“If there is a single builder in Barbados building structurally safe houses, then please contact me and I would happily publish the construction photos and promote your business free of cost.”
… Structural Engineer & Blogger Grenville Phillips II on Weighed In The Balance blog (link here)
Structural Engineer Grenville Phillips II Sounds The Alarm…
I have come to the unfortunate realization that we are doomed to experience the misery and economic setback that other Caribbean islands experienced after being examined by major hurricanes. These countries only paid attention to building standards after their buildings were weighed in the balance and found wanting.
I have given up hope that the Town Planning department will accept their responsibility to ensure that houses are both designed and built properly, until they actually see the devastation that they could have prevented. I have also given up hope that the Ministry of Housing will accept its responsibility to ensure that their proposed 2,500 “units” will be anything but sub-standard.
During the past 12 years, I have rarely seen a house built that confirms to the minimum structural requirements of our national building standard. It is very distressing to report that every one of those sub-standard houses could have been built properly at no additional cost. There seems to be a strange belief among builders and homeowners that they can somehow realize good quality construction by simply wishing it to be so.
I will use this final article on substandard building to inform home owners of what to look for and what to do if they find it. Most of the photos were taken within the past week…
… continue reading this article at Weighed In The Balance blog (link here)
7 Comments
February 25, 2008 at 12:58 pm
I know nothing about building and frankly the photos of stratified rock and soil has me just as dumbfounded. I always had difficulty looking at a two dimensional plan of a house, so I think I would have great difficulty assessing whether good standards are being maintained. Shouldn’t we hold builders liable for these failures by legal ordinances and check them through the Town and Country Planning Committee? And should theses law be maintained in the interest of society and each individual.
National Building Code
No standards, that’s what troubles me
And yet there is a Town and Country Planning Committee
This Committee should ensure that we build
In keeping with guidelines and standards fulfilled
One has to wait so long to get
Notarized by them and yet
A building can have sub-standard design
Liability should fall on the authority we assign
Builders should be monitored by one committee
Useless to leave standard checks for you and me
I should be able to build with unfeigned confidence
Let the professionals answer to their imprudence
Designer, engineers and the rest of these
I think should be checked by their own committees
No one should practice contracting unless we can expect
Good standards will be maintained in the work we’ll get
Code of ethics should become a part of what they do
Overlook them and they should be fined and suspended too
Doctors are monitored by their oath and so we trust
Even when we’re in doubt, that they are doing as they must
February 25, 2008 at 11:25 pm
not all of the houses that are built in Barbados are structurally unsound. in some cases the financial institutions that lend money to prospective homeowners require structural reports comfirming adherance to the local building code during the building cycle.
i don’t believe that it is the best option to hold the Town & Country Planning department accountable for good building practices or standards. as far as i am aware, their mandate is planning, controlling and confirming that the country’s land use and development policies fall within required allowances and not policing the soundness of construction practices
perhaps the solution lies with those that lend money for construction when one considers that they are the ones who own these properties anyway until the borrower clears the loan
any bank or credit union should be concerned about the structural soundness of buildings they lend money to build especially if you look at it from a risk mangement perpsective. if the building is structurally unsound and will not last the duration of the mortgage period and the borrower defaults then it could be difficult to recover the amount borrowed
i believe we could move in a direction of contractor certification as is done in Canada & the UK.
Within the Canadian National Housing Corporation network they are certain levels of certification for contractors. it is similar to the ISO certification process where contractors are brought in, trained in the relevant best practices and then certified.
the catch is simple…….quality assessment officials from the CNHC ramdomly visit work sites of those certified contractors and assess adherance to those best practices. if found to be in breach of those standards the certification can be suspended or revolked.
Contractors with this certification make up a database of good builders who the banks and credit unions are made aware.
borrowers can also be directed to these contractors when applying for loans.
houses built by these contractors are generally considered to be structurally sound.
only one concern with this suggestion. the policing. the controls in Canada & the UK are very
stringent. if this is to work, total professionalism will be required by our inspectors. we know how things happen in barbados. its who you know.
February 26, 2008 at 4:42 am
Hi Sean:
Allow me to respond to your assertions.
Sean> “not all of the houses that are built in Barbados are structurally unsound.”
Grenville> Please show me one structurally sound house in Barbados that was not designed by a structural engineer. I would be happy to find it for I am aware of none. I can almost guarantee that the house could have been made structurally sound at no additional cost.
Sean> “in some cases the financial institutions that lend money to prospective homeowners require structural reports confirming adherence to the local building code during the building cycle.”
Grenville> Please tell me the name of one financial institution that does this. I am aware of none.
Sean> “i don’t believe that it is the best option to hold the Town & Country Planning department accountable for good building practices or standards. as far as i am aware, their mandate is planning, controlling and confirming that the country’s land use and development policies fall within required allowances and not policing the soundness of construction practices”
Grenville> Sean, their mandate includes specifying design and building standards. What led you to believe otherwise?
Sean> “perhaps the solution lies with those that lend money for construction when one considers that they are the ones who own these properties anyway until the borrower clears the loan. any bank or credit union should be concerned about the structural soundness of buildings they lend money to build especially if you look at it from a risk management perspective. if the building is structurally unsound and will not last the duration of the mortgage period and the borrower defaults then it could be difficult to recover the amount borrowed”
Grenville> Sean, the banks carry no risks. When the house is destroyed, then they claim the insurance.
Sean> “i believe we could move in a direction of contractor certification as is done in Canada & the UK.”
Grenville> Sean, it has taken the Government 15 years and they still have not set up the promised Building Authority. How many decades are you prepared to wait for the establishment of your proposed system?
Regards,
Grenville
February 26, 2008 at 11:17 am
I don’t know all there is to know about the building standards or codes here in Barbados, except there don’t really seem to be any. What I do know from personal experience, is the cost of materials and the high taxes put on building materials.
Have you heard the latest? Steel is now going up in price!
How can the average person buy land, be in debt for that, purchase their materials for building a safe structure with the cost of materials here and still be able to eat? It is outrages and unfair!
You need a lot of steel to have a strong structure!
There needs to be guidlines and regulations put in place so people know ahead of time before they get approved for a mortgage loan, if they will be able to handle all the hidden expenses and meet the kind of standards that will give them a structurally sound house. Having a structurally sound building is a huge undertaking and requires research, careful planning and a lot of money.
The taxes on materials alone can come to at least one third of a total loan! How can the construction industry continue at a quality level if something isn’t done about the cost of taxes on building materials for people.
Everyone complains about land being sold to people from overseas. Well, they have the money don’t they. They also bring money into this economy. I’ve spoken to plenty of Bajans from all walks of life, and a lot of them are not interested in owning land because they simply can’t afford the financial responsability of owning it, let alone building a house on it. These are two income families!
Get some good sound building codes and regulations in place. Try building affordable housing that is structurally sound for average hard working people.
February 26, 2008 at 9:42 pm
Hi New on the Blog:
We do have building standards in Barbados, and if they were followed, the house would be structurally sound at no extra cost.
The cost of materials will continue to increase. However, so will a person’s salary; therefore, Barbadians can still basically afford the house today that they could have afforded yesterday.
You have correctly identified the cost of land which is increasing at a significantly faster rate than most salaries. This is what can make building unaffordable. Land taxes then add to this burden.
Regards,
Grenville
February 28, 2008 at 6:26 pm
Hi Grenville
Thanks for your response.
I clicked on Researching in the above comment and saw photos of some very poor building practices. Thank goodness there are people here taking photos of these disasters! So what will happen with these homes under construction that are really in a mess? Do they have to be taken down and rebuilt correctly? If there is a contractor, are they not responsible for making sure the structure is being build properly? Is there anyone inspecting these future homes? With the cost of building a home here, you would think the owners would take more of an interest in their investment. I know there are people who live elsewhere and leave it up to others to build their homes for them… That does not work. If you are building a house you must be here to oversee everything. Everything from beginning to end or you have nobody else to blame but yourself.
Also people building or having a house built, need to have knowledge of what is involved in constructing a house which includes all the electrical, plumbing, wells, where pipes, condants etc go in the house. There are so many details that are involved that if the owner is not around, anything can happen and does. So the owners need to be held accountable along with the contractor. More care and attention needs to be taken when building a house. It is no laughing matter. It is a lifetime investment and it needs to be done right.
November 16, 2008 at 10:38 pm
I am a former highway contractor, now retired, although I have had building construction experience. I wish to construct a residence of my own in Barbados and wonder if there is a possibility that I can bringinto the Country my own materials duty free? In other words could I purchase building material in the US, load onto a container and deliever to Barbados. I have not calculated cost yet however I do believe this could provide significant savings