Top 5 things to consider before buying an estate Land in Nigeria.

Basic information.

Make Sure you find out the house type your buying, the plot size and dimensions. You should be furnished with the estate layout plan showing the dimensions of the plot with the building site plan or at least dimensions. Some plots though same area as the others may be difficult to develop as a result of the tight angles or dimensions of the plot.

What is the house for?

You should know by now what you need the building for. Is it for personal residence or do you plan to resell. What's your current family composition, lifestyle and special needs. If you are developing to resell, then attention must be paid to the needs of your prospective buyer. Most times when people configure their houses specifically to their lifestyle or special needs, it makes the building difficult to sell in future. 

Building for personal use; attention must be paid to functionality, space and future needs. However in all these one must consider the type and size of your prototype. 

Corner piece plots are not always to your advantage.

There is a notion that corner-piece plots are usually more spacious than the normal plots. That's ideally true, in estate layout design it is expected that some additional space be allocated to the corner-piece to compensate for the shortage incurred by chamfering the plot at the junction. However this is not the case today. due to the high cost of land, developers are forced to maximise every square inch of the plot in order to maximize profit. This means that the corner-piece having lost some area due to chamfering and not having additional area to compensate may end up being less functional than the normal plots. Also consider that the gate position for corner-piece plots must be on the far end of the junction.

Functional Design.

It is very common knowledge that most estate developers do not invest well in concept and prototype Design. Most of them have been known to pay next to nothing for that design you're preparing to build. When you you are shown the prototype design, closely study the functionality of the design. If you aren't good at reading drawings you could solicit the assistance of an architect or design consultant to help you analyse the design. 

Things to look out for that shows poor Design.

• Look out for furniture and fittings on the floor plans. 
• Positions for electronics and entertainment systems
• Bathroom fittings like washbasin, shower or bathtub in relation to the door swing. 
• Door swing directions, if it creates clutter or interfere with other doors or wardrobe doors.
• Kitchen design, cabinet, fridge cooker positions and sizes must be visible and functional.... because you may not have enough space for that your double door refrigerator.

Going forward.

If the estate Design or the plot fails any of the points above, don't give up. Most estates will allow you to modify the prototype design to your taste. This consideration must be granted before you purchase the plot. Engage the services of an independent consultant architect ( not the estate architect) to redesign your building to suit your taste, retaining the external prototype design. You will need a new set of architectural working drawings detailed structural, mechanical and electrical Design. Then get yourself an experienced engineer or contractor you are good to go.

P.s make sure you retain the services of your design consultants during the course of the construction to come in from time to time to make sure the contractor sticks to Design. Your consultants are there to protect your interest. Listen to them and you will enjoy your home.

Ukaegbu Kelechi A

CEO Ambiance BIM solutions Nigeria