What to look out for when buying building material

During a forum on construction last week, one of the participants said she was about to give up on building her house because of the trouble she was experiencing getting the materials.

“I had sat down with my quantity surveyor and architect and we had mapped out the entire budget for my house. However, the problem started when I began sourcing for materials such as sand, ballast, cement and steel bars. My employees even colluded with suppliers and I either got poor quality materials or fewer materials than I ordered,” she lamented.

Mr Daniel Chege Mburu, the CEO of construction firm Fingerprint Capital, acknowledged in an interview with the DN2 after the session that sourcing for, and transporting, construction materials is perhaps the most trying experiences.

“It took me some time to find my way around the middlemen and the manufacturers in this industry. With a few pointers, patience and a firm resolve not to succumb to shortcuts, a first-time home-builder can also learn how to tell genuine merchants from those who are up to no good,” Mr Mburu adds.

“The problem using shortcuts is that even just one component of the building is substandard, it can compromise the integrity of the entire structure, notes Mr Bede Mwangi, a quantity surveyor and Mr Mburu’s colleague at Fingerprint Capital.
Mr Mburu says con men operate throughout the industry: “I know people who have paid money to suppliers, only for the latter to vanish into thin air.”

Mr Kenneth Maina, a construction manager with Fingerprint Capital, points out that transport costs push up the price of building materials considerably.

“One should strive to minimise transport costs,” he says. You can do this by ordering in bulk and planning your construction such that most of the transportation is done during the dry season, since the cost tends to go up during the rainy season.
“An easier option” Mr Mburu says, “is to outsource the work to professional contractors. By employing professionals, you will certainlymake huge savings in building costs."

1. Roofing
Clay and concrete tiles are increasingly being phased out as roofing material. Mr Mburu says this is because they are prone to leaking, unless they have properly installed underlays. Clay tiles are also heavy and thus need to be supported by timber rafters and trusses. And with timber becoming increasingly expensive, tiles are losing their appeal.

They are being replaced with iron roofs, shingles and stone-coated materials, which are more flexible. But Mburu warns against stone-coated roofs if you intend to harvest rain water since grains from the coating can contaminate the water.

He says that when buying metal roofing, you should emphasise on the gauge, meaning the thickness of metal; the higher the gauge, the thinner the roofing sheet.

“When you’re building, a lot of people will show up at the site trying to sell you roofing materials at unbelievably low prices. Avoid such people at all costs because, in my experience, they often sell rejected roofing materials,” Mr Mburu advises.

“Be extremely careful when buying roofing material from the local hardware. Even if the mabati (corrugated iron sheets) you’re buying bear the logo of a respected company, chances that they are knock-offs are still very high.”

The contractor advises that, whenever possible, avoid middleman and buy your roofing material from the manufacturer. That way, you know that the material is genuine.

“Whenever you buy roofing, make sure that you get a warranty in writing,” Mr Mburu advises.

2. Timber

Bede Mwangi, a quantity surveyor, has observed that Kenyans are increasingly ditching timber for light-gauge steel for trussing and pylons.

“With the logging ban, the price of timber skyrocketed, making people shift to steel and aluminium,” Mr Mwangi says. “Even if steel is still the more expensive, the price difference between it and timber has narrowed significantly. People are discovering other advantages of steel gauges, such the fact that they are durable and can be assembled in a short time. Besides, steel is resistant to destructive pests like termites.”

However, Mr Mwangi says that steel trussing will always be more expensive than timber because very few artisans know how to work with it.

Even for props and scaffolds used during construction, the metal still wins because it is easily adjustable and can be assembled and dismantled faster.

Mr Bede notes that, since props and scaffolds are usually used only during construction, many builders opt to hire rather than buy the timber posts.

But this, Mr Mwangi says, is an ill-advised move because reused timber poles can weaken over time and cause a structure to fall apart during construction.

“You’re not saving a lot of money either by hiring the shoring props and scaffolds instead of buying them. At the moment, hiring a prop pole costsSh100. Buying the same costs about Sh80. Why not buy new ones and sell them after you have finished building your home?” he suggests.

3. Metal

Although a wide of variety of metals can be used in construction, steel remains the most popular metal worldwide. “Steel is very strong and flexible and can thus be used in columns to support buildings,” says Mr. Mwangi.

Last year, the government banned the use of twisted steel bars. Only deformed (ribbed) bars are supposed are allowed since they result in stronger structures.

However, construction manager Kenneth Maina observes that unscrupulous constructors continue to use twisted steel bars, which are sold at throwaway prices by importers who are yet to clear their stocks.

“This is illegal and could land one in jail,” he warns. Here, be keen on the gauge too, as thicker bars translate to stronger buildings.

When you need steel doors and windows, Mr Maina suggests that, to save costs and ensure you get quality material, buy directly from steel mills rather than your local welder, who will charge you exorbitantly.

“Nowadays, factories are opening their doors to small-scale buyers. Many of them even offer free transport and delivery. Once the metal is delivered, you can take it to your local welder to fabricate the doors and windows for you, and he’ll only charge you for labour,” Mr Maina says.

4. Stones

For a first-time builder, making a trip to the quarry to buy building stones can be an unnerving experience. Mr Mburu paints a grim picture of the chicanery that often takes place at most quarries.

“Once the brokers at the quarry spot a buyer who looks inexperienced, they will rush towards him with all sorts of deals and offers. Some of them will entice you with reject stones, which they will sell for as little as half the price of standard ones. Others will sell you very low-quality stones that might end up being unusable. Yet others will coerce you to hand them cash and then disappear with your money. There are even people who will offer to transport your stones, only to speed up and take a diversion once the truck is fully loaded,” he says.

“Most middlemen will charge you exorbitantly for lower quality stones, just so they can maintain their proft margin. Using a construction company ensures that you acquire materials at the correct market rates,” he says.

He advises that you visit the quarry yourself, or send a qualified and trusted building professional. Once there, do not engage with any brokers. Instead, seek out the quarry’s main office and deal only with its manager or owner.

Mr Mburu also points out that the quality of the stones cannot simply be deduced by their colour. He advises that you actually try breaking different stone samples to determine their strength.

When it comes to loading and offloading, there is a need to keenly supervise the handling of the stones.

“If you leave the transporters on their own, they might break half of the stones by handling them recklessly,” says construction manager Maina.

5. Sand
With sand, the greatest problem is transportation. The drivers and turn boys of trucks that transport sand interfere with the bottoms, making the truck hold much less sand than it should.

“Most of the sand tippers are designed to carry about 21 tonnes of sand. But the crew can create a false bottom that can reduce the volume by as much as seven tonnes,” Mr Mburu says.

He further reveals that there is a trick among sand dealers known as “kujaza mchanga hewa”, which loosely translates to “aerating sand”. After filling a truck with sand at the riverbed, the sand usually compacts on its own and thus takes less space in the truck. The drivers then divert from the normal route (after passing through the weighbridges) to a secret location and offload some of the sand. The transport crew then “aerates” the remaining sand by shovelling through it to make up for the offloaded amount.

To avoid this, Mr Mburu suggests having designated suppliers and always inspecting the sand and gravel trucks before and after they are loaded to make sure that you do not get a raw deal.

“By doing this, you can build more, and at lower cost,” he says.

***

For unmatched-ageless beauty, try cement decoration

Concrete is perhaps the most widely used construction material in the country. However, very few people go to concrete when it comes to decorating their homes, preferring to do so with casts made from gypsum and ceramic.

Mr Joseph Baraza, the chief executive and founder of Babbs Cement Deco, is determined to prove that when it comes to decorating, cement is king.

“The branch of construction called architectural decorative concrete,” Baraza explains, “refers to concrete that, while providing an aesthetic finish to the building, also serves a structural function.”

“We usually add special forms, unique finishing techniques and a variety of ingredients to normal concrete to provide a variety of eye-catching effects,” he explains.

Mr Baraza, whose company is headquartered in Nyali, Mombasa, says that he started it due to a lack of sustainable decorating material at the Coast.

“When it comes to mould decorations, many people automatically pick gypsum moulds. At the Coast, however, gypsum moulds usually get discoloured and start falling apart after only two years due to the area’s high temperature and humidity. As a designer, I felt there was a need to introduce durable, yet attractive moulds, and that is when I decided to major in concrete decoration,” he offers.

His company has been in operation since 2002. Mr Baraza says he is greatly inspired by the architecture of the ancient Romans and Moroccans.

Rome and Morocco, he says, have embodied this form of architecture for millennia, and some structures put up thousands of years ago still stand today, bearing testament to the durability of decorating with stone.

INCREASINGLY POPULAR

While revealing that decorative concrete is becoming increasingly popular in Nairobi and its environs, Mr Baraza praises the art form for its versatility. Concrete can take almost any form, texture and colour to enhance the appearance of a structure.

“My company is usually called upon to design a variety of items such as writings and logos, gates, door arches, outdoor fountains, wall and ceiling decorations, flower vases, cornices, pillars and columns,” he says.

The decorator, who has an extensive portfolio of decorative work, is much loved by government institutions, which regularly call upon him to put up official logos and signage.

“I have a catalogue that I usually show clients to choose the design they desire. I also interview them in order to better conceptualise their ideas. Then I get in touch with the client’s building contractor to ensure that we synchronise our work schedules,” he says.

“ I later design the final decorative item and put it up. The piece has to be watered twice daily for three days so it can strengthen and cure. I then paint it to complete the piece,” he explains.

Mr Baraza notes that those of his clients who opt to sell their homes later have seen the value of their homes go up due to the distinctive decorative works.