For the past months I have been gradually buying and stacking up vibrated blocks for the next phase. My target is 5,300 blocks, so far I've bought 3,500 (1,800 more to go).

More blocks

My neighbours newly built wall. Lots of other land owners are popping up around my plot to start work in their sites during this sunny season.

LondonCool:
My neighbours newly built wall. Lots of other land owners are popping up around my plot to start work in their sites during this sunny season.

Welldone and longest time

segzy14:


Welldone and longest time

Segzy14

Greetings and Happy New Year! How's Madam? How's business ? I believe all is well.

LondonCool:


Segzy14

Greetings and Happy New Year! How's Madam? How's business ? I believe all is well.

Madam, biz and all is well.

Good to see the work is moving.. Are the blocks Hand mould or vibrated mould?
Cos I am sensing the block was moulded on site from the pics you uploaded..
God will see you through..

LondonCool:
For the past months I have been gradually buying and stacking up vibrated blocks for the next phase. My target is 5,300 blocks, so far I've bought 3,500 (1,800 more to go).

Kindly, is there a reason for gradually buying vibrated blocks, instead of moulding them?
I ask this because, since you have the time, and you are getting the blocks in stages, wouldn't it have been better to mould the blocks onsite instead?

whirlwind7:


Kindly, is there a reason for gradually buying vibrated blocks, instead of moulding them?
I ask this because, since you have the time, and you are getting the blocks in stages, wouldn't it have been better to mould the blocks onsite instead?

Thanks for asking. There are 2 reasons behind my decision. Firstly, I changed from moulding blocks on site to buying them because the Project Financing had changed. Previously, I had bulk funds where I could easily send N500,000 to N1m per time, it made it easier for the whole blocks required for the foundation to be moulded on site in one big batch. Now, my funding is limited to my monthly salary which has made me to change my mode to buying the block in batches.

Second, there is an abandoned SSS Training School site close to my plot where the contractors haven't been paid since PMB resumed. They've got lots of vibrated blocks on site that they decided to sell at big discounts in order to get part of their money back, so I decided to take advantage of the deal.

It suits me. I send money. The blocks get delivered and stacked up. No drama about buying cement, sand, water, counting cement bags, paying daily wages, argument with foreman, etc.

micgray100:
Good to see the work is moving.. Are the blocks Hand mould or vibrated mould?
Cos I am sensing the block was moulded on site from the pics you uploaded..
God will see you through..

They are vibrated mould blocks. I do also have left over hand mould blocks too on site.

LondonCool:


Thanks for asking. There are 2 reasons behind my decision. Firstly, I changed from moulding blocks on site to buying them because the Project Financing had changed. Previously, I had bulk funds where I could easily send N500,000 to N1m per time, it made it easier for the whole blocks required for the foundation to be moulded on site in one big batch. Now, my funding is limited to my monthly salary which has made me to change my mode to buying the block in batches.

Second, there is an abandoned SSS Training School site close to my plot where the contractors haven't been paid since PMB resumed. They've got lots of vibrated blocks on site that they decided to sell at big discounts in order to get part of their money back, so I decided to take advantage of the deal.

It suits me. I send money. The blocks get delivered and stacked up. No drama about buying cement, sand, water, counting cement bags, paying daily wages, argument with foreman, etc.

Slow and steady wins the race Sir.

Good solid job.

LondonCool:


Thanks for asking. There are 2 reasons behind my decision. Firstly, I changed from moulding blocks on site to buying them because the Project Financing had changed. Previously, I had bulk funds where I could easily send N500,000 to N1m per time, it made it easier for the whole blocks required for the foundation to be moulded on site in one big batch. Now, my funding is limited to my monthly salary which has made me to change my mode to buying the block in batches.

Second, there is an abandoned SSS Training School site close to my plot where the contractors haven't been paid since PMB resumed. They've got lots of vibrated blocks on site that they decided to sell at big discounts in order to get part of their money back, so I decided to take advantage of the deal.

It suits me. I send money. The blocks get delivered and stacked up. No drama about buying cement, sand, water, counting cement bags, paying daily wages, argument with foreman, etc.

Good job bros take your time, God will help thru. This is the different between honest earner and others that do unspeakable things just to take money back to Naija. Stay blessed.

Good job sir and surely your expectation shall not be cut off and l wish you spped for completion

Well done LondonCool, God will continue to give you the strength to keep putting-in the shift past successfull completion of this project. I have to keep an eye on your strategies for I have observed that your installment by stage purchase and building pattern are very similar to the road I'm travelling for my project. Surely 1993 event will never repeat itself. Not with bunch of experienced guys out here readily willing to advice when given the opportunity.
Welldone bruv!

Bros how go dey go for that side?

I wish you Godzspeed!

3strikes

LondonCool:

good job sir. We shall all see the end of the project.

What happened in 1976?

Well done sir more grease

LondonCool:
For the past months I have been gradually buying and stacking up vibrated blocks for the next phase. My target is 5,300 blocks, so far I've bought 3,500 (1,800 more to go).

Bros is this the amount of blocks u need 4 d lower floor of d house alone? Seems much. Or does it include d penthouse blocks? Weldone

Was the depth of excavation/blinding thickness and mix/rod sizes for reinforcements for the bungalow area the same with the duplex/penthouse area?

LondonCool:
I spent 3 weeks in Nigeria to start excavation work to DPC level.

@ LondonCool

Welldone on your project. I just started a similar project in Calabar too, mine is close to the Ex-service Men Housing Estate just before the Tinapa junction. Though am using red bricks in this project. The land is steeper and sloopier than yours and my innitial plan was a 3 room bungalow for a start then leave space for duplex in future. My site engineer has suggested we re-design to a bungalow-penthouse as the house is too low compared to other building around.

We are on the verge of introducing a penthouse of a master bed room and a study/office to be on a decking floor. we are redesigning the plan for now and will welcome suggestions and advice on how to go about this.

@londoncool, congrats ooo. So na here u dey hide ur loot?


Building on a slope is not easy at all. I won't make that mistake again. The first question I ask when I want to buy land now is- is it on a slope? Waterlogged and others come later.

Mandy003:
@ LondonCool

Welldone on your project. I just started a similar project in Calabar too, mine is close to the Ex-service Men Housing Estate just before the Tinapa junction. Though am using red bricks in this project. The land is steeper and sloopier than yours and my innitial plan was a 3 room bungalow for a start then leave space for duplex in future. My site engineer has suggested we re-design to a bungalow-penthouse as the house is too low compared to other building around.

We are on the verge of introducing a penthouse of a master bed room and a study/office to be on a decking floor. we are redesigning the plan for now and will welcome suggestions and advice on how to go about this.

This is great, bro! The prospect of building with red bricks excite me. I fervently hope you will create a thread here to show how it goes.

All the best!

Mandy003:
@ LondonCool

Welldone on your project. I just started a similar project in Calabar too, mine is close to the Ex-service Men Housing Estate just before the Tinapa junction. Though am using red bricks in this project. The land is steeper and sloopier than yours and my innitial plan was a 3 room bungalow for a start then leave space for duplex in future. My site engineer has suggested we re-design to a bungalow-penthouse as the house is too low compared to other building around.

We are on the verge of introducing a penthouse of a master bed room and a study/office to be on a decking floor. we are redesigning the plan for now and will welcome suggestions and advice on how to go about this.

Mandy003

Apologies for my late response. Have you been able to introduce the proposed penthouse to your building plan? Are you using a professional Structural Engineer for your building project? Did you already insert enough pillars at the foundation stage to carry the penthouse? What stage are you currently at? What is the cost/benefit of using brick compared to blocks? I will be visiting in a couple of months time and could stop by to see how your building is going and compare notes.

mercylicious:
@londoncool, congrats ooo. So na here u dey hide ur loot?


Building on a slope is not easy at all. I won't make that mistake again. The first question I ask when I want to buy land now is- is it on a slope? Waterlogged and others come later.

mercylicious,

Long time! I decided to dump my NSE loot in the property sector, far way from the Bulls and Bears drama and Doji Candlesticks.

To fill up the slope foundation was like building an underground bunker. On second thoughts, maybe I could have built a basement flat in the slope.

ceelog:
Was the depth of excavation/blinding thickness and mix/rod sizes for reinforcements for the bungalow area the same with the duplex/penthouse area?

Not exactly, we introduced more rods at the penthouse area. We had agreed to add a penthouse (and changed the design) before we begun the excavation work, so the adjustments were already factored in from the project inception stage.

ceelog:


Bros is this the amount of blocks u need 4 d lower floor of d house alone? Seems much. Or does it include d penthouse blocks? Weldone

The blocks includes the penthouse level. I have stopped buying at 4,600 blocks and see where it will take us (work starts next month).

What is the total cost for building the house.

[quote author=LondonCool post=38807841]

That's cool. First of all get all your blocks ready that's required for that phase of work ( either bought or moulded on site). Afterwards, you can tell how much funds you have left to pay for setting out, excavation and block work.

Would you be putting in columns and pillars in your foundation ? ( that's if you are having a penthouse and/ or parapet). They take extra funds.

Also, if your foundation is going to be more than 4 coaches, you would need to introduce beams all round the foundation. That also takes extra funds.[/quote

Pls builder in the house, is it possible to use two deferent foundation on this type of house on a hard level land. The bungalow side with bungalow foundation and the penthouse side with upstairs foundation pls what do you think. Pls advice me. I live out side niaja (Dubai) but I have a property I will like to build like this.

Pls builder in the house, is it possible to use two deferent foundation on this type of house on a hard level land. The bungalow side with bungalow foundation and the penthouse side with upstairs foundation pls what do you think. Pls advice me. I live out side niaja (Dubai) but I have a property I will like to build like this.

Ogwuchristian:
Pls builder in the house, is it possible to use two deferent foundation on this type of house on a hard level land. The bungalow side with bungalow foundation and the penthouse side with upstairs foundation pls what do you think. Pls advice me. I live out side niaja (Dubai) but I have a property I will like to build like this.

I've wondered the same thing. Hopefully a builder answers.

Ogwuchristian:
Pls builder in the house, is it possible to use two deferent foundation on this type of house on a hard level land. The bungalow side with bungalow foundation and the penthouse side with upstairs foundation pls what do you think. Pls advice me. I live out side niaja (Dubai) but I have a property I will like to build like this.

Why do you need 2 different foundations? The cost difference isn't too much, just a matter of more concrete and rods. If you are going to use parapets on the Bungalow you would need a similar foundation to the penthouse side to carry the load. You'd be better off doing one solid foundation.

Update: After one year of inactivity since completing the German flooring in August/September 2015 I decided to continue with the building project.

N/B: I decided not to borrow any money towards completing the building. It's been supported by my salary and my wife's contributions. My 17 year old sold contributed £200 today ( around N98,000).

Grass had overgrown the plot and threatened to affect all my blocks so I took action to start clearing the land and take the building to lintel level