Okay...so
now that you actually opened this, it shows how really interested (or
maybe serious) you are in becoming a landlord this year.
As
a building construction professional with several years of experience
in the industry, I have come to see that despite the fact that many
people have the sincere desire to become owners of their own home as
soon as possible, they also ironically indulge in habits and lifestyles
that keep denying them of achieving this golden goal. This often results
in many people spending in excess and taking longer than necessary to
complete their building projects. One would not blame these set of
people due to prevailing economic situations and other responsibilities
to cater for, but the reality remains that achieving life goals such as
owning personal residence is one of the greatest joys one can have in
life.
Industry trend over decades makes it clear that majority
of Nigerians would prefer to build their homes from the scratch to
personal taste rather than buy from property developers. In fact, those
who go on to buy from developers still end up doing major renovations
which is usually another capital intensive project on it's own. This
shows that indeed, home ownership, like every other property acquisition
is a matter of desired taste/quality.
The foregoing brings to
mind the fact that the 3 basic essentials that every home builder (be it
client or contractor) would want to maximize in every building project
are Cost, Quality and Time. As a result of this, I wish to share 5
simple but useful tips below with dear Nairalanders in order help make
the most of your home building experience and have the fulfillment of
quality execution.
1. Be Sure of What You Want To Build and Stick to The Plan
One
of the reasons why some people begin their home project and are unable
to finish it is that they never really had a clear idea of what they
want to build or live in. It would surprise you that some Nigerians just
tell a builder or contractor to come up with a 'nice' plan and start
building until they get stuck at a point that where they realize that
they do not really like the upcoming structure or they cannot afford the
cost implication.
Having a simple and clear building design done
by an Architect (which doesnt have to be so expensive) is a fundamental
step that any intending home owner must take. This would save the
future landlord a lot of headaches as there would be no undue correction
which would inflate the building budget.
2. Prepare an Estimated Budget to Work With
It
is always a very wise decision to have an budget estimate (or range of
figure) for any intended project execution or property acquisition.
Apart from the fact that it helps one to set aside the money (or save
towards as the case may apply) for the buidling project, there is a
guiding sense of expenditure and release of funds as the building
project proper goes on.
It is always advisable to get a good
quantity surveyor to prepare a Bill of Quantity for the proposed
building project based on the Architectural drawings (inclusive of
structural and Mechanical&Electrical drawings) depending on the size
of the building.
3. Hire Capable and Experienced Building professionals
The construction industry is probably the most infiltrated with untrained and inexperienced people claiming to have capacity to
execute
building projects that they actually cannot. The reason is not far
fetched : such unscrupulous individuals are just interested
enriching
themselves with your money with no true sense of responsibility to
deliver you a quality, budget-friendly house constructed in
your
desired time frame.It is advisable that intending home owners do some
due diligence by consulting trusted friends and family members
who
have already satisfactorily built their homes. The membership data base
of professional building societies can also be checked for registered
reputable contractors and requests for bids can be sent to them for your project.
4. Ensure That Appropriate Quality and Quantity of Materials Needed are Purchased
A
finished building that will be the joy of the owner and envy of
neighbours and visitors is as good as the constituent materials used to
build it;
right from the foundation to the roof. When it comes to
materials used building construction, a good balance of the quality and
quantity matters a lot! It is therefore needful for the home owner to
ask questions from the contractor/supervisor on the needed materials for
every phase of construction and the variety of options
available.Ranging from type of sand to be used for foundation or wall
plastering, up to the best cement brands and the best types of floor
tiles quality in the market up to the best wood grade for roofing,
materials have to be given careful consideration before procurement.
I
will personally recommend WWW.CRIBPARK.COM to anyone who is currently
building or intends to build their house with the best quality yet
budget friendly materials available across market in Lagos. I have
friends (both home owners and contractors alike) who have used their
service to procure building materials. You can call their hotline
08068839618 for further inquiries.
5. Create Good Time to Visit Your Building site (whether or not work is ongoing)
If
you want your building project completed on time, you have to set out
good time yourself to oversee work progress periodically.
That you
have hired someone with experience or very familiar to you as contractor
or supervisor does not mean you should be a AWOL
at construction of
your own future home. Pay unannounced visits to your site and spend
brief but quality time to observe for yourself
how well (or
otherwise) work is being carried out on your building site.You can make
this is a weekly, fortnightly or monthly habit, depending
on how busy you are per time, the size of the building project or rate at which work is progressing.
I
hope you find this piece helpful somehow. I wish you the very best and
Godspeed as you get to work on activating your home ownership plan.
Thanks.
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