Cost of Drawing a Building Plan in Nigeria

Are you planning of constructing a building? Do you want to know the cost of drawing a building plan in Nigeria?

If yes, in this article I have written the expected cost of having your complete building plan designed by a registered professional.

Many times people tend to think that building plan drawings are only confined to architectural drawings alone. But that is not correct.

Read: Architect cost for a house plan

Building plan drawings comprises of:

1. Architectural drawing
2. Structural drawing
3. Mechanical drawing
4. Electrical drawing

All these drawings are what are called building plan drawings and they are all essential when it comes to building construction but it turns out that people are only aware of the architectural drawing.

Although structural drawings are not required in all types of building for example bungalows. But any other type of building from the 1^st floor to the highest floor requires structural drawing.

Mechanical and electrical drawings often called M&E drawings are always required but it may not necessarily be for approval purposes but definitely for construction purposes.

So in conclusion, irrespective of what type of house you plan to build, you will need Architectural drawing, mechanical drawing, and electrical drawing. The structural drawing is required for buildings that are more than a bungalow.

Meanwhile, structural and M&E drawings required a detailed architectural drawing before they can be designed or drawn. That is, the architect has to submit a detailed drawing to these respective engineers in other to produce the drawings.

Read: cost of fencing 2 plots of land

Permit drawing

In Nigeria, the major drawings required to be submitted for building approval permit are the architectural and the structural drawings, mechanical and electrical drawing may not be required in some cases.

If you were to build a bungalow, you may be required to submit only the architectural drawings. But anything more than that you will be required to submit both the architectural and the structural drawings for approval.

However, there are laydown requirements needed to follow when carrying out the drawing process. This is why we strongly advise using the services of professionals for your building design so as to get your drawings drawn to the stipulated standard required for the approval and also to get your building plan approved on time and with ease.

Because using an inexperienced person or unregistered individual can make your building approval rejected in the end you end up spending more by going back to use the registered professional to do the job or by correcting the job.

Read: requirement for building plan approval

Cost of designing a complete building plan drawings in Nigeria

Below is the overview of how much it will cost you to have your complete drawings (Architectural, Structural, Mechanical, and Electrical drawings) for your building plan permit or for your building project.

Cost of permit drawings | Cost of building plan in Nigeria

An architectural drawing and its cost are subject to what a client wants, so the cost of it will be determined by the scope of the project, size of the project, and the type of the design.

Because every design is different so are their cost, in other to determine the actual cost of your design you may need to discuss with your architect (preferable registered architect) in detail so as to establish the actual cost.

For the structural drawing in other to determine the actual cost as well, all that is required is to request the cost whenever you are ready for their services and with your architectural drawings.

Meanwhile, if you need the service of registered professionals such as, Architect, engineers, QS get in touch with us, we have registered professionals that will give you exceptional services.

Read: the process of obtaining building plan approval

Please note: Full and standard drawings are expected to come with the followings:

Architectural drawing:

A full and standard architectural drawing is expected to come with

• 5 sets of printed architectural drawing
• Seal
• Stamp
• And singed by a registered architect

Structural drawing:

A full and standard structural drawing is expected to come with

• 5 sets of printed structural drawing
• COREN Seal
• Stamp
• Approval letter (there supposed to be an approval letter from a certified engineer attached with the drawing to show the authenticity of the job)

Read: cost of building a 3 bedroom flat/bungalow

Cost of M&E drawings (professional fees)

These are the range of prices on how much it will cost to do the M&E drawings from a registered professional.

Although you may get it cheap from newly, junior, and unregistered engineers which is NOT recommended.

Every drawing has its own peculiarity, there will be a situation where some may come in a detached, semi-detached, terrace, etc. In that case, the actual cost of the design will have to be determined by the architectural drawing.

In other to know the actual cost of your design, just like the structural drawing, you may need to request the cost using your architectural drawing.

Read: why you need an Architect to design your house

M&E drawings:

Full and standard M&E drawings are expected to come with

• 2 sets of printed M&E drawings for each
• Seal
• Stamp
• And singed by a registered Engineer

Why you should use a registered and experienced professional for your design

The real work is actually done on the design itself, the work on-site is only following what is on the design. If there is an error on the drawing definitely there will be an error in the building construction itself.

Here are some of the reason why you should use a registered and experienced person on your building project

• To get it right once and for all.
• To avert extra cost that may arise as a result of an error in the design
• To overcome the problem of disapproval on building plans because of the drawing.
• To have a professional touch on your project.
• To overcome the issue of building collapse
• For sustainability and durability of the project.
• To avert any governmental rules or regulations that may prevent the building project.
• To give you a satisfying service.

Disadvantages of using a registered professional

Many times when people contact us after given them the cost of drawings they ask for, they ended up saying is expensive they didn’t budget for such a price. They made us realize that many people are not aware that professional services are not cheap.

The major disadvantage of using a registered professional is that their service is expensive.

So, if you are the type that always wants a cheap job, involving a registered professional may not be an option for you.

But then, in the long run, you may spend more than what you would have spent if you had engaged the right people at the right time.

Read: how to build a house on a small budget

Engaging a QS for Bill of Quantities

Another professional service that goes hand in hand with building plan drawings or building construction is the service of a Quantity Surveyor (QS).

A QS prepares a Bill of Quantities (BoQ) for any given building project and a BoQ has been known to be very important in a building project or construction.

It helps to ascertain the cost of the whole project before diving into the construction itself. It has been proven to be the best approach to take before starting a building project, especially a huge project.

How does it work?

All that is required is for you to submit the architectural or structural drawings to a Professional and experienced QS to do the BoQ of your proposed project.

Read: ways to know if an architect is good or qualify to handle your project

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 or 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.

Also, it helps to avert project abandonment which is becoming a norm here in Nigeria. That is why we 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 because they don’t want to spend money.

The question is, is it better to start a project and get it abandoned or end it halfway than to pay a QS and get it done within your time frame and budget?

The answer is yours.

Read: role of a quantity surveyor in a construction project

Frequent ask Question

How much does it cost to draw a building plan in Lagos?

The cost of drawing a building plan in Lagos from a registered professional is determined by some factors such as the type of building one intends to build.

For example, if it were to be a bungalow, the cost of the drawing will be the cost of the architectural drawings and the cost of M&E drawings which is estimated to cost between ₦500,000 to ₦600,000.

If it were to be anything higher than a bungalow, the cost of the drawing is going to be the total cost of all the drawings, such as Architectural drawings, Structural drawings, and M&E drawings which are estimated to cost between ₦800,000 to ₦1,000,000.

Read: how to calculate the number of blocks for fencing

I hope you find this article useful, if you have any question, contributions, request, addition, or corrections please feel free to drop your comment in the comment box below

Sample of full drawings and documentation of proposed building plan approval

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