₦airaland Forum

diordaves:
In pursuit of a near maintenance free flat roof use industrial grade thickness of a minimum 0.70mm, but 0.90mm is peace of mind. What we call 'one is one'.

Tower Aluminum Nigeria (Towerplc.com) offers thickness from 0.40mm to 0.70mm. You can contact Tower Aluminum for more information. It is possible they offer 0.90mm as well.

This is too much o. Towers” 0.7?

Towers .55 is even like .7 or more of other companies.

He’d be wasting his money on solving a problem that wasn’t there. Thickness of the gauge of materials won’t solve sound issh nor prevent leakage caused by wind uplift.

99% of the potential challenges with the hidden flat roof designs can/has been solved by the parapet wall.

The major function of a parapet wall on a hidden roof design aside from confusing onlookers and designers is to protect the roofing from wind uplift.

For leakage to happen on a hidden roof, there must be an uplift when wind blow against the roof which the parapets dramatically reduce by design.

A proper insulation installed under the roof will stop the much dreaded noise coupled with the presence of POP/Gypsum ceiling inside the building.

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I would be even more worried about the lack of crawl space in flat roof designs which makes internal maintenance work inside the ceiling a huge challenge. This can be solved by making changes to the MEP (cable routes, water line etc).

I’ll also have issues with flat roof parapet wall designs without without waterproof membrane and drip edges - front and back - to keep stain off the building.

This is one part most people aren’t getting right in this part of the world - parapet walls without drip edges.

Once Nnamdi has delivered an airtight Roofing for me, I fix the environment.

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The problem with us is we will buy half plot and put 20 ACs, 50kva generators, energy hungry devices and install artificial grass + concrete flooring and we will be expecting a cooler indoor.

How’s that possible?

Instead of ACs, I have 9 trees (3 coconut ) , a gazebo and a 120sqm fish pond. When there’s heat, I go under the tree to take fresh air with cold garri, fresh fish and coconut

I no fit kill myself.

Covid-19 lockdown taught me vegetable is better than some plants in the house so I added a backyard veggie farm during the lockdown. I never knew pepper was that fast at growing.

EgunMogaji2:
I have 10 trees on my 120 x 120 feet lot.

Purchasers of land from me will get a tree of their choice for free. I’m that serious on trees effectiveness for shade, temperature and wind control.

This is the Ibadan that I love.


Baba, you’re not promoting AC Buy 1 plot get free AC




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Architect in the house, please up your game. Walls trap heat. Too much of walls is a prob in our terrain.

My atrium will have evergreen plants with ample tolerance for heat. I said my atrium as if na me get the house

n3xt:
What happened to insulating the roof properly? You can install rockwool or use other insulation materials to dissipate heat and of course sound absorption.

Making houses cooler all weather has never been an issue for me because I understand how to use trees and vegetation to lower surface and air temperature in my builds by using them as a wind breaker and to provide shade in strategic areas.

Some estates in Lagos recommends planting a tree in every building. The aim is to improve air quality.


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The roof designs are not always the problem but lack of sustainable designs.

Building regulations from the Estate’s Approval team for one of my old project.

I remember proposing ironwood (Olneya tesota) on the 1300sqm plot while filing for approval/building permit to provide an excellent protection against the western sun.

Even the almighty Ministry of Urban and Physical Planning LAGOS don’t care about the environment. Just pay for approval and build

And we are complaining about heat

bixton:
Please is bold 1 a view or there's some article or research work on it.....

As regards bold 2 with exception of the noise to some extent....are you saying if the build has a proper ventilation by way of windows it will still be more hot compared to a build with hip roof with all them POP ceiling finishing that is acclaimed to make a house cool....

What happened to insulating the roof properly? You can install rockwool or use other insulation materials to dissipate heat and of course sound absorption.

Making houses cooler all weather has never been an issue for me because I understand how to use trees and vegetation to lower surface and air temperature in my builds by using them as a wind breaker and to provide shade in strategic areas.

Some estates in Lagos recommends planting a tree in every building. The aim is to improve air quality.


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The roof designs are not always the problem but lack of sustainable designs.

DUNKA:
I would personally use steel for longevity and durability over wood. If one wants to use steel does that need to taken into consideration during the drawing/designing of the house or it does not matter?

Yes sir. It’s necessary so that the supports for the roof trusses can be factored into the structural design.

XL6 Trillion | Atrium House

Steel Trusses vs Wood?

In coming days, we’d be preparing to roof our Atrium House. My client want something sturdy, environmental friendly, sustainable and strong enough to withstand elements.

We are torn between using steel or roof. What would you do and why?

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Guess who’s on site today? Nixon my no. 1 steel structure fabricator.

A maintenance free flat roof is very possible.

XL6 Trillion | Atrium House

Steel Trusses vs Wood?

In coming days, we’d be preparing to roof our Atrium House. My client want something sturdy, environmental friendly, sustainable and strong enough to withstand elements.

We are torn between using steel or roof. What would you do and why?

_______

Guess who’s on site today? Nixon my no. 1 steel structure fabricator.

A maintenance free flat roof is very possible.

hamtabfawaz:
Wow!

Please can you share Pictures of the supafix!

Before I forgot...

diordaves:
Yes. It is flat roof as they don't get torrential downpour like we do, the roof is mostly NOT of sheets but laterite/cement mixture to mitigate the heat and because the country is not blessed like ours with good buildable land, they adopted flat roof because they sell roof spaces the way we sell land. So adopting hip roof will foreclose the opportunity to sell your roof space.

So flat roof is adopted to suit their climate and topography. We are not a desert country, at least in Southern Nigeria. We are a tropical rainforest country, we need to "send down the rain"

I agree with your submission but I believe we can adapt this roofing style into our climate.

There’s rockwool and many other insulation materials out there to explore.

Will it be easy to make a flat roof maintenance free? No!

Is it possible? Yes!

If a countryblike Columbia can have flat roofs, I’m not sure it’s be a big deal in a country like ours.
Come to think of it, it has only rained 7 or 8 times this year.

A proper install will keep the waters away.

On noise, every roof make noise except concrete slab, polystyrene slab, terra-cotta tiles, and Nigerite roofing which one of my client explored in 2016.

dapotemi:
Pls what is the best sand combination to use for block setting... My Bricklayer is requesting for plaster sand and sharp sand... Which of the sharp sand is okay for settings? This owner managed proj no easy at all. People can lie too much..

But you just got in to site na...?

Your project is in Ogun state. Just get dagbolu from simawa or somewhere around for him. Drop one sharp sand for other concrete works.

If you must accede to all requests by artisans, you’ll end up buying materials you can use to build 2 units of that house.

Just drop 1 sand each of dagbolu and sharp sand and lock up.

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One aluminum guy wrote 10 packs of drilling bits in one of my estimates. He ended up using only 1 bit from a pack of 12 bits.

Imagine if I bought 10’packs.

erico2k2:
Me knowing what I know now, I don't think anyone can pay me enough to take the wahala that comes with being a builder, knowing myself I will flip.
Typical example during my decking process I paid for a load of concrete for decking and I was supplied that small chippings I 4got the gauge now.Now this supplier is a very close friend to my Mrs if not egbe for back, she begged me to supply another load of the correct gauge and that I should pay her whenever I can for the wrong load. Now imagine if that was for a job Im doing as a contractor, N260k as at then for don get k leg and plenty explanation. here https://www.nairaland.com/2804484/diy-construction-house-ph

Smiles.

I made a transfer of 75k to my plumbers account. Guess what? He’s owing the bank 72k... and you can guess the rest of the story.

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I mobilized a window fabricator with 750k to start producing windows for one of my project. He showed me pictures of the job being done and asked for more money. I sent him another 500k and hoping to balance on delivery.
The guy jet out to Saudi for lesser hajj.

On getting to his shop, we discovered he was showing the same window to 3 different contractors.

Since 2014, you’d do all my finishing work on site. That’s why I’ve bought almost every tool my artisans will require to do his/her job.

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Even as I type I just went to buy spare circular blade for my carpenters.

Oftentimes, it’s not always about saving monies but the emotional stress.

So as kola rightly shared above there are too many things you can’t account for while handling a construction project.

diordaves:
Forget aesthetics for now as it is a personal thing. Let's dwell on technical practicability:

Flat roof will fail periodically over time far more than hip roof.

As a result of the above, flat roof is high maintenance.

If you must do flat roof, be prepared to spend more for industrial grade sheets well above 0.55mm. A flat roof with 0.55m sheets is a mickey mouse set up technically speaking.

As a result of the above again, flat roof is NOT cheaper than hip roof over time. It is a false economy.

Flat roof is bad for your mental health and for the environment. A flat roof home is hotter, noiser when it rains and you need air conditioner more than hip roof to feel whole in your home. A warm/hot home affects your mental health. You are more likely to be stressed and angrier than normal. It is your home playing tricks on you.

Your wife or you (whoever does the most cooking at home) will continually be stressed using the kitchen because of the added heat from the roof. The kitchen is a furnace and a nightmare in flat roof homes. It is difficult to feel whole in such a kitchen.

It is good advice to go for PROPER roof design. All these flat roof in a tropical climate like ours in the name of modernity and minimalism na wash. Don't skimp on your foundation, decking and roof. Find the savings elsewhere in the build through cost effeciency during painting and decoration stage.

Coming from a red cap chief and pro-20ft kingpost chairmo I do not expect anything different.

However, Dubai is 35 degree celcius and almost all the modern builds in that arid zone are flat roofs.

How are they coping with flat roofs?

Pics - Dubai Hills estate

#sustainabledesigns

rmx:
This life , once you don’t know , you will pay for it . Knowledge is power

The reason this thread is vital is for that purpose , the reason also some of us come to check ways to improve our build and reduce cost

for my build to be commissioned soon brought in all the Acs from china , same with most electrical fitting

Was given quotes for spot lights etc last month , took about 2 weeks for it to land from Dubai , all at less than half the price

Only bought one generator in Nigeria in the last 20 years and that only as a courtesy to my dads friend that was into generator sales , in that period must have bought close to 15 , some as big as 1375kva , the reason is obvious

I don’t begrudge anybody selling at incredible prices , responsibility lies on you to seek alternative, he get where we too dey hammer

There are varieties of option out there to explore. I cannot imagine the variations you’d paying on your projects if you’re not exploring the alternatives.

But as you say it sir, you win some and lose some. I can see you’re always aiming for the if wins

The demands of self-build | The gains and the pains

Join the discussion here https://www.kobocity.com/d/188-construction-lesson-which-build-route/2

Don’t forget to register and follow the post for more exciting tips.

Experience has shaped us.

The demands of self-build | The gains and the pains

Join the discussion here https://www.kobocity.com/d/188-construction-lesson-which-build-route/2

Don’t forget to register and follow the post for more exciting tips.

Experience has shaped us.

You don’t want to miss this.

Diasporans, first time homeowners, self-builders - come and learn how to manage your projects. Interesting discussion started here.

Participation is free.

https://www.nairaland.com/6450270/construction-journal-xl6-trillion-atrium/1#100686423

MMotimo:
No long story.

An apology, even to one aggrieved person, goes a long way and I say that without taking anything away from all those that suffered losses. I will take that apology as a sign of repentance. The average Nigerian would tell you different but I can assure you that only truly big men and women can say “sorry” and “I forgive.”

Best wishes to knowledge seekers, aspiring and active building owners and all that sell a service here. May your pockets not run dry and may you achieve your heart’s desires. Always remember that it’s HONEST WORK that gets you to the path of wealth AND peace. May we all be prosperous and may goodness and mercy abide with us all.. . . . . amen!

Mmotimo

P.S. I still don’t know how y’all were able to refrain from broke-shaming me wey no get project, come put mouth for una section LOL

ftmom

E su giri giri, e bo mi o
Iwaju l’oloko yi nwa mi lo
Eyin ko l’oloko yi nwa mi lo
MMotimo o, mmotimo ye o
Emi ti mo o.

Thanks for all you do.

DUNKA:
Brabus Please if a builder is to build just the carcass while another person is too complete the interior and finish the building at what stage would the handover be?

Kindly ensure the builder deliver the plastering stage to avoid double expenses.

This means that the builder must handle:

- window installations
- door frames installations
- plastering of the walls (internal/externals)
- internal conduits

A lot of issues raised by 3strikes were caused by the fact that the builder was no longer on the project. Most subtrades/artisans capitalizes on this to rip off unsuspecting home owners especially those unavailable to directly supervise their projects.

Here’s a very good example. I will never have placed planks on the damaged roof during plastering because I fully understand the consequence.
Another contractor plastering the house won’t damn the consequence because he can easily blame it on the person who did the roofing.

Also, during construction stage, there are lots of hidden and I completed works that only the builder who started the work from the scratch can identify (eg plumbings). If he’s allowed to walk away before you do your internal plumbings, you might run into problems and end up spending twice on the same job.

There are many more.

A builder can be fired if he messes up or he lacks experience.
However, I’ll always recommend that homeowners/contractors should find a way to manage construction complaints/challenges amicably as failure to do so do both parties more good than harm.

Before handing over, always ensure that an experienced consultant double check the job and ensure that everything is satisfactorily delivered.

DUNKA:
I would personally go for pic 1 for its simplicity and functionality

Putting functionality over form. Thank you for your input. Well appreciated.

We’d appreciate input from other people too.

DUNKA:
would chose 1. Looks simple and classy

Thank you sir.

hamtabfawaz:
Wow!

Please can you share Pictures of the supafix!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qyDbICwv9hU


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1UYQBTALJhI

Here’s an image from the manufacturers website. I’ll take live pictures on site later in the morning

Updates: XL6 Trillion | Atrium House by NextHome

The making of the grills, the fins and everything in-between.



#AtriumHouse #Milestone3 #NextHome

XL6 Trillion | Atrium House

We need your input here.

Which will you chose between 1, 2 and 3 as a minimalist looking for style without compromising safety and blowing budget? and why would one over the other?

More designs here https://www.kobocity.com/d/157-construction-journal-xl6-trillion-atrium-house-by-nexthome/92

XL6 Trillion | Atrium House

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ES5rySZ7PPs

Slab work

More

Updates from the construction site

- 2nd milestone completed.
- 2rd milestone (first floor slab) ongoing.
- installation of formwork

More

Updates from the construction site

- All block walls raised to slab level
- All Columns poured

Updates from the project site

- Ground Floor Slab poured.
- First Milestone completed.