construction · davids-residence
Inside David's Residence: A Construction Diary
Most buyers only ever see a construction project twice: the render before it starts, and the finished lobby after handover. Everything in between is a black box. We're trying to change that with David's Residence, so here's an honest look at where things actually stand.
Where we started
The Obasa Estate plot in Oba Akran, Ikeja sat as cleared land for the first few weeks of the project — not exciting to look at, but this is where a lot of the risk in a build actually gets resolved. Soil testing, drainage planning, and boundary survey all happen before a single block goes up, and getting them wrong is far more expensive to fix later than it is to get right now.
Foundation work
Foundation is the milestone most buyers underestimate. It's slow, it's mostly underground, and from the road it barely looks like progress — but it's the single most consequential phase of the build. Get the foundation wrong and everything above it inherits the problem.
Our target for this stage was 20% overall completion, covering:
- Site clearing and setting out
- Foundation trenching and casting
- Damp-proofing and backfill
What "structural frame" actually means
Once the foundation cures, the frame goes up — columns, beams, and floor slabs, floor by floor. This is the stage where a project starts to look like a building for the first time, and it's also the stage our live tracker gets the most visits, because it's genuinely satisfying to watch a floor plate appear where there was nothing a month before.
| Milestone | Target % | What it covers |
|---|---|---|
| Site Clearing & Setting Out | 5% | Survey, clearing, boundary marking |
| Foundation | 20% | Trenching, casting, damp-proofing |
| Structural Frame (Ground – 3rd Floor) | 45% | Columns, beams, slabs |
| Roofing | 60% | Roof structure and covering |
| Blockwork & Plastering | 75% | Walls, external and internal finishing prep |
| Finishing | 90% | Fittings, electrical, plumbing |
Why we post updates instead of just a percentage
A number going up is reassuring, but it isn't proof. That's why every update on the construction tracker comes with a written note — what changed, and why — rather than a bar quietly moving. If a milestone slips, you'll see that here too, not just the milestones that go smoothly.
We'll keep adding to this diary as the build progresses. If you're currently deciding whether to book an inspection, the site is genuinely worth seeing in person at this stage — there's a very different feeling standing on a foundation slab than looking at a render of one.