These are the logical steps to follow that will ensure you do not regret ever attempting to implement your project.
1. Hire a Qualified, Registered Architect to create a Design for you:
Now most people will agree with me that this is pretty obvious, but I have observed during the course of practice situations where a Town planner is the one designing architectural plans for a client, this is not to say anybody cannot design, anybody can..but an architect is the professional trained in the best practices of creating aesthetic designs that balance the client needs with ergonomy, economy and environmental situations. A professional Architect is versed in the Nuances of construction practice, and is trained to be systematic in his outputs...Do not attempt to cut costs here, even if you have a design, have a professional architect look at it. You will see some Houses with impossibly narrow corridors, Windows at the wrong end of the Sun's Movement etc.
2. Hire a Registered Civil/Geotechnical Engineer to Conduct Geotechnical investigations on your plot:
I think this cannot be overemphasised, Most Ignorant people now assume that if a plot is marshy- Use Raft foundation, If It appears strong Use strip foundation...or they just tell a Mason to suggest a foundation type to use, and he will say use this or use that based on his experience, so far so good, some people have been lucky, but for the unlucky few who are starting to experience Tilting ( differential settlement), or Cracking walls..all I can say is God will deliver you. An Architect cannot tell you the correct type of foundation to use, A QS cannot do so, A Geologist cannot do so, The fact that your neighbour had a particular type of foundation does not mean you should also have such type, soil bearing capacity can vary at as little as ten meter intervals. Always conduct a Proper Soil investigation, and make sure you are there when such is carried out on your plot, it is the result of such investigation that will tell you the Foundation Type to Use, The Fcu of Concrete to Use, even the type of Coarse and fine aggregate( Sand or Granite) to use, or if you need to chemically improve the concrete you are to use, there are some sulphate high soils that will cause problems for your concrete which may probably require sulphate resisting admixtures in your concrete..etc. Do not try to cut costs here.
3. Hire A Civil/Structural Engineer To Structurally analyse and design your building: Based on the results of your Geophysical Investigation, A structural engineer will analyse and design the Building. The outputs will be Slab design, beam design, column design, foundation design and he will provide structural detailing, bending schedule, Concrete Fcu to use and Quantities of steel and Concrete you will need, arranged according to reinforcement size for each structural element. The point of the whole grammar is that He will design your building according to the specified use the clients wants to put it to. The way you design a residential building is different from the way you design an office complex, or a shopping mall, or an hospital. You might design a building to have load bearing walls, without columns, or design it to be a framed structure. Even Bungalows should be designed. Do not try to save cost here.
4. Hire An MEP practitioner; Usually an Electrical Engineer and a Mechanical Engineer..They are trained to design according to scenarios, they will not copy and paste like that electrician will do for you,or like that Architect will do for you, Architects have no business doing MEP. If you dont want Fire Outbreaks due to overloading..do this.
5. Hire A Quantity Surveyor to Prepare a BOQ for you;
A bill of Quantity is an Itemized Listing of Quantities calculated from your Architectural,Structural and MEP plans, you get to know the quantities for each stage of your construction, starting from the Substructure( Foundation) . The Boq can be a material Boq or Labour Boq oR Equipment BOQ, usually it is a combination of the three and it is called an all in BOq, market rates are then priced against these quantities to arrive at a Final project cost. The Qs will also prepare a Material Schedule, and A labour schedule for you, these two documents are easily understandable to Clients. As an example, say in the Boq, you are to use 10 Cubic Meters of Concrete..what is that in terms of Bags of cement, Tipper load of sand and granite, or labour to pay your mason and his people?..You get the answer to that in the Material Schedule and the Labour Schedule. Having these two documents truly guides you in how to implement your project, you know when the mason is stealing your cement, or when he is doing a shoddy work for you. These two documents are extremely important. You may now decide , at your own risk , to use 5 bags of cement where 10 is specified, just because your mason told you so and because you want to save money. Please always have a BOQ.
6. Hire a Builder to construct your Building: Frankly speaking, a Civil Engineer has no Business Directly supervising a Building Construction, that is the Job of a Builder, a Professional who has been trained in the Science and Technology of Building, Usually in a University. A Civil Engineer might just visit site to make sure his mix design is followed, and his structural design followed, at most he may just supervise directly the construction of key structural elements of a building. The rest is for a certified, professional Builder, not even a General Contractor, or mason.
7. Hire a Contractor:
Now that you know what the cost is going to be, do not be surprised that some people can still give you the same result at a lower cost, this might be due to savings by they buying in Bulk, or having special arrangement with material or labour suppliers, or a lean Management style of Managing construction projects..These are the Contractors, They are to bid for your project, and after awarding the contract, You the client,your architect, builder, Civil Engineer must make sure the specifications are followed. Your Builder may also be the Contractor.....however it comes out..Make Sure your architect is directly supervising and consulting other professionals whose inputs made the project, your QS will advise you on the milestones, and raise payment certificates after ascertaining facts on ground.
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