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Roof Woodwork in Nigeria: Timber Sizes, Quantities and Costs from a Carpenter's Estimate

by Michael Chibuzo29/10/20264 min read

Hip roof timber frame with 2 by 4 hardwood rafters and braces — Rafters and braces: 600 pieces of 2 by 4 hardwood.

I spoke to Sodeeq, one of our carpenters who constructs woodwork for Ideal Roofing System.

Sodeeq, an Ideal Roofing System carpenter, beside roof trusses on site — Sodeeq, one of our carpenters, on site.

As the sales manager, a lot of clients often call me to enquire about the cost of roofing their house and most do not just want the cost of the roofing sheet, they also would like to have the cost of the woodwork Construction and the woodwork materials.

Using a realistic plan, Sodeeq was able to come up with the estimate below

Roof timber list for a 20.15m x 12.35m hip roof
Size	Pieces	Use	Wood type	Unit price	Cost
3 by 4	40	Wall plates	Hardwood	₦3,000	₦120,000
2 by 6	150 (50 king posts, 100 tie beams)	King post and tie beam	Hardwood	₦3,500	₦525,000
2 by 4	600	Rafters and braces	Hardwood	₦1,800	₦1,080,000
2 by 3	700	Purlins and POP nogging	Softwood	₦1,500	₦1,050,000
Prices as supplied for this roof. Prices change with the market, so ask us for a current quote.

All sizes are thickness by width, in inches. Standard timber length is 9ft, and a full length is 12ft.

3 by 4 hardwood wall plate laid along the top of a block wall for a roof — Wall plates: 40 pieces of 3 by 4 hardwood.

Roof truss with a 2 by 6 king post and tie beam in hardwood — King posts and tie beams: 150 pieces of 2 by 6 hardwood (50 king posts and 100 tie beams).

2 by 3 softwood purlins and POP nogging fixed across roof rafters — Purlins and POP nogging: 700 pieces of 2 by 3 softwood.

The roof plan Sodeeq worked from

The building is a hip roof with a main body of 20.15m by 12.35m (20.75m overall with a 0.6m side projection). It has several ridges, hips and valleys, which add cuts and timber compared with a simple gable roof. Always verify the measurements on site before ordering.

Hardwood or softwood?

In Sodeeq's list, hardwoods such as Oridudu and Itara are used for the load-bearing parts: wall plates, king posts and tie beams. They resist termites well, but they should still be treated after use.

Softwoods common in southwestern Nigeria include Abora, Akun and Ogus. At Ideal Roofing System we always prefer Ogus and instruct our carpenters to get it.

Woods to avoid

I would advise you to stay away from Okilolo, Ayure and Iye, because they are prone to termite attack. Ask your carpenter which wood is being supplied before work starts.

Nails and accessories

Sodeeq's estimate includes these nails:

4-inch nails for hardwood: 3 bags at ₦27,000 per bag, ₦81,000.
3-inch nails for softwood: 3 bags at ₦27,000 per bag, ₦81,000.

Bag of 4-inch nails used for fixing hardwood roof timber — 4-inch nails for hardwood.

3-inch nails used for fixing softwood purlins — 3-inch nails for softwood purlins.

Wood treatment

We treat the timber with Timguard wood preservative, at ₦20,000 per 4 litres. Four 4-litre kegs (about ₦80,000) are enough for this quantity of wood.

Brushing Timguard wood preservative from a 4-litre keg onto roof timber — Timber treated with Timguard wood preservative.

Transport and labour

Transport from the sawmill at Iyana-Ipaja to the site at Agbara: about ₦150,000.
Workmanship: ₦500,000 for 5 days, or 4 days without nogging.

Total for this roof

The woodwork comes to about ₦3,587,000, plus about ₦80,000 for preservative. Prices change with the market, so ask us for a current quote.

A note on parapet roofs

This house has a parapet, so no fascia board or other edge covers are needed. That saves money on materials and labour.

Get your roof woodwork estimated

Send your roof plan to Ideal Roofing System, 83 Dopemu Rd, Agege, Lagos, or WhatsApp 08059431517, and we'll work out the timber and roofing sheets for your building. We have been roofing in Lagos since 2009.

IDEAL ROOFING SYSTEM