Building in Nigeria while living in the United States
Independent site verification and quantity surveying in Nigeria, for clients in Houston, Atlanta, Maryland, New York, Dallas and across the United States.
Diaspora construction money from the United States is often the largest single investment a family makes, and it is frequently managed at a distance of six to seven hours and a full working day. The consequence is a reporting lag: by the time a problem is visible in a photograph, it has often been covered up on site.
The fix is to move verification onto the payment cycle, so that evidence arrives before money moves rather than after. That is a scheduling discipline as much as a technical one, and it is why we ask for payment dates at the start of an engagement.
US-based clients also commonly raise two specific concerns: whether a contractor's figure in naira can be sanity-checked against a dollar budget, and whether work already paid for can be verified after the fact. Both are answerable, and the second is best answered by a measured valuation of work done as it stands today.
How it works for clients in USA
- Evidence before money movesSite visits are timed to your payment dates, not to a convenient monthly cycle.
- Dollar-budget sanity checksA measured BOQ shows what the work should cost, so a naira figure can be tested against your dollar plan.
- Retrospective verificationWork already paid for can still be measured and valued as it stands today.
Questions from USA clients
What time zone do you work in?
West Africa Time, which is five to six hours ahead of US Eastern time depending on daylight saving. Reports are written, and calls are scheduled to suit you.
Can you verify work I have already paid for?
Yes. A measured valuation establishes what exists and what it is worth, which is often the necessary first step before deciding what to do next.
My project is managed by a family member. Can this still work?
Yes, and it usually improves the relationship, because an honest manager gains written evidence of what has been delivered. We report on measured work, not on people.
Tell us about the project
Send the drawings, the site location, the stage of work and your next payment date. We will reply with a scope and a fee.
We read everything sent to info@peterch.org. Replies go out by WhatsApp — include a working number, with country code, in your first message.