₦airaland Forum

bobkezel:
No sir, im not a fan of elevated dining, just that people including wifey said i should do elevated dining. I prefer same level but they say it's no longer in vogue.

Na women get the house ooh - just do as madam says....

Goodluck

bobkezel:
Good evening House, pls which would you advise...
Elevated dining room or dining room same level with the sitting room...

I had to click almost 10 times from where you tagged me to the real question - thanks for the extra work you gave me.. lol..

Well, sometimes it depends on the design, and most times it's a matter of choice... but since you asked, it means you have a love for elevated dining (wink) so entertain yourself and have it so. (150mm - 300mm wld do)

CaptPlanet:
Can one use this to build a house? Like a one storey building?

Someone on Twitter said he did so I'll like to know how possible it is and how much it might cost. Starting a project soon

You can build with polystyrene, replacing the common block with the material. BUT it's more expensive than block, people who use it do so for its other properties eg sound, light weight, ease and neatness, not because it's cheaper.. It isn't.

Australians lost a whopping $851m to scams in 2020, according to the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission’s latest Targeting Scams report. It’s a record-breaking amount, as fraudsters capitalised on the pandemic and preyed on isolated and vulnerable people.

Phones appear to remain the most common way scammers were contacting people, according to Scamwatch data, with 48% of reported scams taking place over a call and 15% via text message.

There’s very little you can do as a consumer to stop scam phone calls in the first place. Some third-party software promises to identify and block suspicious calls but experts warn that, ironically, some of that software is itself a scam.

So how can you spot a phone scam? And what can you do to protect yourself?

What does a scam look like?

At some point you’ve probably answered the phone to an automated voice warning that you owe the Australian Tax Office a vague sum of money.

But scams have come a long way since your typical robocall, scammers capitalised on the fact that the average person expected more direct correspondence from government agencies last year, leading to a “huge increase in phishing and identity theft and government impersonation scams involving government agencies.

Another common phone scam that was busted last year was called Wangiri – a Japanese term meaning “one ring and drop” – which targeted people with loved ones living overseas. A call from a foreign number would ring once to the victim’s mobile, making them think that they had missed a call from their relative or friend. If they rang back, they would be put on hold and charged a premium fee for every minute.

Fiona Cameron, who chairs the scam technology action taskforce at the Australian Communications and Media Authority, warns that some of the phone scams reported in 2020 were unusually sophisticated.

In one case, she says, scammers contacted a small businessman who had just registered his business, warning he needed to pay off a tax debt or see it carry through to his new enterprise. To verify the debt, they said they would patch through his accountant’s firm. “The firm” answered but said his accountant was on lunch and patched him through to someone else on the team, who confirmed the debt was real and recommended he pay it immediately.

But it doesn’t matter how elaborate the scams were, the circumstances surrounding the pandemic meant consumers were more susceptible to scams in the first place.

“For periods, people were under lockdown and stressed. People were online who weren’t used to being online. People were lonely and experiencing financial difficulty. These were all circumstances that scammers like,” Rickard says.

Scammers also took advantage of older persons who had been forced to spend more time online by the pandemic. Scammers would call promising to fix a tech problem, gain access to the victim’s computer, and drain their bank accounts.

So how do you spot a phone scam?
The first red flag, according to Rickard, is if the call is unsolicited.
“When someone has contacted you out of the blue, don’t give them any personal information, bank details or superannuation info. Do not give them money and do not give them remote access to their computer,” Rickard says.

If you want to return a call or text from someone who claims to be your phone provider or a government department, independently search on Google the provider or agency’s official contact details and get in touch that way.

Cameron says another warning sign is the tone of the phone call or message.
“Scammers typically want to suggest that something is urgent. You either owe money, or you need to fix something, or you need to do something really pronto,”

“If this person is in a hurry, aggressive or threatening in any way, the best advice is to pause and hang up the phone.”

A final red flag is the method via which you are being asked to pay. If it’s via a gift card, hang up immediately.

“It’s a form of payment that can’t be traced in any way, so instead of asking you to pay off a debt via a credit card or bank account that could be traced, they’ll ask you to send a gift card to an address,” she says. “But no government authority, no credible retail authority, will ask you to pay with gift cards.”

What should you do if you have been scammed?

If you think you have been scammed and have given away bank details or remote access to your computer, the first thing to do is call the bank, Rickard says. The bank can stop any more money leaving your account and maybe help you recover what you have lost.

Rickard says it’s also a good idea to get in touch with the government-funded organisation which can help you respond to data breaches, cyber-security concerns, or identity theft.

You can also block a number on your phone, to avoid receiving more scam calls from the same number.

But we strongly recommends going a step further and reporting the scam to Scamwatch (or relevant authorities), which has been working with telecommunications providers over the past year to identify and block suspicious calls for all phone users.

Culled: https://www.theguardian.com/money/2021/jun/14/hanging-up-on-scammers-how-to-protect-yourself-from-phishing-phone-calls

Regards.

oduncojamaica:
Yes Oga mi, I always run to this topic whenever I have issue,
Thanks for your teaching.
I am also building the same hostel in Ijebu, when I contacted you and you referred me to this topic which has been an eye opener for me.
Thanks for your help

Great to know - Thanks for the kind words...
Don't reduce cost by using lesser materials eg 10mm instead of 12mm, 4 bags of cement instead of 6 bags ETC ETC.

Rather, find acceptable ways to cut down on labour cost.

GOODLUCK

saydfact:
This is one aspect where I expect everyone to save big on the building.

for a job of this size - Lintel works should have cost me about 250k - 300k

carpenter wld claim about 100k, welder wld get about 20k, and bricklayer shd also want close to 40k MINUS materials, transportation et all..


BUT I SPENT ONLY 14K for workmanship now do the maths ( 160K - 14K ) = 146K LABOUR ONLY SAVED.

How did I do it?

I went to the iron store, brought the iron and paid the guys about 5k to cut it to required sizes,

I got to site and got my employed labour to arrange the blocks as shown in pics below (offcourse you also save on numbers of reinforcement used)

For those who would query how strong it is - Iits stronger than the basic need of a lintel which is = (to bridge the space left by an opening)

We still had wood from our German floor and these came in handy

I had to explain to the labour how to cast the lintel and i paid him twice of what he wld have gotten as his day work with the bricklayer..

the result see PICS 4 showing how it was used..

Hi oduncojamaica
I saw your question about lintels, try this method and safe cost, you can read more of my thread for such advice.
Goodluck

Na wa oh... How can a residential property get billed 74k in less than a month...

Hmmmmmm

Oluwakemitosin:
The initial sketch I posted is this (pics below)
www.nairaland.com/attachments/4619535_3bedrmsketch_jpeg4f34cd145ab26509501bebe01065e196

If you want a modification, let me know.

GOODLUCK

Can u kindly post a 3D picture of this house or what the house will look like once finished and what is the dimensions or size of the sitting room, dining room , toilets, kitchen etc in this plan? Am highly interested in this plan and I intends to build same this year by God's grace because it has everything I want inside a building. But In the alternative if u have a comprehensive floor plan/3D pictures u can kindly send same to my email : oluwakemitosin@gmail.com....looking forward to your response

Morning and thanks for following....

Send me a Whatsapp message - my number is in the signature....

Regards....

dapotemi:
Hello sir, this is the quotation I just received for my 3 bedroom in mowe.. Kindly critique

NOTE: I've not seen the plan but believing its a standard 3 bedroom flat, see my advice attached.

for excavation: DEPENDS ON THE SOIL TYPE - IT CLD BE MORE THAN I SUGGESTED.

dapotemi:
How long can a foundation (without german floor ) be left without doing any work on it?

I bought a plot with a foundation that's about 6 years. The foundation is still useful base on my plan, but am considering if its not weak already due to age. Its a bungalow and the land is rocky

I'll advice you get an experienced person on site to access it and advice accordingly - There is no time limit to your question, even a 10 days foundation if poorly done could be worse than a 6 years foundation properly done.

Goodluck as you build

MrOkenwa:
@saydfact
please, how long can a decking be left without becoming weak? There's one that I left 2 years ago. I heard that the external blocks have gotten green algae growth already.

Morning Bro - If properly done at the time, we're talking 100 years maybe.... The block getting green is a reaction to nature, thou that could / would weaken the blocks, before you continue ascertain if the blocks are still OK or if cracks have started showing up. Thanks

dapotemi:
I have read everything from page to page and i appreciate sir.

Starting soon!!! Thank you.

Can you recommend a bricklayer that can read plan?

Morning. Which state are you at and do you have a plan yet - Regards and THANKS for following, well appreciated

OK GUYS......

SEE YAH ALL LATER - AND MAY GOD CONTINUE TO BE OUR GUIDE AND BLESSING. . . .

KEEP IT REAL, DEAL HONESTLY WITH PEOPLE AND NEVER LET THE LOVE OF MONEY OVERCOME THE LOVE OF HUMANITY.

PEACE TO ALL . . . . ( I hope I no offend anybody, if I have - no vex )

michlins:
so because am a vendor here, I don't have the right to defend myself when my person and business is attacked?


I should just allow you to rubbish everything I have been working for these past months based on what you assume would happen?

Attached is the window in question, how do you expect me to correct any error should there be one due to two contractors supplying different sizes.

Once again I'm glad for the previous opportunity you gave me and am happy I did it as to your specification and standard

I also congratulate you on the success achieved on his project...... THIS IS THE 1ST TIME, I'll see someone being accused of wrong doing (for a job yet to be awarded to him and for which no commitment has been made) - Its same as a SARS officer arresting me because I carry a laptop..

HILARIOUS..... JUST HILARIOUS

InvertedHammer:
/.
Your opinion. I don't think most people will notice or feel your absence in the thread. At least you admitted that you are not Seun.

Calling people in private is why many things get unchecked here until it is too late then folks start appearing from woodworks to narrate their stories.

I wish Michlin luck. He can learn and perfect his business practice or choose to remain in defense mode. As inter alia noted, the call out was for a questionable business practice.
/

When I said 'tag me' - I meant people who deserves to.
Thanks for the tag however.....

NEXT !!

michlins:
that's why am so tired about the whole thing. I asked if I had plans to cheat him, would I not wait until I have the money. I haven't even submitted my quotation.

How on earth did I become a fraud. My first job with him,he didn't acknowledge that I did it well but was very fast to call me a fraud for a job I didn't submit a quotation for

NA DEM - thank your GOD -

SEUN we need to have a button for blocking people on this app abeg........

michlins:
I'm fighting for my name not the job

ARE YOU JOBLESS (no disrespect pls)

As anything happened to your name here? - ABEG IGNORE THIS CRAP and thank God it no pass this one - dude wld have easily used ARMY to arrest you if 1 simple mistake happen....

I'VE SAID IT HERE SEVERALLY - THE NUMBER OF JOBS I'VE TURNED DOWN FROM THIS NL - IS MORE THAN I HAVE GOTTEN....... I kant come and let one somebori accuse me of what I have not done because of 1k or even 1m.....

BRO - LEAVE THEIR JOB AND MOVE ON....

dongc:
Return which money?? Man not even paid yet or mobilized....still under negotiations I believe...abeg make them free the guy....all these so unnecessary....I tire joor

IMAGINE - abeg which kind contractor wld call another contractor you've not met from Adam and tell him to help you cheat someone you've worked for multiple times (or on recommendation) -

Even if na my kid them tell that one, he wld just laugh and continue watching his Nickelodeon

InvertedHammer:
/.
A few weeks ago when Spyder880 needed some input in a design he is building, I mentioned two gentlemen here he could reach out to for modification. It was an honest assessment of the work they showed here in my opinion.
A project came up and I recommended your name in similar fashion. It seems that you did a good job in your assignment.
Then I got this call yesterday. You gave a quotation for another job(burglar proof). There was a delay and you reminded him that there will be variation in prices due to inflation. He asked you to fix the prices to reflect the changes for immediate mobilization. Along the line you requested and got the number of the man doing the Alumaco fix. You wanted the Alumaco man to alter his measurements and make the windows a little bit smaller so that both of you can make more profit. The Alumaco man vehemently told you off that he doesn't conduct his business that way.
Now...why would you go behind your client to try to alter measurements in a bid to cheat him? He didn't say that you scammed him but your integrity is called to question. I had to wade in to talk to the Alumaco guy and he corroborated the story. I wish I can post the voice recording here.
Meanwhile, I take full responsibility for this as I was the one that talked gleefully about your work as if I know you. But I learned my lesson. Integrity! Integrity!! Integrity!!!
/

IMAGINE - JUST IMAGINE....

You couldn't EVEN call michlins since you recommended him to discuss this, you discussed with 2 guys in private and accused the 3rd in public - when you all could have cleared this off -here...

YAH ALL ARE LUCKY I'M NOT SEUN - and yes seun needs to close this thread - ITS AS USELSS AS IT CAN GET NOW...... and shame on us all.

IF NA ME BE michlins person wire me this kind useless accusation - I GO JUST RETURN NNA MONEY - rather than try to explain jack...

Its time for me to leave this now useless thread, afterall even the thread owner (my oga) mufutau55 left .... if anyone needs my help, kindly tag me...

Person no fit comot for here for days and not come back to meet one accusation or the other....

meanwhile;
Hi, LAWYER

what's the outcome of the 24 hours notice you once gave... any update

AFTERNOON ALL - HOPE WE ALL DOING GREAT

Very recently (last year) - I discontinued a working relationship with a client from NL property thread.

The summary is, he contacted me 3 years back and we've been having a talking relationship about me designing his building.

In fact, I had done 3 different designs for him as he changed his choices within those years.

I have NEVER charged him or collected a penny for all those 2 years of consultation or 3 designs I did. Finally, last year when he was ready to proceed and pay me to produce his approval drawings, he asked me what is a simple question.... CAN I PRODUCE AN APPROVAL DRAWING, because he read somewhere that only registered Architectures can, he wanted to know if I was.

I immediately told him I would not be proceeding with the work, I also told him he was free to use the last design I sent to him by giving to any Architect to develop it.

My reason is simple... In those 3 years of totally free consultation, I told him about the different types of drawings (approval or construction), I told him about survey and approval etc HE NEVER ASKED ME THIS DOUBTING QUESTIONS... but in my opinion when he was finally going to pay me for something, he started doubting (in my opinion)

I told him for him to ask me that question means he doesn't trust me yet (after 3 years) and I don't work if I have the slightest hint of mistrust.

So... Build a good relationship, trust then talk about business - if people have a good relationship with you outside of business, there won't be an issue and if there ever is, it won't land on NL labeling you as scam cos they know you're not... Mess ups happen, but 1 mess up should not define you.

Thanks

@Dennis3D
Develop a good working relationship between you as a client and the contractor working for you and get the best out of each other and everyone should be happy. Once there is mutual understanding between the parties. Everything should be fine.

For me that's the summary of it all.. The 1st thing is to develop a good working relationship, then you can discuss business after that relationship.... And hopefully every one should be fine...

Morning All,

Kindly find time to view and contribute to this thread >> https://www.nairaland.com/6403699/thread-to-discuss-various-casestudies-site

The idea is to capitalize of various experiences (negative and positive) from previous site and client/contractor/supplier relationship to ensure a better NL-Property section where we all are happy.

Thanks.

https://www.nairaland.com/6403699/thread-to-discuss-various-casestudies-site

hollaryincar:
Good day to our learned Ogas,

Please help peruse this proposed plan of 3unit of 1 bedroom flat and 1 unit 3bedroom flat.

Your comments and criticism will be appreciated

My concerns is the sizes of the various spaces are too small - some of those spaces would not be FUNCTIONAL...

My advice is to limit the lowe floor to 2 - self contains (instead of 3) OR . . . . .

Teewhy2:
Great thread this should be.
Most times trust issues are major concern in projects.
We have done a job that we told the client we will bring materials to site in 5 days and we were able to drop the materials in 3 days, then we concluded installation will be a day after the materials were dropped which was on a Sunday and that workers will get to site by 12 p.m .
The installer for whatever reason phone was ringing few minutes after 12 but he wasn't picking up because he said he was waiting for the person they will go together and also charging at a charging station in the street.
Around 2 p.m the client called and started abusing that we kept him and his engineer on site and that we were not competent and how will he know we don't want to scam him that is why he doesn't like dealing with people online.
We said if we want to scam you we will not bring materials to site and that we haven't collected money for installation but we are installing as our agreement is that 2nd payment is when we start installation. Baba no gree was calling us all sort of names that he doesn't even understand the materials we dropped in his compound. Luckily the installer got there past 3 p.m and by next morning he has done like have of the job. Neighbors started hailing Baba whao they have not seen this kind of parapet before and it is so fast, Baba was happy.
Since the installer got to site baba didn't call us again, so when the job was completed and I asked the installer if baba has since the job, he said yes and even gave them 2k for transportation.
I now called Baba if he has since the job and he was laughing and said My Enginee yes oooh that he will send the balance like next day but it wasn't sent till like 3 days later and didn't ask him until he sent it to prove that we are not scam.

Thanks Teewhy2, a lot of people just label others as fraudster on the least possible chance..

The lesson here is to at least have a level of trust b4 dealing with anyone.. So that you don't end up accusing them unnecessarily, imagine if baba had come to NL immediately to label you as scam, many people 2 years later would search your name and see scammer post from baba WITHOUT knowing how it ended..

Keep it up and please share some more....

I'll share an experience with one of my clients.

He decided to source for ceiling pop workmen online and offcourse did few research including checking their online pages for previous works.

He got this very good guys (so it seems) and some other guys. He gave the one he considered better the most difficult parts eg living room etc and the other the bedrooms etc (Yes, he divided the work into two between them)

At the end of the job, the ones he assumed better did a bad job, and the other one did a quality job. HIS DECISION WAS BASED ON WHAT HE SAW ON THEIR ONLINE PAGES, they had good branding, their workers came in company overalls and they had good site pictures that suggest they were great... The other guys just had a normal online profile.

Few days after chasing them out of his site, he visited their IG page again and to his surprise THEY DIDN'T UPLOAD ANY OF THE JOBS THEY DID FOR HIM INSTEAD THEY TOOK PICTURES OF WHAT THE OTHER GUYS DID AND UPLOADED IT AS THEIRS.

The lesson here is to clients - Don't give a contractor job based on pictures you see them present (alone) - get someone to reference them and guarantee that indeed, they're as good as they claim.

A lot of contractors are picture thieves.
Thanks

mufutau55:
This should be a very good and interesting thread for both clients, contractors and suppliers.
Please people come out with your past experience weither solved or unsolved. Let's try to help each other.
Thanks.

Hajji M.

Thanks boss... The truth is, there are a lot to gain from what others have experienced.... It's a better way to avoid future problems, which is better than curing it..

Thanks....

In recent times on the property section, there has been a lot of misunderstanding, accusations and counter accusations among clients, contractors and suppliers etc. I discovered that some of this misunderstanding and claim of fraud or actual fraud are a result of minor misunderstanding, lack of communication or simply because certain construction laws or guiding rules were not followed. Eg failure of contractor to get written approvals before delivering goods, or paying too much advance than should be paid etc.


Let's discuss this by sharing VARIOUS EXPERIENCES from dealing with Clients, Contractors and Suppliers in the building industry so others can learn from it and avoid same mistakes.

Thanks.

SaydFact

olaoye15:
Hello my people.

I am planning to build a four bedroom bungalow in Ibadan. The project will be starting in a short time. I actually want to equip myself with the stages involved in the process from start to finish as I dont want to look like a novice around the engineer.

Can someone take me through the processes. For the foundation, I have already offloaded the following at the site.

30tons of Sharp sand
20 tons of granite (it looks like the granite is the upper type, can it serve the purpose)
40 bags of cement
I am thinking of buying 500pcs. Can it be enough for the foundation?

What other materials do I need to provide?
I currently dont have the floor plan but experienced builders here can still give me a near estimate. It is a simple four bed, all in suit. Open kitchen, and a study.

I will be looking forward to reading form you.

Thank you.

I am

https://www.nairaland.com/4133188/construction-6self-contain-hostel-frm-start

And

https://www.nairaland.com/3523256/how-build-comfortable-house-earning

Goodluck

bixton:
How about the contractor sends via whatsapp various pix of the materials to the client to pick from and he OKs those he prefers........Will that still be legal or illegitimate?

YES... If it's sent by him and with his phone number... As long as the colour and texture are clear by phone.. If not (eg for some tiles) drop a physical sample for further confirmation..

Thanks.... Goodluck

somehow:
I agree with you.
Accountability must come from the contractors.
Documentation is very very important.
Assumption is dangerous
You're not in your client's head, so don't assume for them, you can advise/educate them but let them decide.

In this world of social media, documentation and approval soughting is now easy.

A simple voice note or chat from them is enough to tender as evidence of approval.
Even sms can act as one too as long as it can be established that it came from the client.

Thanks... Attached is a Whatsapp group opened for a project, I'm not the contractor but the guarantor here.... See attached.

I made sure all products were approved by the client... I can't be paying money, I shdnt be paying later...

Even thou client preferred option were not available, he settled for another.. Written approval gotten.

MORNING ALL - I'm reading a few post from n3xt/brabus and few others - and I feel (without disrespect) a lot of CONTRACTORS don't have adequate knowledge about how contracts are run - IF you've worked with the biggest consultants in the industry you would understand what I'm about to type.

AGAIN WITHOUT DISRESPECT....

1. Even if the client allows you to buy and install whatever (door, showers, even BULB as simple as that is) - An experienced contractor/builder/consultant should know that there is something called CLIENT'S APPROVAL. This means, before I pay for THAT N500 bulb, I need a written approval within 7 days (or official email) confirming that the product is OK. This MUST be gotten before payment - and once delivered IF client's wife (or whoever) don't like it - you just bring out the approval and all related cost (return, re-purchasing, logistic etc) is 100% on them. NOTE, A VERBAL APPROVAL IS NO APPROVAL IF NOT PUT IN WRITING WITHIN 7 DAYS; so Oga was at the store with me and he said BUY IT is not an approval...... that's what a lot of you hold on to.

2. IF Mr A contracts me to build his DOG'S HOUSE and along the line, I'm unable to complete the work - BECAUSE OF UNFORSEEN events, as a contractor - you do NOT assume, since its not your fault that his work was abandoned you do not owe him... SIR, YOU OWE HIM - The deal was to build a dog house, not an in-complete dog house (even if it was client's wife that stopped the work because she suddenly hates dog and want's a cat). WHAT A SINCERE CONTRACTOR should do is.... PRESENT A FINAL ACCOUNT. Stating clearly HOW MUCH WAS GOTTEN, HOW MUCH WAS SPENT AND HOW MUCH WAS LOST AS A RESULT OF DE-MOBILIZING FROM SITE - then agree with the client on who owes who.... NOTE: Even if the client was owing you at the time the decision was made; you DON'T assume because I lost, no need - YOU DO WHAT PROFESSIONALS DO - A final account, it is then you can hold you heads high and say - I DO NOT OWE YOU.

I'LL STOP HERE FOR NOW - MAYBE I'LL WRITE A FEW ARTICLES ON (real life) CASE STUDIES FROM VARIOUS SITE....

WE SHOULD BE HERE TO LEARN AND TEACH EACH OTHER BUT A LOT OF CONTRACTORS HERE ARE JUST HERE FOR THE CLIENT AND PAY....

FINALLY; I'M A CONTRACTOR TOO.... but relationship over money I preach.

GOODLUCK, I SaydFact