Monitoring a construction site in Cameroon from abroad

What actually happens

Almost nobody is robbed by one big fraud. Money leaves in small additions: a trade costed twice, an "unforeseen" with no quote behind it, a material paid for at 20 cm and laid at 15, an instalment released against a photo that is three weeks old. Each one passes unnoticed on its own; together they are 15 to 30% of a budget. The common factor never changes — you had no written reference to compare against.

Three things to set up before the first payment

An itemised quote, not a number

A single-figure quote cannot be checked. Insist on the breakdown by trade — foundations, masonry, roof, joinery, plumbing, electrical, finishes — with the quantity and unit price on every line. That is exactly what SangoImmo produces from a plan: the takeoff comes from the drawing, so every quantity is defensible. You can then put your contractor's quote beside it and compare line by line.

A plan everyone is looking at

The dimensioned plan is the only shared reference between you, your family on site and the mason. Share it as a link: whoever receives it needs no account, no app and no ability to read a DWG — they open it in WhatsApp and see the same drawing you do.

Photos pinned to the plan, not to a conversation

A photo in a WhatsApp thread proves nothing: you know neither when nor where. In SangoImmo a photo pins to the plan — this room, this wall — and carries its date. Three months later, "the ring beam over the living room" is a photo you can find, not a memory.

Pay in instalments, against verifiable stages

Never pay a percentage of elapsed time: pay a percentage of work observed. The stages that verify on a photo are, in order: setting out and excavation, footings poured, walls up to the lower ring beam, walls up to the top ring beam, roof structure up, roof covered, joinery fitted, render, finishes. Each maps to trades in the quote, so each maps to an amount you already know. An instalment releases when the stage photo arrives — and the balance stays with you until handover.

And the money: FCFA, euros or dollars

The quote is held in FCFA because that is the currency of the invoices on the ground, but the app also shows your amounts in euros or dollars — you reason in the currency you earn in, your contractor in the one he buys in, and nobody converts by hand inside a message. For deposits, Mobile Money (MTN, Orange) is the real channel in this market; the quote carries the number and the operator, which removes the round trip of "which number was it again".

The list worth keeping

• A quote by trade, with quantities and unit prices — never one global figure.
• The dimensioned plan shared by link with every party, the mason included.
• A dated photo pinned to the plan at every stage, before any instalment is released.
• No payment in advance beyond the next stage.
• Every variation re-costed and written down before the work, not after.
• The same reference document for everyone, from day one to handover.

Frequently asked questions

How do I follow a construction site in Cameroon from abroad?

With three written references: an itemised quote by trade you can compare, a dimensioned plan shared by link with every party, and dated photos pinned to the plan at each stage. Payments follow observed stages, not the calendar.

How do I check whether a construction quote is right?

Compare it line by line against a quote produced from the plan: quantities must be justified by the geometry (m² of wall, block count, linear metres of ring beam) and unit prices by the local market. A line with no quantity and no unit price is a line nobody can verify.

What budget should I plan from the diaspora?

A three-bedroom house costs about 35 400 000 FCFA including tax, excluding land, in Cameroon, and the gap between cities runs to 13%. Add the land, the survey, the permit and a 10% contingency.

Should I pay an architect to supervise?

On a mid-sized project an honest local project manager earns their fee — but they do not replace your own references. An itemised quote, a shared plan and dated photos cost nothing and remain your evidence, whoever is on site.

Does my family need an account to see the plan?

No. The share link opens in any browser, including from inside WhatsApp, with no account and no install.