₦airaland Forum

Not at all bro! i bought 2000pcs but ended up using about 1700pcs and still have about 300 or there about left which will be added to the ones to be moulded from this weekend for the blockwork to lintel and roofing. Besides oga spyder from my floor plan you can see that the house is quite big and my builder initially estimated 2500 but i insisted on 2000. All the same materials no dey spoil my broda!!!

My broda the trip burn pocket small. However, its always in my character to plan my next holiday immediately after ending one and that has helped me a great deal in buying tickets ahead etc. As for the approval, this should not disrupt the flow of your work as your men can move to site and start digging while waiting for the approval. Mine took just a week and a half though to process, but trust me you can start work as long as the approval is facilitated on time. But on a second thought the 3 weeks is a bit long for an approval in Benin.

@Ogbuefi . Admittedly, my silence was not Golden as you well pointed out. All apologies as i did not find it courteous to inform the house that i was taking a break and going on a month holiday with my family to the UK, US and Canada to visit family and friends. We got back into the country some days ago and have contacted my engineer to mobilize guys to site by this weekend and hopefully work will commence and as usual i will keep all posted with developments via visuals and commentaries.

@Chaircover. Lovely Kitchen set up you got there! Please how much does your kitchen smoke sucker cost? This is a facility i tend providing for my Madam's office too when i complete my bungalow by the grace of God.

@ogbueffi . My broda work is going on steady on site as what we are engaged in presently is moulding blocks(6'' hollow) about 3500 to be used for the block setting work. I will post some pics soon and also my sub expenses on the foundation and filling stage.

@Nexthome. Oloye brabus thanks for chipping in those words and i cannot agree with you less on that.

@osarodon. i actually work in Lagos and always in Benin every other weekend to monitor the project. The good thing going for me here is just the near honesty of my builder even though its not foolproof but so far so good. So with you, its possible bro!

Thanks bro! Yes decide to use the soak away for the filling too to save cost. However, the digger will dig only one first for now as i just realized that my builder will make more off me if i dig the 3 soak aways and use for filling because the 180k is exclusive of the efforts and output of the soak away digging. In any case the job is moving on well and the digger is expected to start moulding the blocks for the block setting by the end of the week. He is actually a jack of all trades and very hardworking fellow.

pics

More pics

Filling work has commenced fully on my project and with the approach my site engineer is adopting, it is expected to end by the end of the week. Some pics for advice, if need be

It was initial estimated that the filling will require about 30-35 trips of laterite to fill up the foundation because of the size of the house. Also the labour was to collect 1500 per truck for filling;

35 trips x N8000 =280K
35 trips x N1500 =52,500

Total = 332,500

So comparing both, i might be forced to accept the builders suggestion. But still asking questions sha!

@atasteve. That is one inquiry i cannot be definite above as this breakdown was only provided to me by a very senior official in the ministry when i equally made inquiries on the process of securing a C of O.

The well

The filling will commence and hopefully end in the next 3 days, even though one of the rooms was almost filled from a new well i later decided to dig again after stopping initially. But my builder is advising we pay 180k to some boys who work as masons in the community to go round and get us some filling sand as he estimated that we'd need up to 30 trips to conveniently fill up the whole place and we can save cost if we adopt the plan B . Guys what do you all think?

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The gate house

I also took a pic of a development on the same street with me which is about 10 meters away. Lovely i would say

another view

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New pics

Hi All, Sorry for the sudden break off this thread. I've been actually busy with my official duties as i was away attending a professional training programme. However, my honorable builder has been doing justice to the project and will post some pics in my next post.

The foundation has been concluded and the next step now is to embark on the filling.

Please get in touch with guy on 07031886484 (Engr Johnny). He is a good and honest builder who presently is supervising my project in Amagba G.R.A Benin. i actually work in Lagos and go back on weekends to check what he has done and with the quotations he gives me, i have no doubt that am dealing with not just a guy who knows what he is doing but also a fellow with integrity

Yeah please feel free. The surveyors number is above and he can be reached anytime of the day.

@jumi. Yes, because the costing is for a plot (100x100ft) only. So this means you have to multiply it by 4 plots.

@ogogo24. To answer your second question, the building is having so much pillars for the simple fact of the parafett design that will be added to it before the roofing. The parafett is like an added load to the structure and this has necessitated the need to reinforce the building appropriately.

@ Jumi07601. To process a C of O for a 100x100ft plot in the G.R.A area will involve the followings and cost implications;

1. Survey Plan - 4 copies
2. Title document i.e agreement - 1 copy
3. Building Plan - 1 copy
4 3 passport photographs
5. Application fee - 5, 000
6. Advert Fee - 12,000
7. Town Planning inspection - 40,000
8. Assessment Fee - 350,000
9. 9% of the cost of land
10. Stamp duty - 30,000
11. Tax clearance certificate.

Please note that you need to submit only the photocopies of items 1 -3. Also, there is a 100k facilitation charge which i did not include. This is so because this cost is only for the person facilitating it as an 'egunje' for him. I hope this helps you.

@ Ogbuefi The surveyors name is George and number is 08024191922.

@ oguefi_007. Nice to have you here and i do hope we will be both useful to each other since we happen to be developing in the same city. For the cost of survey for a 100x100 land, it will cost you 50k and i can give you the phone number of the man that did mine. He is an experienced surveyor and honest, because you have to be wary of the kind of people who survey for you in Benin as some of them do not lodge it with the Ministry of Lands and survey and you know the challenge that can pose when trying to get a C of O. As for the blocks, truthfully i bought 2000 blocks initially for the foundation works but already making arrangements to start moulding. I couldnt get a good moulder initially and now i've gotten one who has the iron moulder and saw some of his works. Its better to mould as my calculations revealed that i would have save about 90k if i moulde the 2000 blocks on site.

Furthermore, the job is progressing and we are in the process of casting the iron rods for all the pillars round(26 pillars in all). Hopefully, this should be concluded by weekend and will post the pictures when this is done.

@Ogbuefi_007. For more information and giuide on your property in Benin or whatever part of Edo state it is, please follow me on my thread titled'' Cost of building a 5 bedroom bungalow in Benin city. You never can tell, it might help you much as the various thread by the likes of Spyder , Brabus and am alone has also helped me in kick starting this project.

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Progress of work so far. The rains in Benin in the last one week has not been helpful.

Really! I had a bit of reservations about the size but when a Qty Surveyor did the BOQ he estimated about 8.5million for the entire project. Well by his grace i would finish this before the end of next year. Hope to keep to posted as it unfolds, just that it has been raining in Benin in the last 3 days and we could not dig as planned, but still studying the weather and prays tomorrow is better.