As for travelling long distances for potential jobs, the client described in your scenario is not nice at all. But also, it’s an important lesson to iron out all deals before travelling such a distance.

As for giving price, what is the need for holding price? How will the potential client ascertain whether or not to use your services if you’re padlocking the price? Your quote/price should not be moving up and down depending on the client but the economy.

I don’t understand why people are so hesitant to name price. If you don’t want to do it on nairaland and would rather discuss with the client privately that is your choice. But that is not how a transparent business does things. Even if it’s not the exact price, an estimate should be available to allow the potential customer see what is available and if it’s affordable or competitive with other similar services.

This is how it’s done all over the world. I don’t know why Nigeria’s case must be different.

Ex. You want to purchase some paint or an accessory or tool. You enter Home Depot’s website. The prices are laid out for you. You can compare between brands. If you like you can now check a similar stores inventory and compare the prices between the two.

I don’t understand the mentality behind this at all. In Nigeria in order to get a quote for a new building project the contractor will charge you. It’s ridiculous. One contractor here told me that abroad customers pay for quotes of work.

I have NEVER paid any contractor to give me a quote. They’ve come to my house, looked at the job that needed to be done and then gave me an estimate/quote of labour (that didn’t fluctuate) and also materials needed. My contractor even followed me to Home Depot to help me purchase the materials and took time to educate me on the differences between products and quality.

If it was Nigeria they will charge you for fuel to get to site, time to go to store and inflate labour prices if you buy your own materials. It’s ridiculous. And most of these contractors that charge you to look at a site are not serious for the job. It’s one thing to say you need transport fare if the contractor doesn’t live within the same area and the client is adamant on working with that specific contractor. BUT if they live in the same area, WHY would I pay?

When you go for an interview, does the potential employer pay for your transport fare regularly?

You don’t pay a lawyer to hear about your concerns in the first meeting before they decide to take your case or you hire them.

I’m tired of this thing to be very honest.

twinskenny:
Is always the contractors that always getting the bash.. what of client that will ask u to travel all the way from Lagos to owerri.. and will even refuse to acknowledge your quote not to talk of negotiation.. Why should I give you price when I know am not getting the job?.

There’s pidgin English, then there’s autocorrect that causes some obvious grammatical errors at times and THEN there are supposed professionals who claim to be educated and their continuous write-ups are giving me a headache.

I can’t decipher the write-up or the countless apologies.

Very unserious person.

By CA so you mean Canada? Or California?

PDPGuy:


This is a HUGE bargain

In CA, that house goes for nothing less than $300,000.

What is the difference between white cement and this for screeding?

spyder880:
Starting the outside screeding of walls today. This is normal cement screeding and not white cement.

are there still available plots here?

diportivo:



until the nigerian factor sets in

That's so true. If this plan does go through, my hope is that the Ethiopian airline will be able to persevere. If not they'll quickly sell it off to someone else. They won't allow their image to sink just because of "Nigerian factor"

I hope this happens. Ethiopia airlines have a better history of management than arik

How did you fix it?

KolaShangOne:
Sometime last year (August or thereabouts) we did a roof somewhere in Ogun state. The covering was 0.55mm Metcoppo bought from Sumo Aluminium company.. Around March this year, Client called me that his roof is leaking in different places and he wasn't happy. Initially, I thought it was going to be nail holes that weren't covered properly by the boys.

Who did the landscaping? Can I get the contact please?

I'm not sure why everyone in the comments here are foaming at the mouth. Did you people even watch the interview? Nigerians LOVE to complain.

Chai!

Have you people even stopped to look at any of the credits to his songs? How about the licensing? Star-boy has never been credited.

He was just telling the truth plain and simple. He's not signed as an artist under starboy. He has a management deal with starboy, and possibility a distribution and marketing as well.

No insults of shade whatsoever.

Your mother is one of those problems

shortgun:
Women are the problem of this world. They hate each other, compete with one another, kill each other and make life miserable for men.

Really? When I was in onitsha last month at the building materials shop areas I was quoted 19,000 per bundle for Nigerian made pvc. Very sturdy. And 10,000 a bundle for china made (the Chinese made pvc we were shown were very flimsy, not sturdy, looked cheap and I didn't trust that the colours would last)

The made in Nigeria pvc was really nice. So many designs they had and extremely durable. I didn't inquire as to which company produced it as Im not at that stage in my build. But I will surely go back to that seller when I am.

Is 19,000 a bundle too costly?

Truthinlife:

We bought 20 bundles of Nigerian PVC product at 5,700 naira per bundle. They also showed us Chinese products for 5,200, but not durable.

When it sounds too good to be true. That's because it usually is.

So for a 300,000 naira loan. You are promising to pay back the loan with 33.33% interest.l within just 3 months. Then pay another 200,000 spread over 10 months. Which will be AN ADDITINAL 300,000 in total that you are giving back in approximately 1 year.

What business is this? That will allow you to give someone 600,000 in one year? Why not go through the proper channels and make this request from a bank?

This thing just sounds fishy.


Issa trap. Na MMM tins

Don't try this rubbish unless you just want to give away your money for free

You have been warned

Thanks for the response

diordaves:


I'm not familiar with Onitsha but a good aluminium workman can deliver a decent job. They are normally custom designed, you can't buy casement windows off the shelf.

Do you know where they sell this kind of embedded window with the net in the east? Onitsha?

diordaves:


Nothing to worry about, net included. The net is installed in a sliding format. So to access the handle of the window, you slide the net to one side, open the window and slide the net back into place.

Any updates on this build?

I respectfully disagree with you.

If you understood the purpose of a store you would know a window is not required.

As for your point in Canada, we have strict building codes. The Majority of houses are built to code if not all. Not by quacks esp in the major city I live.

Perhaps in rural areas you could claim a quack built them.

The OP is fine to continue his build the way it is. The only possible concern is the lighting for the lobby. Which to be honest is irrelevant when there is no natural lighting or electricity. Regardless of the design or length of a lobby every lobby in Nigeria will be dark.

I think you're just making a big deal out of nothing

Psity:


Many thanks for your observations, which to an extent is an objective and somewhat academic analysis of my points.

You are absolutely correct about the bedroom close to the pre-sit, as a further careful study of the plan has revealed the location of a second window. Guess the size of the image made it less obvious at first.

Be that as it may, as you rightly pointed, architectural design has to be in consonance with the environment/climatic conditions. Hence, a compulsory course in climatology embedded within the undergraduate architecture curriculum, so much so that there are principles even guiding the location of windows. Ordinary laymen and or draughtsmen may just think windows are located anyhow but lo, they are not. The orientation of the site with regards to the geographical four cardinal points of north, south, east and west have to be considered. Its one of the reasons amongst others, that the guiding document for the orientation of a building, on a given site is the survey plan, because it carries that information apart from the beacon numbers, plot and block numbers, owners title etc.

This is to underscore the importance of prevailing climatic conditions in architectural design. Thus, what works for temperate regions won't work for the tropics. Please note that the fact that some houses are located in Canada or any other developed society doesn't mean it is architecturally sound, as there are quacks everywhere.

Speaking for the tropics and from extensive design and build experience, it is gross incompetence stemming from inexperience, based on lack of basic knowledge of design principles to design a store without an external window, expect it to depend on lighting and ventilation from a small kitchen window, as well as expect your client to depend on the use of flashlights to light up a corridor, whose only lighting is that which filters through the dining space. Why not expect your client to depend solely on artificial air-conditioning and electric power lighting for the whole house and close up all fenestrations thereby?

Basic reason an architect is engaged, is to solve those problems. The fact that that you are not a mystic that can predict behavioural patterns and choices over a long period of time requires you to follow basic laid down principles that covers majority of end users. Architects are thinkers. Otherwise, your client's builder/bricklayer might as well use his discretion. Architecture is a precise and measured art.

Except having to create a courtyard or introduce skylight/clear storey windows, there is no way a redesign won't be the best recommendation.


Redesign recommendations

1. Relocation of store such that it has an external window along same wall with the kitchen window, which will require dividing the kitchen into two albeit unequal halves. The store may now be accessed via the kitchen, while the entrance to the kitchen should be blocked and relocated on the partition wall between kitchen and dining.

2. The wall separating the main lounge and the corridor should be totally removed, thereby opening up the living room space and providing an indirect linkage and flow with the dining, only now separated by an archway beam. That way, the length of the corridor is greatly reduced. Cross ventilation may now be brought into the living room and much need lighting for the remaining corridor section, by raising the height of the wall now separating the kitchen from the living room and introducing clear story windows. Archways can be introduced on both ends of the corridor to separate the public from the private.

3. An alternative to the clear story window is to relocate the study in order to give way for the introduction of a window to light up the corridor, and many more suggestions than my fingers would allow me type, but as you may observe, this is more of an overhaul than an adjustment.

Goodluck @OP.

You need to calm down and stop posting in every property thread. We are all ignoring you for a reason. You have no pictures to show evidence of previous jobs. No thread of your own. Stop derailing every construction thread. It just creates a memory of who not to deal with.

I'm tired of seeing your messages everywhere I go to see updates and learn. STOP THIS NONSENSE

Astrogeotech02:



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Thanks. I'm not a professional builder/architect or anything like that. But I just felt I should say something

P.s I've edited my original comment for spelling mistakes and just a congratulations on your build! Keep it up

Ashrush:


Thumbs up my man

Most of your thoughts align with mine thus I agree

@psity and others, any thoughts/recommendations on the alley way/lobby as memejem mentioned?

I'm not an architect but I'll just give my 2 cents.

1. Here in Canada most of our kitchen pantries/stores don't have windows in them and the food don't rot. I'm aware the climate is different in Nigeria. But we have four seasons. Keep in mind that it is storage. Fresh fruits and vegetables are to be used fairly quickly within a week or two. Those should be kept in the kitchen, in the fridge or the cupboards there. The kitchen is equipped with a window. A store is meant to store food items for a relatively longer period of time that you would not normally keep in the kitchen. Usually excess supplies or non/perishable goods. I think the design of the store is fine. It depends on what the OP chooses to put inside there.

2. As for the design of the placement of closets in the room. That is also fine. It's a design preference and there is no right or wrong way to do this. Where I currently live the closet is right next to the door. It has sliding doors that are painted to match the room.When the closet door is closed it blends in with the walls. I'm not sure how most closets are designed in nigeria but I don't see any issue with their placement. From his plan the rooms seem large. The closet placements are not hindering space or movement. Unless it's an open closet without any doors the worst case is it may not be aesthetically pleasing to see clothes hanging from the wall upon entry to the room.

3. I could be wrong but the bedroom close to the pre-sit seems cross ventilated to me. His architect did well to place the rooms in the corners of the house walls to ensure each bedroom has 2 windows. But that's also not a requirement. In my house in Canada each room has at least 1 large window (some have 2) and ventilation is not a problem at all. Just open the window and get fresh air.

4. As for the long alley way. If light is off and it's dark? What's the issue? Have flashlights gone extinct? Im not sure what the fix is for that. What do you recommend that will not completely alter the design of the house?

@OP congratulations on your build!! I look forward to your updates here and learning from you. Best of luck. You're doing well.

Psity:
Hello op. I am really shocked that folks think this your floor plan is OK. From my own point of view, it isn't and I owe Nairaland a duty to warn you and here are the points to note:

1. The bedroom close to the pre-sit or ante room is not cross ventilated.

2. The store has no window(opening outside) and therefore will be poorly lit as well as ventilated. Your foodstuffs could rot in a few days.

3. All the entrances to the rooms are wrongly placed.i.e you shouldn't walk into the closet before accessing the room itself. Proper thing is to locate the room first, then you move into your convenience enroute the walk-in-closet.

4. There is a long corridor that has no natural lighting and ventilation provision. Imaging when there is power outage, it will be a dark alley.

Please do not be carried away by the 3D. That design requires not just adjustments but a total overhaul. I hope you have not started digging yet. A word is enough to avoid pulling down your house after building. I can almost bet the designer isn't an architect. If at all a professional, it will be one of those structural engineers who dabble into architectural design, which is not their primary forte. He may be good with construction works but definitely not design. This isn't to spite him but to help op avoid wasting his money.

And nairalanders should note that the ability to generate 3D images is not limited to architects. So, do not be bamboozled by 3D images alone. Architects are trained first to resolve the elements of circulation and ventilation before any thing.

Can you tell me how it would work please?

Muyesky:


Yes I do

Do you deliver to the east sir?

What is your email address?

Ibinwanne:
Thanks a lot for your enquiry, we sincerely appreciate it. Please, kindly send me a text message or email with the exact name of the project location in Anambra state. Hoping to hear from you soon.

How much would this test be for a residential home in anambra state?

Ibinwanne:
Geophysical and Hydrogeological investigation for a suitable underground water.
Location: Umueke village, beside nkwo orji market, Owerre Nkworji, Nkwere L.G.A. Imo state.

Is this included in the price as optional? Or at an added cost?

csiworksnig:
Yes there is finished liquid that can be rolled over it for more protection, but it's not a must, after application the liquid is applied on it and left to dry and later it becomes a little bit glossy when felt, although I can't really call the surface glossy. The surfaces reflects little amount of light.