Cost Of Building A 3 Bedroom Bungalow In Nigeria

Cost of Constructing a Simple 3 Bedroom Bungalow

Have you been around people discussing building a house? The amount of money they mention can be scary sometimes. You hear that they constructed a simple three-bedroom flat in the village with ₦10 million. Some say you need ₦25 million to build a 3-bedroom house with moderate finishing. And these amounts do not include the cost of acquiring land or furnishing.

Then, you begin to wonder: if it costs ₦25 million to construct a modest three-bedroom bungalow in the village, how much will it cost to build the same in a city like Lagos? But I know some bike riders, mechanics, carpenters and traders in Lagos who presently live in their houses. How did they do it? Did they spend up to ₦10 million on construction?…

Of course, you can spend ₦25 million or even ₦1 billion to construct a three-bedroom bungalow if you want. But it is also very possible to spend less. Yes, as little/much as ₦5.5 million! And this article will show you how.

Follow as we go through the various stages of building a 3-bedroom bungalow, from general requirements such as acquiring land, getting your architectural drawings and getting government approval to the building stage proper.

This article may not give you the exact amount it will cost you to build your own house, but it provides a stage-by-stage analysis of the process of constructing a standard 3-bedroom flat along with cost estimates.

Acquire a Good Land

The price of land depends on its location and the prevailing real estate market conditions. Take the example of Lagos State. Land may cost ₦400,000 at Badagry, ₦120 million at Ikeja, and ₦650 million on the Island.

Buying full land is a good idea, but you can further reduce cost by going for half plot of land. A half-plot of 30ft x 120ft or 60ft x 60ft or 50ft x 50ft or 25ft x 100ft can take a 3-bedroom flat with enough space for parking two cars. See more building ideas that can fit on a half-plot land.

It is better to buy land with a Certificate of Occupancy (C of O) and other relevant documents to avoid falling for scammers. The land documents you need to collect from the seller include:

• Survey Plan
• Gazette
• Deed of Assignment
• Certificate of Occupancy

If you purchase land from Baba/Chief with no registered survey plan, quickly get one for yourself. The cost of getting a registered-survey plan is between ₦350,000 and 1,000,000 on the mainland. For example, a survey plan for land in Ikorodu, Badagry Ojo, Epe and Ajeromi Ifelodun L.G.A.s cost ₦350,000. But for lands in Somolu, Mushin, Alimoso, Agege, Kosofe, Ibeju Lekki, Amuwo Odofin, Lagos Mainland, it costs ₦650,000.

Let the cost of land be ₦400,000, and the cost of the survey plan be ₦350,000.

The total cost of acquiring land = ₦750,000

Get Your House Plan

Do not be tempted to draw your plan by yourself because your drawing might not meet the government requirements for approval. Also, remember that this is going to be your home. A poorly-designed plan can lead to faulty construction that will make life in the house uncomfortable.

It is advisable to get your plan from professionals, and it does not cost much. It costs between ₦50,000 and ₦300,000 to get a building plan for a bungalow depending on the location, the professionals, etc.

A building plan comprises of several different drawings that show various aspects of the building process, and it usually includes the following:

• Architectural drawing,
• Structural drawing,
• Electrical drawing,
• Mechanical drawing, etc.

When you have your building plan, you will submit it to the government for approval. The government will charge you some money for this, and it is usually around ₦50,000 - ₦300,000 for a 3-bedroom bungalow in Lagos state. Once you get building plan approval in Lagos, you are ready to start building your home. Also, ensure you get a Bill of Quantities (BoQ) as that is the only way you can be sure of the exact material requirements for your project.

The cost of the building plan and government approval = ₦300,000.

Prepare Your Land For Construction

This stage is when activities needed to prepare the land for construction come in. Such activities include clearing the land, uprooting unwanted trees, and creating access to your land for vehicles delivering building materials.

It is easy to find workers to hire for this stage, and it usually costs between ₦20,000 and ₦50,000 depending on the size of the land, the nature of the soil, location, the number of trees to be uprooted, many other factors.

The cost estimate for preparation stage = ₦50,000.

Building Stage

For this part, we will be using building material requirements compiled from an actual construction project. Let us divide the building process into four major stages, namely,

1. Foundation to the Damp Proof Course (DPC, also called German floor) and Soak-away
2. DPC to lintel level
3. Roofing
4. Finishing

Stage 1: Foundation to DPC (German floor), Well and Soak-away

This stage usually involves setting-out, digging, concrete work, laying foundation block, filling, and flooring. Let us calculate the cost of each phase.

• Material Requirements for Setting-out with profiles

4 pieces of 1x12 plank @ ₦1,200 each plus ₦800 (for dividing each into 5 (@ ₦200 each) = ₦5,600
4 bundles of Pegs @ ₦1,200 each = ₦4,800
2" and 3' Nails = ₦1,200 worth of nails
4 bundles of rope @ ₦200 each = ₦800
Labour = ₦4,000

>>>Approximate cost of setting-out = ₦15,200

• Material Requirements for Digging/Excavation

Either you or the labourers will rent some diggers and shovels for the job. These tools can cost about ₦2,000 to rent.
Labour = ₦4,000

>>>Approximate cost of digging = ₦6,000

• Material Requirement for Concrete work/Blinding

For a standard foundation of 150 mm base-thickness, assuming 0.45 m (breadth or height) and 85.5 m (length of entire building) = 5.77125 m3. We need

10 bags of cement @ ₦2,600 each = ₦26,000
20 tonnes of sand x 2 = ₦80,000
20 tonnes of Granite = ₦100,000
We do not need a reinforced bar (Rebar) because the soil is good, firm and dry.
Litres of water as needed.
Labour = ₦18,000

>>> Approximate cost of concrete work = ₦224,000

• Material Requirements for Laying Foundation Blocks

We are using 9" blocks and laying 4 coaches. Materials needed are12 bags of cement @ ₦2,600 each = ₦31,200
644 pieces of 9" vibrated blocks (including 10 percent wastage) @ ₦170 each = ₦109,480
Plumbing work = ₦25,000
The remaining sand from concrete work serves here.
Labour = ₦32,200

>>>Approximate cost of laying foundation blocks = ₦197,880

• Material Requirement for Filling

I suggest digging the soak-away and septic tank alongside making the foundation. That is so that the soil dug-up from the soak-away pit, septic tank and well can serve as foundation filling. Doing so will save you the cost of buying some trips of sand for foundation filling. It also saves you the cost of clearing the dug-up soil in a case where you're not using it for filling. If you follow the suggestion above, you may need to buy only a few trips of sand in case the soil dug-up from the well and septic tank is not enough. So,

3 trips of 20 tonnes laterite (fairly clayey) at ₦18,000 = ₦54,000
Labour = ₦10,000

To allow the foundation filling to compact naturally, water it for some hours and leave it for days (or some weeks) before flooring.

>>>Approximate cost of filling foundation = ₦64,000

• Material Requirement for Foundation Casting/Flooring

25 bags of cement @ ₦2,600 = ₦65,000
Waterproof/nylon = ₦15,000
The remaining granite and sand from concrete work served here.
Labour = ₦18,000

>>>Approximate cost of flooring = ₦98,000

• Material Requirements for Septic Tank, Soak-away pit and Well

Construct the septic tank, soak-away pit, and well first to have water for the work and sand for filling the foundation later.700 pieces of 6" vibrated blocks @ ₦150/block (for a septic tank of 3m x 3m x 3m) = ₦105,000.
22 bags of cement @ ₦2,600 = ₦57,200 (including plastering).
Number of well-rings as required.
Sand and granite from concrete work served here.
Labour for septic tank, soak-away pit and well = ₦80,000

>>>Approximate cost of constructing both the septic tank, soak-away and well = ₦242,200.

Total cost for stage 1 = ₦847,080 (excluding the cost of well-rings)

Stage 2: DPC to Lintel Level

This stage starts from the German floor to the level before roofing. It covers the main block work, including wall partitions for the various rooms. Again, ensure you get a Bill of Quantities for your building plan as that is the only way to know the exact material requirements for your house.

• Material Requirement and Labour for blockwork

2100pcs of 6” stone dust vibrated blocks @ ₦150 = ₦315,000.
(The price will increase if you use 9” blocks)
15 tonnes of sharp sand = ₦40,000
30 bags of cement @ ₦2,600 = ₦78,000
Labour = ₦105,000

 >>>Approximate cost of block work = ₦538,000.
(This includes the two coaches of blocks after lintel)

• Material Requirement for Lintel Casting

20 length of 12mm rod @ ₦2,100/length = ₦42,000
10 length of stirrups @ ₦500/length = ₦5,000
35 length of 1x12x18 wood @ ₦1,700/length = ₦59,500
Nails plus wire for binding = ₦13,000
8 bags of cement @ ₦2,600 = ₦20,800
The remaining sand was used here.
The remaining granite from concrete work served here too.
Labour plus carpenter = ₦30,000 

 >>>Approximate cost of the lintel level = ₦165,300

The total cost for stage 2 = ₦703,300.

Stage 3: Roofing

The cost of roofing varies based on the type of roofing materials you choose to use. So, the price below is for this project. Endeavour to get the BoQ for your house plan and design.

• Material Requirements for Roofing

320 length of 2x3x12 wood @ ₦450 = ₦144,000
45 length of 2x6x12 @ ₦840 = ₦38,250
25 length of 1x12x12 wood @ ₦1,400 = ₦35,000
1/2 bag of 2" nails @ ₦5,800 = ₦2,900
11/2 bags of 3" nails @ ₦6,000 =₦9,000
1/2 bag of 4" nails @ ₦6,500 = ₦3,250
Aluminium (0.45mm thick) roofing, transportation and Labour = ₦685,900

The total cost for stage 3 = ₦918,300

Note: You can reduce your roofing cost by at least 20% by using the more modern and classy skillion roof (also called the shed roof). See the roof examples here.

Stage 4: Finishing

The final stage covers plastering, wiring, plumbing, fixing windows and doors, tiling, painting, and so on. The cost here varies according to your taste. Below is an estimate for a very modest finishing.

• Material Requirements for Electrical works

Wires, Pipes, Conduit Boxes, and other necessary materials = ₦360,300

• Material Requirements for Mechanical and Plumbing Works

Kitchen sink, Pipes, WC, Washing Hand Basin, Overhead Tank, Shower, and other necessary materials = ₦490,200

• Material Requirements for Ceiling

Woods for nogging, P.O.P Sheets, External wood finishing, PVC Boards, Tank nails, and other necessary materials plus labour = ₦450,000

• Material Requirements for Windows and Doors

Windows, doors, burglary proof, and fixtures plus labour = ₦500,000

• Material Requirements for Wall Rendering and Painting

Plastering and painting plus labour = ₦500,000

• Material Requirements for Floor Finishes

Tiles and others plus labour = ₦250,000

Total cost for stage 4 = ₦2,550,500

Now we add the prices from each section to get the total cost.

Grand Total = Building Plan + Land Preparation + Stage 1 + Stage 2 + Stage 3 + Stage 4

                            = ₦300,000 + ₦50,000 + ₦847,080 + ₦703,300 + ₦918,300 + ₦2,550,500

Grand Total = ₦5,369,100

There you go! Once you get land, you can build and move into your 3-bedroom flat with less than ₦5,500,000!!!

With adequate supervision and expert labour price negotiation, you are sure to save at least 10 per cent cost from each section. Check out these tips for reducing the cost of building your home.

Remember that the above cost is for this project. All the quantities of materials mentioned include a margin for wastage. Meaning you can reduce the cost by reducing waste and using alternative building materials. But never cut corners or hire bad labourers in a bid to cut down on cost. You'll only end up spending more.
In case I missed anything, do let me know your thoughts in the comments section below.