Diaspora home construction
Build your home in Kenya while living abroad.
Architectural and structural drawings, construction and workshop-made joinery from one Nanyuki-based team. Start with your plot in Laikipia or the Mount Kenya region and the home you want to build.
A real project
She lives in Germany. Her holiday home is taking shape in Sweetwaters.
TimberStone has handled the project from the drawing stage through the construction shown in the project record, near Ol Pejeta in Laikipia County.
The scope includes a single-storey holiday-home bungalow, a utility house, a DSQ and an underground water-storage tank. The owner receives regular dated progress updates. At the 5 September 2026 update, the project was on schedule; construction remains in progress.
Start with the stage you are at
You can approach us before drawings, with an existing design, or for the joinery and fit-out of a house already under construction.
I have a plot and an idea
Send the location, approximate plot size, intended rooms and budget. Discuss a site assessment and architectural and structural design scope.
Explore design and site assessmentI have drawings
Share the drawings and describe the site and the work you want priced. Identify the house, services and external works included in the brief.
Explore construction servicesI need interiors and furniture
Ask about doors, kitchens, wardrobes, timber floors, ceilings and furniture made in our Nanyuki workshop. Dimensions, finishes and installation determine the quotation.
Explore joinery and furnitureWhat to agree before construction starts
Distance makes a clear written brief especially useful. Discuss these points with the team and have the agreed arrangements recorded for your project.
1. The scope and price
Which drawings, building works, finishes and external works are included? Record exclusions and allowances so you can compare quotations on the same basis.
2. Payments and changes
Agree the payment stages, the work or documentation associated with each stage, and how changes to cost or scope are approved before they proceed.
3. Progress and decisions
Agree a named contact, the update schedule and format, how work is reported against the programme, and how decisions reach you across time zones.
4. Inspection and handover
Agree the inspection arrangements, any representative you want involved, and how outstanding work is recorded and followed through at handover.
Plan the whole project budget
A house-only figure can leave out work your plot needs. Include water, waste disposal, power, access, boundary works and furnishing in the discussion.
The calculator is a planning tool. It is not a quotation for your plot or a forecast of rental income.
Questions about building from abroad
Can I start planning while I am outside Kenya?
Yes. Send your plot location, the type of home you want and any existing drawings. Tell us where you live and a suitable time to contact you. We can discuss the brief remotely; site assessment and the professional work required are agreed for the actual plot.
Do I need drawings before I contact TimberStone?
No. Architectural and structural designs and drawings can be commissioned first, or we can discuss construction from drawings you already have. The design scope, fees and any subsequent building work need to be agreed separately.
How will I follow the work from abroad?
On the Sweetwaters project, we send the owner in Germany regular dated site updates and report against the programme. For your project, agree the update frequency, contact person, photographs, decisions to approve and reporting format before work starts.
Can you give me a price before visiting the plot?
We can discuss an initial budget from your brief. An itemised construction quotation needs a defined scope, drawings and site information. Access, ground conditions, floor area and finishes affect the price. Water storage, drainage, external works and furnishing should be identified separately.
Do you build anywhere in Kenya?
TimberStone is based in Nanyuki and works across Laikipia and the Mount Kenya region. Send the exact plot location so the team can confirm whether it can take on your project. Living overseas does not change the need to confirm local site coverage and availability.
Is the Sweetwaters home finished?
No. The published update is dated 5 September 2026. It records the roofed bungalow and utility house, the constructed underground water tank, and an on-schedule position at that date. Follow the project page for its recorded stages; this is an active build, not a completed handover.
Two resources to help you prepare
Use these before the first conversation, or keep them alongside your project brief.
Building from abroad: the planning checklist
Plot information, design, budget, responsibilities and handover questions to work through.
Read and print the checklist →What a useful progress report should show
Dated evidence, work completed, programme changes and decisions needing your attention.
Explore the reporting outline →Your project
Prepare your building brief
Answer what you know. You can leave anything undecided, review the message below, and then open WhatsApp to send it.
Your answers stay on this page until you copy, print or open WhatsApp. They are not saved by the website and disappear if you reload. Opening WhatsApp prepares the message; you still choose whether to send it.