Getting your own property is a lifelong dream for many modern Nigerians. You have several ways of becoming a homeowner. First, you can save up some money and buy the house or apartment you’ve always wanted. Second, you can take a mortgage and pay for it within the next decade or two. And third, you can build your own house. If you think this process is overly complicated and unattainable for a regular citizen, perhaps this 7-step guide to constructing your own home will change your mind.
1. Acquire a land plot
The first step in constructing a house is finding a suitable piece of land. You can start shopping for a land plot on JiJi, where it’s super easy to find the plot in your desired location. When looking for a land plot, make sure to evaluate its prospects, or the way it’s going to develop in the next decades – if you want to sell the house after a few years of living in it, how will its price be affected by the economic and social changes in the area? Important: gather all of the necessary documents that prove your ownership of the land.
2. Develop a building plan
Once your documents are in check, you should entrust this next step to a professional architect. He will take you through every step of the building process, making sure that the building plan follows your requirements and demands. Additionally, a building plan must follow the construction standards of the area you’re planning to live in, which is why your architect must be familiar with the local building rules. A good architect will make the desired and the legal meet, so you should not bypass this step.
3. Work with a building estimator
As soon as the building plan for your future home is completed, it’s time to know how much the new house will cost you. This step is especially important for people who plan to seek a loan in order to build a home, but even if you’re paying for everything with your own money, it is still a good idea to know exactly what your expenses will be. A reliable estimator will take into account a number of different factors, so that you won’t be taken aback by sudden expenses you weren’t counting on.
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4. Find a contractor
A building project cannot be carried out without a number of things, but most importantly, a professional contractor. A contractor is a person who ensures that what you have in the building plan is exactly what is going to be constructed, at the exact price calculated by the estimator. Of course, there can be exceptions to the plan – for example, if the prices for building materials have unexpectedly gone up, the final cost of the construction may exceed the planned expenses.
5. Hire workers
This may be one of the most important steps in house constructions, because no matter how experienced and professional your architect, estimator and contractor are, without the right workers the construction is doomed. Your labourers, plumbers, electricians, carpenters, and other workers should be diligent, honest, and hard working, otherwise the completed house may not meet your expectations, or may cost a lot more than you anticipated, or may have poor quality that cannot be noticed at once, but will bother you for years after the building is finished.
6. Provide access to water
Water is one of the most essential building materials that is required at every step of the construction, so in order for the building process to go smoothly, make sure the workers have constant access to water. It’s important for the quality of water to be high enough – contaminated, dirty water may result in the materials being damaged, which will negatively affect the finished building. Usually drilling a hole, digging a well, or providing water for your land plot via a pipe or water tank solves the problem.
7. Buy the building materials
If there is one thing a construction project cannot be carried out without, it’s building materials. There are so many kinds and brands to choose from that it’s understandable you may feel confused at first, but if you want your project to be a success, you need to learn fast. All sorts of building materials can be found on JiJi, where you can buy from real people at reasonable prices. Hope your first construction project will not disappoint you!
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