Steps to buiding a mwananchi house: Site: Select a good location with a good soil type. Murram and red soil types good but black cotton terrible. This will determine how much you will spend on the foundation costs ( excavations and filling in with hard-core)
Design the house type. This will depend on you taste and budget. Once you have a design you like, discuss it with a good professional and then he can translate it to a plan for approvals where necessary. Lucky for me I live in a place where no approvals are needed!
Come up with a budget. If you build in phases, make sure that phase 1 is able to secure something you can move into as you build. Mine(na sio ya 'user') is a maissonette and this is what I did,
Phase 1: Excavation/ground slab/Walling and shutter.
Phase 2: Windows and doors
Phase 3: Fittings and plastering and moved in
Phase 4: Finishing first floor and moved in after some years
When you build in phase, you are able to continue with other things as you build rather that putting on hold all other things because of the construction.
Lessons learnt
Materials: Don’t trust the Fundis. Once you have the BOQ, source for the best prices for quality items. Too cheap may be a sign of fake. Don’t pay for materials and leave the fundi’s or hardware owner to deliver. They collude and deliver less and share the loot.
Door and windows: If you have electricity on site, buy chumas and get a fundi to do it at site. It saves costs and you get what you need.
Plumbing and fittings: Here cheap is expensive. Buy good quality items and have a good fitter to do the work. If short on budget, better wait that keep replacing items.
Water harvesting: Harvest water from the roof. It’s clean and come at minimal cost as the roof is done and simple guttering will do.
Energy savings: Solar water heating is a good idea. When plumbing, have the hot water system installed. Later, you can install the solar system.
Wiring: Go for genuine items from reputable shops. Most fake items are sold as genuine!
With 420k it is doable. Best of luck
By gathige
2012 is here.Kenya is Ours.Be Part of The Peace Keeping Mission To Protect Our Motherland.Say No To Violence and Tribal Hatred .If you can read this,wewe ni mtu amesoma, usifikirie kama mtu hajaenda shule .Ni Hayo Tu