UNEARTHING THE LINK BETWEEN SOCIO-ECONOMIC STATUS AND WALLING MATERIAL SELECTION FOR AFFORDABLE HOUSING IN SOUTHWEST NIGERIA

The walling material component constitutes a substantial part of the building envelope with consequent implication on overall housing cost. This study examined the impact of socio-economic status (SES) of respondents on walling material selection preferences for affordable housing in southwest Nigeria. Data was collected in a cross-sectional field survey through administration of structured questionnaires on randomly selected respondents in four Local Government Areas (LGAs) of three States in Southwest Nigeria. Data obtained was analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics with results presented in tables and figures. The result showed a high aspiration for homeownership amongst respondents. The result also showed that lesser cost implication of walling materials does not translate to acceptance and use. Most importantly, the results showed high significant relationship between SES and choice of walling material for affordable housing. The study recommends that selection of walling should be responsive to the SES of households to make housing affordable. Study is also useful for guiding formulation of affordable housing policy in Nigeria that is responsive to the SES of households in the study area.