I will do my best to answer questions every Sunday so feel free to post them. For contact email check Episode 6 onward. Comments with emails, website URLs and phone numbers are filtered out and may not be seen by us
So now we have someone who came up with building for dummies. God bless you for being this detailed. I am here till the end and will watch you closely.
This is a great video to really help more people who are getting ready to build in Ghana. I just like the way you broke things down.. Thanks a lot for sharing your experiences.
Hello my brother, great work. My project starts in March. I have few acres in Ghana. I think you you have presented the best idea on a project consideration. I love your presentation. Thanks
Next time consult an engineer for your mix ratio analysis. The ratio is calculated in bags, part and wheel barrow. You can not use a bag and wheel barrow at once. either you use a bag or wheel barrow for calculation of mix ratio.
Very informative video, thank you. Did you use 16mm for the columns or 14mm. I noticed you use 8 bars per columns. Is it okay to use 4 bars of 16mm for a 2-storey (G+1)?
We used 16mm. A direct answer to you second question could be misleading cos i don't know the dimensions and spacing of your columns. We will be discussing how you can know the iron rod sizes from your plan in the next episode
@@Lerwincel Thanks very much. My other question is regarding how to apply the damp proof membrane. Some people spread it across the entire foundation whiles other only apply along the foundation walls. I wanted to know which option is the best. Thank you
@@issifuacheampong2877 I prefer covering of only the footing and having waterproof admixture in the screed and tile mortar. This is what we are doing Complete covering is not my style cos the plastic membrane is not continuous, hence, water can still sip though the joints. However if you can get a continuous watertight membrane, then complete coverage will be a superior option
@Lerwincel thanks so much for the enlightenment, I am on currently doing my second project in Ghana now, I have always used local contractors and from your cost sharing I have been robbed and still being robbed. How do I bargain with these contractors or should I get rid of them. Thanks Gladstone
I have given some tips to help out with such challenges in Eps 3 to 20. The challenge however, is the time you need to make to watch all these videos😀. Feel free to reach out with any question you are unable to find answers to in the vids
All estimates are captured in the excel sheet part of the video. I will respond with a copy of the sheet if you make a request by email. Email at the end of vids from Ep 6
I mentioned in the vid the prices in the pictures were not current. As at last week (Dec 2020) a ton was btwn GHC3700 and GHC3850 in Accra. The price variation should not be more than GHC200 above the maximum px indicated. I don't knw abt other regions. Watch out for the bonus discussion in Episode 4 where i will discuss "supervising your building project from abroad"
@@bonyos16 I think he used Floor planner for the initial concept design and had his architect do a professional design from that. He also used Sketchup to do the 3D modelling. Both are free to use
quick question, so i have small building with a length of about 21meters and width of 10.6meters. the exterior pillars has a matt underneth but the middle pillars dont have a matt. the depth of the foundation was 3ft . the question is can i flow the building and put up another structure ontop even tho the middle pillars dont have a matt underneath?
It all depends on the nature of the soil. The mat helps distribute the load on the pillar over a wider area. Think of it as driving a nail in the soil vs driving a 2x4 wood. The 2x4 will have a more difficult penetration than the nail cos it has a wider area at the base. Therefore, if the base of the pillar was widened and the soil's bearing capacity is good, you should have no problem with another floor. Otherwise, and your building will settle too much at the middle and cause cracks.
Hi Lerwincel! Thank you very much for offering a very informative article on how to build a home in Ghana. God bless your efforts. My question is technical, how is the electrical grounding requirements for a 3 story building ? Also if planned on using all American light fixtures and switches, does it mean I have to install all American metal boxes including the drywall rings ? I'm aware of the difference in voltages, so any switches or light fixtures will have to be rated for 120 - 277 volts. Looking forward for your input on this. Thanks so much for a good job on educating some of us.
We used a 6ft copper rod with 16mm wire for the grounding of our 3 storey project. We will, however, need to add a second one but we just did the first one for the application of an electric meter so we can have power at the site. We have a video of the ground rod installation so we will touch on that in a future episode On the presumption that you will have a masonry wall, i don't think the dry wall ring will be the best. It will better to have conduit boxes cos of the conduit pipes that is likely to be used. The common conduit boxes in Gh will not fit perfectly with US switches, nonetheless, you can get some online that will be okay for US switches if getting it in Gh will be a challenge
Do you have to travel done always to watch them build?? Where in Ghana are you building? I am planning to build my house too, so any advice for your little sister??
You don't have to travel down always. You can supervise from afar. This will be discussed in episode 4 so watch out. You will notice from the building permit that I am in Accra, the Ga East Municipality. You will have all the tips u need by following the vids :)
It depends on many factors such as the season, filing soil type used and if you will be using a compactor. We were not in a hurry so did the filling in May and casting in Oct/Nov so we had all the June/July rains to help with the compaction
There are damp proof sheets but just on the block footings to prevent capillary action. We didn't extend it on the entire slab cos our land is well drained, plus, the screeding mortar will have water proofing add mixture. If your site is water logged then i will advice you use the membrane to cover the whole foundation
Question for you Mr. Lerwincel: What is price per square meter for your foundation ? Not sure about total area of your foundation but my guess places it around 2,848 SF or 264 SM. Thank you.
The total area is 251.5sqm (2707sqf). Living areas are, 3 bedroom (123sqm) and 2 bedroom (107sqm). All figures are exclusive of the porch/balcony. With the dimensions given I know you can figure out the px/sqm - just divide the indicated total amount in the video by the total area
@@Lerwincel Thanks man ! Foundation cost which is about GHS70,000 will obviously be higher if a traditional contractor was used . My question is, what is the current average contractor's fee in Ghana ? 15 % ? I believe you didn't use a contractor on this project . Thanks.
@@junity1 Right, I didn't use a contractor. I wouldn't know the fee for a contractor but for the traditional contractor, ie, Foreman, i think GHC100-150 for every day of supervision is okay
We often get this question so we'll make a video on this soon. In the meantime some answers for you below... For a masonry perimeter wall you would be looking at about 24500ghc with the breakdown below. A Concrete wall will be more expensive cos u will need iron rods for reinforcement, plus the putting together of a formwork. For the treated wood option I wouldn't know cos i have no experience in that Trench digging (1.5 to 2 feet deep) = 30-50ghc for every 10 feet Concrete mixer hire and TnT = 400ghc Workmanship for concrete for trench = Max 800ghc 5-inch Blocks = 1800 (8 courses) Workmanship for laying 1800 block = Max 3800ghc Iron rods (10mm, 1 for each pillar with 40 pillars) = 1400ghc Workmanship for Steel bending = 20ghc per pillar Carpentry workmanship = Max 300-400ghc Wawa boards (20pcs) = 1400gh Cement (Max 80 bags) = 3840ghc Sand =1200gh Stones = 2200gh Miscellaneous (nails, water, tnt, etc.) = 500ghc
What u see is a plinth bean and not the usual German cast. I would personally not recommend German cast unless you can be sure the casting later will bond well with the german cast.
You will need to include the dimensions to get a useful answer. Alternatively you can check Episode 3 where we show you how to calculate the blocks you need for your project
Please there are so many things to consider in a cost of building ooo my dear ,(1) location of building in GH (place), (2) Quality of work to be done on a building,(3) Types of materials to be used for building your house, just to name few, contact if you want a free advice
Hi, Your video has been very informative to me. I live in the UK and I always wonder where I can get such comprehensive information on building projects in Ghana; your channel is my solution now. Kindly tell me what kind of iron rods I need, cement, sand and it’s approximate cost for one corner pillar of a ground floor building please. Thank you for the good job, I look forward to hearing from you.
@@backgarden-reggie It will still depend on the size of the pillar. But perhaps this will help... The width of one board is between 10 and 12 inches and the length is 12 to 16 feet
You will need to include the dimensions to get a useful answer. Alternatively you can check Episode 3 where we show you how to calculate the blocks you need for your project
The spreadsheet amount of 15k is the total spent on the foundation while the 3k-5k is just an estimation of how much we spend every month on the project
As a contractor, your methods are not correct. Your filling is incorrect, laying of concrete is wrong, looks like you've go black sheet under your ring beam, it should be under you floor slab. You talk in dollars, this is wrong, what's in the US doesn't apply here. If your building a storey building, you don't build pillars like that, pillar boxes, use a vibrating poker, then concrete the beams, then the block work. Not a good idea either to have drainage in your steel, pouring concrete can crush you pipe. Now there's cheap pipe in Ghana it cracks easily. Cheapness isn't always the best. Repair is more expensive. Stone 1/2" is too small, 3/4" small is better. There's 3/4" large and small.
I have a small construction company. I in-house train all the staff. Work most to UK STDs I do follow regs. I estimate all jobs, all phases. There's no cheap way to build, one must price like for like. I advise on best practices, build for tomorrow not today. Eco friendly look for saving money in 8 - 12 years. No utilities price are reducing, I offer advice, oversee your workforce, suggestions in drawing. If you want ..... Reply back
I will do my best to answer questions every Sunday so feel free to post them. For contact email check Episode 6 onward.
Comments with emails, website URLs and phone numbers are filtered out and may not be seen by us
This is awesome! Thank you for sharing.
Thanks
Much appreciated for this great video.
Boss please can you help me the dimensions of the Foundation footings & Beams for foundation?
@@gskfarmsgh5907 I recall touching on those at a point in the vid. Not sure where, so you may need to watch it again.
@@Lerwincel Thanks Boss
So now we have someone who came up with building for dummies. God bless you for being this detailed. I am here till the end and will watch you closely.
This is a great video to really help more people who are getting ready to build in Ghana. I just like the way you broke things down.. Thanks a lot for sharing your experiences.
Hello my brother, great work. My project starts in March. I have few acres in Ghana. I think you you have presented the best idea on a project consideration.
I love your presentation. Thanks
Thank you very much for the detailed information. Really encouraging me to pursue my dreamhouse.
Wow..... This is what I have been looking for. Thanks sooo much
Thanks for such an elaborate video. I have definitely subscribed because I want to start building soon.
Next time consult an engineer for your mix ratio analysis.
The ratio is calculated in bags, part and wheel barrow. You can not use a bag and wheel barrow at once.
either you use a bag or wheel barrow for calculation of mix ratio.
Greetings, thanks for the information. Your video’s are always great and educational. I enjoy it. Blessed.
Very informative bro, I have been looking for this kind of infor for long and finally stumbled on yours thanks a lot
Good video
Fantastic content boss we need more videos on interior and furnishings costs
We are not at the stage currently, but we will certainly share that once we get there
Did you do the plumbing work before compacting the sand or you did the compacting before the plumbing works.
After compaction
With the 16mm iron rod did you use mild
Steel or high tensile for the foundation.
Mild Steel. But standard not ordinary.
We only switched to ordinary after the ground floor
Thanks
Thanks for for sharing
Very informative video, thank you. Did you use 16mm for the columns or 14mm. I noticed you use 8 bars per columns. Is it okay to use 4 bars of 16mm for a 2-storey (G+1)?
We used 16mm. A direct answer to you second question could be misleading cos i don't know the dimensions and spacing of your columns. We will be discussing how you can know the iron rod sizes from your plan in the next episode
@@Lerwincel Thanks very much. My other question is regarding how to apply the damp proof membrane. Some people spread it across the entire foundation whiles other only apply along the foundation walls. I wanted to know which option is the best. Thank you
@@issifuacheampong2877 I prefer covering of only the footing and having waterproof admixture in the screed and tile mortar. This is what we are doing
Complete covering is not my style cos the plastic membrane is not continuous, hence, water can still sip though the joints. However if you can get a continuous watertight membrane, then complete coverage will be a superior option
How many bags of cement is enough for a single pillar in building please.
It depends on the size of the pillar. For ours which is 9in x 15in x 9ft we use one and half bag of cement for each
You're special
@Lerwincel thanks so much for the enlightenment, I am on currently doing my second project in Ghana now, I have always used local contractors and from your cost sharing I have been robbed and still being robbed.
How do I bargain with these contractors or should I get rid of them. Thanks Gladstone
I have given some tips to help out with such challenges in Eps 3 to 20. The challenge however, is the time you need to make to watch all these videos😀. Feel free to reach out with any question you are unable to find answers to in the vids
Hello, please how many bags of cement, trips of sand, and stones did you use for the foundation?
All estimates are captured in the excel sheet part of the video. I will respond with a copy of the sheet if you make a request by email. Email at the end of vids from Ep 6
please are these te current price of iron rods and is it universal with all the other companies? i have been scammed about 4-450ghc
I mentioned in the vid the prices in the pictures were not current. As at last week (Dec 2020) a ton was btwn GHC3700 and GHC3850 in Accra. The price variation should not be more than GHC200 above the maximum px indicated. I don't knw abt other regions. Watch out for the bonus discussion in Episode 4 where i will discuss "supervising your building project from abroad"
@@Lerwincel thank you
@@Lerwincel whats the name of the building app you used?
@@bonyos16 For the initial design it was www.floorplanner.com but later I got the more advanced www.sketchup.com. Both are free
@@bonyos16 I think he used Floor planner for the initial concept design and had his architect do a professional design from that.
He also used Sketchup to do the 3D modelling. Both are free to use
quick question, so i have small building with a length of about 21meters and width of 10.6meters. the exterior pillars has a matt underneth but the middle pillars dont have a matt. the depth of the foundation was 3ft . the question is can i flow the building and put up another structure ontop even tho the middle pillars dont have a matt underneath?
It all depends on the nature of the soil. The mat helps distribute the load on the pillar over a wider area. Think of it as driving a nail in the soil vs driving a 2x4 wood. The 2x4 will have a more difficult penetration than the nail cos it has a wider area at the base.
Therefore, if the base of the pillar was widened and the soil's bearing capacity is good, you should have no problem with another floor. Otherwise, and your building will settle too much at the middle and cause cracks.
@@Lerwincel ok thanks for the response, it is a very dry land so i guess it will work.
hello pls can i use 12mm for the foundation pillars of a one storey building. tied in 4.
You can use any rod you want. However if it’s about technical suitability, then 14mm is the minimum for a single storey
Hi Lerwincel! Thank you very much for offering a very informative article on how to build a home in Ghana. God bless your efforts. My question is technical, how is the electrical grounding requirements for a 3 story building ? Also if planned on using all American light fixtures and switches, does it mean I have to install all American metal boxes including the drywall rings ? I'm aware of the difference in voltages, so any switches or light fixtures will have to be rated for 120 - 277 volts. Looking forward for your input on this.
Thanks so much for a good job on educating some of us.
We used a 6ft copper rod with 16mm wire for the grounding of our 3 storey project. We will, however, need to add a second one but we just did the first one for the application of an electric meter so we can have power at the site. We have a video of the ground rod installation so we will touch on that in a future episode
On the presumption that you will have a masonry wall, i don't think the dry wall ring will be the best. It will better to have conduit boxes cos of the conduit pipes that is likely to be used. The common conduit boxes in Gh will not fit perfectly with US switches, nonetheless, you can get some online that will be okay for US switches if getting it in Gh will be a challenge
Thank you very much for your response.
Do you have to travel done always to watch them build?? Where in Ghana are you building? I am planning to build my house too, so any advice for your little sister??
You don't have to travel down always. You can supervise from afar. This will be discussed in episode 4 so watch out. You will notice from the building permit that I am in Accra, the Ga East Municipality. You will have all the tips u need by following the vids :)
Lemme give you an advice. Always be there for your project. ALWAYS!!!
hi, how long do you have to wait for foundation red sand to compact before casting concrete please?
It depends on many factors such as the season, filing soil type used and if you will be using a compactor. We were not in a hurry so did the filling in May and casting in Oct/Nov so we had all the June/July rains to help with the compaction
How many pieces of bars did you use for each foundation pillar
8
Hello, I notice that there is no damp proofing sheet (plastic sheet that covers the foundation)
Is this done on purpose please?
There are damp proof sheets but just on the block footings to prevent capillary action. We didn't extend it on the entire slab cos our land is well drained, plus, the screeding mortar will have water proofing add mixture.
If your site is water logged then i will advice you use the membrane to cover the whole foundation
@@Lerwincel thank you for your reply 🤝
Question for you Mr. Lerwincel: What is price per square meter for your foundation ?
Not sure about total area of your foundation but my guess places it around 2,848 SF or 264 SM. Thank you.
The total area is 251.5sqm (2707sqf). Living areas are, 3 bedroom (123sqm) and 2 bedroom (107sqm). All figures are exclusive of the porch/balcony. With the dimensions given I know you can figure out the px/sqm - just divide the indicated total amount in the video by the total area
@@Lerwincel Thanks man !
Foundation cost which is about GHS70,000 will obviously be higher if a traditional contractor was used . My question is, what is the current average contractor's fee in Ghana ? 15 % ? I believe you didn't use a contractor on this project . Thanks.
@@junity1 Right, I didn't use a contractor.
I wouldn't know the fee for a contractor but for the traditional contractor, ie, Foreman, i think GHC100-150 for every day of supervision is okay
Nice
Thanks
Educating and inspiring. Thanks for sharing. Curious if you dont kind sharing the contacts information for your contractors/builders/Engineer
We have no contractor but for the contact of the Engineer and architect just drop me an email. Check ep 11 for more info
@@Lerwincel what's your email address?
@@taslimademolaabdulsalam1027 Our email is at the end of the video
@@Lerwincel cant find it, unless I am missing it.
@@Lerwincel found it, email sent.
Please can you share your spreadsheet? I am interested in the quantities.
Sure, just drop me an email
Please does the 15000 dollars for the foundation comes with the pillars you have erected? Thank you
Oops, I missed your questions.
No it doesn't. The pillars are part of the block work cost in Ep 4 or 5
Please what is the cost of constructing a concrete wall vs a treated wood on 100x70. Thank you
We often get this question so we'll make a video on this soon. In the meantime some answers for you below...
For a masonry perimeter wall you would be looking at about 24500ghc with the breakdown below. A Concrete wall will be more expensive cos u will need iron rods for reinforcement, plus the putting together of a formwork.
For the treated wood option I wouldn't know cos i have no experience in that
Trench digging (1.5 to 2 feet deep) = 30-50ghc for every 10 feet
Concrete mixer hire and TnT = 400ghc
Workmanship for concrete for trench = Max 800ghc
5-inch Blocks = 1800 (8 courses)
Workmanship for laying 1800 block = Max 3800ghc
Iron rods (10mm, 1 for each pillar with 40 pillars) = 1400ghc
Workmanship for Steel bending = 20ghc per pillar
Carpentry workmanship = Max 300-400ghc
Wawa boards (20pcs) = 1400gh
Cement (Max 80 bags) = 3840ghc
Sand =1200gh
Stones = 2200gh
Miscellaneous (nails, water, tnt, etc.) = 500ghc
How much did you spend on labour up to the foundation level.
I don't have that disaggregation done. But you just need to do the math with the prices mentioned and you will get a pretty good estimate.
Please how much was the casting
Was about 8000gh minus the plinth beam
Thanks a lot
Thanks for the insight for the foundation, What are the pro and cons for total casting and the german concrete style as you did
What u see is a plinth bean and not the usual German cast. I would personally not recommend German cast unless you can be sure the casting later will bond well with the german cast.
Pls how many blocks can build a chamber and hall with bathroom and porch in Ghana
You will need to include the dimensions to get a useful answer. Alternatively you can check Episode 3 where we show you how to calculate the blocks you need for your project
Please there are so many things to consider in a cost of building ooo my dear ,(1) location of building in GH (place), (2) Quality of work to be done on a building,(3) Types of materials to be used for building your house, just to name few, contact if you want a free advice
Yap!
Please what is the concrete ratio, size and height of your colums.
You can get this info in Episodes 2 and 4 so check it out
Hi,
Your video has been very informative to me. I live in the UK and I always wonder where I can get such comprehensive information on building projects in Ghana; your channel is my solution now.
Kindly tell me what kind of iron rods I need, cement, sand and it’s approximate cost for one corner pillar of a ground floor building please.
Thank you for the good job, I look forward to hearing from you.
@@Lerwincel thanks but do you have any idea how many boards (siber/wawa) needed for one pillar please.
@@backgarden-reggie It will still depend on the size of the pillar. But perhaps this will help... The width of one board is between 10 and 12 inches and the length is 12 to 16 feet
@@Lerwincel thank you so much, that really helps. Thanks for your patience.
Thank you so much
Smart daughter! Next up, family cruise (when the pandemic finally dies!). Congrats, bro.
Wow!
Forgive my digression, but is that a pair of chicken making baby chicken from 14:04 🤣🤣🤣?
Do you communicate offline? I would like to pick your mind a little.
I do. Our email address is under the "About" tab of the channel. The next episode will also discuss how u can reach us
Please how many plots are you building this on ?
1 plot. 70x100 feet
Big land 1 plot
Very useful. I like the concept of the plan. Please can you share the plan with me?
Check out Episodes 1 and 3. The drawings and dimensions are clearer so you should be good.
@@Lerwincel Alright, thanks
How and when did plumbing works occur or pipes were placed in the foundation? Really informative video by the way.
In Episode 3 - External sewage
And how many blocks can build a two bedroom self contain in Ghana
You will need to include the dimensions to get a useful answer. Alternatively you can check Episode 3 where we show you how to calculate the blocks you need for your project
Please what is the size of you rooms and living room.
All the dimensions are on the floor plan in Ep 2. They are in millimeters so divide by 300 to have them in feet
What is the sq feet or sq m of the foundation?
A little more than 2700sq ft. Just multiply the length by width to get the exact area
@@Lerwincel please do remember the number of blocks you used on the foundation of this size
@@perbynn8001 We used 350 to 400 blocks for one course and had about 4 or 5 courses so you can do the math
hi,thanks for this. you menioned 3k-5k dollars for foundation .however ,your excel spreadsheet stated 15k. please clarify . medaase
The spreadsheet amount of 15k is the total spent on the foundation while the 3k-5k is just an estimation of how much we spend every month on the project
Great video, the best out there. I have subscribed and looking forward to future videos. Do u have an email/ contact for other correspondence?
My email address is under the "About" tab of the channel. The next episode will also discuss how u can reach us
Well done
I like your presentation.
Any chance i could have a private chat?
Thanks
yes, just send an email. Email address at the end of the vids from Ep 7
As a contractor, your methods are not correct.
Your filling is incorrect, laying of concrete is wrong, looks like you've go black sheet under your ring beam, it should be under you floor slab.
You talk in dollars, this is wrong, what's in the US doesn't apply here.
If your building a storey building, you don't build pillars like that, pillar boxes, use a vibrating poker, then concrete the beams, then the block work.
Not a good idea either to have drainage in your steel, pouring concrete can crush you pipe. Now there's cheap pipe in Ghana it cracks easily.
Cheapness isn't always the best. Repair is more expensive.
Stone 1/2" is too small, 3/4" small is better. There's 3/4" large and small.
Hi are you contractor in Ghana?
@@adelaidemensah9473 yes, I'm from Kdua.
I have a small construction company.
I in-house train all the staff. Work most to UK STDs I do follow regs.
I estimate all jobs, all phases.
There's no cheap way to build, one must price like for like.
I advise on best practices, build for tomorrow not today.
Eco friendly look for saving money in 8 - 12 years. No utilities price are reducing,
I offer advice, oversee your workforce, suggestions in drawing.
If you want ..... Reply back
Can u pls give me ur number Peter Stericker
Hi Peter , how do I contact u ?