₦airaland Forum

DeLaRue:
That No.2 point is a double edged sword.

Yes cement blocks help to reduce the direct effect of heat during the day, but the pain comes in the evening and night when it releases all the absorbed heat back into the house.

I think by now we should have found an alternative to cement blocks that is more suited to our local environmental conditions.

How come old mud houses don't get as hot as modern cement block houses.

Oyinbo man introduced cement blocks, we immediately dumped our own local approach that worked well. Smh

With all the professors with big big titles that are in Nigerian universities, we still can't find a way to adapt mud technology to build modern houses.

They didn't consider the fact OYINBO weather dey different from ours.

God will provide

That's not really true. Most walls are not load bearing. Transfer beams bear the slab load which then transfers it to the pillars and then to the footings and finally to the soil below. That being said a 9inch block is good because it will give ur beams more width. If u must use 9in blocks use it for ground floor and then 6 in hollow blocks for top floor so as to reduce dead load on building.

C2Ok:
I still Dey wonder how and why oyibo still dey use wood build houses that end up looking prettier than block houses

The postwar rise of suburbs and single-family homes. It's cheap, fast to build, and sturdy enough. It lets almost any company, even small businesses, put up a whole house in a few months for like $30K. Years ago, they were building them for even cheaper than that.

They look pretty because you have a ton of different industries supporting that and making it cheap. And there was also a design standard/expectation set by the country houses of rich and upper class people of other eras. Many of them don't really look that amazing though.

ETA:

Because the dimensions of wood products change with fluctuation in relative humidity, kiln drying becomes one of the most important processes for the efficient use of wood products. Proper machining, gluing and finishing of wood are not possible until moisture content is reduced to an appropriate amount.

Other advantages of drying include weight reduction, increased strength properties and more resistance to biological deterioration due to fungi and insects.

The kiln process involves the drying of wood in a chamber where air circulation, relative humidity and temperature can be controlled so that the moisture content of wood can be reduced to a target point without having any drying defects.

The most commonly used kilns are conventional and dehumidification kilns. Vacuum and solar kilns also are used for special applications and conditions.

Nowadays, after the basement and ground zero, only the external walls are made of bricks. Most of the inner walls/partitions are done with top grade, sound-proofed HDB (high density board). The only exception being the toilet.

Two of the high rises I lived in and even my office buildings, the innner walls were all hard boards and you wouldn't know after finishing.

This drastically reduces the crazy weights placed on the structure by blocks. Nigeria is still using blocks for internal walls. Little wonder buildings crumble like a pack of cards. All that weight is unnecessary.

C2Ok:
I still Dey wonder how and why oyibo still dey use wood build houses that end up looking prettier than block houses

go use wood build house for naija here! If your house no turn to headquarters of thefting

I don't understand that no. 3. Can the least inch block allow sound to penetrate

C2Ok:
I still Dey wonder how and why oyibo still dey use wood build houses that end up looking prettier than block houses

Earthquakes. Better to have woodwork fall on you than concrete.

jaxxy:
what other options are being used instead of the 9inch block that are supposedly not as good?

6 inch block.

All this doesn't make any sense to me .
Still looking for a good engineer that can build a house with a Red mud that is very well processed & compressed.

Resula:
Life's is really hard, going through the hardest moment of my life. I really need assistance no matter how small, If you help consider yourself saving a soul, I will be so grateful.The effect of my starving has affect my kids health, pls assist me, God bless you more.

Shame Shame Shame on you bro. No body will give you Shishi for here. U are a notorious Scammer! Get a life and go and hustle. Even if na Agbero u dey do, u go see money. All na Hustle. U have turned urself into a Social miscreant begging like a common thief in Nairaland. Scammer!

C2Ok:
I still Dey wonder how and why oyibo still dey use wood build houses that end up looking prettier than block houses

They have plenty trees and vibrant wood industries. They want to keep their industries alive.
We have nothing here.
No wood, no industry, no petrol, no jobs

EndBuhariNow:
They no teach u for school say nah pillars dey carry deck .. blocks are there to cover spaces... Most of the high-rise here abroad the walls are fibers not even this Ur 9inch or what... As far the foundation are solid and the deck are well structured if U like use paper bags or dangote cement bags the building go stand

Perfect analysis. Our current place abroad is duplex made of wood

Na block dey bear the load of the duplex wey you dey build abi na the pillars.

EndBuhariNow:
They no teach u for school say nah pillars dey carry deck .. blocks are there to cover spaces... Most of the high-rise here abroad the walls are fibers not even this Ur 9inch or what... As far the foundation are solid and the deck are well structured if U like use paper bags or dangote cement bags the building go stand

Gid bless you brother. Maybe na block dey carry the load of the duplex wey he dey build. Instead of him to say 9 inches blocks are good so it flushes with the pillars

ComeToJesus:
Nowadays, after the basement and ground zero, only the external walls are made of bricks. Most of the inner walls/partitions are done with top grade, sound-proofed HDB (high density board). The only exception being the toilet.

Two of the high rises I lived in and even my office buildings, the innner walls were all hard boards and you wouldn't know after finishing.

This drastically reduces the crazy weights placed on the structure by blocks. Nigeria is still using blocks for internal walls. Little wonder buildings crumble like a pack of cards. All that weight is unnecessary.

I work in a company that does Value Engineering. That means our Engineering team does all the structural calculations to the very last decimal point. And we have never recommended HDF or HDB to any client.

For over three years I've been seeing your comments it doesn't go beyond "Noted",

bigdammyj:
Noted.

yesloaded:
I see no reason why someone will use 6 hollow block to build house even if it's bungalow

What of 5inches solid?

CORRECTMAN78:
What of 5inches solid?

Solid is better

Some bllock maker now use much sand on cement than before

Hello Engr,
My uncle used solid blocks to build his house, though he can't continue to first floor for now and stopped as bungalow.

What do you have to say about use of solid blocks in buildings construction?

Money Is Really Good

uuzba:
I work in a company that does Value Engineering. That means our Engineering team does all the structural calculations to the very last decimal point. And we have never recommended HDF or HDB to any client.

That's your own company and you might have your reasons. It is a widely acceptable and standardised practice where I live and they are even done by the frontline construction companies here with consultancy services sourced from top grade firms across Europe and Asia.

You are building 25 to 30 floor and piling so much unnecessary weight. For what reason?

The quality or size of blocks doesn't contribute anything to the strength of duplex as the load is being carried by the columns and beams,
The blocks itself is seen as a load.

Dearlord:
All this doesn't make any sense to me .
Still looking for a good engineer that can build a house with a Red mud that is very well processed & compressed.

Bricks already exist for this sole purpose if you don't mind the cost.
Decorative, lightweight, temperature control

Education you wrote?
9 inches solid vibrated block
Or
9 inches hollow block
Which one re you writing about? Just asking.

DeLaRue:
How come old mud houses don't get as hot as modern cement block houses.

Oyinbo man introduced cement blocks, we immediately dumped our own local approach that worked well. Smh

With all the professors with big big titles that are in Nigerian universities, we still can't find a way to adapt mud technology to build modern houses.

Mud houses tend to disintegrate rapidly around 10+years even though it is cheaper than cement.
However, people who are interested in mud for building can go for baked bricks.
It is more expensive but last longer than cement.

No need to bash professors(who are primarily researchers, not inventors) for not reinventing the wheel.

Bullsheeet! Total rubbish! 6inches blocks are also as good. It is just that you would need more of a 6inches. Dat's all!

Calitoscassius:
Bullsheeet! Total rubbish! 6inches blocks are also as good. It is just that you would need more of a 6inches. Dat's all!

No! You use the same number of blocks.

Both 6" and 9" block have equal length and height only difference is the width.

Khastro:
Hello Engr,
My uncle used solid blocks to build his house, though he can't continue to first floor for now and stopped as bungalow.

What do you have to say about use of solid blocks in buildings construction?

All block types are SOLID, you try to say non-hollow block.

Since the structure is spanning to first floor but still at ground floor, then you don't have issue with the block used EXCEPT you discovered there was no COLUMNS introduced to support the above load.

Are there columns with reinforcement in the uncompleted structure?

Emusan:
No! You use the same number of blocks.

Both 6" and 9" block have equal length and height only difference is the width.

Well.. then! 6 inches are also as good to build any kinda house.

You use the blocks you can afford or you like.

I used 6 inches for an upstair house