Sheet A-03.1 · Building construction

Ground up,
foundation to finish.

The largest part of what Donkem does. Twenty-seven completed buildings: homes, churches, schools and student residences, taken from a cleared site to a signed handover.

Completed 27 buildingsStates 8Since 1992
What the contract covers

The structure, end to end.

A building contract with Donkem covers the whole structure. We are not a labour supplier working inside somebody else’s programme.

SubstructureSetting out, excavation, foundations, ground beams and oversite concrete.
Frame and envelopeReinforced concrete frame, blockwork, roof structure and covering.
Services first fixConduits, pipework and drainage cast in before finishes begin, so nothing has to be chased out later.
FinishesScreeds, plaster, joinery, tiling, painting and fittings, to the specified schedule.
External worksDrainage, paving, boundary walls and landscaping where the contract includes them.
HandoverSnagging, testing, and a certificate of practical completion signed by the supervising architect.
How the work runs

Six stages, in this order.

  1. 01Brief and pricingYou send drawings or a description. We price the work and come back within one business day. We would rather ask two questions than guess at a number.
  2. 02ProgrammeA dated programme by trade, so you know what should be happening in any given week and can tell when it is not.
  3. 03GroundbreakThe site is set out and levels checked against the drawings before any concrete is poured.
  4. 04StructureThe frame goes up with heavy plant that is tested and load-certified before it is operated. No schedule is accelerated at the cost of safety.
  5. 05Finishes and snaggingFinishes to the specified schedule, then a snag list worked through with you rather than around you.
  6. 06Practical completionCertified by the supervising architect or project manager. Not declared by us.

The plant that does it, owned rather than hired.

Concrete mixers15
Vibrators15
Scaffold system5,000 m²
Block-making machines3
Site generators10
Pumping machines23
The record

Twenty-seven buildings,
named and located.

Every one of these is a real contract with a real address. Photographs are being added as they are collected from site.

Whitesands School, Lekki, LagosEducationalWhitesands SchoolLekki, Lagos On file · photograph pendingResidentialOniru Estate Twin BungalowsLekki Phase 1, Lagos Winners Baptist Church, Ughelli, Delta StateEcclesiasticalWinners Baptist ChurchUghelli, Delta State Catholic Student Residence Chapel, Nsukka, Enugu StateEcclesiasticalCatholic Student Residence ChapelNsukka, Enugu State Lagoon College Grotto, Victoria Island, LagosEducationalLagoon College GrottoVictoria Island, Lagos Goodnews Baptist Church, Surulere, LagosEcclesiasticalGoodnews Baptist ChurchSurulere, Lagos Catholic Student Residence, Obolo Road, NsukkaEducationalCatholic Student ResidenceObolo Road, Nsukka Lantana College of Hospitality, Campus III, IMT, Enugu StateEducationalLantana College of Hospitality, Campus IIIIMT, Enugu State Leadership & Development Centre, Southcreek Study Centre, Lekki, LagosEducationalLeadership & Development CentreSouthcreek Study Centre, Lekki, Lagos Zariba Residence, Gitto Road, Mabushi, AbujaResidentialZariba ResidenceGitto Road, Mabushi, Abuja Emerald Primary School, Km 32 Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, Ogun StateEducationalEmerald Primary SchoolKm 32 Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, Ogun State Iroto Residence, Iloti, Ijebu Ode, Ogun StateResidentialIroto ResidenceIloti, Ijebu Ode, Ogun State Residence for Mr. Odu, GRA, BeninResidentialResidence for Mr. OduGRA, Benin Catholic Study & Residence Centre, NigeriaEducationalCatholic Study & Residence CentreNigeria Daughters of St. Paul Project, NigeriaEcclesiasticalDaughters of St. Paul ProjectNigeria Itamapako Training Project, Iloti, Ogun StateEducationalItamapako Training ProjectIloti, Ogun State On file · photograph pendingResidentialLagoon School Staff HouseLekki Phase 1, Lagos On file · photograph pendingEducationalGreendale University Residence & Women CentreNsukka, Enugu State On file · photograph pendingResidentialResidential Development, Ologun Agbaje StreetVictoria Island, Lagos On file · photograph pendingEcclesiasticalCommunity Church DevelopmentAraya, Isoko South LGA, Delta State On file · photograph pendingResidentialResidential Development, Theophilus Orji StreetLekki Phase 1, Lagos On file · photograph pendingResidentialResidence for Engr. Charles OsezuaLekki Phase 1, Lagos On file · photograph pendingResidentialTwin Bungalow Development, Oke-IraAjah, Lagos On file · photograph pendingResidentialResidential Development, IkoroduIkorodu, Lagos On file · photograph pendingEcclesiasticalChapel of TransfigurationLUTH, Idi-Araba, Lagos On file · photograph pendingResidentialResidence at Ilabere, IkoyiIkoyi, Lagos On file · photograph pendingEducationalWhitesands School Kitchen ExtensionLekki Phase 1, Lagos
What clients ask

Before they commit.

Do you build from our architect’s drawings, or do you design as well?

Both. Most contracts arrive with drawings already prepared by the client’s architect and we build to them. If you do not have drawings yet, say so in the brief and we will tell you what is needed before anything can be priced properly.

Who is on site day to day?

Every contract runs through the same chain of responsibility, from the Managing Director down to the store keeper, so there is never a question of who owns a decision on site. You are given a person, not a switchboard.

Is your plant hired in?

No. Donkem runs a standing fleet, including 15 concrete mixers, 15 vibrators and 5,000 square metres of scaffold. A programme does not slip here because a hire company was busy.

How do I know the building was finished properly?

Practical completion is certified by the supervising architect or project manager rather than by us. Five of those independently signed certificates are published on the credentials page.

The five disciplines

Most jobs need
more than one.

Sheet B-00 · Next step

Talk to the people
who will build it.

Send the brief and we will price it, or reach the office directly. Either way you hear back within one business day.

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