Cost Estimate For Construction Of Septic Tank In Nigeria

septic tank

Now lets talk a little about soakaways or septic tanks but this time, i am going to talk more on what it would cost or lets just say the cost estimate to construct a good soakaway for your building. 

On this post, you will get an insight on the materials required to build a specified size of soakaway as well as the quantity of materials necessary for this construction.


I recently wrote a post explaining what a septic tank is, you can find that post here, but on this post, i am not going to bore you with some details, i will just hit the nail on the head while impregnating you with a lot of new ideas on construction of soakaway.

Do not forget that while giving cost estimate for construction of a soakaway or septic tanks, some contractors would carelessly bring such an estimate that leaves your heart running away from your body.

Now lets get down to business.

Also try as much as possible to know the difference between a septic tank and a soakaway as this is very very important.

Cost Estimate for Construction Of Soakaway and Septic Tank (1st Phase)


Size Of Soakaway and Septic Tank
Excavated Dimensions For Soakaway = 1.8m x 1.8m x 1.8m (I.8m long, 1.8m wide, 1.8m deep)

Excavated Dimensions For Septic Tank = 3m x 3m x 3.6m (3m long, 3m wide, 3.6m deep)

Cost Of Excavation: Manual labor was used, soil is very hard and rocky at some point so the cost of excavation would be around N35,000

Note: The septic tank is designed in such a way that a car will be able to park on the top of it. Cars are heavy and so a very quality material will be used to prevent collapse

Materials Required For Soakaway construction and Quantity (2nd Phase)

Material                                                 Quantity
Cement —————————————-10 bags
6 inches blocks  ——————————-165

9 inches blocks  ——————————-360

Sharpsand ————————————-5tons (I trip of small 6 tyre tipper)

Cost Of Labour for Brick Laying = N22,000 (Depends on location. Will be less if site is located in a rural area or villages or in an area that is not yet developed)
Next Phase would be Formwork
Formwork is necessary for the top of the soakaway which would serve as a platform for parking of cars without collapsing.
Materials Required for Soakaway Construction (3rd Phase)
If You’re on the 3rd phase of construction, you’ll be required to provide the following materials:
Material                                               Quantity
1×12 Board ———————————–22 Length

Nails ——————————————12 pound weight
2×3 Plank ————————————12 length

Cost of labour for formwork would be around 12,000 since the same carpenter would remove the formworks after the casting is set.

Now the Next Phase would be Reinforcements. This brings rods into the system which would carry the loads and ensure the bearing capacity of the soakaway tank is not exceeded when a car or any other load rests on it.

Materials required for This includes:

16mm diameter high yield bars – 10 Length (1 length is usually 11 meters long)
10mm diameter high yield bars – 6 Length
Binding wire – half roll
12mm diameter high yield bars – 20 Length

Cost of labour for iron bending would be about N12,000 Depending on where you are of course. It might be higher in some other areas as well…

Now the last phase of construction would be Casting.

Materials for concrete work (ratio 1:2:4)
Sharpsand – 5 tons
Cement – 23 bags
Granite – 10 tons (Will not be exhausted though.)

Labour for all casting jobs would amount to N25,000 since the number of bricklayers could climb to 3. 

Now If You add All these Cost of labour as well as the cost of buying these materials, that would be the cost Estimate For The construction Of a Septic Tank with the dimensions described above.

You can use the contact page to reach me if you need my services on your site.

Please Note: I Did not place an amount for any of the materials because the price of items fluctuates and will never be the same as far as Nigeria is concerned. Therefore, ensure you make a very deep market survey in order to know the price of items before paying for them.

If possible, get prices from 2 – 4 shops before you conclude on where to get the materials at a reduced price.

In order to serve you better, we’ve designed a customer survey form for our inestimable readers.
Thanks For reading. Please share with others as well
Recommended:  Tutorial: How to Clean Septic Tank Naturally

Written by admin

Hi, I'm Richard Nwachukwu! It is my job to handle the content aspect of this great organization and I'm determined to ensure you get it all right as long as you're handling a construction project in Nigeria!

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