₦airaland Forum

Yes but depends on the family. Some family are not worth doing anything for as they have imbibed in their heart seeds of bitterness and envy. There are cases of blood siblings struggling over either land or house which ends either harm or death to one of them. You better off acquiring a house in some african country which has more benefits.


Regarding the house, having a zinc is no for me, nigeria is way too hot to have a zinc. Add proper ventillation and lots of trees which help deter snoopy outsiders.

Midex88:
This is true and it has solid explanations in building science, materials behavior, and maintenance dynamics.
houses are designed to be lived in. When they aren’t, small protective processes stop, and deterioration accelerates.

Here’s why

1. Moisture is no longer controlled
Humans unintentionally manage moisture in a house.

When a house is occupied:
• Heating and cooking dry the air
• Windows get opened occasionally
• Bathrooms and kitchens get used (and ventilated)
• Small leaks are noticed early

When a house is empty:
• Humidity builds up
• Condensation forms on walls, ceilings, and pipes
• Mould, mildew, and rot start developing
• Wood swells, warps, or decays
• Metal parts corrode

Moisture is the number one enemy of buildings.


2. Temperature swings stress materials because Occupied homes have relatively stable temperatures.

Empty homes:
• Get very cold at night and very hot during the day
• Experience repeated expansion and contraction

This causes:
• Cracks in walls and ceilings
• Tile grout failure
• Paint peeling
• Sealants drying and splitting

Over time, these micro-failures add up.


3. Plumbing systems degrade when unused as Water systems are meant to move.

When water sits:
• Sediment settles in pipes
• Seals dry out
• Traps evaporate, letting sewer gases in
• Rubber components harden and crack

You often don’t notice until water is turned back on—and then leaks appear everywhere.


4. Electrical and mechanical systems stagnate

Unused systems fail faster than lightly used ones.

Examples:
• Contacts corrode
• Circuit breakers stiffen
• Fans seize
• Pumps fail due to inactivity

Regular use actually keeps these systems healthy.


5. Pests take over
Humans deter pests just by being present.

An empty house:
• Attracts rodents, termites, ants, and insects
• Becomes nesting ground for birds or bats
• Suffers unseen damage to wiring, insulation, and wood

Once pests settle, damage accelerates rapidly.


6. Small problems go unnoticed and become big ones
This is critical.

In an occupied house:
• A small leak is fixed
• A crack is sealed
• A blocked drain is cleared

In an empty house:
• A minor issue can run for months
• Water damage spreads
• Structural elements weaken
Buildings don’t usually “collapse suddenly”—they decay quietly.

7. Houses are systems, not static objects
A house is like a living system:
• It “breathes”
• It responds to use
• It relies on feedback (human attention). Remove the feedback loop, and entropy takes over.

This is why people say:
“A house that isn’t lived in starts to die.”
It’s not mystical—it’s physics, chemistry, biology, and neglect combined.


In summary

A house deteriorates when empty because:
• Moisture accumulates
• Temperature fluctuates
• Systems dry out or corrode
• Pests invade
• Minor issues become major damage

Human presence acts as maintenance.

See this one dey feel smart on top AI copy and paste. Abeg abeg abeg 👎

Meteng:
Thank you for this. It really made sense to me

Thanks to AI

HacheNoire:
Your explanation is very logical. Thanks!

AI tinz

Gerrard59:
Nigerians are largely very dishonest people, most especially the so-called construction workers/contractors. Some professions are highly prone to being filled with liars.

I now understand why Nigeria iis cursed with the kinds of kleptocratic leadership it has. THE AVERAGE NIGERN IS A THIEF!

I caught my brother and cousin hiking prices on several occasions. The matter was solved when I discovered I could go in youtube to find vendors with established prices.

I stopped buying materials locally and went to other vendors outside town. The transportation costs were nothing compared to the under-hand stealing going on with all the collusion.

Big shout out to:


Edo CBC market blog.🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉

If I wanted any product, I went online and compared prices. THEN I SENT MY BROTHER AND COUSIN TO THE STORES I HAVE CHOSEN ONLY!✅

This made it difficult for them to collude to inflate prices. What was happening was that my so-called relatives were charging vendors 10-15% of the materials bought. Do I started sending them to vendors they did not know.👍🏽👍🏽👍🏽

stuffs2002:
Are you sure those your village "engineers" are not leading you I to the bush?

I have a bachelors degree and two masters in engineering with years of experience in engineering and I am laughing at you over this post.

Maybe. In future, I may consider the borehole project. The well is working very well at the moment. We have a maintenances routine every year to re-dig and the water is extremely clean. So far, so good.👍🏽

Omayie:
If you don’t have wayward siblings “pardon the words” , with good documentation and witnesses involving at least 4 of the below mentioned such as Elders Council, Village Traditional Ruler, Chiefs, Youth Leaders, Government Bodies amongst others you are goood on this. Other than the above mentioned you just did a Family Social Responsibility FSR

My siblings are pretty chill. Push come to shove, I share the property with them or let them have it. I just wanted the opportunity to renovate it without opposition. Everyone is welcome to stay on the property if so desired. My father never wrote a will. It is nobody’s house really. It is just “that first son” mentality that usually prevails in such issues. My experience is that some “first sons” are major nuisances.

stuffs2002:
As a COREN and international registered engineer, I will tell you that you are your own biggest problem.

Why didn't you get qualified people to work with your brother and cousin but you opted to work with village people who will give you village standards

At the beginning I trusted my relatives to find the qualified contractors. I was naive of course, After that, I got wiser. I did not pay for any unsatisfactory work. I did a video call EVERY MORNING, AFTERNOON AND EVENING.

I paid my relatives salary every month to stay and supervise the project. I did not work with “village people”. The contractors were skilled artisans because people were building houses all over thr area. You must use the locals to cut your costs. I started asking for video proofs of previous works.

Most importantly, every contractor was required to do A DEMO before being awarded the contract. If I was not satisfied with the job, i did not pay. Simple.👍🏽

descarado:
Kanwulia, you do well o. Look at how the house turned out.
Keep some area for gardening. I love me some small farm work.
Well done.

If the land is so big, you can build something and put tenant in so the house can be lively.

Thanks.
Your sre so right. I can’t stand “concrete jungle “. I must have some greenery. Planting season is around the corner. Will use the raining season that advantage, Just like we have in our other properties. Maintenance is a problem though. I have seen where some people plant trees and flowers, then fail to maintain them.

Yes o. Will start construction of the new phase next year. Lemme recover from this one first. I did not sleep properly for 1 year doing video calls and checking on THIEVES!

I saved some areas for greenery. Like our other home has mango, banana, paw-paw, orange, bitter-leaf, plantain, coconut trees and many more. Thr compound has over 40 people living inside with many children. Lots of fresh fruits and vegetables. The compound is always well-maintained.

I wanted to do the same concept in our other village home. All green to the sides and back only. So we can save the frontal view for “parties” .

louqas:
Many city people simply relocate the grave back to their village so the property can be sold
But since this :Dis in the village, e go hard to sell, except you cut out the part with the grave and sell the remaining empty land

This is a village property. The grave is already in the village. I can only level it or move it to a cemetery. Not ready to disturb Papa’s remains o.


Besides the grave remains a masterpiece from over 30 years ago. I love chilling on it day or night talking to Papa.💛

NothingDoMe:
Well done. Truly this is more than "extra"

Yes o. At least to make them happy. They are welcome to stay anytime. I just did not want the place looking rough. God willing, we can still enjoy the place for many more years to come. It is so peaceful.👍🏽 I never liked “city life”.

Solar street lights already installed. Road and drainage already installed too. I am always at peace when I visit. I would rather spend time here than in any city in Nigeria. On NETFLIX or READING all day. I don’t need noise or pollution. Had enough. The best part? NO SMELL!!!🙏🏾

I love the sounds of cocks crowing, or goats bleating. I love to grow tomatoes and vegetables. Very country at heart.😎😎😎

Project #1. Fence reconstruction and plastering-Done.👍🏽This project exposed MY COUSIN as the first crook encountered. He tried to use me to “cash out” of his poverty-stricken lives.

Project #2. The flooring of the entire compound and gutter installation. Due to erosion problems. I had to do some land-scaping to channel water away from the middle of the compound.

I had 4 options for flooring.
1. Stamp flooring
2. Interlocking
3, German flooring
4. Cement tiling.

My neighbor had the German-floor concept and ii looked good. But too much of a concrete jungle! No greenery.❌

When I saw these kinds of houses in my village, I knew I had to do something about my father’s house. ✅

This DUDE did not plant ONE SINGLE GREEN PLANT IN HIS COMPOUND!😱

Back to the “flooring matter”!
I GOT 7 ESTIMATES!!! All I kept hearing was “MILLIONS AND MILLIONS”!!!🙆🏾‍♀️🙆🏾‍♀️🙆🏾‍♀️😱😱😱

I compared the full-contract(contractors handle every thing”) vs half-contracts(you provide your own materials).

The full-contracts were very convenient but more expensive.

I ALWAYS go for half-contracts, so I can guarantee the quality of materials and products. Contractors will cut corners and give you inferior materials to compromise the quality if your work, while maximizing their profit margins at your expense.

Looked at stamp flooring! Jeeeeeeeez!!! Some colors were FRIGHTENING.

Na wetin be all these?

From “concrete jungle” to “ “plastic jungle”!

God forbid devil vomit. Chai!!!!

Then I looked at cement tiles.
Problem? Getting the kind of molds for the tiles and the number of molding pans. I had to go to Ibadan or Onitsha to BUY OVER 500 molding pans. What would I do with them when I finished the work?

No contractor kept the kind or number of cement mold tiles I wanted. They stated they would lose money if they stored such large quantities of molds and because those have to be ordered specially. This was not possible. Buying ready-made tiles was too expensive. About N6,000-N10,000 per box of 6-12?

Cost of transportation would be expensive for these bulky items.

My proposed coverage area was about 1,600 Sq Meters.

Final choice was based on cost of maintenance. It was a village property, so it had to be easily maintained.

I opted for the DOUBLE-T INTERLOCKING STONE CONCEPT. I also needed kerbs.

I finally found an outside contractor to provide both the double-t and kerb mold pans.

Wotowotoman:
See this one dey feel smart on top AI copy and paste. Abeg abeg abeg 👎

Grow up.

Finally, I got a contractor from Delta state recommended by my dear brother,
When the contractor started mentioning “God” and “Jesus”, I knew I was dealing with a “born-again CRIMINAL”! I was gonna have fun with this one for sure.

Mr.E was to provide all the mold pans while provided free accommodation for his 6-man crew.
RERUSLS
The good thing about getting out-of-town workers is they cannot leave till they finish their work.

I pretended I was going to give Mr. E the full contract to provide the sand, gravel, cement and other items needed. Guess what? His workmanship or labor fee was reduced because he planned to STEAL FROM OVER-INFLATED COST OF MATERIALS.

When I received the estimates I decided to buy my own materials and pay for labor costs only. Mr.E was not happy. This meant he would have to WORK BEFORE GETTING PAID. No side-hustle of stealing money from materials. The stealing from the materials was more lucrative than the money from the workmanship.


Another contractor from Delta state was so angry he came all the way to Edo state to get measurements and ended up not getting the job. He said I must pay him N200,000 for wasting his time. I prevented him from getting other jobs.

Kanwulia:
I now understand why Nigeria iis cursed with the kinds of kleptocratic leadership it has. THE AVERAGE NIGERN IS A THIEF!

I caught my brother and cousin hiking prices on several occasions. The matter was solved when I discovered I could go in youtube to find vendors with established prices.

I stopped buying materials locally and went to other vendors outside town. The transportation costs were nothing compared to the under-hand stealing going on with all the collusion.

Big shout out to:


Edo CBC market blog.🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉

If I wanted any product, I went online and compared prices. THEN I SENT MY BROTHER AND COUSIN TO THE STORES I HAVE CHOSEN ONLY!✅

This made it difficult for them to collude to inflate prices. What was happening was that my so-called relatives were charging vendors 10-15% of the materials bought. Do I started sending them to vendors they did not know.👍🏽👍🏽👍🏽

Everything you stated is true. I know what my mom experienced when she was building hers. A lot of Nigerians are just too dishonest, and the same people pontificate how religious or "Godly" they are, whereas they are criminals.

Anything construction and logistics, I no dey participate inside.

Kanwulia:
:-XFinally, I got a contractor from Delta state recommended by my dear brother,
When the contractor started mentioning “God” and “Jesus”, I knew I was dealing with a “born-again CRIMINAL”! I was gonna have fun with this one for sure.

Mr.E was to provide all the mold pans while provided free accommodation for his 6-man crew.
RERUSLS
The good thing about getting out-of-town workers is they cannot leave till they finish their work.

I pretended I was going to give Mr. E the full contract to provide the sand, gravel, cement and other items needed. Guess what? His workmanship or labor fee was reduced because he planned to STEAL FROM OVER-INFLATED COST OF MATERIALS.

I forgot to mention that aspect. Whenever you hear or read a Nigerian mention "God", "Jesus" and "I am a child of God" during ANY financial transaction, automatically label the person as a criminal. No ifs or buts. The moment they infuse religion, forget it, they are thieves.

Gerrard59:
I forgot to mention that aspect. Whenever you hear or read a Nigerian mention "God", "Jesus" and "I am a child of God" during ANY financial transaction, automatically label the person as a criminal. No ifs or buts. The moment they infuse religion, forget it, they are thieves.

Exactly! BIG TIME CRIMINALS!
One even showed me a video while worshipping in his “Winners’ Church” abi na Shrine. I just laughed within myself. All it told me is TO BE VIGILANT. You should let the quality of your work speak for you , instead of bringing your religious beliefs into the negotiations. Extremely disgusting.

Gerrard59:
Everything you stated is true. I know what my mom experienced when she was building hers. A lot of Nigerians are just too dishonest, and the same people pontificate how religious or "Godly" they are, whereas they are criminals.

Anything construction and logistics, I no dey participate inside.

If you want to build anything property in the future, you will have to deal with them. If you live abroad, they think you are stupid.

Estimate for initial landscaping?
Notice the contractor made the cost of labor = the cost of materials BECAUSE HE WAS NOT GOING TO BUY THE MATERIALS HIMSELF.

This particular contractor was the least expensive. Come to find out he brought down his price so he could out-bid all other contractors. He knew after he arrived and started work, WE WOULD BE STUCK WITH EACH OTHER. . . So he could hold me to ransom. Good news? I could play the game too.

Payments:
1. N300K - Mobilization fee
2. N500K - For transportation of molding pans.

Instead of loading the transportation van with all thr materials, THE WHOLE CREW AND MY BROTHER DECIDED TO TRAVEL WITH THE MATERIALS TO AVOID PAYING TRANSPORTATION FARES FROM DELTA TO EDO STATE.😱

That meant all the materials did not arrive and I had to pay TWICE to transport the materials left behind.

While we waited for the second batch of molding materials, we started landscaping.

First mistake?
The contractor’s measurements were wrong.
I had 3 other estimates with measurements to compare.

See the price this criminal charged me for DPM?
850KG!!!! When I made inquiries, the sellers were asking me if I WAS PLAYING TO BUILD A CHURCH? They stated the quantity was waaaaaay too excessive for what I described to them.

I ONLY NEEDED 250KG OF DPM NOT 850KG!
Make una com see “CHILD OF GOD” oooooo.
Dude was gonna make a cool N500K on this DPM supplies.

He inflated the price for EVERYTHING. Bottom line I sent my brother to buy all the supplies and we transported them to Edo State.

Meaning? The thieving contractor wanted to use me to acquire products he can use to finance other projects! I now understood another method how contractors rip people off!

OMO? If you are too LAZZZZZZY to personally supervise ANY project in Nigeria or anywhere in this world, YOU ARE SCREWED.

Yes o! I saved EVERY RECEIPT and I made videos of EVERYTHING. The contractor’s was soooooo mad. He complained I was videotaping and asking too many questions.

Gerrard59:
I forgot to mention that aspect. Whenever you hear or read a Nigerian mention "God", "Jesus" and "I am a child of God" during ANY financial transaction, automatically label the person as a criminal. No ifs or buts. The moment they infuse religion, forget it, they are thieves.

what of when you see receipts with to God be the glory or God is the super master

Fast forward- Landscaping completed.
Instead of 11 trips the contractor estimated, I HAD TO BUY 29 trips. Na so contractor begin order sand o. Only because he was not going to be the “supplier”! Just to make me spend money.

Whatever he asked for more sand, I supplied it.
He stated he “underestimated” the unevenness of the landscape.

We only needed filling sand at this point. We opted for laterite sand.


Na so we begin buy sand oooooo.
I thought we will never finish.🤷🏾‍♀️🤷🏾‍♀️🤷🏾‍♀️

Kanwulia:
Estimate for initial landscaping?
Notice the contractor made the cost of labor = the cost of materials BECAUSE HE WAS NOT GOING TO BUY THE MATERIALS HIMSELF.

This particular contractor was the least expensive. Come to find out he brought down his price so he could out-bid all other contractors. He knew after he arrived and started work, WE WOULD BE STUCK WITH EACH OTHER. . . So he could hold me to ransom. Good news? I could play the game too.

Payments:
1. N300K - Mobilization fee
2. N500K - For transportation of molding pans.

Instead of loading the transportation van with all thr materials, THE WHOLE CREW AND MY BROTHER DECIDED TO TRAVEL WITH THE MATERIALS TO AVOID PAYING TRANSPORTATION FARES FROM DELTA TO EDO STATE.😱

That meant all the materials did not arrive and I had to pay TWICE to transport the materials left behind.

While we waited for the second batch of molding materials, we started landscaping.

This your brother tried o. Does he have a job and family? Cos omo no be everybody go leave everything wey he dey do to embark on this journey when he has nothing to gain. Hope say you compensate the guy well sha

Wotowotoman:
This your brother tried o.

Does he have a job and family? Cos omo no be everybody go leave everything wey he dey do to embark on this journey when he has nothing to gain. Hope say you compensate the guy well sha

He tried gaaaan!
He is not married and unemployed. He said he can only get married if DNA tests confirmed we have the same father. My father refused to accept paternity before he died . So we did a DNA and confirmed he was 99.9999999% BONAFIDE! ✅✅✅ This was the main reason I wanted to renovate the village property. The only legacy left to give to him as compensation for being neglected and to atone for my father’s recklessness.🍷🍷🍷

He is the SOLE BENEFICIARY of that house(I did not tell my other siblings sha).


Thank God. My cousin on the other hand is married, though and had to go home from time to time. But I was paying them N400K - N500K per month. Na beans? Doctors in Nigeria did not earn that much.

PROBLEM? He was innocent initially, but then became the BIGGEST THIEF in the end after learning from THE BEST!🙄🙄🙄

But he saved me from that rogue-ish interlocking contractor.

Meet my baby brother,😍OLEEEEEE!!!!
We look alke abi?😎

Kaczynski:
Yes but depends on the family. Some family are not worth doing anything for as they have imbibed in their heart seeds of bitterness and envy. There are cases of blood siblings struggling over either land or house which ends either harm or death to one of them. You better off acquiring a house in some african country which has more benefits.


Regarding the house, having a zinc is no for me, nigeria is way too hot to have a zinc. Add proper ventillation and lots of trees which help deter snoopy outsiders.

I don’t have these kinds of issues with my siblings.
You forget this house was built over 30 years ago. I was not going to replace the roof o. We go manage am like that.👍🏽

This house is so well-ventilated with MANY WINDOWSand roof was replaced about 10 years ago? I patched some leaking areas. The ceiling was reinforced with POP instead of ceiling boards. My brother can change the roof if he so pleases. I have done enough. My other siblings are not interested in the village house. Remember I settled them with N20m? They don’t even ask me about the house anymore.🌹They have other properties to concentrate on.

This house is a gift to my step brother. I will not dream of owning ANY property except the one I live in. I will enjoy ALL my money while I am alive. Not interested in ANY PROPERTY IN NIGERIA especially. I don’t want any complications after my departure from this world. I have learned from my parents’ mistakes.👍🏽

DO NOT LEAVE PROPERTY FOR ANY CHILD OR RELATIVES. Give them money instead.✅

Kanwulia:
This house is a gift to my step brother. I will not dream of owning ANY property except the one I live in. I will enjoy ALL my money while I am alive. Not interested in ANY PROPERTY IN NIGERIA especially. I don’t want any complications after my departure from this world. I have learned from my parents’ mistakes.👍🏽

DO NOT LEAVE PROPERTY FOR ANY CHILD OR RELATIVES. Give them money instead.✅

😂😂😂😂😂
I am not weird after all.