By Gabgail Engineering Consultants – Chukwuemeka Ejiofor Building a house or commercial property is one of the biggest investments most Nigerians will ever make. Yet, many clients unknowingly approve decisions that silently damage their buildings from the inside. These mistakes don’t show immediately. They hide behind walls, under floors, and inside foundations—until repairs become extremely expensive or impossible. Here are 10 costly construction mistakes clients rarely notice… until it’s too late. 1. Skipping Soil Investigation Many projects begin without proper soil testing to cut costs. Hidden consequence: foundation settlement, cracks, or total structural failure. Nigeria’s soil varies greatly—even within the same street. Guesswork is dangerous. 2. Weak or Improper Foundation Work Foundations are buried, so clients assume they’re done correctly. Common issues include: Wrong foundation depth Poor steel placement Low cement content Once construction progresses, correcting foundation...

 Electricity is apparently the strangest and most dreaded phenomenon known to man. Apart from the effects of electricity like shock, fire, force of machines and magnetic fields (invisible still) and the likes, there is no tangible way of noticing the presence of electricity. There is practically nothing to see with bare eyes except for the conductors, devices, materials, instruments, equipment and gadgets. This informs the great difficulty experienced in managing electricity supply through the means of guided installations and other channels and processes for domestic use. It is therefore very important for those who handle electricity to get accurate knowledge of the theory of electricity and the IQ high enough to translate some theories to practical works. It is not surprising that few electrical practitioners get it right in this respect because no one can give what they do not have. No wonder the electricity industry is plagued with instability resulting from erroneous and faul...