Meet Biola, a 38-year-old banker in Lagos.
In 2021, Biola finally saved enough money to build her own 3-bedroom bungalow in Ikorodu. She was so excited. She had been planning this for 7 years. She hired builders from Stack and Stark, a small construction company, bought materials, and started construction.
Everything was going well until Builder Adam from Stack and Stark told her about DPC (Damp Proof Course).
"Madam, we need to put DPC before we start laying blocks," Builder Adam said.
"What is DPC? How much?" Biola asked.
"It's like a protective layer that stops water from entering your walls from the ground. It will cost about ₦105,000 for materials and labor."
Biola looked at her budget. She had already spent more than she planned on foundation. The sand was more expensive than she thought. Cement prices had gone up. And now another ₦105,000?
Her neighbor, Chief James, the landlord association chairman, was passing by.
"Chief, this builder is saying I need to do something called DPC. Is it important?" Biola asked.
Chief James laughed. "DPC? That's one of those things builders use to extort money from people. See my house?" He pointed to his own building next door. "I built it 4 years ago without any DPC. Nothing happened to it. Save your money."
Biola felt relieved. ₦105,000 saved! She could use that money for something else.
"Builder Adam, let's skip the DPC. Just continue with the blocks," she said.
Adam shook his head. "Madam, I'm advising you as a professional with years of valuable experience. You will regret this. But if you insist, I will continue."
"I insist. Chief James's house is fine without it."
Fast forward to 2023 - Two years after moving in.
Biola started noticing something strange. The paint on her bedroom wall, near the floor, was bubbling and peeling off. She repainted it. Three months later, it was peeling again.
Then she noticed a musty smell in the house, especially in the mornings. The smell got worse during rainy season.
By 2024, the problem was impossible to ignore:
She called Builder Adam from Stack and Stark back.
He came, looked at the walls, touched them, and shook his head sadly.
"Madam, I told you. This is what happens when you don't do DPC. Water from the ground is rising up into your walls. It's called rising damp. Now your walls are soaking water like sponge."
"But Chief James's house is fine!" Biola protested.
"Go and check Chief's house well. I'm sure he has the same problem but he's just managing it. Or maybe his area has different soil. But your house is in a low area, the water table here is high. You needed DPC."
"So what do we do now?" Biola asked, her heart sinking.
"Madam, the damage is done. To fix it properly, we need to:
And even after all this, it might not be 100% perfect because the blocks themselves have absorbed water. The best solution would have been to do DPC before building."
Biola asked the question she was dreading: "How much will all this cost?"
Builder Adam calculated: "Madam, with materials, labor, and the waterproofing chemicals... you're looking at about ₦1.8 million to ₦2.2 million. And you'll have to move out for at least 3 to 4 weeks while we work."
Biola sat down and cried.
She had tried to save ₦105,000 in 2021. Now in 2024, she had to spend ₦2 million to fix a problem that could have been prevented. Plus the cost of moving out temporarily. Plus her furniture and clothes that got damaged from the dampness.
The painful part?
When she checked Chief James's house properly (after he finally let her see inside), she found he had the same problem. His wall paint was peeling, he had dark patches, and he had just been covering it up with new paint every few months. He was too embarrassed to admit his mistake, so he told her to skip DPC too.
This is a fictional story, but it happens to real Nigerians every single day. Thousands of people across Nigeria are living with damp walls, peeling paint, and mold right now because they skipped DPC to save small money during construction.
In my next article, I'll explain:
If you're planning to build, or you're currently building and your builder mentioned DPC, don't make Biola's mistake. That small money you save today will cost you 30 to 40 times more later.
Have you experienced rising damp in your house? Or do you know someone who skipped DPC and regretted it? Share your story in the comments below.
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