Stages Of House Building - External Works

This refers to all those supportive works that help complete the building. They include the following:
· Boundary walls and hedges: these are meant for demarcating the space on which the building stands as well providing security and privacy. The most common walls are made of masonry while hedges are made out of plants like keiapple and bougainvillea. Most hedges add to the aesthetics of the compound when they bloom. One important thing to remember is that the wall should complement the building.
· Gate and gate house: Can be viewed to be a part of the boundary wall. Depending on the requirements and use of the building and hence the compound, the gate will differ in size, specification. In busy buildings with heavy vehicle traffic, an electronically opened gate will work better than a manually opened gate. Further, it is usually better to have a small pedestrian gate aside the main gate.
· Drives, parkings and pavements: These are usually hard surfaces like tarmac or paving blocks. They provide access and circulation within the compound. Pavements are good for training pedestrians on what routes to follow inside the compound. This will prevent trampling of areas like landscaped lawns.
· Landscape and Flower gardens: Landscaping can be viewed as dressing to the compound. It completes the picture. Variety is the secret here. Having flowers that blossom at different times of the year will ensure that the compound is in colour all year round.
· Gazebos and Porches: These are resting areas in the compound. They come in a great variety of designs to suit varying needs.
· Water points and ponds
External works need also be integrated within the works to ensure that they don't drag the completion of the works as a whole. Taking the example of landscaping, it will need a lot of time to grow some of the plants as may be required in the compound. These could be planted long before the building is put up, as long as they do not play hindrance to the construction.
From our series of previous articles, it is clear to see that there are many components that get into the building to make it complete. While each one of these have their different roles, they are put together concurrently. Planning is therefore very important to ensure that a harmonious process results. Moreover, the different components are usually put up by different contractors (service providers) thus it amplifies the need for proper planning.

Life, Peers And The Five Fingers

The human hand is one of the most complex parts of the human body. With so many distinct units, making so many movements to all possible directions, it is actually a real work of supreme science. Among these magnificent building blocks is the arm, on which grows five fingers. These are also unique in the fact that all of them are different, both in size and character. There are long ones and stunted ones. There are those that bend thrice while others twice. And albeit they grow in the same hand, they perform different functions. Cooks will tell you that the middle three fingers are always in an awkward position as far as hot pots are concerned. On the other hand, carpenters will tell you just how many times they had had to lick they crushed thumbs!
You see, the fingers belong to the same hand, but they are so different. The same happens to us in our day to day living. Differences are so much inevitable, whether in the family or community. There is a common saying in my language that from the same womb come a pastor and a witchdoctor! Even the so called identical twins have some differences! It gets clearer when we get with our peers. You will find that your age mates are not all in your league as much as many issues are concerned. You think differently, you view life differently and you score differently. This is very normal. I remember that during my days in college, I was in the class with a guy driving a top of the range ride and another one that had to limit his toilet paper consumption to six segments a day... patting himself on the back when he used none! If anything mattered to him, it was how to get a meal the next day, while some others formed a snack club at the tuck shop. But all of us were in the same class, taking the same lessons, facing the same examinations and supposedly aiming similar success in life!
One thing about differences in life is that they do not depend on anything in particular. Most of them just happen. Just like happened with Cain and Abel, God chose Abel's sacrifice as opposed to Cain's without any apparent reason. But Cain took it personal; he scorned his brother to an extent of committing an ill never fathomed hitherto. To him, Abel had robbed the chance from him. The comparison had proved him unworthy, giving rise to the first case of sibling rivalry in the history of mankind. Egocentricity is one of the biggest reasons for non-acceptance where differences appear in our daily living, especially when our 'equals' prove an edge in whatever aspects. It leads to people living unfulfilling lives, working against all odds to reach to the level of so and so. Taking heavy loans and even slowing the leaders down, a common way being witchcraft and even killings. What we should always remember is that 'all animals are not, were not and can never be equal. Just be all you can, appreciate your abilities and respect those of others.

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The Perfect Valentines Gift

February 14^th is here with us and as happens all years, the spirit of love is in its peak. Everyone is running up and down looking for that perfect gift for their loved ones. The red rose is the first and most obvious gift that everyone pounces on. The flower farmers are in their good times and the same goes for flower vendors. In fact, all the hawkers in town are flushing whatever red items they can put their fingers on, so long as it passes for a gift. Wineries and gift card makers are also counting fortunes from their products.  Restaurants are also in their best form and trying their best to outdo their competition in offering their customers, all with the ‘couple’ tag, the most memorable moments, whether in the heart of the city, beach resort or mountainous get away. 

And this year it is even getting better, mobile phone service providers are outdoing themselves with offers for the most feminine gadgets around. Even insurance companies have introduced packages most fitting for the season! In this society, it goes without saying that more gifts will be going from the masculine direction to the feminine than the opposite. There was even this opinion poll published in the weekend papers on various aspects of the famous day, ranging from the average amount a man is likely to spend on their wives (or girlfriends for that matter) to which house they will visit on the important. ‘Which house’ because it is very common these days for men to have more than one house to support.

• ·         So, what is the perfect gift to give out to your loved one this Valentines Day?
• ·         Just how much is enough to make the right statement to your loved one?
• ·         What is really the meaning of Valentines Day?  

It is not questionable the fact that gifts must be handed across lovers. One of the things to note here is the fact that the gift that one gives must come from the heart and should depict the right impression of the feelings in our heart towards our intimate partners. This does not necessarily mean expensive as many may be tempted to think. It means that what you got for your lover is exactly what they might have asked for, had they the chance. It should be the considerable and reasonable wish they have had in their hearts, the dreams they have on you. It must not even be tangible, for what would be so wrong with a promise for the common future! Think of his proposal you have always postponed answer!  The cost of the Valentines Gift should not even be known by the receiver. I mused over a famous and most expensive package on offer around. This may not necessarily convert to a gigantic and overwhelming welcome by the receiver, for as they say, money cannot buy love. 

Another important thing to note is the fact that, Valentines marks the beginning of the year of love, just like January marks the onset of the calendar year. For this reason, the specific day is not as important as the days ahead, albeit its importance should not be underplayed. It would be more important to impress all year round rather than on one day alone. And while the day might fall on the wrong day of the week, keeping you away from your lover or your pocket might not support that bouquet of red roses; your love should not be regarded less.  Moreover, it would be more important to make ‘new year’ resolutions for your love and seeking ways to making it a better relationship than spending all your savings on an expensive dinner. I surmise it would be a better gift this Valentines Day to give up that mistress than an overseas trip with the mother of your children. The disclosure of the same would be priceless…but don’t kill her with a heart attack. Tell her the way you told her of her mother’s demise!

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Why Build and Not Buy

 (Taken from my series; What To Consider Before Building Your House)

One of the very distinguishing factors between construction and other industries is that construction deals with unique, one-time only products. In most cases, it also involves first and last relationships. Once you build your house, that's almost certainly the last time you build (Unless you are venturing into real estate in a commercial scale). One other important point to note here is that a house is a part of a family. It is a part of you and as such, you want it to represent all that you are. You want to be part of it from the start. You want to fulfill the quest to have you build your house instead of buying one, that is, if you like the thrill of trying something new and more so if you like an extra pocket in the interior of your suit lining!

A house needs to be where we have always wanted to live in. It needs to keep us closer to those that we can identify with and also in the kind of environment that we want to live in. While you might find a bigger percentage of these in a house on sale, there is still that small personal touch that will be lacking. You need a house with a pent room for your son, a small backyard vegetable garden for your wife and a small picket fence for your daughter. These specifics are hard to find in the ready-made market.
Another reason to build and not buy a house is to seek economic benefit of your own construction. It goes without saying that when you go out to buy a house, you are paying for overheads like those for the sales agents, the advertisements, the lawyers et cetera. Other costs include those of high flying contracting companies and management firms that are known to take percentages of the actual costs that can sometimes go as high as 40%. Although is hard to strictly build at cost, but it is still possible lower these overheads to very low percentages.

A house is a long term investment and needs to stand the test of time. The quality of the building plays a very big role towards this goal. It is common knowledge that when things are done in a commercial scale and especially when they are done en masse and by people who are not the end users, it is easy for standards to be lowered. It gets worse nowadays owing to the upsurge of fake and counterfeit materials in the market. It is not very alien to mistake plastic for hardwood these days! You get into a house and by the time you are doing the second year, things start peeling off and others loosening out. A two year house might easily be mistaken for one twenty years old. Another important thing to consider here is safety standards. While statutory bodies are there with the mandate of ensuring optimal performance, there is still the danger of little compromises here and there. And what is little today may prove giant tomorrow.

We cannot also downplay the fulfillment of being part of the process. Once you have decided to build, it is important to note when you will need a hands-on approach into the project if you are to be successful in this endeavor. This does not mean that you all of a sudden become a technical person in construction, but rather you will need enough background information on what to do, when and who to involve long before you shout about your aspiration to build. It is important to seek information from others who have built before you. This will acquaint you with the little foxes in first time construction.

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