally

There is something called jumping into the fray. Something called taking sides, something called detachment. The poster you responded to have given an impossible to ignore vibe that he has a personal interest as opposed to being merely interested that what is right is done to and by either party.

I am kinda taken aback by how far he has pursued the matter but then I have to accept that we are different and that he has his reasons.

It now seems that either we accept his side or we have taken a position siding with evil.

Your other points are very valid, especially the fact that what A can afford to pay, B cannot even begin to contemplate.

sonnie10:
The part you missed is that sometimes you could be initially contracted to do only one job in a site that requires 4 to 5 more previously undetermined jobs.

Let’s say to fix bathroom shower, but by time you started you discovered that pipes are broken.

By the time you agree out of good will to fix the pipe you discover that you have to tear down a concrete wall to do so.
By the time you break the wall , you realized that you have to build the wall back because “na you break am”
Is that how you met the wall when you came? Then you must paint it.

Las las, two days job you bargain for has turned to a week or two extra jobs with no agreed contract.

You dare not complain because you are a poor contractor who must satisfy oga homeowner. Whatever he likes, he pays you. After all, you already signed an agreement him. Or would you abandon the job halfway and risk being disgraced on Nairaland ?

I am facing the exact same situation.

The contract as awarded and the contract as the client expects it to be delivered are world's apart.

Duty calls.

Will give details later.

And how I am handling it.

Part of my training is to distill issues to their basic minimums, I think that there a world of difference between trying to get services free and withholding payment until a vendor rectifies issues of concern that the client believes the vendor handled shoddily or less than satisfactorily.

I got paid 75% on a contract. 25% is still due. Client said he is not satisfied with my delivery. I said in that case I will be back. I took a month to prepare....it's services not goods, I spent a month working on the issues, then I wrote the client back, I am ready for you now.

To ask for my balance without satisfying the client is as immoral or more immoral than trying to get free services.

Even more so when this is a client that has sent funds in the millions your way.

By failing to satisfy the client you have basically cut off yourself from his network, remember that this is how money circulates among the rich and from the rich to the not so rich, by introductions and referrals.

Only a vendor who doesn't care about the future will prefer a little morsel over the enormous goodwill that satisfying a client will being in terms of future business.

The paint maestro gba.dexy will testify to this truth.

EDITED:
Do you know how money flows and circulates among the rich? Relationships and introductions.

I meant to say introductions and relationships and not introductions and referrals.

rmx:
You can pay what your conscience dictates

But Simple economics is the reason . Don’t ever compare wages in a 20 plus trillion economy to one of about 400 billion . It’s for that same reason every job in the usa or much of the west pays multiple times better than same category of jobs in nija , maybe 20 to 30 times

I see a lot of people display this ignorance , including professionals when they start comparing there wages to counterparts in the west

How do you compare wages in an economy of 60k dollars gdp par Capita to that of nigeria at 2k dollars , even china wages are much lower than usa

A cleaner in the usa will earn more , same with teacher , police and every other job ,
There is only one abnormally in nija to this rule for obvious reasons . I leave people to guess

Political office holders?

Political contractors?

EgunMogaji2:
Your tiler is a wizard. I just love this space.

Very neat job!

twinskenny:
Client decision... Color picked from his logo design

I love the color. The paint looks good too. Thanks for sharing.

twinskenny:
Orange actually

Orange is beautiful.

I saw orange loved it, and decided to do red.

That's a color that makes a statement because it's uncommon.

Nice work, client's decision or your recommendation?

nwaorlu:
It is lack of exposure (both the owners and artisans) and inadequate skills.

Our construction markets are also a limiting factor.

Lots of goodies are no where to be found

twinskenny:
In other news...

We setup this office space @ Ikeja.

Paint supplied by gbadexy.. (satin and emulsion)
Pop & screeding by bolu1986

We did the lighting & cctv cameras

What's the color?

Looks like Red?

Am I correct?

AlphaTaikun:
@Fegeitok,
Wow! That's an awesome video.

I learned some painting specifics
there. Thanks for the deep insights on the creative use of masking tapes which never occured to me.

All the best.

Glad to be helpful.

I've learned so much from others who shared, so I have to pay it forward.

EgunMogaji2:
For a house of this caliber I’ll even have them remove the switches.

But they’ll say we don’t pay enough and to accept what we get.

Will someone living in Banana Island not pay enough.

Go to school, they will not.

Use YouTube, they will not.

The painter with over 7million views on YouTube that I posted a while ago said, you need to remove the switches.

But if you don't want to remove the switches, why not use tape?


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bBa5OvhwCjE&t=1s

Those tapes cost about N500.00 each, which client cannot afford it?

Point is, some if not most don't pay attention to detail.

I have spent tens of thousands of naira on masking tape because I want a perfect finish and because I am using 2 colors.

I had arguments with painters because they wanted to create perfect lines without the tapes and I said it is not possible, they said it will mean double work, I said that is what I want, a straight line and a perfect finish.

Initially I used Abro masking tape, but I had to switch to a better tape made by Tesa

SANS New2CyberSummit Day 2 ongoing

somehow:
For potential clients on this thread, you should use the way both fake and true builders respond to comments and issues as a yardstick into knowing who to trust your sweat.

Use all these exposures to make informed decisions.

My major reason I keep coming here to rat him out when he shows up is to make sure "Never again", as long as he hasn't shown commitment in paying me by paying part, I will take whatever he says with a pinch of salt.

Lastly my younger brother just checked his acct, saw 30k even though he requested for 42k(He doesn't get alert). If this fellow told him he sent anything (no matter the amount), I won't come here to rat him out. It shows more of his attitude.

30k won't buy a submersible machine at this time and age, now my younger brother just lost something in the process due to my referral.

Bosun of n3xt/Brabus, time baits you.

If you do it over the phone record your calls.

All my calls are recorded without exception, and backed up in the cloud.

EgunMogaji2:
In Banana Island.

There’s something patently wrong with most Nigerian artisans.

Poor finishing, I guess.

I sacked my painters because it takes time to go back and clean up after work. They would rather jump onto the next deal than make the last one perfect and spotless.


Second reason wasting my paint.

Third reason why use my wall as a rag to clean off paint on your hands and thus make my pretty paintwork look awful.

Forth reason, I know you know how to paint, but this is my project, but I'd like some things done differently. One of them insisted on his old ways.

sonnie10:
Why do airlines kick out or even arrest unruly passengers? Are they not clients?

Do they use not for broadcast words to describe unruly passengers?

If yes, kindly provide proof

twinskenny:
Some of us need project management class

I would recommend additional classes:

1. Customer Relationship Management class

2. Crisis Response Classes

3. Public Relations Classes

No matter the provocation, you never respond to a client with insults. It is so unprofessional.

If one is unwilling to be professional, subcontract the public facing aspect of the job, concentrate on the delivery/execution of contracts and financials

Some people (vendors) are only nice when a potential client is making enquires

Some people (vendors) are only nice so long as the money keeps flowing from the client to the vendor

Some people (vendors) stop being nice when the money stops flowing from the vendor to the client

Some people (vendors) stop being nice once the client complains that there is an error or errors on the job delivered by the vendor

But the most interesting experience was when a vendor that I had not even engaged but recommended blocked me because I took a long while to respond to his requests about when I was going to place the order. Let me repeat he blocked my access to him on WhatsApp. And I had posted very unrestrained praise of him and his products on these streets.

He seems to have forgotten that it's not the day that you ask questions that you buy, or that it is possible that I got caught up in something that didn't give me time to respond to him, or that I have a special line for making enquiries and that even if that line is online it is unmonitored

I thank him for blocking me though cause by the time I wanted to buy and I noticed the block, I started looking for alternative suppliers and ended up buying the products way way cheaper than his publicly advertised prices, prices that before his block I was willing to buy at.

Final point, many of the vendors on these streets are not naturally nice, they are conditionally nice.

It's a good point to bear in mind and why you need contracts when engaging them and meticulous record keeping of all interactions in case the relationship goes south.

FEGEITOK:
https://www.sans.org/cyber-security-training-events/newtocyber-summit-2022/?msc=summit-blog

Hope this helps someone

Starts today!

PrimeQuay:
These kitchen appliances are quite on the high side.

These are Bosch kitchen appliances (Extractor hood, 4 burner gas hob, oven) ~ 750k

Research it, you are paying for quality.

All those cheap brands will rust in +/- 10 years.

I think Bosch uses stainless steel and never rusts.

I also believe you can actually hand it over to your children if they want due to the build quality.

Ignore the price.

Quality never comes cheap

gbadexy:
Like I did mention earlier, there are some painters that aren't mine that did perfectly neat application.
I specifically requested for@ Thenext to post a few videos of the internal painting done by his painter.
I'm particularly impressed with the neatness and how they took their time to do the cutting of the top part, lower part and part where different colors meet for first coat.
If not told, you would think it was a finished painting and they are yet to apply the second coat.
The final coat and cutting would be uniform with this approach.
The paints were supplied by me and I can definitely give you same product at a much cheaper cost.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ahXYmqwPpF8



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Au7YH7r91vI

https://youtube.com/shorts/WNgFVjm09vw?feature=share

@gbadexy

Thanks for recommending painters that can do a good job.

Do you have a website?

Just saying because I initially wanted to buy from President Paints. I conducted extensive searched online (Google not Nairaland) and their name came up. It helped that they had a solid online presence and a very active WhatsApp customer care line.

But the only issue was that they didn't have an office in Abuja and I would have to bear the cost of shipping the paints to Abuja.

My second reason for choosing the current paint is that I wanted a premium paint.

My third reason is that I wanted exotic colors, very deep reds and very black black if there is such a thing.

I would like you to make it very clear, are you a budget paint manufacturer or a premium paint manufacturer? We know that due to the mix for premium paints they last longer and look better, that must come at a cost.

The next question is how many years one can expect from the paint before needing repainting? Please provide this information here and also on your website.

I look forward to doing business with you in the future. I have not forgotten our earlier interaction, but I had already gone far with the current project to onboard you at this stage.

Sorry for the late response, life happened.


Additional Notes:

From my research, why I make a big issue of premium paints can be summarized below:

1. Better quality pigments

2. Finer pigment particles

3. More coverage per liter with less work

4. Fewer coats to get your desired color

5. Longer lasting (up to twice as long)

6. Contains thickening additives meaning a more even coat

7. Can hide wall imperfections better due to a higher concentration of resin and a smaller concentration of VOC

8. More more spent on premium quality paints means more more spent on higher quality pigments, resins and solvents = better adhesion, better hiding capacity, spatter resistance, flow and leveling, touch-up capability, stain/scrub resistance, fade resistance

9. Reduced toxicity

What they don't tell you is that if you use a premium paint, you should also use premium paint brushes and rollers. The kind of brushes you can find at the likes of Shoprite and The Game.

All told, I think you get value paying more for higher quality paint.

There may be some repeats in the listed points, I hope I can be excused for the same.

gbadexy:
Like I did mention earlier, there are some painters that aren't mine that did perfectly neat application.
I specifically requested for@ Thenext to post a few videos of the internal painting done by his painter.
I'm particularly impressed with the neatness and how they took their time to do the cutting of the top part, lower part and part where different colors meet for first coat.
If not told, you would think it was a finished painting and they are yet to apply the second coat.
The final coat and cutting would be uniform with this approach.
The paints were supplied by me and I can definitely give you same product at a much cheaper cost.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ahXYmqwPpF8



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Au7YH7r91vI

https://youtube.com/shorts/WNgFVjm09vw?feature=share

.

kitsall123:
I intend painting a small building i own but the
artisans of nowadays re becoming a mess sir.

Looking at walking into dulux or berger paints,purchase from them and ask for them to help with the painting.It might cost me almost a million but i just want peace of mind.

Dulux or Sandtex....both are made by UAC PLC.

I feel that Berger Paints not as good, just a feeling, I can't substantiate this feeling.

Dulux is the more expensive brand.

Sandtex is the cheaper brand from the same company

The choice is yours, but someone inside told me the same machines produce both, but the packaging is the difference.

I have no way of confirming it.

I shared my experience so you can know what to discuss with them.

I've still got the internal walls to paint and the fence.

We are going to have serious discussions if i must use the same set of people, I will also have these discussions if I am using a new set of people.

So, I recommended a vendor here even before I conducted any business with that vendor because I conducted due diligence on this vendor and he passed, but then something happened between us and I vowed never to do business with that vendor.

I hope vendors and clients will learn from this story.

Consider this a teaser/trailer.

Details in a bit.

So I bought the highest quality paint brushes and rollers that I could find in the construction marketplaces in Abuja and invited some painters to help me paint.

Here's what I noticed, none of them washed the paint brushes and rollers at close of business.

None of them put the paint brushes and rollers in water to ensure they would be moist the next day, if they didn't want to wash them

None of them washed the paint containers of any spilled paint on the body.

None of them cleaned the paint spills on the floor.

I think we have trained a crop of artisans who do not care to clean up after themselves or even clean their own tools.

I had to clean up the brushes and rollers and containers at close of work.

I have actually seen posts here indicating that's not their job, which contradicts videos on painting made by foreign professionals on YouTube.

One of them even used a paint brush to paint an entire wall when I told him to use the paint brush to do the cutting(edge finishing) all round and the roller to do the main painting. Which is very annoying when the client has spent a fortune on paint. It's like he didn't care about economical use of the client's resources.

Just sharing my experiences engaging artisans

Addendum:

Paint technology has so improved that several foreign professionals insist on washing their brushes every hour. They say that if that's not done, that the paint brushes become garbage. Now compare that with those who never ever wash their brushes.

Food for thought.

VeeVeeMyLuv:
What is going on in this country?

The phcn people are arbitrarily increasing tarrif monthly.

500 units for 20k in January

Decreased to 450 units for same 20k in February

Now in this month of March that has barely begun it further decreased to 300 units for same 20k. In all these the salaries, income and wages remain the same!

Is like nobody is monitoring these guys.

Get solar panels, get a hybrid inverter, get batteries.

Hybrid so you can charge from either PHCN or solar