Ken Muthuri, a man from Meru County, has proudly displayed a house he built for his family while encouraging others to pursue their dreams relentlessly.
He said that the desire to own a house began a few years ago but was lagged by a lack of enough funds until November 2021, when the project was executed.
“I did not have much money then, but I trusted God that everything would be okay. So I would take screenshots of my dream houses. So in November 2021, I contacted a friend of mine and told him of my plan to build a house, and he helped me come up with a plan,” he said.
Astonished at building such a substantial structure which cost him Sh3 million, Muthuri said he employed some tactics to keep the construction cost low. He chose affordable building materials and constructed the house in phases that fit his budget.
“I had a good plan and strategy, and I think it was how I made it to build the house. I have got a very supportive wife and kids. They have been a pillar of strength as I built the house. Whenever I went down on cash, she always chipped in and helped out,” he added.
This is how you can build your house in Kenya cheaply
According to Mr. Farrowson Murithi, the managing director of Pacific Reality, a construction and project management firm based in Ruai in Kasarani, most home builders incur high construction costs due to a lack of due diligence.
“Most project costs quickly balloon out of control due to poor planning and builders not being informed about the current trends in the construction industry. However, with proper organization, consultation with experts, and close supervision, clients can avoid burning their fingers,” he said.
He notes that the most important part of initiating a construction project is engaging professionals to avoid shoddy work, which might bring in an extra cost.
“If you decide to build on your own, but you don’t know what you are doing, there are chances that you’ll end up paying a contractor more money to fix your mistakes,” says Mr. Murithi.
Another trick that a builder can use to save money is sourcing for materials on their own, as opposed to giving the responsibility to those manning the construction site, such as the foreman and fundis.
“The reason I decided to start building budget homes as a business,” Mr. Murithi says, “is because I once owned a hardware store and would see foremen brazenly scamming their bosses.
He says the foremen would collude with hardware store owners to deceive the home-builders by marking up the prices of supplies and backing them up with fake receipts.
