Why Building a House in Kenya is a Smart Choice: Top 5 Reasons and How to Address the Challenges – Build a House Now
Owning a home will give you some much-needed peace of mind in addition to providing a roof over your head. Also, once you build a house, you will redirect your income towards other investment ventures and grow your wealth.
Generally, you can own a home by building a house from scratch or buying a ready-made property. We will break down the advantages of building your house from the ground up. Additionally, we’ll inform you of some of the downsides of constructing that you should keep in mind.
1. You Can Build In Phases
It is no secret that building a house in Kenya takes a significant amount of time and money. However, this feature is not exactly a limitation if you are in no hurry to move out of your rental home.
Think of building a house as a journey that starts with land ownership. Once you acquire the piece of land, you can shift your focus to raising a perimeter fence, designing your home and laying the foundation for the house.
In a nutshell, you don’t need to have the full amount needed to complete your home ownership journey. Since the process can take several years before completion, you don’t need a CEO’s salary but rather a solid long-term plan.
2. You can Build a House to your Liking
Building from scratch is like painting on an empty canvas. Firstly, you get to decide where your house will be located and who your neighbors will be while buying land.
Secondly, you will have an active role in the design process of the house before you start building. As such, you will easily tailor various elements of the home to suit your tastes and preferences.
You’ll dictate not just the general size of the house but also the size of individual rooms and their placement. If you have kids, elderly folk, or persons living with disabilities, you can tweak the house design to accommodate their stay, e.g. provide ramps.
Once you’ve completed the construction stage, you’ll be actively involved in designing the house’s interior. Building a home means that you will select the color of paint that will go on your walls. Moreover, you will decide which fittings and furniture to use depending on your budget and personal preferences.
3. Incorporate New Technology
One of the downsides of buying a house is that there is little you can change about its amenities. You might find a property with great value but has classic style cues that may look out of place.
On the flip side, building your house from scratch means you get to decide what to include and not to include in the plan. Additionally, it is pretty hard to get left behind on emerging real estate technology since the construction process is frequently a protracted affair.
Once you reach the final stages of building, you’ll be able to include the latest gadgets in your house. Most builders will have the latest alarm systems, CCTV, and remote-operated gates in their homes.
4. You can Make Savings on Overall Costs
Building a house is undoubtedly an expensive affair. However, you can make some considerable savings throughout the process through clever budgeting and material sourcing.
For starters, you will have a detailed budget for all the costs before laying the first foundation stone. This should help prevent unforeseen costs during construction. Additionally, once you know what is needed to complete the project, you can decide to buy the materials in bulk to benefit from economies of scale. Alternatively, you can seek outlets that sell cheaply or simply wait for a market adjustment.
Typically, you shouldn’t skip hiring the right expertise for the project. Nevertheless, because of the time taken to complete your house, you will need a relatively smaller crew, reducing part of the total expenditure.
5. Low Cost of Maintenance after Completion
Like a brand new pair of shoes, your newly built house won’t require routine maintenance for some time. On the other hand, buying a home is often accompanied by costs of refurbishing and general repairs. Some houses on the market have had at least two previous owners, and you are bound to encounter paint peeling off the walls, exposed cables, broken windows, and chipped walls.
Challenges of Building a House
Many homeowners swear by building as an ideal path towards home ownership. However, the ride is not always rosy, and you will encounter some challenges.
The Process Will Take a Significant Amount of Time
The time taken to build a house from the ground up can be a benefit and a disadvantage. However, buying a ready-made home will always be the faster route towards owning your home. You’ll only need to follow the due process and avail the money before acquiring the house.
Building Is a Costly Affair
Before you build a house, you have to buy the land on which to construct. Moreover, you must anticipate additional costs not within the budget during the building process. For instance, you may have to deal with uncommitted laborers, poor weather, and other emergencies.
Building Is Stressful
Constructing will take a toll on your mental health, unlike buying a house which is a straightforward matter. When you decide to build a house, you will have to buy all the supplies and then supervise the construction process.
In the process, you will still need to handle your employment duties and consistently deliver at the workplace. Moreover, since the construction process can take up to a year, you’ll easily struggle to keep up with the demands of building a house.
The Takeaway
Building is decidedly the best path to owning a home for some owners. Granted, the project is expensive, takes a lot of time, and exacts a heavy toll on your mental health. Nevertheless, your sacrifices will be worth something once your house is complete.
People who decide to build a house instead of buying one right away have a say in how their home will look like. Also, since you’ll first purchase land, you can decide the best place to build while considering the amenities your family will require.
