Posts

FACTORS TO CONSIDER BEFORE BUYING A PLOT TO BUILD A FLAT(CONDOMINIUM OF APARTMENTS)

Image
When anyone is buying a land to build apartments the intention is to have something that can generate income so the main inspiration is doing business. Unlike when someone is building their residential home, everyone seeks to maximumly utilize every inch of the plot to have as many units as it can fit. So here I am addressing every development that calls us to construct on more than 90% off the plot area. 1.LOCATION OF THE PLOT. When investing in any business, everyone has their own expectations; the main one being, how much will I get if I venture into this business? So it is very necessary to have in mind the amount you want to earn every month when you have 100% occupancy. That is what will determine the typology you want to do. Is it one bedroom, bedsitters(studio rooms), two bedrooms etc. You should be keen on the social class o the area you would like to build. What typology can they consume more and how much is each unit. There are some areas which if you construct bigger typolo...

Ideal Cost of a 3 Bedroom House

Image
Cost is a major concern of anyone wanting to venture into construction. There is  question that any client keep asking me, "how much is the cost of a 4/3/2 bedroom house in so and so place? Here is your most appropriate answer for this. Read through till the end. I have discussed the cost determiners of every part of the house starting from Foundation FOUNDATION WALLS To get an idea of how much materials the foundation walls will cost first do a test pit (1M by 1M ) before construction and see soil variations. Sites with red soil, murram and stable rock need less excavation coz they are already stable for construction. Black cotton soil may ask for full excavation and if gone too deep you hung the slab. SLAB It's necessary to know the thickness of the slab to be used as well as labour needed. The amount of materials used while doing 100mm thick slab is different by far from the one used in 150mm slab especially where floor area is big. So work with a well specified slab ...

LOW COST HOUSING (EPS PANELS)

Image
EPS is an acronym that stands for Expanded Polystyrene which has led to the production of the EPS panels. These panels are single factory engineered units and made from two metal wires into a fully insulating EPS core. They are basically insulated sandwich panels between two high tensile steel meshes. EPS 3D Panel system results in reduced concrete and steel reinforcement quantities thereby saving costs. EPS is light-weight, resulting in lower labour costs, formwork and construction time and, therefore, overall construction cost reduction. ADVANTAGES OF USING THE EPS PANELS Reduces metalwork as much as possible,  single panels can build up to 4 floors and double floors can do upto 20 floors without using columns. When it comes to Windows someone can just cut it in any shape and size, no ring beams are needed therefore less metal work. In floors, much of the area is taken up by the board reducing the overall concrete mix needed. Another advantage is the insulation propert...

FOUR WAYS IN WHICH YOU CAN PREVENT BUILDING MATERIALS FROM BEING STOLEN FROM THE SITE

Image
I. HAVE A MATERIAL ESTIMATE OF YOUR PROJECT BEFORE HAND Many clients wait until they get to a certain stage and start asking people for quotations.  For instance, they get close to roofing and start asking for roofing experts to give quotations, others use the referrals suggested by their friends. I have seen a scenario where by a client was referred a roofing expert by her own dad because that guy had been working for the dad in several sites. The guy quoted 600pcs of decra roofing tiles. What was left on site was 450pcs; a neighbor said he saw a lorry loading them what made them to count them. He had a very good strategy and was very trusted. It means he used to steal from the dad who never knew. He colluded with the guy who used to have the keys to the site house. Another scenario I heard it from fundis where they over-quoted iron-sheets but unfortunately the site had a gate man who inspected Lorries before leaving the gate. They ended up piling two sheets and have them as on...

BEFORE YOU START ANY CONSTRUCTION WORKS; CONSIDER THISπŸ‘‡πŸ‘‡πŸ‘‡πŸ‘‡

Image
Many people have never understood the purpose of planning ahead of things. Anytime you want to engage in any serious venture without a plan of how to go about it, the project is bound to fail. See even God encourages planning ahead of things. Suppose one of you wants to build a tower. Won’t you first sit down and estimate the cost to see if you have enough money to complete it? (Lk14:18). Planning helps someone to know what to expect and what is expected of him/her. You have to ask yourself questions like;          i.               What is that house I have always dreamt of?        ii.             How much will it cost me?      iii.             For how long do I expect to construct it?      iv.      ...

COMMON MISTAKES PEOPLE MAKE DURING CONSTRUCTION (Sn 01 Ep 02)

Its true resources are scarce hence calling for everyone to device a means of saving.  Everyone wants quality stuff and still save awesomely. I do not mean that someone can’t save and get quality stuff at the same time. But at times what people call cheap ends up being so expensive. So someone ends up having a substandard stuff that cost them arm and leg. In the building industry this rule may not apply, a service may be cheap on the surface but in the long run it ends up being very expensive. It is very common to see these kinds of posts on social media, “I want a three bedroom plan someone help”.  This is an open market- willing buyer, willing seller. In many occasions the client is always enticed by the cheapest bidder. In this field you will get your service at any price. But what people forget is that the money used in design stage may be negligible when you come to construction stage. That is where you realize things are not adding up. Designing is way beyond genera...

INTERLOCKING BRICKS ARE BETTER AND CHEAP IN DOING FLAT-ROOFED BUNGALOWS

Image
Client B :     Hey Dann, there is this technology I have seen people using; of                                        interlocking bricks. Would you advise me to use it? Arch.  Dann:  Yeah sure; especially for a flat-roofed bungalow. Client B:          Why a flat roof? Arch. Dann:  One reason is that they are cheap to construct and they leave such a                          smooth surface for easier plastering. Client B: You know cost of construction is key, kindly elaborate on the point of                            being cheap. Arch Dann:  Joining the bricks does not n...