What we build
Building rental units in Kenya
The number that matters is what a unit costs to build against what it brings in each month. That sets the layout, the finishes, and how much to spend on the parts a tenant never sees.
Build for the twentieth tenant
The temptation with rentals is to save on everything, and it is usually the wrong call. Cheap taps, cheap door locks and cheap paint are replaced so often that they cost more over ten years than the good version, and each replacement is a day of your time.
Spend on the things that get used every day and are painful to change later. Plumbing, drainage, door frames, floors and the roof. Save on the things a tenant can live with and you can upgrade cheaply, such as wall colour and light fittings.
- Water storage sized for the whole block, with a pump and a proper tank stand
- Separate metering so you are not chasing bills
- Drainage and manholes you can actually reach when they block
- Solid door frames and locks, because doors are what tenants break
Demand around Nanyuki
Nanyuki has a steady rental market driven by the military presence, the conservancies, the hospitals and the schools, plus a growing number of people working remotely from the highlands. That mix wants different things, from a clean bedsitter near town to a two bedroom house with parking and water security.
We will tell you honestly which of those your plot suits, based on where it is and what is already around it.
Questions we get asked
- How much does it cost to build a bedsitter in Kenya?
- Between KES 550,000 and KES 900,000 per unit for a block of several, at a simple but durable finish. Cost per unit falls as you build more, because the foundation, roof, water and waste are shared.
- How many units can I fit on an eighth of an acre?
- It depends on the county setbacks, parking requirements and how many floors you are allowed. As a rough guide, an eighth acre commonly takes six to twelve small units over two or three floors. The county planning department decides, and we check before you buy if you ask us early enough.
Also worth reading
Holiday homes and Airbnb units
TimberStone designs and builds holiday homes and holiday cottages in Nanyuki and the Mount Kenya region. Plan a private weekend home, a self-catering cottage or an Airbnb development around your plot, budget and intended use, with architectural and structural drawings, construction and workshop-made joinery.
Apartment blocks
An apartment block is a different level of project. The structure has to be calculated, the approvals take longer, and the water, waste and electrics are designed for the whole block at once.
Plan the rental units before pricing the block
- How many bedsitters, one-bedroom or larger units are you considering?
- Is the quoted floor area for one unit or the whole block, including shared spaces?
- Which works belong in the first phase, and what must allow for a later phase?
- Include shared access, metering, water, waste and maintenance requirements in the brief. Rental income is not guaranteed by a construction estimate.
Planning rental units?
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.