For many Rwandans, putting up a house or a building is nothing but a dream. More often than ever questions surrounding the cost of construction, time-lines and quality of materials used for construction are always top of the agenda when undertaking construction projects.
This is why JSI Int’l, an American international general construction company with many years of construction experience all over the world, is in Rwanda to build the highest standards of houses and buildings in short periods of time and at very affordable prices.
With JSI, a small affordable house covering an area of 60 square meters can be built in just eight days.
David French, the Managing Director of JSI notes that they can complete a large housing project of 10 to 15 housing units a week, giving over 700 new homes to Rwandans every year.
So how does JSI do it?
At JSI, they use a Computer-Aided Design light weight steel system to come up with different designs of a house/building and the system carries out engineering reports for every item drawn.
“If any part is not structurally safe then the system will lock it out until it has been corrected either by increasing the steel gauge or even a re-design in some cases, either way it is checking the design all the time,” French explained.
He said that once drawn and passed, their machines that produce the steel frames, will only be able to run the components.
“One machine can run around 800 linier meters per hour, which, put that into prospective means a small house can be run in half a day,” French explained.
Each item is precision made with every hole notch or cable way millimeter perfect. Every part is labeled for identification and easy assembly. Also, the large panels are constructed in the factory eliminating site time and saving on valuable site space often a problem on job sites.
Most panels can be hand carried, eliminating the need for costly cranes as well.
French believes with the structures they are putting up in Rwanda, people will start to understand what affordable cost effective and quality homes are.
“We will all start to understand and will defiantly get good quality value for money construction and a fast build time as well. As most people borrow money from the bank, it is very important that the bank have houses constructed to standards and in a reasonable time line,” he said.
With JSI, the construction time is typically three times faster than traditional construction and the problem with the latter method is that houses are built using timber frame that unfortunately requires cutting down many trees.
“Our light weight steel system is the way forward as it is basically the tried and tested frame system. It is also a totally recycled system which in fact it takes around five to six family cars recycled to build a new home!” noted French.
JSI is committed to building quality, cost effective homes for Rwanda and will work to help achieve that goal.
Owning your home with JSI today
French noted that it was now easier to afford a home of any client’s choice under a new scheme they have started with mortgage issuing banks.
“If you have a piece of land, you can do as much as raise the foundation and come to us. We then go to the bank together and present to them the model of the house you want to put up. What the bank gets from us is the assurance that we build quality and in a short period of time,” explained French.
He added that a client also gets to be fully involved in the project, allowing them to make decisions ranging from where to get supplies of tiles, windows and other finishing items to contractors to outsource.
“We believe many Rwandans will be able to get their homes under this arrangement. We have about five models of homes we can build for them,” he said.
French and his team will be displaying the company’s five models of homes at the Property Expo this month at Camp Kigali.
About JS Int’l Inc
JS Int’l Inc (JSI) was established in 2004 as a general construction contractor. JSI currently has six locations worldwide, including Rwanda that service federal and state agencies and private companies.
The main office is in Silver Springs in the United States and services the mid-Atlantic region.
JSI also has locations in Hawaii, Afghanistan and Phoenix in the United States.
The company’s founder and president, Jack Perry, brings over 30 years of construction experience to the company’s operations with previous experience as an iron worker and in construction management.
Mission Statement
Over the past ten years, JSI has focused on being able to provide their client base with optimal performance, best dollar value and technical expertise.
JSI is a Native American Federal Department of Defense Contractor that focuses on each military base’s immediate needs.
JSI has developed core competencies and sustainability as a federal, self-performing contractor in all phases of work and disciplines that they currently provide their customers.
JSI has developed their trust within the federal arena by having integrity, honesty and being able to provide serviceability in all areas and has carried this same concept to the private sectors worldwide.
Skills and qualifications
JSI has a staff of over 100 employees including licensed/certified trade workers; journeymen steamfitters, master plumber, journeyman iron workers, journeyman electrician, and the company holds a Class B general contractor’s license.
Supporting professionals include a project management team, quality control managers, environmental and safety specialists, safety advisory committee, business management team and administrative staff.
Most of the staff has extensive experience in performing and administering government construction contracts worldwide.
Many people hold certifications in construction quality control management as required for many government projects.
Multiple employees hold OSHA 30/EM-385-1-1 construction safety certifications. JSI has an outstanding safety record to date.
JSI has also established business relationships with local, regional and international professional consultants including financial auditors and safety audit team, specialty contractors and architect engineering design firms to obtain services as needed for design build requirements, special services and multi-discipline projects.
Some of JSI’s Products and Services
General Construction
JSI core capabilities in general contractor group include;
- Self-performance of mechanical and electrical trades
- Incidental site work and architectural finishes
- Supply, fabrication and installation of concrete re-enforcement and post-tensioning cable
- In-house project management team with EM 385 safety and quality control management experience and certifications
- Diverse experience in federal contracting with certified financial audits and contract administrative compliance
- Mobilization and capabilities to perform world wide
- Experience with design-build projects with excellent A&E resources
Machinery and Plant
- JSI has a full-complement of Construction equipment available in Rwanda, the Persian Gulf region and Afghanistan
Specialty coatings
- JSI is actively engaged in the application of polyuria blast coatings and polyurethane spray foam insulation for military, commercial and industrial clients
- Partnering with our products suppliers and job-specific formulations. We offer solutions for abrasion resistance, water proof coatings, blast resistance, hazardous materials containment energy, ballistic armor, chemical resistance, floor coatings, energy efficient insulation, structural re-enforcement, corrosion resistance, fire retardant and thermal barrier coatings.
Come to JSI for any project today. Your projects, our solutions.
