Cost of building a 5 bedroom bungalow in Nigeria 2020

Do you want to know the cost of building a 5 bedroom bungalow in Nigeria?

In this article, I have put together the cost of building a 5 bedroom bungalow from the foundation level to the roofing stage.

Oftentimes people tend to ask or enquire how much it takes to build a house from a friend, relatives, neighbors’ or forums. It is important to note that the fact your brother or friend built a house with ₦6,000,000 is not a guarantee that it will take you the same amount to build your own.

This is because when it comes to constructing a building and it cost, there are a lot of things that can trigger the cost either to go high or to come down. These include building plan permit fee, cost of the survey plan, cost of architectural drawing, site location, type of soil, cost of labor in that area.

Also, the size of the building, the type and taste of finishing, attention to detail, cost of building materials in that area, and the quality of building material you intend to use. All of these can influence the cost of building a house.

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Professional advice

I will professionally advise, to engage the service of a Quantity surveyor (QS) at the planning stage in other to get the rough estimate or bill of quantity of what your proposed house will cost.

This will go a long way to help you in making decisions on when and how you intend to start and finished it, secondly it will give you an idea of how much the project will cost, also help you to plan on how you intend to go about the funds while building.

Many times people started constructing a building but eventually ended up halfway. In some cases, it leads to abandonment. These are mostly caused by a lack of proper planning towards the project cost and the source of funds.

Also, before starting a building project properly, ensure you first dig a borehole. This will go a long way to reduce the cost and stress of water issues or scarcity.

It is advised that you do not mold more than 28-30 blocks for a partition wall, and not more than 25 blocks per bag for a Load-bearing wall.

Molding 40 blocks from one bag is not a best practice, that is why most times in some houses you start seeing cracks after a year or two.

Safety is better than waking up one day to see that the building crashed down on your family simply because you were trying to cut costs.

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Block Mold in building construction

The cost of molding a block varies from place to place and from location to location. For instance, if you were to build a house in an undeveloped area of Lagos like IKorodu, the cost of labor for molding blocks, cost of cement, and sand is definitely going to be different to compare in developed areas like Victoria Island, Ikeja, etc.

Also, if you were to mold blocks for your building in Ogun State or Oyo State, the cost of labor, sand, and cement is going to be different from other cities or states.

However, when constructing a building I will always advise you to mold blocks by yourself instead of buying them because when you buy blocks elsewhere you cannot guarantee the quality of the structure or building.

Read: architect cost in Nigeria

Why you should mold blocks by yourself, don’t buy from the factory

• Most times the ones purchased from the factory are not strong, but the ones molded with hands tend to be relatively stronger.
• Molding of blocks is better and highly recommended in building construction because you can tell the laborers how many blocks you want per bag of cement. However, if you want solid blocks, I think 28 to 38 blocks per 50kg bag of cement is preferable for 6 inches hollow blocks.
  Note: lesser the blocks per bag the harder the block would be!
• Molding your own blocks gives you the cost-effectiveness and reliability of blocks produced.
• By molding blocks by yourself, it has a high tendency of the building not to experience any mishaps.
• Most mass production, mold 50blocks using 1 bag of cement (Dangote ordinary cement), and nowadays, due to Dangote X3 cement, they mold 65 blocks which are barely enough to give strength.
• You can control the strength of the blocks you make on-site
• 10% of blocks purchased from the factory usually got broken before they reach the site.
• No transportation cost.

Check out: cost of drawing a building plan in Nigeria

The disadvantage of molding blocks by yourself.

• It requires strict supervision as some molders can be dubious with the cement. If not properly supervised, it would still be similar to the one produced in the block industries.
• If you don’t monitor them adequately they will end up molding 60 blocks per bag and steal the remaining bags of cement.
• It is time-consuming if it’s a large project because it requires time to dry properly after the day-to-day wetting.

Read: how to build a house on a small budget in Nigeria

Estimated Cost of building a 5 bedroom bungalow from Foundation level to roofing stage

Below is the calculated cost of constructing a 5 bedroom bungalow from the foundation level to the roofing stage.

Please note, the cost of Land, Survey plan, architectural drawing, building plan approval permit, digging of a borehole, cost of wiring and lighting fitting, Pop Design on outside walls and column, compound interlocking, plumbing(M&E), suck-away, fencing, plastering, painting, and internal finishing are NOT included on this cost estimate.

The general price of cement, sand, and cost of Labor for molding blocks

The cost of cement is a minimum of ₦2,500 and a maximum of ₦2,900 per 50kg of a bag.

Labor cost is between ₦500 to ₦600 for a bag of 50kg of cement used to produce blocks.

Sand: The cost of (10 tons) of sharp sand is between ₦25,000 to 28,000 depending on the location.

Note: these prices and the rest of the prices I use on this project are Lagos prices, they can vary in different locations, cities, or states.

Cost of laying a Foundation of 5 bedroom bungalow in Nigeria

I will like to state that, determining the cost of laying a foundation for a building is actually factored on the topography of the land such as:

Soil condition- This determines the type of foundation that will be used. Building a foundation in a swamp area costs more.

Also, a pile foundation costs more than a Raft foundation. At the same time, a raft foundation costs more than a strip and pad foundation.

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Estimated Cost of concrete foundation fittings, foundation walls, DPC, and excavation

Cost of excavating the foundation (labor) = ₦5,500

Concrete foundation fittings = ₦350,000

Cost of foundation walls = ₦380,000.

Cost of down proof concrete (DPC) = ₦1,200,000

Also, waterproof materials will be needed for the DPC. Meanwhile, on this project, the total floor area of the building is 175sqm. The cost of one square meter of waterproof material is ₦300.

Therefore the cost of the waterproof materials will be ₦300 * 175sqm = ₦52,500.

Hence, the total cost of constructing a foundation and DPC of 5 bedroom bungalow: ₦5,500 + ₦350,000 + ₦380,000 + ₦1,200,000 +₦52,500 = ₦1,988,000 or $5147.19

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Cost of Block Works from DPC to the lintel level

The act of laying blocks from the concrete floor (DPC) to the lintel level (that is, to the top of doors and windows) is referred to as block works to the lintel level.

In other to determine the total cost of the block works needed to level the building to the lintel level, going by the calculations from the drawing, we will need about three thousand (3,000) pieces of blocks in other to get it done.

Mathematical calculation of how many bags of cement that is to produce 3,000 pieces of blocks

On this project, we want to maintain 38pieces of blocks per bag of cement.

1bag = 38pieces

Xbags = 3,000pieces

X = 3,000/38 = 78bags of cement.

Therefore, in other, for us to get 3,000 pieces of blocks we will need about 78bags of cement.

Cost of 78bags of cement in Nigeria

To determine the total cost of 78bags of cement: first, the cost of one bag of 50kg of cement ranges from ₦2,500 to ₦2,900 depending on the location, which will give us a minimum of 25pieces or a maximum of 40 pieces of 6 inches of hollow blocks as recommended.

Although this depends on what you want, and what exactly you are molding the blocks for. The purpose of the block mold can change the number of blocks you can get from a 50kg bag of cement.

Mathematical calculation: cost of 78bags of cement: 2,500 * 78 = ₦195,000

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Total Cost of sharp sand that will produce 3,000 pieces of 6 inches blocks

To determine the total cost of sharp sand that will give us 3,000 pieces of 6 inches of blocks.

Primarily, 10tons of sharp sand will consume 13bags of cement and that will produce 500 pieces of blocks.

Therefore, to get 3,000 pieces we will be need 78bags of cement and 60tons of sharp sand.

However, the cost of 10tons of sharp sand is between ₦25,000 to ₦28,000.

Hence, cost of 60tons of sharp sand is 25,000 * 6 = 150,000.

Cost of labor for molding the block

For normal negotiation with laborers, at every one bag of cement used to mold block, the labor cost is between ₦500 to ₦600. Therefore, for 78bags it will be:

1bag = ₦500

78bags = X

X =78 * 500 = ₦39,000.

Hence, the total cost of labor for molding 3,000 pieces of blocks is ₦39,000.

Cost of mortar (mixed cement and sand) needed to lay the blocks

10tons of sand with 21 bags of cement will be needed to lay blocks for 5 bedroom bungalow.

21bags of cement will cost: 2,500 * 21 = ₦52,500

Price of 10tons of sand = 25,000.

Therefore, total cost needed to produce mortar for laying blocks is: 52,500 + 25,000 = ₦77,500.

Cost of laying blocks in Nigeria (labor cost)

To lay one block, cost a minimum of ₦60 and a maximum of ₦80, although it depends on the area or location of the building project.

To calculate the cost of laying block from DPC to the lintel level of a building. This will give us:

Labor cost of ₦60 * 3,000 blocks = ₦180,000

Hence, the total cost of block works from DPC to lintel level: ₦195,000 + ₦150,000

+₦180,000 + ₦39,000 + ₦77,500. = ₦641,500 or $1660.93

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Cost estimate on the Lintel level

A lintel level is a beam placed across the openings on top of doors and windows in a building to support the load of the surrounding wall.

The lintel is generally made up of reinforced concrete or cement mortar.

Cost of wooding works on the Lintel level of 5 bedroom bungalow

From the drawing, we will need about 64 woods for the wooding formwork. That is 12” by 12-foot wood. The cost of one wood is 1400.

Therefore the cost of 64 planks of wood will be 1400 * 64 = ₦89,600.

The estimated cost of labor for wooding formwork = ₦25,000

Therefore total cost of woodworks: ₦89,600 + ₦25,000 = ₦114,600

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Cost of re-enforcement works on the lintel level of 5 bedroom bungalow

We will also need 12mm rods for the re-enforcement works and 10mm rods for stirrups. The total number of 12mm rods needed for all the lintel is 30 rods. The cost of one 12mm rod is ₦2,200.

The number of Stirrups needed =345 and one stirrup cost 160

Therefore, the cost of all the 12mm rods will be 30 * 2,200 = ₦66,000 and the cost of all the stirrups is 345 * 160 = ₦55,200.

The cost of labor for iron benders is = ₦18,000,

Total cost for re-enforcement works: ₦66,000 + ₦55,200 + ₦18,000 = ₦139,200

Hence, the estimated total cost of finishing the lintel level is the cost of woodworks and the re-enforcement works: ₦114,600+ ₦139,200 = ₦253,800 or $657.12.

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Cost of Block works from lintel level to the roof

According to the drawing, the total blocks required to level the building from the lintel level to the roof level is 1500 blocks. In other to produce these blocks, we need 39bags of cement and 30tons of sharp sand.

Cost of 39bags of cement is ₦2,500 * 39 = ₦97,500

Cost of 30tons of sharp sand is 25,000 *3 = ₦75,000

Cost of labor for molding the block is:

1bag = ₦500

39bags = X

X =500 * 39 = 19,500.

Therefore, the total cost of labor for molding 1,500 pieces of blocks is ₦19,500.

The cost of laying blocks (labor) from the lintel level to the roof of the building is ₦60 * 1,500blocks, which is ₦90,000.

Cost of mortar needed to lay 1,500 blocks from the lintel level to the roof of the building. First and foremost, we will need about 14bags of cement and 5tons of sharp sand. This will cost 35,000 + 12,500 = ₦47,500

Hence total cost of block works from lintel level to the roof of the building: ₦97,500 + ₦75,000 + ₦19,500 + ₦90,000 ₦47,500 = ₦329,500 or $853.12

Read: why you should engage an architect when building or renovating your home.

Cost of Roofing 5 bedroom bungalow

It is important to note that the cost of roofing a building is determined by the architectural design of the roof and the type of materials to use. For example, if the proposed building tends to include a “parapet” on the architectural drawing, the cost of roofing is definitely going to be high to compare simple design.

Here is the estimated cost of roofing a simple 5 bedroom bungalow

Cost of wood = ₦200,000

Cost of Labor/ Carpenter = ₦170,000

Cost of roofing sheet (the total square meter is 256m²) for one(1) square meter, the price is ₦1,120

Therefore, 256m² will be 1,120 * 256m² = ₦286,720

The cost of installing the roofing sheet is always a 10% cost of the total roofing sheet.

In this case, the cost will be (0.1 * ₦286,720) = ₦28,672

Hence, the total cost of roofing a five(5) bedrooms bungalow: ₦200,000 + ₦170,000 + ₦286,720 + ₦28,672= ₦685,392 or $1774.57

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Cost of wooden doors, Iron burglary, aluminum windows, and labor works

The cost of wooden doors with frames is ₦20,000 per one however, from the design about 15 doors are needed. Also cost of Iron burglary for windows is ₦8,500 per one, about nine (9) pieces will be required. While the cost of aluminum windows with frames is ₦20,000 about nine pieces are needed too.

Please note: these costs vary depending on the type, quality of materials purchased, and where the materials are bought from.

Therefore: Cost of wooden doors with frames is 20,000 * 15 = 300,000

Cost of iron burglary for windows is 8,500 * 9 = 76,500

Cost of aluminum windows with frames is ₦20,000 * 9 = 180,000

Labor cost (doors) is negotiated for 1,500 for fixing one door. That is to say, for installing 15 doors it will be 1,500 * 15 = 22,500

Labor cost (aluminum windows): cost of installing one window ranges from 1,500 to 3,000. But on this project, the negotiated price is 1500.

So for nine (9) windows it will cost 1500 * 9 = 13,500.

Labor cost (Iron burglary): 1,500 * 9 = 13,500

Now to calculate the total labor cost for fixing both windows, Iron burglaries and doors: 22,500 +13,500 +13,500 = 49,500.
Hence, the total cost of wooden doors, Iron burglary, aluminum windows, and labor works = 300,000 + 76,500 + 180,000 + 49,500 = ₦606,000 or $1569.01

Cost of ceiling a five (5) bedroom in Nigeria

In this project, we are using the PVC ceiling. According to the calculation from the drawing, we need about 25 bundles of PVC, the area of each one is 5950mm * 250mm and each bundle has 10 pieces inside.

However, cost of one(1) bundle is between ₦5,000 to ₦25,000. Therefore 25 bundle of PVC will be 5,000 * 25 = ₦125,000.

Labor cost = ₦50,000

The material to use for installing the PVC is 400 per bundle. So 25 bundle will be 400 * 25 = ₦10,000

Therefore, total cost of ceiling a 5 bedroom bungalow is ₦125,000 + ₦10,000 + ₦50,000 = ₦185,000

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Conclusion: bill of quantity for 5 bedroom bungalow

The total cost of constructing a 5 bedroom bungalow from foundation level to roofing stage includes:  excavation, laying of the foundation, DPC, Block Works to the roof level, Roofing, fixing of doors, windows, iron burglary, and ceiling. Is ₦1,988,000 + ₦641,500 + ₦253,800 + ₦329,500 + ₦685,392 + ₦606,000 + ₦185,000 = ₦4,689,192 or $12323.96.

Note: you may need to budget for unforeseen expenses.

Please Note: this cost was derived at the price of ₦2,700 for a bag of cement, this simply means that the cost of building a 5 bedrooms bungalow is subject to variation. Depending on the material increase or decrease.

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If you have a specific budget, you may want to use for this kind of project, feel free to connect with us let’s discuss and work things out.

Or if you are in or outside Nigeria and you intend to start a building project, you may want to know how much it will cost you to finish the project.

Please feel free to contact us. Our Quantity Surveyors(QS) are always here and willing to assist in getting a recommended budget or cost for your building construction.

Why you need the service of a QS for costing your project

Knowing the cost of a project before commencing on it is so important. It helps the owner to plan & budget financially on how to go about it before starting the project. That is, know the time frame, how and when to start, who to use for the project, and the best time to start.

Secondly, to prevent people from robbing you on-site during construction especially project managers or family members who may want to use the avenue to make more money for themselves. 

Also, it helps to avert project abandonment which is becoming a norm here in Nigeria. That is why I strongly advise anyone who intends to start any building projects to quickly engage the service of the quantity surveyor (QS) for the bill of quantities.

Honestly, that is the best step to follow before starting any building project. Sometimes people tend to shy away from their services probably because they are not aware of it or because of the professional fee.

The question is, is it better to start a project and get it abandoned (end it halfway) or get robbed than to pay a QS to get the cost of the project at each stage and beyond?

In other to help you plan and work with the stipulated budget.

The answer is yours.

When is the right time to engage a QS for their services?

The best time to engage a QS is the moment you are financially ready to execute the project, by then you should have your land and the drawings ready.

So that the cost of material at the time of preparing the bill will still be the same or slightly differ during construction.

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Frequent ask question (FAQ) on a building project

How much will it cost to build a 5 bedrooms bungalow in Nigeria?

From the above calculations according to the drawing, the cost of building a simple 5 bedroom bungalow from foundation level to the roofing stage is ₦4,689,192 or $12323.96

How many numbers of blocks can build a 5 bedroom bungalow?

About 4500 blocks to 5000 blocks depending on the size of the design.

How much do you pay laborers for molding blocks per day?

The cost of Labor is paid by bags of cement used to produce blocks, not by days’ work. Hence, the general Cost of labor ranges from ₦500 to ₦600 per 50kg bag of cement used.

Is the strength of a machine vibrated block the same as that of blocks molded with hands?

No, vibrated ones have more strength, although handmade blocks are normally accepted.

How many bags of cement and trips of sharp sand will produce 3,000 pieces of blocks?

To get 3,000 pieces of blocks, you will need 78bags of cement and 60tons of sharp.

How many blocks do you get from one bag of cement?

For each bag of cement, you should get a minimum of 28 and a maximum of 40 for quality production. Although the recommended amount is 25 pieces of blocks.

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I hope you find this article useful if you have questions, corrections, contributions enquires please drop your comment below.

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