Affordable Housing - How To Succeed

1. Stop complaining about the price of cement.  Start Digging.   
Wise civilizations have always built homes with what they have, not with what they have to obtain with difficulty.  Today's Nigeria is not a wise civilization I suppose, or we would use laterite bricks more. 
What is laterite?  The answer may be beneath your feet at the construction site.

2. Build more units than you need
Sell or rent to others, and make some money.  Be an answer to the housing crunch...Nigerians need answers.  Do you want to become an expert in affordable and sustainable building technology?  Start here. 
http://olojauk.com/article/with-n3m-15000-you-can-build-your-own-house-in-nigeria.html
http://thenationonlineng.net/building-a-functional-low-cost-house/
http://www.nairaland.com/1495068/build-red-bricks-hugely
http://www.nairaland.com/2209886/alternative-building-technique-affordable-housing
http://www.nairaland.com/1006963/affordable-low-cost-housing-option
http://www.vanguardngr.com/2012/04/affordable-housing-with-bricks-you-can-reduce-cost-by-40/
https://ng.boell.org/2015/03/03/affordable-green-housing-nigeria

Meet the experts, read their books and study their works, for example The Architecture of Renowned Master Demas Nwoko

3. Lower your running costs too
Fire NEPA/PHCN/xxDC , throw away the noisy generator (or give it to your enemy lol) and be your own solar power provider.  Also remember to build in time-tested natural ventilation and passive cooling systems from day 1, from the first drawing your architect makes.       

Thermal ventilation and Cross-ventilation

Get inspired: See more natural heating and cooling systems via snelhai's pinterest page

Ventilation Blocks

We can learn a lot about Passive Cooling from Cairo/Egypt, Yemen/Arabia, Iran/Iraq, and the Middle East in general.  Example: E.M. Okba (Cairo University) has notes on Building Design for Passive Cooling

Middle Eastern - style wind tower for ventilation

Traditional Badgir (wind-catcher) system

Apply wisdom.  Come back with a testimony. 

You may also like:  
http://upnaira.blogspot.com.ng/2015/12/still-trying-to-find-your-passion-what.html ,  
Using electric power at home ,  
http://lifelib.blogspot.com.ng/2011/01/agric-chic.html

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Lagos Survival Guide

2011 Liveabililty Ranking and Overview has rated Lagos as the world's fourth worst city of 140 cities surveyed. Some of us have to live in Lagos. Here's how to stay zen through it all:
1. Live near work
Eschew the commute. You don't want to be like the mumu who saved money on housing only to lose it all on fuel and auto-mechanics. Or the other mugu who falls asleep at work everyday after spending four hours a day in traffic.
2. Serviced flat
You could be your own maigadi, generator operator, water pumper, and maintenance staff rolled in one. Or you could have your estate manager do it for you. This could mean staying in a hostel that has services covered for cheap. It doesn't have to be one of those million-million Ikoyi houses.
3. Other?

Much Respect to Dubai

Premiere architecture dynamique au monde à Dubaï
by allcurious

The Da Vinci Tower (also known as Dynamic Architecture Building) is a proposed 313 m (1,027 ft), 68-floor tower in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. The tower is expected to be architecturally innovative for several reasons. Uniquely, each floor will be able to rotate independently. This will result in a constantly changing shape of the tower. Each floor will rotate a maximum of one full rotation in 90 minutes. The entire tower will be powered from turbines and solar panels, and five other buildings in the vicinity will also be provided with electricity. The turbines will be located between each of the rotating floors. They will generate 1,200,000 kilowatt-hours of energy from the movement of the floors, and the solar panels will be located on the roof. Construction of the Da Vinci Tower is expected to be completed in 2009.

Wanna ride another housing bubble?

You've always wanted to buy and own a home...Now IS the time.
The US has seen the worst of the downturn and the bulls will soon be charging again. In a few years people will be flippin' those houses like they never even heard of the 2007 sub-prime meltdown.
The next housing bubble starts now. Do you have any research supporting or disproving this? Post a comment.