Demand for homes in Nairobi, and the country at large, is huge. One has the option to build or buy, but with the intricacies of self-build, many opt to buy. It is therefore important that you know what to consider when buying a home.

In Nairobi, most of the available units for sale are three bed-room sized, usually because homebuyers have a long-term plans for family. Sectional ownership laws have enabled individuals to buy apartment units. So, what do you consider?

When choosing the house to buy, plinth area (floor area) is very important. Compare this versus the house price; the larger the better.

Check the type of foundation that the house rests on. The most common type in Nairobi is strip foundation. In areas with black cotton soil, it must be excavated to prevent soil expansion when the ground is wet thus cracking the ground floor slab. Where the black cotton soil is over 1.5 metres deep, it’s cheaper to have a pile foundation such that the soil isn’t excavated and columns are sunk till stable ground. The ground floor slab rests supported by the columns and beams.

Where the ground is unstable and the building will be several stories high, raft foundation is best suited. This kind has a slab resting on the excavated underground from there columns emerge to support the other floors. Check whether the damp-proof course is well laid as the membrane helps prevent the ground floor slab from sucking wetness through capillary action, making the room unusually cold and damp.

Walling in Nairobi is mostly masonry stones from quarries. For external walls, check whether stones are 200mm thick, enough to prevent rain from seeping through from the outside, as this could damage paint inside and cause dampness.

Ensure walls do not show signs of wetness where they meet the ground floor slab. Also check for major cracks, which if visible means the foundation was not laid on firm ground so the weight of the building makes it lean on one side causing cracks.

Check the quality of the paint work inside. In Kenya, paint is manufactured in first and second quality. Confirm that it is first quality.

For roofing, check the trusses. Concrete and brick tiles are heavy, thus trusses are spaced at 600mm centre to centre, strong enough to carry the heavy load. The steeper the roof pitch angle, the better since this will prevent leaking.

For lighter roofing such as iron sheets (mabati) or stone-coated steel roofing sheets, spacing is wider; 1.2 metres. Check the thickness of the sheets; they come in various gauges – 26 being the thickest, then 28, 30 and 32 the lightest. Light gauges don’t stay long before vagaries of weather and rust take a toll on them.