I stayed in Accra for 3 months to oversee my renovation project. I visited my site every morning to open up, and to speak to my mason. All the artisans were aware i visited every day. One of my cousin's is a local architect and another is a carpenter and they would come to site once or twice a week. They recommended my excellent mason. Being there to supervise and to make decisions made a BIG difference. Between us we were able to head off multiple issues. I physically bought almost everything myself. I went to Accra timber market with my cousin and saved an enormous amount on timber for the roof. Even so there are still minor problems which catch my eye but they are _nothing_ in comparison to what I see in youtube builds. Daily supervision is _critical_ to the success of projects in Ghana. I cannot fathom building from abroad.
I agree; if you want the best work done, you have to be there in person. For those of us building abroad, doing so for all the stages is more expensive and demands travel time etc. What I did with our build (well COVID helped some) was to allow the build to continue for the structure while I was part of it thanks to technology. I maintain you can plaster over mistakes in this phase but at the finishing, I recommend we all try to be on the ground to make sure we are getting what we paid for done once and for all. To have to remove tiles all over because it was laid improperly is not like a “oh the wall has a dip; we can plaster it level” type error
Right! They can call me fussy, I don’t care. I’m paying for it and will need to live with the finished product while the artisan moves on to the “next best thing”…
@@aberba good point but have you hit the jackpot 100% of the time? I doubt anyone building sets out saying “I want to hire the wrong people to do my work”
@@GhanabaKwaku 100%? You wouldn't hit 100% even if you did it yourself. But hiring the right people (paying them well) saves you a lot of pain. Lots of people are building without the help of a knowledgeable supervisor/contractor/architect. You get what you pay for
It's a good decision you made, because know one cares about the house the way you do. We learnt this the hard way...and also decided to make that decision. My husband went to see the house last year, and on the same day he arrived, he had to be sorting out the issues; cleaning, issues with windows, plumbing etc It's your house and your money, so you make the decisions. All the best.
Bro, I agreed with you 💯 %. It sis so sad. You have to redo things because someone did not put piping in the right place in the wall because they did not put measurements on the wall switches
If you live abroad and are a man, you should be a handyman to be able to do the work yourself and save money on labor costs. You should be able to paint the interior of your house, put the sockets, the lights switches, do the tiling, put up your kitchen cabinets and many over jobs after the super structure has been completed and electrical cable and water pipes connected
Very good general suggestion. Unfortunately not every one has that handyman “gift” and even worse not everyone has the luxury of being able to be on site for long stretches. I intend to be part of the finishing going forward as long as I plan the phases well. I don’t mind getting my hands dirty
We’re currently watching through and me and Prince are commenting the same things ! It’s a wonky house, down pipe / column, security post window. Many things are off. I wish that the care and attention was there for finishing. How exciting you was there for a good length of time. Thanks for the shout out !
Always, Nikki! Thanks for watching. I am rooting for PND from my perch and I believe you guys will deliver and reduce headaches for a lot of us building from abroad.
Hey bro, some of this workers don’t care. If you complain about something, they will tell you it’s not their job but the other worker will fix it. I don’t give them the chance to get away with it. I will fix it now rather than live with it forever. Good topic 👍🏾
It is insane, bro. If you are not on them, you will regret. Sadly enough it is not a Ghana only issue. I watched a video yesterday (Kenya I believe) and from afar, the house is to die for but when you look at some of the finishing, you will be disappointed
The mess that some of these artisans make is ridiculous. Some will never clean after themselves and sometimes if you ask them to, they tell you that it is not their job. Personally, I think that for any major finishing, you have to be on the ground.
The front of your house! OMG. The faults you pointed out are not little things. What are you going to do? Some artisans have never seen a smooth finish, their frame of reference is just different. And as you demonstrate, they will make strange decisions without guidance.
@@GhanabaKwakuWell I am relieved for you! I couldn't match the crazy house design to your indepth analysis of the issues!! I guessed perhaps you had bought a house to renovate it! Or built from abroad? Anyway, I am happy the problem belongs to someone else. Please use your influence where you can, because the house is actually crazy.
Hi! Thanks for watching. The shipper I used for the doors was a referral. What are you trying to ship from China? You can email me at BarNoneGH@gmail.con if you want to take this offline
I stayed in Accra for 3 months to oversee my renovation project. I visited my site every morning to open up, and to speak to my mason. All the artisans were aware i visited every day. One of my cousin's is a local architect and another is a carpenter and they would come to site once or twice a week. They recommended my excellent mason.
Being there to supervise and to make decisions made a BIG difference. Between us we were able to head off multiple issues.
I physically bought almost everything myself. I went to Accra timber market with my cousin and saved an enormous amount on timber for the roof.
Even so there are still minor problems which catch my eye but they are _nothing_ in comparison to what I see in youtube builds.
Daily supervision is _critical_ to the success of projects in Ghana. I cannot fathom building from abroad.
I agree; if you want the best work done, you have to be there in person. For those of us building abroad, doing so for all the stages is more expensive and demands travel time etc.
What I did with our build (well COVID helped some) was to allow the build to continue for the structure while I was part of it thanks to technology. I maintain you can plaster over mistakes in this phase but at the finishing, I recommend we all try to be on the ground to make sure we are getting what we paid for done once and for all. To have to remove tiles all over because it was laid improperly is not like a “oh the wall has a dip; we can plaster it level” type error
Spot on. When you complain about some of these aesthetic issues, people say you are fussy. Finishing a house at top notch quality is really hard.
Right! They can call me fussy, I don’t care. I’m paying for it and will need to live with the finished product while the artisan moves on to the “next best thing”…
Hire the right people
@@aberba good point but have you hit the jackpot 100% of the time? I doubt anyone building sets out saying “I want to hire the wrong people to do my work”
@@GhanabaKwaku 100%? You wouldn't hit 100% even if you did it yourself. But hiring the right people (paying them well) saves you a lot of pain. Lots of people are building without the help of a knowledgeable supervisor/contractor/architect. You get what you pay for
@@aberba so you agree on the same thing. Even hiring the best people comes with its own disappointments.
It's a good decision you made, because know one cares about the house the way you do. We learnt this the hard way...and also decided to make that decision.
My husband went to see the house last year, and on the same day he arrived, he had to be sorting out the issues; cleaning, issues with windows, plumbing etc
It's your house and your money, so you make the decisions.
All the best.
We live and we learn! Good luck on your journey as well. We will prevail!
Bro, I agreed with you 💯 %. It sis so sad. You have to redo things because someone did not put piping in the right place in the wall because they did not put measurements on the wall switches
It is crazy! Almost feel like we need a Live rant session for this topic😁
I totally agree with you. It’s crucial to do stuff well
Thank you for watching and commenting. Gives me the encouragement to do more.
The AC was what caught my eye first.
Good eye
@@GhanabaKwaku 😂
Me too 🤣🤣. Call Tuzu to sort out AC’s in Ghana. He’s the best. Not just the product; but he cares about installation and customer service
@@EkowFisho; Tuzu is White-Westinghouse I believe and we have already spoken. When that time comes, he’s my man
If you live abroad and are a man, you should be a handyman to be able to do the work yourself and save money on labor costs. You should be able to paint the interior of your house, put the sockets, the lights switches, do the tiling, put up your kitchen cabinets and many over jobs after the super structure has been completed and electrical cable and water pipes connected
Very good general suggestion. Unfortunately not every one has that handyman “gift” and even worse not everyone has the luxury of being able to be on site for long stretches. I intend to be part of the finishing going forward as long as I plan the phases well. I don’t mind getting my hands dirty
We’re currently watching through and me and Prince are commenting the same things ! It’s a wonky house, down pipe / column, security post window. Many things are off.
I wish that the care and attention was there for finishing.
How exciting you was there for a good length of time.
Thanks for the shout out !
Always, Nikki! Thanks for watching. I am rooting for PND from my perch and I believe you guys will deliver and reduce headaches for a lot of us building from abroad.
@@GhanabaKwaku thanks and you too for keeping the high standards together we will do great !
I'm OCD too. If things are not perfectly done, I can't stand it.
LOL
@@GhanabaKwaku 😂
Great Advice N Happy New Year!
Same to you!
Hey bro, some of this workers don’t care. If you complain about something, they will tell you it’s not their job but the other worker will fix it. I don’t give them the chance to get away with it. I will fix it now rather than live with it forever. Good topic 👍🏾
It is insane, bro. If you are not on them, you will regret. Sadly enough it is not a Ghana only issue. I watched a video yesterday (Kenya I believe) and from afar, the house is to die for but when you look at some of the finishing, you will be disappointed
Thats why its difficult to purchase an already built home
So sorry for your loss.
I appreciate the sentiment! Thank you!
Well said my brother!!!!
Thank you!
Thanks for sharing your experience bro. Could you please share with me your pivot door vendor in China? Thanks
Sure, Kofi; you and I can chat about that.
Great topic bro 👍🏾
Thank you, Nana Yaw!
The mess that some of these artisans make is ridiculous.
Some will never clean after themselves and sometimes if you ask them to, they tell you that it is not their job.
Personally, I think that for any major finishing, you have to be on the ground.
That is the easiest way to save heartache. It is insane how they mess up but want someone else to clean after them.
😂😂😂😂 the LED/Fan connection
Accidental disco lights
nice that's my building colour Dark gold
I hope you don’t have asymmetrical arches too😃
Those of us that can't deal with Asymmetry 😢😩
Ellie; the gift and the curse😂😂😂. Happy New Year!
I don't like the color changing light. The Blue in particular.
When done right, they are not bad. They are supposed to change based on the mode you want
The door is too heavy
Very heavy, yes; too heavy, that’s relative
The front of your house! OMG.
The faults you pointed out are not little things. What are you going to do?
Some artisans have never seen a smooth finish, their frame of reference is just different. And as you demonstrate, they will make strange decisions without guidance.
Thanks for watching and commenting! This is not my building so I won’t be doing anything about this. Where I had some sway, I gave suggestions.
@@GhanabaKwakuWell I am relieved for you! I couldn't match the crazy house design to your indepth analysis of the issues!!
I guessed perhaps you had bought a house to renovate it! Or built from abroad? Anyway, I am happy the problem belongs to someone else.
Please use your influence where you can, because the house is actually crazy.
@@user-dq7xr6kc9b; I would have been livid if that was my building for sure! Yes; someone else’s headache
Hello brother how are you doing I was wondering how you got someone to ship something from china to ghana.
Hi! Thanks for watching. The shipper I used for the doors was a referral. What are you trying to ship from China? You can email me at BarNoneGH@gmail.con if you want to take this offline