BuildingContractorSecrets.com

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Image 1, shows beams of section 1-1,2-2,,4-4 and 5-5 but for this purpose we are going to assume that section 2-2 is used for the entire raft.
Image 2, is the reinforcements details for the raft slab also showing its sections.
Lots of people are considering building their houses around water bodies and the large portions of the highbrow areas in Lagos state are waterlogged so the demand for raft foundation is high.
Starting with image 1 section 2-2 the dots represents the iron rods runners, these are usually the thicker of the rods and they lay them to run round the rings of the raft foundation in this case it is a 16mm rod in 9 places.
The ring which is usually the thinner one is represented by the thick line forming a rectangle of 1100mm x 225mm just as shown on the drawings.
Calculating the runners (16mm rods) we need to know the entire length of the foundation trench (excavated portion of the soil) which we can get from image 2, the trench will be along the dotted lines that crosses the thick square columns or pillars as shown in the drawings, the thick square dots are representing the pillars of the building so the trench are been represented by the dotted lines running and joining all of them, this you can easily calculate since the dimension are already given outside the perimeter “check dimensions A-B-C-D and 1-2-3-4-5-7-8
From our sums the total length of trench is 65.6m or 216 feets. Therefore the 16mm rods we need is (65.6m x 9 rods)/11
=54 lengths of 16mm rods.
11meters(m) is taken as the length of a rod so if the total length is (65.6 x 9) then just divide by 11 as was done above then you’ll know the number of rods you are to buy which is 54 lengths in this case,
If 16mm rods go for N2700/rod then
total for 16mm rods=N2700 x 54=N145,800
16mm on the drawing is represented as Y1601 and Y1602
Now to calculate the rings , remember the total length of the trench or foundation hole round site is 65.6m.
Calculate the length of each ring from the drawing , we take each ring to be approximately (175mm +1050mm+175mm+1050mm)=2450mm or 2.45m. Using section 2-2 for all, our rings will be taken as 12mm rods and they spaced at 300mm or 0.3m from each other or (center to center) (See BEAM drawings on image 1-300 c/c links)
So knowing that each ring is 2.45m, we got that by removing 25mm from the dimensions we have round the section of 225mm by 1100mm, so if you remove 50mm from 225 you’ll get 175mm same as removing 50mm (25mm top and bottom of drawings) for 1100m will give 1050mm , since they are spaced at 300mm to each other ignoring the overlap
that we are supposed to also add just for this purpose ,then to
Calculate the numbers of rings in total trench,
65.6m/0.3m or 65600mm/300mm=219 rings and each ring is 2.45m, therefore total lengths of rings
=2.45m x 219= 536.55
Rods are sold in 11m lengths ,so to know the numbers of rods you are going to buy , just divide 536.55 by 11=48 lengths of 12mm rods.
If 12mm rod is N1600 x 49=N78,400.

Calculating the reinforcements/iron rods in slab ( refer to image 2)
For easy calculation of the reinforcements just follow the specifications by the left of drawing then trace the line on each specification to the drawing then check where there is a dot, the line crossing that dot is what to be calculated. The dots are usually supported by arrows both sides, this indicates where that particular rod suppose to end.
So starting from the top
19Y1201-200C/C,
The total length of this is the broken line spanning the entire drawing so the total length is 3825+3950+1375+1250+4975+1250
=16.625(ignoring the return) multiply that by 19 because that is what is stated at 200c/c=315.875m
Divide by 11m=28 lengths of 12mm rods——-(1)
For second line,
3825+3950+1375=9.15m
divide by 11m=1 length of 12mm rods———(2)
Line 3,
This is a peculiar case the line is approximately 2m not really specified in the drawing but the arrows are in 4 places along that line and four of those rods are to be placed at each point where you have (4) written on the drawing.
so 16 x 2m=32, 32 divide by 11m=3 lengths of 10mm rods———–(3)
Line 4,
6Y1002-250C/CB
Make to be 6x2m =12m
divide by 11m =1 length of 10mm rods ——-(4)
Line 5
Trace line under and check the dot , then calculate the broken line crossing it.
12 x(3825+3950+1375+1250)=124.8, divide by 11
=11 1/2 lengths of 10mm rods—————–(5)
Line 6,
38 X 2=76, DIVIDE BY 11
=7 LENGTHS OF 12MM rods—————-(6)
Line 7,
In line 7, the line was not drawn directly to cross the dot, so trace where the dot is up and you’ll see another dot indicating how the iron rods will be placed ,the line is a broken line
83 x (3825)(ignoring the overlap and return)=317.475
divide by 11=29 lengths of 12mm rods———–(7)
Line 8,
8 x2m=16m, divide by 11m
=1 1/2 lengths of 10mm rods———–(8)
Line 9,
8 x2=16m
=1 1/2 lengths of 10mm rods ———-(9)
Note the short lines are immeasurable and are just estimated to be 2m each
Line 10,
77 x (2.910+3.825)=518.595 divide by 11
=47 lengths of 12mm rods——————(10)
Check the other dot at at the same line up and measure the broken line in our case the return and overlap was ignored.
Line 11
103 x 2 =206, divide by 11
=19 lengths of 12mm rods———(11)
Line 12,
19 x 2=38
=3 1/2 lengths of 12mm rods———(12)
Line 13,
19 x 2=38
=3 1/2 lengths of 12mm rods———(13)
Line 14,
34 x 2=68
=6 lengths of 10mm rods———(14)
Line 15
19×2=38
Divide by 11=3 1/2 lengths of 12mm rods ——–(15)
Line 16,
103 x 2 =206, divide by 11= 19 lengths of 12mm rods
Line 17
6 x 2=12m
divide by 11m=1 length of 10mm rods
Line 18
12 x 4975=59.7m
divide by 11m=5 1/2 length of 10mm rods
Line 19
10 x 2=20m
divide by 11m=2 length of 10mm rods
Line 20
8 x 2=16m
divide by 11m=1 1/2 length of 10mm rods
Line 21
19 x (1250+4975) ignoring overlap and return=130.725
divide by 11m=12 length of 12mm rods
Line 22
30 x 2=60m
divide by 11m=5 1/2 length of 10mm rods
Line 23
15 x 2=30m
divide by 11m=3 length of 12mm rods
Line 24
19 x(1250+ 4975+1250+1375)=168.15
divide by 11m=15 1/2 length of 12mm rods
Therefore total numbers of lengths of iron rods of 10mm=271 rods
If 10mm rods are sold for N1300, then 271 rods
=352,300
And the total for 12mm rods for the slab is =219 rods
If 12mm rods are sold for N1600, then 219 rods=N350,400
Total reinforcements for the raft foundation above is=
N145,800+N78,400+N352,300+N350,400
Total=N926,900

We sit on and around wonderful opportunities that can turn our lives around and make us the millionaires we eagerly wish for. Quoting Samson Makinwa chairman Techo Quip Ltd on the Wealth Platform of Vol no 3/09 the headline reads it is easy to make money in Nigeria there is money all over the streets yet most people can not see it, I can’t but agree with this sayings.
The first thing you need to have before dabbling into the construction industry is the will, you need the determination to do it and you must be patient because is unlike the other everyday industries where you may have jobs to do throughout the whole year, though your company could grow up to actually achieve that, but for a beginner business may not come even for some months before the breakthrough.
Number two is to learn the trade, you can make friends with a contractor or a professional in the field but with vast experience that you can understudy and learn from, he may actually be your friend or a pure professional you have to contact and arrange a time to work for him to have an idea about how things are run.
The next step after few months training or understudying your mentor then you should be thinking of registering a company , however since you are starting with no money down ,I’ll advise you liasewith an established and register company to work with and write proposals, this you will make an agreement with the business name owner on profit sharing before you can finally stand on your own with your name and organise your office.
What you should naturally do is to get an office but your home address could be your office address or use a friend’s office temporarily.
Without the job all the facilities you are running after will be a waste of time and resources, so I’ll advise you start writing proposals to different companies that may need your services, look for a brother, a church member and other people that could be of help in making sure your proposals passes through the right offices.
Then begin to strongly think of given yourself a proper packaging. I mean people loves to look at things at face value in this part of the world, so you can also meet their expectations by looking very good and in the right frame of mindwhen you’ll be going for a presentation. Wear a suit or a corporate dress well ironed, if possible rent a car with a driver for that day. A man was able to secure a contract of hundreds of millions of naira because he was wearing a rolex wristwatch he borrowed for a business meeting. Same as car e.t.c
Before the big jobs start coming, be a subcontractor to some major contractors, our dailies are filled with the advertisement for subcontractors everytime from big time contractors, check Tuesday Guardian newspaper and others. The money you make will help to stand as a contractor ultimately later on and you can be quoting for jobs directly.
Be articulate and bold, you need this if you are going to win any contract .
Find out where to source for equipments before bidding for any project, all projects have their own peculiarities, do not bid for a project because you are desperate to get a job else you might bite your fingers at the long run.
Pretend and present yourself exactly the way the client will like to see you and feel about you, the client won’t be happy to know you are a hungry man that needs their money to get out of poverty, he will also not be happy he is given out a job of a big magnitude to somebody that hasn’t handle a job of that size before. Avoid what will make the client to doubt your competencies.
Use professionals as business partners and leverage on their expertise, just agree with them on a percentage sharing formula and you are on.
Source loans from families and friends especially when there are no interest or is very low, but make sure you are working for an organisation that will pay you in time and they have a record of prompt payments to their contractors, unlike the government contracts that you may be owed for several years.
Lastly pray for success of your projects.

Painting a house is important if you really want a building to last long and be appreciated by outsiders. There are so many reasons why you should paint your house amongst are

(1)Protection against weather, insects and other elements-
There are specialized paints that are treated to fight pests and other elements that are destructive to the building, therefore such paints are usually in high demands in the market.

(2)Others are applied on walls even to encourage creeping stems and reptiles, its complimentary to the wholesome view of the building.

(3)The most common reason is that of aesthetic, paints makes your building to look very beautiful if you have a very good combination of colours especially when the colour scheme blends with the environment or landscape.

(4)Some paintings gives signs of purity or cleanliness especially when it is white or off-white.

(5)The choice of colour and painting sometimes give passersby a clue of the type of business the building will be used for.

(6)Painting also adds value to a property.

(7)It also has psychological effects on the users, the reason why most hospitals are painted white and residential buildings are always with cool colours.
Choosing a paint especially in a tropical region where humidity and heat is discouraged you have to paint the external face of the wall with light colours to discourage absorption of heat from the sun, therefore use water-based latex paints on your exterior because they are fast drying ,reflective, easy to repaint and they have less odour and fumes compared to oil based paints.
Oil based paints can be used for interior because it is longlasting.
Apply gloss in wood trims, woodworks and furniture because of its ease of cleanliness which is also light reflective(shiny).

Making profit in properties requires attention to a lot of details amongst them are the ones discussed below.
(1)You must get a good architect to design the building for you in the first place, he will be able to give maximum input to your design and requirements without necessarily taking the cost of your building too high.

(2)Also allow a professional-(architects,builder,civil engineer) to supervise your building during construction and make sure the building comes out well with particular attention to details.

(3)Employ the services of a quantity surveyor to be able to know if what you have to spend is enough to carry out the building project in the first place, if not then the design may have to be scaled down, else you may have an uncompleted project in your hand which can be very difficult to sell at that stage.

(4)When you are investing in properties always make sure you follow the trends of urban growth, what I mean is that in an axis where development is tremendous then you can look for a cheaper property close by and develop having it in mind that development will soon take over the place.

(5)Buying properties in choice areas is another sure way of making your investment yield profit very fast.

(6)Following hype:V.G.C, Banana Island, e.t.c were able to increase so much in value because of the hype the original developers of these areas created. When you have such places that are overhyped be rest assured that prices of properties will grow very fast in such places.

(7) Employ the services of good estate valuers, many people have lost quite a great deal of money trying to sell their properties on their own, thinking the commission of an agent will eat into their profit, but this is not true, because study has showed that a lot of property owners do undervalue their properties. And incase of rent then you also need a property manager to oversee the property.

(8)Advertise your properties to quickly get buyers that are ready to pay. You can advertise on castlesweekly, Guardian newspaper ,even on radio and television.

(9)If you tend to rent it out, then draw a plan for a good maintenance of the building which will help also to increase the value of the property, and when you raise the cost of rentage is most unlikely your tenant will complain. Though also find out the background of your tenant.

(10)During planning make provisions for adequate airspace around the house and good parking space that can accommodate at least one car for a family.

(11)Don’t just build for building sake,build where there are actual needs for your properties. Building where cost of rentage is beyond the reach of the people living around will result in a loss to you. Put the building that fits the environment and also affordable to the class of people of that area.

(12)Also during planning, put yourself in the position of your tenant/prospective buyers, if you can’t leave in a building you are proposing then know that others may also not be interested in the property you are proposing.

(13)In areas where it is acceptable, you can design for a mix use. In such cases offices and other corporate organizations may rent some parts of the building which they may probably pay more than the residential parts. Shops can be designed along with such projects.

(14)Think of the possibilities of designing for corporate bodies for long lease, though location must be of high activity area.

(15)For a starter with less funds, but with eye for long term investment, you can buy properties far from the town and wait for few years before selling, by then it must have appreciated considerably.

(16)Some areas you should consider for quick returns on investment are places around educational institutions (hostels),capital city, companies e.t.c

(17)Do not compromise the use of quality materials for your property because this also adds value to it, and smart buyers can easily recognized good properties.

(18)Properties close to recreational facilities also increase in value at a very fast rate.

(19)Properties around areas of high human trafficalso rates high in value, for instance properties around areas like redeem campin Ogun state and canaanland Ota are beginning to have high prices.
Areas close to political centers and seat of powers will also make the property value to rise.

(20)Properties close to access roads and infrastructural facilities will also grow in value at a very fast pace.

Aspirin is not only useful for human body but research as shown that is also valuable for plants against pest.
The active ingredient in it is called the salicylic acid which is both useful to humans and now also to plants.
If you love landscaping and you have your garden being inbfested by insects, put a full bottle of aspirin in 5 buckets of water, dilute properly and apply once in a week on your plants.

First and foremost corruption pervades all countries of the world and just like any other place in Nigeria those that are involved in it are quite negligible
So why should you invest in Nigeria?

1)You are helping yourself by solving a problem, it is a universal economic law ,find a problem and fix it then you will make money ,considering the population of nigeria housing problems in Nigeria is far much more than these other countries put together.

2)Strong building industry will also help to protect and make sure your money is judiciously used especially when you use the services of the professionals.

3)Population as earlier said will help ou to determine quickly.

4)Strong antifraud agencies are in place that you can go to for any complaints (the E.F.C.C I.C.P.C e.t.c) when you feel cheated and the courts are now getting better.

5)There are better government policies and regulations now in Nigeria.

(1)Screening of the tenant is the first thing that has to come to your mind, do a proper verification of the claims of somebody taking the house, where he works or what he does for a living?
What made him/her to leave his former residence, probably it could be default in rents, the character of the person you may have to guess the income range to know if he can sustain payment by the type of work.

(2)Don’t get too familiar with your tenants if you are a landlord, give the work to a facility manager or agent so that you don’t end up loosing another six months before you can eject a tenant that is not willing to pay. Caretaker, if not tenants will take advantage of your closeness and they will start to default

(3)Treat your investment as business

(4)If their is an issue that could be settled out of court in case such arises then do. Ejecting a tenant through court process can be slow in Nigeria.

(5)Increase your rent regularly with small amount rather than wait for so long and then increase with a big margin, tenants are likely to revolt even when they they are aware that tenancy in that area has gone up. You cannot overlook that especially in a country like ours, where inflation rate is ever on the upward swing. Increase every two years or less.

(6)Write a six months notice to your tenants before increase to coincide with the minimum six months notice used to issue to tenants for them to vacate your building.
So for any tenant that is not comfortable with the increase write a vacate letter along with the increase notice so that you don’t end up loosing another six months before you can eject a tenant that is not willing to pay.

(7)Treat as business your real estate investment.

1)Screening of the tenant is the first thing that has to come to your mind, do a proper verification of the claims of somebody taking the house, where he works or what he does for a living?
What made him/her to leave his former residence, probably it could be default in rents, the character of the person you may have to guess the income range to know if he can sustain payment by the type of work.

2)Don’t get too familiar with your tenants if you are a landlord, give the work to a facility manager or caretaker so that you don’t end up loosing another six months before you can eject a tenant that is not willing to pay. caretaker, if not tenants will take advantage of your closeness and they will start to default

3)Treat your investment as business

4)If their is an issue that could be settled out of court in case such arises then do. Ejecting a tenant through court process can be slow in Nigeria.

5)Increase your rent regularly with small amount rather than wait for so long and then increase with a big margin, tenants are likely to revolt even when they they are aware that tenancy in that area has gone up. You cannot overlook that especially in a country like ours, where inflation rate is ever on the upward swing. Increase every two years or less.

6)Write a six months notice to you tenants before increase to coincide with the minimum six months notice used to issue to tenants for them to vacate your building.
So for any tenant that is not comfortable with the increase write a vacate letter along with the increase notice so that you don’t end up loosing another six months before you can eject a tenant that is not willing to pay.

7)Treat as business your real estate investment.

This is a serie of some questions posted to me by one of my
subscribers which I will be writing on and sharing with you.
There are different factors that will determine the profitability of
your investment in Real estate.

1) Number one is demand-The rate of demand will have to come first
before any other considerations , a lot of reasons will make people to
migrate to a place, mainly for economic reasons .

In Nigeria three cities will come into mind Lagos, Abuja and
Portharcourt.

2)Accessibility to a town can also determine the real estate growth in a city. This is why towns in Bayelsa state may not attract real estate
growth despite being very rich in oil.

3)Availability of land and materials will also affect real estate
growth though this is not as important as other considerations.

4)Cost of Construction in a place. Where materials and cost of
construction is low and accessible then real estate will likely thrive
in such places.

5)Capital generation of a town will also determine how real estate will thrive in such areas.

6)Increase in economic growth will also make real estate to be
attractive in a town.

7)Influx of human traffic to a place will definitely drive real estate.

Attraction to investors will also determine how real estate will be profitable in a town.

9)Absence of good residential buildings will make the good and new ones to be very desirable to the populace.

10)Availability of mineral resources.

11)Availability of infrastructural resources.

12)Availability of transportational resources like airport, train
stations sea port e.t.c

13)Availability of communication facilities.

14)Good government policies and regulations-Lagos and Abuja will come
to mind in this case, recently houses are being demolished in lagos
because of improper government permit before construction. New investors are now more careful and afraid to build because of fear of demolition.
Getting the permit on itself is very difficult at present because of the bureaucracy involved.

15)Availability of natural resources.

16)Is the town transitory? Hotel will be good for such areas.

17)Does it have plenty of government parastatals? with this you can be sure of growth in such area.

19)War and trouble will definitely affect real estate negatively.

20)Good climate

Going by the points stated above,Abuja, Lagos and Portharcourt will
beat the rest in Nigeria, but they also have advantages and
disadvantages too. Abuja is good for hotels, for low income earners you
can build hostels as common in Europe. Political meetings will always
be held in abuja and anytime there is a big programme the hotels are
always completely booked.

But Abuja has developed to a very high rentage zone and total separation
of the rich neighbourhood from the poor neighbourhood will at the long
run not help the real estate industry there, that is why there are uninhabited
houses yet people are going far to the suburb to live in slums. But in
Lagos, in every rich area, very close by you will see poor neighbourhood
zone, this helps to create spillovers from rich neighbourhood.
So if you are an investor you can just get properties
close to these rich areas redevelop and clean up the place then you can
have the affluence of your neighbour rubbing off on the properties in the poor neighbourhood though very close to the rich.
Lagos has very high rate of human traffic and influx of graduates from
other states will always make it very attractive for real estate,
Portharcourt despite the kidnappings is the unofficial capital city of
Niger Delta the oil rich region, so expatriate are always attracted to
the place, there you are sure to make very quick and profitable
investment.

In conclusion, economy is the chief driving factor of a real estate
investment in an area and for Nigeria ,Portharcourt and Lagos towers
above the rest.

Foundation as the most important part of the building needs adequate attention for you to be able to sleep in your house with your eyes closed.
For a built building especially after a few years you need to recheck and ascertain all is well. These are some of the considerations you must make.

(1)Settlement-Every houses do settle without exception especially when it is newly built, but the effect is more noticeable after a few years of completion. The severity of the settlement is based on a couple of factors like how well the house was designed and built, attention to details and others. Settlement can be very noticeable in some houses when one side visually begins to sink, which will require urgent attention before the house finally collapse, the attention of a structural engineer is required here. Beams and other measures may have to be introduced on that foundation for the house to be saved.

(2)Cracks-Cracks may also be noticeable in some buildings foundation, this may be caused by a lot of factors like
i-settling which may be caused by loosed soil and is noticeable when you started having horizontal cracking.
ii-Soil moisture around foundation can also cause cracking and eat deep into your foundation ,hence is important your backfill the surrounding wall of your building and protect it from onrushing water, also water from the soil have to be channeled to drains quickly. Desist from making water settle around the foundation of your building for too long. Expansion of soil when wet will create pressure on the concrete.
iii-improper mixture and inadequate water during mixing of concrete can also cause cracks when concrete begins to shrink due to curing after a while.
When preparing your concrete make sure you mix the elements-cement,snd,water very well before pouring.

(3)Water movement around the foundation as discussed in (2)

(4)Type of foundation- You need to to know the right foundation for a particular building and soil type, anything lower than what is required may result in foundation problems, for instance introducing strip or pad foundation where you are supposed to have raft foundation may cause problem in a few years.

(5)Professional Handling-If not for anything make sure a professional supervise your foundation being the most important part of the building, but if you doubt the competencies of your builder, then you also have reason to be skeptical about your foundation.

(6)Mixture ratio of the concrete is very important and the professional recommendations must be followed.

(7)Types of Soil-If the building is on vegetable matter or on dumpsite and it was not properly cleared and refilled with adequate strong soil, the probability of you having a weak foundation is high. So before you build on any dumpsite,debris and vegetable matter must be excavated and removed. Also every materials and debris used during construction of the building around the foundation must be removed to avoid them been buried on the ground which may disintegrate and weaken your foundation.

(8)Improper filling or Backfilling of the foundation when not given adequate attention will also affect the foundation. For some structures you’ll notice the surrounding soil sinking after few rainfall because the soil were not properly filled and well compacted. Foundations requires hardcores and it must be put in place to avoid too much pressure on the foundation.