Filtering by Tag: building project

Cleaning Up The Site.

November 25, 2016 / joe djamasi

I am currently in Ghana to inspect the building project and to gather funds for payment of the roofing works.

On my first day at the site, I must admit I was very disappointed. The place was in a complete mess. By this I mean the wood that had been used for the concrete works were still in place. Even though the concrete had been set long ago, I do not see why the builder had not organised his workmen to remove the wood and also tidy up the site. Then there were still slabs from the pavement when old building was knocked down. I immediately got on my phone and asked the builder to meet me at the site. On his arrival I immediately pointed out how untidy the place was and that it needed to be tidied up so that the site was more presentable. I also asked him to have the palmnut trees and the flower hedges surrounding the wall removed. Anything that was not serving a purpose on the site needed to be removed ASAP. I stressed to him that it was important the site was kept as neat as possible. As at the time of updating this blog, the site is looking much better. A truck arrived two days ago and collected all the pieces of wood and bamboo pools that were no longer needed.

Last week, all the wood needed for the construction of the roofing frame was delivered on site. yesterday, the carpenter and his team stated on constructing the framework for the roof, however this afternoon, the carpenter noted that there was something in the architectural drawing that needed to be clarified with the architect Mr Ebow Swatson. This is how I understand the nature of what the problem is. So standing at the front end of the building, where the porch is, the 3D drawing of the project shows that the roofing for the front part of the building extends to the edge of the porch, effectively covering the porch from getting wet when it rains or providing some degree of shelter from the sun. Now the actual architectural drawings show the extension of the roofing over the porch to be around two feet short of the edge of the pouch. It does not appear to be a major problem but obviously needs to be sorted out ASAP. The carpenter should get a definitive response from the Mr Ebow Swatson first thing tomorrow morning. I am very keen on seeing all the framework for the roof completed before returning back to the UK.

The next issue we need to tackle is what type of roofing material we want to use. Initially the plan was to use AluZinc. Apparently this is very good for houses that are prone to the effect of sea breeze. Nyaniba is not far from Labadi Beach, so AluZinc is the best choice. The problem with using AluZinc is that it tends to attract heat very easily thus making your house hot. I have been told that there are other materials out there, notably what ACP produce. Obviously this implies and increase in cost. I should get costing for this in the morning.

At the end of the day, it is a matter of choice and how you want you building to stand out from the rest. ACP tiles I have been told add "class" to your building. Providing you have the funds making a choice should not be too difficult to make.

Late last week, the builder and I had a meeting with the AirCondition contractor. The architects plans has far too many airconditioners for the whole building. We are planning of cutting the number down. On his initial inspection, the airconditioner contractor advised that instead of having say, three airconditioners in a particular area, he can install one powerful airconditioner which can do the same work as the three airconditioners. On many occasions when walking around Nyaniba, I see the piping for airconditioners all over the place. It is an absolute eyesore. So this is something I will be looking at the airconditioner contractor avoid.

I have been in Accra for 18 days now. I brought over my Bebop drone with me. I have taken the liberty of taking some video footage of the site for you to see. The footage below shows the drone flight taken from the back/rear of the building. I have another one taken from the front of the building. I have not edited that yet, but when I do, I will upload that for you to see. Once the roof goes on, things will be taking shape very fast. Plumbing and electrical installation will need to be done, then plastering and windows will be next.

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categories / Nyaniba Estates, Building A House, House Design
tags / Nyaniba Estates, Ring Road East, building project, Building a house in Accra, Bebop Drone, Drones

Communication Is Vital [For The Success Of Any Project]

May 28, 2016 / joe djamasi

There is one thing which I have never been pleased with since the commencement of the Nyaniba project at Osu, and that is the frequency the builder communicates with me and also his attitude towards communication. It is absolutely very bad. Upon reflection I released that I was the one always calling the builder and asking him to send me updates on the progress of the building. Two weeks ago, I decided that this had gone to far and that I needed to explain to him my expectations from him in terms of his communicating with me on the progress of the building. So i picked up the phone, called him and told him that moving forward, this was what I expected from him. Last week I heard nothing from the builder. I had to send him a "whatsapp" message and a text message for him to check his "whatsapp" message. On Friday, I still had not had any word from him. I spoke to my brother in Ghana and asked him to see if he could get hold of the builder. He [my brother] was actually surprised because he had himself stressed to the builder that it was important for him to provide me with updates regularly. Finally, two days ago, the builder got in touch. He, apologised for the silence, but went on to say that there had been no progress on the building project because the structural engineer had requested that the materials the builder had purchased for the plumbing were not what was on his architectural drawings. It appears the structural engineer had different drawings from what the builder had. I managed to keep myself from exploding in anger. I told the builder that this should have been mentioned to me immediately.

I am surprised at the builders lack of concern on the issue of communication. Is it a "Ghana" thing? I mean, it is alright as a client if you live in Ghana and therefore have the flexibility of popping over to you building site whenever you feel like it. At least that way you have the option of getting updates for yourself. For his own sake, I think I will need to have a "teacher/student" chat with him on this. I do not think he has had the privilege of putting up a building for someone living outside Ghana, because if he did, he would have some sort of "template" that would enable him to provide updates to his client[s]. I have another telephone meeting with him tomorrow and my plan is to get him to email me with detailed updates twice every week. I do not think that should be too hard for him.

Lessons learnt - make sure that you as a client, sit down with your builder to agree on some form of communication by which the builder shall/will provide you with detailed regular updates. These updates should include pictures and/or videos showing progress of the building.

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categories / Nyaniba Estates, Building A House
tags / building project, Building a house in Accra, Accra, Project Management, Communication

Demolition Of Main Building - Day One

October 14, 2015 / joe djamasi

On Monday morning Boadi - Building Contractor - came over to my place so that we could sit down and discus payment terms and go over the breakdown of payment structure and the schedule he had outlined for the building till completion. After a lengthy discussion which obviously involved me asking him questions I had on aspects of the building project I did not understand, I finally wrote a cheque out to him for GHC89,000.00. This payment represented the first payment out of 4 payments needed to complete the building. Below is a snapshot of the payment schedule drawn up.

So the general word of advice is never to hand over the total sum of money needed to build your house to the builder for obvious reasons. Also, the reason why you are paying in parts is to give you the opportunity to inspect each stage of the project based on the money you have paid for each stage. For instance, in my case, after my first payment for the Substructure; I will need to inspect the progress of the completed Substructure work. If for some reason I am short of funds, I can decide to put the project on hold until I have funds to continue which will mean me making the second payment - Superstructure. The progression continues until the forth and final payment.

The general conception is that erecting a building does not involve much cost, but rather it is the other items needed, that is tiles, air conditioners, windows [glass], doors - you get my drift; that gulps up your funds. If you want you building to be very nice with quality items to complete it the it means you are going to spend more money.

This morning the workers arrived at around 8.00am to start work. I had no idea how they were going to tackle stripping of the main building. After they had changed into their work clothes, the carpenters constructed a make shift ladder and two of them went onto the roof and proceeded to remove the roofing sheets. The electrician arrived later in the afternoon and he immediately got down to removing the main switch board and disconnecting anything electrical. The air conditioners were removed and have been stored in the shed - remember the shed I told you about? It is serving it purpose now. All the glass windows and glass sliding doors have been removed and also stored in the shed. The frames housing the glass windows and glass sliding doors will be removed tomorrow. Anything that can be salvaged is going to be kept and auctioned or given away. I plan of selling the glass windows and glass sliding doors because they are fairly new. I don't know what can be done with the roofing slates. I will have to ask the builder about them. The skirting boards from the building will be given to a friend. He has asked for them so that he can construct a temporary fence on his Dad's property. Noting is being wasted. Even the bricks from the demolished can be sold on to another builder who might require them to land fill a property that needs filling. I have been pretty much busy myself taking pictures [smile].