LAND SIZE FOR REAL ESTATE
One of the most interesting facts about REAL ESTATE in Nigeria is Land Size.
People normally are confused with the range of Land Size in Nigeria. Many don’t understand what a 300Sqm Land is and what a 600Sqm Land is. That can be confusing right? Also, many are confused about what can be constructed on particular land size. That is one of the realities of the real estate industry.
Also, people tend to misunderstand the unit of measurement for land size. Many believe it to be measured in feet, others in meters. To be honest, I don’t think there should be any confusion when it comes to real estate. However, let’s understand what a plot of land is in Nigeria.
A plot of land is the term for a piece of Land. Though an arbitrary term, it is represented in breadth and a length which is the appropriate way to measure the size of a land Besides, a piece of land can be measured both in feet and also in meters.
The funniest thing is that you can also measure land in centimeters, but let’s not go there for now. So from research, the standard plot size is 50 by 100 feet. However, when land is offered for sale it is usually offered in square meters. Now someone is confused, right?Not to worry.
When an advert for a land hits your view and the sizes are written this way 600sqm 450sqm 300sqm, this is what to do.
First of all:
1 Determine your most preferred unit of measurements. This helps you to choose whether you need to convert or not
2 Personally, my most preferred unit of measurement is in sqm. This is because it is easy for me to understand and I think for anybody also. Note that the measurement of land is simply determined by calculating the area. Which gives you an answer in square feet that’s if you are using feet as a unit of measurement or square meter if you are using the meter
3 Now a standard plot is measured in Nigeria 50 by 100 feet This 50 is in width and 100 in length. Now, this size is enough to accommodate a standard four-bedroom duplex and a small compound. However, in Lagos, a standard plot is 60 by 120 feet. So since I prefer my measurement in a square meter, then let’s convert.
4 You convert that’s if you prefer your measurement in a square meter. Now the conversion rate varies, some say its 3.14 but from the thorough research we did, I believe the conversion rate is 3.28. To be on a safer side let’s choose a conversion range of 3.14 to 3.28. This is because when it comes to land, there is an allowance for error in measurements. But we are going to be using 3.28 for this conversion. So when converting from feet to meters, divide the value of feet by 3.28 and do the vice versa when converting from meters to feet.5.
Let’s convert. For a standard plot of 50 by 100 feet, when you divide the values by 3.28, you will get 15 by 30 meters. 6. Calculate the area in square meters. 15 multiplied by 30 will give you 450Sqm. Now, this size is practically enough for building a duplex and you will still have a garage and a small compound for four cars. This still depends on how you want to build your house. Because the use of size is relative and It depends on how well you can make use of available space. Let’s look at 60 by 120 ft and convert by dividing the values by 3.28. This will give us 18 by 36 meters.Find the area, this will be 648Sqm.
Now, this is the plot size but note that you can’t build on an entire plot size which is why when real estate companies sell lands in 600sqm, they are reserving about 48sqm from your plot and other subscribers which definitely will be used for the road networks. However sometimes, like I said when it comes to measuring land, there is an allowance for error, so sometimes the 48sqm removed is just an allowance for error.
What is the point of all this calculation?
This will enable you to understand the number of spaces on a land size available for one to build a comfortable structure. So it is not just about getting the correct value of Land size, you just need to be within a range, so that whether you approximate or not, your value will still be within the range perfect for your choice of structure.In conclusion, we have done a little example of land size and how you can use available space for a perfect structure. For this example, we are going to be using the smallest standard land size which is half a plot 300sqm.
We have decided to use the least to enable everyone to understand why even the least can do much. The picture below shows approximately a 326 Sqm piece of Land which can also be referred to as half a plot in Nigeria’s land size metric. The house size is about 200 Sqm. The Ground floor has two bedrooms, one kitchen, and a general toilet and of course a small living room.
One of the bedrooms on the ground floor also has a toilet attached to it.On the second floor which is technically the first floor, we have three bedrooms and also a living room. That’s quite much, so the whole structure can be tailored to a three-bedroom duplex with one room on the ground floor and two bedrooms on the first floor.And we also a master living room on the first floor.The land also has enough space therefore for a garage to house two cars(One Saloon and a Jeep) and a power bike. The land is then surrounded by beautiful gardens revealing the serenity of a beautiful home. So who says 300 Sqm is not a full plot? Why not invest in a landed property today.
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