Factors affecting construction in Kenya.

One of the most rewarding tasks is building your own home. Undertaking this requires excellent research, absolute planning, budgeting and completion of the laid out plan for the project to be successful.

To come up with the right plan design for your house and the affordable costs for construction you should engage a professional. The costs will depend on the design, the location of the site, the fittings and fixtures, the material specifications, the ceiling-floor heights and the economic factors

The House Design

This involves the architect, designing and drawing up the building plan, considering topographical factors which affect the house to be constructed on the land. After meeting all the construction requirements they get the project approved.

The design and shape of the house influence the total construction cost. This impacts the amount of material needed, the level of finishes and the skills required

Involve a draftsman to save on costs if the architects seem to be more expensive than your pockets can handle.A draftsman translates designs into technical drawings and blueprints for the builder as a guide.

The style of the house affects the construction costs, people tend to go for the modern style. This is because the modern style uses minimal decorative elements and an open floor plan that reduces costs. The traditional style home has lots of details in the design. They are Victorian style, colonial-style homes, they take time and more materials making the construction costs more expensive.

Modern style houses could end up being so expensive depending on the finishes you decide to put, for example the gypsum roof and hardwood floors.

Location of the site

The foundation of a house is determined on the soil at the site, it takes up to 20% of the cost of construction. For instance, black cotton soil can be moved down the rock level.It also determines the depth of the trenches to be dug and the fortification required. Red soil is highly preferred since it’s easy to use. Availability of building materials affects the cost of transportation. Poor roads leading to the construction site increases the cost of transporting the materials.

Fixtures and Fittings

A fixture means any physical property that is permanently attached or fixed to the real property for example cupboards, kitchen units and built-in wardrobes. While fittings area items that are not attached to the property unless by the slenderest of fingernails or screws. This may include, lamps or lightings and mirrors. These items’ cost will depend on the style, type and quality. High-end fittings are more expensive but they give the value of money during their lifespan.

Employ a designer to merge your dream house with an appealing style, they will advise on the concepts that they will use to create your desired home space. You can also get advice from the internet to save on costs.

The Materials Specifications.

The labour and the materials used for construction add up the construction costs. Building materials have substitutes that may vary in prices but do the same role in construction, they also require different levels of expertise. 

Materials for construction are either imported or locally sourced, buying in bulk is cheaper importing than sourcing locally. To avoid inflation of contractors and wastage it is recommended to get a representative involved in purchasing the building materials

Floor to Ceiling Heights

Higher ceiling heights are more expensive in terms of the cost of materials used. The higher the heights the more expensive the material costs. Long ceiling heights create an appearance of grandness.

Different people will have a different opinion but some will prefer the living room to have double heights creating a spacious and exclusive appearance.

Economic Factors

Financing plays a major role in the final construction costs. Citing the interests on loans could go up because of market inflation affecting the initial cost. Inflation is the key determinant of the lending rate.

It normally occurs when prices rise to an increase in the production costs such as the raw materials. This has a knock-off effect, the prices for common goods and services such as transportation, fuel and food go up. The material costs also rise affecting the budget.

Vis Major

Vis major also known as the force majeure describes those uncontrollable events termed as acts of God(war, labour stoppages or extreme weather). This leads to slow down or no take-offs of projects. Coronavirus is one of the cases that leads to contractors reducing the number of labourers on the site to reduce rates of contraction if the virus. That led to a slow down of construction processes hence taking longer time than expected project completion time.

The supply processes were disrupted following the lockdown, the demand for raw materials became higher and supply was low increasing the material costs,

Building Contractors

Contractors are professionals that you will be in contact with throughout the construction process. They include contractors, surveyors, engineers, architects, landscapers, carpenters, plumbers etc. These professionals are very important and should be consulted often.

Avoiding these professionals to cut costs could cost you in the long run. Consult them were required to avoid shoddy works as end projects

Regulatory Requirements

The construction sector ha faces issues such as buildings collapsing. In order to avoid this the country curbs efforts to adopt the European standards that have been adopted globally

This would impact to transfer in advanced technological methods which if implemented in a cost-effective manner will lower the costs of construction.

Thinking about a house plan Kenya for your next construction project, talk to West Kenya Real Estate Ltd.