₦airaland Forum

Atlantic City, Lagos | Shaping Up

This must be pervious concrete floor. Well laid

#ItesiwajuIluEko

Further readings:

Architectural Designs and Problems that may occur
https://www.nairaland.com/3145483/architectural-designs-problems-may-occur

Building in Nigeria: Lessons learned
https://www.nairaland.com/1040620/building-nigeria-lessons-learned/1

Buy, Build or Renovate
https://www.nairaland.com/721174/build-buy-new-building-renovate

Interior Architecture in Nigeria is very Bad by Willow08
https://www.nairaland.com/1825339/interior-architecture-nigeria-very-bad

Beware! - Buying these lands may increase your construction cost astronimcally by Olumide4Christ
https://www.nairaland.com/2954604/beware-buying-these-lands-may

Ask All Your Building/Foundation Structural Questions by Opalu
https://www.nairaland.com/2406381/ask-all-questions-building-foundations

And more good topics on Nairaland Properties

mixratio:
a '' political construction company '' can be defined as that company that is mostly founded few weeks after election results are announced. In this type of company, you don't necessarily know the actual md/ceo neither do you know the members of the board of directors. Some one with a BSc in political science is most suitable as the project manager while the most powerful staff is the procurement manager and in most cases, he is the younger brother /cousin /nephew etc of one of the md/ceo. What ever he says is usually final, except if you have found yourself another job or you probably have enough in the bank that you don't need any salary that month.
As an engineer in this company, the BEME is the last document you must see. In fact, it is a taboo for you to see it. And you must watch how you talk if not, your matter would be tabled for discussion when the '' house '' meets and trust me you don't want that.
You are viewed as enemy number 1 because you alway have to shout and yell before a '' fair '' quantity of cement is used.
I hope I have been able to give a little insight to what a '' political construction company '' means.

Political Construction Companies are the ones responsible for most of failed Federal Govt Borehole projects.

Then, list it here. Introduce your business and the services you offer and leave your contact details with good pictures of your services.

Here's a sample:

Furnitures and Interior Designs

Alphabyte's was established in 2001 by Ahmed John. We are a family-run business and pride ourselves on the customer service, excellent quality and good building materials for money products we supply. We have stores in Lekki, Abuja & Ibadan and employ over 40 staff. We carry a wide range of household products from furniture to interior design and garden plants and equipment.

Call: 0800-ALPHABYTES Email: noreply@xyz.com

Hint: Treat this like a free newspaper advert - what message would you like to tell your customers? Have you new products / Service? A special Offer? What key words are important to finding your business?

Enjoy!

mixratio:
am presently working in a '' political construction company '' and it can be very frustrating. Someone who has no idea about engineering and construction is put over you as your boss simply because his bro holds one post or the other. Casting concrete that requires, say 300bags and when you are 130bags they start screaming that you are wasting cement. really frustrating my bro. Thought about resigning but no other options. .. I have to yell and defend any little work on site before good material is used and they all look at me like am a saboteur. If you are out there and you are an engineer, pls take this as my SAS.. My bearing capacity doesn't look like it can withstand this applied load.

Tell us more about a political construction company.

adanny01:
Too many words have been used, some meaning the same and others not having a direct responsibility. Its hard to compare a developer to a contractor.

A project developer usually has under its employ architects, engineers, builders, accountants, lawyers etc to the extent that the company is a stand alone project team. A developer may engage external professionals but still takes the entire liability as a client. A contractor could be employed by a developer or the developer could execute its own jobs as a contractor.

The government is usually not responsible unless its agents erred by aiding and abetting illegalities on the particular project. Example can be that of giving an approval for an illegal building. Ultimately, as long as there are laws guiding the industry, lack of enforcement cannot be an excuse for breaking the law just as ignorance is not an excuse for breaking the law. Government should'nt be mentioned at all.

Talking about manufacturers, it is anologous to the arm robber and the reciever of stolen goods who are both criminals. So the manufacturer of a fake product and the user of the fake product are both culpable for the eventualities the product's failure. Even if the user can prove that the manufacturer/supplier didnt supply him what he ordered for, there are standard test for materials recieved so i wonder why the user should not be held for confirming his supplies. There are standard codes for testing cement and there is a shelf life for cement so no builder can make an excuse that he was supplied bad cement.

In construction, the client, consultant and the contractor and the main groups. All 3 have their project managers who in most cases does not carry direct liability on his person but his employer which is one of the three main groups. Note that a builder is the same as or a member of staff of a contractor or sub-contractor.

A project failure is investigated in 3 stages i.e approval, design, construction process/materials. At this stage, no one person or group is a suspect.

Approval for building permit and land use is checked at the relevant government agencies. This is to check if the client had fulfilled all laws regarding land use and also to have the approved building drawings which will be compared to as built drawings and existing/failed building. Any infringement here, the client is laible.

Design verification is carried out to make sure the design has passed through correct principles of design and passed minimum specifications. The liability is bored by the structural engineer whose name, signature and seal appears on the drawings. Depending on the type of contract, the engineer may be a staff of either the consultant or the contractor or maybe on his own.

Building use is also investigated to confirm if the approved land use has been adhered to. Building use is also checked to find out if the building has been used for other purposes that would cause the designed ultimate limit state is exceeded. For example if a high rise building was designed for residential purpose and it was converted to a high rise car parking lot, the change in loading pattern could be checked as a cause of failure. If building use is established to be different from the design use or land use, the client is 100% liable.

Lastly, the construction process and materials is tested at this stage. This is more complicated as it requires expertise of the investigating team. Portions of the structural members that have not been destroyed would be tested and material samples will be tested to determine their quality. This is where the builder usually gets caught and some or all responsibility may be shared by the client. The consultants usually easily get themselves out of this faults because we all know most times the client or the contractor have the motive of saving cost for themselves. The consultant has no cost liabilities on this stage so would always want things to be done right.

In the event of a developer, the chief executive and the structural engineer will face liabilities if found wanting.

There's absolutely nothing more to add to this.


@AkinwunmiAmbode #ItesiwajuEko

@ Opalu, I think it's fair to discuss the actors alongside the causes so that everyone involved can take up active roles in curbing the menace.

What do you think?

Seunolad1:
Government needs to orientate the genaral public on how to executes project. E g Building team, follow due process. Many of them need to know it, they rather award their contract to artisans with no construction due process and general supervision. In summary nigerians like cheap things, with the mindset (To engage professionals will be too cost)

Haha! Talking Government. You cannot give what you don't have.


Here's one thing with government. In order to reduce government spending, drive efficiency of delivery, decrease costs and recurring expenditures; government disbanded their design and construction agencies and migrated to the delivery of government projects via tender to the commercial sector.

This looks good in practice but places the government at disadvantage to be the example and model people ought to copy. Even government projects have their pitfalls because the same faulty system still operate.

Very brilliant one einsteino

Absence of Work Supervisors

In the past, the inclusion of a dedicated building services works supervisor (employed separately by the client) to coordinate different trades/workmen was a common practice with the bigger contractors. Some still do it till date.
But, this is no longer the case for the majority of projects, and even more complicated projects. The urge to save every kobo has made inclusion of suitably experienced engineering services supervisors a challenge.

This often lead to issues in coordination of works and a reduction in quality of installations.


Who's Culpable? - The Client, The Developers

tlops:
All of d above!

Everybody has a fair share of the blame. Nice one.

martineverest:
Contractors/structural engineers

Kindly put your reasons.

CharliParker:
I will blame the contractor

Reasons?

Design Time and Cowboy Designers

Over the years, the push for quick designs and shorter training program for CAD Drafting, Modelling and Designs has made many Cowboys designers to make their way into the construction industry.

The introduction of 2D CAD drafting, 3D modelling, computational design software, digital photography and other technology related tools reduced the time required to produce design and documentation. Now, the industry seeks lower cost and shorter delivery times in a sector where functionality and quality is demanded.



Who's To Blame? The Regulatory Bodies, The Government

Restrictive/Outdated Building Codes

This another often overlooked problem of construction industry in Nigeria.

We need new and fresh ideas, new building codes, design standards and more.


Culpable: Government, Regulatory Bodies

Good standard of workmanship

Do we even have a standard here in Nigeria? What I'm familiar with even with the educated pros is "Egun standard", "Ilu Oke standard", "Ghananians." There's barely no acceptable building workmanship standard in this part of the world, everything seems to be good with everyone.

The contractor and the DIY clients has always argued that this is the way they always install, and that no other consultant has disputed this item of work in all of their previous build.

The major architect of this problem is the government. How? With the loss of the government agencies providing an industry benchmark for acceptable quality of works, I believe the level of quality has been allowed to slip to levels where it is now creating significant problems in the building industry.

So, if you ask me "Who is to blame for major construction failures and building collapse happening every now and then in our states?" I'll simply ask you to hold the government responsible for all the challenges.

Remember that you can always replace a door or put new tiles in your house but you can NOT change the structure/foundation of your home; make a wise decision…

Why not substitute materials and equipment?

Today, there's an increase in the availability of cheaper (equivalent or knockoffs) products from lower cost overseas countries, and so the building professionals are increasingly challenged regarding their recommended product selection.

Everyone want it produced at a very CHEAP price.

Although, the use of cheaper products is meant to benefit the client and the greedy contractor (by maximizing profits), it is not always the correct long-term decision for the life of the building.

Many of this substitutes materials and construction practices have led to many ongoing issues, reduced life and increased failures in our building.

Examples include doors/window material selection, piping systems, concrete mix method, shuttering system, roofing material guage, finishes, and many more.

We often compromise on efficient methods and products that are based on industry standard for cheaper alternatives.

Reduction in level of detail

Nowadays, architects, engineers, consultants and designers are increasingly providing a reduced level of design detail in their drawings and relying on skilled contractors to provide a level of finishing design in order to achieve the key design objectives.

It is only in Nigeria that a skilled contractor takes the whole blame. One could only wonder what the professional bodies were doing to preach standards and conformity/strict adherence to it.

Low quality of workmanship (including incorrect measurements, specifications, etc)

Culpable: Project Managers, Builders, Regulatory Bodies (for not paying close attention to what's happening in the building industry), Contractors (greedy ones), Consultants (chasing money instead of standards), Architects (not following up on construction), Clients (trying to save up cost at every stage of work by doing things the other way round).

Building plans changed without owner's consent.

Culpable: Contractor, Builder, Architect, Supervising Consultants, Building Control Agency

FastShipping:
$1,800-$2,500?? I am sure they didn't list the price in dollars.

So go ahead and tell us how much they were listed for in Naira

The prices are not listed but as you already imagine the figures aren't prices you wanna announce on faceless forum like this. Easier said in dollars than nairas.

But if there's anyone in particular that is of interest I can get you the selling price or maybe I forward you the merchant details.

Construction Problem/Building Failure caused by:

- nature, weather condition or unforeseen events
- soil conditions (due to lack of soil test/investigation)
- change of plan/design (due to lack of proper planning during design stage)
- delayed order which put contractors or sub-contractors behind target
- lack of an effective project manager (someone to keep everything happening, in the right order)

Culpable: Project Manger, Client

How?

- Choosing to build in the rainy season could cause serious delay/setback to the project due to incessant and unexpected rain. A good project manager should know when best to build a house and plan the project accordingly.

FastShipping:
They don't look bad but.........

How much are they being sold for?

Between $1.8 and $2.5k plus but they are all going to be discounted.

skelefish:
u are making sense sir.... but should incase of a fresh project for a bungalow, isnt it better to use solid for foundation?

Sure, once you have it available for a new project. It made more sense to use solid blocks instead of filling it up with concrete.

segcymoor:
....and u called this DPC. .
This is just concrete flooring

Thanks for the correction. @ bandwidth, take note.

skelefish:
instead of filling hollow blocks with concrete, which consumes more funds, why dont u builders advise clients to use solid blocks for foundation. i have seen many engineers using 6" hollow blocks for bungalow and filling it with concrete. why not just use 6" solid block and save the money for something else...

Very good point made here. Unfortunately, this will not apply to the situation on ground because the past is robbing on the present. The foundation has already been built with Hollow block even to the level of lintels, theres no way to go back to fix that other than breaking the blocks to fill the hollow space with slurry concrete.

Yeah, it consumes fund but it's better than not doing anything. However, this is optional depending on site condition and the soil property.

Hope I'm making sense here.

ottersberger:
Alternatively, your could consider modifying your titulage proceedure for us slow students sir

Join the class and join a party. We have the PDP and the APC. Join a club. Peace Breakers or Peace Makers, Avengers and Defenders.

Anikkyshaya (the last matriculated student) will give you the Student's Year Book and of course you'll hear from the prefects.

The proprietors message is that you should learn how to swim in murky waters. Shouting is part of learning here!! Otherwise, how many threads on Nairaland ever made 200 pages.

Welcome to the College!

@ olumide4christ, alpontif - Good job you guys are doing.

For soil test, I'll go with Geotechnical Scientists/Engineers. For soil formation and geophysical information of a given area, I'll go with Geologists

If I'm asked to choose one between the two, I'll choose a Geotechnical Engineer over a Geologist because a geologist cannot perform the laboratory tests required to determine bearing capacity of a soil. He can only tell you the properties of soil and the formation of the ground.

agarawu23:
I am learning things from u.

The problem with learning from me is that I'm not a good teacher. You won't know when the lesson start and when it ends because we will be laughing together and my teaching continues even in midst of chaos. No course outline, no introductory lessons... All I want you to see and know is that it is possible!

Most people (even clients) find this style too complicated and times felt I'm too difficult to understand.

If you're lucky to understand my style, you'll make the biggest gain in theory and practicals.

#JustFigureItOut


________
Some smart guys are so smart to know how to use the backdoor to ask questions when they miss some part of the lesson.

agarawu23:
Thanks for sharing.
I like your style
I am learning things from u.

Packaging is the way #kowope

However, there's one more thing. You can only package the truth.

Once again, thanks for the peace deal.