PART 4. ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS ON THE USE OF LATERITE SOIL FOR LOW COST HOUSING

31]. Can I use the Laterite Cement bricks for the foundation of my house?

Answer- No, it is not advisable to use these type of bricks  in any underground construction. Your best bet is to adopt the conventional foundation materials available in your locality e.g. Concrete and Stone etc. We advise everyone to follow the rules of building construction for their foundation and other structural work.

32]. Can you please subsidize the price of the machines for the low income earners?

Answer- Sorry, we are are a small scale business that have limited resources and not able to subsidize the prices of our equipments. You are advised to join hand with other persons in a co-operative setting to access the use of any of the machine.

33]. What is the maintenance of the machines like ? How do I get replacement parts in case of damages to my machine?

Answer- The machines that Bolyn constructions company limited manufacture are ruggedly built, tested and guaranteed against damage due to overfilling and rough usage. However, the machines can be easily repaired when wear and tears occur, any local welder can put them back  to a fair state in case of minor repairs. Please send back any machine that have major defect due to long usage or other problems for refurbishment.

34]. Please do you have your company branches in all parts of Nigeria?

Answer- No. We have experimented with the opening of branches in Akure, Ibadan, Abuja, Ilorin, Kaduna, Enugu, Jos and some other places and have found that the patronages received in most of these places cannot sustain the branches so established.

35]. Tell us about your Bolyn Super 2 block press that uses Laterite soil and cement for making the Super blocks ?

Answer- Please note that both the machine and the products from this machine have these identified deficiencies in the operation of the machine and use of the Super blocks for building. The manufacture of this machine is on demand by those who desire it. The identified deficiencies are—a]. The size of the block @ 320mm by 155mm by 200mm is big and require more energy to eject the block after compression.                                                                                                                                           b]. The weight of the block @ about 14kg is much and about 6kg more than the recommended weight for Laterite bricks. Bolyn constructions company limited require any one aspiring to acquire the machine to know the above and to surrender to our COMPULSORY TRAINING in the operation of the machine.

36]. Tell us about your floor paving bricks, are they motorable?

Answer- We have various design of the Floor paving bricks ranging from Double Tee, Mag, Hexa, Roman, Diamond etc. We are capable of designing and manufacturing other designs to the specification of the clients. The materials for the making of the Paving bricks are–a]. For the brick facial is Cement:Sharp/Soft sand{1:3}, b]. Body of the bricks is Cement: Laterite soil{1:10}. Both are are filled into the mold box and compressed together to make strong and durable Paving bricks. They are motorable and last very long.

37]. Why do grasses grow in between the Paving Stones or Paving Bricks and what can I do to prevent this in my compound?

Answer- The sole reason that allow grasses to grow in between the Paving stone/bricks is that humus soil [the dark, organic materials that forms in soil when plants and animal matter decays] are used in their installation/setting. We can achieve a near perfect, non grasses growing in between Paving material if we use the Sharp river sand for the base of our paving stones/bricks.

38]. Tell us about your Fibre concrete roofing tiles and sheets?

Answer- Bolyn constructions company limited have 2two type of roofing tiles/sheets design, the first is called the Roman roofing tiles and the other is Bolyn super semi roofing sheets. Both of them works on a very well researched and approved technology of local production. They are durable roofing materials for housing construction, they use locally sourced materials. These tiles and sheets are strong, wind resistant, heat resistant, noise less during rain, non cor0sive, can be used to collect rain water for drinking and beautiful if you apply colorant. They can also be painted to improve its aesthetic.

39]. What are the materials crused in the making of these tiles/sheets? Can we use Laterite soil also?

Answer- The materials used in the making of Fibre concrete roofing tiles and sheets are Sharp sand, Soft sand, Fibre [Coconut or Synthetic fibre as used by the POP people etc.], Cement, Galvanized wire for hooks, water and colorant [if needed].  We cannot use Laterite soil to make roofing tiles/sheets.

40]. These roofing tiles and sheets are small, “why cant you design them to be as big and long as the conventional asbestos or galvanised metal sheets?

The roofing tiles and sheets are designed to international standards and they are designed for small scale manufacture by trained individuals. They cannot be taken to the level of Fatory made sheets in terms of sizes, you will recognise that in the factory most functions are mechanised viz- oven drying, tiles making, cutting and movements between points. The sizes for the small scale production is smaller to enable us handle them easily without breaking them.

ENDED.