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On October 14 and 15, all roads lead to the Kololo Ceremonial Grounds, where Vision Group’s Homes and Construction Expo will be taking place. 

Visitors to the event will part with only sh10,000, that will guarantee them access to free panel discussions and workshops pertaining to all homes and construction. 

They will also be able to interface with different experts in the building industry, including architects, surveyors, builders and real estate financiers. 

Under the theme: Innovations, standards and opportunities, this expo is ideal for potential homeowners, homeowners and those interested in investing in the real estate sector.

 As the theme suggests, poor building standards have plagued the construction sector in Uganda, leading to loss of lives and investments. 

This vice is costing the country lives and opportunities. For example, the high cost involved in hiring professional construction engineers have led to developers resorting to using unqualified or quack engineers to oversee the whole process of building houses. 

However, because these “engineers” have limited knowledge in building and professional ethics, they tend to produce shoddy work.

The other cause of substandard work is the rising cost of building materials like tiles. As a result, many site developers are using cheap and substandard builders who produce poor quality work. 

If you have a construction project in the offing, David Kireli, a civil engineer, suggests that you seek the professional advice of construction companies to offer a good and experienced builder or tile installer. 

Is your construction expert genuine? 

As far as tilling is concerned, for instance, Abdu Wahab Nyanzi, an architect, says one must know the difference between wall and floor tiles because they have different compositions. 

“Wall tiles are mainly for décor purposes and are made strong enough to only hang on the wall, while floor tiles go through a number of processes to make them strong enough to handle house traffic,” he says. 

Kireli advises developers to have a contractor and a supervisor at the site. He says some site owners are only interested in completing their houses without minding about quality.

How to identify a genuine tile expert

A tile expert should know that floor tiles have to be a little rough in order to reduce the chances of sliding if water pours on the floor. Kireli says glossy and smooth tiles such as marble and mosaic are used on walls for decoration, giving a sleek look. 

However, they are not recommended for the floor because, in addition to being slippery, they are not as durable as floor tiles. 

To interface with these and more qualified construction engineers, exhibitors and movers and shakers in the Homes and construction industry, please plan to attend the expo for the best the industry has to offer. To book a stall, please call 0787511106.