One of the dreams cherished by everybody is to be a homeowner as shelter is the basic need of man after food. But despite its importance, necessity, and indispensability, building a home is not a child’s play. It requires a lot of planning, and detailing to guide against unexpected hitches that may lead to project abandonment or loss of investment in the long run because apart from its essential function in sheltering you, your home might eventually turn out to be the greatest investment you made. You need to take crucial steps to not only bring your only dream home to reality but also make it worth the while and get the expected returns on your investment.

In the planning stage of your building, you have to revisit your needs and interests. Do you just want a house where you will live for a short period of time or a home that will serve as a source of pride, not only to you but also to your family and everyone who beholds it right from the foundation level to the completion stage? If the latter is your aim, you need to:

• come up with accurate budget/costing;
• work with a team of building experts;
• select the right building materials; and
• use only high quality building materials.

Though all these step are very crucial to accomplishing your dream of owning a home, the most important of all is the one on building materials. Why? The quality and genuineness of the building materials you use to build your house will determine if the house will:

• be able to survive with or without people living there;
• be able to survive the worst of natural disasters;
• not deteriorate, crack or spall;
• not be razed down by fire, no matter how raging the fire is;
• not affected by (even) the harshest weather; and
• not crumble as a result of climate change.

Building a house that fulfils the descriptions above does not only require a high capital outlay but also quality implications, particularly in regard to building materials. The quality of building materials such as TMT iron rods, concrete, brick, glass, aluminum, wood, tiles, and others is the greatest determinant of the worthwhileness and longevity of your investment. So you don’t want to joke with the performance of your building materials.

Why Performance of Building Materials is Important

• Structural Capability and stability High quality building materials do not only ensure your building is strong but also contribute to your safety and health as an occupant or user. Low-quality materials emit chemicals that can be harmful to the health of building occupants. Apart from this, such materials will make your building vulnerable to corrosion, moisture and the activities of thermal agents. Who would feel safe in a house that can crumble at any time?
• Health and safety during the life of the buildingHigh quality building materials do not only ensure your building is strong but also contribute to your safety and health as an occupant or user. Low-quality materials emit chemicals that can be harmful to the health of building occupants. Apart from this, such materials will make your building vulnerable to corrosion, moisture and the activities of thermal agents. Who would feel safe in a house that can crumble at any time?
• Durability and longevity Genuine building materials contribute to the durability and longevity of your house as they make the load-bearing components very strong and stable. Also, your building will meet and exceed its expected service life. But using low-quality materials ultimately makes your building weak and leads to inconvenience. Your building must be durable and long-lasting to serve present and future needs.
• Less Maintenance Using genuine building materials guides against frequent repairs and makes your building require less maintenance during the course of its service life. Materials that do not offer high levels of durability may actually perform poorly, affect the structural elements of your building, and cost you unplanned and unexpected expenses in the long run. If this happens, you will keep spending on the building when you should be enjoying long-term benefits.

How to Procure Genuine Materials

It is no longer news that there are sub-standard building materials out there being produced by unregistered and faceless companies, and being distributed by selfish individuals who do not think about the negative impact their shady deeds will have on lives and property. So, you must be careful not to fall victim. Before you procure any building material, you should consider the following:

• Be sure of the reputation of the manufacturer Manufacturers of genuine building materials are professionals registered with relevant building regulatory authorities. Their facilities, processes, and products are also fully certified by local and international authorities like CARES. The manufacturers have relevant certifications and the mark of quality on their products. Read about a company before you procure their products.
• Patronise only authorised dealers/distributors Many companies produce quality building materials but the materials are, however, counterfeited by counterfeiters illegally in a bid to sell at cheap price and earn shadily. Their illegal acts ruin the reputation of the company and put lives and investment at risk. Genuine companies have distributors or dealers who are registered with them and authorised to distribute their products. Be sure to patronise them.
• Work with qualified and professional building experts Work with highly qualified and professional building experts like architects, engineers, contractors, and procurement managers. They will guide you on the necessary and appropriate steps you need to take, the materials you need to procure, the detailing of your designs, assembling other qualified members of the team, and take you through the procurement process.
• Check the mark of quality on the products Most manufacturers are aware of the spate of illicit business in the market, so they have easily identifiable mark of quality on their products. They also have online presence which makes it easy for you to read about their products and how to differentiate it from counterfeits.