₦airaland Forum

Lintel and Columns casting in progress, the rains have slowed us to only 2 or 3 working days weekly.

kaze4blues:
Thanks for the updates. I’m doing a four bedroom as well at moment. Finished with oversite concrete. Preparing for block setting to lintel.

On estimate, what number of blocks did you need to reach lintel?

My architect insist on size nine because the land abit damp. What do you think about this?

Thank you

I just saw you asked about the estimate; estimate was 5,600 including the foundation blocks but we built a higher foundation than planned so we used more blocks there.

The actual quantity stacked from oversite to lintel was 3,674 (10 blocks to lintel, my windows are a little larger than normal also).
I earlier gave foundation qty stacked as about 2,300.

We'll still use some more for 3 courses after lintel. Will mold more if it's needed.

See costing for 1.5 Oversite to Lintel

kaze4blues:
Thanks for the updates. I’m doing a four bedroom as well at moment. Finished with oversite concrete. Preparing for block setting to lintel.

On estimate, what number of blocks did you need to reach lintel?

My architect insist on size nine because the land abit damp. What do you think about this?

Thank you

I'll share the block figures by tomorrow.

What did the Architect say the correlation is between 9 inches and keeping your house dry?

My understanding is that all blocks (sandcrete) will soak up water if exposed to water.
- high foundation so your house is not soaking in a flood will prevent this
- Isolation of ground water from the superstructure will prevent this (use of damp proof material)
- Sloping the floors away from the sides of the building will also prevent this.

Rany4all:
I believe it's just a matter of personal preference. I did 11 courses before lintel for the external walls of my build, but 9 for the internal walls.

The high windows have a certain appeal and they come in quite handy in terms of ventilation if you have high fence walls close to the building.

You get mind o
Doing 10 to lintel and I am feeling it will come falling down.

What did you do post lintel?
Is it possible to use lintel as roof beam? Just thinking...

greenermodels:
why ten courses instead of nine? Four before window level and additional five to lintel level?

Rany has explained some of this.

1. I need a high ceiling but want the lintel beam to carry less courses.
10 before and 3 after instead of 9 before and 4 after.

2. I am planning on using tall windows of 7 courses for the living room (see the attached picture).
If I do 9 to lintel, window will start at level 2 which might be too low.
So 10 to lintel allows us start the window at Level 3.

1.5 DPC to lintel - Still Ongoing
Any estimated duration will be multiplied by 2 or 2.5, the speed slow die

Regular threads I have been following show neck breaking speed, if you are supervising this yourself... na snail speed o


Pictures showing:
Back side at 10 courses awaiting lintel beam (all round chaining)
Front side gradually getting there.

Olumighty123:
Good to see you around, you left the travel thread for us, LOL, trust you're doing great? Regards

Chairmo, I full ground o. Doing fine too.
Learned a lot from this section so it's my turn to give back, there's plenty info for building on NL but it's in a million different threads.

eziokwunwoko:
Goodevening Sir
Are you saying 89 bags of cement was used for DCP

At the beginning I said the floor area was 13m x 18m = 234 m2
89 + 6 = 94 total bags (6 bags remained from the earlier stage).

Months earlier I had used 233 m2 for a calculation I did (check abdul's links I posted at the beginning)


See a summary:
- Floor area is 233 m2 x 0.1m = 23.3 m3 (assuming 4inch oversite thickness which is 100mm or 0.1m)

- Divide the concrete volume needed by 7 to get the resulting number of cement required for the project. 23.30 m3 / 7 = 3.3 m3

- 1 bag of Cement = 0.035m3 (a 50kg bag of cement is equal to 0.034472m3)

- Total cement qty needed = Floorplan vol / one bag portland cement = 3.33 m3 / 0.035 m3 = 95 bags


So actual and calculated are almost the same. I care less about sand and gravel because it's either a full truck is bought or it's not, no jipiti for those.
This is how I verify quantities and payments for almost everything as I am absent.
I trust my site Architect also so his reporting are accurate.

Racing to lintel.
Burial this weekend will stop work, next week has a better weather though so we should be good.

Clarification: Soakaway digging done, casting undone.
Will dig a little more on all sides to get fresh soil before casting.

Major interest now is to get to the roofing beam. Rain wan finish the workers for site and it's slowing down work.
Yet to see the report but I am guessing they'll still be paid day rate as long as they show up.

********************
The journey continues:

1.1 Block molding - Done
1.2 Foundation to DPC - Done
1.3 Soakaway and Filling - Done
1.4 Oversite concrete - Done
1.5 DPC to lintel - Ongoing
1.6 Lintel to roof
1.7 Roofing

The journey continues:

1.1 Block molding - Done
1.2 Foundation to DPC - Done
1.3 Soakaway and Filling - Done
1.4 Oversite concrete - Done

Oversite is now officially done for Nairaland purposes. I add cost and close the phase.
"Missing" about N150k as it is not on the Architect's report and we don't know what it was spent on i.e. money sent but never shown on the report.

If you wanna save cost, NEVER skip damp-proof nylon as capillary action go make water finish upto 1meter from foundation towards lintel.
About N4.6m spent so far (Block moulding cost NOT part of this).

The journey so far:

1.1 Block molding - Done
1.2 Foundation to DPC - Done
1.3 Soakaway and Filling - Done

The costing for stage 3 is attached. I wish I didn't do these breakdowns as it breaks my heart seeing how much this things I thought were simple cost.

Laterite trip here rolls over/continues from the previous cost posted.
Your site size and especially the foundation depth heavily affect this cost.

Note: For sub or superstructure, 1 cement bag binds 70 to 90 blocks.

Currently finalizing plans for window sizes throughout the house.
They'll all be larger than normal.

When this is complete, we kick off forming and raise the blocks to lintel.

greenermodels:
you just de follow up this project bumper to fender, this 9ja economy no reach your side at all.congratulations once more.

Thanks but no be say money long o, me na office man but earning in usd is the major differentiator; some money deh remain when month end.

Labour cost is also not expensive in Nigeria so building can be achieved as a bulk of the money goes to materials.

The most difficult part of the entire project has been completed successfully.

Cost breakdown incoming (losing track of this, only thing I am sure of is how much I have sent ).
To keep track of costs hard like to physically build the house; supervising Architect deh try.

Superstructure and parapet should not take more than 1 week.

Concrete pour was done over 2 days, kitchen and dinning sides first then the rest the next day.

Kitchen pour complete
Prep of every other area and pour

Complete work for Right backside and left front pictures.

2x additional damp proof nylons bought
Prep for oversite concrete pour.

Plumbing Work done. Neat job with heavy workmanship cost @N50k for a days job.

Oversite prep should start tomorrow.

Rany4all:
Kudos man. You're really not compromising on quality. Even using BRC mesh for your oversite concrete...any particular reason for that?

It's all in the spirit of "buy once and cry once" as I hate "had I known".
Remediation works are more expensive so I'd rather do everything possible to ensure there's no future foundation or superstructure cracks.

Your 4" pipes seems a bit much though. I thought that was just for the 5 toilets or are you doing the outdoor piping as well?

If this is the only item with a semblance of an inflated price, then there's no problem.
No idea what the piping work covers! What I know is that all the plumbing materials will be used ensuring money spent remains on that site.

The journey so far:

1.1 Block molding - Done
1.2 Foundation to DPC - Done
1.3 Soakaway and Filling - Done (final costs incoming)
1.4 Oversite concrete - Next
1.5 DPC to lintel
1.6 Lintel to roof
1.7 Roofing


1.4.1 Initial Plumbing Work:
Materials bought and on site, it cost 4x my expectation. Mentally, N50k materials but reality almost N200k in materials and logistics.

Received and matched physical materials to Plumber's BOM and everything is complete.

Rany4all:
Good to know you're up for it, irrespective of cost. At least with that mindset, you'll hardly get discouraged and abandon the project due to cost.

Best of wishes man.

Thanks for the morale boost It's good I get a feel of what lays ahead.

Laterite filling is now complete.

Superstructure should be concluded within the next 4 weeks.
Continuous rains almost daily is currently helping with the laterite sinking, will save N50k to N100k buying water to do this.

Waiting on sand delivery for oversite to commence.
Thursday should be the start date, should be sunny that day and for 3 straight days.

Rany4all:
I meant 15m for carcass only Sir, but let's see how it goes.

True to that, we'll keep building and see how the costing goes.

What I am sure of is I'll build with an appreciable quality irrespective of the cost.

When I roof, then I'll take a break.

I meant 15m for carcass only Sir, but let's see how it goes.

My entire carcass cost me about 13m, even as I did the foundation back in 2018 when a bag of cement was about 2.7k or so and a 30T trip of chippings went for just 280k, plus my foundation filling was also achieved with zero material cost and I didn't even do oversite concrete.

Can't say exactly how much my parapet cost me because I did the entire superstructure (from DPC to roofing beam and parapet) at the same time with same materials, but I know we used up to 144 bags of cement for it. Entire superstructure cost about 5m though.

Roofing cost me about 4.9m. Woodwork was done with about 1.7m, while stone coated roofing sheets were installed with about 3.2m.

This is absolutely a threat to my life!

Are you sure yours was not a duplex??

Hatesin:
Supervising the work yourself doesn't necessarily change anything sometimes except you know what exactly to supervise. Some of us think that being on site looking at workers while they work means supervising them. No. There's more to it. You must know their tricks. You must know the exact quantity and quality of materials needed for a particular work and insist on that, else, they will waste double of your materials and still give you a less quality work.

That's right, on my site we had to pay a worker day rates to supervise the mix ratio. Guard against too little or too much materials.

That's why I mentioned at the beginning, if this will cost a lot at least, let me try to ensure the money is spent appropriately.

Rany, taking into consideration the unexpected blocks surprise, what other surprises await me?

Pop, parapet, roofing cost. What did each cost you on average?

Rany4all:
10m? I think you may just be underestimating the size of the project you have undertaken Sir. That building is large.

Except you plan on terminating the columns at DPC level, not doing German floor, not chaining your lintel, not doing parapet and doing flat long span or cheaper roofing, I'd suggest you raise your budget to 15m plus or minus.

Rany4all, It's N10m for carcass only, no single finishing.
Lintel chaining, post lintel and roofing are the major targets.
Windows are doors are secondary.

I even had the Architect reduce the original building size, it was bigger than this previously.
Seeing it on ground shows it's still bigger than I had imagined.

Na bungalow so it wouldn't be hard to complete.
There's technically no budget or timeline, it will be financed till completion.

Rany4all:
Not necessarily Sir. All 4 bedroom bungalows aren't equal. Some are larger and have more partition walls than others. It all depends on the architectural design of the building. I'm doing something similar and I can confirm my foundation took over 2000 blocks as well, while the superstructure took over 4000 blocks.

And before you say my builder has scammed me, note that this is a DIY project. I buy all materials and supervise everything myself.

The numbers are well above all estimates i have but I guessed the partitions and some extra courses to 6 levels might have caused this, my calculations bothered majorly on the external walls and main internal partitions. I underrated the partitions.

This means one thing: we'll need to mold more as the plan is 10 courses before lintel and very likely 4 courses after lintel.
An expensive and time consuming process.

greenermodels:
over 2300 blocks for foundation is a very serious red flag,that's enough blocks for a simple three bedroom flat complete, your costs are not making sense, I'll look into it later.

3594 9" were moulded.

501 + 640 + 747 + 529 = 2417 were the stacked/dpc blocks the masons were paid for.

What's left should be 1177.

We can easily count this. I can arrange this for Sunday or Monday while we pour laterite.

About N5.1m spent so far, bulk of it sitting as UNused blocks.

In my head, "planned" cost for carcass plus windows, doors & roofing should be around N10m.
Guessing:
- Oversite, side blocks, lintel, above lintel N1.5m
- roof, N2.5m
- doors n windows, N1.5m

5% of this earmarked for 'wastage' or losses eg external pillar design, community development fees, inflated costs etc.

Water should have cost between N250k and N750k, not checking this. I no wan cry.
Still we build!

External pillar design below.
I think this will give an appearance of a larger column. Will see how this turns out.

I now clearly understand why no two construction projects cost the same, requirements determine a whole lot.


Laterite filling - Ongoing

Keeping all the costing separate over the days it was done as it confuses me too.
We are building slower than normal so quality can be properly controlled.

Per naija standards, there are multiple 'unnecessary' costs in this construction that could have saved minimum of N500k:
- too many pillars; influences rebar, cement, water and labor costs. I have seen bungalows on nairaland without pillars even at the building corners
- external pillar design, see red marks below (I am also unsure of what this will turn out to be)
- damp proof material
- brc mesh
- full oversite

All of this has caused delays and increased cost.