What we build
Annexes, staff quarters and outbuildings
A DSQ, a flat for parents, a home office, or housing for farm staff. All of it goes up on a plot that already has a house standing on it, which changes how the work is run.
Building next to a house you are living in
The main difference is that you are still using the site. Deliveries, dust, noise and a lorry that needs somewhere to turn all have to work around a family that has not moved out. That is a programme and access question more than a construction one, and we plan it before we start rather than apologise for it afterwards.
The second question is connections. Tapping the existing water, waste and power is usually possible, but the existing system was sized for one building, and it is worth checking before you assume.
Make it match
An annexe built in a different stone with a different roof profile lowers the value of the whole property. Matching the main house costs very little extra at the time and it is obvious to anyone who visits.
- Same stone, same roof profile, same window style
- Check the existing septic and water can take the extra load
- Separate metering if it will ever be let out
- Its own entrance if privacy matters, which it usually does
Questions we get asked
- How much does a DSQ cost to build in Kenya?
- A two room DSQ with its own bathroom, built to the same standard as the main house, normally costs KES 700,000 to KES 1.4M depending on size and finish.
Also worth reading
Farm and agricultural buildings
Laikipia and Meru are farming counties. We put up grain and input stores, dairy units, machinery sheds, workshops and staff housing.
Renovations and extensions
A lot of our calls are about houses that already exist. Somebody needs another bedroom, or the first contractor did poor work, or the money ran out at roof level and the walls have been open for two years.
Prepare the scope before asking for a price
- Send the exact plot location and the type of building you need.
- Include the approximate floor area, any existing drawings and the work already done.
- List what belongs in this quotation, including any external works or fit-out.
Planning an annexe, DSQ or staff housing?
Tell us the plot and roughly what you have in mind. We will come and look, then give you an itemised figure and a programme.