Maduka Nweke, [email protected] 08034207864, 08118879331
Poverty can induce a lot of errors and decisions. It can make somebody device an awkward way of doing things. Many who want to build their homes without wanting to spend much always make do with used materials. This, in majority of occasions indirectly leads to catastrophes and the builder ends up spending more than expected. Rubbles can be used for filling foundations and not for building. Planning to build a new home will ultimately include ideas of how to save on costs. And there are a variety of ways to do so. Cutting on transportation costs and shopping smart will be two of the more obvious options. But there are other ways to also save.
One remembers back in the mid-2000s while helping to rebuild his family home, some decisions were made. It will be appalling and thought-provoking how a newly built structure would suddenly undergo repairs and maintenance just few weeks after it was built. Buildings are meant to be long term investments considering the huge amount of money that goes into such projects. However, these days caution has been thrown to the winds with the use of substandard building materials which does not sustain buildings. Houses that were built back in the days cannot be compared with what is obtainable these days because materials used then were of high quality. In modern times, inferior or materials lacking in quality otherwise known as “China materials” have infiltrated the market. These materials seem to be everywhere and is probably the first item you are given once you make a trip to the market.
The family was living overseas and they gave him the impossible task of taking down the wooden home and building another. After considering the consequences of his mistakes he wished, he could do it all over again. This time, he would have amended or avoided the mistakes. That wooden home was a greenheart lover’s dream. The rafters were all in excellent condition and beams perfect. The ends may have needed to be taken off, but they were good otherwise. While some of the wood taken from the home was reused, the rest was given away and even sold for peanuts. He was looking to make space at the worksite and the best, dumb idea he had was to give away. Now, there are many folks who were taking down a home to rebuild another. Had he known then what he know now, he would have made some real money. The way those people were grabbing up those odds and ends was unbelievable. For use of the rubbles, one should talk to his contractor on what out of the rubbles could be reused. The zinc on the old home can be used to build a camp to house materials and for the work crew.
The rubble or concrete could be utilised for filling the foundation. More importantly, if enough care is taken when dismantling the old home, many of the materials can be reused in place of ‘t-shore’ support, to help in concrete forms or even used as framing of the roof and doorframes. In light of the current high prices of materials, especially wood, savings are crucial, especially if you are working on a tight budget. When shopping, considerations should be taken on transportation. I do believe there are many for the sake of saving a few thousands, who end up shopping at a number of stores, but use that savings and more in transportation. Think about it. If you have the money in hand, it may be a good idea to make one shopping – use one truck and take it to the worksite. Of course, there will be worry that your contractor may steal from you. It will be a judgment call. Either think of paying a watchman or there should be enough trust in your contractor to charge him with ensuring your materials are safe.
While taking down your old home and rebuilding another one, be sure not to use weak building materials because you want to cut cost. Because of space constraints, one would have to live elsewhere until the home is completed. An expert warned of wasting materials from the old home where the concrete block walls would be ideal to fill the foundation and raise it to reasonable height. That a nail got bent when used does not necessarily mean that it is fake or bad, instead it could mean that the user did not position it properly. But whether properly or not one should not use the nail from an old house because it may have undergone some wears and tears. It should be discarded. If reused, the longevity will not get half of the life span. There are many such items on the market. From cement to zinc sheets to door locks, lighting fixtures and electrical outlets. How could one determine what to use in a demolished house? In most cases, your contractor would have a fair idea on what is the good stuff to buy. But in all intents and purposes it is better to buy a better material, solid one not fake one or used ones. If you do, the house that is supposed to last for 60 years may begin to surrender at age 30 years or even less. This is because, you may not also know what the materials went through before the house caved in.
The points mentioned above are all in line with recurring theme throughout this series of planning properly. It will save you cost, give you solid house and a longevity to build your house for once without using the wrong materials. For you to have a solid foundation and a solid finishes, you must plan your work in stages and budget accordingly. One of the biggest problems with contractors is the fact that they will forget to tell you to order two more pieces of 2 x 4 or need five more roofing sheets. These all add up and have an alarming way of making you run out of money before you are 75 per cent complete. Unfortunately, there is not much you can do to your contractor for these cost overruns. Some experts have in the past suggested that contractors should be given intense training on new building methods and how to prepare estimates.
What is more disturbing is that, even when a builder decides to use high quality building materials or sustainable materials, he is still short-changed. There was a situation where the owner of a house project once went to an elaborate showroom all in a bid to get the best of materials for his building, albeit he still came back home with some low quality building materials, and worse still he realized he had been milked dry while making a honest attempt at getting sustainable building materials.