PROBLEMS ASSOCIATED WITH BUILDING

Since time immemorial, man has always had the desire to protect  himself and all that is his thus the need to build houses. Putting up houses by man to protect himself and all that is his, is a wise move by all account as the importance of shelter in man’s strive for protection cannot be over emphasized.

However, it is said that there are two sides of a coin and in this case I couldn't agree more. Apart from the fact that houses or shelters provide protection for man against the adverse weather conditions, it also stores properties and goods worth fortunes to man. Houses contain our businesses and schools and so many other life activities. The housing industry provides employment for quite a good number of the Ghanaian populace both formal and informal.  But everything that has good a side will equally have a negative side effect if care is not taken in handling it. That is the issue surrounding the housing industry in Ghana.

Putting up a house involves many procedures and stages. These procedures and steps sometimes bring about undesirable side effects to the environment and the people in the environment.
         We all need shelter

1. when putting to put up a building, the land needs to be cleared.  Cleared of trees, weeds and other living creature such as rats, snakes and grasscutters as well as human inhabitants at times. Of course, one might argued that shelter for man is and will always be paramount to shelter for any other creature but hey, these trees and animals also have their uses even if these usefulness is not realized directly. After all, it is said that last man dies when the last tree dies.
2. Land degradation is also a major problem associated with building. For a building to last long it needs a strong foundation. At the foundation level of building, depending on what type of building or whether you it's just a storey high or skyscraper, you might dig just a few feet deep or sometime several thousand deep. If the next stage of the project is carried on right after the completion of the foundation stage, then there won't be a problem. The problem arises when the foundation is dug and left with no idea as to when the actual building project will begin. In this case if it should rain heavily or continuously, it will cause severe soil erosion, a situation all stakeholders are fighting to prevent.  
3. Caution should be taken  Again, if the foundation is very deep like the ones for skyscrapers, where the foundations are usually   pit-like in nature, it might breed mosquitoes and other harmful organisms.  Kids and other unknowing people might even fall in and get hurt or die if it is not fenced or sign-posted.  
4. Environmental PollutionBuilding construction sites are usually noisy. The human, sound from machines, metals, construction cars can create very loud noise which can be and are harmful and disturbing to both the workers on site and people in the locality.    
5. Noise pollution is not the only problem associated with building. The kind of smoke emitted into the atmosphere by construction gadgets and machines can cause serious health problems for both construction workers and the people in the environment.

We are always happy and excited about the prospect of moving into a new house or home. We help friends to move, we move out and in ourselves all time.Whether one is doing the moving or helping a friend to move, the feeling is almost if not always the same especially if it is a “brand new” house.  It doesn't necessarily matter as to whether a close relative or we are doing the moving, that feeling of moving and changing location never fails to activate the happy mood. But before you move into your new house, the house needs to be built, right?? So today we are looking at processes involved in building a house.

First things first

The first thing you do when you want build is to get a land or location which, of course, we all know. In Ghana, there are four main ownerships of lands. We have government lands, vested land, customary/stool land  and family/private land. You may get a land through a lease, inheritance or outright purchase. However, government and vested lands are usually not for sale or lease but family /private lands can be acquired  through inheritance and  outright purchase usually from community or family heads and.  


 Do Your Due Diligence
For non-Ghanaians, the process may be a little more complicated. For this reason, it is recommended you buy land straight from the real estate developers. Established real estate developers such as Regimanuel Gray realty but before you do, always check to see if the developer is registered with the Ghana Real Estate Developers Association (GREDA). The thing is, you will need to know who are the real owners of the land you wish to buy are or is. To find out, you can let the appropriate government office such as Ghana Land Valuation board carry out a valuation search on the land you are hoping to purchase usually at a fee which will worth the expense. After you are satisfied with who ownership of the land, you may go ahead and purchase it. It is worth noticing that, your choice of location may be influenced by factors such as climate, availability of utilities, security and community infrastructure.Taking time to do a little due diligence never hurts.


Trust and Delegate to the Professions

You know the kind of house you want to build but you are not a building contractor hence you will need an architect to put your dream on a paper for the contractor to understand.Architects and engineers have special training and years of experience in designing houses, and are necessary for most building so if you contract their services, ultimately, the house you build will be built for you, so you should be involved closely in the design process.For a family house where the possibility of additions exists, remember it is simpler to add a room during initial construction than to remodel or build an addition later. If you only need 2 bedrooms at present, an extra room might be used for an office, storage, or even left unfinished and unfurnished until such time as it is needed.Number of bathrooms. In practical terms, one bathroom can suffice in almost any circumstances, but if the house is for multiple people, two makes life much easier. Having two or more bathrooms will also increase the resale value in the convenience minded home buyer's mind.
  In Ghana, if one is looking for an architect apart from recommendations from friends and family, one can contact the Ghana Institute of Architect for recommendations.  It must be said that few years ago, not many individuals used the services of the building contractors and architects as is the case now.

 

Get the right approval

Now your building plan is ready and so are you to start putting up your house.  Whether you give your building project to a contractor or any mansion, there are certain actions you need to take. You will need to buy building materials, find labourers and get a building permit!.  In Ghana, it is given by the district, municipal or metropolitan authority. In Accra, any person or organization wishing to construct a building, whether for residential or for other purposes, must obtain a building permit from the Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA). Apart from the building permit which is the major thing Ghana, you may also be expected to have a septic tank permit, an electrical permit,a plumbing permit and a mechanical (HVAC, or air conditioning) permit although the rules regarding these permits are not as strict as the general building permit.  

You may also find you are required to apply for and receive an environmental and/or impact permit. (Having the house location marked prior to obtaining your permits will help to work details out in the environmental permitting process). This is to ensure, among other things, which the proposed project conform to the building regulations and development control guidelines.

Buy in bulk and at source

You may also need to find a supplier for building materials. You need to find affordable labourforce as well. With finding labourforce, building supplies, you always ask friends and families or liaise with your building contractor that is if you have one. . Houses can be built from cement, sand and stoned, rough lumber (or even logs), compressed earth blocks, or modern materials like aluminum, glass, and vinyl. Find out what is available in your area, and what the cost will be. In Ghana, the common materials use are cement, sand and stone. Of course wooded is also use.

To get building materials at affordable prices, you can consider places like GHACEM for cement at wholesale price. Aside GHACEM, there are also a number of popular building material shops all over the country that one can find very handy.

You may also like to decide how much of the actual construction you will do yourself. Building a house involves several specific trades, or crafts, and to ensure quality work, it is usually better to have trained craftsmen perform the work but those that you know you can do best by yourself, it is advisable you do it yourself to reduce cost. of course, this might not be possible if the building project is given to a building contractor. 

Usually in building, it is at the foundation level that time is wasted or staled. After that level, things usually move fast, that is if all statutory regulations are adhere to and if no problem is encountered in areas such as lack of materials or misunderstanding with contractors or labourers. You might also experience some draw backs with the weather if you should start your project in the rainy season so you should do well to factor in this issue when deciding on when you want to start.

Another problem may also be in clearing the land for the project. Sometimes when the land have been left unattended for a long time, it attracts squatters and illegal inhabitants who may be very difficult to ride of when you finally decided to build. To avoid this situation, it is encouraged that when you acquire the land and you are not going to build immediately, you construct a gated wall to discourage people from inhabiting it.

Hopefully, if everything goes as you have planned and you follow all the laws and rules regarding putting up structures in Ghana, you house should be ready in no time.