Building Vs buying; which is best the best path for Kenya house ownership

Rule number 1 of building a house; Measure twice, cut once.

“Measure twice cut once” is a favorite proverb among st carpenters and it best exemplifies the importance of planning before you engage in any kind of endeavor no matter how trivial. Failure by the carpenter to plan and measure his timber according to the specifications before cutting it will result in waste of time and resources.

This maxim holds true especially in building a house. The prospective house owner must have a clear mental picture of the kind of structure he desires. He should then put his thoughts on paper using sketches and notes and refine the design until he feels certain that he knows exactly what he wants. No special training or tools are needed to prepare the sketch and notes; a clear mind and basic pen and paper literacy will suffice.

After putting the idea on paper, the prospective house owner should then engage an architect so that the sketches and notes can be conveyed into building plans that can be used for construction. The architect will also advise the client on the tentative cost of the building as well as help in refining the design so as to make it practical. This kind of preliminary consultation with a building professional might take as little time as an hour over a cup of coffee for a simple domestic house and the professional might not charge for such advice. (But at least the client should pay for the coffee!) Most professionals in the construction industry are more than willing to offer their expertise and such information will be of great use in the preliminary planning stage. Of course the architect/draughtsman or engineer will charge for finally preparing the building plans but the information and advice that he initially gives will go a long way in enabling the client to plan for the project; both design wise and financially.