Bungalow With Penthouses: A Popular Option For The Times -Osaz’ ENOBAKHARE

A Bungalow with Penthouse 3D Design

You may have seen windows within a roof on some buildings and wonder how that was done. Such questions like ‘how will occupiers cope when it is raining or wont people just fall out of the window someday’ may cross your mind. Well it is only normal to think that way.  It’s a very cool concept and on top of that they come in several aesthetic design forms. Bungalows with penthouses also referred to as ‘Duplex look-alikes’ are becoming more and more visible in the Nigerian construction space at a time when recession bites hard. 

Building owners who are keen on heights, wanting a provision for a space above ground level but can’t afford the cost of a standard duplex are rapidly buying into the option of developing this type of building.

This type of building prides itself has having the advantages of both a bungalow and a duplex. Some people think of a bungalow as if it were a human figure;  a dwarf structure that do not necessarily command much respect from neighboring edifices, making it less appealing to those with a penchant for stand-tall structures.

Some others believe that a normal bungalow in a confined space (say within a high perimeter  fence and a little compound space) do not allow for sufficient air into the building and thus will readily opt for upper floors –especially for fear of Claustrophobia. Duplex look-alikes provide that much needed advantage at a lesser cost.   

There are others who aren’t fond of very expressive designs and simple prefer a bungalow over a duplex even with their deep pockets saying otherwise. They just want to keep it cool and simple. Duplex look-alikes still fits their interests as they can choose a duplex look-alike design that allows for only a single upper room showing out of the roof area. There are also those who see it has a having a security advantage over plain bungalows as such upper rooms can be used for spy purposes during attacks.

An added space without necessarily using up an additional land area is also an advantage over plain bungalows.

Generally, bungalows with penthouses are very suitable for development as retirement homes because it enables elderly people to move freely within spaces and climb upward occasionally to view passersby, enjoying a feeling of the outside world while staying safe indoors.

From Industry estimates, the cost of constructing duplex look-alikes presently averages 10 Million Naira using conventional methods but a standard duplex would cost about twice as much. With the advantage of cost saving comes the need for caution; it is important that constructors of such building take into cognizance the need to make special structural design provisions for the upper floor(s). Usually such provisions must be from the substructure level. In order to ensure it is constructed properly, it is very good to employ the services of professionals from start to finish.

Before You Demolish That Building: Consider Underpinning and Retrofits - Osaz’ ENOBAKHARE

Building collapse continue to dominate industry events over the past few years. There are many defective buildings waiting to collapse and the owners of some of these buildings are not particularly sure which way to go in fixing the problem. 

Apart from being counter-productive investment-wise and attracting attention in a negative way, having a defective/sick building can cause the owner to be just as sick as it is because of the inconveniences that it brings coupled with uncertainties and strings of complaints. 

What readily comes to mind or the popular advice is ‘bring it down and rebuild’. This demolish and rebuild option is often very expensive and can be really wasteful, even though some others argue that it gives birth to something new. What difference does it make? Using underpinning and retrofits techniques, a defective building can be restored completely and made to look astonishingly new at a much reduced cost.

 

Sometimes owners of such properties are forced to sell them at some incredible prices just so that they do not continue to endanger the lives of the building occupants as well as to avoid incurring the wrath of the law should it collapse. 

But having worked on a couple of defective buildings over time, my team and I have discovered that not as much money and time is needed to put these kinds of buildings back in shape using underpinning techniques as it will take to pull down the entire structure and re-build. 

For instance, it only cost about 8 Million Naira to underpin and retrofit a defective block of 4 flats located on the Lagos mainland completed in less than 7 weeks. However demolishing and rebuilding would have cost not less than 20 Million Naira; that’s a whopping 12 Million Naira difference which is enough to build two units of 3-bedroom bungalows extra. Besides it is common knowledge that it would take a longer time to complete.

The cost advantage is far greater in larger buildings. An estimate for the underpinning and retrofits of an existing defective three-floor warehouse shown in the picture (which has tilted by about 75 degrees to the horizontal almost leaning on the nearby building) was pegged at 27 Million Naira (including the cost of all external works) to be completed in 13 weeks but the estimated cost of demolishing the entire structure and rebuilding it amounts to 68 Million Naira. Once the underpinning and retrofit work is completed, it would be vertically upright and renewed.

The technique of using underpinning operations to restore defective buildings is not new, what is surprisingly new is the appreciation of this technique in Nigeria. It’s a similar cost-effective concept as used in other engineering sectors e.g. overhauling a facility using Turn-Around Maintenance (TAM) approach instead of demolition and redevelopment. Again, it has been established that underpinning extends the life span of the building equivalent to new construction and keeps it safe throughout its life span. Isn’t it too hasty to demolish? Talk to a professional Structural Engineer. 

Constructing Soak-away Pits/Septic tanks that never fills up - Osaz' ENOBAKHARE

Soak-away Pit or Septic Tank constructed with Reinforced Concrete Rims

When a septic tank gets filled up, it tends to put a frown on the users’ faces; not necessarily because the worst thing just happened but because they start feeling the nauseating odour almost immediately and then the cost of transferring the wastes comes to mind. They must invite a waste disposal agent to do the needful or else they will be unable to use their closets! Well, those days are winding out fast with the introduction of soak-away pits or septic tanks that never fills up.  

Just in case you are wondering if there is any difference between a septic tank and a soak-away pit: A septic tank is designed and built like an underground tank or container usually with reinforced concrete, blocks or bricks. Essentially, it is closed on all faces with a small opening only at the surface to allow the escape of waste gases and for a hose to penetrate during pumping-out operations. It is highly recommended in areas with high and moderate water tables (e.g. from 0 - 10m from natural ground level) and areas susceptible to flood. On the other hand, Soak away pit are useful in areas of low water table.

They are built such that they are only covered at the top and sides. The bottom is left uncovered so that the waste water will soak away naturally into the earth leaving the solid wastes behind which begins to decompose as soon as the pit becomes fairly dry.  Like Septic tanks, a little portion is cut open on the top to allow for the required ventilation that aids the drying out process within the pit. These portions are usually protected such as will not permit the passage of rain or surface water into the interior of the pit or tank.

Modern septic tanks or soak-away pits are built like wells within a small diameter of about 1-metre thereby saving space while maintaining its functional requirements. The joints in such systems are adequately sealed, the bottom surface of the first rim below is well compacted and blinded before the rim is placed and subsequently loaded. 

The back fill is also properly done to prevent excessive deflection. For septic tank, the entire bottom is covered but the reverse is the case with soak-away pits. With the aid of a drilling machine, a hole of about 75mm is drilled at the side of the topmost rim above ground level to accommodate a pipe that will convey waste water that rises to that level into a chamber just beside the pit. A pipe is also connected in a similar manner to the other end of the chamber which conveys treated waste-water directly to the nearby drain (otherwise referred to as gutter). 

Special Chamber for treatment of Sewage/Waste water

Within the chamber, a net trap is fixed at the entry point of the pipe to ensure that no solid waste is allowed to be passed into the chamber. The chamber is constructed in such a way that allows the user of the system add a bio-pod or pour camphoric oil or other approved eco-friendly mixtures into the chamber to treat the waste water before it is allowed to flow into the pipe that takes it directly to the public drain. These mixtures are very cheap and readily available. A lock and non-return valves are built into the exit point of the chamber so that the user can control when the treated waste-water would be allowed to flow out of the chamber. The process can be carried out at any time of the day.

This concept is based on the fact that the solid waste matter in septic tanks/soak-away pits are very little in relation to the space they occupy even after many years i.e. if waste water only is drained out of the system, the volume of solid waste (shit stuffs) left is often insignificant. It is believed that if you can get the waste water out through a natural process, then the pit/tank may never get full throughout the building’s life span, especially for residential applications. 

The conventional system which places the backyard as the best position for sewer systems is now being countered by this contemporary approach which allows it to be built most conveniently in the front of the main building close to the perimeter fence and the public drain. It can be constructed such that a car can park over it without causing any problems. Using this system ensures a decentralized waste water treatment solution which is healthy to the users, the public and the environment. It is convenient, cheaper and easy to use and finally ensures that the septic tank never really fills up.