₦airaland Forum

Dominionng:
Only in Nigeria! N7b should build 10units of that 'thing'! And they needed additional N9b? That totals like $63m Will Smith home in Calabasas, California costs $20m(N4.6b) with facilities such as a lake, golf course, basketball and tennis courts and other amenities that made this home a huge one to the extent that it has its own zip

To be fair, Will's home is mostly wood and plywood, with little concrete, which is why they burn so well. The VP's home is entirely concrete and concrete blocks. That alone can double or triple the base price.
All other materials are also likely imported, which will add 50% or more to the base cost.

I agree the contract for the VP's residence is inflated, but just food for thought...

spyder880:
This is a thought provoking post, and I am sure there are alternatives to almost everything made by God in this world. But when it comes to Nigerian architecture, we are almost boxed in by the conventional approach that it will seem that its the only way.

Yes, concrete and all that iron is so heavy and expensive. I did look into the H-beams (the type we use for water tanks) to see if they can be joisted into pockets in the wall, then welded together. I wonder what the cost compared to concrete and iron rods would be.

spyder880:
I am sure you can build a wooden decking, I am certain because I have walked on a wooden deck built by the colonialists in Enugu back in the days. If you want to pioneer this in the mordern day Nigerian scenario, you will have to form a thick skin, refuse to listen to the conventional advice and go all out to seek an alternative to concrete decking. Just remember there will be a lot of obstacles on your way, and the cost comparative to concrete decking? It needs to be seen how much you can save

Yes, I've walked on wooden decking, and I am quite surprised that I haven't seen it in modern buildings. At first I thought it was because of the high humidity and threat of termites, but then again, we use a lot of wood for our roofs. I'll continue to investigate, but of course nobody (including me) wants to be the guinea pig especially if it fails.

spyder880:
But the major problem I see in this is the sustainability of timber supply if more people wants to tow your line, how much more can our timber reserves be cut down to meet this new demand?

Now, metals as another alternative? I am sure there are metal formworks that can replace the use of concrete, but how cheap are they going to be. Your suggestion for the container may work, but I am afraid of the increased risk of electric shocks if there is a broken cable. You will have to spend good money on insulation of all cables. I have seen houses built with containers before.

Read more here..... http://amazingviewpoints..com/

Incidentally, the plan is to use 24V or 12V solar DC throughout this house, without any mains, so the risk of show is low, though there is still a need to insulate properly. We can probably use PVC conduits through the metal, then pull the wire through that... If a 40ft container goes for 400k, and I can get 4 spans out of it, it might be a cost effective alternative... I'll keep you posted on what I find.

erico2k2:
wher I live is wood plus metal,metal for support,wood for decking,Im on the third floor

Is this in Nigeria? Do you have any pictures of the build?

If I had a building whose maximum width or length was about 8-10m, are there alternatives to concrete for the decking? In other words, has anyone used wood and plywood (finished with tiles or something) for the second floor? I've even thought of buying a container or two and cutting the four sides to use as the floor support.

I'm looking for pros and cons, as I'm trying to reduce cost but maintain safety. I haven't seen any building posts on nairaland that don't use concrete decking...

Hi OP,

I have seen some of your posts on Facebook. It might be a good idea to repost some of your favorites here with a little explanation of electricity generated, cost, what they are powering, and any other interesting tidbits.

I really like your strategy of arranging financing for customers as that is our main worry (how to outlay such a huge amount of cash)

I'm interested in a 100% off-grid solution about 1kva for one small 24v dc-only building (no inverter) I'm experimenting with. What kind of cost and payment plan would we be looking at?

Hi OP,

I have seen some of your posts on Facebook. It might be a good idea to repost some of your favorites here with a little explanation of electricity generated, cost, what they are powering, and any other interesting tidbits.

I really like your strategy of arranging financing for customers as that is our main worry (how to outlay such a huge amount of cash)

I'm interested in a 100% off-grid solution about 1kva for one small 24v dc-only building (no inverter) I'm experimenting with. What kind of cost and payment plan would we be looking at?

horbafemie:
My question is simple.....wat apns if d battery run down? is thai any means of charging the battery? sorry am an accountant@@@@if my ? sound odd

Solar stations distributed around the city. Fresh batteries would be charging all day, then when you bring your discharged keke, an attendant will do a quick battery swap for a small fee

Empero1:
One problem we have as a people is that we like to celebrate mediocrity . As far as I am concerned there is nothing to be proud of about this trash .

You do know that most student projects anywhere in the world are crappy versions of the best producible by their environment. It's not really quality-of-finish that matters, as much as it's the process of creating.

Well, I for one don't celebrate mediocrity, but I can recognize raw talent, initiative, and a good idea when I see it. I don't see a crude keke napep, but instead I'm imagining this young lady working to help make electrical keke a reality.

If I was looking for engineers, I would interview her on the basis of this project, not even on academic performance or what's in her resume.

BTW, if anybody knows her, please PM me

Dis bleeshing is too much na... ah ah.

Interesting how America and Europe and their banks will knowingly take and launder illegal money, and only when there's noise will they start pretending to help you look for it...
Meanwhile they've enjoyed the interest, taxes, and employment they've used your money for. Smh

Amazing. Every new design makes me want to change my mind and build that one instead . I must really commend your taste.

One question: does anybody build with steel beams and drywall, or is everything concrete? With our humidity and rain, is it even advisable to build exterior walls out of anything but concrete or brick.

tonychristopher:
you must be a Tom Cruise ardent follower ..grow up this is creeks and swamp even USA lost Vietnam in swamp

Yes, and that was over 30 years ago. Any government and it's agents serious about securing its territory makes best use of the latest available technologies.

You can track cell phones. The cell phone towers know which sim connected where and when. That is how you get calls and text directed to your phone no matter where in the world you are. That metadata is logged and available.

Bugs and spies are known to have been planted by foreign agencies in Nigerian government and business spaces. Nothing Hollywood about that. It's not hard to plant so called "honeypots", so why are we behind the game?

Deploy 20 or so secret service people to keep an eye on ground. Make use of cameras on cellphones. Have the sense to snap a license plate.

Have 3-6 helicopter crews on standby to chase these ruffians.

We have these resources at our disposal, today. And we have professionals in our armed and secret services. Use them.

I'm just suggesting we get serious and start using these readily available techniques to protect our citizens.

So they've started the first phase of terror:
1. steal arms and stockpile them
2. subjugate the local farms and steal food
3. kidnap and use ransom money to buy arms
4. find a sponsor to help buy bigger weapons
5. stockpile food and water supplies in hidden places
6. launch major attack.

This is where intelligence services should start:
1. plant bugs in the weapons and allow these fools to steal them, so we can start tracking them
2. Put secret service in the markets, some posing as traders and farmers, equip with hidden recorders
3. place hidden cameras at entrances of other stations so faces might be recorded
4. subpoena mtn and glo to provide cell phone data on all phones within the vicinity of attack around that time (yes, this is available).
5. track which way those phones went based on which towers they communicated with, and you can deduce a pattern
6. monitor voice and text communications of said phones, including who calls them and who they call
6. spring a trap
7. most importantly don't delay too long, thinking this is a small operation.

This, done quietly and within the constraints of law, will do much more than shouting about "crushing" and reacting to attacks after they happen.

Dollyak:
Oh dear. So something nice is now synonymous with oyinbo people? Beautifying the campus environment isn't that expensive and it shouldn't be exclusive to white people. We need Morden horticultural studies for Agric students.

I agree with you, just wish you'd included this in your initial comment....

Dollyak:
Nigerian buildings and environment are so uninspiring.
Forget about the buildings, this is what a university environment should look like.
https://www.budgettraveladventures.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/Cherry-Blossom-Quad-University-of-Washington.jpg

Na wao! Just forget that we're trying and just slam the efforts of everyone who architected, built, and maintains the campus. No "nice effort, be inspired", just straight up "you suck". Wow.

Anyways, I give the love garden a 6. Dem try sha, but it can definitely be spruced up, like you were saying with appropriate flower beds, etc.

I like the cut grass, the benches, the interlocked tiles, the sculptures, the fact there was no litter, and also the solar street lights. I liked it as I wish more credit would be given considering the resources.

Good. More artiste should emulate this and refuse to attend their yeye "early bird show for those Africans" awards.

Poundo-yam!!! Davido just went up a couple notches in my book for eating it on camera with his defiant countenance!! Awesome. This in itself (minus all the other stuff about guns drugs and girls) is a evolution in projecting our own food and manner of eating it in a positive light to the world. Thank you Davido.

I won't mind having pretty ladies making me pounded yam ad soup everyday.

Technically a country can prosecute its own citizens for breaking its laws, no matter where the citizen is, so it's well within NDLEA's jurisdiction to persecute him, no matter where the video was done. Of course I think they're barking up the wrong tree since the powder is obviously poundo-yam

OP, it would have been more balanced if you showed various representative parts of Aba. If it was all bad, then I'd agree. As it is, we've seen only one part.

There are parts of New York, London, Berlin, Shanghai, Lagos that are as horrid and blighted as this, but the conclusion that these cities were dirty all over would not be accurate.

Just food for thought

Once again, nice designs. Would it be possible to adapt this design for an interesting project:

- 8 rooms student hostel (4 up/down or 6up 2down), each room ensuite shower toilet
- upstairs study lounge
- downstairs sitting room, kitchen, guest toilet
- passive cooling as much as possible (so high ceilings, open areas), see the "haven homes" design for space choice
- 100% solar (no gen, no mains. we'll be installing panels, LED lamps, DC fans, and USB outlets instead of AC)
- roof must be flat: we're planning to plant shrubbery up there to keep house cool, and a fan to draw out hot air
- minimalist design

When Nigerians start preferring "Made in Nigeria" products, we manufacturers will be encouraged to invest in more high tech.

I think one of the best ways to get started in programming is to get an old laptop and put linux on it. Then you could use free tools like gcc to compile simple c programs. You might be able to find a 10 year old computer nobody wants for free

External debt has been held relatively stable, and it is only domestic debt that has grown. This is very good for several reasons:

1. We have better control over the value of naira (vs foreign currencies), so we won't be hit with inflationary pressures
2. Interest will be paid to Nigerian investors who are wisely growing the domestic economy, not the economies of the West.
3. This indicates a growing confidence in the Federal and state governments' ability to repay
4. From what I can gather, most of these are bonds for infrastructure

These are actually the things that developed countries do. No large developed country is without a large government debt, sometimes up to 2x GDP. As long as the debt is used to boost the economy (primarily for building infrastructure and education, and not for paying salaries or presidential jets), this is a good sign, especially since it's mostly domestic

So this dude never changes his shirt? I'm just sayin... He's worn that same shirt in all the pictures...

Nice story, but unfortunately, this experiment never happened: https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/games-primates-play/201203/what-monkeys-can-teach-us-about-human-behavior-facts-fiction

"Fond of you"... Maybe Mr Utomi has his blinders on, but behind every joke is a kernel of truth... I'm not trying to be paranoid, but as a wise man (Andy Grove of Intel) once said "only the paranoid survive"

What's so sad is how easily he can say that to people who have also worked so hard to make Lagos what it is. Even if the threat is not real, as they say... "Out of the abundance of the heart speaks the mouth" and this makes me feel that, indeed, no matter what, no matter how long we've lived in harmony, or how much we've contributed, we remain unwanted guests.

nzeadachie:
WHO IS HIM? WHICH PROBLEM? MARK MY WORD THE MAN WILL DIE IF HE TRY ANY NONSENSE

I think this Oba just made my mind up for me. You can now also cross out Lagos from my list of places to build a factory. If all it takes for me to lose everything is someone stirring up hatred against me, why should I consider staying there? Can't wait until we develop our land, then we'll happily stay away.

So you're telling me that the leadership of the community could not instruct their young men to dig a bore hole, well, or shallow reservoir in their community? Nobody can make those earthenware pots of old days? Nobody can make a simple sand filter? These are technologies from 1000 years ago and still nobody has bothered to do so in their own community?

The real shame is that people have adopted this "government must help us because we stopped being able to do anything for ourselves" attitude.

God bless GEJ for strengthening our democratic institutions. The fact that helicopters hovered protectively over displaced voters is one (of many) testaments to his commitment to Nigeria.

God bless GMB for his persistence, and with the mandate of Nigeria, lead us further into the promised land.

God bless Nigerians for their patience, resilience, and determination. Let us all accept the results, and keep working together for our greater good!

So out of 170 million people, we have 63 on some naughty list. How is this any kind of news?

Instead of concrete blocks for inside walls, we're seriously considering partitions, like the types done, again, by Dominionng:
https://www.nairaland.com/2113514/false-ceiling-galvanized-steel-cladding

I like these ceiling designs from Dominionng. These could be used for reception area and conference room, if not for the entire second floor.
https://www.nairaland.com/2197717/nairalanders-ceiling-designs
https://www.nairaland.com/2156491/latest-ceiling-designs-nairalanders