Build a house on a small budget
Table of Contents
Do you know you can build a house on a small budget in Nigeria? many people think one has to be a millionaire before building a house. But the fact is that one can actually build a house on a small budget if properly planned.
One interesting thing about life is when one knows he or she has its own house, it relieves the mental stress and gives peace of mind in the area of paying a house rent at the end of every year. Also, it gives a sense of success that gladding’s the heart.
Having a home to call your own is one of the important things every human being desires and dreams of achieving in life. Nevertheless building a house requires a lot of things.
Requirements for building a home or a house
- Owning land with the right title document
- Getting the architectural drawing.
- Approval of the building plan.
- Construction of the building.
When it comes to the area of getting genuine land with the right title document, for your building project. Buy a genuine real estate property in Nigeria is here to give you, your desired, genuine and affordable pieces of land. Just get in touch with us.
In the area of getting the architectural drawing, we also have a certified, experienced, and professional architect that will gladly work with you. If you need any of our services, just reach out to us.
For the approval of the building project, read one of our carefully written blog articles on how to get your building plan approved or you may contact us for help.
For the construction of a building, read until the end of this article as I explain in detail how you can build a house with a small budget.
In the building and construction of houses, there are important professionals or personnel you must engage in your project. Their services are highly required. They are there to guide you and make sure you followed the laydown rules and regulations associated with building construction.
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Professionals required in building or construction projects:
Architect:
One of their key responsibilities in a building project is to draw. He/she translates your vision into physical designs and can help you manage the actualization of your dream through designs and supervision of works.
Structural Engineer:
He ensures that the architect’s design is achieved through his structural advice and designs. He makes sure the building is designed to withstand both its own loads and superimposed loads. He’s mostly concerned about how the building will stand the test of time and not collapse. He is like a muscle builder for a building.
Quantity Surveyor:
This is the financial expert on building or construction projects otherwise known as the financial manager, the cost accountant, the cost engineer, estimator, and construction economist among other names. He translates the designs (from the Architect, Structural engineer, services engineer, etc.) into cost by a way of generating the quantities of materials required, estimating the cost of the items, and preparing a bill of quantities to represent the entire cost of a project. Among other services, He also prepares the budget for the project to ensure every money spent is monitored and properly managed.
Services Engineer:
This is the professional responsible for the designs of mechanical and electrical fittings in a building e.g. plumbing works and accessories, electrical works and accessories, transportation systems, etc. As we all know every building requires an adequate amount of toilets and electricity for the occupants to make life enjoyable, this professional helps you, depending on your budget, to achieve the best value for your money.
Builder:
This is the professional responsible for the actual erection of the building on site. He transforms the designs from the architect, structural engineers, services engineers, etc. to physical structure(s) unlike some quacks who work without any guiding principle and this has led to a lot of abandonment of projects, due to too much waste of money and materials, and also building collapse.
Project Manager:
This is a trained professional that is sometimes appointed separately by the client, to lead the construction team, adequate management of the project costs, time, and quality in accordance with the approved program of works – a special detailed document showing every activity of the project from mobilization to completion.
Source: Naijabuilding
Depending on the kind of project you are constructing, whether is big or small. You will definitely need their services maybe not all of them. Please note, when it comes to building a house on a small budget, you will need to keep the design simple, small, and professional. Therefore you will need the services of a few professionals to handle the project.
Read: cost of building 3 bedroom flat in Nigeria
Tips for building a house on a budget
As you already know building a house with a small budget might put one in a tight corner. Hence it is explicitly important you take your time and do thorough planning before starting the journey if you don’t wish to get stuck along the way.
Here are a few guidelines to follow:
- Chose a land location you can afford
- Discuss your budget with an architect and quantity surveyor during the planning stage
- Work with experienced and certified Architect
- Avoid variation order
- Constant supervision
Ways to cut cost when building a house
- Buy some already used iron & wooden doors from a carpenter or welder
- Mold block yourself don’t buy
- Purchase and monitor materials
Guide 1: Chose a land location you can afford
The cost of buying land varies from one location to another. For example in Lagos Nigeria, the cost of buying land in the Lekki area is more expensive to compare the Ikorodu area of Lagos. Hence, when you are planning of building a house on a small budget, make sure you inspect, Investigate, and go for genuine land that is suitable for your budget.
Some disadvantages of such an area may be lack of development, bad road, distance to your working or business area, less population which will definitely affect business, and lastly, you may not like to live in such an area.
But the good news is that, as the year goes by, the land will continue to appreciate, and more people will be investing in that area.
Read: what to know before buying land in Nigeria, don’t be a victim
Guide 2: Discuss your budget with an architect and quantity surveyor during the planning stage
When planning, it is important to immediately discuss your budget with the right professional in other to have a better result at the end.
When you engage the services of an architect and quantity surveyor, they will guide you through, based on what kind of building structure that will fit your budget. Also the kind of design, material to use in order to achieve the desired budget. For example, instead of using a marble finishing that is expensive in the bathroom, they might advise you on a better affordable one your budget can carry such as ceramic tiles or any other.
Someone may say “why do I need the service of a professional when I don’t have much money to spend”. The truth and reality are when you engage the service of a professional you are averting yourself from unforeseen circumstances or problems that might arise years later, also you will be sure you are building according to standard. If not you may wake up one day and see your building demolished or confiscated by the government.
Getting highly detailed and accurate design plans are essential to understanding your total costs for the project. Project drawings define the scope of work, and without thorough plans, you can run into serious cost overruns. Well-established and clear drawings help mitigate budget issues at the top of the project.
Guide 3: Work with experienced and certified Architect
Get a good and experienced architect who after designing the plan will also assist you to supervise the work by so doing you will be able to minimize the cost of the project and still get better service at the end of the project.
If you were to engage the service of a project manager and architect at the same time, the cost will definitely be high. I believe if one wishes to build a house within his or her budget. The person still needs to maintain a professional and sustainable building.
The architect will not only design but also design within your budget, at the same time apply all the customary lay down rules for immediate approval.
Once the professionals finish the cost and the drawing work and produced the building plan. Next is the approval of the drawing. After the drawings are approved, the project progresses to the construction phase.
Get a professional architectural drawing & 3D design
Guide 4: Avoid variation order
Variation order means the alteration, change, or modification of design, quality, or quantity of work omission, addition, or substitution of the work. It also includes the alteration of the standard of materials or goods to be used in the work, and the removal from the site of any work, materials, or goods which are not in accordance with the initial agreement or plan.
Any additions, deletions, or other revisions to project goals and scopes are considered to be variations, which usually lead to an increase or decrease in the cost of a project. It is vital for you to make sure you focus on the initial plan in order to avoid variation. Because most variation orders either lead to poor jobs or the high cost of a project.
Land for Sale in Ibeju Lekki
Guide 4: Constant supervision
In other, for you to maintain your budget, you will have to be on the site 24/7, because laborers tend to be serious on-site when they know someone is monitoring them. By so doing, you will be relieving yourself from any extra cost that may come through labor work. Also, you will be sure you are paying them according to what they work for.
Monitoring the project constantly will additionally help you to checkmate if what is in the drawing is actually what is been done. If not, a correction has to be immediately applied before it leads to extra cost.
Read: Requirements for building plan approval
Ways to cut cost when building a house
Buy some already used iron & wooden doors from a carpenter or welder
To cut down the cost and also to remain within your budget, if you are to need five to ten doors for the building. I suggest you go to a carpenter or welder and purchase some doors, maybe the ones to use inside the house.
Because if you were to purchase new doors it will cost like six hundred thousand Naira to nine hundred thousand Naira (₦600,000 to ₦900,000) but if you are to buy used and refurbished one from a welder or carpenter.
You will be getting it around fifteen thousand to thirty thousand Naira (₦15,000 to ₦30,000) depending on the design, quality, material, and style.
In the end, you will realize you have saved yourself some huge amount and still maintain standard and budget.
Land for sale in Abuja
Mold block yourself don’t buy
If you are to build 3 bedroom bungalow, the cost of buying blocks will be very expensive. Honestly, it will pay you better if you mold the blocks, especially when you use sand got from the digging of foundation and soak away, and join it with a few trips of sand.
In the end, you find out you have saved yourself some amount of money and still have extra sand to do other works.
Buying blocks to build a house is not advisable because you don’t know the quality of the block as such you are risking the building. Secondly, those blocks are made for commercial purposes.
Affordable Land for Sale in Abuja
Purchase and monitor materials
Your material expenses are the key area in which you can tighten a budget, save money, and derive more value from your project. That’s because engineers have opportunities to establish relationships with suppliers where they can negotiate costs based on volume, especially when they’re able to source multiple materials from a single vendor.
Material expenditures take up the most significant portion of any given building budget, so it’s good to review this closely. Get the best quality materials that fit within the budget. Make sure at any purchase, you get what you pay for.
Also, the number of materials you ordered is actually what they delivered. For example, if you order one trip of sand, make sure is up to 30tons. If you don’t know how to measure it, you can learn from your workers.
Unlike services that can come with scope creep, materials have different prices, and you can get quotations of prices from different suppliers. Therefore, engage multiple vendors when purchasing your material, by so doing you will get cheaper prices with the same quality of the material. In a non-shell, proper bargaining of material prices with different vendors will save you some money.
I have read in some blogs where they wrote, you should purchase the material by yourself but the question is, how can you purchase what you have little or no knowledge about?
Also, how will you be able to differentiate the quality ones and non-quality ones? How will you know the ones given to you is the one architect have in the drawing? How will you differentiate the good ones and the bad ones?
In my own opinion when it comes to buying the building materials, make sure you work closely with your Quantity surveyor. Take him or her along to the market for purchase.
Monitor how the materials are used on site. Because sometimes laborers may steal or misused materials on site.
Read: Role of a quantity surveyor in construction project
Advice: Consider your source of income before building a house
When you want to start building your house, make sure your source of income is not going to be affected because of the house you intend to build also your family’s monthly expenses are also considered before you embark on the building.
This is one of the reasons you need detailed and thorough planning with an architect and quantity surveyor from the planning stage. By so doing you will not be stuck along the way.
I have seen some businessmen when they start building a house, their business will dry up, you will no longer see goods in their shops. Also, for some monthly income earners when they start erecting their own house, their family monthly expenses are also affected. Thereby affecting their livelihood.
Before you start, discuss with the professional how much you have currently, how much you intend to spend, how much you can afford to add each month and how long you intend to finish the house. After careful considerations and analysis, you may then proceed to build the house.
Read: Process of obtaining building plan approval
The disadvantage of building a house on a small budget
- It takes the majority of your time.
- You may not get your desired building in the end because of the slim budget.
- The material used for the construction of the house may not last long.
- If not properly planned initially and get implemented you may end up halfway.
- You may be duped when trying to get land that will suit your budget.
Important tips to note when building your own house
- Don’t involve your family members no matter the relationship you have with them. Many times family members have done more harm than good when it comes to a building project.
- Always look out for excellent work during construction work.
- Build a good working relationship with your workers and engineers for better results.
Always make sure that the materials are not been wasted and the correction of works is totally avoided.
Tips on how to save money while building a house in Nigeria
I hope you find this article useful if you have questions, suggestions, addition, corrections please feel free to drop your comment below.
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