‘Brains & Hammers to deliver Galadimawa, Gwarinpa estates’

Efforts at getting the private sector involved in housing delivery appears to be yielding dividend gradually, what is the role of Brains & Hammers in this regard?According to the government statistics there’s currently a housing deficit of about 17 million nationwide. As a private company, Brains & Hammers aims squarely at the mid to high-end […]

Efforts at getting the private sector involved in housing delivery appears to be yielding dividend gradually, what is the role of Brains & Hammers in this regard?
According to the government statistics there’s currently a housing deficit of about 17 million nationwide. As a private company, Brains & Hammers aims squarely at the mid to high-end luxury market in the delivery of unique and highly functional buildings with a perfect mix of superior design and exquisite craftsmanship thus contributing our quota for national development.
Boasting the best in premium residential and business infrastructure, this unique blend of nature and the future are integrated world class communities that provide an unparalleled advantage for families to conveniently live and play within the same environment.
In addition to this, the company is a large employer of labour through hiring young graduates and highly skilled labor in various fields.

What projects did you start with?
We started with the Apo estate 1, it boasts of 44 units of 5-bedroom detached houses, some units come with basements, containing additional rooms and 60 units of 4-bedroom terraced houses (15 blocks, 4 units per block) all designed and finished with the traditional Brains & Hammers signature.
Construction of the Apo estate 2, which consists of 68 units of 5-bedroom fully detached duplex and 4-bedroom terrace houses, commenced in 2013 and is currently nearing completion with the final infrastructure about to be put into place.
Apo estate 3 is a 4.5 hectare land with on-going construction work which commenced this February  with 124 housing units  expected to be completed in December 2016 in glistering beauty of a distinctive architectural statement within the high-fliers’ settlement.
Our estates are located behind and adjacent to Shoprite (Grand Towers Mall) in the Apo District of Abuja, the Apo 1, 2 and 3 housing developments by Brains and Hammers exudes the kind of opulence found in apartments in any highbrow area in major cities of the world, yet within the reach of middle-income earners.

How about other projects apart from those in Apo?
Brains & Hammers’s Life Camp estate is a luxurious, secure gated community that boasts of 422 units of 5-bedroom detached duplexes and 4-bedroom terraced duplexes-six units per block-all with boy’s quarters and parking spaces and also 2 and 3 bedroom apartments. The phase 1 of the project which comprises of 209 houses with a club house and swimming pool has been completed since last year and residents have moved in. Phase 2 of the Life Camp project, with 213 units, is expected to be completed in the last quarter of this year 2015.
Other facilities and services in all Brains & Hammers estates include 24 hour light, security, clubhouse, gym, swimming pool, green areas for recreation, fully tarred roads with high quality street lights, storm drains, interlocked walkways and breath taking landscaping.

But what makes your company’s brand any different from others?
Our business approach is different from others and I think that’s why we achieve this feat in less than five years. We are becoming a heaven for investors in real estate sort of. In Apo we sold houses three years ago for N37 million now they are going for N80 million and the terrace houses we sold at that time for N25 million are now going for N50-55 million.
In Life Camp in 2013 started selling 5 bedroom detached duplexes for N45 million, now they are N80 million in the secondary market.
We have investors that move with us wherever we go because of the unprecedented rate of return on their investments with us.
Brains & Hammers delivered an average of 100 fully functional houses annually from 2011 till end of 2014 and each building is tastefully finished with high quality finishing materials.
We construct houses with only the utmost attention to detail, creating buildings and communities that are becoming reference points in the industry both for individual homeowners and the industry at large.
As part of our corporate social responsibilities in Brains and Hammers we believe in adding value by trying to impact in any community we operate. We construct access roads running into several kilometers together with drainages, street lights etc. which complement the government’s efforts in providing the basic amenities for the local communities.  
These infrastructure development initiatives are all outside our particular projects and all highly beneficial to their local host communities. We have received several commendation letters from different government agencies and numerous awards. These have added value to the neighborhood and value of properties in the areas, including cost of land, has risen tremendously.
Our aim is to be a benchmark for the entire residential construction industry and to be the real estate developer that other developers emulate, both in terms of actual end products and management/business approach.
What projects is your company currently engaged in and what about houses for the low income group?
A lot of people are asking for affordable houses that is why currently we are developing a new 15.5 – hectare estate comprising of 740 units of houses in Galadimawa inside the African University of Science and Technology, close to the Games Village, Abuja.
The phase 1 of the project comprising of 392 units of 4 – bedroom maisonette and 2 bedroom apartments is expected to be completed in the first quarter of 2016. The starting price for the     4 – bedroom maisonette is N18.9 million while the 2 – bedroom flats are starting from N15m.
The Galadimawa estate is also being complemented by another 2 – hectare estate in the heart of Gwarinpa consisting of 85 units of detached and terraced duplexes whose construction commenced in January this year and is expected to also be completed in 2016.

What payment options does your company offer?
Our payments are flexible because we have studied the cash flow of the Nigerian middle class and even that of low income earners. Buying a house is capital intensive. So we spread payment based on milestone usually over a period of 1 year.
We also have a very good relationship with banks like Jaiz, GTBank, Fidelity, Skye and First bank that provide mortgage facilities for our off takers.
How can government key into all these in order to bring down the huge housing deficit?
The role of the government is fundamental. There’s a need for government to provide basic infrastructure like roads, electricity and water in the outskirts of the cities as this will reduce the congestion of people in one area.