₦airaland Forum

Charisdesigns:
Pre and post tensioned concrete slab
No go area to DIY builders

Cost
Very expensive

Alternatives
Solid slab
Ribbed slab


Working principle

High-strength steel tendons are positioned in ducts or sleeves before the concrete is placed. Once the concrete has gained strength, tension is then applied, pulling the tendons and anchoring them against the outer edges of the concrete, before service loads are applied.

Thank you.

Talking about POP/Screeding, you have a choice to use the street brands like

Accurate
Glova
Tenq
Bristol
Forever
Kings
Vicar
Peculiar
DN

With these brands, you also need to get the likes of Top Bond Glue or its substitutes and either white or black cement and water which must be added to the mix before the screeding can commence.

What I have noticed is that the consistency of the mix is different from one screeding professional to the next. I have worked with two, so I speak from experience.

Or you can use the big names like Berger Paints Rufhide, Portland Paints Sandtex Screed which are ready mix, quick drying and do not need the addition of Top Bond and white or black cement.

If you use the later big names, you can guarantee consistency of the mix across your project(s).

When I asked the guy from Sandtex he initially said 2 weeks between external screeding and painting and subsequently revised his wait time to 8 days for external screeding. I am going to ask him why he said 2 weeks first.

He also said 7 days wait time for internal screeding.

Will speak to the guys at Berger Paints tomorrow and report to the thread.

Regisster:
Good day all

i need some advice, i roofed my house almost two years ago and due to paucity of funds, i couldn't do the ceiling, so i am gathering funds at the moment to do pop and wiring of the house,

now the questions are as follows:

1.
Just found out that there are some leakages in the roof, i am aware that flash-bands are used to plug these leaks, i want to ask if it can be done from the inside since i have not done the ceiling yet, cos i really don't like to have it outside , cos it kind of stands out, and almost all who see the roof will know you are fixing a leak, and it tends to affect the beauty of the roof.

2.
I want to do pop and wiring, can it go hand in hand, or one should come before the other, if so in what order should it be done. And after the pop is done, does it need painting again or not?

PS
I have seen a lot of pop guys here, advertising their trade, is there anyone that has worked for you and they delivered a good job with moderate pricing, please mention them, "I will still do my due diligence", thanks......... compliments of the season to you all.

Don't know the standard price I got two quotes.

1. 5,500 per square meter I will not buy any materials

2. N50,000.00 workmanship but I will buy materials

Don't know what obtains on these streets though

Has anyone on this thread used this?

Comments on the cost/alternatives/etc would be highly appreciated

Charisdesigns:
Meanwhile

Load bearing wall/blocks

Source: Linkedin

I have never seen the block containing the rebar in Nigeria. Does it have a special name?

Dangote 4,500.00
BUA 4,600.00
FCT prices

rmx:
Na wa

Tmt tiger ?

Very relevant question!

rmx:
Cement prices have gone up officially today by 350 by the cartel

Expect to buy wholesale from 4000 upward , retail maybe 4300 upward

Since last week, Abuja prices were

Dangote 4400 BUA 4500

Will get you Monday prices on Monday

smallsmall:
With due respects Sir, you are short on understanding the true meaning of the word a "Professional".
There are Students of a job, there are Apprentices of a job, there are trained graduates of a job, there are Experienced, trained Graduates of a job and then there is the PROFESSIONAL.
I know that every donkey out there calls himself a Professional but even when you are Certified by your "professional body" (like ICAN, COREN, etc), you still have to grow and get to the level of experience that when you talk, people and Clients will acknowledge your "professionalism".

Maybe you mean "Functionality" (as against Utility ).

Just 'Functionality' alone, does not go beyond the level of a trained graduates, i.e you have been trained to do something to serve a particular purpose.
Even some Apprentices are sound in ensuring that what they are trained-in, is functional, otherwise they are just a QUACK.

But when a trained person goes beyond just functionality, imbibing core values like cost-saving, durability, aesthetics, sustainability, Ecellent Customer Support/Service, Training of others, etc into their Work, Service or Product, they can begin to attain the level of calling themselves a Professional and will go further to get Certified by their Parent body, as a Professional.

To call that "Quackery of a job" a Professional without aesthetics, even when we are yet to confirm its functionality (and l will wager that the contraption he cobbled together will fail within One eyar, judging by what we are seeing), is shocking and reeks of iberibeism.

I am not a professional in that field but l can do better than what that man has done and nayone here can do it as well, if they care to read and watch the Videos on YouTube.
And to think that he is charging #350,000 for it, makes me smile and conclude that there is a lot of free money out there for anyone who can do "packaging".

BTW; If you did all that or that your Electrician, would you still call him a Professional?
And if you would, what will you call the likes of Topsy?

That came out pretty strong!

That said I think my use of the term professional is allowed.

Utility and functionality mean the same in this context.

Matter of fact nearly all auto mechanics learn on the job on customer's cars.

Matter of fact all doctors have to do a first ever operation on a human and not a cadavar.

Matter of fact all lawyers have to do their first ever case.

The problem is when someone is learning, and he or she fails to involve his betters in executing a job for a client and represents himself as being the know all be all to the client.

My post which you quoted arose from the biodigester story, but I was not speaking about the biodigester person in particular, I was speaking in general terms about the issue that arose.

Agreed that you can do better. I too can do better.

Professionals you will agree are in grades: bad, good, better, best, exceptional, world-class.

smallsmall:
So, if you claim to be an Experienced Professional in a job and was paid to do the task, it is your Client that will be teaching how to do the work properly?
Hmmm... Abnormal has become Normal, in this Nigeria.

There are professionals who care about utility not aesthetics, and there are those that know that both matter, and that those who can combine form and function will make the most bucks.

My electrician is an example. I got that box that stays between power supply armoured cables and the house installed. It is called Adaptable Box.

He said he wants it embedded in the wall. I said NO, I don't want it in the wall, I want on the wall.

He said ok. Next he said he wants to puncture the back of the box. I said Capital NO.

Why not use the holes made on the left and the right or on top and below?

I told him he must not puncture the back to pass the cables that it is not neat. That he must use the premade holes.

He said fine, obviously upset.

I then told him there are 4 wires in all pass one wire per hole on either side, he said it doesn't matter.

I said aesthetics matter to me.

It is pleasant to the eye for each of the wires to have a dedicated hole.

He said OK in desperation. Before that he forced all the wires into one or two holes on either side.

I had to take it over and give each wire its dedicated hole. When I did he retorted are you happy now?

Some of these guys know what to do, but visual appeal is none of their business.

Same reason I opted for those silver plate with red monitor light socket faceplates made by ABB, and when they said, not in stock, I said I will wait till Monday. The white does the job, but the silver faceplates are more visually appealing and will match with my intended interior wall colors.

At the end of this exercise, he told me he likes things plain. So be sure the guy you are employing cares about not just function but both form and function.

I am told that NOCACO is as good as if not better than Coleman and Cutix.

topsy23:
Ooh tye project is in Abuja, . We just completed piping and cabling of 5- bedroom duplex around living faith church recently. All materials moved from Lagos to Abuja. We used Coleman anyway.

You can go for Coleman

No Cutix fakes in Abuja. 1 roll of 10mm is 95,000.00 here.

Coleman has a lot of fakes around. But there is also the original.

topsy23:
Ooh tye project is in Abuja, . We just completed piping and cabling of 5- bedroom duplex around living faith church recently. All materials moved from Lagos to Abuja. We used Coleman anyway.

You can go for Coleman

Yes, it's in Abuja

I appreciate you

topsy23:
If you are in East cutix is okay . 2.5mm cable for AC? IEE standard says 4mm. Below are the recommended cable sizes for appliance by IEE regulation

1.5mm is lighting lighting
2.5mm is for socket
4mm is for AC and water heater
6mm is for cooker

Please what brand would you recommend for the FCT?

naijacreativeha:
U can achieve alot of designs with bamboo, I will soon be posting a bamboo fence design in lekki here, the only thing is to get the right bamboo, treat them, polish and seal them so they will look the same . Call or WhatsApp me on 09036346989

So sweet of you.

I have been following your works.

Top notch

rmx:
That much ? Maybe your location

Should be 4000/4100 in most places

Good question. Will make more inquiries. Vendor said the distributor doesn't always honor the price given ahead of time, the price when it arrives is usually higher and they have to pass on the cost.

Will ask around for comparison’s sake

These prices are for the FCT

Dangote 4,400.00
Bua 4,500.00

They say it is a yearly ritual that around this time the price of cement jumps by 100 to 200 Naira every other day till the year ends

Let's hope it returns to pre-holiday rates soon

n3xt:
My trade secret

You can get practically anything you want on google

When a professional says this is what I use, this is what I have used with a lot of success it means much more....

n3xt:
I always use creosote coal tar for my wood treatment especially when I’m using woods that are not meant for ground contact.

Thanks for sharing your trade secret

Stopthecap:
This is so true.
Nigeria is a low-trust society. I also experienced this problem when building also.
People advertise their products but will not tell you the cost or at least a price range until they see you in person.
People do not want to disclose their "last price".

I believe it is better to let people at least know where you start pricing from. So they can save you and themselves some time and self select.

btw COVID lockdown made thing better in this regard. more vendors were willing to do business remotely, but there is a HUGE OPPORTUNITY for reliable businesses in Nigeria that can execute remotely

I bought my most recent laptop on eBay. The guy posted the price publicly. I messaged him privately and asked to pay less. He said go ahead, I had 4 days to pay. I paid. Laptop is on its way to me.

I would never have started the conversation if he didn't post the price publicly.

I also noticed that I was able to get better value pricewise going to eBay instead of Amazon. All because the pricing was public knowledge.

One way to build trust with those you will never meet but that can patronize you is to be transparent with pricing.

Next invest in keeping a stellar online reputation so that you don't have issues that scare during due diligence investigations

100% agreed with your last paragraph

EgunMogaji2:
Never.

When I started building, one of my professional colleagues posted in a WhatsApp group that he has sand, gravel, etc, so I private chatted him some 10 questions and he answered less than 3. I told him he has not answered the rest of the questions, he responded that I should drive down to his quarry to get the answers. The distance between his quarry and my site is some 30 kilometers. Imagine making that journey just to ask questions.

I told him I have sent millions of naira to people I have never seen in the country and outside the country, all we ever do is communicate by email and at most phone calls, then I do my due diligence and make the transfers and I have always received what I ordered.

Told him I was going to make a major transfer in tens of thousands of dollars to someone I have never met to purchase some product for a contract I was handling that week I reached out to him. Told him I have never seen nor spoken to the individual/representative of the company in question.

I told him it must be a uniquely Nigerian thing to insist that the person must come to your location before you can answer his questions.

I told him that millions and even billions in Naira and dollars are moved around the globe between people who have never ever met.

I told him that the laptop I am using to respond to him via bought sight unseen. Told him that I would be buying a newer model of the same brand from overseas. Told him that I have never met the seller and never will. Told him same goes for the phone I am using.

Told him to open his mind, that the world has moved on.

I hope those uniquely Nigerian vendors learn, improve and change.

Horlardorjah:
First great question. More to the seasoning self.
Afterwards, you need periodic mantainance to keep it in good shape with the right cleaning agents that "should" be non reactive so as not to wear off the polished or sparkling outlook most especially if u using them outdoor.

Not everyone knows how to maintain woods after installation not to talk of bamboo n they need to be pampered else you will regret ever going that way.

Used it in asaba before but can't get hold of the photo in my archive. It's a good concept but please inquire on what it takes to maintain before delving into it.
Cheers

Thank for this inside information.

How often was this periodic maintenance done?

How did you use yours?

Could you throw more light?

n3xt:
I’m not sure of bamboo panels but if I’m going to do this, I’ll work with those making rattan/cane furnitures and build mine from scratch.
Those guys have better understanding of how the bamboos are preserved.


I used to know a guy in ibadan who does fantastic cane furniture opposite High Court on Ring Road / Liberty road. Don’t mind my description
I know he can achieve this effortlessly.
https://www.nairaland.com/3033568/nice-cane-furniture-set

So I did some more research, you can treat your bamboo for longevity

Here are my findings:

This maybe interesting to you uncleteeh

uncleteeh:
Wow.
This is creative.
But a quick one sir.
Has the bamboo been seasoned?

No idea, I am looking for ideas I can implement here. Internet pictures not my works.

n3xt:
I’m not sure of bamboo panels but if I’m going to do this, I’ll work with those making rattan/cane furnitures and build mine from scratch.
Those guys have better understanding of how the bamboos are preserved.


I used to know a guy in ibadan who does fantastic cane furniture opposite High Court on Ring Road / Liberty road. Don’t mind my description
I know he can achieve this effortlessly.
https://www.nairaland.com/3033568/nice-cane-furniture-set

it is also very popular in Ikot Ekpene, Akwa Ibom State.

Thank you very much!

n3xt:
Bamboo Panels. Cool Stuff.

Thanks for sharing.

Are Bamboo Panels sold in country? Or will I have to make mine if I intend to go this route?

n3xt:
First pics looks like a mural.

I doubt, you can see the source of my inspiration here:

https://credenceindustries.com/portfolio-grid/

There is an example in the living room that I didn't post here

Charisdesigns:
Kings Tower
welcome / reception area (ikoyi)

And it was designed by a woodwork specialist company (Trust wood)

Seeing these pictures unleashed my creative juices

So I started thinking, what can be achieved with bamboo which is readily available locally and found these.

Hope these inspires others as much the pictures you have shared have inspired me to do more with wood

Charisdesigns:
Kings Tower
welcome / reception area (ikoyi)

And it was designed by a woodwork specialist company (Trust wood)

Thanks for sharing.

That place is screaming class in a way nothing else would ever do.

What a beauty to behold.

Come to think of it, those woodworks will cost top dollar.

Happy to learn we have such in Nigeria

Charisdesigns:
Your submissions on the topic are spot on.

When some persons tells you they don’t have money to purchase a particular thing, more often than not, it’s usually not the truth. If they see value, they will pay 2x more.

.........

Attached pics, somewhere in Victoria Island Lagos

I wish to know this place.

Can you share more shots so I can steal ideas?

sonnie10:
Not locally, but its $40 on ebay

Thanks

n3xt:
Ikeja, Lagos

Appreciated