Questions
What people ask us before they build
Straight answers to the questions we get every week. If yours is not here, ask us. We would rather explain it now than have you find out on site.
Getting started
- How do I start building a house in Kenya?
- Start with the plot and the budget, not the drawings. We visit the site, check the soil and the access, talk through what you want, and give you an honest budget range and programme. Only then is it worth paying for architectural drawings. Doing it the other way round is how people end up in love with a design they cannot build.
- Do I need a contractor and an architect separately?
- Not with us. We do the architectural and structural design and the construction, so one company answers for the whole thing. When design and build are split between firms, a problem on site usually turns into an argument about whose fault it is, and you pay for the delay either way.
- Can you build on a plot I already own?
- Yes, and that is most of our work. Send us the title details and the location and we will assess what the plot can take, including access, setbacks, ground conditions and services.
- Which areas do you build in?
- We are based in Nanyuki and we work across Laikipia, Nyeri, Meru, Isiolo, Nyandarua, Samburu, Embu and Kirinyaga. That covers Timau, Naro Moru, Matanya, Ol Pejeta, Rumuruti, Nyahururu and the towns around Mount Kenya. If your plot is further out, ask anyway. Distance changes the logistics and we will tell you honestly whether we are the right firm for it.
- I live abroad. Can you build for me?
- Yes, and a good number of our clients are not in the country. We publish each project as a stage by stage timeline with photographs, agree a fixed itemised contract sum before work starts, and bill against completed stages rather than asking for money in advance. If you have someone local you trust, we are happy for them to inspect at any time.
Cost and budget
- How much does it cost to build a house in Kenya?
- As a general guide, construction runs from about KES 33,000 per square metre for a basic finish to KES 140,000 per square metre for high end work. A three bedroom bungalow usually lands between KES 5.5M and KES 10M, and a four bedroom maisonette between KES 9M and KES 18M. The finish level moves the figure far more than the structure does. A real number needs a site visit and a drawing.
- What is the construction cost per square metre in Kenya?
- Roughly KES 33,000 to 48,000 per square metre for a basic finish, KES 48,000 to 78,000 for a standard family home finish, and KES 78,000 to 140,000 for high end work. Those rates cover the shell and finishes. Professional fees, county approval, water, waste, power and external works are extra and commonly add another 20 to 35 percent.
- What is not included in a cost per square metre figure?
- Almost everything people forget. The land, architectural and structural fees, county approval, a soil test and survey, water storage and harvesting, a septic tank or biodigester, a Kenya Power connection or solar, a boundary wall and gate, the access road, landscaping and furniture. Our cost calculator adds all of them, which is why the figure it gives is higher than most guides and closer to the truth.
- Can I build in stages?
- Yes, and many people do. Be aware that building in stages usually costs more in total than one continuous run, because materials inflate, supervision restarts and a partly built structure deteriorates while it waits. We plan the phases so each one ends at a sensible weatherproof point rather than wherever the money ran out.
- Will the price change once you have started?
- Our contract sum is fixed and itemised against an agreed drawing and specification. It changes only if you change what you asked for, or if something genuinely unforeseeable appears in the ground. In that case you are told and asked before any money is spent, never afterwards.
- How much should I keep as contingency?
- Eight to ten percent of the construction cost, kept aside and not spent on upgrades. Every site has something nobody could see from the surface. A project without contingency is a project that stops at the least convenient moment.
- Is it cheaper to build in Nanyuki than in Nairobi?
- Land is far cheaper, labour is slightly cheaper, and materials are slightly more expensive because cement, steel and roofing come up from Nairobi or Nakuru. On the building alone the difference is small. On the whole project, including the plot, building around Nanyuki is usually significantly cheaper.
Drawings, approvals and building
- How long does it take to build a house in Kenya?
- For a typical family home, allow one to two weeks for concept, three to five weeks for architectural drawings, two to three weeks for structural design and four to eight weeks for county approval, then roughly six to twelve months on site depending on size and finish. Approvals and funding are usually what stretch a programme, not the building itself.
- Do you handle county approvals?
- Yes. We prepare the submission drawings to county standards, lodge them, answer the queries that come back and follow the file until the approved plans are in your hands. In Laikipia, residential approval is commonly quoted around KES 50,000 per site, though every county sets its own schedule and it changes with each finance act.
- What happens if I build without approved plans?
- You risk a stop order that halts the site, and in serious cases a demolition notice. Beyond that, an unapproved building is difficult to sell, hard to mortgage and often uninsurable. The approval costs a small fraction of what ignoring it costs.
- Do I need a soil test?
- Yes, and it is the cheapest insurance in construction. Around Laikipia you can move from good murram to black cotton soil inside one plot, and black cotton swells and shrinks enough to crack a house built on a shallow foundation. A test costs a fraction of the repair.
- Can you finish a house another contractor abandoned?
- Yes, and we do it regularly. We start with a survey and a written report on what is actually sound, because taking on someone else's work without checking it means inheriting their mistakes. You then get a fixed figure to complete based on what we found.
- Do you use machine cut stone or concrete blocks?
- Both, depending on the site and the budget. Machine cut stone is the normal wall around Nanyuki and Meru because the quarries are close and it holds warmth overnight at this altitude. Blocks make sense where there is no quarry nearby or where speed matters. We explain the cost and performance difference for your project rather than defaulting to one.
Land, water and power
- How do I get water on a plot outside town?
- Three options, usually combined. Roof harvesting into tanks, which is free water and works well on this side of Mount Kenya. A borehole, which is permanent but needs a hydrogeological survey and Water Resources Authority permits first. And delivered water, which is fine as a top up and expensive as a main supply. We size the storage for a dry year rather than an average one.
- How much does a borehole cost in Kenya?
- Between roughly KES 900,000 and KES 3M drilled and equipped, and depth to water is what decides it. Around Laikipia that varies enormously over short distances, so a survey comes before any commitment. A dry hole is an expensive lesson and it does happen.
- Should I connect to Kenya Power or go solar?
- Distance decides it. If a transformer is near your plot, connecting is cheap and solar becomes a useful backup. If poles have to be run to you, a connection can run into hundreds of thousands and you still pay a bill every month, at which point a properly sized solar system with battery storage is often the better investment.
- What size solar system do I need for a house?
- About three kilowatts with battery storage covers lighting, sockets, a fridge, a pump and a television in a normal family house, and that is commonly KES 450,000 to KES 1.4M installed. What breaks a budget is heat. Use solar water heating, gas or wood for hot water, cooking and heating, and your electrical system can stay a third of the size.
- Is black cotton soil a problem around Nanyuki?
- It is common, particularly on the open land towards the plains and around Matanya. It swells when wet and shrinks when dry, which moves a shallow foundation enough to crack the house sitting on it. It is entirely buildable with the right foundation design, and the only way to know what you have is to test.
Types of house
- What is the difference between a bungalow and a maisonette?
- A bungalow is single storey and spreads across the plot. A maisonette has two or more floors with its own entrance. Maisonettes suit smaller plots and give more living space per square metre of land, but they cost roughly eight to twelve percent more per square metre to build because of the suspended slab and the staircase.
- How much does an Airbnb cottage cost to build in Nanyuki?
- A one bedroom cottage of about 50 to 70 square metres, finished to a standard guests will pay for, usually costs KES 3.5M to KES 6M including basic furnishing. Two bedroom units with a fireplace, veranda and fitted kitchen run KES 6M to KES 9M. Insulation and a heat source matter here, because Nanyuki nights are cold and the reviews say so when a cottage is not warm.
- Are container homes a good idea in Kenya?
- For a remote site or a fast guest unit, yes. They go up quickly and travel well. The two things that decide whether you enjoy living in one are insulation and condensation control, because bare steel is hot by midday and cold before dawn, and trapped damp behind a lining quietly rusts the box. Once you insulate, roof over and fit out properly, the cost approaches a small conventional building of the same size.
- How much does a tiny house cost in Kenya?
- A basic timber cabin of 25 to 30 square metres starts around KES 1.2M to KES 1.8M. A well insulated 40 to 50 square metre cabin with a proper kitchen, bathroom, fireplace and veranda usually runs KES 2.5M to KES 4M. Expect a higher rate per square metre than a full house, because a small building still needs a kitchen and a bathroom.
- Are prefab houses cheaper?
- On the shell, often by ten to twenty five percent. The saving shrinks once you add foundations, roofing, finishes and insulation, because those cost the same whatever the walls are made of. Prefabrication genuinely pays on repeated units such as staff housing, and on remote sites where water and logistics are difficult.
Timber and joinery
- Do you make your own doors and fittings?
- Yes, which is unusual for a contractor and entirely deliberate. We run our own kiln and joinery workshop and we make the doors, frames, ceilings, floors, fitted wardrobes, kitchen units and furniture for our own sites. The finish arrives on programme and we control its quality directly.
- Why does kiln dried timber matter?
- Timber that has not been properly dried shrinks, twists and splits once it is inside a warm finished house. Doors stop closing, floorboards open into gaps and wardrobe doors go out of line. Drying takes weeks and costs money, which is exactly why it is the step most often skipped by suppliers who will never have to come back and fix the result.
- Can you do joinery for a house someone else built?
- Usually yes. Doors, wardrobes, kitchens, ceilings and floors can all be measured and fitted in an existing house. Send us photographs and rough dimensions and we will tell you what is practical and what it would cost.
- Which timber species do you work with?
- Mahogany, cypress, meru oak, mvule and teak are the ones we use most. We choose by where the piece is going, because a front door, a wet area and a bedroom wardrobe do not all want the same timber. The recommendation is based on use and budget rather than on what we happen to have in the yard.
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