i will like a long lasting solution . but how will that be sir

opalu:


We usually tell people who want to build to engage good Professional that understand how to raise your ground floor level to be with the same level with the future road. When building a house that is adjacent or opposite to an untarred road, I use my level instrument to design the road as if I am to build that road, from my road design, I get the highest possible road level, then I make your compound level to be higher than that road with its drainage, thereafter I ensure that the Ground floor level is higher than the Compound level.
By so doing, your house will be the highest road around. Because when there is flooding in a street, the water first rushes to the compound with the lowest level, then the next lowest, then the next lowest and so forth. Professionally built house will never have any flooding. And when I say professional I don't mean someone who just read engineering or architecture or building in school. I mean one who is armed to the teeth with the right experience.

Now concerning your problem that has already been caused, I will give you two different solutions. One is cheaper than the other. The cheaper one will cost you more in the long run than the one that looks expensive now.
So which solution do you want? To spend money to solve it once and for all or to spend little now and continue to spend whenever there is flooding?

Hello house, this is for the building professionals on NL. please I would like to ask if German Floor is compulsory for a duplex.

Am thinking to do just the foundation only instead of foundation and German Floor for a 4 bedroom duplex. Is German Floor compulsory?

floshady:
Am thinking to do just the foundation only instead of foundation and German Floor for a 4 bedroom duplex. Is German Floor compulsory?

German floor is over compulsory in a duplex building.
Reason.. It prevent any form of seepage of underground water which can destroy laid tiles and wall paints on the long run..
.secondly, it help reduce the weight your foundation will end up carrying especially if you are not building a frame structure.. There are many more advantage.. But don't want to go too technical.. Cos I know how boring it get to non-proffesionals in the building industry..
Call Opaolu for more details..

micgray100:


German floor is over compulsory in a duplex building.
Reason.. It prevent any form of seepage of underground water which can destroy laid tiles and wall paints on the long run..
.secondly, it help reduce the weight your foundation will end up carrying especially if you are not building a frame structure.. There are many more advantage.. But don't want to go too technical.. Cos I know how boring it get to non-proffesionals in the building industry..
Call Opaolu for more details..

How does german floor reduce the weight on foundation sir?
Can u be more explicit...thanks

Thanks for the info brother �

Rubbiish:

How does german floor reduce the weight on foundation sir?
Can u be more explicit...thanks

When you are using a beam and slab Raft foundation, you don't only rely on the beam to carry the load of the building but also on the slab (German floor).
Do a practical illustration with your hand.
If you want to tumble and you plunge your fingers into the sand with your palm being flat, you would see that what is carrying your weight is mostly your palms not just your fingers that you plunge inside the sand.
Likewise the german floor withstands the upward forces from the soil below to make your building stand.
This is why the gourd floor slab (german floor) should be at least 200mm even if a 150mm shows adequate in drawing.

BUT
This does not mean that we don't eliminate the german floor from a storey building. However that has to be done under the design and supervision of a qualified STRUCTURAL Engineer.
Don't say I allow it and go to use a civil engineer who is experienced in highways or in water engineering to do that. When my clients don't want a German floor maybe because of cost or other personal reasons, I usually use a special modified foundation that can still achieve the same load carrying capacity. Structural engineering gives us options for safety and economy

shileowo:
i will like a long lasting solution . but how will that be sir

my number is at my signature footnote

opalu:


When you are using a beam and slab Raft foundation, you don't only rely on the beam to carry the load of the building but also on the slab (German floor).
Do a practical illustration with your hand.
If you want to tumble and you plunge your fingers into the sand with your palm being flat, you would see that what is carrying your weight is mostly your palms not just your fingers that you plunge inside the sand.
Likewise the german floor withstands the upward forces from the soil below to make your building stand.
This is why the gourd floor slab (german floor) should be at least 200mm even if a 150mm shows adequate in drawing.

BUT
This does not mean that we don't eliminate the german floor from a storey building. However that has to be done under the design and supervision of a qualified STRUCTURAL Engineer.
Don't say I allow it and go to use a civil engineer who is experienced in highways or in water engineering to do that. When my clients don't want a German floor maybe because of cost or other personal reasons, I usually use a special modified foundation that can still achieve the same load carrying capacity. Structural engineering gives us options for safety and economy

Thanks sir for your time.
I clearly understand the raft foundation analogy, but what is still not clear to me is d bold part. I though reducing load on foundation ought to be more about downward forces & not really upward forces?

Thank you for the good work on this forum.
I know that in the construction of a building, if the german floor is used with a membrane or nylon or cellophane spread to cover the floor before casting it will reduce water getting up greatly.

However, if the German floor was done and no nylon was used, is there any remedial action that can be taken after casting has been done

darsom:
Thank you for the good work on this forum.
I know that in the construction of a building, if the german floor is used with a membrane or nylon or cellophane spread to cover the floor before casting it will reduce water getting up greatly.

However, if the German floor was done and no nylon was used, is there any remedial action that can be taken after casting has been done

opalu:


To prevent that, there are some practical steps that I have used that has worked for me:-

1. We do a special layer of flooring whereby we introduce a Damp Proof Membrane. This is a permanent solution but 'costly' to some persons. However when you look at how the rising damp could spoil your tiles regularly, spoil bags in the wardrobe, spoil paints and cause sicknesses to crawling children etc you will know doing a fresh floor with DPM is not that expensive.

2. Using special water-proof cements to screed the floor. This is not 100% guaranteed as the number 1. But it helps to reduce rising damp from the ground and mitigate the attendant consequences.

Let me stop here for now

In the quoted post lies your answer.

In the quoted post lies your answer.[/quote]

Thank you very much for the instructive feedback @Opalu.
Going with Option 1 is preferred and my follow up questions are given below;
1. What will be the recommended thickness of the nylon to be used for this special layer of flooring.
2. What thickness of flooring will be advisable.

Many thanks.

darsom:
In the quoted post lies your answer.

Thank you very much for the instructive feedback @Opalu.
Going with Option 1 is preferred and my follow up questions are given below;
1. What will be the recommended thickness of the nylon to be used for this special layer of flooring.
2. What thickness of flooring will be advisable.

Many thanks.

That will be based on the site visitation by the professional to carry it out. There are answers we can't give without seeing the damage with koro koro eyes.

For all your structural designs and details

@opalu,
I sincerely hope this thread hasn't gone cold because I have a huge interest in building construction and I'll have loads of questions to ask. let me start with these based on the few comments above:
* Does a bungalow require a German floor?
* Is a German floor the same as a raft foundation?
* If a bungalow doesn't require a German floor then how is damping prevented in a bungalow?

still on structure
* how do you determine the weight of a house so as to know how to distribute that weight along the columns going down? for example, if a house weighs say 100 tons and the soil has a strength of about 1ton/msq then I know I need about 10pillars with footing 1msq each (rough estimate I know). but how do you determine the weight of a house?

and then this question I am having a hard time getting satisfactory answer to:
# what exactly is a duplex? what's the difference between a duplex and a storey building? are they exclusive or interrelated?
thanks in advance

opalu:


A. The foundation for bungalow is not as critical as that for a storey building. In as much as I don't know the sub soil situation, I will also be interested in determining the suitable compound level for the site. There was this Joint Venture our company wanted to embark upon at Osapa. The owner had developed two luxury blocks of flats with good foundations but without caring to find the good datum level. Therefore when Lagos state constructed the road, the road level was at the ground floor widow level of the 2 multistory buildings. Therefore just a single rainfall fills the compound like a swimming pool. It doesn't get dry before the next rainfall.
So back to your question, you can use Reinforced Wide strip foundation of short raft. The reason is to tie the entire foundation so that they act as a single unit.
I have used smaller pad foundation for bungalow due to the nature of the soil. There are things an Engineer can see by site visitation that pictures may not cover.

b. The materials are granite, Sharp sand, Cement and Water. You are add some reinforcement depending on what your Structural Engineer on Site advises.

C. & D. Send me your email

Hello Engr.
Concerning C and D. Can I send my email too? I'm in dire need of a estimation template for reference purpose. Currently without employment though

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dubuntu:
@opalu,
I sincerely hope this thread hasn't gone cold because I have a huge interest in building construction and I'll have loads of questions to ask. let me start with these based on the few comments above:
* Does a bungalow require a German floor?
* Is a German floor the same as a raft foundation?
* If a bungalow doesn't require a German floor then how is damping prevented in a bungalow?

still on structure
* how do you determine the weight of a house so as to know how to distribute that weight along the columns going down? for example, if a house weighs say 100 tons and the soil has a strength of about 1ton/msq then I know I need about 10pillars with footing 1msq each (rough estimate I know). but how do you determine the weight of a house?

and then this question I am having a hard time getting satisfactory answer to:
# what exactly is a duplex? what's the difference between a duplex and a storey building? are they exclusive or interrelated?
thanks in advance

The answer is long. Call me with my number at my signature.

Hello all.
I need advise . My builder used a mixture of 16 mm and 12 mm to form the starter bars and columns . That is for each column he used two 12 mm and Two 16 mm to form the square structure the 16 mm diagonally faces each other also the 12 mm. I have been reading on Naira land and the standard here has been that columns should be done with only 16 mm. I need advise please .
The location of the project is umunze and the ground there is hard ground

Themancalleo:
Hello all.
I need advise . My builder used a mixture of 16 mm and 12 mm to form the starter bars and columns . That is for each column he used two 12 mm and Two 16 mm to form the square structure the 16 mm diagonally faces each other also the 12 mm. I have been reading on Naira land and the standard here has been that columns should be done with only 16 mm. I need advise please .
The location of the project is umunze and the ground there is hard ground

We would need to test the Building structurally if the project has been plastered. The tests will determine what to do next. But that combination is totally unprofessional. That calls to doubt if your Builder is a graduate of Civil Engineering or Building Technology. These 2 professionals are those who can supervise your building. I am very sure none of them will do such a dirty work of mixing 2 different reinforcement sizes in a column. I wont bore you with the Engineering implications behind that. Until we conduct tests on your columns

Goog day @Opalu.

Does the height and load of a building/structure determine the depth of a pile foundation. For instance, after a soil test done and it came out that the solid ground or strata is at 4 ot 5 meters. Is it expected to use 4 or 5 meter depth for a storey building and 5 storey building?

Thanks

domack99:
Goog day @Opalu.

Does the height and load of a building/structure determine the depth of a pile foundation. For instance, after a soil test done and it came out that the solid ground or strata is at 4 ot 5 meters. Is it expected to use 4 or 5 meter depth for a storey building and 5 storey building?

Thanks

Not at all.
The depth of foundation is not only based on the report of the soil test but also based on how heavy the Structure itself is. For instance if the good soil strata is at 2m from the surface, and you want to build 10 storey building, it doesnt mean that you terminate your pile foundation at 2m depth. This is the area of expertise of we Structural Engineer.

We design and build

Good

opalu:
Good

Hello Sir.

Is it a good idea to start work (foundation laying) on a building site at the peak of the rainy season?

I thought it is a better idea to wait for the dry season.

Based on your wealth of experience as a professional structural engineer, kindly educate me on the pros and cons Sir

Specifically asking because I disagreed with a friend who on this subject.

Thank you.

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@opalu, sir pls which granite is best for parapet casting. My builder says to mix half inch and stone dust. Pls any advantage in this as against using only half inch

soonest:
@opalu, sir pls which granite is best for parapet casting. My builder says to mix half inch and stone dust. Pls any advantage in this as against using only half inch

In Delicate parts of the building like parapet, smaller sizes are better. However on a general note, every concrete deserves to be WELL GRADED meaning that all the sizes are represented. The reason being that when it is vibrated the different sizes find their ways to where they need to be to make the concrete achieve optimal strength

domack99:
Goog day @Opalu.

Does the height and load of a building/structure determine the depth of a pile foundation. For instance, after a soil test done and it came out that the solid ground or strata is at 4 ot 5 meters. Is it expected to use 4 or 5 meter depth for a storey building and 5 storey building?

Thanks

The Structural Engineer would carry out the Structural Analysis and from there he will determine the precise type of foundation and the size of foundation to use. Engage the right Structural Engineer that has COREN certification like me. Because that person knows that he is staking his life for all the lives that will be inside that building. So he wont joke with it.

Let me design and build for you

opalu:


That will be based on the site visitation by the professional to carry it out. There are answers we can't give without seeing the damage with koro koro eyes.

See as this one dey take sense corner job and people!
Simple question, he begin say Professional need to visit.
Con-man full this Nigeria sha.

Your profession is Soil/Geo Engineer, according to your rofile, when did you become Structural and Building Engineer?
Opalu, we dey watch you o.