₦airaland Forum

horlorbah:
Good morning house. Pls I'm about to start a small kobo kobo project and this is the quotation I got from the person I intend putting in charge for a twin 2 bedroom apartment. Each apartment has 3 toilets/bathrooms. This quotation is just for the foundation alone (Without DPC) for now. Pls help me review it sirs/ma. Thanks.

Everything is fine except the labor cost charge.

KolaShangOne:
Funnily enough , my bricklayer has more than 30 years experience on the job but I've had to redefine some of his ways of doing things.

Also, building in Lekki area, you need more than an experienced bricklayer. You need someone to direct them , a structural Engr preferably.

RT

Jasobry:
Available in Lagos 35k

Nice

decimator:
Hello House.

I have just finished doing the oversite on my foundation (German floor). 5" thick .

However I noticed , I will need some adjustment during block forming.

My question is, can a wall run outside of the foundation ground partition ? This is because[b] I intend to steal a foot space[/b] .

Thanks

Stealing is bad

Omonjoe:
I have read some reviews about @money121 here and I was at times doubtful if they were real! Well, I decided to give him a try on my roofing project and here is my story;

I contacted @money121 (CEO Imran roofing) on WhatsApp to let him know about my project and he asked for the roofing plan which I sent and he gave me a rough estimate pending when the wood work is completed and the actual measurement can be done. Two weeks after the wood work was done and he then asked me to send him actual measurement so he can get load the right quantity of materials to my site in Ekpoma Edo state. I sent a local guy around Ekpoma who is also a roofer to take the measurement and he sent me the sqm.

Sending the measurements to @money121 he told me those measurements where just too much judging from the plan I sent him earlier. This arouse my interest in @money121! Because he could have charged me with those measurements and no one will know about it. He offered to send his boy down to Ekpoma to take the measurement and behold his measurement was way less than what the other roofer sent!.

We agreed on the payment terms that I pay a deposit of 2.3M before he will load the materials to Ekpoma but I forgot I have 1M daily limit in my bank. After I transferred the 1M to him, I told him of the situation, to my surprise @money121 loaded the materials that morning and sent them to Ekpoma with his boys without waiting for me to complete the initial deposit of 2.3M.

Today the roofing is completed and I would want to let everyone know that @money121 (Imran roofing) is one of the most honest Nigerian businessman I have seen and his professionalism is second to none....keep up the good work @money121 you have just won me over!

Congratulations General money121

Bimpsyyyyy:
Good morning, pls how much do you pay a concrete mixer operator around lekki and how much do you rent around lekki, pls very urgent. Thanks

Mixer - 17k - 20k
Operator - 3k - 4k

EgunMogaji2:
Is very hard for sure and why expectations have to be set.

I have friends who refuse to build in Nigeria or gave any plan in Nigeria.

They come home twice a year, lodge in hotel and charter unmarked taxi.

No worries about electricity, water, vehicle, omo onile, COFO, etc

In life one must have a plan. And a prayer.

This was my offense few years ago. I told a client his project in the village is such a huge waste of money.

The next thing was attack on Nairaland.

Today, I know a lot of us who built ‘Ile gogoro’ to impress others would have learnt one lesson or the other right now.

You can’t impress anyone.

Keep it simple.


_____
For almost 7 years, the guy has only slept in the mansion for just 4 weeks. The house remained locked up for the rest of the years.

My next personal build will be so small ehn...

EgunMogaji2:
“I” fit in the demographic and make it work by setting realistic expectations.

No electricity - solar plus gen.
No pipe borne water - borehole.
No security - various schemes.
No good roads - SUV.

I’m not surviving in Nigeria. I’m thriving. Al-ḥamdu l-illāhi rabbi l-ʿālamīn

In Nigeria, every man is a republic.

Living a good life, setting standards and making it work against all odds is hard. Living on false hopes from the government in power is harder. Choose your hard.

dongc:
Sounds fantastic on paper...until reality hits hard... was born in trucking business...something i grew up before I packed my bags for greener pastures elsewhere...still ongoing in family although now company haulage only..
Until they need engine rebuild....get into accident/s...hit someone....rainy season which are normally off peak periods... falls off ditch.....there are quite alot unfortunate circumstances which comes with all business...biggest hurdles are Government policies can change any day without any consultation.....

As we talk about the mouth-watering opportunities, let’s not forget to talk about the huge losses.

I can never forget how a N9k side-hustle by my driver took over 850k on repairs from me.
I also can’t forget when a friend’s truck climbed over 5 cars.
Need I mention how ‘Awoyaya boys’ stole my battery and diesel when the truck had a breakdown.
How can I ever forget my experience Lekki County the truck plunge the community into darkness after it brought down an electricity pole

The odds are just too many The possibility of failure is a sure bet.

KolaShangOne:
Lets assume.

Land clearing - 10,000
Setting out (lines, pegs, profiles, labour) - 30,000
Excavation (stony land) including column bases- 50,000

Blinding -
Granite 20t - 100,000
Sand 20t - 35,000
Cement (12 - 15 bags) 45,000

Iron works 14columns - 12mm mat (1m x 1m) , 12mm columns will require;
21L of 12mm @2900 = 60,900 + 5000 transport
6L of10mm stirrups @2100 = 12,600
B/wire - 9,000
Labour - 15,000

Carpentary - Provisional sum of 30,000 + 10,000 labour

Blockwork
1000** pcs of block - (here its 220) - 220,000
Cement 20 - 60,000
Labour block setting - 60,000

Casting short columns
10t sand, 4-5bags, Granite (remaining), labour - 10,000 = 42,000.

Water for the works - 10,000

This total should be well over 700,000.

I just gave a tentative cost. Some will spend more, some will spend alot less.

No comment.

Thanks for the breakdown. Always remember, it’s not a ‘bibeli’

Abolarin91:
Hmmn! Brilliant analysis, meaning the solution of Nigeria lies in the hands of Nigeria government.

Who is government?

I think the word ‘government’ needs a new definition though.
As for me, government is a group of people ‘elected’ or ‘non-elected’ governing an organized community (a state or other entities). Government is important to the existence of civilized society.

It’s not just about state, local councils or country alone. It starts from every home.

For example, Nairaland property (the largest property forum in West and Central Africa) has no governing council We only have few set of people who react when issues come up.
Whenever there’s a coming together of people to live or coexist in a community, there’s a need to form a body (government) which will handle the administration of the such community.

Anarchy/confusion will always reign in any state/society/forum that exist without a government.

Before we talk about those who lord over our country (Nigeria) and commonwealth, let us ask ourselves “After over a decade of existence, are we managing Nairaland property section the right way or just passing the buck?”

This is a much wider meaning to "government" than the ruling political force. It starts with you and me.


_______

EgunMogaji2:
Where will I even go to make inquiries in Ibadan? All the vehicles that I see at New Garage are buses, none are pick ups.

I’ll check up with someone and revert.

EgunMogaji2:
Yes Sir but I think the cost will just be high.

I don’t think the transportation cost will be much. I shipped 2 very heavy gates down to Ibadan few weeks ago for just 35k.

michlins:
I need the one small petrol generator can power because it's energy efficient and I don't need to be carrying big generator up and about. That suffering has to stop.

I for buy start and weld but those things are like ogbanje. You can get to a site and it will start up fine but can't weld. The mechanic will tell you it's the welding diode a d that you will have to go to Onitsha to know if you can find a compatible one. Onitsha will tell you maybe Lagos go get am and if your village people really want something from you, Lagos go tell you say e no dey.
Happened to a friend of mine. He didn't use the machine to make one kobo

‘Start and Weld’ no be am. I used to like it but no more.

michlins:
N3xt the way that welder is joining those channels no be am or maybe I'm not seeing that well.
You join them in an "Z" form. Let's say it's a 6 by 4 channel, you will have to cut one tip of the channel by 3 by 6. Like eh, you divide the middle of the channel by 2 and then cut it by the width. That way, it's more resistant to breaking than joining it end to end in an "I" form. I don't have the pictures to show you what I mean but maybe later today, I will have to draw it out on a piece of paper.


My 2 cents

Thanks. Information well received.

michlins:
this is exactly why I need help with it. I see some foreign used ones around here and brand new ones but I don't know which one is better

The one in the last pic requires very BIGGGGG generator.

The earlier one posted can be powered using 5kva generator.

I’d use the latter machine when welding thicker gauge. The inverter welding machine will do every household job (doors, gates, tank towers, etc)

One4me:
I stand to be corrected, that picture is an Arc Welding Machine.
Not an Inverter Welding machine or did l miss something?

Maybe I’m wrong but this is ‘Arc Welding Machine’ in the picture below though.

They both look alike but they’re different. There’s even a palm-size model. I’ll try get pics and update this post later on.

horlorbah:
Can I send you a message sir? I would love to ask some questions. Thank you.

Yes you can sir but why not here though.

michlins:
I can easily walk into the market and get something but I don't know a thing about them. If it were normal welding machine, I know what I want but this is totally new to me

Let me link you up with my welder using it so you can ask him all you need to know.

saydfact:
ORO OPOLO

Baba, the koko is “A loud mind is greater than a loud mouth.”

What I see almost everywhere in Nigeria is ‘problem talk.’

It is a conversation that focuses heavily on the details of an issue without ever actually producing a solution.

If the regular conversations we have here is a road then problem-talk is a roundabout we drive on forever.

Problem Talks sounds like this:

Nigerians are bad.
Contractors are terrible.
Architects are saucy.
Suppliers are unfaithful.
Govt is useless.
In 2002 (before corona ),things were better...

Talking about problems ain’t bad but getting stuck in the cycle of problem talk is.

michlins:
Good evening everyone. I hope you're all well. I need the help of the house. I need to buy a welding inverter and I don't know a thing about it. The welding machine I have been using is the usual one but because of mobility and need to upgrade myself, I need to buy the inverter.

I need something that will weld between 4mm and 6mm metal. Which inverter is best for me and which generator do you recommend. I'm willing to pay someone to buy it for me in and around Lagos and waybill to me down to Nnewi.

@egunmogaji2 I like that one you uploaded the picture sometime ago

Like seriously

Inverter welding machines are everywhere over here and ridiculously cheap too.

Prices start from 28k and they’re very durable.

jajeri3216:
Hello house , there's a crack on the wall which is causing me corncerns.

Is this crack suggesting structural issues?

Yes sir!

It’s not part of the project design. Get a structural engineer on the site ASAP.

micgray100:
.
this is serious... firstly, check if the corner side is made of just blocks or pillar ...
if pillar, it can be amended easily... if is block... that is differential settlement...
Engage the service of an experience bricklayer... he will have to chisle out the crack and pour lean concrete to fill to brim...

Everything was fine until the bolded part. Why experienced bricklayer and not a structural engineer?

I believe ‘an experienced bricklayer’ did the job to that level.

Dijita:
Thank you and God bless.
My kobo kobo project is been handle by my sister and the husband who is a supplier. Thanks to this site and the professionals here I am educated and get help in cutting down on price quotations. Unlike in the beginning of the project where I was been told the price of things which I later discover to be way higher than stated, now I just quote the price I got from here and told them that if there supplier can't meet the price I will call my own guy to deliver at this price. I will then add extra money for effort. In this particular instance here I added 30k .
Just in case some people are wondering, I am not just taking I patronize people here as well. I got my architect from here and have done about#300,000 business with him. I hope to patronize others in the future

Nice one!

Badgers14:
Well said, the problem with investing in Nigeria is uncertainty. Although this comes with the territory but Nigeria's level of uncertainty is times 1000x.

Think of building a house, even if you secure a loan to put up a project, dollar will move from N350 to N351 and 1 bag of cement will jump from N2,000 to N2,900. Even our mothers selling pumpkin leaves , pepper and tomatoes will jack up the prices by 100%.

The level of price inflation in Nigeria is beyond economics. You can't plan for nothing, price increase here and there...

Also, you hire someone for a job, they start work and then in the middle stops to renegotiate their contract, then skips town.. you have to chase them around to come and complete the job sometimes involve police, kinsmen etc. And remember if you took out a loan for the project, while you were chasing the person around, materials are adding money, your interest is piling up and you might end up hiring another person to finish the job, project will end up over budget and the loan would finish before the project is completed because of numerous uncertainties.

Doing a project in Nigeria is just like open up your wallet and spend until it is completed.. don't even stop to think economics, economics of scale, all those things you learnt on economics 101 doesn't work in Nigerian setting. I am yet to do a housing project in 9ja where I purchased cement and rod the same price from start of the project to finish .


I once had an idea together with some partners to start up a waste management style of company. Waste management is big company in the U.S and possibly multinational.

Got funding to start up, partners all lined up every thing all straightened out but the government authorities from state to the councilor, everyone wants to be settled, one even want in on the profit like a decent size cut, I thought he meant he wants to buy in as a partner but even as a local man like myself that grew up in 9ja, I was dumbfounded when he said, that’s his share. O boy, I was very furious which kind talk be that?? Are you normal?
Whenever I am in Nigeria, all I am seeing is money money opportunities opportunities but people are focused on "oyel" oil oil.

Waste management is multi billion dollar corporation in the U.S.

The uncertainty is just too much. The housing projects I am involved in, I just close eye to do it, the rate prices increases is just ridiculous!

I agree once again but why am I still buying at official rates when the whole nation is complaining.

We will achieve more if we work together than work simultaneously.
There’s a huge market out there. The suppliers knew it. They also knew our biggest weakness is lack of unity.

Construction risks are everywhere. Risk management must be designed to plan, monitor and control those measures needed to prevent everyone from exposure to risk.

Well like egunmogaji2 rightly said “We are in Nigeria.”

______
Talking about risks won’t take it away but providing measures to control the risk and manage any residual risks will.

Focusmind:
Opportunities abound but fear of risk and uncertainty is holding people down. Take a global perspective, a lot of investors sees Nigeria as a good place to invest but fear of unknown makes the final investment decision impossible or delayed

A finance company in London, where a friend works did an investment survey and found the Nigerian market buoyant, but fear of uncertainty and country risk were too high that they jettisoned the idea.

To tell you how far foreign investors takes risk seriously, they follow citizens discussions about the country on their own social media. They followed Nigeria and Nigerians to get perspectives and views about the people and the country. Some are even registered on Nairaland.

I agree completely.

There are risks everywhere. Let me cite an instance here.

I’m working on a massive project that requires nothing less than hundreds of thousand cements. The risks and the odds are just too many.

Here’s what the govt did:

- they partnered Lafarge to supply us at official company price to ensure the project keep going without any cause for complaints.

The risks were mitigated by putting systems and control in place.

EgunMogaji2:
Read up on the Arole curse.

To me it explains a lot on the lack of cooperation between the yorubas.

Take just this thread for example, we have all the building trades represented. A Chinese or Mexican person in the USA will harness the power and form a collective.

That finance companies are not on here befuddles me.

Someone will post that they have land and want to build.

Shebi that’s a direct opportunity for a finance company to help secure a COFO which they’ll hold and they fund the build in stages. With a good down payment and qualified property and owner. This is my next destination! I know it’s possible.

I think about some of these things but then I’m reminded by my partner that I came to Nigeria to retire

The only reason I got into construction equipment hires is to take away all the stress most homeowners get themselves into.

Why buy planks for lintels when you can contract it out to a company that offers affordable lintel concreting package as a service?

n3xt:
When building structural frame or slabs, I always use planks for the internal beams and plywood for the external beams in order to save cost.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XYqr-ijfLOI

Storage

To properly store/preserve your boards, you need a cantilever racking system and a very big space.

The Benefits

The cost benefits of using Marine Plywood over Traditional Timber is so much. Here are few reasons you might want to give it a trial:

Smooth Finish: It is possible to have smooth finish where cost in surface finishing is involved. Thus saving you the cost of plastering the slab.

Labour Cost Reduction: Marine Plywoods come in large size panels which means it is possible to earn some savings in the labour cost/time of fixing and removal.

Reusable: Unlike Timbers, marine plywood can be reused for numerous times. Huge savings for people building more than one house.

Lightweight: It can be easily transported from site to site.

Lastly, always keep in mind the impact of disposal. Of all building products, planks presents the greatest concerns when it comes to reuse or disposal. The plywood on the other hand presents least concern.

The cost of a sheet of plywood (2400mm x 1200mm) ranges between N6,000 - N8,500 while a plank (300mm x 3600mm) costs N1700.

Lets assume we want to cover a sitting room which is about 36sqm, we will use 12+ sheets of plywood which will cost about N90,000+ or use 33 pcs of 1 x 12 planks which will cost about N56,100[/quote]

When building structural frame or slabs, I always use planks for the internal beams and plywood for the external beams in order to save cost.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XYqr-ijfLOI

9in boards

You’ll need a very few quantity of this except you’re building a structural frame.

EgunMogaji2:
Big thanks.

You’re welcome.

Pls note, no one should cut your plywood whether good or bad without your approval.

Then there are steel shutters for larger projects.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JH-Di4xJuAs


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eaHcFGa9p6o