Laikipia County
Building in Nanyuki
Our base. Nanyuki has gone from a market and garrison town to one of the fastest growing places to build in Kenya, driven by holiday homes, people relocating from Nairobi and a strong short stay rental market.
What people are building here
- Family homes on quarter and half acre plots around town
- Holiday houses and Airbnb cottages
- Rental blocks and bedsitters serving the town and the base
- Country homes on the plots out towards Ol Pejeta, Nturukuma and the airstrip
What changes the design and the price in Nanyuki
The ground changes fast
Plots within a kilometre of each other can sit on good murram or on black cotton soil that swells and shrinks with every season. Black cotton needs a deeper or engineered foundation and it is the single most common reason a Nanyuki house cracks. A soil test before design costs a fraction of the repair.
Cold nights, hard sun
At almost 2,000 metres the temperature swing between midday and dawn is large. Stone walls hold the day's heat into the evening, which is one reason they remain the sensible wall here. The same altitude means ultraviolet light is brutal on cheap exterior paint and on plastic tanks left in the open.
Water is planned, not assumed
Mains supply reaches parts of town and not others. Most plots outside the municipality run on a combination of roof harvesting, storage and either a borehole or delivered water. Gutters and tanks are part of the build, not an extra.
Wind on the open plots
The plots towards the plains are exposed. Light gauge roofing sheets and long unsupported eaves do not last, so we specify heavier gauge and shorter overhangs on open sites.
Approvals
Plans are approved by Laikipia County. You need the title or lease, architectural drawings and structural drawings from registered professionals. Residential approval is commonly quoted around KES 50,000 per site, though the schedule changes with each county finance act. We prepare the submission and follow it up for you.
What materials cost here
Our base. Stone comes from the Laikipia and Meru quarries, sand mostly from the Ewaso Ng'iro and Timau side. Cement and steel come up from Nairobi or Nakuru, which is the main reason materials here sit a little above Nairobi yard prices.
Have a plot in Nanyuki?
Send us the location and roughly what you want to build. We will visit, look at the ground and come back with an honest figure.