House designs are powerful symbols that you can use to make a statement to the world about who you are. Buildings have a long lifespan and will continue to communicate their statement to the world long after their departure. House designs are also a mark of self-realization.
The initial step in drawing up the plan of your dream home is to contact an architect. Explain to your architect what you want his house to look like. You can search the Internet for images of similar houses and floor plans. This will inspire you to explain to your architect exactly how he wants to design your house.
You can also explain to your architect what statement or symbol you want your home to communicate through design. At this stage, your budget will be important as it will dictate the size of the house you will have. Mortgage financing is available from Housing Finance, KCB Savings and Loan, Barclays, Equity Bank, Standard Chartered, Stanbic or any other financial institution in Kenya.
The architect will incorporate the design and symbols into a form and work out the functionality from there. Functionality implies how the spaces relate to each other, for example, the kitchen should be close to the dining room, the bedrooms should be located in a private place away from the living room, the construction of the structure should be structurally sound and in accordance with the Building Code and all applicable laws. House construction.
By using 3D graphic design software like ArchiCAD, your architect should be able to present the house to you in a 3D graphical view so you can make your recommendations and changes. This process will continue until you are satisfied with the design of the house.
Your architect will print the house plan in A1 format and make 4 copies of the plan. He will send the drawings to the relevant local authority in Kenya, in Nairobi, the City Hall.
The Council will review the drawings to confirm if it conforms to the Kenya Building Code and is therefore habitable.
Once the approvals are given, usually after a few weeks, you can now move on to the next stage: Construction.
At this stage, you can have your inspector of quantities submit bills of quantities, that is, a breakdown of all the materials and quantities that will be used in the house and an estimated construction cost per item. With this blank document[without the price component]You can invite several building contractors to quote the construction of the house. With the help of your architect and surveyor, you can select the best one in terms of previous construction experience and similar prices.
After selection, you sign a contract with the contractor and your architect supervises the contractor’s work to ensure it conforms to the design and agreed-upon quality and workmanship. Construction contracts in Kenya are available from the offices of the Architectural Association Of Kenya, Professional Centre, Nairobi, Kenya.
Once the contractor has finished building to plan, you can move into your dream home and live comfortably forever.
