of what use will it be to us in Nigeria? you should have asked why snow doesn't fall in Nigeria too?

tkovie2002:
According to wikipedia A basement or cellar is one or more floors of a building that are either completely or partially below the ground floor. Basements are generally used as a utility space for a building where such items as the boiler, water heater, breaker panel or fuse box, car park, and air-conditioning system are located; so also are amenities such as the electrical distribution system, and cable television distribution point. However, in cities with high property prices such as London, basements are often fitted out to a high standard and used as living space.

So as beautiful and Useful as they can be, I would like to know why most Nigerian homes do not have basements like the ones abroad.

* Is it very expensive?

* Doesn't our terrain or building codes/patterns support it?

* Is it that our architects do not suggest it or clients just don't just want it.

* What are the pros and cons with respect to Geographical region?

Please I would like everyone to air their views so we can learn from each other.

with all our level of building collapse,not done with proper structural plans, na basement you wan put for our head?

Wingback:
I am planning on buying a 750,000$ house next 3 years, the first thing I checked was a basement.

OP it's a great storage place, you can rent it out to college kids, your teenage kids can throw parties there without breaking anything valuable...and above all























You can drink away your sorrow and smoke off your regrets... making 300,000$ every year, the basement is the perfect place to indulge in your "leisure" and hide from your nagging wife and troublesome kids.

And contrary to belief, basements can be quite spacious and airy

And when did drinking and smoking become therapeutic for taking away ones sorrow and regret?...it is a fool that drinks and smokes and then thinks his sorrows just varnishes.. because in reality his sorrows still remain. Only Christ can take away a mans sorrows.

This is in response to ur second paragraph

currently acquiring gold.check out instagram@gold_instinct

atleast our Malls should have basements.. we just waste land parking cars everywhr.. Even Ghana mall has basement. Its only in Nigeria I saw malls where we park in front

that is funny but a lie. can any house stand without foundation?

yolanda233:
When many houses don't even have foundation

onedayatime:
forget that one op, I beg where you see those pictures? I bet you download them. Hope you too no be that thing??

Oga I downloaded the pictures from a google search. What do you mean by "that thing"?

Moving to another house?

Thinking about the time and stress involved in packing?



We can pack & move you anywhere within/out of Lagos.

09055398680, 09057640937.
www.relocate.com.ng.

pacino26:



My friend here summarized it. One big bottle water for him.

noo I wan big ram

Wingback:
I am planning on buying a 750,000$ house next 3 years, the first thing I checked was a basement.

OP it's a great storage place, you can rent it out to college kids, your teenage kids can throw parties there without breaking anything valuable...and above all






















You can drink away your sorrow and smoke off your regrets... making 300,000$ every year, the basement is the perfect place to indulge in your "leisure" and hide from your nagging wife and troublesome kids.

And contrary to belief, basements can be quite spacious and airy

Fantastic idea. That would make you alot of money. Imagine paying your mortgage and bills from that?.

Wingback:
I am planning on buying a 750,000$ house next 3 years, the first thing I checked was a basement.

OP it's a great storage place, you can rent it out to college kids, your teenage kids can throw parties there without breaking anything valuable...and above all






















You can drink away your sorrow and smoke off your regrets... making 300,000$ every year, the basement is the perfect place to indulge in your "leisure" and hide from your nagging wife and troublesome kids.

And contrary to belief, basements can be quite spacious and airy

Fantastic idea. That would make you alot of money. Imaging paying your mortgage and bills from that?.

GossipHeart:


Have you seen houses in America ??
They're all built with woods, you can't see cements or concrete

Hahahaha... Laff Wan Scatter My Baff-up. Even in China, not every buildings are made with wood.

Nigeria hauz wey b say d foundation sef no dey deep agen,na hn go con geh basement.!!

tkovie2002:
According to wikipedia A basement or cellar is one or more floors of a building that are either completely or partially below the ground floor. Basements are generally used as a utility space for a building where such items as the boiler, water heater, breaker panel or fuse box, car park, and air-conditioning system are located; so also are amenities such as the electrical distribution system, and cable television distribution point. However, in cities with high property prices such as London, basements are often fitted out to a high standard and used as living space.

So as beautiful and Useful as they can be, I would like to know why most Nigerian homes do not have basements like the ones abroad.

* Is it very expensive?

* Doesn't our terrain or building codes/patterns support it?

* Is it that our architects do not suggest it or clients just don't just want it.

* What are the pros and cons with respect to Geographical region?

Please I would like everyone to air their views so we can learn from each other.

I've seen houses with basement in warri.

Rekyz:
Hahahaha... Laff Wan Scatter My Baff-up. Even in China, not every buildings are made with wood.

You said China ??
I've lived in America for almost 11 years now.
Believe me, most of the residential houses are built with woods, when the house starts burning, what the fire service will do is to evacuate everyone out of the house, the house will burn to the ground

Ask anyone that lives in America, 96 percent of the houses are built with wood

naija kids ain't trusted d basement will be deir own koded place

Where I currently live has basement and we don't use it for storage. Infact it's has standard room with toilet and kitchenette. And do we experience Heat. ? No..
It's actually the coolest part of the house. How do we explain that?

twinskenny:
noo I wan big ram

Very clear. Ndama, Muturu, Bororo?

southernbelle:

And isn't there a danger of the whole place collapsing too, u know as a result of substandard building materials used here in Nigeria?

/
Of course.

Actually the costs of design, excavation, reinforcements and building alone can build a complete house.

Necessity is the mother of invention.

The fact is that there is no need for it because it serves no purpose in a hot and humid climate.

\

tkovie2002:


Oga I downloaded the pictures from a google search. What do you mean by "that thing"?

politics, where money dey flow? Se you wan join

Just like many others have stated above, if you build a basement on a flat land, the heat will be much, and with the epileptic power supply and cost of fuel in Nigeria, it may not be sustainable. Also, you will need to build reinforced concrete retaining walls on all four sides, which is very expensive.

However, from my past experience as a Civil/Structural Engineer, when you have land with deep slope, basement will be a very good idea. I once designed a commercial four-storey building with two of the floors below ground level (when viewed from the road). The implication of this is that you will need retaining walls on only two sides, and the plot is in a very developed part of Mokola in Ibadan, along the University of Ibadan - Mokola Road. The particular area is hilly on one side of the road and valley on the other side. Hence the valley side is where the building is located. Attempting to fill up the land before construction will also be exhorbitant, hence the Architect came up with the idea.

Cheers.

For information about oil and gas industry in Nigeria, see my signature page.

sade1994:
Where I currently live has basement and we don't use it for storage. Infact it's has standard room with toilet and kitchenette. And do we experience Heat. ? No..
It's actually the coolest part of the house. How do we explain that?

wow. I was getting discouraged. What aabout flooding? What part of Ngeria. How many stoories doo you have on the basement?

chinedumo:


wow. I was getting discouraged. What aabout flooding? What part of Ngeria. How many stoories doo you have on the basement?

Flooding? None at all
It all depends on how you prepare ur site from the onset..
It's here in Asaba and there are two stories on the basement with pent house. ..

sade1994:


Flooding? None at all
It all depends on how you prepare ur site from the onset..
It's here in Asaba and there are two stories on the basement with pent house. ..

why are some saying it will become swimming pool during rain?

Does it cost you extra electricity?

How about ventilation?

chinedumo:


why are some saying it will become swimming pool during rain?

Does it cost you extra electricity?

How about ventilation?

I don't know what what they mean by it being swimming pool. Like I said everything depends on site preparation and all that.
I won't say it's properly ventilated coz the windows are smaller in sizes but it's always cool.
It doesn't cost extra electricity Tho it's not as illuminated as the rooms on the upper floor but you can definitely see ur way around.

I definitely plan on having a basement when I complete my house. In Nigeria where robbers can just show up to y7our house at anytime, a basement can be like a strong room to keep you and your family safe till they leave. I know in Nigeria we like to risk our lives and would generally go for cheaper designs but if I'm spending close to 50m on a house, an additional 5m is nothing!

sade1994:
Where I currently live has basement and we don't use it for storage. Infact it's has standard room with toilet and kitchenette. And do we experience Heat. ? No..
It's actually the coolest part of the house. How do we explain that?

Is the terrain around your house mountainous or hilly or a flat land? what part of Nigeria please? I put this up because of people like you. Please give details of what its like living in a house in Nigeria with a basement. Thank you so much.

The only way you can have a basement with natural lighting and ventilation is if the land has a slope as mentioned in my previous comment, which may be natural or artificial. Otherwise, where will the window open to?

As for flooding, if the construction is well done and adequate drainage provided, it is not different from any other building.

A basement apartment is the place to be when the sun is baking everybody above ground. No AC required.
What is the reason for this?
It's because the temperature below ground is constant all year round. That is the principle that geothermal technology is based on.
See this graph http://www.builditsolar.com/Projects/Cooling/time-lag-vs-depth.gif

Some people talk about flooding. Well that is an old problem that has been solved. As long as there is adequate surface drainage, flooding should not be a problem. The basement is built to collect the water. Then a sump pump transports it to the surface.
Of course, the pump must be powered. Nowadays, solar is an inexpensive option.
All of that of course, means higher cost. However, in places where a plot of land costs millions of Naira, a basement just means free land.

Another strategy will be to dig a deep well beside the home, and have plumbing funnel the flood water into the well. No pump required, just gravity. There is no debris in the water. So the pipes can never get clogged.

Lighting is a problem when NEPA strikes. But you can have glass windows just above the surface level.

Mold won't a problem if you have water barrier against the basement concrete wall. It directs all moisture/condensation to the floor, where it's collected and transported outside.

So why do Nigerian homes lack basements? Maybe because excavators are not cheap to have on building sites. Digging out a basement manually will be slow and labor intensive.

Oluwalosheleyi:
AJA ILE(UNDERGROUND RITUALIST DENS) ALERT!!! before you know it nigerians will start using it for all sorts of vices just as some europeans use it for evil purposes.some houses have it here too though.

True