Effects of low income on the standard and quality of residential buildings in Kaduna State, Nigeria

Abstract

This study examined low income and its effect on the standard and quality of residential building in Kaduna state, Nigeria. Two research questions were developed and answered while two null hypotheses were formulated and tested at 0.05 level of significance and 100 degrees of freedom. Descriptive survey research design was adopted for the study. The entire population of 2,0I9 respondents consisting of 1, 435 registered residential buildings and 584 builders in Kaduna State were used for the study. A 24 item structured questionnaire developed from the literature reviewed for the study was used to collect data from the respondents. Each questionnaire was divided in two categories of: reasons for acquiring low quality materials and curtailing the difference between low income and the standard and quality of residential buildings in Kaduna State. The "reasons for acquiring low income materials" had a four (4) response options of Highly Often (HO), Often (0), Moderately Often (MO) and Not Often (NO). The "curtailing the difference between low income and the standard and quality of residential buildings" category also had 4 response options of High Agree (HA), Agree (A), Moderately Agree (MA) and Not Agree (NA). The questionnaire items were face validated by three experts, questionnaire were administered on the respondents with the help of two research assistants. 694 copies of the questionnaire administered were retrieved and analyzed, weighted mean, standard deviation and Improvement Need Index (INI) were used to answer the research questions while t- test statistic was used to test the null hypotheses 1 and 2 respectively. The findings of the study revealed that low income has effect on the standard and quality of residential buildings in Kaduna State, Nigeria. The findings on hypotheses 1 and 2 revealed that there was no significance difference in the mean ratings of the respondents (Residential Building Clients and Builders) on all the items on reasons for acquiring low quality materials and ways of curtailing the difference between low income and its effects on the standard and quality of residential buildings in Kaduna State, Nigeria. It was therefore recommended that the ministry of urban and town planning should organized orientation/seminar from time to time to brainwash the residential building client on what is required at each stage of the housing value chain, from foundation footing to roofing and finishing, and from engaging locals from the communities, to building and improving the standard and quality of their residential buildings so that it will to be safe, resilient and sustainable. There should be a provision for an effective loan scheme, partial upgrading, effective urban development policy, and improvement of sanitary conditions and enforcement of housing and building codes.