What we build
Building a maisonette in Kenya
A maisonette is a house on two or three floors with its own entrance. It is what people build when the plot is small, when the view is worth reaching for, or when they simply want the bedrooms separate from the living space.
When going up is the right answer
On an eighth of an acre in a growing town, a bungalow with four bedrooms leaves you almost no garden and nowhere to park. The same house on two floors gives the ground back.
Around Nanyuki there is a second reason, and it is the mountain. A first floor sitting room or bedroom with a clear view of Mount Kenya is worth real money, both to live with and on resale.
What it adds to the cost
Expect roughly eight to twelve percent more per square metre than a bungalow of the same finish. The extra buys a suspended first floor slab, more reinforcement, a staircase, taller scaffolding and a longer programme while the slab cures.
The saving comes on the parts you only build once. One foundation, one roof and one set of connections serve twice the floor area.
- Suspended slab and staircase are the two big added items
- Foundation must be designed for the full load, so the soil test matters more
- Water pressure upstairs needs planning, usually a tank tower or a pump
- Building above two floors changes the approval route in most counties
Questions we get asked
- How much does a 4 bedroom maisonette cost in Kenya?
- Around KES 9M to KES 18M all in for 180 to 250 square metres at a standard to good finish. High end finishes, large glazing and landscaped grounds can take the same house well past KES 25M.
- Can I build the ground floor now and the first floor later?
- Yes, and it is common, but only if it was designed that way from the start. The foundation, the columns and the starter bars have to be sized for the finished house. Adding a floor to a house that was not designed for one means strengthening work that usually costs more than doing it properly the first time.
Also worth reading
Bungalows
A bungalow is everything on one level. It is the most common house built in Kenya and usually the cheapest way to get a given number of bedrooms, because there is no staircase, no suspended slab and no second scaffold.
Farmhouses and country homes
Building on land is a different job from building in town. There is usually no mains water, often no power at the boundary, and the access road decides half your logistics. It is also the most rewarding kind of house to build, because the site actually gets to shape the design.
Planning a maisonette?
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.