Cost VS Quality

Cost VS Quality

How Much should I Spend On Building Materials

        “Cost and quality is a disagreement between the two parties that needed to be settled amicably. Sometimes when you bid for a low quality in order to spend less, you end up spending more at the end of the day, its like when you take your car to a mechanic workshop he ends up troubleshooting it and tells you you just have to change the ball joints alone and by the time he tries to make the change he discovers that the crankshaft is leaking, break pad is broken and the wheel axle is bad, it will be impossible to assemble the parts back the way it is before and take it back home. In other words even though you don’t have the money you end up searching for means to get it. it becomes your priority. Mean while you were meant to change it when you started hearing strange sounds.

“Rich soup na money kill”. That’s a good old yoruba quote just about everyone knows and many live by it. Unfortunately when it comes to purchasing building materials for the structure you will one day call home, this might not always be true. Another famous saying comes to mind here “You get what you pay for”. So, what is the balance between saving some of your hard earned dough and acquiring materials for your home that will last? Let’s take a look at a few scenarios.

The Common Battle Of Price VS Quality

Mr. and Mrs. homeowner are about to construct the roof on the house they just built to lintel level. They have a few other projects in mind for their new home as well so they are working with a pretty tight budget. A great local building contractor comes over to give them an estimate and offers two options.

A) A roofing system with a thick aluminium roofing sheets from a good suppliers and a complete roof system. Upgraded system warranty, grade of a limited life time 50 years material coverage.

          Price: =N=13000 per sheet

B) Replace roofing system with color red thin light roofing sheet, warranty grade (some red fades within a duration of max 3yrs to 15yrs cause of low absorption capacity of the sun) :

Price: =N=8000persheet

Wow, what a price difference. Mr. and Mrs. Homeowner are very happy with the price of roofing system B, after all they are going to save over =N=4,000. This is a common misconception that we deal with in the trades. The problem with this is revealed as you really begin to paint a picture of what you are getting as far as quality and the life span of the products installed.

Determining The True Cost Of Material Choice

Taking a deeper look into what Mr. and Mrs. homeowner are actually getting might just make you change your mind on whether or not they really saved any money. Roofing system B is a red thin light roofing sheet which is rated as a 15 year roof. It has a true roof life of about 8-13 years. Roofing system A is a thicker with a 50 year limited lifetime rating. The roof life of Roofing A is about 50-100yrs years. If you consider the fact that they will be replacing roofing system B 4 times in the lifespan of roofing system A then did they really save any money? Re-roofing or construction on your home can be a very invasive process we well, do you really want to do it four times? There are other facts to consider as well such as damage to the roof deck or framing structure do to failure of poor materials that can cost extra money. Or instead of using 16mm by 20mm or 20mm by 25mm iron bars for the first floor of a four storey building you decided to minimize your cost by constricting a 10mm by 16mm iron and the end of the day in the later future you had a boys quarter over the building and it leads to a collapse building and lives may be lost and damages would be high.  If you look at things over the long run, purchasing quality materials is going to protect your family, home and save you money.

Hire A Professional Contractor And Avoid Costly Mistakes

Play it safe! Always consult a professional Builder, Civil engineer in your area before taking on a construction project. Estimates are usually free and a contractor will always be up to speed with current building codes and the best materials for your specific job.

Note: Assumptions included

Do’s and Don’ts of Home Building

Do’s and Don’ts of Home Building

Building a home is exciting, but is also a big responsibility. It’s a once in a lifetime event, so one can’t afford to make mistakes. Here is a small guide to the dos and don’ts of home building that you must keep in mind that will help you in building your dream home…

My Dream Home

·         The first thing one chooses is a plot of land. You have to ensure that it’s an area you are happy with. The many parameters include building permissions, proximity of schools, hospitals. It will narrow down your search and ultimately make your experience of living there happy and satisfactory.

·         Once you have purchased your plot, get together a team, which includes an architect, structural engineer and a builder, who have enough experience and a good track record. Decide on what share of your total budget you are willing to allocate to services like designs from the architect and engineer.

·         Hire a professional architect from an online market storefor buying and selling of  buildingMaterials and for building material suppliers and freelance Civil Engineers,builders, artisan, electrical engineers, water specialist quantity surveyore.t.c at a very affordable rate. They are presently recruiting qualified personnels for each job before the website is launched. or you probably want to hire a local architect. Once you pick out a house plan that fits your needs and expected budget, simply buy a few sets and start getting estimate from builders.

·         Selecting a builder is the key. He/she is the one who will translate the architect’s design into reality. Past experience in similar type and scale of houses as yours is the essential. Design in many cases might change during construction as one improves through observation. Have contingencies plans and terms in place with the builder for such situations.

·         Decide whether to hire a builder or be an owner builder: The goal of being an owner builder is mainly to save money if done correctly. However some people are not meant to be owner builders, as it takes a strong personality to manage contractors. That’s where merchant builders come in with this avenue you can hire a site engineer or supervisor with affordable price quotes to supervise all the contruction on the sites. Possible problems when acting as owner builder without a supervisor

•           Construction Overruns (if there is a word like that)

•           Managing Contractors to finish on time.

•           Reports on any  frivolus activity on site. E.t.c

If you have never built a home before and absolutely need to act as owner-builder, hire a reputable builder to supervise you and the building of your new home, for a much smaller fee than their normal fee. The builder/supervisor will help you with the cost breakdown and manage the subcontracting on an as needed basis. If one of your contractors gets out of hand or you need help of any kind, you can call the supervisor for assistance. The builder/supervisor can also help when technical inspector issues come up. If you decide on hiring a builder to do everything, make sure you hire a reputable builder or supervisor with a good reputation and plenty of references. That’s where Merchant builders comes in they are recruiting based on your qualification and experience so its certain to get a certified builder for an affordable fee compared to when you get them offline. Or Ask your friends if they know of good builders, and when you start to hear the same name over and over you know you've found a good one. The most important point is shop around until you find a builder with the most reputable and honest background. Be sure to find a builder that has been in business for a minimum of three to five years in your particular location.

·         You must do your research while planning a home, in terms of the exterior and interior design. If you know what you want, it makes communication with the builders a lot easier and narrows down brainstorming with the architect. If your Structural Engineer is not from the same town or city then do explain to him the sand composition and type, and any other unwanted activity of the soil area. This plays a vital role in the type of foundation that will be constructed.

·         When you purchase material for construction, make sure it’s of the top quality and is recommended by structural engineer and builder or visit Merchant builders for listings for cement, granite, and suppliers. For example choose Cement from a reliable & reputed company. Use only sand that is free of impurities to avoid cracks & irregularities in the concrete mixture etc.

·         Know what goes into the Estimated Cost Breakdown of your home. This is the breakdown of each particular cost of construction of the home. The foundation, plumber, framing, plumbing, heating, electrical, painting, and builder's profit, etc. The builder usually completes this form to show you exactly what it will cost to build your new home. The most important thing to remember here is that you do not want to underbid any line item and you do not want to overbid any line item. You want accurate numbers from real bids (not guesses) and a 5% contingency for cost overruns

How to compare building material prices for getting best prices

If you want to get good price on building materials and you don’t how to compare building material prices. This article helps you for getting this.

Tips on comparing building material prices in Nigeria

Constructing a new house with the best quality building materials ensures the safety and durability of the house. The home owners always try to select the branded quality products for their home building needs. For this reason, they need to approach a reputed building material supplier, to avail the wide variety of building materials. The products may range from raw materials like brick, cement, Iron bars to finishing products such as marbles, plywood, wall paints etc. But you need to have a fixed budget to start the building project. Here are essential tips, which will guide you to compare the building materials prices and select the products accordingly.

Building Materials

You need to find a reputed wholesale supplier of building materials and ask for their quotes. The building materials can range from raw materials like brick, cement and roofing sheets. Hence, selecting a well known supplier is very important, as it will ensure the quality of your products and affordable pricing of the materials.

The pricing of the materials should always depend upon the quantity of order made by the client. If a client makes a bulk order, then the pricing should be done accordingly. The wholesale provider must offer their quote, according to the quantity of materials.

Try to compare the prices on the internet and get the detailed information of the current pricing status of the building materials. You can also compare between two wholesale dealer and their price quotes. Internet is the best medium to make such critical decision and placing your order accordingly.

In some cases, the building materials require some product certification or quality certification. The certified materials are costly than normal building materials. You should keep this point in mind and try to make a note of your certified products and the make the payment.

Always try to choose a supplier, who ensures delivery of materials in proper time. As we all know, time is money, time wastage is not at all permissible in construction business. If the supplier does not provide the order in the mentioned time, it will hamper your work in progress and can even cause huge loss.

Hence, it is advisable to approach any building material supplier, according to your location.

You can also go through the rates published on different newspapers and magazines. These will help you to get the complete knowledge of the pricing details and compare the products. Take your time to visit various suppliers and cross check the price list of their products.

Lastly, try to keep a contact with a local building contractor and seek advice from him, regarding your building materials NOTE: don’t assume based on the price he gives you he is not a merchant. The contractor will guide you through the proper aspects and pricing details of different products.

YOU CAN BUILD YOUR HOMES EVEN AS A SALES REP

MERCHANT BUILDERS….build quality homes and spend less

Merchant Builders is the number one online Market place to buy and sell all kinds of building materials such as

Ø  All kinds of Roofing sheets

Ø  Sanitary wares

Ø  Granites, sand and stones, concrete blocks, bricks cements,

Ø  Lightening and electrical installations

Ø  Interior and Exterior Decorations (furnitures e.t.c)

Ø  Security Gadgets

Ø  Iron bars

Ø  Aluminium Doors and windows,

Ø  Interlocking stones

Ø  Tiles and lots more

 and building services such as to Hire professional  Civil Engineers, Builders, Architects, Quantity Surveyor, Artisans, Craftmen, Real estate Agents e.t.c.

Merchantbuilders gives you a situation where you don’t have to move from one location to the other to compare prices and some merchants inflate the prices of materials too extreme, sometimes because they are the only one around and they really add up excess profit margin which affects individuals from investing into real estate and taking time to build their dream home.

Benefits of this market place

·         Merchants would have an opportunity to reach out to as many customers within their location/region and outside.

·         Individuals would be relax and set priorities to constructing their homes due to assurance they would get a good quality at an affordable price

·         Customers would be able to Order for materials right from their homes.

·         Once there is competition merchants would strive to offer quality services.

·         Customers can hire our certified professionals for their constructions which serve as job opportunity and Extra incomes to professionals in the building and construction sector in Nigeria.

·         Merchant builders would review/check the quality of materials to be listed by suppliers in  other words  customers are safe.

·          Merchant builders are set to recruit experienced and professional hands for each service. E.g  civil engineers, builders, craftmen e.t.c

With this innovation nobody is loosing out everybody is benefitting one way or the other nobody deserves to be on the loosing End. hurry now if you are a merchant or builder send your individual/company name and product listing to recruitersmerchant@gmail.com. for verification and registration before Launch Date. 

merchantbuilders.com is set to launch on the 5th of January 2015 SO WATCH OUT!!!! 

Post by Banjo Tola Francis

Strategist at merchantbulders.com

BUSINESS DIGEST with Banjo Tola Francis

THIS WEEK BUSINESS DIGEST......BE SELF MOTIVATED

Due to the high risk of unemployment in our country, it has brought so many young, bright and talented individuals to the point of merigoranda (frustration). This blog is created to empower youths on business ideas and informations that will enable you to make extra income partime or full time.

One of the reasons individuals tend to remain jobless or fail in business is lack of motivation. We tend to look for our source of motivation from our friends and family before we put in our best or break new grounds, am not against it, as a matter of fact it helps a lot. I remember when I was in the university I was a comedian and anytime I’m invited for a programme I love going along with a friend and I will tell the organisers of the event to inform me 10mins before I come up stage, within that period my friend would be giving me ‘Jinja’ or rather motivation. By the time they invite me up stage, my morale would be high. And anytime I perform poorly it was because nobody was around to motivate me. Until I learned the secret of self motivation.

Researchers has proven that humans tend to perform better at work or Designated assignments when they are being motivated, for most of us, that have been under the influence of a motivational speaker, you get so high in spirit that you be so motivated for a day or two and on the third day your morale start getting low. Are you Bold 5 that you need to recharge every hour, I remember those days in our orientation camp, our platoon commandant would shout every morning he would shout on top of his voice saying ‘ MORALE’ and the otondos would reply by saying high (lol), sincerely yours it really does help our morale; especially when a related song is being sanged. For example yawa go gas o yawa go gas if alawi no enter yawa go gas (melodiously).

In otherwords, we must learn to be self motivated or else we end up quitting because of lack of patience, we expect since my friend is already earning up to a million naira me too I need to earn a million quickly, can you involve yourself in what he/she is doing underground, my mum used to say don’t look at another man’s wristwatch to tell your time. You need to wake up everyday and say to your body soul and and spirit, I can make it, I am rich, I am motivated, I am talented, I am gifted, I am creative, Don’t look down on yourself God did not create any one of us to this world to become an empty barrel. Most of us are always scared of tomorrow, say to yourself MY FUTURE IS BRIGHT, or are you scared of your health issues say to yourself  ‘MY HEALTH IS PERFECT’ the truth is that we should not be anxious for nothing, worry can not make your situation change it can only worsen it by making you blind to the hidden potential God has deposited in you. If God can provide for the birds of the air how much more you that he vreated in his own image in the book of luke 12:2424-34 it says’consider the ravens: they do not sow or reap, they have no store roomor barn; yet God feeds them. And how much more valuableyou are than birds! Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life ‘ SINCE YOU CANNOT DO THIS VERY LITTLE THING WHY DO YOU WORRY ABOUT THE REST’…..The later part of the passage talks about seeking the first thing first and every other thing would be given unto you which is the kingdom and what is that king? God. One lesson I have learnt in life  is that no situation can steal my joy or bring me down because I have confidence in myself and in God. None of us is born by mistake you are the only one that made it to the ovary out of over 500million spermatozoa (people) (Myles Munroe). So why allow the devil to steal away your joy. You are born for a supernatural purpose because you are created by a supernatural being.

How can you stay motivated? Get a postcard or print on an A4 paper, place it at important positons on your room e.g mirror, bathroom door, the room entrance.the words that should be written on it are as follows:

-         MY HEALTH IS PERFECT

-         MY WEALTH IS PERFECT

-         MY DESTINY IS GLORIOUS

-         MY FUTUURE IS BRIGHT

-         I AM TALENTED

-         I AM GIFTED

-         I AM CREATIIVE AND LOTS MORE

You need to learn to confess this things to yourself daily, in matter of time it stick to your consciousness and it becomes a reality and the devil does not have a way to bring you down.

Dear readers, I hope with this you are able to gain one or two from this post and remember prayer, patience and hardwork is a very vital key in making it life in the book of Heb 10: 36’ it says you need to be patient in other to eat the fruit of the land’ I wish you the best life but God wants more than the best for you. Watch out for my next post next week Stay connected.