ANIN'S RESIDENCE, BAATSONA (SPINTEX)
Project Name: Anin’s Residence
Location: Baatsona-Spintex
Development: Phase I – 3 bedroom Bungalow with a garage
Phase II – 3/4 bedroom Townhouse
Role: Property Developer
Project overview
The development of a 3 bedroom bungalow with a garage and a 3/4 bedroom townhouse in Baatsona-Spintex a suburb of Accra.
The first phase of this project had us constructing a 3 bedroom bungalow with a garage. In order to begin the construction of the first project, we had to demolish a poorly constructed structure that was occupying the whole land.
Phase of this project is scheduled to start sometime after the completion of phase I. For this phase of the project, we would be constructing a 3/4 bedroom townhouse.
Scope of works
Building design
The client wanted a building design that was simple, modern and timeless. The building was supposed to be functional enough for a family but not too big for a single person. With these criteria in mind, we produced a few designs for the client. After several rounds of discussions, we went back to the drawing board and merged some of the key ideas from the initially proposed samples and presented the final design to the client.
A final 3D design was presented to the client upon acceptance of the final design. This 3D design gave both the client and us, a clear picture of what we were working to achieve.
These are the 3D designs that were finally approved for build by the client.
The first building is a 3 bedroom bungalow and comes with garage. This a simple design and is functional as a family home and also for an individual.
For the second building, we proposed a 3/4 bedroom townhouse that could serve as a second home for the client or could be rented out to generate income for the family.
In all, these two buildings will be carefully placed on one plot of land. In order to accomplish this, we would need to divide the plot into two equal parts. With all of these completed, this is how these two projects will look side-by-side.
Demolition
Before we begin our build, we needed to break down the old existing structure (shown below).
This building was poorly constructed. The foundation was not done properly and the rest of the structure followed suit. Several structural engineers were deployed to assess the building, the conclusion was unanimous; The building needed to be pulled down.
After investing all that time, money and energy into putting up this structure, the client was a bit hesitant but they eventually gave the go-ahead to have the old building pulled down so we could start over from scratch.
Before beginning the demolition works, we had to take off the roofing sheets and salvage some of the materials that could be reused in some way or other. Doing this helped us reduce cost in some areas for the client.
After we finished salvaging useful and reusable materials, we proceeded to demolish the building. This process of demolition was done in a day.
As we demolished, we cleared the debris off the site, leaving us with bare land to start our foundation on.
Construction
Foundation
- Setting Out
- Excavation
- Preparing and casting the column beams and bases
- Block work for the foundation
- Pre-stressed beams and blocks
- Pipework for plumbing
- Filling and compacting of carport
- Casting of foundation
Superstructure
- Block work
- Casting of columns
- Pipe work for Plumbing
- Lintel
- Installation of roof structure
- Installation of roofing sheets
Finishing
- Installation of pipes for electric cables
- Additional plumbing works
- Plastering and rendering
- Dressing of door and window frames
- Installation of security doors for front and back entrances
- Installation of garage door
- Installation of windows
- Electrical works (wiring)
- Installation of insulation material and plasterboard ceilings
- AC pipe works
- Interior and Exterior Tile work
- Installation of interior doors
- Installation of switches, sockets and lights
- Installation of sanitary ware
- Installation of shower glasses
- Installation of kitchens
- Installation of Air conditioning units
- Reconstruction of the Fence wall
- Filling and compacting of compound
- Installation of Gate and metal feature for fence wall.
- Construction of security post
- Skimming and Painting of interior and exterior walls
Challenges
The trust of the client
One of the major concerns of people living abroad is getting trustworthy people to undertake projects for them. Due to past experiences with the team that put up the old structure, the client was initially apprehensive about using our services.
This made it quite difficult for us in the beginning since there would have to be numerous confirmations before we could proceed with the work. This delayed the work but we understood the reasoning behind it.
In order to gain the clients trust, we made it a point to provide regular project updates with pictures and videos. These made sure that the client was constantly in the loop about their project and this made trusting us much easier.
Before long, the client stopped sending representatives to the site and there were fewer breaks in our work.
Land Guards
If you have ever built a house in Accra, you will probably have come across these people at least once. These land guards usually come around once they see that a building project has started or is ongoing.
If they are not managed properly, these guys can literally bring work on a project to a complete halt with some even going as far as harming some of the workers on site.
Once we started the work on site, a group of these people came to the site to harass our workers and get them to stop the work. Due to past experiences with land guards, we knew what to do and we acted on it immediately and had it resolved as soon as possible.
With the issue resolved, we were able to immediately resume work on the site.
Getting Materials to Site
It is usually much easier to build in a developing area than a developed on and this is one thing that we faced with this project. The area where this project is located is largely developed and most of the access roads are not usually in the best of conditions.
Because the project was located deeper in a residential area, having materials delivered to the site was a bit of a headache. This meant that we had to plan ahead at each stage to get materials to the site long before the work begins.
Completed Project
This is what the exterior of the completed project looks like now. If you look at this picture side by side with the original 3D image, you can see that we really worked hard to bring the clients vision into reality.
If you want to see the work we did on this site, kindly watch the videos below. These videos detail all the work we did on the site from the demolition of the old building to the finishing of the new building.
With the project completed and the client now in his house, we decided to have a chat with him. We wanted to know his opinion on the project and us. What did he think of our work and did we satisfy him with our service? You can find all the answers in the video below.