Reading a Building Before You Buy It
Six things you can check yourself on a site visit, without an engineer, that will tell you most of what you need to know.
You do not need a structural engineer to spot the most common problems in Abuja construction. You need forty minutes and a willingness to look at unglamorous things.
Look at the drainage first
Where does water go when it rains hard? Follow the fall of the ground away from the building. If you cannot see where the water goes, neither could the builder.
Then the roof edge
Fascia, gutter, and the junction where the roof meets the wall. This is where buildings here fail first, and it is visible from the ground.
Then the wet areas
Bathrooms and the kitchen. Look under the sink, look at the tile junctions, look at the ceiling of the room below a bathroom.
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